Acoustical Environment Studies in the Modern Urban University Campuses

The quality of the acoustic environments at Xi’an Jiatong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and Soochow University (Dushuhu Campus, SUDC) in Suzhou City were investigated in the present work through real-time noise level measurements and questionnaire surveys. Before commencing the measurements and surveys, these two campuses’ sound sources were summarized and classified into four categories through on-site observation: human-made, machinery, living creatures, and natural physical sounds. For the zones near the main traffic road, with a high volume of crowds and surrounded by a park, sound from road vehicles, humans talking, and birds/insects were selected by the interviewees as the major sound sources, respectively. Only zone 3 (near to a park) at XJTLU could be classified as A zone (noise level < 55 dBA) with an excellent quality acoustical environment. All other zones had either good or average quality acoustical environments, except zone 1 (near to main traffic road) at XJTLU, with a fair-quality acoustical environment.

Identifying Common Student Experiences That Affect Success in a Crisis Context (COVID-19)

Learning experiences and educational opportunities around the world have been disrupted due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This chapter outlines a case study involving foundation-level students enrolled at an urban university in Aotearoa New Zealand. The case study is designed to gain a deeper understanding of student experiences during this time of crisis. Student narratives are analysed to identify common experiences and gain a clearer understanding of the self-reported factors that students identified as affecting their success, allowing academic and support staff to improve the pre-degree experience for foundation students. Affordable access to connectivity, increased pastoral care, and a digitally responsive curriculum were identified as key considerations to addressing inequities present in a crisis context (COVID-19) within the educational context and wider community.

Innovative Pedagogy to Overcome Student Struggles with Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a problem that affects English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learner all over the world. Rather than simply labelling students who plagiarize as “offenders,” finding solutions to guide them away from it is of primary importance. Ten instructors teaching a 30-week EFL academic writing course at a large urban university in Japan were interviewed about their methodologies to do so. Two academic writing classes (N=40) were asked to write reflections on what they were learning and how it was being taught to them. The student reflections and instructor interview transcripts were coded and analysed, instructor strategies to deal with plagiarism proactively in this context identified, and student responses to these strategies explored. The strategies were largely found to be a combination of existing methods with one notable exception, which is introduced in detail here. It is based on Rubin’s Four Tendencies personality framework, which is a method that relies on instructors recognizing learners as responding to expectations in one of four ways and harnessing this to help them achieve. This personalized instruction can be seen as one of the modern approaches to facilitate learning and engagement outlined by Owens and Kadakia (2016). Student responses to it were positive, and the instructor using it felt that it both reduced stress and improved relationships with students. As such, the method has been added to the departmental pedagogy for the next intake of students.

Does Easy Access to Casinos Influence Addictive Gambling Behavior by College Students? The Potential Role of Tribal Gaming in America

This study extends prior research examining whether physical proximity to casinos influences gambling behavior of college students, as well as whether this is related to gender and GPA. We collected data from students at a major urban university, where there are twelve casinos within sixty miles of the campus.

Rural students’ transition in and through a semi-urban university: Experiences from the National University of Lesotho

This paper reports on the findings of a study carried out at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). The paper explored the influence of ‘rurality’ on students who originate from the rural areas of Lesotho and analysed their transition at the NUL. The spatial geographic theory and narrative inquiry were adopted, and qualitative focus groups were utilised to collect data. The students were given an opportunity to conceptualise ‘rurality’ and narrate their stories about growing up and earlier schooling, as well as their learning experiences at the NUL. The findings revealed that rural students’ educational trajectories are indeed filled with numerous challenges, mainly due to deprivation and limited exposure to technology in their earlier lives. The main recommendation made by the paper is that the concerned stakeholders ought to be mindful of the needs of all prospective higher education students, including those from rural backgrounds, and intervene accordingly.

Opioid disposal rates after spine surgery

Background: Diversion of prescription opioids pills is a significant contributor to opioid misuse and the opioid epidemic. The goal of this study was to determine the frequency and quantity of excess opioid pills among patients undergoing spine surgery. Further, we wanted to determine the frequency of appropriate opioid disposal. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing elective spine surgery within a multi-hospital, academic, urban university health system enrolled in a text-messaging program used to track postoperative opioid disposal. Patients who self-reported discontinuation of opioid use but with leftover pills were contacted via telephone and surveyed on opioid disposal. Results: Of the 291 patients who enrolled in the text-messaging program, 192 (66%) patients reported discontinuing opioids within 3 months of surgery. Although 76 (40%) reported excess opioid pills after cessation of use, only 47 (62%) participated in the telephone survey regarding opioid disposal. The median number of leftover pills among these 47 patients was 5 (5, 15) and 64% had not disposed of their prescription. Conclusion: Among the 47 telephone survey participants, a persistent gap remained in postoperative opioid excess and improper disposal. Future efforts must focus on initiatives to improve opioid disposal rates to reduce the quantity of opioids at risk for diversion and to reduce excess prescribing.