scholarly journals Teaching Process Skills to Pre-Engineers using Situated Learning – A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Pamela A. Maher ◽  
Janelle M. Bailey ◽  
Allan M. Tucka
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Physics Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Two Year College ◽  
Before And After ◽  
K 12

In this case study, undergraduate students presented physics concepts to patrons at a planetarium. This created an early opportunity for these pre-professionals to practice the process skill of oral communication to a lay audience. The case study resulted from working with students participating in a grant called the da Vinci project. It reports on a situated experience pre-engineering and calculus-based physics students had working with their professor to create a brochure and present a physics concept to patrons visiting a public planetarium. Working closely with their professor, students were able to use this required professional skill in a real world (situated) context. This opportunity helped bridge the gap between these pre-professionals’ experiences in training and in their careers in STEM fields. Thirty students attending a two-year college in the Southwestern US self-selected to participate in the project. Each student participant built a kit-based model of a machine, designed an informational flyer aligned to state K-12 physical science standards, and presented informally to the public visiting a planetarium. Data were collected from the students via written reflections before and after the presentation and from email correspondence with their professor. Qualitative analyses of these reflections assessed the students’ progress toward a finished presentation. Results suggest that obstacles to public speaking fluency come from the fear of making mistakes or giving out misinformation. Opportunities to engage in informal public speaking helped overcome these obstacles. Students demonstrated increased confidence in their ability to share their knowledge with the public after undergoing guided informal speaking practice. The opportunity for students to practice public speaking during their undergraduate training can increase confidence and better prepare them for a career.

scholarly journals Understanding the Influence and Effects of Devolution on Agricultural Development: A Case Study of Garissa County, Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 110-114
Author(s):  
Hussein Abdi Ali ◽  
Salah Abdirahaman Farah
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
County Government ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
County Governments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Research Findings

The Agriculture sector in Kenya is as important as the country. Much of the agricultural function was transferred to the devolved units when the new constitution was passed by Kenyans and promulgated. The question many are asking is, have county governments initiated strategies in place to improve food security and ultimately contribute to the economy. Agriculture is the major contributor of our economy today. Kenya needs to be a self-sufficient country and feed its people. County governments have a huge role in ensuring this objective achieved. Based on this, a research title is proposed “Understanding the influence and effects of devolution on agricultural development: A case study of Garissa county, Kenya” The research seeks to clarify to the public and the other stakeholders concerned if actually devolved units have done anything to improve the agricultural sector since its inception. Have county governments put clear, achievable and practical strategies for this sector to grow and how best can counties improve this important sector. The research findings will be very helpful to those who are involve in the agricultural sector, directly or indirectly. The research objectives are; to compare performance of agriculture before and after devolution, to evaluate the achievements of devolution in the agricultural sector, to analyse the challenges faced by county governments in developing this sector, to examine the perception of the public on the best strategies to improve agriculture in Kenya and to give synthesised recommendations to all stakeholders. The research was conducted within Garissa County, four out of the six sub counties. A total of 310 respondents were engaged ranging from farmers, the general public and the staff of the county government The research found out that there is a gap in the sector that needs attention. Agricultural production, although remained steadfast over the years, has been in deplorable situation. The research findings is helpful to all stakeholders-both levels of governments, farmers, the public and non-state actors.  The research commends that the County governments should use bottom-up approach strategy when making critical decision affecting the department. This will aid them obtain raw and unbiased information for action. The department of agriculture experts should be deployed to all sub counties (at the grassroots). 95 percent of these staff stay at county headquarters doing nothing. Their presence at the villages, farms will come in handy or the farmers. People with experience and experts should be employed to spearhead this exercise. Routine visits should be made to the farming areas.

scholarly journals Class Participation in an Aboriginal Theatre Project: An Exemplar of Undergraduate Student Engagement

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ginny R. Ratsoy
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Class Participation ◽  
Premier Cycle

In the 21st Century, Canadian universities are increasingly emphasizing the importance of student engagement. This research paper, by analyzing the reflections of undergraduate students on their experiences in a co-curricular service learning assignment – integrated into a course that included more traditional assignments – in the context of situated learning theory, advocates for a community-focused assignment as a component in a “traditional” lecture-and-discussion based course as a tool for enhanced engagement through active, collaborative learning. While the case study explored is a drama course, the anticipated audience is pan-disciplinary, as the article casts more broadly by providing brief, general guidelines on implementing an experiential learning assignment and encouraging all professors to reflect on their classroom theory and praxis to the end of augmenting student engagement. Au 21e siècle, les universités canadiennes accordent une place de plus en plus importante à l’engagement des étudiants. Les auteurs de ce rapport de recherche analysent les réflexions des étudiants de premier cycle à propos d’un travail pratique (TP) qu’ils ont effectué dans le cadre de l’apprentissage par le service communautaire– intégré à un cours qui comprenait des TP plus traditionnels – dans le contexte de la théorie de l’apprentissage situé. Les auteurs préconisent des TP axés sur la collectivité en tant que composants d’un cours « traditionnel » comportant des exposés magistraux et des discussions. Ce type de TP est un outil permettant d’améliorer l’engagement grâce à l’apprentissage actif et collaboratif. L’étude de cas porte sur un cours d’art dramatique, mais le public visé par le présent article est multidisciplinaire. En effet, les auteurs de l’article considèrent les choses plus largement en fournissant de brèves directives générales sur la mise en œuvre d’un devoir dans le cadre de l’apprentissage expérientiel et encouragent tous les enseignants à réfléchir sur leurs stratégies d’enseignement théoriques et pratiques afin d’augmenter l’engagement des étudiants.

scholarly journals The need for a long-term mindset when measuring the effects of lean on health-related quality management values

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pernilla Ingelsson ◽  
Ingela Bäckström
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects a lean initiative has on the health-related quality management (QM) values, “Leadership Commitment” and “Participation of Everybody,” as well as on perceived co-worker health in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach A case study was carried out at a municipal division that had been working with lean for approximately 18 months. A questionnaire was used to measure the effect on health-related QM values both before and after the initial 18 month period. Documents from the intended lean implementation were studied at the starting point and after 18 months; this was followed up by examining new documents. The results from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS and the documents were analyzed by means of document comparisons and consensus discussion in the research group. Findings The effects on the health-related QM values; “Leadership Commitment” and “Participation of everybody” in this study showed that the values still permeated the organization to a relatively high extent after 18 months but that no statistical differences can be shown between the two measurement points. When measuring what effects a lean initiative has on values, a period of 18 months might be too short, if significance changes are expected. None the less, the results can be a way of monitoring the development of these softer values. Something that is equally important is to see if there have been any major changes, as a way of keeping the work with building a new culture alive and in focus. The results strengthen the assumption that a long-term mindset is needed when QM initiatives such as lean are applied within an organization especially when changes to values and workplaces are expected. Originality/value This study has further explored the QM in relation to lean in the respect of how the QM values “Leadership commitment” and “Participation of Everybody” are effected by a lean initiative.

scholarly journals Teaching scientific communication using infographics

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Rebecca M Jones
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Chemistry ◽  
University Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Scientific Communication ◽  
Information Graphics ◽  
Scientific Idea ◽  
The Public ◽  
Communication Methods ◽  
Scientific Ideas

Undergraduate students need to develop the ability to communicate scientific ideas to both their peers and the public. Often senior level chemistry classes focus on written and sometimes oral communication methods, such as reports and presentations. These traditional methods of dissemination are valuable, but often inaccessible to non-scientists. Information graphics or infographics are examples of visual communication and have become increasingly common in recent years. In a senior-level inorganic chemistry course at George Mason University, students created information graphics or infographics to communicate a scientific idea of interest to them. This flexible project required students to think creatively about unfamiliar elements and concepts. The details of the assignment, its assessment, and the student products will be presented in this poster. Recommendations for changes and future implementation by other educators will be discussed.

scholarly journals Distant Partners: A Case Study of Global Virtual Teams Between Spain and South Korea

2020 ◽  
pp. 517-530
Author(s):  
Enrique Planells-Artigot ◽  
Santiago Moll-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Global Virtual Teams ◽  
Global Connections

Abstract Global Virtual Teams (GVT) among higher education institutions stand as a powerful tool of extending internationalization techniques as well as improving collaborative learning and transversal competencies. This study stems from the belief that using these channels allows students to establish connections and strengthen their confidence in networking for professional purposes. Furthermore, it describes a collaborative project involving undergraduate students of 23 different nationalities in two different business schools located in Spain and South Korea (n = 109; 61 in Spain and 48 in South Korea). The courses in both universities had similar learning objectives focused on the development of written and oral communication skills in a business environment. Through a series of semi-monitored activities and questionnaires, the vast majority of students expressed a strong satisfaction with their own achievements during the course including teamwork, learning how to deal with cultural differences, improving communication skills and problem-solving strategies. This case study contributes to a broader understanding of virtual exchange activities in higher education in different cultural contexts in terms of the types of activities engaged, the perceived value and learning outcomes as well as shared challenges. This understanding will help define common strategies in the practice of virtual exchange and to achieve greater integration within university curricula. Virtual exchange activities contribute not only to the improvement of students’ language and digital skills but to other transversal competencies such as problem-solving and teamwork, which seem to be gaining importance in an increasingly complex and competitive world of global connections.

scholarly journals Formative Peer Feedback On Undergraduate Students’ Speaking Ability

Al-Lisan ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-129
Author(s):  
Erniyanti Nur Fatahhela Dewi ◽  
Nidyah Hasanah ◽  
Muhammad Faishol Nurul Huda
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Peer Feedback ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Body Language ◽  
The Public ◽  
Know How ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Speech Content

This descriptive qualitative study investigated the undergraduate students' perception in public speaking class that conducted formative peer feedback, especially for undergraduate students who learned the subject at State Islamic University Jakarta. This study revealed the undergraduate students’ perception about the implementation of formative peer feedback in assessing their formative public speaking class. Besides, the authors provided an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interview to know how applicable the formative peer feedback for undergraduate students, which part that students interested in when they assess their friends, and identify students’ feelings when used the formative peer feedback in public speaking class. Concerning the results of the study, the writers discovered that formative peer feedback is very beneficial for the undergraduate student in the learning process of the public speaking class. While doing the assessment, most undergraduate students seem more interested in assessing their peer's body language and speech content. In addition, the result that the writers got from the investigation was 62.5% that claimed their peer’s feedback was very objective. Other than that, when using the formative peer feedback in the public speaking class, 65.6% of undergraduate learners were feeling satisfied.

scholarly journals The Influence of Storytelling Method on the Public Speaking Communication Skills among the Students of Mercu Buana University Meruya West Jakarta

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustina Romaria
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Hypothesis Test ◽  
Statistical Test ◽  
Test Results ◽  
The Public ◽  
Normality Test ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Impact

The study aims at identifying the public speaking communication skills among the students of Mercu Buana University Meruya, West Jakarta, before and after the implementation of the storytelling method. In addition, the study also aims at identifying the presence or the absence of the impact of the storytelling method on the public speaking communication skills of the Mercu Buana University students in Meruya, West Jakarta. By using the SPSS Version 20, 40 students have been gathered as the samples of the study and these students come from all faculties in the Mercu Buana University. After the data have been gathered, the data are analyzed using the descriptive statistical test and the hypothesis test. In this regard, the researchers have implemented the normality test and the hypothesis test. The hypotheses within the study are tested using the following criteria: (1) if the rate of significance < a (sig. value < 0.05) then Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted; and (2) if the rate of significance > a (sig. value > 0.05) then Ho is accepted and Ha is rejected. The results of the study show that the students of Mercu Buana University have understood the concept and the implementation of the storytelling method. From the results of the analysis toward the assessment category of the storytelling method, out of 8 assessment variables 3 variables do not have significant influence on the storytelling method that the students of Mercu Buana University have implemented and the three variables are Pressure, Material Disclosure, and Participant Gesture. In addition, the results of the paired sample t-test there are significant differences between the pre-test results and the post-test results. These findings show that the storytelling method is highly influential for the changes on the public speaking communication skills that the students of Mercu Buana University perform.

Budgeting for efficiency? A case study of the public K-12 education systems of Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (34) ◽  
pp. 3740-3757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haizhen Mou ◽  
Michael M. Atkinson ◽  
Jim Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Education Systems ◽  
The Public ◽  
K 12

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF CASE STUDY METHOD IMPLEMENTATION IN THE BUSINESS ENGLISH TEACHING

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 790-797
Author(s):  
Angela Strelchonok
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Business Communication ◽  
Business English ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Experiment Data ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Before And After

The paper presents research carried out with the purpose to evaluate the results of case study method implementation in the Business English language classroom with undergraduate students of RISEBA University of Business, Arts, and Technology. The research question is whether students who are taught Business English through case studies develop better linguistic competence as well as greater proficiency in both language and business communication skills than students who are taught without the use of case study method.An experiment was conducted on two equal groups during one academic semester. Each group was administered tests devised by the lecturer before and after the experiment. Data were analysed using statistical ANOVA methodology and evidence to support the hypothesis was obtained.The results of statistical analysis confirmed the hypothesis about the advantage of implementation of the case study method in the Business English language classroom.

scholarly journals Exploring “Speak-O-Rama” as a Public Speaking Module: A Pilot Study in an Islamic Integrated Primary School

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Nurul Iman Ahmad Bukhari ◽  
Suhaida Omar ◽  
Atirah Izzah Che Abas ◽  
Bazilah Raihan Mat Shawal ◽  
Wan Suzanna Aafanii Adeeba Wan Ibrahim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Oral Proficiency ◽  
School Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Module Development

This paper describes the pilot study in implementing a public speaking module for a primary school level. The module development was structured according to ASSURE Model with the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) as the basis used in designing the module activities.  One group of Year 4 students from an Islamic integrated school was selected and the research method employed was the quasi-experimental research with pre and post-tests as well as interviews with the English teachers on the students’ performance and self-confidence.  Students were also interviewed to identify their self confidence level before and after the implementation of the public speaking module. This research project is hoped to increase students’ oral proficiency along with increasing self-confidence in public speaking at a young age, and to propose the implementation of this module as reference in primary education.Keywords: public speaking, primary school, oral proficiency, self-confidence, CLT

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