Sustainable development in the design of online degree programmes for national cross-studies

This study examines the integration of sustainable development in the holistic design of higher education online degree programmes for national cross-studies in Finland. The methodology adopted is design-based research. The literature combines works from the fields of online degree programme design and sustainable development. The empirical data is collected from an Online Degree Working Group representing various online degree expertise in applied higher education. The results of this study highlight the importance of national level collaboration in efforts to reach sustainable development goals in online degree programmes for national cross-studies in higher education. Key sustainability competencies are combined into online degree programme design to reveal new considerations for sustainable development in the online degree education context. The results can be utilised by managers, administrators, and educators of online degree programmes in higher education organisations who are interested in implementing sustainable development in the design phase of the online degree programmes.

Perceived workplace violence reported by nurses enrolled in B.Sc Nursing degree programme at KIU, Sri Lanka

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) can be defined as a violent act directed towards workers, including physical assault, threat of assault and verbal abuse and it is widely recognized as having far-reaching consequences for workers’ health and safety. Nurses are the most vulnerable group for WPV. In recent years WPV against nurses has significantly increased, becoming a nationwide phenomenon across the hospital settings. Furthermore, it can impact the quality of patient care and reduce the efficiency and quality of the entire health system. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the perceived workplace violence reported by nurses enrolled in the B.Sc Nursing degree programme at KIU, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 undergraduate nurses in KIU. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data which consisted of demographic information, the prevalence of WPV and factors associated with WPV. Data analysis was done with descriptive statistics and chi-square test using SPSS version 23. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of KIU (KIU/ERC/20/05). Results: The majority of participants were females (97.4%, n=298), aged between 20-30 years (61.4%, n=188) and had working experience of <5 years (63.7%, n=195). The prevalence of workplace violence was 75.5%, n=231. The commonest type of reported violence was verbal violence (87.8%, n=203) followed by emotional violence (65%, n=150), physical violence (15%, n=35), sexual violence (3.8%, n=9) and racial harassment (2.1%, n=5). Medical and Surgical wards (39.6%, n=91) were the most frequent working areas where nurses faced violent behavior. The perpetrators were found to be supervisors (73.1%, n=168), patients’ relatives (53.2%, n=122), and patients (52.3%, n=120). The working unit of the nurses (p< 0.001), designation (p<0.001), number of night duties per month (p=0.019), and ability to access the ward without permission (p=0.042) were significantly associated with WPV among nurses. Conclusion: The study concluded that the prevalence of WPV was high among nurses while verbal violence from nursing supervisors was the most common WPV. Therefore, it is mandatory to place appropriate measures to prevent the WPV among nurses.

Does a Nursing Associate Programme Team Work and Leadership Module Make a Difference to Student Nursing Associate Self-reported Leadership Skills? A Mixed-methods Study

Background: Leadership is an essential element in the skills of healthcare professionals at all levels. This is true for Registered Nurses as well as Nursing Associates, who are registered professionals with a two-year foundation degree programme as role preparation. Objective: This paper reports a study examining potential gains that might accrue from leadership and team-working module in year two of the Nursing Associate Foundation Degree programme at one university in the South West of England. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study in the summer of 2020, with a pre- and post-module survey using the Student Leadership Inventory – Self, and a virtual focus group on the video conferencing software Zoom ™. Results: The survey results showed a statistically significant difference between Student Nurse Associates’ scores before and after the module, with a moderate effect size. The virtual focus group confirmed benefits that included growing personal confidence amongst those that attended and that they could identify leadership styles and team dynamics in practice. Conclusion: As effective leadership is associated with patient safety and quality of care, we conclude that not only has this module been effective, but also that such preparation for practice can have important real-world impacts beyond the classroom.

Mastering the pedagogical potential of cultural and educational city environment: The experience of implementing project-based master’s degree programme

The purpose of the study is to present the methodological fundamentals of the development of cultural and educational environment of the city within primary education. We proved the necessity of revising training techniques for teaching culture under conditions of higher education. We explained top priority of orientation towards humanitarian, anthropological and axiological approaches to organization of mastering local lore at school and university. The cultural and educational environment of the city, i.e. the place, where a person was born, is considered as a tool for the interiorization of universal human values. The study gave reasons for importance of involving children in local lore activities at primary school age. Local lore is considered as a scientific basis for designing the content of school subjects; as a cultural training, activity aimed at learning about the heritage of one’s native city, preserving and enhancing the cultural level of the region, its inner potential; as a social activity aimed at developing civic mindedness. The article determined the possibilities of using local lore to teach moral and spiritual values to primary schoolchildren. The study described experience of creating and implementing a project-based research-based master’s degree programme at Saratov State University, aimed at training primary school teachers to use local lore materials in the educational process at school. The article reveals the structural and content components of the educational programme, the main forms and teaching methods. The article outlines the topics for student projects in the field of literary, linguistic, mathematical, and ecological local lore. We presented various methodological forms of incorporating local material in the class and extracurricular activities of younger students: compilation of interactive educational resources (books, reference books, albums, presentations, didactic problem books), preparation of quest games, virtual excursions, subject and intersubject projects. The article gives examples of cross-curricular competitions, mathematical problems with regional content. The priority area is the immersion of students (both students and schoolchildren) in the cultural environment of the city, region.

Practising postcolonial pedagogies in higher education teaching and research

Teaching about global development challenges is a complex and demanding process both for students and teachers. In this article, I examine the potential of postcolonial pedagogies in facilitating the process of learning to unlearn and in developing learners’ agency in reading the world. I focus on two teaching encounters to examine the potential of postcolonial pedagogies; one is a Sustainable Development module, part of a degree programme in formal higher education and the second teaching encounter are preparatory sessions for overseas volunteers.This paper examines the process and implications of utilising postcolonial pedagogies in these settings and is written from my perspective as a self-reflexive teacher and researcher. This form of teaching and learning raises three particular tensions for me: structural concerns in the Irish education system, pedagogical questions as well as personal implications for me as a teacher and my knowledge base. This article concludes with a summary of these identified tensions, outlining continuing questions rather than presenting solutions. Teaching about global development challenges is difficult, challenging and emotional work, demanding vigilance and reflexivity by the teacher.

Motivational potential of bilingual and non-bilingual programmes in secondary and tertiary education

The aim of this research is to examine the overall degree of motivation among secondary school students and university students earning a bachelor’s degree in primary education in bilingual and non-bilingual programmes, and the motivational potential of ten dimensions, broken down into 60 variables, which interact in these programmes. To this end, a sample of 485 secondary school students (310 in bilingual programmes and 175 in non-bilingual programmes) and 332 bachelor’s degree students in primary education (160 in the bilingual degree programme and 172 in the non-bilingual programme) participated in the study. The findings indicate that secondary school students in non-bilingual programmes are overall more highly motivated than those in bilingual programmes, assigning a higher score than bilinguals to 21 out the 60 variables examined. While there are no significant differences in terms of overall motivation between the two groups compared in teaching degree programmes, EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) students assigned a higher motivational value than non-EMI students to 32 variables. Finally, the study presents the resulting motivational potential of the 60 variables included in the ten dimensions analysed.