Enhancing Students' Transition to University through Online Preinduction Courses

2009 ◽  
pp. 181-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula Wingate
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Learning Support ◽  
Subject Specific ◽  
Instructional Design Principles

This chapter proposes online preinduction courses as an innovative method for preparing students for learning in higher education. It is argued that such courses would be most effective as components of a comprehensive learning support framework. One specific online preinduction course, which was created for undergraduate students of management, is presented. The design principles as well as the rationale and content of its five modules are discussed. The design of the course is based on constructivist, experiential, and situated learning theories, which determined the choice of subject-specific materials and authentic activities. The second part of the chapter focuses on the pilot study in which students were observed and asked to think aloud while working on the course’s materials and tasks. Findings from the pilot study show that the instructional design principles were successful in helping students to achieve the various learning objectives.

scholarly journals TRAINING HIGHER EDUCATION BIOSCIENCE STUDENTS WITH VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Kaltsidis ◽  
Katerina Kedraka ◽  
Maria E. Grigoriou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Immersive Virtual Environment ◽  
Virtual Laboratories ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Laboratory Training ◽  
Academic Year

Laboratory training is the cornerstone of science education in higher education. However, in several cases hands-on experimental procedures are not possible, and therefore technology provide alternative educational methods. One of the rapidly evolving technologies, namely Virtual Reality (VR) can offer multiple benefits in laboratory training through the development of simulations and virtual laboratories that support, facilitate, and promote an effective their learning experience. We present an empirical research carried out at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Democritus University of Thrace during the winter semester of the academic year 2020-2021. 51 undergraduate students carried out a Virtual Reality activity aiming to train them to the use of a Class II Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) in an immersive virtual environment. Our results show that VR approach was highly and enthusiastically accepted by the students; they reported that they had an authentic learning experience which enabled them to better achieve the learning objectives. However, in some cases symptoms like dizziness and blurry image were reported most likely due to equipment, showing that improvement of the equipment used in VR is needed. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/747/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Food insecurity among public administration graduate students

2020 ◽  
pp. 014473942093596
Author(s):  
Daniel J Mallinson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Administration Programs

Food insecurity is a pressing concern for students in higher education. Much of the conversation surrounding this problem, however, focuses on undergraduate students. But some research finds the problem extends to graduate students. This study asks the question of how food insecurity may be affecting graduate students in public administration. A pilot study in a Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration-accredited program reveals that almost one quarter of respondents are food insecure. This includes one in five students who are completing their degrees online. The survey also found an important divergence between the types of programs food-insecure students are willing to use and those to which food-secure students are willing to contribute. Given the effects of food insecurity on academic success and degree completion, this study has important implications for public administration programs.

scholarly journals Developing Online Engineering Courses: A Resource Kit for Collaboration Between Faculty and Instructional Designers

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
Hui-Ching Kayla Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Instructional Design Principles

The rise of online courses has created an ongoing demand for instructional designers in higher education. Collaboration between faculty and instructional designers in developing online engineering courses has therefore increased. Potential challenges during the collaboration can be addressed when faculty and instructional designers have a mutual understanding of instructional design principles. This article provides a resource kit that contains a synthesis of online learning theories and examples collected from online engineering courses. These examples can help create a course design that recognizes students’ cognitive load and provides meaningful interactions.

scholarly journals On the Key Factors in Higher Education Classroom Design: Physical Aspects of the Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Experience in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura De Pretto ◽  
Ching Lik Hii ◽  
Choon Lai Chiang ◽  
Sze Pheng Ong ◽  
Darlene Elizabeth Sin Yi Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Undergraduate Teaching ◽  
Classroom Design ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
And Shifts

The design, facilities and conditions inside a classroom play a significant role in the teaching and learning experience for both students and lecturers. Prior studies of primary schoolchildren indicate three design principles affecting student learning, namely: naturalness, individualisation and stimulation. The current study extends these investigations to Higher Education through a survey of undergraduate students and university lecturers aimed at determining the most critical factors in undergraduate classroom design. One-to-one interviews were conducted with students and lecturers (n. 31) at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus. Interviewees were encouraged to express their opinions, comments, concerns and suggestions through open-ended questions. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed and coded using NVivo10. Results show a strong desire among lecturers and students for improved classroom equipment, greater flexibility in classroom arrangement, more attractive decoration and for the addition of natural elements to the classroom environment. Of the three design principles, individualisation and naturalness emerged most strongly from the interviews and appear to be more important factors for undergraduates than stimulation. These findings could make a novel and significant contribution to the physical aspects of classroom design in Higher Education settings. Educational institutions are increasingly employing non-traditional classroom designs, which are expected to provide for more flexible, collaborative, and active learning and teaching experiences. Taking into consideration the environmental psychology of teaching and learning, several of the reported design attributes can serve as benchmarks for upgrading current classroom design and facilities in the future, as institutions look to upgrade their physical infrastructures to meet the changing demands of teachers and learners arising from technological innovations and shifts in our understanding of the methods and purposes of Higher Education.

Design of Experiments in a higher education setting

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Laxman Sivanathan ◽  
E.V. Gijo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Design Of Experiments ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Validity Of Results ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Study Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of Design of Experiments (DoE) in a higher education setting and to remove the misconception that it is only applied to a manufacturing environment. The authors demonstrate a simple case study here to illustrate its application in a typical non-manufacturing context. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology involves the execution of a simple study in the form of an experiment in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde. The experiment was performed with the assistance of both undergraduate and postgraduate students in one department in the Faculty of Engineering. Findings – It was found from the experiment that postgraduate students prefer a case study approach of teaching with multiple speakers and prefer their classes in the morning. As for undergraduate students, similar results were obtained but would prefer their classes in the afternoon. Moreover further analysis shows that the postgraduate students prefer a 30 minutes introduction to the topic in a one hour lecture. Moreover the students prefer more time to be spent on the exercises and less time on the discussion. Research limitations/implications – The sample size of the experiment was considered small in the study although this was a pilot study to investigate the use of DoE in a higher education setting. The authors will continue to collect more data for further validity of results obtained from the pilot study. The authors will also explore the use of different designs as part of the future investigations. Practical implications – The outcome of this experiment would help everyone who is involved in teaching to understand the factors and their influences to improve students’ satisfaction scores during the delivery of teaching. Originality/value – This paper shows how DoE as a pure manufacturing technique can be extended to a higher education setting. The results of this study were quite an eye opener for the authors in terms of understanding the key factors which influence any process irrespective of the sector.

scholarly journals REPRESENTATION OF LEARNING THEORIES IN THE DESIGN OF ELECTRONIC COURSES IN THE CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biljana Đorić ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Behavioral Theories ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Subject

E-learning is based on numerous psychological and pedagogical theories of learning, which is why their implementation in the context of instructional design can greatly affect the organization and content of e-courses. Diversity in the contents of certain teaching areas requires different approaches in shaping the learning environment. Therefore, the aim of this pilot study is to examine the representation of learning theories in e-course design in the context of higher education. For the needs of the research, an instrument was created which was piloted on a sample of 20 teachers and associates of the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Čačak, University of Kragujevac. The questionnaire covers the following learning theories: behavioral theories, individual and social constructivism, cognitivism and enactivism. The results of this research indicate that teachers and associates give statistically different estimates of the representation of individual learning theories in their e-courses, although these differences do not exist between all compared categories. The principles of individual constructivism are most represented, and social constructivism and enactivism are the least represented. Based on the obtained results, the paper presents pedagogical and research implications for a more detailed examination and understanding of the subject of research.

Student Veteran Stressors in Higher Education: A Pilot Study

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Cate ◽  
Michael Gerber ◽  
David Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Student Veteran

“Sustainability of Information” as a New Subject in University Degrees in Business Management and Administration: Reporting of Non-financial Information — Spanish Case

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 501-516
Author(s):  
María Ángela Jiménez Montañés ◽  
◽  
Susana Villaluenga de Gracia
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Business Administration ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Royal Decree ◽  
Eu Directive ◽  
Knowledge Competencies

The implementation of curricula of degree, within the framework of the European space of higher education (EEES) has been a substantial change in University learning. The student spent acquire knowledge, competencies, being considered as “an identifiable and measurable set of knowledge, attitudes, values and skills related that allow satisfactory performance in real-life situations of work, according to the standards used in the occupational area” (Van-der Hofstadt & Gómez, 2013, p. 30). More specifically, we talk about generic skills, which are the cognitive, social, emotional and ethical (initiative, effort with the quality, liability, etc.) of transferable character that constitute “knowledge be” in vocational training of the University; and specific competencies in the various degrees and disciplines, allowing to specify functions and professional profiles to form. The degree of management and business administration, general objective is to train professionals and experts in the knowledge and use of processes, procedures, and practices employed in organizations. This overall objective implies to consider the interrelationships between the different parts of the Organization and its relationship with the environment. Studies administration and business management are aimed at learning theories, models and tools applicable to the processes of decision and management organizations. According to the book white of the title of the degree in economics and business, published by the national agency of evaluation and quality, distinguish between specific objectives in the field of knowledge and specific objectives in the field of competences and skills. Focusing on the latter, and in accordance with the Subject Benchmark Statements of General Business and Management, published by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in the United Kingdom, the specific objectives in the field of skills and abilities that we focus the work would empower the student to it raise the ethical exercise of the profession, assuming social responsibility in decision-making. In this environment, it is necessary to consider the implementation of the 2014/95/EU Directive on disclosure of non-financial information and information on diversity of certain large companies and certain groups resulted in the publication of the Royal Decree 18/2017, of 24 November, whereby amending the commercial code, the consolidated text of the Capital Companies Act approved by Royal Legislative Decree 1/2010 of 2 July and the law 22/2015, 20 July audit of accounts , in the field of non-financial information and diversity. This new disclosure requirement for companies leads us to consider the need to introduce a transversal subject in the curricula of students in economics and management and business administration studies, in order to acquire the skills necessary in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), to produce the new business reports.

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