scholarly journals Freshman African engineering student perceptions on academic feedback – A case study from Digital Systems 1

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rangith Kuriakose
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Digital Systems ◽  
Engineering Student ◽  
Constructive Feedback ◽  
High Dropout Rate ◽  
Data Collection Instrument

Providing effective and quality feedback to students in higher education has been identified as an integral part of quality teaching by many researchers in the field of education.  However, student perceptions vary drastically as to what they perceive academic feedback to really be. Therefore, this paper aims to present freshman engineering student perceptions of academic feedback from an African perspective. The reason for targeting this group is due to their high dropout rate in higher education in South Africa (around 60%). Quantitative data was collected from freshman engineering students enrolled for a module termed Digital Systems 1 at the Central University of Technology in South Africa. A questionnaire was used as the main data collection instrument featuring 21 close ended questions. The results presented in this paper indicate that almost two-thirds (65%) of the respondents believe that a “grade” written on a test script does not constitute academic feedback. The majority of the respondents (76%) expect some kind of academic feedback regarding their work, either in writing or orally from their lecturer. A good majority (86%) of students perceived that getting written comments on their assessments would encourage them to approach the lecturer to seek further clarification. A key recommendation of this study is to find a mechanism or technique of providing constructive feedback to all enrolled students, even in large classes. This needs to be done from the outset of the module in order to reduce the current high dropout rates among freshman engineering students.

scholarly journals TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVE ABOUT FACTORS THAT PREVENT SUCCESS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION OF ENGINEERING IN BRAZIL

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-70
Author(s):  
Gláucia Nolasco de Almeida Mello
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
High Dropout Rate ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Education Courses

The last fifteen years, in Brazil, the number of engineering freshmen had a huge increased and, although the number of graduated also had increased over the same period, the percentage of engineering freshmen are by far higher than engineers graduated. In this context, there is a clear evidence of the high dropout rate in higher education courses of engineering in Brazil. Once most of developed researches about engineering courses dropout in Brazil are focused in the students and institutions point of view about factors that affect dropout rate, in this research it was investigated the professors perspective to answer the three questions: (1) What are the main factors which prevent success in teaching and learning process identified by professors of engineering during the classes? (2) How can professors to improve the teaching and learning process in higher education courses of engineering in Brazil? (3) How can Higher Education Institutions (HEI) support the professors? The research data were collected through team activities developed with 134 professors of higher education courses of engineering. This research reveals that the most important factors that affect negatively the teaching and learning process are related to inadequate high school preparation and behaviour of students. Main suggestions of professors for improving the teaching and learning process and also students' motivation are related to pedagogical aspects such as: use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as support of classes and implementation of professor and student support programs with significant participation of HEI. Key words: qualitative research, problems in engineering education, professor's perspective, higher education of engineering in Brazil.

Exploration of the Experiences That Shape Engineering Students’ Entrepreneurial Mindset Development

2021 ◽  
pp. 251512742110292
Author(s):  
Alexandra Jackson ◽  
Samantha Resnick ◽  
Rebecca Hansson ◽  
Kenyon Burgess ◽  
Cheryl A. Bodnar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Student Development ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Engineering Student ◽  
Course Work ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Higher Education Experiences

The overall purpose of this research is to be able to understand how engineering students believe they are developing EM throughout their higher education experiences. Is EM development attributed to the inclusion of EM based projects and activities within their engineering course work? Perhaps, EM development occurs more readily through engineering students’ participation in extracurricular or co-curricular activities? Alternatively, maybe EM development is not tied to the higher education ecosystem at all, and engineering students develop EM as a result of job or volunteer experiences. As such, this research study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) Which types of experiences contribute to engineering students' EM development? And (2) What types of attributes of EM do engineering students perceive are developed through these experiences? The study involves a qualitative analysis of engineering student interviews to determine the experiences that have contributed to student EM development as well as EM traits that were specifically focused upon within these experiences. Through understanding engineering students’ perceptions of how they developed an EM, it will provide the necessary information to determine best practices for EM student development in the future.

scholarly journals Student perceptions of a proposed generic e-Learning template aligned with the Engineering Council of South Africa accreditations template

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolaas Luwes ◽  
Leanri Van Heerden
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Sample Group ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
E Learning

The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) audits engineering programmes every four years to grant accreditation to higher education institutions. During this audit, ECSA requests evidence of the four year instruction in a specific format. The problem is that lecturers each have their own e-learning layouts according to preference. This paper proposed and implemented a genereic e-learning template that is aligned with the ECSA specificaions for ease of archiving necessary evidence for the audit. It is however important to evaluate student feedback on this genereic format so that the main porpose for elearning as a learning tool is not missed by utilising it as a backup method. An exploratory study was employed to gather student perceptions on the new generic e-learning template. Four electrical engineering subjects’ students were used as the sample group and Google Forms was used to collect the data in an online questionnaire. Of the 36 students who responded to the questionnaire, 94% would recommend that all subjects adopt this generic e-learning template and 89% felt that having all their subject menus the same will make it easier to locate items. Due to the results of this study, the generic e-learning template will be adopted by all engineering subjects at the Central University of Technology, Free State with the addition of an introduction that explains the purpose and procedure of ECSA accreditation.

scholarly journals Educational DataMining: A Study of the Factors That Cause School Dropout in Higher Education Institutions in Brazil

RENOTE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marília N. C. A. Lima ◽  
Roberta A. de A. Fagundes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
School Dropout ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Linear Distribution ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
High Dropout Rate ◽  
Material Transportation ◽  
Didactic Material

Context:In Brazil, there is a high dropout rate in higher education institutions. Thus, it is clear that evasion is a frequent problem and that it is necessary to analyze the factors that cause it to enable solutions that can mitigate/ reduce this problem. Objetive: (1)perform a correlation analysis (Pearson and Spearman) of the educational factores of the School Census; (2)propose school dropout prediction models taking into account educational and economic factors using regression methods (linear, robust, ridge, lasso, clusterwise regression). Methodology: used the phases of the CRISP-DM methodology. Results: the factors related to not allowing financial assistance are related to as evasion, namely: food, permanence, didactic material, transportation. There are also factors related to the study period. The regression robust and linear regression show fewer errors. Conclusion: the correlations used present the selection of factors in a similar way, thus following a linear distribution. This study can help to create more investment in public policies, as it ratifies factors are related to this dropout problem.

Student Perceptions on the New Teaching Methods for Engineers: The Influence of Podcasting on Education

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanny Besem ◽  
Matthew Lennie ◽  
Carlos Chávez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Teaching Techniques ◽  
Remote Education ◽  
Student Interactions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Traditional Lectures ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education

This paper presents the perceptions of engineering students who followed podcasted courses during their higher education. Podcasting is widely used in remote education, but it also benefits on-campus students because it supports flexible and personalized teaching. The first three generations of students from an international Master’s degree program participated in a survey to give their impressions about the use of podcasting in their program. This preliminary survey targeted three aspects of podcasting: the format, the effect on learning experience, and the effect on student isolation. Results showed a majority of students considered recorded lectures a very helpful tool to support traditional on-campus lectures. The students appreciated the opportunity to pause and re-watch the videos to learn at their own pace. However, few students would consider a purely remote education; they felt less engaged in their education because of the lack of direct contact with teachers and peers. This highlights the importance of the social networking that happens on-site. In conclusion, the main advantage of podcasting is to compensate for the lack of individually adapted teaching in higher education. However, it will not completely replace traditional lectures without the development of both new tools to facilitate the professor-student interactions, and of teaching techniques to keep students engaged in their studies.

Facing challenges to the permanence of people with disabilities in brazilian higher education: a study of the reality of CCJS/UFCG undergraduate courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iarley Pereira de Sousa ◽  
Fábio Zoboli
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
And Training

Law No. 13,409 is published, which amends the previous one, including people with disabilities among their guardians. The dropout rate of these people in higher education is 27% (Inep, 2016). The UN Declaration on human rights education and training (2012) presents the constitutive frameworks of education (accessibility, acceptability, availability, adaptability). The research hypothesis is that the CCJS / UFCG has not guided its inclusive education in these constitutive milestones and this is one of the causes for students with disabilities to have difficulties in staying in their respective courses. The Comprehensive Interview (Kaufmann, 2013) will be used as a data collection instrument, not yet applied in the field, due to the suspension of face-to-face classes, in view of the worsening of the covid-19 pandemic and the initial phase of the research.

scholarly journals Staff and student perceptions of research structures and services provided by the faculty research offices at a university of technology in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Musawenkosi Ngibe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Faculty Research ◽  
Research Support ◽  
Research Office

The higher education landscape in South Africa has undergone significant change and transformation in recent decades, obliging all higher education institutions to be more competitive and provide services of quality to attract and retain students. Since their emergence as universities in the years of 2003-2004 Universities of Technology (UoTs) have been required to engage in research and to improve research output and throughput rapidly despite having their roots in a former colonial and apartheid era in which they were required to play a purely technical role. Importantly, the government funding formula for universities in South Africa is now the same for all public universities (based on publications and throughput) even though traditional universities were always research-oriented. This makes it likely that UoTs will continue to lag behind traditional universities if drastic measures to increase research capacity are not put in place. In order to service the provision of this sustainable research output different measures and research structures have therefore been designed by UoTs to support the increasing pressure to produce M and DTech graduates and upgrade the qualifications of teaching staff. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the administrative support of research services and structures at faculty level at a selected UoT; to provide insights in terms of staff and student perceptions of postgraduate support and to make recommendations as to how to enhance existing research services and improve research structures to support research functions. The study was a case study of a selected UoT. It used mixed method research to enable the researcher to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from academics and M and DTech students and Faculty Research Office staff members. Questionnaires and interviews were used as data collection instruments. Supported by the Gap Model of service quality and delivery and an adapted SERVQUAL instrument, the study sought to determine staff and postgraduate students' perceptions and expectations of research structures and service quality across four dimensions, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Analysis of the data revealed that Faculty Research Offices across each of the six faculties were lacking in certain respects in providing research support and development in each of the four identified service dimensions. They were particularly lacking in terms of communicating the nature and details of the research support services they offer. The study concluded that with improved research structures and more skilled personnel all research activities could be incorporated and be facilitated by Faculty Research Offices, taking these functions away from departmental research committees where these exist. It also concluded that by communicating these research services through faculty orientations, workshop sessions, and online forums, academics and students' awareness would be enhanced. This could also have a positive impact on handling research matters and processes, improving the reliability of the research office services and allowing students to associate with the research office on a more regular basis. This study therefore recommended that the identified quality gaps should be attended to in order to improve research services. Further, issues of research capacity development and support and service quality need to be urgently considered by the institution in order in the longer term to be in a position to improve enrolment and graduation rates, increase scholarly publications and contribute to the knowledge society. Inviting research experts and drawing on the greater experience and expertise of their Australian counterparts in the ATN network (with whom SA UoTs have a formal MoU) could lead to further research and development in the area investigated. This should go a long way in ensuring progress and growth in research output within the faculties of the institution investigated and could be of interest to other UoTs facing similar challenges.

Student Perceptions of Face-to-Face and Online Discussions: The Advantage Goes To . . .

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina A. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Political Tolerance ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face ◽  
Online Setting ◽  
And Gender

Thirteen students in a graduate-level course on Historical and Policy Perspectives in Higher Education held face-to-face and online discussions on five controversial topics: Diversity, Academic Freedom, Political Tolerance, Affirmative Action, and Gender. Students read materials on each topic and generated questions for discussion that were categorized by Bloom’s taxonomy so that the level of questions in the two discussion settings would be closely parallel. Upon completion of each discussion, they answered questions that addressed depth and length of the discussion, ability to remember, and a self-assessment of how the student learned. Students’ assessments show a consistent preference for the face-to-face discussion but a small number of students preferred the online setting. However, what is perhaps more interesting is a minority of approximately one-third of the students who perceived no difference between the settings, or that the two settings were perhaps complementary.

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