scholarly journals ON THE USE OF REFLECTIVE WRITING EXERCISES FOR IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING OF CONCEPTUAL AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS IN ENGINEERING

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence R. Chen ◽  
Maxime Jacques ◽  
Zeinab Sobhanigavgani
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Writing ◽  
First Year ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Improving Student Learning ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Writing Exercises

Self-reflection and reflective writing are often used to promote self-regulated learning amongst students (Nilson, 2013). A number of engineering programs are incorporating greater opportunities for student reflection (Turns et al., 2014); at the same time, there is a growing need for additional research on the impact of selfreflection and reflective exercises in engineering education (Clark and Dickerson, 2019). We describe the implementation and examine the impact of two types of reflective writing exercisesan exam wrapper and selfevaluation in two Electrical and Computer Engineering courses, a fundamental first year course on signals and systems and a final year technical elective course on photonics.

Developing Pragmatic Competence in English Academic Discussions: An EAP Classroom Investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-152
Author(s):  
Marcella Caprario
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Communication Breakdowns ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis qualitative classroom study investigated the development of pragmatic competence in academic discussions through content analysis of student reflective writing. The aims of the study were: to understand the greatest challenges that students faced during the learning process, the causes of those challenges, and the most successful strategies that students employed to overcome the challenges. In addition, the analysis investigated other significant themes in the reflective writing that related to the students’ experiences in developing their pragmatic competence in discussions. Five advanced English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students at a Sino-US institution in China participated over the course of a semester. Results showed that common challenges included: hesitation resulting in missed opportunities to speak, lack of clarity when speaking, inability to repair communication breakdowns, and difficulty with listening comprehension. Self-reflection allowed the learners to understand the various reasons for the challenges they faced and to develop appropriate pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic strategies for coping with them. It also enabled the instructor to make suggestions suited to learners’ specific needs. In addition to revealing specific challenges, causes, and strategies that students employed, themes that emerged through content analysis included the impact of students’ emotional lives on their learning and performance, as well as the value of authentic communication in the development of pragmatic competence for academic discussions. This exploratory classroom investigation provides suggestions for teaching pragmatic competence in academic discussions and for additional classroom explorations that empower learners to develop autonomy.

scholarly journals The Impact of Feedback on Students’ Autonomous ESP Learning Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-339
Author(s):  
Natalia Yevheniivna Dmitrenko ◽  
Iuliia Oleksiivna Budas
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
University Course ◽  
Learning Competence ◽  
The Impact

The present paper provides the results of the feedback influence on students’ autonomous ESP learning. It is aimed to study the impact of feedback on autonomous learning outcomes of first-year students, who are studying a two-year university course of “English for Specific Purposes (ESP)”, the significant part of which is dedicated to self-regulated learning. The aim of the course is to improve the students’ proficiency in professionally oriented English communication to the level of B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The investigation has proved the importance of teachers’ support in students’ autonomous ESP learning. The outcomes of those students who received the feedback regularly signify that even being self-sufficient, students strive for teachers’ or peer observation and feedback in the educational process. In the article, the interdependence between the level of students’ autonomous ESP learning competence and students’ feedback literacy is presented. The results of the study suggest that students’ autonomous ESP learning outcomes are considerably influenced by supportive external written feedback if it is sought, and their feedback literacy level is at least moderate or higher. A higher level of students’ feedback literacy is observed among students with a more advanced level of autonomous ESP learning competence and who demonstrate better academic achievements in professionally oriented English communication. The coherence of the elaborated levels of Ukrainian students’ feedback literacy and the ways of its enhancing can be significant for educators in other countries.

scholarly journals Reflective writing and its impact on empathy in medical education: systematic review

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Chen ◽  
Connor Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Outcome Measurement ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Systemic Review ◽  
Writing Interventions ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Physician Empathy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Writing Exercises

Purpose: Medical schools are increasingly aware of the ways in which physician empathy can have a profound impact on patients’ lives and have developed humanities initiatives to address this concern. Reflective writing in particular is more commonly promoted in medical curricula, but there is limited research on the impact of reflective writing on medical student empathy levels. It aims to find the emotional effects of reflective writing interventions on medical and healthcare students by systemic review. Methods: Two investigators independently reviewed educational publications for critical analysis. This review focused systematically on quantitative papers that measure the impact of reflective writing on empathy. Results: Of the 1,032 studies found on Medline and CINAHL, only 8 used quantitative measures pre- and postwritten reflection to measure any impact on empathy outcomes. The outcomes measured included impact of reflective writing exercises on student wellness, aptitude, and/or clinical skills. Of these studies, a significant change in student empathy was observed in 100% of the studies, demonstrating a significant change in outcomes. Conclusion: Although the lack of homogeneity in outcome measurement in the literature limits possible conclusion from this review, the overwhelmingly positive reporting of outcomes suggests that reflective writing should be considered in any medical curriculum.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF LANGUAGE AND STRUCTURE OF INSTRUCTIONS ON STUDENTS’ CONFIDENCE TOWARDS COMPLETING ASSIGNMENTS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Hong ◽  
Chirag Variawa
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Level ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
First Year ◽  
Plain Language ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
The Impact

First-year engineering students usually spend more time on courses assignments and projects that they perceived to be more difficult, which increases students’ workload and impacts their persistence in engineering programs. Students possess a higher level of confidence also tend to perform better on the tasks. Therefore, it is important to explore the impact of different aspects of assignment instructions on students’ perceived confidence, and establish a comprehensive set of guidelines for first-year course instructors and curriculum designers in instruction writing. This research builds on existing first-year engineering student workload survey to identify the students’ confidence level on assignments in each first-year courses taught in University of Toronto. We compared assignment instructions in first-year engineering courses that students perceived to be difficult and easy, and conducted a focus group study to analyze students’ confidence level towards the same assignments but two different instructions. Observations suggest that students perceived assignments involving new concepts and complex problem context appear to be more difficult. Qualitative responses from students suggest that short instructions with explanations of course connections using plain language could increase students’ self-confidence towards completing these assignments.  

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Connections Across the Curriculum: Fostering Collaborations between Freshman and Capstone Students Through Peer-Review Assignments

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habiba Boumlik ◽  
Reem Jaafar ◽  
Ian Alberts
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
Transition To College ◽  
First Year ◽  
College Life ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Student Integration ◽  
College Class ◽  
The Impact

Cultivating interdisciplinary connections between freshman and capstone students epitomizes a novel pedagogical approach to deepen student understanding of the learning process in a Community College environment. Within such a context, this article focuses on the outcomes of a two-semester collaborative effort that aims to establish and strengthen interactions between students at opposite ends of the academic spectrum. The work discussed focuses on an initiative in which capstone students in their culminating college class are supported in using their educational experiences to guide their first-year peers as they make the transition to college life. After discussing the creation and implementation of scaffolded collaborative assignments in which capstone students peer-reviewed freshman students work, the paper analyzes the impact of the research on student understanding of the learning process, the outcomes of self-reflection activities, student integration of knowledge and skills from diverse sources and the quality of their work in the peer-review endeavor.

scholarly journals Using PLS-SEM to Examine the Structure of First-year University Students’ Mathematics-related Beliefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Ruixuan Ji ◽  
Xiaoyao Yue ◽  
Xu Zheng
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Epistemological Beliefs ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact

Many research indicated that more and more students choose to drop out of mathematics-related subjects during university study, especially in the western context. Besides the difficulty of mathematics content, first-year university students also face issues of the transition period. Identifying the impact of first-year university students' belief factors on their persistence in mathematics study needed further research. This study served as a pilot study; it structured the framework of first-year university students’ mathematics-related beliefs in relation to students’ persistence on the further mathematics study. A two-stage approach of using PLS-SEM to assessing the conceptual framework was introduced in detail. The relationships of dimensions of students’ epistemological beliefs about mathematics, self-efficacy, self-regulated learning strategies and perceptions about learning environment were assessed. This study provides the feasibility for future follow-up studies to examine mathematics-related beliefs and intentions to continue learning among university students on a larger scale.

Does the GRE General Test Predict More than Just First Year Graduate GPA?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent Bridgeman
Keyword(s):  
Graduate School ◽  
First Year ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
State University ◽  
Ivy League ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
School Programs ◽  
General Test ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Writing Scores

Graduate school programs that are considering dropping the GRE as an admissions tool often focus on claims that the test is biased and does not predict valued outcomes. This paper addresses the bias issue and provides evidence related to the prediction of valued outcomes. Two studies are included. The first study uses data from chemistry and computer engineering programs from a flagship state university and an Ivy League university to demonstrate the ability of the GRE to predict dropout. The second study shows the relationship of GRE Analytical Writing scores to writing produced as part of graduate school coursework. In both studies results that are both practically and statistically significant are presented.

Increasing Team Effectiveness Through Experiential Team Training: An Explanatory Mixed-Methods Study of First-Year Veterinary Students’ Team Experiences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hammond ◽  
April A. Kedrowicz
Keyword(s):  
Team Effectiveness ◽  
Clinical Problem ◽  
Team Training ◽  
First Year ◽  
Veterinary Students ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Clinical Problem Solving ◽  
Explanatory Mixed Methods ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

This article explores the impact of experiential team communication training on student team effectiveness. First-year veterinary students were concurrently enrolled in the Group Communication in Veterinary Medicine course and applied their knowledge to their authentic team experiences in the Veterinary Anatomy and Introduction to Clinical Problem Solving courses. All students completed a modified team effectiveness instrument and a team self-reflection at the end of the semester. Results show that students experienced a high level of team effectiveness. Although students experienced challenges with respect to staying on task and distributing roles and responsibilities, team coordination and communication improved over time, due in part to the team activities associated with the team training intervention. This research provides support for the impact of experiential team training to the development of team process skills and team effectiveness.

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