E-Examinations and the Student Experience Regarding Appropriateness of Assessment and Course Quality in Science and Medical Science

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-478
Author(s):  
Ananthan Ambikairajah ◽  
Christopher C. Tisdell
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
First Year ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Course Quality ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Assessment Requirements

The interest in, and use of, computers and software for assessment is reported to be increasingly popular via electronic examinations (e-exams). We deepen our understanding of the design, reception, and effectiveness of e-exams for history and philosophy of science modules, undertaken by first-year advanced science and medical science students at university. We employ a quasi-experimental research design approach to examine our implementation of e-exams on reported student satisfaction regarding the suitability of the information provided about the assessment requirements, appropriateness of the assessment methods, and overall quality of the associated courses. We report statistically significant increases in student satisfaction regarding the suitability and appropriateness of the assessment methods or requirements. The outcomes of this research highlight new avenues for educators to explore including (a) the innovative use of associated software (Maple TA™) for e-exams and (b) the implications that e-exams can have on the student experience in the context of medium-stakes testing.

Distance Education and ‘Discovery Learning’ in First-year Journalism: A Case in Subject Improvement

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Ames
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Discovery Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Education Model ◽  
Assessment Requirements ◽  
Social Constructivist Approach

This article examines the implications of adopting a discovery learning education model for distance education students in a first-year undergraduate journalism subject. It reviews subject enhancement strategies against learning theory and analyzes the ways students are engaged with subject content and assessment. Results of subject redesign included increased student satisfaction, greater retention and higher grades despite the increase in overall assessment requirements. It demonstrates that discovery learning based on group work and social engagement can be adopted in a distance education environment with positive outcomes. This article maps how a subject designed initially to align with a cognitivist/behaviourist model progressed to adopting a social constructivist approach. It concludes with a discussion of the issues associated with that transition.

University Student Conceptions of Learning Science Through Writing

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Ellis ◽  
Charlotte E. Taylor ◽  
Helen Drury
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
University Student ◽  
Learning Science ◽  
First Year ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Writing Program ◽  
Conceptions Of Learning ◽  
Conceptions Of Learning Science ◽  
Undergraduate Science

First-year undergraduate science students experienced a writing program as an important part of their assessment in a biology subject. The writing program was designed to help them develop both their scientific understanding as well as their written scientific expression. Open-ended questionnaires investigating the quality of the experience of learning through writing were distributed to 165 students. Interviews with six tutors on the writing program were also completed. Key results included that if students were not aware of the potential of learning science through writing, they tended to focus on superficial aspects of the writing experience, such as grammar, rather than the scientific knowledge that underpinned the experience. The results have important implications for the integration of writing experiences into university subjects and tutor approaches to writing tuition.

scholarly journals Getting students engaged

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Race
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
League Tables

We live and work in challenging times. Now that it seems certain (post Browne, 2010) that the fees students pay for their higher education experience will double (or worse), we can't be surprised that the emphasis on 'the student experience' of higher education will intensify. Whether students are saddling themselves with ever-increasing amounts of debt to afford that higher education experience, or whether it is parents who foot the bill, the spotlight continues to focus ever more sharply on student satisfaction, alongside all available measures of the quality of student engagement in higher education. We already have league tables in which the reflection of the student experience as gained from the National Student Survey features prominently. And with diminishing budgets for teaching, class sizes are likely to continue to grow - in those disciplines where higher education survives least scathed. So how can we meet the challenge of 'getting students engaged'?

scholarly journals Inequality in accessing learning during pandemic crises in developing countries: Reflections from COVID-19-induced online learning at a Kenyan pharmacy school

2021 ◽  
pp. 713-722
Author(s):  
Kihugi Veronica Njambi ◽  
Godfrey Wabwile Mayoka
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
First Year ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Perceptions Of Students ◽  
Learning Platforms

Background: Virtual learning platforms gained unprecedented prominence after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Assuring the quality of education and student satisfaction are critical, especially in developing countries often plagued with infrastructural limitations, including information technology. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the perceptions of students at a Kenyan Pharmacy School of online learning with regards to affordability and overall effectiveness. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey containing pre-determined questions aligned to achieve the research objectives. Results: Students in senior classes (Fifth year) viewed online learning more favourably and had fewer challenges with accessibility than students in the lower classes (First year to third year). Conclusion: The study identified areas of strength, such as convenience, time-efficiency, and self-initiative, as well as weaknesses, including inequitable access, internet connectivity challenges, and unsatisfactory lecturer digital competency, with relation to online learning.

scholarly journals Student Perspectives on First Year Experience Initiatives Designed for Pre-service Teacher in their First Weeks of University Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-117
Author(s):  
Kevin Larkin ◽  
◽  
Leonie Rowan ◽  
Barbara Garrick ◽  
Catherine Beavis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Retention Performance ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

Universities throughout Australia are increasingly investing significant amounts of time and money in efforts to improve the quality of first year students’ experiences and, by extension, increase retention, performance and student satisfaction. This paper reports upon a pilot research project conducted at a Queensland university that investigates student understandings of, and reactions to, a range of initiatives put in place to enhance their “first year experience”. The research showed that students had mixed reactions to the initiatives put in place to support them and that staff played a vital role in terms of how students responded to various forms of institutional support. In analysing the results the paper demonstrates the need for ongoing research into how a diverse cohort of students make sense of the first year experience they are offered.

scholarly journals Tamsulosin in Lowering Double J Related Symptoms

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 196-199
Author(s):  
Sudeep Raj KC ◽  
Bhusan Raj Timilsina ◽  
Gaurav Devkota ◽  
Rajiv Shah ◽  
Nirmal Lamichanne
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Placebo Group ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
P Value ◽  
Double J Stent ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Dj Stent ◽  
Group A

Background: Indwelling double J ureteral stents are used routinely in the resolution of ureteral obstruction caused by different etiologies. Evaluation of urinary symptoms related to double-J stent indicate that these affect 73-90% of patients. Aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of tamsulosin on the DJ related complications to improve the quality of life and render symptom free life. Material and Methods: Quasi experimental study was carried out in the department of urology in College of Medical Science, teaching hospital Chitwan, Nepal from 15th March 2017 to 15th March 2018. A total of 80 post operative patients were included in this study and were randomized into Group A and B with 40 patient in each group. Stent related symptoms, quality of life and IPSS (International prostate symptom score) were evaluated at the time of discharge and at the time of DJ removal. Pain was evaluated with the help of VAS at the time of discharge and at the time of DJ removal. Data were entered in MS-Excel and were imported to EZR software Version 3.4.1 for analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Median age was 30.5 in Tamsulosingroup  and24years in placebo group. (p=0.68).At the time of discharge significant difference was noted in IPSS (p<0.001), butno significant difference wasnoted with QoL index (p=0.932) and VAS (p=0.68). At the time of DJ stent removal, significant difference was noted with IPSS (p<0.001), QoL index (p<0.001), VAS (p=0.004) in Tamsulosin group than in Placebo group. Conclusion: Tamsulosin lowers stent related symptoms, pain and improves quality of life in patientswith indwelling DJ stent. Key words: DJ stent; IPSS; Tamsulosin; VAS.

scholarly journals Engaging with assessment: Increasing student engagement through continuous assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
The Impact

Student engagement is intrinsically linked to two important metrics in learning: student satisfaction and the quality of the student experience. One of the ways that engagement can be influenced is through careful curriculum design. Using the knowledge that many students are ‘assessment-driven’, a low-stakes continuous weekly summative e-assessment was introduced to a module. The impact this had on student engagement was measured by studying student activity within the module virtual learning environment. It was found that introduction of the e-assessments led to a significant increase in virtual learning environment activity compared to the virtual learning environment activity in that module the previous year, and also compared to the virtual learning environment activity of two other modules studied by the same student cohort. As many institutions move towards greater blended or online deliveries, it will become more important to ensure that virtual learning environments encourage high levels of student engagement in order to maintain or enhance the student experience.

scholarly journals The Emperor’s New Clothes: Maclean’s, NSSE, and the Inappropriate Ranking of Canadian Universities

2020 ◽  
pp. 14-35
Author(s):  
J Paul Grayson
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
First Year ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Institutional Level ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
The Us

Most Canadian universities participate in the US-based National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) that measures various aspects of “student engagement.” The higher the level of engagement, the greater the probability of positive outcomes and the better the quality of the school. Maclean’s magazine publishes some of the results of these surveys. Institutions are ranked in terms of their scores on 10 engagement categories and four outcomes. The outcomes considered are how students in the first and senior years evaluate their overall experiences (satisfaction) and whether or not students would return to their  campuses. Universities frequently use their scores on measures reported by Maclean’s in a self-Congratulatory way. In this article, I deal with levels of satisfaction provided by Maclean’s. Based on multiple regression, I show that of the 10 engagement variables regarded as important by NSSE, at the institutional level, only one explains most of the variance in first-year student satisfaction. The others are of limited consequence. I also demonstrate, via a cluster analysis, that, rather than there being a hierarchy of Canadian institutions as suggested by the way in which Maclean’s presents NSSE findings, Canadianuniversities can most adequately be divided into a limited number of different satisfaction clusters. Findings such as these might serve as a caution to parents and students who consider Maclean’s satisfaction rankings when assessing the merits of different universities. Overall, in terms of first-year satisfaction, the findings suggest more similarities than differences between and among Canadian universities.

Review of trial reintroductions of the long-lived, cooperative breeding Southern Ground-hornbill

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUCY V. KEMP ◽  
ANTOINETTE KOTZE ◽  
RAYMOND JANSEN ◽  
DESIRÉ L. DALTON ◽  
PAUL GROBLER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
First Year ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Alpha Male ◽  
Behavioural Characteristics ◽  
Quasi Experimental

SummaryReintroduction to, or reinforcement of, threatened wild populations are commonly used conservation strategies. Reintroductions of the Southern Ground-hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri have been tested as a potential conservation tool for this vulnerable species since 1995. Forty-two individuals have been reintroduced under varying management strategies. We analysed the outcomes of these attempts to assess which factors contributed most to success or failure. The species exhibits complex social learning and hierarchy, and is long-lived, with delayed sexual maturity. Immediate survival was significantly affected by the season in which the release was done and by the quality of the released birds. The best-quality release birds were reared with wild behavioural characteristics and were well-socialised to captive conspecifics prior to being placed into managed groups (‘bush schools’), where social learning was led by an experienced, wild alpha male. Once reintroduced birds had survived their first year after release, continued wild experience and wild mentorship significantly affected their survival. Since sample sizes limited the rigour of some statistical analyses, other factors were considered that may also determine success. These quasi-experimental reintroductions revealed novel threats to the species, such as the importance of a nest to group cohesion, that harvested second-hatched chicks provide viable release birds, which essentially doubles wild productivity, and that reintroductions generate valuable civil society awareness of the plight of the species.

Quality of the Student Experience

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenicheri Sid Nair ◽  
Mahsood Shah
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Diverse Student ◽  
Changing Trend

The changing pattern of student participation is playing a key role in the changing trend in the student experience. Research in general has reported the student experience and satisfaction mostly at institutional and national levels. There is limited research on what students see as most important in various institutions with various students which may improve student engagement, retention, and improvement in student satisfaction. This paper reviews the trend in student experience in three universities that have been using student satisfaction surveys for more than a decade with diverse student groups. The study presents an international perspective to student experience and satisfaction and the report in this paper is based on two Australian and one United Kingdom University. The findings and results of this study informs the predictors of student satisfaction which if effectively managed and improved by universities could result in improved student engagement, retention and student satisfaction.

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