scholarly journals Words Matter: The Impact of “Catchy” vs Conventional Course Titles on Student Interest

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Flaherty ◽  
Bruce G McAdams ◽  
Joshua E LeBlanc
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Nous Avons ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Student Preference ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Conventional Counterpart

Anecdotal evidence suggests that post-secondary institutions in Canada and beyond are experimenting with the practice of substituting conventional, discipline-centred course titles with more creatively phrased, learner-centred titles. However, we could find no scholarly research to affirm, challenge or guide this practice. This study represents a preliminary foray into that research. We surveyed 368 business undergraduate and graduate students at a mid-sized Canadian university to address, and explore the implications of, this question: "Does a catchy course title elicit more student interest than its conventional counterpart?" Our findings provide some, but not unqualified, support for the practice of using catchy course titles as a way of attracting student interest. We found the most significant influence on student preference toward conventional or catchy course titles to be year of registration (first year and fourth year students showed the most interest in catchy course titles; graduate students and those registered in second and third year showed a preference for conventional course titles). Implications regarding marketing and pedagogy are discussed, as is the need for further research. Des preuves non scientifiques sembleraient suggérer que les établissements d’enseignement supérieur du Canada et au-delà sont en train d’essayer de substituer les titres de cours conventionnels centrés sur la discipline par des titres centrés sur l’apprenant et formulés de façon plus créatrice. Toutefois, nous n’avons trouvé aucune recherche savante qui pourrait affirmer, mettre au défi ou guider cette pratique. Cette étude représente une expérience préliminaire dans cette recherche. Nous avons fait un sondage auprès de 368 étudiants de premier cycle et de cycles supérieurs en administration des affaires dans une université canadienne de taille moyenne afin d’explorer les implications de la question suivante : « Est-ce qu’un titre de cours accrocheur attire davantage l’intérêt des étudiants qu’un titre plus conventionnel? » Nos résultats présentent un certain soutien non qualifié à cette pratique qui consiste à utiliser des titres de cours accrocheurs dans le but d’attirer l’intérêt des étudiants. Nous avons trouvé que l’influence la plus significative sur la préférence des étudiants entre les titres conventionnels et les titres accrocheurs était l’année d’inscription (les étudiants de première et de quatrième année étaient davantage attirés par les titres de cours accrocheurs; les étudiants des cycles supérieurs et ceux inscrits en deuxième et troisième année semblaient préférer les titres de cours conventionnels). Les implications en matière de marketing et de pédagogie sont discutées, ainsi que la nécessité de faire des recherches plus avancées sur la question.

scholarly journals Measuring the Impact of a Weeklong Fall Break on Stress Physiology in First Year Engineering Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayesha Khan ◽  
Heather Poole ◽  
Elliott A Beaton
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Nous Avons ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Student Stress ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Lower Ratio ◽  
The Impact

Canadian post-secondary institutions are increasingly introducing a fall break into their term calendars, with the stated goal of reducing student stress and improving academic success. We conducted a pilot study around the time of this fall break during which we collected saliva samples to measure the ratio of two metabolic hormones (cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)) from first-year male engineering students in order to document possible changes in their stress levels before and after the break. Participants self-identified a particular day in the week prior to the break that they considered to be most stressful, followed by a day in the week after the break that was perceived to be equally stress-inducing. A control sample of student engineers was recruited from another university with equivalent academic rigour but without a fall break. Students who experienced the fall break exhibited a marginally lower ratio of cortisol to DHEA after the break than did those who did not experience the break indicating a difference in psychological stress. Since fall breaks are now increasing in popularity, we make the recommendation that it is imperative to empirically investigate their impact on student mental health. Un nombre de plus en plus grand d’établissements post-secondaires introduisent un congé d’automne dans leur calendrier, avec l’objectif déclaré de réduire le stress des étudiants et d’améliorer la réussite académique. Nous avons mené une étude pilote aux alentours de ce congé d’automne au cours duquel nous avons recueilli des échantillons de salive auprès d’étudiants mâles de première année en génie afin de mesurer le ratio de deux hormones métaboliques (le cortisol et la déhydroépiandrostérone - la DHEA)) et pour documenter les changements possibles dans leurs niveaux de stress avant et après le congé. Les participants ont identifié eux-mêmes un jour spécifique de la semaine avant le congé qu’ils considéraient comme étant le plus stressant, suivi par un jour particulier de la semaine après le congé qu’ils percevaient comme étant aussi stressant. Un échantillon témoin d’étudiants en génie a été recruté dans une autre université où la rigueur académique était équivalente mais où il n’y avait pas de congé d’automne. Les étudiants qui ont bénéficié d’un congé d’automne ont manifesté un ratio plus bas de cortisol par rapport à la DHEA après le congé par rapport aux étudiants qui n’avaient pas bénéficié d’un tel congé, ce qui indique une différence de stress psychologique. Étant donné que la popularité des congés d’automne est en augmentation, nous recommandons qu’il est impératif d’établir empiriquement leur impact sur la santé mentale des étudiants.

scholarly journals Classroom-Based Science Research at the Introductory Level: Changes in Career Choices and Attitude

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Harrison ◽  
David Dunbar ◽  
Lisa Ratmansky ◽  
Kimberly Boyd ◽  
David Lopatto
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Education ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Phage Genomics ◽  
The Impact

Our study, focused on classroom-based research at the introductory level and using the Phage Genomics course as the model, shows evidence that first-year students doing research learn the process of science as well as how scientists practice science. A preliminary but notable outcome of our work, which is based on a small sample, is the change in student interest in considering different career choices such as graduate education and science in general. This is particularly notable, as previous research has described research internships as clarifying or confirming rather than changing undergraduates’ decisions to pursue graduate education. We hypothesize that our results differ from previous studies of the impact of engaging in research because the students in our study are still in the early stages of their undergraduate careers. Our work builds upon the classroom-based research movement and should be viewed as encouraging to the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education movement advocated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Science Foundation, and other undergraduate education stakeholders.

scholarly journals Testing the influence of CAT-tools on the quality of translations produced by students majoring in translation

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Translation Studies ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Original Text ◽  
National University ◽  
The Impact

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of CAT-tools on the quality of translations of first-year graduate students of translation studies departments of schools of foreign languages. Nowadays professional translation is possible only with the use of special translation software, namely, CAT-tools, an integral part of which is the terminology management module. It is believed that the use of term bases can improve the quality of translation, but the term bases given to the translator still require careful critical attitude because they can potentially contain mistakes which, in turn, can negatively affect the quality of translation. Identifying such influence would allow to adjust the training program for students majoring in translation in terms of the use of modern translation technologies, increasing its effectiveness. That is why the purpose of the study was to establish the presence or absence of the impact of CAT-tools (in terms of the use of term bases) on the efficiency of translators. The experimental study was conducted in the first semester of the 2019/2020 academic year (September). The subjects were 24 first-year graduate students of the Translation Studies Department of the School of Foreign Languages of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, divided into 2 experimental groups (EG-1 and EG-2). Students of EG-1 in the process of translation used terminology base with mistakes, while students of EG-2 relied only on themselves. The stages of the study included three stages: preparatory (formulation of hypotheses, development of the plan of the experiment), basic (practical implementation of the experiment) and final (analysis and interpretation of the experimental data). The obtained results confirmed the hypothesis that the translation of the original text by means of CAT-tools with the use of the term base with mistakenly translated lexical units led to a decrease in the quality of students’ translations.

scholarly journals Information Literacy from High School to University

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Cavanagh ◽  
Dianne Oberg ◽  
Heather Buchansky ◽  
Marc D'Avernas ◽  
Kate Johnson-McGregor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
School Library ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Library Impact ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact

The Ontario School Library Impact Project (OSLIP) investigated the impact of school libraries on the development of key information literacy skills in students entering post-secondary education, using online surveys and qualitative interviews. The project found that first-year university students are challenged by the demands of post-secondary course research assignments. These findings support previous research indicating first-year university students are challenged by new demands for research skills. Unfortunately, opportunities to develop those skills are inconsistent among school boards in Ontario. This is a multifaceted problem confronting both school librarians and academic librarians as well as their teaching partners.

scholarly journals DETERMINANTS PSYCHOSOCIAUX ET ABANDON SCOLAIRE DES ETUDIANTS INSCRITS DANS LES ETABLISSEMENTS FACULTAIRES DE L’UNIVERSITE DE NGAOUNDERE, CAMEROUN / PSYCHOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND DROP-OUT OF REGISTERED STUDENTS IN OPTIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NGAOUNDERE, CAMEROUN

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Tchouata Foudjio ◽  
Guy Ari Hamadou
Keyword(s):  
Drop Out ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Psychosocial Determinants ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
Initial Hypothesis ◽  
The University ◽  
Premier Cycle Universitaire ◽  
The Impact

<p>Les établissements facultaires classiques des Universités camerounaises connaissent depuis plusieurs années, le phénomène d’abandon des études qui touche les étudiants inscrits au premier cycle universitaire. Selon le rapport de Delpouve et Breillat (2010) réalisé à l’Université de Yaoundé 1, près de 31% d’étudiants abandonnent les études en première année. L’objectif de cette étude est d’examiner l’impact des déterminants psychosociaux sur l’abandon scolaire des étudiants au sein des facultés universitaires. Notre hypothèse d’étude stipule que l’abandon scolaire des étudiants, relève davantage du processuel que de l’événementiel. C’est à dire qu’il est influencé par les déterminants psychologiques et/ou sociaux. Cette hypothèse a été vérifiée sur la base des données recueillies à l’aide d’un questionnaire administré auprès de 149 anciens étudiant(e)s ayant abandonné au premier cycle d’études à l’Université de Ngaoundéré. Les résultats obtenus sont en faveur d’une validation de l’hypothèse de départ. Il existe donc une corrélation significative et positive entre les déterminants psychosociaux et l’abandon scolaires des étudiants inscrits dans les établissements facultaires de l’Université de Ngaoundéré. Des entretiens semi-directifs ont été menés auprès de 15 étudiants dans le but d’approfondir la compréhension du phénomène d’abandon des études observé à l’Université. </p><p> </p><p>The traditional faculty establishments of Cameroonian universities have known for several years the phenomenon of dropping out of studies affecting students enrolled in the first cycle of university. According to the report by Delpouve and Breillat (2010) carried out at the University of Yaoundé 1, nearly 31% of students drop out of studies in the first year. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of psychosocial determinants on the dropout of students in university faculties. Our study hypothesis stipulates that students dropping out of school is more a process than an event. That is to say, it is influenced by psychological and / or social determinants. This hypothesis was checked on the basis of the data using a questionnaire administered to 149 former students who dropped out in the first cycle of studies at the University of Ngaoundéré. The results obtained are in favor of a validation of the initial hypothesis. There is therefore a significant and positive correlation between psychosocial determinants and the school dropout of students enrolled in faculty establishments of the University of Ngaoundéré. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 students with the aim of deepening the understanding of the phenomenon of dropping out of studies observed at the university.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0856/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals The Impact of Early Medical School Surgical Exposure on Interest in Neurosurgery

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Zuccato ◽  
Abhaya V. Kulkarni
Keyword(s):  
Medical School ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
Surgical Exposure ◽  
First Year Medical Students ◽  
The Impact

AbstractBackground: Medical student interest in neurosurgery is decreasing and resident attrition is trending upwards in favor of more lifestyle-friendly specialties that receive greater exposure during medical school. The University of Toronto began offering an annual two week comprehensive, focused surgical experience (Surgical Exploration and Discovery (SEAD) program) to 20 first year medical students increasing exposure to surgical careers. This study determines how SEAD affects students’ views of a career in neurosurgery.Methods: Surveys were administered to 38 SEAD participants over two program cycles. Information was obtained regarding demographics, impacts of SEAD, and factors affecting career decision making. Subgroup analyses assessed for factors predicting pre- and post-intervention interest in neurosurgery.Results: Ninety-seven percent (n=37) of students completed the survey. Before SEAD, 25% were interested in neurosurgery but this decreased to 10% post-SEAD (p=0.001). However, post-SEAD interest increased from 10% to 38% if lifestyle factors were theoretically controlled across surgical specialties (p<0.005). A majority (81%) felt SEAD improved their understanding of neurosurgery, 62.2% felt that exposure to other surgical specialties reduced their interest in neurosurgery, and 21% felt SEAD increased their interest in neurosurgery. Nineteen percent intended to explore neurosurgery further with observerships and one student planned to organize neurosurgical research.Conclusions: This surgical exposure intervention increased understanding about neurosurgery and reduced overall interest in neurosurgery as a career. However, those remaining interested were motivated to plan further neurosurgical clinical experiences. The SEAD program may, therefore, aid in early selection of students motivated to satisfy the demands of a neurosurgical career.

scholarly journals A Common Book: A Novel Approach to Teaching and Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen A Ferguson ◽  
Natalya Brown ◽  
Linda Piper
Keyword(s):  
Nous Avons ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Impact

Most research on common book programs focuses on student outcomes. This paper presents a study about the impact of a common book program on teaching and learning practices at a small mainly undergraduate university. This study consists of two phases. In Phase 1, we surveyed faculty members (N= 32, a response rate of 21.3%), about the influence of the program on teaching practices and dialogue with colleagues as well as their perceptions of the program’s impact on student learning. In Phase 2, we conducted interviews with business faculty, who were early program adopters (N=8). Most respondents believed that students benefited from the program. Faculty members perceived the common book program as a tool that facilitated course content and enhanced students’ literacy. While responses were mixed about the perceived impact on teaching practices, faculty members interviewed felt that the common book program created opportunities for discussion about teaching and learning. La majorité des recherches menées sur les programmes de livre commun se concentrent sur les résultats des étudiants. Cet article présente une étude qui a porté sur l’impact d’un programme de livre commun sur les pratiques pédagogiques dans une petite université offrant principalement des études de premier cycle. Cette étude s’est déroulée en deux phases. Au cours de la Phase I, nous avons mené une enquête auprès de professeurs (N = 32, avec un taux de réponse de 21,3 %) concernant l’influence du programme sur les pratiques d’enseignement et le dialogue avec les collègues, ainsi que concernant leurs perceptions de l’impact du programme sur l’apprentissage des étudiants. Au cours de la Phase II, nous avons mené des entrevues avec des professeurs d’administration des affaires qui avaient adopté le programme dès sa phase initiale (N = 8). La plupart des répondants ont déclaré que selon eux, les étudiants avaient bénéficié du programme. Les professeurs ont considéré le programme de livre commun comme un outil qui simplifie le contenu du cours et améliore l’alphabétisation des étudiants. Bien que les réponses aient été variées en ce qui concerne la perception de l’impact sur les pratiques d’enseignement, les professeurs interrogés ont indiqué que selon eux, le programme de livre commun avait créé des occasions de discussion sur l’enseignement et l’apprentissage.

scholarly journals Role-Playing Gamification Technologies with Adult Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 3-24
Author(s):  
Kirsten Fantazir ◽  
Murray Bartley
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
First Year ◽  
Scholarship Of Teaching ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Criminal Justice Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this quantitative scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research study was to examine the impact Classcraft had on adult criminal justice students in a face-to-face context in a western-Canadian institution. Specifically, the role-playing digital game was integrated into a first-year applied English and investigative writing course; learners earned points, received “real world” prizes, and completed random, content-related challenges with their teams. Using a survey with Likert-style and open-ended questions, it was determined that most elements of Classcraft motivated and engaged participants. The most impactful finding was that Classcraft promoted teamwork and problem-solving abilities. While little research has been conducted in adult post-secondary settings related to the implementation of Classcraft, it is evident more research is required in other post-secondary learning contexts.

scholarly journals Measuring the Effect of Student Loans on College Persistence

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-60
Author(s):  
David Card ◽  
Alex Solís
Keyword(s):  
Degree Completion ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
College Completion ◽  
First Year ◽  
Secondary Schooling ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Socioeconomic Gaps ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Tuition Costs

Governments around the world use grant and loan programs to ease the financial constraints that contribute to socioeconomic gaps in college completion. A growing body of research assesses the impact of grants; less is known about how loan programs affect persistence and degree completion. We use detailed administrative data from Chile to provide rigorous regression-discontinuity-based evidence on the impacts of loan eligibility for university students who retake the national admission test after their first year of studies. Those who score above a certain threshold become eligible for loans covering around 85% of tuition costs for the duration of their program. We find that access to loans increases the fraction who return to university for a second year by 20 percentage points, with two-thirds of the effect arising from a reduction in transfers to vocational colleges and one-third from a decline in the share who stop post-secondary schooling altogether. The longer-run impacts are smaller but remain highly significant, with a 12-percentage point impact on the fraction of marginally eligible retakers who complete a bachelor's degree.

scholarly journals Faculty Experience Teaching in an Interdisciplinary First-Year Seminar Program: The Case of the University of Guelph

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Murray ◽  
Peter Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Experience Teaching ◽  
Secondary Teaching ◽  
Il Y A ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Year Seminar

First-year seminar programs have been a feature on the landscape of post-secondary teaching and learning in the United States, since they first appeared in the 1880s at Boston University (Mamrick, 2005). More recently, they have begun to appear at Canadian universities. For example, first-year seminars were introduced a decade ago at the University of Guelph, as a campus-wide initiative. To recognize the first decade that these unique, interdisciplinary seminars have been offered, faculty were surveyed to understand better the impact of the program on those teaching in it, as well as their perceptions of their students. The experience of the University of Guelph suggests first-year seminar programs can have a significant influence on the teaching and professional experience of faculty and encourages them to extend their networks beyond the department and across the campus. Significantly, seminars serve as sites for pedagogical experimentation that can influence departmental curricula. Faculty who teach a first-year seminar have high satisfaction and report myriad benefits to morale, teaching, and research. The salutary effects of a first-year seminar program are not local but would be transferable across post-secondary institutions. Aux États-Unis, on a beaucoup parlé des programmes de séminaires de première année dans le paysage de la pédagogie dans l’enseignement supérieur, depuis leur première apparition dans les années 1880 à l’Université de Boston (Mamrick, 2005). Plus récemment, ils ont commencé à apparaître dans les universités canadiennes. Par exemple, des séminaires de première année ont été introduits il y a dix ans à l’Université de Guelph en tant qu’initiative à l’échelle du campus. Afin de marquer la première décennie au cours de laquelle ces séminaires interdisciplinaires uniques ont été offerts, une enquête a été menée auprès des professeurs pour mieux comprendre les effets du programme sur les enseignants, ainsi que les perceptions de leurs étudiants. L’expérience de l’Université de Guelph suggère que les programmes de séminaires de première année peuvent avoir une influence importante sur l’enseignement et sur l’expérience professionnelle des professeurs et peuvent les encourager à élargir leur réseau au-delà du département et sur tout le campus. Il est significatif de constater que les séminaires servent de sites pour des expériences pédagogiques qui peuvent influencer les programmes d’études départementaux. Les professeurs qui enseignent un séminaire de première année en retirent une grande satisfaction et rapportent une myriade d’avantages pour le moral, l’enseignement, et la recherche. Les effets salutaires d’un programme de séminaires de première année ne sont pas ressentis uniquement au niveau local, ils sont transférables à tous les établissement d’enseignement supérieur.

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