scholarly journals Research skills in the first-year biology practical - Are they there?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-55
Author(s):  
Lyn Torres

Laboratory practicals engage students in complex thinking to build their scientific knowledge and understanding. Surprisingly few studies connect the development of students’ cognitive and metacognitive skills for learning in the laboratory practical with foundational skills for researching. Librarians strive to establish teaching partnerships with academics to contextualise research skills within curriculum content. However, pedagogical models to make research skills explicit and guide libraryfaculty collaborations are lacking. This study explores the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework (Willison & O'Regan 2006/2018; see the first article in this issue) to extrapolate students’ research skills in a first-year biology practical unit. A qualitative research design was applied to identify research skills in the unit’s laboratory manual and in descriptive observations of students in five laboratory practicals. Results show students engaged in the research skills articulated by the RSD, yet these skills were implied rather than explicitly taught. Implications suggest that fundamental research skills which enable student preparedness for research can be overlooked in practical curricula. Research skills remaining unrecognised impacts learning and teaching, including the contribution librarians could make in this context. Findings demonstrated that the RSD is a useful theoretical construct and a priori framework to make research skills visible to educators.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-73
Author(s):  
Marichen van der Westhuizen ◽  
◽  
Sibulelo Gawulayo ◽  
Nomvuyo Lukelelo ◽  
◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to prepare students for emergency online learning and teaching. The blended-learning approach that includes online learning and teaching options in social work theoretical modules has been described as valuable in providing students with a variety of modes of learning and teaching. However, its use in fieldwork modules requires further research. This article aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate student social workers and their supervisors regarding the inclusion of technologies in the first-year fieldwork module, and how this affected their online experiences during the pandemic. The activity theory served as a theoretical framework. A qualitative approach was followed with an explorative-descriptive research design. Participants were selected through purposive non-probability sampling. Data was collected through written reflection sheets that were analysed through thematic content analysis. Ethics included voluntary participation, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality and anonymity. The findings indicate that all the components of the activity theory were present, while challenges experienced prior and during the pandemic were identified as a lack of previous exposure to the use of technology and of access to technological resources, socioeconomic challenges, the need to become skilled in becoming independent scholars, a need for direct interaction among students and between students and supervisors/lectures, and the importance of a variety of role-players to support learning. The findings provided a foundation to draw conclusions and make recommendations regarding what is needed to effectively use the activity theory’s components in fieldwork modules and to prepare students for technology-based learning and teaching in higher education settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Szabolcs Berezvai ◽  
Tibor Oláh ◽  
Zsófia Pálya ◽  
Bence Sipos ◽  
Brigitta Szilágyi

A műszaki- és gazdasági felsőoktatásban folyó kalkulusoktatás komoly kihívás elé állítja a tanárokat: viszonylag rövid idő alatt, nagy mennyiségű anyagot kell megtanítaniuk úgy, hogy a hallgató a matematika kurzusokon elsajátított ismereteket a szaktárgyakban, akár több félév csúszással is hasznosítani tudja. Olyan módszert kell kidolgozni, ami egy tudásában és képességeiben eltérő, nagy létszámú hallgatói közösségben is jól alkalmazható. A teszthatás, bár megfelel ezen követelményeknek, mégsem tartozik a gyakran alkalmazott metódusok közé. A módszer, amely a tanulás középpontjába az előhívást helyezi, sem a pedagógusok, sem a diákok között nem örvend nagy népszerűségnek. A teszthatás a többi tanulási-, tanítási metódushoz képest sokkal inkább gátat tud szabni a felejtésnek, de a hallgatónak ki kell mozdulnia a passzív befogadó szerepből, ami többeknek lehet kevésbé komfortos. Ezt a módszert találtuk alkalmasnak arra is, hogy a számonkérés előtti rövid időszakra koncentrálódó, úgynevezett kampányszerű tanulás helyett hallgatóinkat a folytonos tanulásra bírjuk. Ez azért volt fontos számunkra, mert bár rövid távon a megmérettetés előtti intenzív tanulás is eredményes, ennél a felejtés rendkívül gyors.A BME Gépészmérnöki Karának elsőéves mechatronikus és energetikus hallgatói számára az EduBase Online Oktatási Platform segítségével olyan könnyen kivitelezhető kalkulusoktatást valósítottunk meg, ami a teszthatás szempontjait szem előtt tartotta, kihasználta annak előnyös tulajdonságait. Jelen cikkben bemutatjuk a 2018/2019. tanév tavaszi szemeszterében, a Matematika G2 kurzuson végzett kutatásunk eredményeit. Hétről hétre, napi bontásban követjük a hallgatók tanulási aktivitását, vizsgáljuk a kampányszerű és a folytonos tanulással elért eredményeiket. Calculus education in engineering and economic higher education programmes poses a severe challenge for teachers: in a relatively short period of time, they have to teach a large amount of material so that the students can build on the acquired knowledge in further subjects even after several semesters. A method needs to be developed that can be applied well among large, heterogeneous students with different knowledge and skills. Test effect meets these requirements, although is not one of the most commonly used methods, since this approach that puts development at the centre of learning is not very popular among educators or students. The test effect can be a much more effective tool to reduce forgetting than other learning and teaching methods, but the student must move out of their passive, receptive role, which may be less comfortable for many. We also found this method to be suitable for continuous learning instead of so-called campaign-like learning, which focuses only on a short period before the examination. This was important to us since intensive learning before the exams is often effective in short term, but forgetting is also extremely rapid afterwards.For the first-year mechatronics and energy engineering students at BME Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, with the help of the EduBase Online Education Platform, we completed an easy-to-implement calculus course that took into account the aspects of the test effect and took advantage of its benefits. In this article, we present the results of our research in the spring semester of the academic year 2018/2019 in the Mathematics G2 course. From week to week, we followed the learning activity of the students on a daily basis, examining their results achieved through campaign-like and continuous learning.


Author(s):  
Nurul Fauziah ◽  
Mora Claramita ◽  
Gandes Retno Rahayu

Background: Interprofessional Education (IPE) is a process occurs when students from two or more professions learn about and from each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Faculty initiated the IPE program called Community and Family Health Care - interprofessional Education (CFHC-IPE) that began in 2013 with the aim to build the capacity of community, family medicine and interprofesional. This study aims to evaluate the effect of context, input and process towards the achievement of interprofessional competences.Method: This study was a qualitative research design using a case study evaluation Context-Input-Process-Product (CIPP). Respondents of this study are five-IPE CFHC managers, three heads of study program, 10 lecturers and 35 students from PSPD, PSIK and PSGK. Data collected through FGD, in-depth interviews and document analysis. FGD and in-depth interviews conducted using an interview guide while document analysis carried out on the grand design CFHC-IPE. Results: Context evaluation shows that the needs assessment has not been carried out. Input evaluation shows that the preparation of the grand design CFHC-IPE is not align and debriefing facilitators need to be added. There were gaps in the implementation of learning activities and assessment and program monitoring was inadequate. IPE competencies in the first year on the student of 2014 were not achieved. Conclusion: Inter-professional communication and teamwork competence on student of class 2014 at CFHC-IPE program in the first year was not achieved and influenced by the weaknesses in the content, inputs and processes aspects.


Author(s):  
Rowan W. Hollingworth ◽  
Catherine McLoughlin

<span>Technology is increasingly being harnessed to improve the quality of learning in science subjects at university level. This article sets out, by incorporating notions drawn from constructivist and adult learning theory, a foundation for the design of an online environment for the acquisition of metacognitive problem solving skills. The capacity to solve problems is one of the generic skills now being promoted at tertiary level, yet for many learners problem-solving remains a difficulty. In addition, there are few instances of instructional design guidelines for developing learning environments to support the metacognitive skills for effective problem solving. In order to foster the processes of metacognitive skills explicitly in first year science students, we investigated areas where cognitive support was needed. The aim was to strengthen the metacognitive and reflective skills of students to assist them in adopting strategies and reflective processes that enabled them to define, plan and self monitor their thinking during problem solving. In tertiary science, both well-structured and ill-structured problems are encountered by students, thus a repertoire of skills must be fostered. A model for supporting metacognitive skills for problem solving is presented in the context of an online environment being developed at the University of New England.</span>


2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Jufrizal Jufrizal ◽  
Rusdi Rusdi ◽  
Lely Refnita

There are three types of clause in Minangkabaunese based on the typological analysis, namely: active, passive, and topicalization one. Accordingly, each clause has special information structure which makes they are different in communicating messages. This article tries to describe the types of clauses in Minangkabaunese based on typological analysis and then the discussion is continued in order to know the information structure in each clause. This article is derived and developed based on the result of a fundamental research conducted for the first year (2008) in West-Sumatra.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir H. Abdalla

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential benefits of using the intercultural approach to teaching English as a foreign language in the preparatory –year programme (male branch), Taif University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The intercultural approach is considered a viable means of foreign language education that seeks to address issues of culture in foreign language learning and teaching and how best to address them. Hence, this study intends to explore the attitudes of first year EFL Taif university students to the potential benefits of the intercultural approach to EFL. A sample of 200 EFL students participated in the study. Participants’ views on the topic of the study are collected via a questionnaire the researcher designed and administered to the participants. In addition, the views of 50 EFL instructors teaching in the preparatory programme were gathered by a questionnaire regarding the topic researched. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the collected data.


Author(s):  
Regina L. Garza Mitchell ◽  
Gina L. Cano-Monreal

This chapter describes how one innovative practice evolved to become an integral part of the college's efforts to increase student preparedness and success in courses so that they will be employable and competitive in the global workforce. Texas State Technical College Harlingen aimed to enhance student success in online education through implementing a mandatory class, Student Online Learning Orientation, for new online students. The course was developed as the result of faculty research and recommendations regarding online learning at the college. The majority of students at the college are underprepared and from low socioeconomic backgrounds, putting them at a disadvantage in taking these courses. Rather than a barrier to taking online classes, the goal of this class is to provide students with the necessary tools and skills to be successful. Results of the program show an increase in persistence and completion of online courses, and the course has become an integral part of the college's training and first-year experience for all students.


Author(s):  
Jennifer Bruen ◽  
Juliette Péchenart ◽  
Veronica Crosbie

The focus of this chapter is twofold: firstly, on the development of an electronic version of a European Language Portfolio, known as the LOLIPOP ELP,1 and, secondly, on its integration into a study and research skills module for first-year students on the BA in Applied Language and Intercultural Studies at Dublin City University. The chapter begins with an introduction to the concept of a European Language Portfolio (ELP) in the context of current trends in foreign language learning and teaching. It then describes the development and key features of the LOLIPOP ELP. It explains how it was integrated into a first-year, undergraduate research and study skills module focusing on elements of course design and assessment. Finally, the chapter concludes by analysing the output from the participants in this study which indicates that they appreciated the opportunity to engage with the LOLIPOP ELP and found it beneficial to their language learning although issues remain around its design and integration into an academic programme.


Author(s):  
Felicia Zhang

The chapter discusses the background of a project which aimed at addressing the language needs of a diverse student body (both domestic and international student body) by embedding strategic approaches to learning and teaching in first year sciences in tertiary education. These strategies consisted of active learning skills which are widely used in language learning. The disciplines covered by the project were Biology, Chemistry and Physics and involved the University of Canberra, University of Sydney, University of Tasmania, University of Technology, Sydney, and University of Newcastle in Australia. This project was funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC).


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