scholarly journals Factors Affecting Learning Gains among Students in Microbiology Class: A Preliminary Study Between a U.S. Community College and a Canadian Comprehensive University

Fine Focus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-33
Author(s):  
Naowarat Cheeptham ◽  
Archana Lal
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
Comprehensive University ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Student Demographics ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Science Classes

Though in the past, serious concerns have been raised about students’ interest and learning gains in STEM courses, not much research has been done to examine the differences in learning science at community colleges and universities. The purpose of this paper is to close this gap. This paper analyzes the influence of students’ demographics, preparedness, major, and attitudes on their learning gains in an introductory microbiology class at a community college vs. a university. Student demographics, information about their preparedness level, major, and attitudes were collected in a questionnaire and students’ learning gains were assessed by comparing student performance on a pre- and post-test on four different topics in microbiology. Our results indicate that students’ majors and attitudes such as their willingness to actively participate in the classroom discussions and spend time outside the classroom to learn are major factors that enhance their learning. Age and marital status positively impact learning gains while gender, employment status, and citizenship status show no impact on learning gains in students. Our results also indicate that students at the community college who had less exposure to science classes in high school or biology classes in college achieved statistically higher learning gains despite having overall lower scores on two of the four post-tests.

Tailoring Retention Theories to Meet the Needs of Rural Appalachian Community College Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen R. Hlinka
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Development Theory ◽  
College Level ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Rural Community College ◽  
Point Of Entry ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Transfer Method ◽  
Major Factors

Objective: Traditional-age students attending a rural community college in Kentucky’s Appalachian region were interviewed, along with faculty members and administrators, to identify phenomena serving as sources of encouragement or as barriers to retention from the point of entry to the point of transfer. Method: Students’ perspectives were collected in a qualitative study and were analyzed using a theoretical foundation of Tinto’s integration theory, enhanced with Kegan’s cognitive development theory and Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, habitus, and field. Results: Findings revealed three major factors affecting decision-making processes about persistence: (a) community’s and family’s values of education provide the essential push to attend and complete college, (b) students are challenged with overcoming the pull of family obligations, and (c) students struggle to make the cognitive leap necessary to master college-level coursework. Contributions: The results emphasize the importance of each college investing resources to understand the specific needs of that institution’s students, students shaped by their region’s culture and other defining traits, and customizing retention practices and programs to meet those unique needs. This study also adds to the limited research on persistence in Appalachian community colleges.

scholarly journals Improving conceptual understanding of gas behavior through the use of screencasts and simulations

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna L. Martinez ◽  
Ryan D. Sweeder ◽  
Jessica R. VandenPlas ◽  
Deborah G. Herrington
Keyword(s):  
Learning Gains ◽  
Particle Behavior ◽  
Formal Instruction ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Particle Level ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Post Assessment

Abstract Background Engagement with particle-level simulations can help students visualize the motion and interactions of gas particles, thus helping them develop a more scientifically accurate mental model. Such engagement outside of class prior to formal instruction can help meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds and provide instructors with a common experience upon which to build with further instruction. Yet, even with well-designed scaffolds, students may not attend to the most salient aspects of the simulation. In this case, a screencast where an instructor provides narrated use of the simulation and points students towards the important observations may provide additional benefits. This study, which is part of the larger ChemSims project, investigates the use of simulations and screencasts to support students’ developing understanding of gas properties by examining student learning gains. Results This study indicates that both students manipulating the simulation on their own and those observing a screencast exhibited significant learning gains from pre- to post-assessment. However, students who observed the screencast were more than twice as likely to transition from a macroscopic explanation to a particle-level explanation of gas behavior in answering matched pre- and post-test questions. Eye-tracking studies indicated very similar viewing and usage patterns for both groups of students overall, including when using the simulation to answer follow-up questions. Conclusion Significant learning gains by both groups across all learning objectives indicate that either scaffolded screencast or simulation assignments can be used to support student understanding of gas particle behavior and serve as a first experience upon which to build subsequent instruction. There is some indication that the initial use of the screencast may better help students build correct mental models of gas particle behavior. Further, for this simulation, watching the instructor manipulate the simulation in the screencast allowed students to subsequently use the simulation on their own at a level comparable to those students who had manipulated the simulation on their own throughout the assignment, suggesting that the screencast students were not disadvantaged by not initially manipulating the simulation on their own.

scholarly journals Relationship between Land Use Mix and Walking Choice in High-Density Cities: A Review of Walking in Seoul, South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 810
Author(s):  
Eun Yeong Seong ◽  
Nam Hwi Lee ◽  
Chang Gyu Choi
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Housing Type ◽  
General Belief ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Land Use Mix ◽  
Family Housing ◽  
Mixed Land Use ◽  
Major Factors

This study confirmed the general belief of urban planners that mixed land use promotes walking in Seoul, a metropolis in East Asia, by analyzing the effect of mixed land use on the travel mode choice of housewives and unemployed people who make non-commuting trips on weekdays. Using binomial logistic regression of commuting data, it was found that the more mixed a neighborhood environment’s uses are, the more the pedestrians prefer to walk rather than drive. The nonlinear relationship between the land use mix index and the choice to walk was also confirmed. Although mixed land use in neighborhoods increased the probability of residents choosing walking over using cars, when the degree of complexity increased above a certain level, the opposite effect was observed. As the density of commercial areas increased, the probability of selecting walking increased. In addition to locational characteristics, income and housing type were also major factors affecting the choice to walk; i.e., when the residents’ neighborhood environment was controlled for higher income and living in an apartment rather than multi-family or single-family housing, they were more likely to choose driving over walking.

scholarly journals Factors affecting cyberloafing in computer laboratory teaching settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sacip Toker ◽  
Meltem Huri Baturay
Keyword(s):  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Computer Laboratory ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Computer Lab ◽  
Student Demographics ◽  
Internet Skills ◽  
Laboratory Teaching ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Teaching Setting

AbstractThis correlational study investigated the factors affecting cyberloafing behavior in an educational environment, specifically that of a computer laboratory teaching setting. A total of 272 students selected using convenience sampling responded to a questionnaire that collected data about cyberloafing behavior and student demographics, personality type, sense of belonging, motivation, locus of control and teacher evaluation (respect, activities, communication, motivation) as well as computer lab teaching settings and norms. The results indicated that students in computer lab teaching settings cyberloaf mainly for socialization, followed by personal business and news follow-up. Males cyberloaf more frequently than females, especially for personal business and news follow-up. As students’ internet skills increase, so does their cyberloafing, particularly for personal business and socialization. A lack of instructor norms in computer lab lectures and student amotivation are also associated with increases in cyberloafing for personal business, whereas instructors’ respect for students and negative attitudes towards cyberloafing are associated with decreases in cyberloafing for socialization. This paper discusses the study findings in detail and makes recommendations for additional research.

scholarly journals Is it possible to estimate the need for surgical management in patients with a tubo-ovarian abscess at admission? A retrospective long-term analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Murat Gözüküçük ◽  
Esra Gülen Yıldız
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Antibiotic Therapy ◽  
Treatment Failure ◽  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Laboratory Infection ◽  
Major Factors

Abstract Background This study aimed to determine the possible prognostic factors correlated with the treatment modalities of tubo-ovarian abscesses (TOAs) and thus to assess whether the need for surgery was predictable at the time of initial admission. Materials and methods Between January 2012 and December 2019, patients who were hospitalized with a TOA in our clinic were retrospectively recruited. The age of the patients, clinical and sonographic presentation, pelvic inflammatory risk factors, antibiotic therapy, applied surgical treatment, laboratory infection parameters, and length of hospital stay were recorded. Results The records of 115 patients hospitalized with a prediagnosis of TOA were reviewed for the current study. After hospitalization, TOA was ruled out in 19 patients, and data regarding 96 patients was included for analysis. Twenty-eight (29.2%) patients underwent surgical treatment due to failed antibiotic therapy. Sixty-eight (70.8%) were successfully treated with parenteral antibiotics. Medical treatment failure and need for surgery were more common in patients with a large abscess (volume, > 40 cm3, or diameter, > 5 cm). The group treated by surgical intervention was statistically older than the patients receiving medical treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusions Although the treatment in TOA may vary according to clinical, sonographic, and laboratory findings; age of patients, the abscess size, and volume were seen as the major factors affecting medical treatment failure. Moreover, TOA treatment should be planned on a more individual basis.

scholarly journals Universal Design for Learning: The More, the Better?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Marvin Roski ◽  
Malte Walkowiak ◽  
Andreas Nehring
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Epistemic Beliefs ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
Inclusive Settings ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Multiple Indicator ◽  
Science Classes ◽  
Mimic Approach

An experimental study investigated the effects of applying principles of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Focusing on epistemic beliefs (EBs) in inclusive science classes, we compared four groups who worked with learning environments based more or less on UDL principles and filled out an original version of a widely used EBs questionnaire or an adapted version using the Universal Design for Assessment (UDA). Based on measurement invariance analyses, a multiple indicator, and multiple cause (MIMIC) approach as well as multi-group panel models, the results do not support an outperformance of the extensive UDL environment. Moreover, the UDA-based questionnaire appears to be more adequately suited for detecting learning gains in an inclusive setting. The results emphasize how important it is to carefully adopt and introduce the UDL principles for learning and to care about test accessibility when conducting quantitative research in inclusive settings.

scholarly journals Progress in Research on Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Cementitious Composites

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinghua Li ◽  
Jintao Liu ◽  
Shilang Xu
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Cementitious Composites ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Multiwalled Carbon ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Major Factors

As one-dimensional (1D) nanofiber, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely used to improve the performance of nanocomposites due to their high strength, small dimensions, and remarkable physical properties. Progress in the field of CNTs presents a potential opportunity to enhance cementitious composites at the nanoscale. In this review, current research activities and key advances on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) reinforced cementitious composites are summarized, including the effect of MWCNTs on modulus of elasticity, porosity, fracture, and mechanical and microstructure properties of cement-based composites. The issues about the improvement mechanisms, MWCNTs dispersion methods, and the major factors affecting the mechanical properties of composites are discussed. In addition, large-scale production methods of MWCNTs and the effects of CNTs on environment and health are also summarized.

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