scholarly journals Participation value of undergraduate students leading STEM outreach: Evaluation of academic, personal and professional effects

Author(s):  
Elizabeth Saville ◽  
Jennifer M. Jakobi ◽  
Anne Sophie Beaudoin ◽  
Sabre Cherkowski

This study explores the academic, professional and personal career benefits of leading Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach, from the perspective of undergraduate student leaders. We consider traditional and non-traditional STEM university students, gender and type of position (paid or volunteer) in this evaluation. Data were collected through an online survey completed by 30 former student STEM outreach leaders from the University of British Columbia. Survey data indicated that STEM outreach had a moderately strong impact on academic, professional and personal career development. Outcomes did not differ between genders and paid work was found to contribute to greater personal and professional impact. The positive influence of outreach on academic and professional decision making was higher in traditional STEM fields than STEM based health-science studies. Future studies are needed to fully understand how demographics and year of study might differentially inform career decision making within as well as between STEM fields to maximize university student leader involvement and create advances in the university-leaders academic and professional development. The outcomes of this research will further inform the relevant impacts of STEM outreach on university student leaders.

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Ip ◽  
Annlouise Cavanna ◽  
Beverley Corbett

This paper examines the recent development of a computer-assisted learning program—in Practice— at the School of Health Science, in the University of Wales Swansea. The project, which began in 2001, was developed in close collaboration with The Meningitis Trust, the aim being to produce a software package to increase nursing students’ knowledge of meningitis-related illnesses, and to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills by using lifelike scenarios. It incorporates two multimedia meningitis modules incorporating the use of text, film, and sound, in which students are presented with information about the illness (symptoms, treatment etc.), and are required to use their knowledge to make decisions at various key points. A general discussion of decision-making theories and CAL design principles is presented, which has provided a foundation for the main design aspects of the package. This is followed by an outline of how the program was created to promote students’ application of knowledge and their decision-making and problemsolving skills. Results from an evaluation questionnaire are presented. Consideration is also given as to how the program can be extended.DOI: 10.1080/0968776042000339808


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil R Dommaraju ◽  
Stephanie Gordon Rivera ◽  
Ethan G Rocha ◽  
Scott Bicknell ◽  
Daniel Loizzo ◽  
...  

Objectives: The objectives of the HOLISTIC Cohort Study are to establish a 3-year prospective cohort study that characterizes the health of students within and across health professional education programs during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, implement an interprofessional student research team, and inform initiatives to improve student health. This report describes the rationale and design of the HOLISTIC Cohort Study, including recruitment strategy, survey development, data management, and descriptive statistics of the first wave of study participants. Methods: An interprofessional student research team was formed to continuously inform study design. The first wave of recruitment was conducted from April 14, 2021 to May 5, 2021 across seven health science colleges (applied health, dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, social work) at the University of Illinois Chicago in Chicago, IL. Eligible students were sent an invitation via email to complete an online survey after providing electronic informed consent. The online survey was based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2019 survey and the 2014 World Health Organization Report of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts Working Group Questionnaire. Two additional recruitment waves are planned in the Spring 2022 and Spring 2023; follow-up of participants previously enrolled will occur during these second and third recruitment waves. Results: Of 5,118 students invited to participate in the first wave, 553 (10.8%) completed the survey and includes participants from all seven health science colleges. The average age of participants is 27.3 years, 435 (78.8%) identify as female, and 137 (24.8%) identify as an underrepresented minority. Overall, 465 (84.6%) participants reported being currently employed for wages. Just over half (51%) reported no days with poor physical health within a month but only 11.2% reported no days with poor mental health within a month. Nearly one in ten (9.4%) reported having ever had a positive test for COVID-19. Conclusion: The HOLISTIC Cohort Study of health professional students across seven health science colleges has completed the first of three waves of enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the first wave of study participants, increased attention to supporting the mental and physical health of health professional students is needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-171
Author(s):  
Kwaku Abrefa Busia ◽  
Alice Amegah ◽  
Francis Arthur-Holmes

Recent studies on student politics and governance have shown that electoral clientelism (EC) in university student elections is often facilitated by clientelist relations between student leaders and political parties. However, there is a dearth of empirical research investigating the various forms of electoral clientelism, as manifested through vote-buying practices in campus electoral politics in African universities. This article, therefore, investigates the multifaceted and changing dynamics of vote-buying in student electoral processes in Ghanaian universities. The study adopted a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 15 student leaders, 4 university staff working with student leadership, and 4 focus group interviews involving students at the University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. From our finding, we argue that electoral clientelism takes place in five crucial ways in university student elections in Ghana. These include the provision of direct cash payments, exchanging electoral support for student government positions and appointments, provision of food and beverage consumables, award of student-related business contracts, and provision of educational materials and souvenirs.


Hypothesis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Morgan-Daniel ◽  
Lauren E. Adkins ◽  
Michele R. Tennant ◽  
Hannah F. Norton ◽  
Chloe Hough ◽  
...  

Objective: A pilot diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) needs assessment was conducted at a health sciences library. The objectives were to 1) quantitatively assess patrons’ attitudes towards the existing DEI climate in the library and 2) qualitatively identify contextual factors influencing patrons’ perceptions. Population: The assessment was led by a DEI Team at the University of Florida’s Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL). HSCL serves the university’s six health science colleges from two sites, Gainesville and Jacksonville. HSCL Gainesville was selected as the study location, due to higher annual footfall within the physical library. Methods: Two “HappyOrNot” customer satisfaction machines were placed by library exits. Twelve DEI-related questions were displayed on the machines, one question per week, for the duration of 12 weeks total. Additionally, a box for open-ended comments was placed by each machine. Findings: The total number of responses was 3,445, with 7 written comments. Overall, respondents felt happiest with the library’s welcoming and home-like environment. The library was perceived by many as a physically safe space. Most also felt that the library demonstrates a commitment to DEI and that they are treated fairly, equitably, and with respect by library staff. Areas of concern were a perceived lack of respect from other library visitors, as well as library services for patrons with disabilities and non-native English language speakers. Conclusions: The project enabled the HSCL to gather important information concerning patrons’ perceptions of the library’s DEI climate and their associated needs. The HappyOrNot machines provided a straightforward and convenient method for patron feedback, resulting in an impressive number of responses. However, limitations of the pilot included the inability to obtain participants’ demographic information, as well as the anecdotal evidence indicating that some respondents did not read the questions. Future plans therefore involve a follow-up online survey with detailed demographic questions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Anita Acai ◽  
Victoria Cowan ◽  
Stephanie Doherty ◽  
Gaurav Sharma ◽  
Naythrah Thevathasan

In recent years, there has been a dynamic shift in the role of the university student through the creation and promotion of experiential learning opportunities on campuses across the country. Many post-secondary programs now include co-op placements, practicums, or internships where students can apply theoretical knowledge to real-world settings. However, in this article, we have chosen to focus on more “altruistic” forms of experiential learning – volunteerism, development work, and service-learning – which have gained increased focus in recent years but are often used, we feel, without appropriately reflecting on their meaning. In this article, we draw upon our experiences as student leaders to define each of these roles, outline what we see as the benefits of experiential learning for students, and provide recommendations for how these learning opportunities can continue to be improved. Moreover, we identify privilege, ethics, and responsibility as complexities related to experiential learning and discuss each of these topics in more detail. We end our discussion by addressing the role of experiential learning in helping to define the value of a post-secondary education.


1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Fernández ◽  
Miguel A. Mateo ◽  
José Muñiz

The conditions are investigated in which Spanish university teachers carry out their teaching and research functions. 655 teachers from the University of Oviedo took part in this study by completing the Academic Setting Evaluation Questionnaire (ASEQ). Of the three dimensions assessed in the ASEQ, Satisfaction received the lowest ratings, Social Climate was rated higher, and Relations with students was rated the highest. These results are similar to those found in two studies carried out in the academic years 1986/87 and 1989/90. Their relevance for higher education is twofold because these data can be used as a complement of those obtained by means of students' opinions, and the crossing of both types of data can facilitate decision making in order to improve the quality of the work (teaching and research) of the university institutions.


1990 ◽  
Vol 29 (04) ◽  
pp. 386-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Degani ◽  
G. Bortolan

AbstractThe main lines ofthe program designed for the interpretation of ECGs, developed in Padova by LADSEB-CNR with the cooperation of the Medical School of the University of Padova are described. In particular, the strategies used for (i) morphology recognition, (ii) measurement evaluation, and (iii) linguistic decision making are illustrated. The main aspect which discerns this program in comparison with other approaches to computerized electrocardiography is its ability of managing the imprecision in both the measurements and the medical knowledge through the use of fuzzy-set methodologies. So-called possibility distributions are used to represent ill-defined parameters as well as threshold limits for diagnostic criteria. In this way, smooth conclusions are derived when the evidence does not support a crisp decision. The influence of the CSE project on the evolution of the Padova program is illustrated.


1989 ◽  
Vol 28 (04) ◽  
pp. 360-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. McArthur ◽  
J. Bolles ◽  
J. Fine ◽  
P. Kidd ◽  
M. Bessis

Abstract:Advances in electronic image recording and computer technologyhave resulted in a remarkable increase in the power and flexibility of interactive computer-video teaching systems. The University of Washington Health Science Videodisc Development Group first demonstrated a laser videodisc controlled by a remote central computer in 1980. Even this rudimentary unit highlighted basic medical informatics principles including: rapid accessibility; a “generic” or multi-purposed format; ease of computer control; and large collections of valid, rigorously reviewed images. Advances in medical informatics have led to the development of the following previously undescribed series of teaching units:1. The hypertext programs Hypercard, Linkway, and Guide have been used with videodiscs to develop easy-to-use instructional and reference materials. These materials demonstrate the ease with which a computer-naive instructor may develop new programs and the advantage that the intuitive nature of these programs brings to student users.2. Patient simulations using single and double screens plus pre-defined knowledge structures;3. Interactive single topic tutorials using preset knowledge structures;4. A key-word-based disc searching system;5. Electronic video microscopy;6. A series of programs developed independently by health science faculty who have purchased multi-purpose videodiscs that demonstrate the flexibility of the multi-purpose or “generic”: collection concept.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna Gödör ◽  
Georgina Szabó

Abstract As they say, money can’t buy happiness. However, the lack of it can make people’s lives much harder. From the moment we open our first bank account, we have to make lots of financial decisions in our life. Should I save some money or should I spend it? Is it a good idea to ask for a loan? How to invest my money? When we make such decisions, unfortunately we sometimes make mistakes, too. In this study, we selected seven common decision making biases - anchoring and adjustment, overconfidence, high optimism, the law of small numbers, framing effect, disposition effect and gambler’s fallacy – and tested them on the Hungarian population via an online survey. In the focus of our study was the question whether the presence of economic knowledge helps people make better decisions? The decision making biases found in literature mostly appeared in the sample as well. It proves that people do apply them when making decisions and in certain cases this could result in serious and costly errors. That’s why it would be absolutely important for people to learn about them, thus increasing their awareness and attention when making decisions. Furthermore, in our research we did find some connection between decisions and the knowledge of economics, people with some knowledge of economics opted for the better solution in bigger proportion


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