scholarly journals Use of Quality Models and Indicators for Evaluating Test Quality in an ESP Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-207
Author(s):  
IEVA RUDZINSKA
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Test Quality

Qualitative methods of assessment play a decisive role in education in general and in language learning in particular. The necessity to perform a qualitative assessment comes from both increased student competition in higher education institutions (HEIs), and hence higher demands for fair assessment, and a growing public awareness on higher education issues, and therefore the need to account for a wider circle of stakeholders, including socie-ty as a whole. The aim of the present paper is to study the regulations and laws pertaining to the issue of assessment in Latvian HEIs, as well as to carry out literature sources analysis about assessment in language testing, seeking to select criteria characterizing the quality of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) tests and to apply the model of evaluating the quality of a language test on an example of a test in sport English, developed in a Latvian higher education institution. An analysis of the regulations and laws about assessment in higher education and li-terature sources about tests in language courses has enabled the development of a test qu-ality model, consisting of seven intrinsic quality criteria: clarity, adequacy, deep approach, attractiveness, originality/similarity, orientation towards student learning result/process, test scoring objectivity/subjectivity. Quality criteria comprise eleven indicators. The relia-bility of the given model is evaluated by means of the whole model, its criteria and indica-tor Cronbach’s alphas and point-biserial (item-total) correlations or discrimination indexes DI. The test was taken by 63 participants, all of them 2nd year full time students attending a Latvian higher education institution.A statistical data analysis was performed with SPSS 17.0. The results show that, altho-ugh test adequacy and clarity is sufficiently high, attractiveness and deep approach should be improved. Also the reliability of one version of the test is higher than that of the other one. One of the ways to improve test quality could be to involve other HEIs in the process of designing tests, because in a small institution it is difficult to collect authentic material for test design and create reliable language tests in a narrow field (in our case: sport English).

scholarly journals Who guarantees the quality of the quality assurance agencies? The exploration of the establishment and growth of the Asia-Pacific Quality Register (APQR)

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianxin Zhang ◽  
Jagannath Patil
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Asia Pacific Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Register

Purpose After the “quantity era,” today higher education has entered into the “quality era” and as “the gate keepers of quality,” quality assurance agencies (QAAs) are playing more and more irreplaceable important roles and their social status are becoming more and more prominent. However, how to guarantee the quality of the QAAs? Who can review the QAAs? The purpose of this paper is based exploration of these questions. Design/methodology/approach Following the founding of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) for Higher Education, the Asia Pacific Quality Register (APQR) became the second in the international quality assurance (QA) networks to implement QA register, in 2015 with initiative of Asia-Pacific Quality Network. Findings This paper first retrospects the history and process of APQR, and subsequently the implementation of APQR is described in detail from the two aspects of the criteria and the procedure, and at the end, the paper concludes with a summary of the three characteristics of this first formal implement of APQR: APQR is an international register open to all the QAAs; APQR emphasizes characteristics evaluation of diversity; and APQR highlights the combination of quantitative assessment and qualitative assessment. Originality/value Today on the international stage of QA, APQR has emerged as “the watchman of quality” in the Asia-Pacific region as counterpart of EQAR in Europe. How far away does such newly emerging form of guaranteeing the QAAs’ quality go forward, what is its future prospects and other concerning issues, are some of the question that need enthusiastic attention and contribution.

Determination of criteria for assessing the quality of training future specialists for higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila Sokorutova ◽  
Natalia Prodanova ◽  
Inna Ponomareva ◽  
Oleg Volodin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Professional Employee ◽  
Professional Fields

PurposeThe most important problem for higher education in the post-COVID period is the production of highly qualified specialists for the labor market. The purpose of this study is to determine effective criteria for assessing the quality of training of future specialists and the adequacy of their readiness to solve real problems of the future specialty.Design/methodology/approachA study was carried out among students in order to determine some of the most important characteristics of them as future specialists. Based on the survey results, non-academic indicators were identified that participants perceive as significant for a highly professional employee. The empirical study included 300 undergraduate students from four universities (66% women and 34% men aged 20–21). All participants represent full-time training.FindingsThe survey showed that the participants identified the ability to learn and personal development as the most significant personal qualities.Originality/valueMany criteria for assessing the quality of training of specialists in different professional fields have not been precisely defined. Several ways of solving this problem can be proposed: developing criteria for assessing quality in hiring; revising the methods of work of universities; presenting to students the criteria for development in the profession or adopting international criteria for assessing pedagogical quality.

scholarly journals ESTRATEGIAS DE SENSIBILIZACIÓN Y ATENCIÓN PARA LA GENERACIÓN DE INTERÉS EN EL APRENDIZAJE DE LENGUA

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Francisco Samuel Mendoza Moreira ◽  
Jacqueline Rosalfa Terranova Ruiz ◽  
Víctor Geovanny Zambrano Cedeño ◽  
María Manuela Macías Loor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Intercultural Development ◽  
School Of Education ◽  
Test Quality ◽  
Transfer Of Information ◽  
National Test

Abstract:SENSIBILATION AND ATTENTION STRATEGIES FOR THE INTERES GENERATIONIN THE LANGUAGE LEARNINGThe generation of learning processes in the Language Arts area is one of the challenges that high school teachers takes, to a generation that every day is losing interest for oral and written communication uses by the appearance of Telematics and virtues and benefits that provide in the transfer of information through channels such as internet and their tributaries. In this context of competing interests , the psycho pedagogy models offered contain in their elements a set of mental processes that explored from neuroscience are responsible for building cognitive schemes that result highly significant and lasting learning, to enable the bachelor exceed the test quality standards implemented by the National Institute for Educational Evaluation (INEVAL) and the National Test of higher Education (ENES) requirements to pass the intermediate level and join higher education respectively. The experience performed at the Center for Teaching Practice: Juan Montalvo High School of Education Faculty of University Eloy Alfaro of Manabi, begins in an exploration of the strategies used by teachers and evaluation of students response against these methodologies, which generated the key to try new practices that combine cooperative purposes to intercultural practices with specific strategies language learning idea.Keywords: Cooperative learning, cognitive strategies, communicative competence, intercultural development, meaningful learning.Resumen:La generación de procesos de aprendizajes en el área de Lengua y Literatura es uno de los retos que asumen los profesores de bachillerato ante una generación que cada día va perdiendo interés en el uso de la comunicación oral y escrita por la aparición de la telemática; las virtudes y ventajas que éstas brindan en la transferencia de información a través de canales más amplios como lo es el internet y sus afluentes. En este marco de competencia de intereses, los modelos psicopedagógicos ofertados a la pedagogía contienen entre sus elementos un conjunto de procesos mentales que explorados desde la neurociencia son los responsables de construir esquemas cognitivos que resultan en aprendizajes altamente significativos y duraderos, que le permitan al bachiller superar las pruebas de estándares de calidad implementadas por el Instituto Nacional de Evaluación Educativa (INEVAL) y el Examen Nacional de Educación Superior (ENES), requisitos para aprobar el nivel medio e ingresar a la formación superior respectivamente. La experiencia realizada en el Centro de Práctica Docente: Colegio Juan Montalvo de la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, inicia en una exploración de las estrategias utilizadas por los docentes y la evaluación de la respuesta de los estudiantes frente a estas metodologías, lo que generó la idea fundamental para intentar nuevas prácticas con fines cooperativos que combinen prácticas interculturales con estrategias propias del aprendizaje de la lengua.Palabras clave: Aprendizaje cooperativo, estrategias cognitivas, competencia comunicativa, desarrollo intercultural, aprendizaje significativo.

Strategies to Transform the Foreign Language Classroom and Increase Learning Outcomes with the Flipped Model

2015 ◽  
pp. 60-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esperanza Granados-Bezi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education ◽  
Language Classroom

The scaffolds of American colleges and universities can no longer protect our institutions from the winds of change that penetrate their walls and appear to be threatening their foundations. They also seem incapable of protecting faculties from persistent criticism due to unsatisfactory performance and reluctance to modify educational approaches to meet society's current demands. This chapter reviews some of the most common concerns pertaining not only to the quality of higher education in general but also to that of foreign language teaching in particular. It analyzes the reasons that there is a general sense of dissatisfaction with the results of traditional practices to language learning and discusses the benefits of implementing the flipped model to enhance the quality of instruction. In addition, it underlines the importance of adopting innovative technologies to increase language development in a world in which instructors are expected to be more productive and students have to reach higher learning outcomes.

scholarly journals INNOVATIVE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES INSTRUCTION AT UKRAINIAN HIGHER SCHOOLS

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-78
Author(s):  
B. I. Shunevych ◽  
◽  
H. S. Drapalyuk ◽  
N. I. Pyndyk ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Electronic Materials ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
National University ◽  
Distance Courses

The global process of transition to the information society, as well as economic, political and social changes that accompany it, accelerate the reform of the Ukrainian education system. First of all, it concerns providing access to education and training for all people who have the necessary skills and knowledge. The effective solution of these problems is facilitated by distance and blended learning, carried out on the basis of modern pedagogical, information and telecommunication technologies. In the article the ways of organizing blended teaching/learning of foreign languages in Ukrainian higher education institutions (HEI) are analyzed; types of software used for creating educational materials by means of innovative computer technologies to organize blended language learning are revealed; the prospects of using electronic materials of known platforms of online courses for teaching languages as supplements to distance courses compiled by the lecturers of the Department of Foreign Languages at Lviv Polytechnic National University on the basis of Lviv Polytechnic virtual learning environment (VLE) are considered. Materials of research are as follows: dissertations, scientific papers, materials of Ukrainian and international scientific and practical conferences, published by lecturers of foreign languages at Ukrainian higher education institutions, as well as web pages of these institutions and software for compiling educational materials. On the basis of the analyzed materials, partially presented in the article, it was revealed that for organization of blended learning the lecturers of Foreign Language Departments at HEI, in addition to traditional educational materials for full-time study (manuals, dictionaries, audio and video recordings, etc.), actively use: electronic materials compiled by means of different types of tools in open access; portal materials for language learning; distance courses or their elements compiled by means of the VLE of their educational institutions; educational materials of the platforms of mass open online courses (MOOC). Lecturers of the Department of Foreign Languages at Lviv Polytechnic National University have used MOOC for their students teaching since January 2019. English language practical classes, held at Lviv Polytechic for the first year students, demonstrated that the students using successfully the materials of distance course, compiled by the lecturers of the Department of Foreign Languages for their students, can improve better their knowledge of the language than the rest students. The further researches will be concerned to description of the techniques for organization of foreign languages blended learning by incorporating the materials of the MOOC platforms in the course of classes with full-time and part-time students.

scholarly journals Correlation between Lecturers’ Professional Development Activities and their Competencies in Maldives Higher Education Institutes

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 18-37
Author(s):  
Zuha Aishath ◽  
Intan Marfarrina Omar ◽  
Waheeda Aishath
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Higher Education System

The quality of higher education (HE) is one of the key areas the higher education system of the Maldives focuses on to develop and expand the sector. Two of the factors that contribute to and influence the quality of HE are professional development (PD) and lecturers’ competency. However, in the context of Maldives, although efforts are made in the area of PD, little to no research has been conducted in this area. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between lecturer PD activities and their competencies in Maldives’ higher education institutes. A quantitative research design was adopted, which conducted a cross-sectional survey by administering a structured online questionnaire. A total of 171 lecturers participated, which included both full-time and part-time lecturers from two public and two private institutions. Data analysis revealed that there is a weak positive correlation between PD activities and lecturers’ competency; rs(129)=0.232, p=0.008. It is also possible that PD activities conducted do not cater for the needs of lecturers, and a culture where structured and individual PD activities are supported and encouraged is not efficiently established. In light of these findings, it is important to strengthen and expand the existing PD policies and focus on providing effective PD sessions on topics and areas that are most needed for lecturers, rather than on generic topics. This study contributes to the empirical literature on PD in the context of Maldives and to the overall development of the HE sector.

scholarly journals Student assessment as a tool to improve the quality of higher education

2020 ◽  
pp. 7-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria G. Borkovskaya ◽  
Artem S. Kovalev
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Higher Educational Institutions ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Higher Educational

Introduction. The main issue of the study is the problem of improving the quality of education. As part of the comprehensive and effective development of educational institutions of the Russian Federation, it is necessary to meet the requirements for providing new and innovative tools for quality control of education. One of these tools is the use of a score-rating system for assessing students of higher educational institutions. Purpose of research is to analyze and improve the existing methods of evaluation of students of higher educational institutions. Materials and methods. The comparative analysis of existing methods of assessment of students is applied. The main shortcomings of the traditional system of evaluation of students of higher educational institutions are determined by empirical method. Results. The new score-rating system for assessing students has been developed that meets modern standards of higher education in the Russian Federation and includes a multi-level system of criteria that take into account all stages of student-teacher interaction. Conclusions. The developed system of criteria can be applied to absolutely any discipline with any amount of load. But preferably with full-time or part-time education.

It’s the Time to Assess the Quality of National CSR

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 252
Author(s):  
Eva Rianty Angelina Sitanggang ◽  
Basuki . ◽  
I Made Narsa
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Use Of Resources

Most companies in the implementation of social responsibility using a number of the company's budget for pro-social activities and philanthropy. Cited from some previous research that factors are more expressed in CSRD (Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure) is human resources and community involvement while Environmental disclosure still require more attention. Not concern in environmental issues will threat the sustainability of the environmental and community life itself. Some economists realized that the quality of the environment has an inverse relationship (trade-off), which means that efforts to accelerate economic growth will be followed by the environmental damage due to the depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation. The level of public awareness and businesses respond to the needs of nature conservation with an efficient use of resources is still very varied across the country. It is believed to be due to differences in the level of competitiveness across countries. The level of competitiveness is associated with innovation, skills (Fagerberg, 1996) and technology (Eisdofer and Hsu, 2011). Developed countries have a higher level of competitiveness compared with developing countries and some research suggests the implementation of CSR in developed countries is better when compared to developing countries. Companies are operating in the hightech industry has the opportunity to become the market leader, but this does not guarantee a high quality of CSR activities in that countries. To date, there has not been much research on measuring the quality of CSR. This study offers a measurement of the National CSR Index Quality for mining and metal sector. Researchers considered that the measure of quality for each business sector is not the same. This study uses content analysis of the aspects listed companies based on the quality criteria set out in this study.

The use of electronic educational environment for interdisciplinary relations on the example of professional study on business – informatics bachelor program

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariya V. Ushakova ◽  
Aleksey V. Gabalin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Business Informatics ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The Impact

Purpose of the study. The aim of the study is to analyze the optimal conditions for the use of electronic educational environment and competence-activity approach in the educational process of the university for the training of bachelors in the direction of “business informatics”.The urgency of the problems outlined in this article is determined by the need to develop human resources in the field of information technology and improve the quality of training in this area.The object of the research is the training of full-time students of educational institutions of higher professional education, carried out in the conditions of education informatization.Materials and research methods. The article analyzes the possibility of effective use of electronic educational resources in the educational process in terms of informatization of higher education, as well as the impact of the use of the competence-activity approach and interdisciplinary connections on the development of students’ professional competencies.Results. Taking into account the analysis carried out on the use of electronic educational environment at NUST “MISiS”, it is shown that it is promising to be shared with the competence-activity approach in order to bring the training of IT specialists in line with modern requirements at the shortage of time resources.Conclusion. In the transition to a digital economy in our country, it is necessary to form the approaches to the training of IT industry specialists. The use of the electronic educational environment “LMS Canvas” at the NUST “MISiS” and the competence-activity approach, which implies not the message, but the formation of students’ knowledge in the process of implementing the project development, has proved its effectiveness in preparing bachelors in the direction of “business informatics”. This approach made it possible, through effective use of interdisciplinary connections in the e-learning environment, to involve students in the process of active learning, to improve the process of key competencies forming, to improve substantially the quality of diploma works and their practical significance, as well as to increase the level of compliance with global trends in the field of higher education informatization.

scholarly journals Bridging Intellectual Capital, Sustainable Development and Quality of Life in Higher Education Institutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugénia de Matos Pedro ◽  
João Leitão ◽  
Helena Alves
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Convenience Sample

This paper analyses the relationship between the intellectual capital of higher education institutions (HEIs) and their sustainable development practices, and assesses whether higher education institutions’ sustainable development practices are related to their stakeholders’ quality of life. Using a structural equation model, two model specifications are estimated, gathering primary data from a convenience sample composed of 738 full-time students and 587 teachers/researchers at seven Portuguese higher education institutions. The findings reveal that intellectual capital influences sustainable development practices directly and positively, whereas sustainable development practices influence students’ quality of life in a significant way, although the same is not verified for teachers/researchers. These findings provide insightful implications for policy-making and intellectual capital management for practices in higher education institutions; firstly, by showing that the sustainable development concept is associated with HEIs’ practices of economic, environmental, social and organisational sustainability; secondly, by concluding that public Portuguese HEIs need to improve the social dimension of their sustainable development practices, and here there may be room for improvement in the institution through better and more proficient social engagement that is more directed to the challenges of sustainability and social change; and thirdly, by showing that the inclusion of better sustainable practices has repercussions on the quality of life of all stakeholders.

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