scholarly journals Impact of distance education via interactive videoconferencing on students’ course performance and satisfaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga M. Klibanov ◽  
Christian Dolder ◽  
Kevin Anderson ◽  
Heather A. Kehr ◽  
J. Andrew Woods

The impact of distance education via interactive videoconferencing on pharmacy students’ performance in a course was assessed after implementation of a distance campus. Students filled out a “Student Demographic Survey” and a “Precourse Knowledge Assessment” at the start of the course and a “Postcourse Knowledge Assessment” and a “Postcourse Student Perceptions Survey” at the end of the course. The primary end point, a comparison of course grades (%) between the main and distance campuses, was examined using the two-sample t-test. We examined the relationships among demographics, campus location, course grades, grade point average, pre- and postcourse knowledge assessments, and postcourse perceptions as our secondary end points with parametric and nonparametric tests. Data from 93 students were included in the analysis [main campus ( n = 81); distance campus ( n = 12)]. Students on the main campus achieved a significantly higher final course grade (87 vs. 81%; P = 0.02). Scores on the Postcourse Knowledge Assessment were also significantly higher compared with those of students on the distance education campus (77 vs. 68%; P = 0.04). Students on both campuses reported self-perceived improvement in their knowledge base regarding various aspects of infectious diseases. Compared with the students on the distance campus, those on the main campus were more likely to subjectively perceive that they had succeeded in the course ( P = 0.04). Our study suggests that students on the main campus achieved a higher final course grade and were more likely to feel that they had succeeded in the course. Students on both campuses reported improvement in knowledge.

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1065A-1065
Author(s):  
Jennifer Doxey ◽  
Tina M. Waliczek

Many individuals and businesses enhance the central design of their homes or offices with living interior plants. While the aesthetic values of interior greenery are obvious, some research has suggested that interior living plants may offer some psychological and restorative values, such as reduced tension, better coping mechanisms, and increased concentration and attention. The main objective of this research was to investigate the impact of plants within a university classroom setting on course performance, course satisfaction, and student perceptions of the instructor. The study was designed to include a minimum of two classes of the same coursework, taught by the same professor in the same room. Three sets of two classes each, and ≈500 students were included within the study. Throughout the semester, the experimental class of students was treated by including an assortment of tropical plants within the classroom. Plants were not present in the control classroom of the study. A survey administered to each classroom of students at the end of the semester asked students to provide demographic data including class rank, gender, and grade point average. The professor for each course provided information on each student's grade for the course, as well as overall quantitative information on how well students were satisfied with the experience they had within the course. The results demonstrate value added to the classroom experience and help to justify consideration of the added expense of interior plants in meeting the goals of instructor and curriculum.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boban Simonovic ◽  
Katia Vione ◽  
Dean Fido ◽  
Edward Stupple ◽  
James Martin ◽  
...  

Learning and development of critical thinking skills in higher education is essential for academic achievement. The following experiment is first to examine the effect of online student perceptions and attitudes towards critical thinking across dimensions of confidence, valuing, misconceptions cognitive reflection and authors writing. Furthermore, we developed and examined the effect of four critical thinking workshops with an aim to help students improve their grade point average. Our analyses demonstrated that student’s confidence and cognitive reflection predict academic achievement. Moreover, the online CT intervention improved students’ CT attitudes, skills, and academic performance. Significant interactions were observed between time (pre and post-intervention) and intervention in cognitive reflection (as measured by the extend version of the cognitive reflection test; CRT) confidence beliefs and attitudes related to critical thinking (as measured by the critical thinking toolkit CriTT), and student grade point average (GPA; as measured by students performance on online modules). It was concluded that the critical thinking can be thought and that an intervention based ‘how to think’ rather than ‘what to think’ mixed approach can help students develop critical thinking, strengthen their confidence in critical thinking and help students improve their academic performance in an online setting.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela R. McCall ◽  
Richard D. Harvey

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine predictors for success on Parts I and II of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) written examinations. Methods Two validity studies were conducted to examine the criterion validity of Logan College assessments for Part I and II NBCE scores. Both studies consisted of a longitudinal design to examine the validity of entrance grade point average (GPA), in-program chiropractic course content GPA, and an institutional practice exam on Parts I and II of the NBCE. Results Analyses revealed that Part I GPA and practice exam scores combined accounted for 72% of the variance within Part I NBCE scores. Furthermore, every subtest of the Part I NBCE could be reliably predicted by course performance. In the 2nd study, Part I GPA, Part I NBCE score, and Part II GPA accounted for 75% of the variance within Part II NBCE scores. Conclusions Internal training and educational assessments (eg, course grades and practice exams) proved to be strong determinants of NBCE performance above and beyond initial levels of preparedness, thus validating the impact of the chiropractic curriculum on NBCE test achievement.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Macke ◽  
James Canfield ◽  
Karen Tapp ◽  
Vanessa Hunn

Racial inequity in postsecondary education is a significant social problem. Black students’ academic success is often hindered by feelings of isolation, particularly at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Educators should ensure that their teaching strategies promote a sense of belonging. Team-based learning (TBL) is a small-group pedagogy that is being used at an increasing rate. The extant literature has not yet examined the impact of TBL on Black students. The current study compared the academic outcomes of White and Black students enrolled in TBL courses. In this study of 148 social work students, academic outcomes were operationalized as grade point average (GPA), course grade, and peer evaluation score. Findings indicate that although Black students had comparable GPAs and course grades, they scored significantly lower on peer evaluations. Implications are discussed.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mery Constanza García-Vargas ◽  
Mercedes Rizo-Baeza ◽  
Ernesto Cortés-Castell

Background.Little research exists on the impact of paid work on academic performance of students of health sciences. No research exists on this subject for students in Colombia.Objectives.This paper seeks to analyze the impact of paid work on academic performance among nursing students. Design, settings and participants: cross-sectional research, involving 430 of nursing students from the National University of Colombia (N= 566).Methods.Variables analyzed: sex, age, work activity, attendance, current semester, degree subjects studied and unavailable, lost credits, grades during the second semester of 2013, and delayed semesters. Subgroups analyzed: (i) according to labor activity: do not work, work up to 20 h and work more than 20 h per week; (ii) Grade point average: failing is considered as less than 3.0 and passing 3.0 or above out of 5.0. Percentage of delayed semesters were calculated. Qualitative and quantitative variables were analyzed for groups by work activity. The percentage and probability of students getting a grade point average less than 3.0 and delaying semesters were calculated by multivariate logistic regression.Results. A total of 219 of the students work (50.9%), the main reason is socioeconomic, of which 99 (45.2%) work more than 20 h per week and have an increased risk of failing, which is higher in the first semester. They also get lower grades, lose more credits and take longer to finish the degree. The logistic bivariate regressions of success (grade point average, credits gained, courses gained and not having delayed semesters) reduce with work, above all in those who work more than 20 h per week and increase as the number of semesters completed increases, independent of sex.Conclusion.A high percentage of nursing students work more than 20 h per week. The compatibility of paid work with studies in university nursing students has a negative impact on academic performance, more so when they work more than 20 h per week. This negative impact diminishes as the student completes semesters, irrespective of the sex of the students.


Author(s):  
Lucy Barnard ◽  
Valerie Paton ◽  
William Lan

Positive perceptions of online course communication and collaboration have been associated with better academic outcomes, while self-regulatory learning behaviors have also been linked to academic achievement and other positive learning outcomes. In the current study, we examined whether self-regulatory learning behaviors may be considered as mediating the relationship between student perceptions of online course communication and collaboration with academic achievement as measured by grade point average (GPA). Results indicate that online self-regulatory learning behaviors, though not strongly associated with academic achievement in and of themselves, do mediate the positive relationship between student perceptions of online course communication and collaboration with academic achievement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey W. Alstete ◽  
Nicholas J. Beutell

Purpose This study aims to consider assurance of learning among undergraduate business students enrolled in capstone business strategy courses using the GLO-BUS competitive simulation. Gender, academic major and business core course performance were examined. Design/methodology/approach Participants were 595 undergraduate capstone business students from 21 course sections taught over a four-year period. Variables included learning assurance measures, simulation performance, gender, major, business core course grades, capstone course grade and cumulative grade point average. Correlations, linear regression, multiple regression and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Findings Learning assurance report scores were strongly related to simulation performance. Simulation performance was related to capstone course grade, which, in turn, was significantly related to the grade point average (GPA). Core business courses were related to learning assurance and performance indicators. Significant differences for gender and degree major were found for academic performance measures. Women and men did not differ in simulation performance. Research limitations/implications Limitations include the use of one simulation (GLO-BUS) and studying students at one university taught by one professor. Assurance of learning measures needs further study as factors in business program evaluation. Future research should analyze post-graduate performance and career achievements in relation to assurance of learning outcomes. Originality/value This study conducts empirical analyses of simulation learning that focuses entirely on direct measures, including student characteristics (gender, major), learning assurance measures, business core course grades, capstone course grades and student GPAs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. ar31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katelyn M. Cooper ◽  
Lu Ding ◽  
Michelle D. Stephens ◽  
Michelene T. H. Chi ◽  
Sara E. Brownell

Instructor-generated videos have become a popular way to engage students with material before a class, yet this is a relatively unexplored area of research. There is support for the use of videos in which instructors tutor students, but few studies have been conducted within the context of a classroom. In this study, conducted in a large-enrollment college physiology course, we used a randomized crossover design to compare the impact of two types of instructor-generated videos that students watched as part of their preclass assignments. We compared videos featuring only an instructor (instructor-only videos) with videos featuring an instructor tutoring a student (instructor–tutee videos). We analyzed student survey responses and weekly physiology quiz scores and found that students preferred, enjoyed, and valued the instructor-only videos significantly more than the instructor–tutee videos. In contrast to prior literature, students with a grade point average (GPA) below the median (3.49) performed significantly better on physiology quizzes after watching instructor-only videos compared with instructor–tutee videos. Students with a GPA at or above the median performed equivalently on physiology quizzes after watching instructor-only or instructor–tutee videos. We present this study as an example of bringing cognitive science studies into the context of a real physiology classroom.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie D. Alexander ◽  
Ronald B. Cox ◽  
Andrew Behnke ◽  
Robert E. Larzelere

High parental involvement has consistently been shown to enhance academic achievement among Latino youth. Still, some youth continue to thrive academically despite low parental involvement. The Theory of Rationality suggests that the impact of even potentially negative behaviors depends on how the behavior is interpreted. To test the application of this theory to parental “noninvolvement” among Latinos, we assessed how adolescent rationales about their parents’ noninvolvement in their schooling affected grade point average (GPA). Results showed that parental lack of transportation and feeling unwelcomed at school as reasons for noninvolvement were significantly and negatively related to GPA, and conflict with work schedule was significantly and positively related to GPA. Other reasons for noninvolvement were not significantly associated with GPA. Findings indicate that the meaning adolescents attribute to parental behavior may be a stronger predictor of academic achievement than the amount of involvement alone.


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