scholarly journals Rhetorical relationships with students: A higher education case study of perceptions of online assessment in mathematics

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Brown ◽  
Vic Lally
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Pedagogical Design ◽  
Engineering Mathematics

Some students perceive that online assessment does not provide for a true reflection of their work effort. This article reports on a collaborative international project between two higher education institutions with the aim of researching issues relating to engineering student perceptions with respect to online assessment of mathematics. It provides a comparison between students of similar educational standing in Finland and Ireland. The students undertook to complete questionnaires and a sample of students was selected to participate in several group discussion interviews. Evidence from the data suggests that many of the students demonstrate low levels of confidence, do not display knowledge of continuous assessment processes and perceive many barriers when confronted with online assessment in their first semester. Alternative perspectives were sought from lecturers by means of individual interviews. The research indicates that perceptions of effort and reward as seen by students are at variance with those held by lecturers. The study offers a brief insight into the thinking of students in the first year of their engineering mathematics course. It may be suggested that alternative approaches to curriculum and pedagogical design are necessary to alleviate student concerns.

scholarly journals Qualitative Analysis of Student Perceptions: “Some Advisors Care. Some Don't.”

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 44-54
Author(s):  
Ruth V. Walker ◽  
Alexandra I. Zelin ◽  
Carolyn Behrman ◽  
Rachel Strnad
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Academic Advising ◽  
State Institution ◽  
Transition To College ◽  
Guidance Counselors ◽  
First Year ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
School Guidance

University-based academic advising at a large, Great Lakes state institution was designed to support first-year students' transition to college. We conducted individual interviews and facilitated story circles with 162 students to determine their perceived effectiveness of advising. Analyses revealed four overarching themes: student difficulty making the distinction between roles of high school guidance counselors and postsecondary academic advisors, advisor communication, student desire for a relationship, and advisor accessibility. On the basis of data gathered, we developed a model for understanding the formation and maintenance of student advising perceptions.

scholarly journals Entering Higher Professional Education: Unveiling First-Year Students’ Key Academic Experiences and Their Occurrence Over Time

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Willems ◽  
Liesje Coertjens ◽  
Vincent Donche
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Academic Experiences ◽  
First Year ◽  
Study Program ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Academic Transition ◽  
First Semester

To date, little understanding exists of how first-year students in professionally oriented higher-education (HE) programs (i.e., those that provide vocational education to prepare students for a particular occupation) experience their academic transition process. In the present study, we first argued how the constructs of academic adjustment and academic integration can provide complementary perspectives on the academic transition of first-year students in (professional) HE. Next, we examined what first-year students in professional HE contexts perceive to be the most important experiences associated with their academic transition process in the first semester of their first year of higher education (FYHE). To this end, we adopted the fundamentals of the critical incident technique and asked 104 students in a Flemish (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) university college (which offers professional HE programs, such as nursing) to complete “reflective logs” with open questions at the start of the second semester of their FYHE, wherein they reflected on three critical academic experiences during their first semester. An inductive, cross-case content analysis of the collected narratives showed that students reported on nine themes of academic experiences, which relate to five adjustment themes (dealing with the organization of the study program, organizing study work, committing to the study, following class and taking notes, and processing learning content outside class) and four integration themes (feeling competent, feeling stressed, feeling prepared, and feeling supported). Further analyses showed that although some of the nine themes of academic experiences appear to be more important at different times in the first semester, they all seem to be meaningful throughout the whole semester.

scholarly journals ‘Wasting time inside my mind’: Exploring student pharmacists’ perspectives on engaging in mindfulness oriented meditation using concepts from education research

2020 ◽  
pp. 204-214
Author(s):  
Logan T Murry ◽  
Matthew J Witry
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
General Interest ◽  
First Year ◽  
Managing Stress ◽  
Pharmacy Curriculum

Background: Pharmacy students are subject to high levels of stress. An emerging way student pharmacists and pharmacists have reported managing stress and developing professional resilience is through mindfulness. Objectives: To 1) describe how student pharmacists appraise the threat of stress; and 2) identify student perceptions of mindfulness-oriented meditation (MOM) as a stress management strategy and how MOM may fit in the pharmacy curriculum. Methods: A descriptive qualitative research study was conducted using focus groups comprised of first-year, second-year, and third- year pharmacy students at a college of pharmacy within the United States. A facilitation guide based on the study objectives was designed to guide focus group discussion and a basic interpretivist paradigm was used to underpin a phenomenological approach to interpreting the data. Representative quotes were identified by the authors to illustrate the main concepts from the focus groups. Results: In total, fourteen students participated across the three class-year focus groups. Students expressed a general interest in mindfulness, but their interest conflicted with feelings of business and time-constraints. Offering a certificate or other tangible reward made engaging in mindfulness and MOM more appealing. Conclusions: The concepts of the student’s academic perspective and learning motivation appear to influence mindfulness interest and reasons for participation. Colleges may need to change their criteria for judgment for wellness initiatives like MOM to be more widely adopted.

scholarly journals Assessment in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10509
Author(s):  
Marta Montenegro-Rueda ◽  
Antonio Luque-de la Rosa ◽  
José Luis Sarasola Sánchez-Serrano ◽  
José Fernández-Cerero
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Prisma Statement ◽  
The Face ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Assessment In Higher Education ◽  
The Impact

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of students have been affected by the closure of educational institutions. This has forced a shift from face-to-face to distance education, facing numerous emergency educational measures, such as online assessment. This study aims to present a systematic review of the literature on the impact of assessment in higher education during the pandemic. The study has followed the methodology set out in the PRISMA statement, and includes 13 studies selected from a total of 51. The results indicate that faculty and students have faced numerous challenges in moving to virtual environments; on the faculty side the lack of training in online assessment techniques is the main problem, on the students’ side there is dishonesty and misconduct. However, it is concluded that continuous assessment, not focused on exams, but in a more qualitative way is the best way to assess at a distance.

scholarly journals CURRICULUM OF MASTERS OF MEDICINE: CHANGES IN THE DESIGN OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

2019 ◽  
pp. 220-239
Author(s):  
Olena Stechenko
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
General Structure ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Simultaneous Reduction ◽  
Pedagogical Design ◽  
Medical University

Pedagogical design of the educational process is the main lever of improvement of specialist`s training in higher education. Special attention in this aspect should be paid to the curriculum of specialty, which defines the main vectors of the educational trajectory for education applicants, and provides opportunities for the implementation of the educational program`s competency-building tasks. The main differences between the curriculum of masters of medicine and the previous version - curriculum of specialists training in “General Medicine” are analyzed in the article. The main features of the structure of curricula for the physicians’ training in Poland are based on the example of the Warsaw Medical University and Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University. On the basis of comparison and analysis conducted, the following changes in the design of masters of medicine curriculum in higher educational institutions (HEI) of Ukraine are predicted in accordance with the main trends in the European Higher Education Area. Increase of the classroom learning load in the general structure of credits up to 55% due to its growth at 2-5 courses is possible with the further design of curricula for physicians’ training. An increase in the number of class hours of production practice in the curriculum for the 4th year of studying – up to 82, for the 5th year – up to 102 hours without making changes in the number of credits is expedient. The volume of the lecture load is optimal to allocate from the largest one on the 1st year to the smallest – on 4th-5th years, with the simultaneous reduction of its quota in the structure of classroom hours. Taking into account the introduction of a united state qualification exam (USQE), increase in the number of credits for natural sciences up to 30% and simultaneous reduction in the number of credits for humanities (up to 2-3%) and to some degree – credits for professionally oriented disciplines (to 65-67%) can provide additional benefits to the design of curricula. The requirements of the higher education standard should be taken into account for adapting to the training of first-year students and improving of their training for both stages of external evaluation in the form of USQE, provided that a student-centered environment with better conditions is created.

scholarly journals Valuations by Spanish university students on online assessment in times of pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-92
Author(s):  
Enrique Javier Díez-Gutiérrez ◽  
Katherine Gajardo Espinoza
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
University Quality

This study describes the assessment that university students make regarding the model of evaluation of Higher Education during the period of confinement by COVID-19 in Spain. We developed a descriptive study through an online questionnaire designed from the assessment and qualification proposals presented by Spanish Network of University Quality Agencies (REACU), The National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA), UNESCO and the Spanish Ministry of Universities. Following its application to a sample of 1008 students from across the country, it is observed that university students demand greater flexibility in online assessment, introduce learning-oriented assessment practices in accordance with a formative and continuous assessment approach, in addition to using various strategies and instruments. However, they are reluctant to introduce peer evaluation mechanisms, although they do propose democratic evaluation. The future of Higher Education, after COVID-19, is adopting hybrid and mixed models of training and evaluation, so it is imperative to investigate students’ vision and analyse the practices developed during the crisis to reinforce an assessment in Higher Education that ensures equity and enhances learning.

Dynamic, Online, Objective Assessment for Continuous Assessment

2019 ◽  
pp. 220-242
Author(s):  
Justin Hatt
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Statistical Information ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Assessment Strategy

Continuous assessment can be helpful in getting students to practice what they are learning throughout a course. However, the task of administering continuous assessment, especially in a higher education setting, can require a significant amount of effort from teachers and lecturers; as a result, it is possible the quality of tasks encompassed in a continuous assessment strategy will be weakened or lessened. Good online assessment applications can help teachers and lecturers create suitable assessments whilst also providing relevant statistical information that helps them understand the progress students are making in their courses. This chapter will explore the potential for implementing objective, online assessment as a continuous assessment strategy in higher education. Focus will be given particularly to an application known as Maths (previously Mathletics) to explore the features that can exist to support and enhance the learning environment for students in higher education.

Effects of a Fall Reading Break on First Year Students' Course Performance in Programming

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Hulls ◽  
Chris Rennick ◽  
Mary Robinson ◽  
Samar Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
First Year ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Course Performance ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents a mixed methods study into the effects of a fall break on course performance in a first semester programming course in Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo.In 2016, the University of Waterloo instituted a two-day fall break immediately following Thanksgiving Monday, on a three-year pilot. The stated rationale for this break was to address student wellness and mental health issues, especially as this pertains to students transitioning from high school and their “looming midterms”. As of October 2017, there are now 20 institutions in Ontario with a fall break of between one five days in length after the Thanksgiving holiday.A linear regression model was calculated to examine the impact of the fall break on students. This model predicts students who regretted how they spent the fall break will earn 6% less in their first programming course. A logistic regression model was calculated which predicted inexperienced, struggling students have the highest odds of regretting how they spent the break.Three focus groups were conducted with students who experienced the fall break in fall of 2016 or 2017. These focus groups examined student perceptions of the fall break, how they recalled using their time during the break, and their reflections on the br

scholarly journals Undergraduates’ Interest Towards Learning Genetics Concepts Through Integrated Stemproblem Based Learning Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamimah Parveen Abdul Rahim ◽  
◽  
Mohd Ali Samsudin ◽  
Mohd Erfy Ismail ◽  
Mohd Hasril Amiruddin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Learning Module ◽  
Integrated Stem ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Programs Of Study

Scientific and innovative society can be produced by giving priorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as emphasized by Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint (2015-2025). STEM need to be implemented at higher education because universities need to produce competent graduates to support economy growth and sustainable development. Learning STEM through Problem Based Learning might allow the undergraduates to become more enthusiastic when problem-based instruction is incorporated with STEM by implementing teamwork and problem-solving techniques to engage the first-year undergraduates fully with the learning. This study was conducted to investigate whether Integrated STEM Problem Based Learning module could enhance and retain the interest towards genetics concepts among first-year undergraduates. Topics in genetics was considered difficult not only to teach but also to learn. In this research, to overcome the genetic concepts learning difficulties, genetic related topics were chosen to introduce STEM through problem-based learning approach, which might help first-year undergraduates to acquire deep genetic content knowledge. This is very vital for the first-year undergraduates, as the knowledge gained in their first semester will be applied in the upcoming courses in their entire undergraduates’ programs of study. A Pre-Experimental research design with one group-posttest design was applied. A total of 50 participants who are first-year undergraduates from Faculty of Biology from one of the public universities in Malaysia were involved. The Genetics Interest Questionnaire used to study if the STEM Problem Based Learning module could enhance and retain the interest towards genetics concepts. The research has proven that Integrated STEM through problem-based learning approach could enhance and retains the interest in learning genetics concepts among first-year undergraduates.

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