scholarly journals The Influence of Course Community and Personal Community Support on Learner Engagement in Online Courses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Kipp
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Course Experience ◽  
University Support ◽  
Personal Community ◽  
Survey Responses

Borup, Graham, West, Archambault, and Spring (2020) theorized that a student’s level of engagement in an online course is influenced by course community support and personal community support, with both factors helping a student to achieve a level of engagement that is not possible independently. In other words, an individual student’s ability to engage in an online course can be explained by the kinds of community a student finds within a course and their social support from friends, family, and community as they take the class. The purpose of this study is to understand to what extent course community support and personal community support influence learner engagement. Students who have recently completed an online course were surveyed on their level of engagement in the course, experience of the course community of inquiry, and their level of personal social support. The survey responses were used in a stepwise multiple regression analysis to create a model that explains to what extent course community and personal community explain variations in learner engagement. The results are significant in that they help course designers, instructors, and university support staff understand the interaction between course community, personal community, and learner engagement. That understanding could be used to design both online course content and intervention strategies to maximize learner engagement.

scholarly journals Compounded trauma: A qualitative study of the challenges for refugees living with advanced cancer

2021 ◽  
pp. 026921632110002
Author(s):  
Ping Guo ◽  
Sawsan Alajarmeh ◽  
Ghadeer Alarja ◽  
Waleed Alrjoub ◽  
Ayman Al-Essa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Advanced Cancer ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
The Impact

Background: Although palliative care is now an essential health service under Universal Health Coverage, ensuring access and appropriate care for refugees is a specific challenge for this large population. Aim: To identify the needs and experiences of adult refugees in Jordan with advanced cancer and informal caregivers. Design: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Setting/participants: Participants were purposively sampled at two Jordanian hospitals to achieve heterogeneity by age, gender, country of origin, and primary diagnosis. Results: Twenty-nine refugees (22 patients, 7 caregivers) participated, and four themes were generated: (1) Psychological distress and sustaining social support. Refugees often experienced unmet psychosocial needs. However, psychosocial support was reported either absent or limited. (2) Knowledge and uncertainty. Lack of information and poor communication between healthcare providers and patients caused significant distress due to uncertainty. (3) Family anxiety and support roles. Being away from the home country cut patients and caregivers off from their wider social support network, which added increased anxiety and responsibilities to caregivers. (4) Compounded trauma and poverty. Many refugees have experienced trauma related to war that may affect their physical and mental health. They faced serious financial crises caused by the rising cost of medicines and treatment. Conclusions: This study reveals the impact of fractured families and networks on social support in advanced cancer, and the compounding trauma of the disease for refugees. Detailed person-centred assessment and emphasis on psychosocial support is essential, and home-based care should not presume community support for patients to remain at home.

scholarly journals Empowerment among adult patients with type 2 diabetes: age differentials in relation to person-centred primary care, community resources, social support and other life-contextual circumstances

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Simonsen ◽  
Anne M. Koponen ◽  
Sakari Suominen
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Background Rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), also among younger adults, constitutes a growing public health challenge. According to the person-centred Chronic Care Model, proactive care and self-management support in combination with community resources enhance quality of healthcare and health outcomes for patients with T2D. However, research is scarce concerning the importance of person-centred care and community resources for such outcomes as empowerment, and the relative impact of various patient support sources for empowerment is not known. Moreover, little is known about the association of age with these variables in this patient-group. This study, carried out among patients with T2D, examined in three age-groups (27–54, 55–64 and 65–75 years) whether person-centred care and diabetes-related social support, including community support and possibilities to influence community health issues, are associated with patient empowerment, when considering possible confounding factors, such as other quality of care indicators and psychosocial wellbeing. We also explored age differentials in empowerment and in the proposed correlates of empowerment. Method Individuals from a register-based sample with T2D participated in a cross-sectional survey (participation 56%, n = 2866). Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Respondents in the youngest age-group were more likely to have low empowerment scores, less continuity of care, and lower wellbeing than the other age-groups, and to perceive less social support, but a higher level of person-centred care than the oldest group. Community support, including possibilities to influence community health issues, was independently and consistently associated with high empowerment in all three age-groups, as was person-centred care in the two older age-groups. Community support was the social support variable with the strongest association with empowerment across age-groups. Moreover, vitality was positively and diabetes-related distress negatively associated with high empowerment in all age-groups, whereas continuity of care, i.e. having a family/regular nurse, was independently associated in the youngest age-group only. Conclusion Person-centred care and community support, including possibilities to influence community health issues, supports empowerment among adults with T2D. Findings suggest that age is related to most correlates of empowerment, and that younger adults with T2D have specific healthcare needs.

scholarly journals Development, Implementation, and Initial Participant Feedback of an Online Anatomy and Radiology Contouring Bootcamp in Radiation Oncology

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110377
Author(s):  
Paige Eansor ◽  
Madeleine E. Norris ◽  
Leah A. D’Souza ◽  
Glenn S. Bauman ◽  
Zahra Kassam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Radiation Oncology ◽  
Medical Physics ◽  
Course Completion ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Subject Knowledge ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Creation

BACKGROUND The Anatomy and Radiology Contouring (ARC) Bootcamp was a face-to-face (F2F) course designed to ensure radiation oncology residents were equipped with the knowledge and skillset to use radiation therapy techniques properly. The ARC Bootcamp was proven to be a useful educational intervention for improving learners’ knowledge of anatomy and radiology and contouring ability. An online version of the course was created to increase accessibility to the ARC Bootcamp and provide a flexible, self-paced learning environment. This study aimed to describe the instructional design model used to create the online offering and report participants’ motivation to enroll in the course and the online ARC Bootcamp's strengths and improvement areas. METHODS The creation of the online course followed the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) framework. The course was structured in a linear progression of locked modules consisting of radiology and contouring lectures, anatomy labs, and integrated evaluations. RESULTS The online course launched on the platform Teachable in November 2019, and by January 2021, 140 participants had enrolled in the course, with 27 participants completing all course components. The course had broad geographic participation with learners from 19 different countries. Of the participants enrolled, 34% were female, and most were radiation oncology residents (56%), followed by other programs (24%), such as medical physics residents or medical students. The primary motivator for participants to enroll was to improve their subject knowledge/skill (44%). The most common strength identified by participants was the course's quality (41%), and the most common improvement area was to incorporate more course content (41%). CONCLUSIONS The creation of the online ARC Bootcamp using the ADDIE framework was feasible. The course is accessible to diverse geographic regions and programs and provides a flexible learning environment; however, the course completion rate was low. Participants’ feedback regarding their experiences will inform future offerings of the online course.

scholarly journals Online Graduate Student Perceptions of Program Community

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Shepherd ◽  
Doris Bolliger
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Self Directed Learning ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Course Content ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Directed Learning

Facilitating an online course in today’s student population requires an educator to be innovative and creative and to have an impactful online presence. In the current online learning environment (also known as e-learning), keeping students’ thoughtfully engaged and motivated while dispensing the required course content necessitates faculty enabling a safe, nonjudgmental environment whereby views, perspectives, and personal and professional experiences are encouraged. The educator must exhibit an educator-facilitated active, student-centered learning process, whereby students are held accountable for their active participation and self-directed learning while balancing a facilitator role to further enhance the learning process. This article explores one educator’s reflective practice process that has been developed over numerous years as a very early adopter of online education. It will explore the organizational aspect of teaching-facilitating a dynamic robust online course.

scholarly journals Unmasking Inequality: STEM Course Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Means ◽  
Julie Neisler
Keyword(s):  
General Pattern ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Class Meetings ◽  
Course Experience ◽  
Stem Students ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Better Than

This report describes the experiences of over 600 undergraduates who were taking STEM courses with in-person class meetings that had to shift to remote instruction in spring 2020 because of COVID-19. Internet connectivity issues were serious enough to interfere with students’ ability to attend or participate in their STEM course at least occasionally for 46% of students, with 15% of students experiencing such problems often or very often. A large majority of survey respondents reported some difficulty with staying motivated to work on their STEM courses after they moved online, with 45% characterizing motivation as a major problem. A majority of STEM students also reported having problems knowing where to get help with the course content after it went online, finding a quiet place to work on the course, and fitting the course in with other family or home responsibilities. Overall, students who reported experiencing a greater number of major challenges with continuing their course after it went online expressed lower levels of satisfaction with their course after COVID-19. An exception to this general pattern, though, was found for students from minoritized race/ethnicity groups, females, and lower-income students. Despite experiencing more challenges than other students did with respect to continuing their STEM courses remotely, these students were more likely to rate the quality of their experiences when their STEM course was online as just as good as, or even better than, when the course was meeting in person.

scholarly journals Red de soporte social y apoyo comunitario en miembros de una organización de desplazados por violencia política residentes en Cañete, Perú/Social Support Network and Community Support Among Members of an Organization of Persons Displaced by Political Violence Residing in Cañete, Peru

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Ma. Teresa Schoof Aguirre ◽  
Eduardo Manzanares Medina ◽  
Miriam Grimaldo Muchotrigo
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Social Support Network ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
The Social ◽  
La Red ◽  
Violencia Politica

<p><em><strong>Español</strong></em></p><p>El objetivo de la presente investigación fue determinar la relación entre la red de soporte social y el apoyo comunitario en los miembros de una organización de personas desplazadas por violencia política. Para tal fin, el estudio descriptivo correlacional incluyó a 80 participantes (49 mujeres y 31 hombres) con una edad promedio de 45.79 años (DE = 11.41), quienes residían en una provincia de Lima y provenían, en su mayoría, del departamento de Ayacucho. Se les administró el Cuestionario de Red Social (SNQ) y el Cuestionario de Apoyo Comunitario Percibido (PCSQ). Entre los principales resultados, se encontró que el componente Integración y Participación Comunitaria del PCSQ correlaciona con dos funciones y dos categorías del SNQ. Se presenta asociación positiva estadísticamente significativa con la función guía cognitiva (rs = .32), la función socialización (rs = .24) y la categoría satisfacción (rs = .24) y asociación negativa y estadísticamente significativa con la categoría heterogeneidad (rs = -.23). Se discuten las implicancias de los presentes hallazgos.</p><p> </p><p><em><strong>English</strong></em></p><p>The present study’s aim was to determine the relationship between the social support network and community support among members of an organization of persons displaced by political violence. The correlational-descriptive research included 80 individuals (49 females and 31 males) with a mean age of 45.79 years old (SD = 11.41), who reside in a province of Lima and came, mostly, from the department of Ayacucho. Participants completed the Social Network Questionnaire (SNQ), as well as the Perceived Community Support Questionnaire (PCSQ). Among the main findings, we found that the Integration component and Community Participation from the PCSQ correlate with two functions and two categories from the SNQ. Specifically there is a statistically significant positive association with the Cognitive Guide function (rs = .32), the Socialization function (rs = .24) and the Satisfaction category (rs = .24); and a statistically significant negative association with the Heterogeneity category (rs = -.23). Implications of the results obtained will be discussed in the present paper.</p>

Introductory Psychology from the Standpoint of the Consumer

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Lou Zanich ◽  
David E. Grover
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Introductory Psychology ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Hard Science ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Course Experience ◽  
Similar Survey ◽  
Individual Needs ◽  
Psychology Course ◽  
Interest Levels

Psychology and other majors were surveyed before and after completing an introductory psychology course to determine their interest in topics traditionally covered in such a course. No substantial difference between the two groups was observed. In addition, interest levels did not change significantly as a result of the course experience. Students were most interested in topics relating to their immediate individual needs (e.g., interpersonal relationships) and least interested in the “hard science” aspects of psychology. Results are compared to a similar survey taken 50 years ago. Implications for course content and organization are discussed.

The role of authentic contexts and social elements in supporting organic chemistry students’ interactions with writing-to-learn assignments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael N. Petterson ◽  
Solaire A. Finkenstaedt-Quinn ◽  
Anne Ruggles Gere ◽  
Ginger V. Shultz
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Writing To Learn ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Student Interactions ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Student Affect ◽  
Survey Responses

Student affect is an important factor in the learning process and may be especially important in gateway courses such as organic chemistry. Students’ recognition of the relevance of the content they are learning and interactions with their peers can support their motivation to learn. Herein, we describe a study focused on how Writing-to-Learn assignments situate organic chemistry content within relevant contexts and incorporate social elements to support positive student interactions with organic chemistry. These assignments incorporate rhetorical elements—an authentic context, role, genre, and audience—to support student interest and demonstrate the relevance of the content. In addition, students engage in the processes of peer review and revision to support their learning. We identified how the authentic contexts and peer interactions incorporated into two Writing-to-Learn assignments supported students’ interactions with the assignments and course content by analyzing student interviews and supported by feedback survey responses. Our results indicate that assignments incorporating these elements can support student affect and result in students’ perceived learning, but that there should be careful consideration of the relevance of the chosen contexts with respect to the interests of the students enrolled in the course and the complexity of the contexts.

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