scholarly journals The double-edged sword of 'best aspects' and 'needs improvement' in student experiences: A qualitative analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-82
Author(s):  
Lily Arasaratnam-Smith ◽  
◽  
Narelle Coetzee ◽  
Courtney Hodson ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Institutional Infrastructure ◽  
Experience Survey ◽  
Qualitative Responses

Improving student experiences in higher education is of ongoing interest to colleges and universities across the globe. Non-university higher education institutions (NUHEIs) have outperformed universities in Australian national surveys on student experience. The present study examines qualitative responses of the Student Experience Survey within the context of Alphacrucis College (AC), a faith-based, private NUHEI to provide a contextualised understanding of NUHEIs as well as to explore reasons why NUHEIs outperform universities in most student experience categories. Content analysis revealed several themes in areas of ‘best experience’ and ‘needs improvement.’ Results were examined across AQF levels and three study modes, namely online, blended, and on-campus. Findings are discussed in terms of the NUHEI student experience, lecturer training, lecturer performance indicators, and institutional infrastructure.

scholarly journals Personalised Emails in First-Year Mathematics: Exploring a Scalable Strategy for Improving Student Experiences and Outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Dart ◽  
Belinda Spratt
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
First Year ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Mathematics Courses ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
University Systems ◽  
Student Cohorts ◽  
Students First

Widening participation initiatives in higher education have grown overall student numbers while also increasing the diversity of student cohorts. Consequently, enhancing student experiences and outcomes has become increasingly challenging. This study implemented personalised emails in two first-year mathematics courses as a scalable strategy for supporting students with diverse needs. Impact on student experience and outcomes was assessed through surveying and statistical comparisons to previous cohorts. It was found that students perceived the personalised emails favourably and believed the intervention would contribute to them achieving better grades. This translated to a statistically significant improvement in both student experience and academic performance in one of the courses. The results imply that personalised emails are well-suited to courses taken in students’ first semesters of university study, aiding those transitioning to the higher education environment by fostering feelings of belonging, supporting effective engagement, and easing navigation of university systems and processes.

scholarly journals Promoting Critical Thinking and Learning in a Large-Enrolment Humanities Class

2022 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiruthika Ragupathi ◽  
Zi Hui Yeo ◽  
Hui Chieh Loy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Mass Higher Education ◽  
University Courses ◽  
Qualitative Responses

To promote the development of critical thinking abilities in an introductory undergraduate humanities course in the context of mass higher education, we implemented a course design that employed a series of scenario-based multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and informal peer discussions. Using an online survey to gather perception data and self-reported behavioral data, this study examines the extent to which the course design was effective at promoting critical thinking and student experience. Deductive analysis of students’ qualitative responses indicate that the course design was successful in promoting students’ development of critical thinking. Both deductive and inductive analysis of students’ qualitative responses also suggest that students largely had favorable attitudes towards this course design, though there are also some who express concerns. Our design may be useful for instructors and instructional designers aiming to promote critical thinking and learning in university courses.

Performance Indicators and Accountability in Portuguese Public Universities

2018 ◽  
pp. 210-233
Author(s):  
Augusta da Conceição Santos Ferreira ◽  
Carlos Santos ◽  
Graça Maria do Carmo Azevedo ◽  
Judite Gonçalves ◽  
Jonas da Silva Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
The Public ◽  
And Performance

The public sector in Portugal has undergone major reforms, coercing institutions of higher education into greater transparency in accountability and performance indicators. The purpose of this chapter is to evaluate the level of disclosure of performance indicators by the Higher Education Institutions in Portuguese Public Universities, with a special emphasis on the obligatory nature and to evaluate if there are factors that influence the level of disclosure. This study was based on the content analysis of the management or activity reports of the 13 Portuguese public universities to calculate de level of disclosure, and used the quantitative analysis based on the Least-squares regression on the investigation of factors that influence the level of disclosure. According to the data obtained, it can be concluded that Portuguese Public Universities discloses performance indicators imposed by law and voluntarily, and it was verified that the level of disclosure is influenced by the variables dimension, financing from other sources of funding and the ranking of web of universities.

Tactics and strategies to survive ‘student engagement’, or joining the Soil Society and other stories

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-130
Author(s):  
Jacqui Close
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Traditional Students ◽  
Identity Work ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
University Life ◽  
Non Traditional Students

In the U.K., ‘student engagement’, and the related ‘student experience’, are increasingly measured, interpreted and then marketed to students as a basis on which to choose the ‘best’ place for their higher education. This article summarises and reflects on presentations from five panel members at a conference on their experience of university life after that choice had been made. The panel included non-traditional students who embodied some of the characteristics (such as age, social class and ethnicity) that have become performance indicators in relation to widening participation and engagement in higher education. This article captures how students themselves understand a concept that occupies such a prominent, if contested, position in contemporary higher education. This analysis invites one to take a closer look at the identity work necessary for students to thrive (and for some just to survive) at university against a backdrop that tends to homogenise both ‘experience’ and ‘student’.

The Impact of Transculturality on Student Experience of Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi A. Smith ◽  
Teresa Segbers
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Cultural Learning ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Outdoor Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Background: Higher education outdoor studies programs retain a critical interest in student experiences as they seek to prepare citizens in a globalized, yet simultaneously neo-nationalist, world. Purpose: This research explored the impact of transculturality on the student experience of outdoor studies in the Transcultural European Outdoor Studies (TEOS) Masters, a course hosted by three universities in three countries. Methodology/Approach: A longitudinal study of the student experience, using a conceptual framework of self, place, transculturality, and outdoor learning theory underpins the research. Semistructured online interviews and one face-to-face retrospective interview were conducted with four participants throughout the course (Semesters 1, 2, 3), plus an additional five participants prior to the end of Semester 3. Findings/Conclusions: The findings elucidate students’ transcultural self-growth and transcultural capabilities, including resilience, intelligence, and fatigue. Implications: Although challenges exist for course design, considerations of transcultural pedagogy and curricula, reflective practices, support for students and teaching staff, cultural learning experiences (including language acquisition), and a willingness to move beyond traditional models of curricula at the university level are recommended.

scholarly journals Global Perspectives on International Student Experiences in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 549-552
Author(s):  
Kelber Tozini
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Affairs Professionals ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Global Perspectives

In Global Perspectives on International Student Experiences in Higher Education, Dr. Krishna Bista selected 18 studies that present important findings to the field, in which the authors provide examples of how the quality of the international student experience deserves the utmost attention of administrators, faculty, student affairs professionals, and policymakers. The book is divided into four main units, which are described separately in this review.

scholarly journals A systematic review of quality of student experience in higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Heng Tsai Tan ◽  
Birgit Muskat ◽  
Anita Zehrer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Experience

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and synthesize major streams of research on quality of student experience in higher education, to present an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents a systematic review of research published in high-quality journals during the period 2000 to 2014 in the areas of quality of student experience and higher education. Findings Findings highlight current research trends on the quality of student experience in higher education. Results show five prevailing research streams: exploration of learning experience; exploration of student experience; gender differences in assessment of higher education experience; improvement in quality of student experience; and student satisfaction with higher education experience. Research Limitations/implications The identification of the five research streams provides the basis for a synthesis of key issues identified within each research stream. In addition, the identification of purposes and limitations in existing research supports attempts to address issues of the quality of student experiences in higher education. Practical Implications Literature currently portrays the quality of student experience as a student-centric idea. Together with the purposes and limitations identified in existing research, the paper proposes an agenda for future research that increases the variety of research streams to provide a deeper understanding of the student experience and to enhance the delivery of quality in higher education. Originality/value The findings contribute to the research scene by providing important insights in terms of the current trends and focus of existing research in the area of quality of student experiences in higher education.

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