scholarly journals BYOD strategies in higher education: current knowledge, students’ perspectives, and challenges.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Siani
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mobile Computing ◽  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Vast Number

The use of mobile computing devices has become an integral part of virtually every aspect of our personal and professional life, and education is no exception to this paradigm. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategies are becoming increasingly prevalent in teaching, learning and assessment across all age groups, however the evaluation of their relative effectiveness compared to traditional pedagogies is still a controversial matter.Despite the vast number of reports attesting the successful integration of BYOD in higher education, it has been argued that a significant proportion of the studies on the topic are highly heterogeneous from both a theoretical and methodological standpoint.While BYOD strategies have been put in place in an increasing number of educational institutions around the world, the extent of their implementation varies widely between (and in most cases within) different institutions. This observation highlights the critical importance of the development of a solid theoretical and practical framework to underpin the integration of BYOD in higher education.The first part of this paper will aim to critically evaluate the state of the art of the literature on the efficacy of BYOD strategies in higher education, highlighting potential benefits and drawbacks. As a paradigmatic example of caveats arising from the use of BYOD in higher education, it has been argued that teaching and learning strategies based on the use of personal mobile computing devices may pose a significant risk to aggravate digital divide between students who have access to (and operational mastery of) such devices, and students who do not.The critical evaluation of the advantages and pitfalls of BYOD will be used as a theoretical scaffold for the second part of the paper, which will outline the results of a recent case study to give a practical account of the implementation of BYOD in higher education. A survey was carried out within a cohort of level 4 Biology, Biochemistry, and Marine Biology students to investigate the students’ perception of the effectiveness of Nearpod as a formative assessment tool. While the majority (65%) of the participants had never used BYOD in an educational context before enrolling into university, the students’ account of its efficacy appears overwhelmingly positive. Most students expressed a clear preference for electronic formative assessment and commended its superior helpfulness compared to traditional methods. The vast majority of the participants (over 90%) did not perceive BYOD as potentially aggravating digital divide among their peers.Keywords: BYOD; higher education; electronic; interactive; formative assessment; digital divide; personal computing devices; smartphone; tablet; laptop.

Effect of routine iron–folic acid supplementation among rural pregnant women living in low- and high-groundwater-iron areas in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 2844-2855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faruk Ahmed ◽  
Moududur Rahman Khan ◽  
Ireen Akhtar Chowdhury ◽  
Rubhana Raqib ◽  
Anjan Kumar Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Fe Deficiency ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
Iron Folic Acid ◽  
Hb Concentration ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

AbstractObjective:The present study investigated the risks and benefits of routine Fe–folic acid (IFA) supplementation in pregnant women living in low- and high-groundwater-Fe areas in Bangladesh.Design:A case-controlled prospective longitudinal study design was used to compare the effect of daily Fe (60 mg) and folic acid (400 μg) supplementation for 3·5 months.Setting:A rural community in Bangladesh.Participants:Pregnant women living in low-groundwater-Fe areas (n 260) and high-groundwater-Fe areas (n 262).Results:Mean Hb and serum ferritin concentrations at baseline were significantly higher in pregnant women in the high-groundwater-Fe areas. After supplementation, the mean change in Hb concentration in the women in the low-groundwater-Fe areas (0·10 mg/dl) was higher than that in the pregnant women in the high-groundwater-Fe areas (–0·08 mg/dl; P = 0·052). No significant changes in the prevalence of anaemia or Fe deficiency (ID) in either group were observed after IFA supplementation; however, the prevalence of Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA) decreased significantly in the women in the low-groundwater-Fe areas. The risk of anaemia, ID and IDA after supplementation did not differ significantly between the groups. None of the participants had Fe overload. However, a significant proportion of the women in the high- and low-groundwater-Fe areas remained anaemic and Fe-deficient after supplementation.Conclusion:IFA supplementation significantly increased the Hb concentration in pregnant women living in the low-groundwater-Fe areas. Routine supplementation with 60 mg Fe and 400 μg folic acid does not pose any significant risk of haemoconcentration or Fe overload. Further research to identify other nutritional and non-nutritional contributors to anaemia is warranted to prevent and treat anaemia.

scholarly journals Student access to and skills in using technology in an open and distance learning context

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanlie Liebenberg ◽  
Yuraisha Chetty ◽  
Paul Prinsloo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
South African ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Access To Technology ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
South African Higher Education

<p>Amidst the different challenges facing higher education, and particularly distance education (DE) and open distance learning (ODL), access to information and communication technology (ICT) and students’ abilities to use ICTs are highly contested issues in the South African higher education landscape. While there are various opinions about the scope and definition of the digital divide, increasing empirical evidence questions the uncritical use of the notion of the digital divide in South African and international higher education discourses.</p><p>In the context of the University of South Africa (Unisa) as a mega ODL institution, students’ access to technology and their functional competence are some of the critical issues to consider as Unisa prepares our graduates for an increasingly digital and networked world.</p><p>This paper discusses a descriptive study that investigated students’ access to technology and their capabilities in using technology, within the broader discourse of the “digital divide.” Results support literature that challenges a simplistic understanding of the notion of the “digital divide” and reveal that the nature of access is varied.</p>

scholarly journals Challenges for implementing open educational resources by teachers in higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 325 ◽  
pp. 479-490
Author(s):  
Roza Dumbraveanu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Educational Philosophy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Fair Use ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Teachers Training

Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are facing a number of problems during the last decades: the need to update the curricula to make it compatible with the similar ones from other national and European universities; demand to update the content and the pedagogical approach due to knowledge, technological and research development. Open Educational Resources (OER) might be a sound strategy for institutions to meet these challenges. At the same time OER are themselves one of the challenges that the teachers are faced with. OER could be implemented in courses in different ways, depending on the types of OER and the educational philosophy adopted by the teachers. The paper describes some challenges for implementing Open Educational Resources by teachers in Higher Education in Moldova: the level of awareness on availability and usage of OER; fair use matters; quality assurance of resources; pedagogical approaches for implementing OER into teaching and learning. The paper also grasps the issues of the digital divide that emerge when investigating these challenges. The judgment is based on the literature analysis and on the author’s teaching experience within courses for initial and continuous professional teachers’ training.

scholarly journals Professional Career Choice and Career Start in Regards to the Expectations of Hungarian Law Enforcement Higher Education and of the Law Enforcement Organs

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-53
Author(s):  
Ákos Erdős ◽  
Adrienn Magasvári ◽  
Andrea Szabó
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Admission Process ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Generation Z ◽  
The Law

The aim of this study is to present the Faculty of Law Enforcement of the National University of Public Service and the admission process awaiting the members of generation Z – and within it, those who wish to apply for officer cadet status – as well as the drop-out rates and their causes following successful admission, and also the prerequisite base competences expected within the framework of public service and in law enforcement. The young applicants admitted to the Faculty of Law Enforcement are supposed to represent a significant proportion of the future reinforcement of the professional service personnel, thus the member of generation Z not only stand at the gates of higher education but at the gates of the law enforcement labour market, too. Through our study, we would like to highlight the correlations emerging between the competence-based expectations of the law enforcement organs from the young career starters and the university admission process as well as the individual wishes of the applicants, and the level of contrast or synergy of the physical and intellectual status of the students in this matter. From this perspective, the question may arise whether it is necessary to implement any changes in the set of conditions, expectations or attitudes regarding the higher educational training or in the starting phase of the law enforcement career path.

scholarly journals Emergency care education in South Africa and the unique requirement of physical preparedness: A scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Muhlbauer ◽  
Craig Vincent-Lambert ◽  
Yoga Coopoo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Care Education ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
Task Oriented

Introduction The Bachelor Degree in Emergency Medical Care (BEMC) is a unique program in that students operate in both emergency care and rescue contexts, unlike international paramedic degree programs which focus only on emergency care. The learning activities associated with the rescue content are physically strenuous and therefore BEMC students need to be physically and mentally prepared to engage in diverse austere environments. Although South African BEMC programs have a common medical rescue curriculum, approaches to the training and assessment of physical preparedness vary between the institutions. The objective of this research was to explore the knowledge gap through the review of literature that describes the unique physical preparedness requirements in the field of emergency care education. Methods We conducted a scoping review in the form of a narrative literature review. Results Seventy-five (n) articles were initially identified, however, only four were relevant to the objective of this study. This highlighted the paucity of literature describing the unique physical fitness requirements of the BEMC program and the current challenges experienced by educators in the field. Conclusion While physical preparedness training exists in higher education institutes and there are assessments conducted at these higher education institutes, none of these assessment tools have yet been scientifically validated which creates a challenge for educators. The current knowledge gap within EMC education is therefore the absence of a scientifically validated task-oriented physical preparedness assessment tool which addresses the desired physical attributes and abilities of EMC students linked to the BEMC curriculum and associated learning experiences.

scholarly journals Molecular Mechanisms of H. pylori-Induced DNA Double-Strand Breaks

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 2891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawit Kidane
Keyword(s):  
Genomic Instability ◽  
Oxidative Dna Damage ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Excision Repair ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Significant Risk Factor ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
H Pylori

Infections contribute to carcinogenesis through inflammation-related mechanisms. H. pylori infection is a significant risk factor for gastric carcinogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism by which H. pylori infection contributes to carcinogenesis has not been fully elucidated. H. pylori-associated chronic inflammation is linked to genomic instability via reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). In this article, we summarize the current knowledge of H. pylori-induced double strand breaks (DSBs). Furthermore, we provide mechanistic insight into how processing of oxidative DNA damage via base excision repair (BER) leads to DSBs. We review recent studies on how H. pylori infection triggers NF-κB/inducible NO synthase (iNOS) versus NF-κB/nucleotide excision repair (NER) axis-mediated DSBs to drive genomic instability. This review discusses current research findings that are related to mechanisms of DSBs and repair during H. pylori infection.

Measuring Relative Effectiveness of Service Quality Factors Affecting Quality of Higher Education in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-46
Author(s):  
Anshuman Kaler
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Program Quality ◽  
Quality Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Input Quality ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education

The existing competitive environment in the education sector in India has forced higher education institutes to adopt ‘students as a customer' approach in educational delivery. The extant literature supports seven dimensions of service quality namely input quality, curriculum, academic facilities, industry interaction, interaction quality, support facilities, and nonacademic processes. The objective of the study was to measure the relative effectiveness of service quality factors as perceived by the Indian students. Focus group interviews were conducted with a group of technical and management students. Stratified judgmental sampling was used for the data collection. In the current study, it was observed that the factor of program quality plays a more dominant role than the factor of quality of life in determining the service quality in institutes of higher education. It is further observed that in the sub-dimension of program quality, the factor of curriculum and academic facilities are relatively more dominant than the factor of input quality.

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