Exploring the relationships between socio-economic indicators and student enrollment in higher education institutions of Pakistan

Higher education is considered as the engine of the economic development of a country due to its role in cultivating human capital. The provision of higher education is regarded as a productive investment in human capital for improving nation’s productive capacity. However, there is a large gap in enrollment between students of different socioeconomic statuses. The ever-widening socio-economic inequalities between individuals from disadvantaged and advantaged backgrounds make the government’s efforts to enroll a higher number of students to pursue higher education challenging in developing countries, as the students’ socioeconomic status plays a decisive role in their priority to attain higher education. This study anticipated quantifying the impact of socio-economic indicators and underlying situations on students’ enrollment in higher education in Pakistan. A descriptive study, involving correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), clustering, and stepwise regression using 15-years data of enrollment and socio-economic indicators was conducted. The correlation between different socio-economic indicators and students’ enrollment was positive and highly significant (0.73 to 0.99), except for the unemployment rate (- 0.39 to -0.57). PCA showed that the first two components were the most influential with 93.85% of the total variation. Enrollment (total and male) showed significant relationships with general government expenditure and unemployment rate, while female enrollment showed a significant relationship with general government expenditure. Findings revealed that socio-economic factors can serve as a significant predictor of students’ enrollment in higher education. The minimum values of correlation coefficient (R) and adjusted R2 for enrollment were ranged from 0.875 to 0.748 (female enrollment), while maximum values (0.987 to 0.993 and 0.973 to 0.983), respectively were observed for total enrollment. The findings will assist educationists, social scientists, and policymakers to better understand the association between socio-economic indicators and student enrollment in higher education for formulating future education policies for enhancing enrollment in higher education.

Trends in Optometric Education – A Demographic Snapshot of the Optometry Applicant Pool and Student Enrollment

ASCO has prided itself on being the “go to” source for any data related to optometric education. Two of the most useful reports ASCO does annually are the OptomCAS Applicant Data Report – A National Snapshot, and the ASCO Student Data Report. This article will focus on data trends from both of these reports, specifically detailing the numbers and demographics of the optometry applicant pool and student enrollment over the past twelve years.

Factors Associated with Student Enrollment, Completion, and Dropout of Massive Open Online Courses in the Sultanate of Oman

This research aims to investigate the elements that influence learners' enrollment in, completion of and dropout from Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). MOOCs attract a vast number of participants, with enrollments growing at an unprecedented rate; however, only a small number of students who enroll, complete their study. In this research, data were collected from 79 participants using an online survey. Professional growth, flexible time, free of charge, and the opportunity to obtain certification were recognized as the four main factors that directly influenced student enrollment in MOOCs. The motivational variables revealed in this study that led to the effective completion of MOOCs included good-quality course videos, straightforward and clear tutor instructions, good course delivery, and useful instructor feedback, among others. The most prevalent reasons for dropout included failure to fulfil the deadline, the instructor's vocabulary, challenging assignments, and difficulty in grasping the course content. The findings of this study can provide educators and decision-makers with the information they need to better understand the factors that influence MOOC student enrollment, completion, and dropout rates, as well as relevant actions to improve the success rates of MOOC.

“A festa da Arte”

Este trabalho realiza uma discussão sobre o uso do jornal como fonte histórica a partir de uma análise das publicações feitas sobre o Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte pelo jornal A Ordem, entre os anos de 1936 e 1952. Com o objetivo de compreender como o referido periódico realizava suas publicações sobre esse espaço de ensino musical, e a fim de ter acesso às suas edições na íntegra, realizou-se uma pesquisa na Hemeroteca Digital da Biblioteca Nacional, na qual encontraram-se as edições nas quais o Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte foi mencionado. A pesquisa é de natureza qualitativa e exploratória, com procedimentos de caráter bibliográfico e documental, através da análise das notas encontradas no jornal A Ordem. Para a interpretação dos dados, traz-se a compreensão de Barros (2019) acerca do jornal como fonte histórica e não como objeto de estudo, e de Albuquerque Junior (2013) sobre documentos, que trazem vida, sentimentos, emoções, e acontecimentos da vida de um homem do passado. No período analisado, A Ordem publicou conteúdos diversificados sobre o Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte, informando sobre período de matrículas, início de ano letivo, resultado de exames, recital dos alunos, trazendo notas com o diretor da instituição e outras que faziam referências indiretas à mesma. Desse modo, o periódico local se mostrou um importante parceiro na realização das atividades da instituição. Palavras-chave: Instituto de Música do Rio Grande do Norte. Jornal A Ordem. Documento. The "art celebration": a ordem newspaper as a research source regarding music professional education in Rio Grande do Norte (1936-1952) Abstract This work deals with the use of the newspaper as a historical documental source. The research is based on an analysis of the publications of the Institute of Music of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil in the A Ordem newspaper between the years 1936 and 1952. To understand how the periodical realized its publications regarding the musical teaching institution, and in order to have access to its full editions, a survey in the Digital Periodical Library of the Brazilian National Library was realized where issues where the forementioned Institute were found. The research is of qualitative and exploratory nature and considered bibliographic and documentary strategies, through the analysis of the notes found in the newspaper. The research is as of a qualitative and exploratory nature, with bibliographic and documentary procedures, through the analysis of the notes found in the newspaper A Ordem newspaper. For data interpretation, the researched relied on works such as Barros (2019) that deals with newspapers as documental sources and not only as an empirical object. The research also considered works of Albuquerque Junior (2013) about documents, which emphasize life, feelings, emotions, and events from the life of a men in this period. In this context A Ordem newspaper published a diversified type of contents regarding the aforementioned institute. Some reports dealt with student enrollment period, beginning of the school year, exam results or students' recitals. Others were reports written by the institute´s director or mentioned the institute indirectly. Thus, the local newspaper proved to be an important ally in the broadcasting of the institution's activities. Keywords: Music Institute of Rio Grande do Norte. A Ordem newspaper. Document.

Analysis of the Behavior of Petroleum Engineering Student Enrollment in Mexico in the Last 10 Years: Evolution and Challenges

This work shows an analysis of the total enrollment, new admissions, graduates and degrees awarded in Petroleum Engineering at Bachelor's level in the last 10 years in Mexico, according to the statistical yearbooks published by the Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior (ANUIES), which will allow to know the expected behavior of the student enrollment for the next 5 years. The digital transformation is discussed to propose the strategy of education in the medium and long term. An analysis is carried out on the study plans of 11 universities that teach Petroleum Engineering and have an active student chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Mexico, to know the subjects taught and detect possible modifications supported by the compression of automation elements such as data analysis and artificial intelligence. Actions taken by other universities in the world for transition from traditional education to an education aligned to new global needs are discussed as well. Results show that student enrollment exhibits a strong dependence on barrel prices, the higher the price per barrel, the greater the number of new students enrolled. Student ranges from 4,800 to 13,663 at their peak. Derived from the fall in oil prices in 2014, there is an average annual decrease of 12%. If the trend continues to be the same, there will be less than 3,000 Petroleum Engineering students in Mexico by 2025. There are 55 Petroleum Engineering schools in the country, Veracruz and Tabasco together account for 56.5% of graduates nationwide in 2019. Technological innovations and technical challenges should shape the curricula in the Petroleum Engineering degree. It was also detected that the current education contemplates the study of traditional technologies, so it is advisable to align efforts to improve and strengthen the curricula of the universities that already offer the degree, instead of opening new schools. Mexico's national fields face increasingly complex technical challenges, such as the production of mature fields, unconventional reservoirs, deep-water exploration, and heavy and extra-heavy oils. Current Petroleum Engineering students are the ones who in few years will make important decisions about the direction of the industry, so it is of great interest to know the quality and quantity of them, and focus efforts on addressing deficiencies in fields related to technical challenges.