Designing First-year Sociology Curricula and Practice

Many countries are now specifying standards for graduates in different disciplines, including sociology. In Australia, the Australian Sociological Association (TASA) has developed Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) for sociology to provide the learning outcomes that students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology should achieve. These TLOs have encouraged universities to think explicitly about their sociology curriculum in a holistic way. This paper reports on a project that investigated the skills and concepts sociology students need to learn in first year to meet the TLOs by the time they graduate. The project identified the needs of students as they transition from school or work into the study of sociology in first year through a study of literature of first-year pedagogy and a student survey. A workshop was held for sociology that involved 37 academics from 14 universities. The workshop was used to promote a rethink of teaching of sociology in the light of the new TLOs as well as to collect ideas from the participants. The student surveys, workshop ideas and relevant literature were analyzed and synthesized for each TLO to determine what skills and concepts first-year students needed to learn, identify what they might find difficult and propose strategies for teaching. The paper also provides practical ideas for engaging academics with thinking holistically about the sociology curriculum and for teaching and learning sociology in the first year of an undergraduate degree.

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TECHNOLOGY TO FORECAST EDUCATIONAL RESULTS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF “CHEMISTRY” STUDIED BY STUDENTS OF CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY)

Bulletin of the South Ural State University series Education Education Sciences ◽

10.14529/ped210309 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 99-106

Author(s):

Yu.A. Tashkinov ◽

◽

Keyword(s):

Learning Outcomes ◽

Current Control ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

Control Group ◽

First Year ◽

Full Time ◽

First Year Students ◽

Positive Score ◽

Academic Failures ◽

Efficient Distribution

The purpose of this article is to develop a forecasting technology that makes it possible to predict the learning outcomes of civil engineers’ students studying “Chemistry” during the first weeks of study. The method of cluster analysis of k-means was chosen as a diagnostic tool. The participants were the students of 19 academic groups of full-time bachelor's degree program. For the experiment, the results of current control group (with an accuracy of 0.5 points) were collected from 298 first-year students that were asked to predict (on a 100-point scale) their score for the course being studied. The developed technology allows predicting learning grades with satisfactory accuracy equal to 86.24%. Eight hypotheses were tested; the results can be divided into three clusters of students: those who received a positive score; those who achieved a satisfactory result; students who are required to pass the exam to obtain a “satisfactory” grade. The study contributes to the development of computer pedagogy. It can be useful for teachers (for recommending to visit consultations to students who cannot achieve good results on their own, for a more efficient distribution of exam session’s time). The results can be useful for students (as a motivation to put more efforts into studying some disciplines), and for tutors and deputy deans for academic affairs (to search for “problem” students and decrease possible academic failures early).

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PEER FEEDBACK TECHNIQUE IN IMPROVING THE STUDENTS’ WRITING ABILITY OF THE FIRST GRADE STUDENTS IN SMA NEGERI BALIKPAPAN

Jurnal Guru Dikmen dan Diksus ◽

10.47239/jgdd.v3i1.113 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 117-131

Author(s):

Dayang Suriani

Keyword(s):

Learning Process ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Peer Feedback ◽

First Grade ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

Writing Ability ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Academic Year ◽

Writing Practice

This study is directed to obtain information how peer feedback can improve students’ ability in writing. Specifically, it is directed to investigate whether peer feedback works and can improve students’ writing ability in writing sentences and narrative paragraphs, at the first year students of SMA Negeri 1 Balikpapan. The study was conducted based on the result of preliminary study at the school. It is found that the students’ ability in the language skills especially in writing is still insufficient. In the teaching and learning process the teacher provides fewer portions in writing activities for the students in class. In addition, the strategies used in the teaching and learning process are uninteresting because the students have to do the writing activities in under pressure. To answer the problems, a classroom action research is conducted. The teacher as a researcher works in planning the action, implementing the action, observing, and analyzing and reflecting the action. The subjects of the study are the second year students (X-IPA-1) of 2019/2020 academic year consisting of 40 students. The results shows that peer feedback obviously can improve the students’ ability in writing sentences and narrative paragraphs at the first year students of SMA Negeri 1 Balikpapan. It has been observed that the improvements are caused by the regular writing practice done by the students and the teacher’s response given to their writing. It becomes a sort of on going dialogue.

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Challenges and Opportunities of Asynchronicity: Task-Based Approach After COVID-19

10.22364/htqe.2021.73 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Līga Beļicka ◽

◽

Tatjana Bicjutko

Keyword(s):

Teaching And Learning ◽

Research Question ◽

Educational Process ◽

Asynchronous Learning ◽

First Year ◽

Self Directed Learning ◽

First Year Students ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Directed Learning ◽

Professional Contexts

The fast transition to fully online studies due to the pandemic made the universities around the world question many of their accepted notions on teaching foreign languages in general and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) methodology in particular. Putting stress on the synchronous remote teaching and learning has proven to yield a reductionist perspective missing asynchronicity, the dimension which makes reconsider the whole educational process. With its shift from the sole focus on learning terminology to training skills in authentic professional contexts, the task-based approach has long excelled in meeting the diverse needs of students. Thus, the research question is how well task-based teaching (TBT) solves the problems raised with asynchronous learning in a university ESP course. The research of available literature on TBT yielded the framework for constructing an extended task applicable in the advanced medical English. The case study with 120 first-year students of medicine organised around an informational interview with health professionals demonstrated easy adaptability of the task to the asynchronous nature of the educational process. Personal observations by the course instructor, summaries of student-conducted interviews, and student written feedback proved the responsiveness of the method to the learners’ needs and the potential of the approach in terms of motivation. The emphasis on self-directed learning, however, threatens the systematicity of the acquired language skills, as a more controlled teaching environment would not allow “skipping” any learning step. Additionally, TBT does not solve the problem of the voluminous teaching load.

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Creative teaching design in STEM: Using graduate learning outcomes to distribute students' existing knowledge in first-year biology practical work groups

Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice ◽

10.53761/1.16.3.2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 4-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julia Savage ◽

◽

Jillian Healy ◽

Keyword(s):

Learning Outcomes ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Work Groups ◽

Practical Work ◽

First Year ◽

Education Practice ◽

Science Technology ◽

New Learning ◽

First Year University

In Australia, a significant number of students enrol in first-year university biology without the benefit of high school biology. In order to help students support each other, the authors of this paper (a central unit academic developer and a biology coordinator of first-year biology) created a classroom activity that facilitated the distribution of the more experienced students of biology throughout the practical work groups. An important feature of this creative design for forming groups, called the GLO Activity in this paper, was the embedding of two of the University’s key teaching and learning priorities within the activity. These were the University’s eight graduate learning outcomes (GLOs) and, inclusive education practice. We discuss creative pedagogies in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and their link to supporting students in their first year of university study. We explain our scholarly thinking behind the GLO Activity and evaluate its impact. Finally, we reflect on how we, the educators, found satisfaction in thinking deeply to create a new learning structure for a biology practical class that solved one teaching challenge but also met a number of the University’s curriculum principles.

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Features of Adaptation of Non-Resident Students to the University Learning Environment

Development of education ◽

10.31483/r-96296 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 53-58

Author(s):

Olga Viktorovna Bodenova ◽

Lyudmila Pavlovna Vlasova

Keyword(s):

Well Being ◽

First Year ◽

Adaptation Period ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

State University ◽

Student Survey ◽

First Year Students ◽

Resident Students ◽

New Type ◽

The University

The article is devoted to the overview of one of the most current problems that arise in the process of supporting the adaptation of students. The paper reveals the content of the adaptation process, its content and procedural characteristics, describes the types and stages, and directions of diagnostics. The aim of the work is to identify the features of adaptation in first-year students, including the description of the specifics of difficulties of non-resident students’ adaption. The study was conducted at the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology “Petrozavodsk State University” with first-year students studying in the fields of education 44.03.02 Psychological and pedagogical education, 44.03.01. Pedagogical education, 44.03.03 Special (defectologic) education. The following methods were used to test the hypothesis: «I am a student» survey, «Scale of subjective well-being» method, analysis of documents (medical records of students), quantitative and qualitative analysis. The results of the study. Analysis of the results of the study showed that non-resident students have both general and specific difficulties of adaptation due to the breakdown of previous family and friendships, lack of emotional support, difficult living conditions, a new neighborhood, a new type of settlement, etc. The obtained results are used for development and implementation of measures to support students during the adaptation period.

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The Impact of Feedback on Students’ Autonomous ESP Learning Outcomes

Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala ◽

10.18662/rrem/13.2/424 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 323-339

Author(s):

Natalia Yevheniivna Dmitrenko ◽

Iuliia Oleksiivna Budas

Keyword(s):

Learning Outcomes ◽

Educational Process ◽

First Year ◽

Written Feedback ◽

Peer Observation ◽

First Year Students ◽

Self Regulated Learning ◽

University Course ◽

Learning Competence ◽

The Impact

The present paper provides the results of the feedback influence on students’ autonomous ESP learning. It is aimed to study the impact of feedback on autonomous learning outcomes of first-year students, who are studying a two-year university course of “English for Specific Purposes (ESP)”, the significant part of which is dedicated to self-regulated learning. The aim of the course is to improve the students’ proficiency in professionally oriented English communication to the level of B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The investigation has proved the importance of teachers’ support in students’ autonomous ESP learning. The outcomes of those students who received the feedback regularly signify that even being self-sufficient, students strive for teachers’ or peer observation and feedback in the educational process. In the article, the interdependence between the level of students’ autonomous ESP learning competence and students’ feedback literacy is presented. The results of the study suggest that students’ autonomous ESP learning outcomes are considerably influenced by supportive external written feedback if it is sought, and their feedback literacy level is at least moderate or higher. A higher level of students’ feedback literacy is observed among students with a more advanced level of autonomous ESP learning competence and who demonstrate better academic achievements in professionally oriented English communication. The coherence of the elaborated levels of Ukrainian students’ feedback literacy and the ways of its enhancing can be significant for educators in other countries.

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Effective mathematics teaching in tertiary technological education: The case of ASPETE

New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences ◽

10.18844/prosoc.v7i1.4888 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 158-168

Author(s):

Katerina Kasimatis ◽

Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos ◽

Nikolaos Matzakos ◽

Varvara Rozou ◽

Dionisios Kouloumpis

Keyword(s):

Mathematics Teaching ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Teaching Effectiveness ◽

Learning System ◽

First Year ◽

Research Approach ◽

Technological Education ◽

First Year Students ◽

Teaching And Learning Mathematics ◽

Learning Mathematics

In this mixed methods study, we draw upon a systemic perspective to investigate the way that effective mathematics teaching is constructed in the ASPETE (School of Pedagogical and Technological Education) learning system. We focused on the perspectives of the first-year students (through questionnaires), of the lecturer who taught the course (through interviews), as well as of the research team (through observations). We considered both the pragmatic level (what they actually experienced) and the desired level (what they would prefer to experience). The results of the conducted analyses support the proposed research approach, revealing convergences and divergences in the mapped perspectives, which identify the mathematics teaching effectiveness of the subsystem of the mathematics class in ASPETE as an emergent, systemic phenomenon. The pedagogical implications are discussed, with respect to the planifications of teaching and learning mathematics in the ASPETE learning system.

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Implementation of Learning Outcomes in Mathematics for Non-Mathematics Major by Using E-Learning

Teaching Mathematics Online ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-875-0.ch006 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 119-140 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

B. Divjak

Keyword(s):

Learning Outcomes ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Educational Process ◽

Social Software ◽

First Year ◽

Technology Enhanced Learning ◽

Student Centered ◽

Undergraduate Study ◽

E Learning ◽

The University

Learning outcomes are considered to be a key tool for student-centered teaching and learning. They can be successfully implemented in teaching and learning mathematics on higher educational level and together with appropriate level of technology enhanced learning can provide the framework for successful learning process even for students that have not been primarily interested in mathematics. The aim is to present the case study of implementation of learning outcomes and e-learning in several mathematical courses at the Faculty of Organization and Informatics of the University of Zagreb. First of all, there are examples of mathematical courses in the first year since the first study year is crucial for retaining students. Further, there are mathematical courses taught at higher years of undergraduate study and the first year of graduate study. Again, educational process is appropriately supported by ICT and executed through blended e-learning, as well as the use of social software.

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Hospitality Management Students' Conceptions of Education

Tourism and Hospitality Research ◽

10.1057/palgrave.thr.6050048 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 7 (3-4) ◽

pp. 256-268 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wichard Zwaal ◽

Hans Otting

Keyword(s):

Teaching And Learning ◽

Hospitality Management ◽

Management Programme ◽

First Year ◽

First Year Students ◽

Educational Innovations ◽

Conceptions Of Assessment ◽

Management Students ◽

Senior Students ◽

Development Of Students

The major issue addressed in this study is the alignment between the institutional conception of education and the students’ conceptions of education, decomposed into three parts: conceptions of knowledge, conceptions of teaching and learning, and conceptions of assessment. Subjects in this study were 324 students enrolled in a four-year hospitality management programme. Three instruments were administered to measure students’ conceptions of education. Results indicate that the three sets of conceptions seem to fit in the traditional-constructivist dichotomy with students showing a congruent pattern in the three sets of conceptions. Finally, first-year students hold more traditional conceptions of education than senior students. The implication for educational innovations is that serious attention should be paid to the development of students’ conceptions of education.

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FEEDBACK METHOD IN LECTURER-STUDENT INTERACTION

SOCIETY INTEGRATION EDUCATION Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference ◽

10.17770/sie2019vol1.3791 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 442

Author(s):

Natalya Prokofyeva ◽

Oksana Zavjalova ◽

Viktorija Boltunova

Keyword(s):

Computer Science ◽

Student Performance ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Direct Interaction ◽

Basic Knowledge ◽

First Year ◽

Student Survey ◽

First Year Students ◽

Feedback Method ◽

Student Relationship

The learning process at any stage involves direct interaction between the lecturer and students. The article discusses the lecturer-student relationship as one of the factors that influences the teaching process and improvement of learning materials on the example of the study course “Computer Science”. The study aims at using the results of the survey, as well as student tests as a feedback method to improve the quality of the presentation of new material to first-year students considering the basic knowledge of obtained secondary education. The article discusses two methods of feedback: survey and testing. Survey is considered a method with high efficiency of obtaining information, a possibility of organising mass surveys, an ability to accurately process student survey results. Testing is viewed as a method to identify the level of knowledge and skills, as well as the abilities and other qualities of the educator to meet certain standards by analysing the ways, in which a student performs a number of special tasks. Both methods perfectly complement each other and provide an opportunity to more objectively analyse the learning situation. The article presents the results of the study on the example of the study course “Computer Science” for three academic years, describes changes in the structure of the course, as well as changes in the conduction of practical classes within the course, which improved student performance.

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