scholarly journals DESIGN OF MASTERY-BASED TUTORIAL IN THE BRIGHTSPACE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR A FIRST YEAR THERMODYNAMICS COURSE

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce Valencerina ◽  
Douglas Ruth ◽  
Jillian Seniuk Cicek
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Formative Assessments ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
First Year ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Online Tutorial ◽  
Primary Means ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The University

University level studies can be a daunting experience for students in their first year, especially for students pursuing engineering. Not only are students expected to adapt to a new and intense learning environment, they need to develop a critical thinking approach for their coursework, which is essential in solving engineering problems. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba uses the Brightspace Learning Environment by D2L Corporation (UM Learn) as a primary means for delivering course content, communicating with students, and assessing student performance. Of interest are the assessment tools, which can be adapted to enforce good problem solving habits and check students’ learning progress. This paper discusses the design of a mastery-based tutorial for a first year thermodynamics course that provides supplementary formative assessments to ensure students have mastered course content. A survey was distributed to evaluate the online tutorial in which students expressed mixed responses to its usefulness, although many agreed that it supported learning.

Factors contributing toward student performance in a distance education accounting degree

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Papageorgiou ◽  
Abdel K. Halabi
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Aptitude ◽  
One Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Measures Of Performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of five determinates of performance in students (N = 677) who completed three years of financial accounting to obtain a Bachelor of Accounting Science (BCompt) degree by distance education through the University of South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis is used on three yearly measures of performance with five independent variables (age, gender, prior accounting knowledge, mathematics background and academic aptitude). Findings – Results show that mathematics background and academic aptitude are both significantly associated with student performance, throughout the financial accounting subjects. Prior accounting knowledge is also important in the first year of study but not thereafter. Research limitations/implications – Prior research has found that other factors may influence student performance, and future studies which include these variables will add to these findings. Practical implications – The results of this study have important implications for instructors, students and career advisers, particularly as research linking various factors with performance in accounting subjects over the length of a degree is limited. Originality/value – The current study considers the determinants of student performance over three financial accounting years (rather than one year or one subject) and from a distance education perspective. As distance education becomes a more important delivery method of study in the future, these results have important implications.

Evaluation in the course development process

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Van de Poel ◽  
Jessica Gasiorek
Keyword(s):  
Development Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Course Development ◽  
First Year Writing ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
The University

Evaluation is a critical but frequently underutilized part of the (language) course development process. Instructors’ reasons for avoiding it vary, but often include the concern that conducting evaluations will draw time and attention away from course content. Using All Write, a first-year writing course at the University of Antwerp, as a case study, this article shows how mechanisms for feedback and evaluation can be incorporated into course materials with minimal impact, as well as demonstrates the benefits of evaluation as both a validation process and a guide for course revision. Moreover, it will show how the stakeholders, primarily learners, but also teachers, may be drawn into the process and potentially benefit from it.

scholarly journals Language Support for First Year Human Physiology and Biology

2011 ◽  
pp. 129-159
Author(s):  
Karen Elizabeth Mate ◽  
John Cameron Rodger ◽  
Brett Andrew Lidbury
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
University Students ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Language Support ◽  
Teaching And Learning Strategies ◽  
The University

This chapter examines student performance in Human Physiology and Biology in response to a number of interactive language-focused and career-oriented interventions that were integrated into both lecture and tutorial formats. The study took place at the University of Newcastle, Australia and involved around 1000 students on two campuses. Although it was not possible to demonstrate a clear overall improvement in student performance as a result of these interventions, the activities were viewed positively by the majority of students. Arguably, the major impact of the language and other interventions was in the level of student motivation and engagement with the course topic. Contemporary university students are highly focused on the relevance of a course to their chosen career path, suggesting that language-based teaching and learning strategies would be most effective if placed within a vocation-specific context.

A Regional University Perspective on Engineering Education of Multi-Cultural Freshman Students From South Pacific Countries

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishnil R. Ram ◽  
Roneel V. Sharan ◽  
Mohammed Rafiuddin Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Quality Teaching ◽  
First Year ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Ethics And Economics ◽  
Regional University ◽  
The University

Of late, there is a growing need for quality engineers who have the ability to solve complex engineering problems with reasonable knowledge of ethics and economics. This has led many universities to pursue accreditation by professional engineering bodies. While the accreditation process installs a standardized system of quality teaching, it is important that the engineering entrants have a degree of understanding that allows implementation of quality teaching methods. This study looks at the performance of first year engineering students in a bid to identify major issues that students face in a Bachelor of Engineering program. The learning of students in the School of Engineering and Physics at the University of the South Pacific is influenced by interactions of at least 12 different cultures from the 12 member countries of the university. The study looks at how students perform across cultures in the first year mechanical engineering courses, mainly engineering mechanics and engineering graphics & design. The general trend over the last five years shows that while the student numbers in the program have been increasing, student performance in one course seems to be improving but declining in the other; the two courses differ considerable in contents, required skill sets, and assessment methodologies. The study also presents possible reasons for the varied performance by considering issues such as cultural and academic backgrounds, use of teaching tools and resources, and revisions to the course and program and looks at how multi-cultural engineering education can be improved. The number of female students taking up engineering as their major is also looked at and positive trends are seen with female participation increasing from 7.6% in 2008 to 13.9% in 2013.

INTEGRATION OF NEUROSCIENCE AND ENDOCRINOLOGY IN HYBRID PBL CURRICULUM

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Thomas Cunningham ◽  
Ronald H. Freeman ◽  
Michael C. Hosokawa
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Faculty Evaluations ◽  
Medical Licensing ◽  
The University ◽  
Fourth Block

At the University of Missouri-Columbia, the medical school employs a problem-based learning curriculum that began in 1993. Since the curriculum was changed, student performance on step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination has significantly increased from slightly below the national average to almost one-half a standard deviation above the national mean. In the first and second years, classes for students are organized in classes or blocks that are 8 wk long, followed by 1 wk for evaluation. Initially, basic science endocrinology was taught in the fourth block of the first year with immunology and molecular biology. Student and faculty evaluations of the curriculum indicated that endocrinology did not integrate well with the rest of the material taught in that block. To address these issues, basic science endocrinology was moved into another block with neurosciences. We integrate endocrinology with neurosciences by using the hypothalamus and its role in neuroendocrinology as a springboard for endocrinology. This is accomplished by using clinical cases with clear neuroscience and endocrinology aspects such as Cushing’s disease and multiple endocrine neoplastic syndrome type 1.

Design, Development and Implantation of Self-Assessment Tools in the Subject of Manufacturing Engineering in Engineering Degrees at the University of Malaga

2016 ◽  
Vol 853 ◽  
pp. 24-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.J. Trujillo ◽  
M.J. Martín ◽  
F. Martín ◽  
Lorenzo Sevilla
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
First Year ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Weak Points ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Manufacturing Engineering ◽  
The University

At the presented work, the results obtained by the implementation of self-assessment tools in the subject of Manufacturing Engineering are analyzed. This is the first subject that has been taught by the Department of Manufacturing Engineering Processes at the University of Malaga in all new engineering degrees within the EHEA framework. First, weak points related to the criteria, tools and evaluation methods have been identified, which were detected during the first year teaching the subject. In order to improve the academic outcomes, new evaluation methods and additional assessment tools have been developed. For this purpose, ICT based tools have been used to support teaching. Finally, the academic results after its implantation have been compared with those previously obtained. As a result, an increase in the number of students who passed the exams together with an improvement in the average marks has been observed, as well as a reduction in the number of student skipping the final exam.

scholarly journals Ranking high schools using university student performance in Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Aina ◽  
Massimiliano Bratti ◽  
Enrico Lippo
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Value Added ◽  
First Year ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Selection Mechanisms ◽  
University Performance ◽  
The University

AbstractThe Eduscopio project is the first attempt to build school performance indicators based on the university performance of high school leavers in Italy. It provides stakeholders (students and their families) with publicly available school performance indicators, and school rankings. A potential weakness of Eduscopio is that it relies on first-year student performance only. In this study, we extend its methodology to include longer-term academic outcomes, such as cumulative third-year performance and the probability of on-time graduation. Our results demonstrate that differences in university students’ performance across high schools are not temporary and limited to the first-year, but persist in the following academic years, and that the ranking of high schools based on longer-term indicators remains rather stable. Moreover, our analysis highlights non-negligible differences of between-school track dispersion in the Eduscopio index across cities, which hints on geographical differences in student selection mechanisms into school tracks or in the level of dispersion of school value added within tracks.

scholarly journals Asynchronizing with the Framework: Reflections on the process of creating an asynchronous library assignment for a first-year writing class

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (11) ◽  
pp. 530
Author(s):  
B. Grantham Aldred
Keyword(s):  
Online Instruction ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
First Year ◽  
Library Instruction ◽  
First Year Writing ◽  
University Of Illinois ◽  
Hybrid Course ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Writing Class ◽  
The University

As many of yours surely have, my institution, the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), moved at great speed to adapt to the need for online instruction this fall. This has proved a challenge for library instruction, to put it mildly. Our library instruction has almost exclusively been in-person, on-site, and live, and the switch to online and hybrid course delivery has made all of those aspects difficult, especially when it comes to courses offered asynchronously, where students engage with course content at different points in time within a given timeframe.

scholarly journals BUILDING THE BIG PICTURE: A COMPARISON OF FIRST YEAR DESIGN COURSES IN ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Burns ◽  
Ron Britton
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Industrial Design ◽  
Core Material ◽  
First Year ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The University ◽  
Associated Design

For the student entering engineering and associated design degree programs the challenge to master the range of fundamental knowledge skills is considerable in itself. In most disciplines the knowledge base on which student courses are constructed is both changing and growing at an increasing rate. As a result it is now difficult for any student to see how these technical, scientific and mathematical courses fit into the big picture of the discipline they plan to become part of. Their high school experience is limited to general awareness at best, but is largely focused on fundamental sciences. This is obvious in engineering, but is possibly more problematic for a student interested in industrial design, with the same core mathematics and physics requirements, yet often without the appropriate visual and creative courses. Additionally, first year students come from a range of backgrounds, which makes the initial courses relating core material to their chosen professions more difficult to focus. This paper details the work of two introductory first year courses – An Engineering course from the University of Manitoba is compared and contrasted with a Design Studio Course in the School of Industrial Design at Carleton University. In both courses the range of projects given may at first glance seem quite simple, but each has been designed and developed to build the bridge of understanding between fundamental skills and the profession it leads to. Both courses try to take full advantage of the opportunities the projects present within the limited time available. Success in such courses is usually achieved by ensuring that every project/challenge is not seen as ‘the design of a new something’, but that it is couched in an understandable reality. This might be achieved by the design process the students are expected to go through, the context in which the design challenge is set, the history and evolution that brought the project to this particular stage, the significant economic, social and business drivers, and of course the fundamental skills and knowledge base being developed. The aim of this paper is to help identify a pattern that other first year engineering/design courses could adopt or modify, as the challenge of ‘Building the Big Picture’ become more essential.

scholarly journals Using Incoming Data to Monitor Engagement and Inform Mathematics Support Interventions

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Ioannis Lignos
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Performance Data ◽  
First Year ◽  
Teaching Activities ◽  
Student Behaviour ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The University ◽  
Academic Year

Students who do not engage enough with their studies could place themselves at risk of underperforming or failing. Such a risk may be higher for students who are assessed in one or more mathematics modules and lack the appropriate background knowledge, or do not engage enough with related teaching activities. It has been shown for students who engage with mathematics support, there is a significant impact on student performance and progression in the relevant modules. Thus, improving the mechanisms of engagement with mathematics support should be a priority for any student success strategy.We discuss the monitoring of attendance and performance data of first-year engineering students, as it becomes available, in order to inform interventions which suit the observed student behaviour best. Specifically, the method described was used with first-year engineering students at the University of East London (UEL) during the 2017-8 academic year. We find that when monitoring processes are applied to an already tailored support package, they can often help maintain engagement levels, understand why some students do not engage, and prompt us to differentiate support further.

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