scholarly journals Interests and attitudes of G.C.E. (A/L) physical science stream students on university education in STEM: A case study in Sri Lanka

2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 033-038
Author(s):  
Ashan Induranga ◽  
Kaveendra Maduwantha ◽  
Buddhika Sampath ◽  
Neranga Hettiwatta ◽  
Vimukthi Vithanage ◽  
...  

Sri Lanka has a free education system that gives access to higher education opportunities through the G.C.E. (Advanced Level) examination to a limited number of students. Students can choose their preferred university course if they have fulfilled the required minimum results for university admission. This paper discusses the general interests and attitudes of a sample of physical science stream students towards university education in STEM as a case study in Sri Lanka. The study has investigated several perspectives of the selected sample of G. C. E. (A/L) students through an online survey that includes questions regarding students' attitudes and perceptions on university education and different STEM-related undergraduate courses. The study has covered several schools of three provinces in Sri Lanka, and some of the investigated results are discussed with respect to the provinces. The results revealed career prospects, the academic quality of the undergraduate courses and the reputation of the university as the most influencing factors for undergraduate course selection in STEM disciplines, while engineering-related undergraduate courses were the most preferred ones among the students. The study results can be an asset to further studies since this topic has been rarely explored in the Sri Lankan higher education context.

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-212
Author(s):  
Glen Postle ◽  
Andrew Sturman

In this paper the authors trace the development of equity within the Australian higher education context over the latter part of the last century. In particular they focus on the ways different perspectives (liberalist-individualist and social democratic) have shaped what has been a dramatic increase in the number and diversity of students accessing higher education in Australia. The adoption of a specific perspective has influenced the formation of policies concerning equity and consequently the way universities have responded to the pressures to accept more and different students. These responses are captured under two main headings – ‘restructuring the entry into higher education’ and ‘changing the curriculum within higher education’. Several examples of current programs and procedures based upon these are explained. The paper concludes with the identification of three ‘dilemmas' which have emerged as a result of the development and implementation of equity processes and procedures in higher education in Australia. These are: (a) While there has been an increase in the number and range of students accessing higher education, this has been accompanied by a financial cost to the more disadvantaged students, a cost which has the potential to exacerbate equity principles. (b) For one of the first times in the history of higher education, a focus is being placed on its teaching and learning functions, as opposed to its research functions. The problem is that those universities that have been obliged to broaden their base radically have also been obliged to review their teaching and learning practices without any budgetary compensation. (c) A third consequence of these changes relates to the life of a traditional academic. Universities that have been at the forefront of ‘changing their curriculum’ to cope with more diverse student groups (open and distance learning) have seen the loss of ‘lecturer autonomy’ as they work more as members of teams and less as individuals.


Author(s):  
Tatiana Daragan ◽  
◽  
Oksana Vlasyuk ◽  

The article examines the stages of implementation of the main aspects of university autonomy, in particular the organization of student governance in domestic higher education institutions. It is necessary to realize that the creation of effective student government is a key condition for building a domestic system of higher education in accordance with the best practices of the European educational space. It is determined that in the process of restructuring higher education through the formation of university autonomy, students should be considered as a full partner in the process of modernization of the domestic higher education system. It is established that the work of student government should significantly expand its scope and be more active in developing key issues of organization and content of university education. The main points of formation of student self-governance in Ukrainian HEIs are determined and a comparative analysis of the key principles under which European universities operate is carried out. The authors analyzed the Law of Ukraine «On Higher Education», in particular in terms of organizing the work of student government. The main issues of student self-governance, which are reflected in the statutes of higher education institutions, are summarized. The article shows the results of the study conducted during the research «Implementation of university autonomy in the context of decentralization of HEIs, the democratization of the educational process, increasing responsibility for the quality of education». The stance of the students to the process of the autonomy of educational institutions in general is studied. The information on the respondents’ awareness of the regulatory framework is summarized. The degree of activity of student self-government bodies in solving issues of improving the educational process is analyzed. The proposals of the participants of the online survey on the next stages of activity for the successful implementation of university autonomy have been studied.


Author(s):  
Jonathan Bishop

This chapter looks at how suitable the current equality policies of Wales's universities are to compete in the current economic climate and the changes needed to deliver best value to people with disabilities and all other taxpayers. The chapter makes the finding that universities are too bloated, by carrying out functions, which in Wales could be better handled by the public sector that is under direct control of the Welsh Government's education minister. This would involve learning from how the telecoms and energy companies work UK wide, so that HEFCfW becomes an infrastructure provider, Estyn would become responsible for ensuring the equality of access to higher education and ensuring the standards of university education. Universities would thus consist mainly of teaching and research staff, optimising how they use the infrastructure to attract the most students to their degrees, which are homogenised. The chapter makes clear, however, that whilst this policy would likely work in Wales, it would be unlikely to in England, perhaps allowing “clear red water” between governments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-109
Author(s):  
Windasari Windasari ◽  
Soedjarwo Soedjarwo ◽  
Toho Cholik Mutohir

Higher education institutions need to reform the organization culture of a bureucratic university become a corporate university. Education will be oriented towards high academic quality, service quality, and as well as student satisfaction. The purposes of this study are to measure and determine the effect of service quality and satisfaction on student loyalty in higher education sector. Data collection technique is done by distributing questionnaires with 5-point likert scale. There are 151 students chosen using cluster random sampling. The validity test used factor analysis. Data analysis technique was done using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of the AMOS version 21.0 program. The result of the research shows that service quality and satisfaction simultaneously affect student loyalty.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 101-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne A. Larsen

This case study about one university’s internationalization initiative, known as North Goes South, provides a nuanced and finely grained understanding of what internationalization looks like in practice. The study was guided by a desire to probe the perceived impact of a Canadian–East African internationalization initiative on students, faculty, and Tanzanian community members. The article begins with a brief review of the literature on internationalization and higher education in Canada. The rationale for using a case-study methodology is presented, along with the background and context of the case. Following an outline of the research methods, the study results are reviewed to show the complex and contradictory ways in which this internationalization initiative played out in one higher education setting, pointing to the gap between official discourses of internationalization and on-the-ground realities.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-121
Author(s):  
Anupama Gunawardana ◽  
F.R. Arooz ◽  
A. Peramunugamage ◽  
R.U. Halwatura

Purpose of the study: The growing emphasis on incorporating sustainability concepts in tertiary education have lead higher education institutions in developing countries to infuse sustainability content into their curricula.  The wider purpose of this study is to promote the integration of sustainability concepts within Sri Lankan Universities. The study uncover and presents the perception of university academics on integrating sustainability in higher education. Methodology: An online-survey was carried out in the month of January, 2019 in University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka across four faculties; engineering, architecture, information and technology and business. A descriptive analysis was employed to present the perceptions of the respondents according to different faculties. The obtained data were analyzed using Microsoft excel.  Main Findings: Results revealed, 46.93% have already integrated sustainability concepts while 59.18% are willing to integrate in near future. 80% have perceived that university curriculum should improve according to country’s need while providing particular trainings. 60% felt that knowledge and skills on ICT should be developed and adequate human resources should be deployed prior to incorporate sustainability concepts. Applications of this study: This study is aimed to identify models for mainstreaming sustainability concepts across tertiary education in Sri Lanka. Novelty/Originality of this study: Analysing the perception of univeristiy lecturers on incorporating sustainability concepts acroos university curricular, has never conducted in a Sri Lankan university. This is manily conducted to identify the gaps pertaining on intergrating sustainability concepts across university curricular and to identify the barriers exciting for education for sustainable development in Sri Lankan context.    


Author(s):  
Somaratna B. M. P.

Over the years national university intake in Sri Lanka has become increasingly competitive due to the increasing demand for higher education. Successive governments have tried to almost annually increase the number of national universities and the student intake but failed to cater to this demand. Therefore, those who fail to obtain access to state university education and those who complete the advanced level in the British curriculum have to seek admission to Fee Levying Higher Education Institutes (FLHEIs) in Sri Lanka due to the high cost of overseas education. Fee Levying Higher Education Institutes (FLHEIs) affiliated to foreign universities realizing the need to compete with each other offer international degrees in order to attract students. So the decision making process has become even more complex for the students. Data for this study was randomly collected from 1000 numbers of current students of Fee Levying Higher Education Institutes (FLHEIs) in the Western Province, Sri Lanka. A questionnaire was administered. The questions were categorized according to the conceptual framework developed based on the literature review. The data was analyzed using computer-based software packages. The results of this study can be helpful to Sri Lankan Fee Levying Higher Education Institutes (FLHEIs) in optimizing student intake.


2021 ◽  
pp. 286-299
Author(s):  
Daniela Korolija-Crkvenjakov ◽  
Dubravka Đukanović

Cultural goods are recorded, valorised, processed, preserved, conserved and restored because of the artistic, cultural-historical and documentary values attributed to them. In addition to these, they have other values and functions that must be taken into account. For example, the religious value of a cult object, the emotional value of a certain object in personal ownership, material value and others. A wide range of materials and artistic techniques requires specific knowledge that must be possessed by experts in the field of conservation and restoration. The subject of interest in this paper is education in the field of conservation and restoration of works of fine and applied arts. How are those who will deal with conservation and restoration of such values educated in the modern world? What knowledge and skills do they need and what training models are there? Do conservators of works of art stand out among conservators of different specialisations? What is the tradition of conservation education in Serbia? How can academies and faculties of art be places of quality education for conservators-restorers? The paper analyses different European models of conservation education, as well as the changes that have occurred with the shift of conservation as a craft to a defined profession which requires higher education. It is also discussed how such changes, through university education reforms, have affected the level of skills and knowledge conservators need, as well as whether these changes have led to the recognition of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage as a science. Among the various possibilities for the education of conservators at higher education institutions in Serbia, master academic studies in Conservation and Restoration of Works of Fine and Applied Arts at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad is analysed as a case study.


Author(s):  
Konstantinos Korres

This paper analyzes online discovery learning/ constructivistic approach using cognitive tools in higher Mathematics’ education, via a combination of electronic worksheets designed and implemented in Mathematica and online synchronous communication via the tools of a Learning Management System (LMS) and voice and video group calls. Moreover, the paper presents empirical research results of a case study concerning the approach’s application at the Department of Statistics and Insurance Sciences of the University of Piraeus and focuses on students’ attitudes towards the approach. We used a mixed approach in the study, in particular a quantitative approach with open-ended questions. A questionnaire was handed out and was answered by the students that participated. We performed statistical analysis via SPSS to data obtained by questions with binary answers and answers on a 7-point Likert scale. Also we included several open-ended questions, in order for the students to express their views and attitudes towards the benefits and the disadvantages of the tools and the approach used.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document