scholarly journals ValuED: A Blockchain-based Trading Platform to Encourage Student Engagement in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aydin Abadi ◽  
Jin Xiao ◽  
Roberto Metere ◽  
Richard Shillcock
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Source Code ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Reputation System ◽  
Available P ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The Uk

The provision of higher education has been changing ever more quickly in the UK and worldwide, as a result of technological, economic, and geopolitical factors. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated such changes. The “student experience”—the interaction of students with their institution and with each other—has been changing accordingly, with less face-to-face contact. In this work, we have explored a way to improve student engagement in higher education. We describe “ValuED”, a blockchain-based trading platform using a cryptocurrency. It allows students both to buy and sell goods and services within their university community and to be rewarded for academic engagement. ValuED involves a reputation system to further incentivise participants. We describe the implementation and piloting of this platform and draw conclusions for its future use. The platform’s source code is publicly available.

Who sets the agenda on student engagement?

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily McIntosh ◽  
Duncan Cross
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Education Funding ◽  
Higher Education Funding ◽  
Opinion Piece ◽  
Setting Approach ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education

 The rise in UK university fees has prompted significant investment in the student experience, with increased emphasis on an agenda that promotes student engagement and partnership. Government papers, both white and green, have set out a policymaking agenda and have led to a reorganisation of the UK higher education funding structures, with the dissolution of long-standing funding bodies into the Office for Students. This enshrines chapter B6 of the QAA UK quality code for higher education with regard to student engagement and would appear to be a positive move forward. However, the Office for Students has limited student representation and this raises the question: ‘Who sets this agenda and who are the stakeholders?’ This opinion piece seeks both to highlight the necessity for a joint agenda-setting approach and to engage the community in developing a joint agenda on student engagement and partnership.

Here Be Dragons

Big Data ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 1717-1735
Author(s):  
Paul Prinsloo ◽  
Sharon Slade
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
New Deal ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Open University ◽  
Student Responsibility ◽  
Student Data ◽  
General Data

Learning analytics is an emerging but rapidly growing field seen as offering unquestionable benefit to higher education institutions and students alike. Indeed, given its huge potential to transform the student experience, it could be argued that higher education has a duty to use learning analytics. In the flurry of excitement and eagerness to develop ever slicker predictive systems, few pause to consider whether the increasing use of student data also leads to increasing concerns. This chapter argues that the issue is not whether higher education should use student data, but under which conditions, for what purpose, for whose benefit, and in ways in which students may be actively involved. The authors explore issues including the constructs of general data and student data, and the scope for student responsibility in the collection, analysis and use of their data. An example of student engagement in practice reviews the policy created by the Open University in 2014. The chapter concludes with an exploration of general principles for a new deal on student data in learning analytics.

scholarly journals The King’s College London Coronavirus Health and Experiences of Colleagues at King’s Study: SARS-CoV-2 antibody response in a higher education sample

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Leightley ◽  
Valentina Vitiello ◽  
Alice Wickersham ◽  
Katrina A.S. Davis ◽  
Gabriella Bergin-Cartwright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
King's College ◽  
Positive Antibody ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Test Result

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of home antibody testing as part of large-scale study, the King’s College London Coronavirus Health and Experiences of Colleagues at King’s (KCL CHECK).MethodsParticipants of the KCL CHECK study were sent a SureScreen Diagnostics COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette to complete at home in June 2020 (phase 1) and September 2020 (phase 2). Participants were asked to upload a test result image to a study website. Test result images and sociodemographic information were analysed by the research team.ResultsA total of n=2716 participants enrolled in the KCL CHECK study, with n=2003 (73.7%) and n=1825 (69.3%) consenting and responding to phase 1 and 2. Of these, n=1882 (93.9%; phase 1) and n=1675 (91.8%; phase 2) returned a valid result. n=123 (6.5%; phase 1) and n=91 (5.4%; phase 2) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. A total of n=1488 participants provided a result in both phases, with n=57 (3.8%) testing positive for SARS- CoV-2 antibodies across both phases, suggesting a reduction in the number of positive antibody results over time. Initial comparisons showed variation by age group, gender and clinical role.ConclusionsOur study highlights the feasibility of rapid, repeated and low-cost SARS-CoV-2 serological testing without the need for face-to-face contact.What is already known about this subject?Higher education institutions have a duty of care to minimise the spread and transmission of COVID-19 in its campuses, and among staff and students. The reopening of higher education buildings and campuses has brought about a mass movement of students, academics and support staff from across the UK. Serological antibody studies can assist by highlighting groups of people and behaviours associated with high risk of COVID-19.What are the new findings?We report a framework for SARS-CoV-2 serological antibody testing in an occupational group of postgraduate research students and current members of staff at King’s College London. Over two phases of data collection, 6.5% (phase 1) and 5.4% (phase 2) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, with only 3.8% testing positive for antibodies in both phases, suggesting a reduction in positive antibody results over time.How might this impact on policy or clinical practice in the foreseeable future?Our study highlights the feasibility of rapidly deploying low-cost and repeatable SARS-CoV-2 serological testing, without the need for face-to-face contact, to support the higher education system of the UK.

scholarly journals Getting students engaged

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Race
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
League Tables

We live and work in challenging times. Now that it seems certain (post Browne, 2010) that the fees students pay for their higher education experience will double (or worse), we can't be surprised that the emphasis on 'the student experience' of higher education will intensify. Whether students are saddling themselves with ever-increasing amounts of debt to afford that higher education experience, or whether it is parents who foot the bill, the spotlight continues to focus ever more sharply on student satisfaction, alongside all available measures of the quality of student engagement in higher education. We already have league tables in which the reflection of the student experience as gained from the National Student Survey features prominently. And with diminishing budgets for teaching, class sizes are likely to continue to grow - in those disciplines where higher education survives least scathed. So how can we meet the challenge of 'getting students engaged'?

scholarly journals Reassessing Disparities in Online Learner Student Engagement in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Paulsen ◽  
Alexander C. McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
For Profit ◽  
The Impact

Online learning is the fastest growing segment in U.S. higher education and is increasingly adopted in public and private not-for-profit institutions. While the impact of online learning on educational outcomes is becoming more clear, the literature on its connection with student engagement is sparse. Student engagement measures identify key aspects of the learning process that can improve learning and outcomes like retention and achievement. The few studies investigating the link between online learning and student engagement found positive benefits for online learners compared to face-to-face learners in terms of perceived academic challenge, learning gains, satisfaction, and better study habits. On the other hand, face-to-face learners reported higher levels of environment support, collaborative learning, and faculty interaction. However, these studies did not effectively account for the differences in background characteristics like age, time spent working or caring for dependents, and enrollment status. Further, they did not consider the increasingly large population of students who enroll in both online and face-to-face courses. In our study, we used propensity score matching on the 2015 National Survey of Student Engagement data to account for the disparities in these groups’ demographics variables. After matching, we found that some of the previous literature’s differences diminish or disappear entirely. This suggests differences in supportive environments and learning strategies have more to do with online student characteristics than learning mode. However, online learning still falls well below other modes in terms of collaborative learning and interaction with faculty.

Distributed Learning Spaces

2012 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Keppell ◽  
Matthew Riddle
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Distributed Learning ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
Face To Face

This chapter examines distributed and personal learning spaces across the spectrum of physical, blended and virtual learning spaces in the higher education context. We suggest that higher education is no longer defined by tangible boundaries of a ‘physical campus’ but by the entire student experience, whether that involves negotiating the physical corridors of the campus, attending face-to-face classes, participating in fully online courses or a blend of both face-to-face and online courses. In addition the student experience may also involve connecting to virtual environments from home, a local cafe, on the train or participating in professional practice hundreds of kilometers from the physical campus. This chapter attempts to account for the diverse range of spaces that are enriching the learning and teaching experience for both academics and students and suggests the need to recognise the changing nature of learning spaces in higher education.

Tactics and strategies to survive ‘student engagement’, or joining the Soil Society and other stories

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-130
Author(s):  
Jacqui Close
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Traditional Students ◽  
Identity Work ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
University Life ◽  
Non Traditional Students

In the U.K., ‘student engagement’, and the related ‘student experience’, are increasingly measured, interpreted and then marketed to students as a basis on which to choose the ‘best’ place for their higher education. This article summarises and reflects on presentations from five panel members at a conference on their experience of university life after that choice had been made. The panel included non-traditional students who embodied some of the characteristics (such as age, social class and ethnicity) that have become performance indicators in relation to widening participation and engagement in higher education. This article captures how students themselves understand a concept that occupies such a prominent, if contested, position in contemporary higher education. This analysis invites one to take a closer look at the identity work necessary for students to thrive (and for some just to survive) at university against a backdrop that tends to homogenise both ‘experience’ and ‘student’.

scholarly journals E-teaching as companion to e-learning; supporting digital pedagogies and practice in higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Watling
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Technology Training ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Shed Light

This paper seeks to shed light on the hitherto under-researched area of the relationships academics have with their VLE, in particular with regard to reluctance or resistance to move from face-to-face to online practice. While the sector has invested into inquiry around the aspirations and motivations of the digital student (JISC, 2009), the day-to-day digital interactions of staff who teach and support learning, in particular those without technology expertise or natural digital inclinations, have largely gone unrecorded. This paper offers some preliminary findings of a three year action research project investigating attitudes towards virtual learning though a teacher-education lens rather than a traditional technology-training one. Findings have been converted into advice for academics looking to make the shift from face-to-face to e-teaching practice and can be usefully positioned alongside what is already known about the student experience of e-learning. 

ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE PANDEMIC: ASSESSING DISPARITIES IN STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION

2021 ◽  
Vol LXIX (1) ◽  
pp. 31-50
Author(s):  
Oana Lup ◽  
Elena Cristina Mitrea
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Background Characteristics ◽  
Student Background ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Educational Engagement

Student engagement is consequential for learning outcomes and is a key factor in student achievement. While its impact on educational outcomes in a face-to-face setting has made the focus of extensive research, less is known about its effects in the context of online learning, especially in Eastern Europe. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced all higher education institutions in Romania to switch to emergency online learning, with little or no previous experience in this form of instruction. This makes it a highly relevant and interesting case for the study of online learning effects on student outcomes. This article therefore investigates disparities in student engagement in the context of emergency online learning in a sample of undergraduate Romanian students. The article focuses on active learning as a key element of student educational engagement, exploring differences in student background characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, employment status and time spent caring for dependents, as well as studying conditions. Results indicate that the sudden change to emergency online learning has created new disparities in perceived levels of student engagement based on the lack of private, interruption-free spaces and a reliable internet connection, as well as time spent doing housework.

‘Should I stay or should I go?’: Dilemmas and decisions among UK undergraduates

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Fitting In ◽  
Academic Study

There is increasing concern about high rates of dropout from universities, especially among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the UK this is related to recent changes in higher education policy, especially the imposition of a higher fees regime and the uncapping of student numbers. While recent research has explored the demography of students who drop out, less is known about the reasons for dropping out, or indeed the reasons why some students who are unhappy with their student experience nonetheless stay on. This article uses data from a longitudinal qualitative study, the Paired Peers project funded by the Leverhulme Trust, to explore this issue in detail. A typology of reasons for dropping out is offered: homesickness; loneliness and a sense of not fitting in; problems with academic study, including having chosen the wrong course; and money issues. The first two appear the most powerful; the notion of ‘fish out of water’ derived from the work of Bourdieu and Wacquant (1992) is used to explain it. The article also explores the motivation of those who experience these problems and report high levels of stress, but nevertheless decide to stay on.

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