A systematic review of using team-based learning in a pharmacokinetics course

Background: This systematic review aimed to summarise an application of team-based learning (TBL) in pharmacokinetics courses, to compare the learning outcomes of TBL to that of traditional lecture-based courses, and to identify the benefits of using a TBL strategy in pharmacokinetics courses. Method: PubMed, Scopus, and ERIC EBSCO databases were systematically searched, and 191 non-redundant articles were retrieved. Of these, seven articles were included. Results: Implementation of a TBL in pharmacokinetic courses resulted in several positive results including higher examination grades, improvement in professionalism aspects such as altruism, accountability, and honesty. Student engagement, peer learning, and the development of transferable skills could also be observed. Despite these positive benefits, some challenges exist, such as an increase in initial workload for faculty members, preparation of appropriate assignments, and suitable strategy to facilitate students. Conclusion: Future TBL implementation should be critically designed to optimise faculties’ workload and students’ engagement to the course.

Transferable skills perception analysus of vocational middle school teachers on-in-on-in dual skills program

The Ministry of Education and Culture in 2016 made one of the breakthrough programs in an effort to organize and fulfill productive teachers in Vocational High Schools (VHS) through the Dual Skills Program (DSK). The DSK is implemented to support the improvement of vocational education as well as education and job skills training. Meanwhile, DSK participating teachers must have new competencies that can be used to teach productive subjects in certain areas of expertise. Increasing the competence of DSK participants needs to take into account the development of transferable skills obtained after conducting training or in the process of implementing DSK. The aims of this study are to 1.) Determine the types of transferable skills that DSK participant teachers need to possess; and 2.) Analyze and describe the transferable skills of teachers of vocational high school on-in-on-in DSK in Malang Regency. This study uses a quantitative approach. The samples used were all Vocational High School teachers who took part in the on-in-on-in DSK in Malang Regency, while the respondent's data collection used a questionnaire. The results showed that the types of transferable skills consist of communication skills, planning skills, interpersonal skills, work attitude skills, organizational skills, financial management skills, and critical thinking skills. The transferable skills of teachers of vocational high school on-in-on-in dual skills program in Malang Regency were in a good category.

Bridging the employability skills gap: going beyond classroom walls

Purpose Employability skills are critical for success in the workplace, even more so in this era of globalisation of economies and advancement in technologies. However, there is ample evidence of the gap between the skills acquired by graduates at universities and the skills expected by employers in the workplace. Applying the modes of grasping and transforming the experience embodied in Kolb’s experiential learning theory (ELT) (1976, 1984), the purpose of this paper is to examine the development of employability skills of accountancy students through their involvement in two extracurricular activities: community accounting and an accountancy club. Design/methodology/approach Underpinned by Kolb’s (1976, 1984) four modes of ELT and work-integrated learning to develop professional competencies required for future work, an online survey of accounting students was conducted to assess their reflections on involvement in these two aforementioned extracurricular activities over a two-year period. Findings The findings indicate that the students had developed useful cognitive and behavioural skills from their participation in these extracurricular activities. These findings are consistent with the literature on internships and service-learning, both of which have been associated with transferable skills development. Originality/value Prior studies focused on in-classroom learning activities or internships to help students develop various essential skills required in the workplace. However, extracurricular activities have received little attention in the accounting education literature. This study provides insights into skills accounting students can gain from extracurricular participation in community accounting and an accountancy club.

Spurring inclusive entrepreneurship and student development post-C19: synergies between research and business plan competitions

PurposeAcademic innovation strives to benefit from an ample talent pool, and entrepreneurship and research competitions constitute an integral part of the effort. This prompts discussions about how to optimize the impact of interdisciplinary learning, especially for less-traditional participants. The main purpose of this article is to describe how synergies between research and business plan competitions can facilitate inclusive engagement and enhanced development of transferable skills.Design/methodology/approachA case illustration addresses the following questions: (1) what skills can be enhanced through a single project toward parallel participation in research and business plan competitions? (2) How can synergies between research and business plan competitions support more inclusive student development? The case illustration outlines the process and outcomes of an initiative with three first-gen business students, two female and two international.FindingsThe case illustration describes how synergies and alignments of deadliness between research and business plan competitions enhanced the learning process by facilitating more opportunities to showcase learning and receive feedback. In addition, the parallel preparation facilitated student inclusion by providing purposeful authentic practice in a project envisioned by the students. As a result of the 2019 learning experience, students and their employers continue to value in 2021 the effective development of transferable skills.Originality/valuePrevious studies examine independently entrepreneurship initiatives, science technology engineering arts and mathematics (STEAM) initiatives, transferable skills and pedagogy that support inclusive education. This manuscript describes the option of synergies between research and entrepreneurship competitions to support more inclusive student development. In addition, it provides recommendations for impact when scaling-up synergies.

Interdisciplinary and transferable concepts in bioinformatics education: observations and approaches from a UK MSc course

Bioinformatics is a highly interdisciplinary subject, with substantial and growing influence in health, environmental science and society, and is utilised by scientists from many diverse academic backgrounds. Education in bioinformatics therefore necessitates effective development of skills in interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, ethics, and critical analysis of research, in addition to practical and technical skills. Insights from bioinformatics training can additionally inform developing education in the tightly aligned and emerging disciplines of data science and artificial intelligence. Here we describe the design, implementation, and review of a module in a UK MSc-level bioinformatics programme attempting to address these goals for diverse student cohorts. Reflecting the philosophyof the field and programme, the module content was designed either as ‘diversity-addressing’ – working towards a common foundation of knowledge – or ‘diversity-exploiting’ – where different student viewpoints and skills were harnessed to facilitate student research projects ‘greater than the sum of their parts’. For a universal introduction to technical concepts, we combined a mixed lecture / immediate computational practical approach, facilitated by virtual machines, creating an efficient technical learning environment praised in student feedback for building confidence among cohorts with diverse backgrounds. Interdisciplinary group research projects where diverse students worked on real research questions were supervised in tandem with interactive contact time covering transferable skills in collaboration and communication in diverse teams, research presentation, and ethics. Multifaceted feedback and assessment provided a constructive alignment with real peer-reviewed bioinformatics research. We believe that the inclusion of these transferable, interdisciplinary, and critical concepts in a bioinformatics course can help produce rounded, experienced graduates, ready for the real world and with many future options in science and society. In addition, we hope to provide some ideas and resources to facilitate such inclusion.

A Study of Employability Soft Skills of Final-Year Students: A Case of Gedu College of Business Studies

Employability soft skills is a set of highly desirable, transferable skills that turn one into an attractive employee. It can be defined as a set of skills employers want from a potential employee. This study was designed to evaluate the employability soft skills of Gedu College of Business Studies’ Students and for evaluation, the quantitative research design was adopted. A proportionate sampling method was used and enumerated 228 B. Com and BBA students. Collected data were analyzed using a one-sample t-test and an independent sample t-test. The result reveals that Gedu College of Business Studies’ students possess above-average employability soft skills where the mean score is greater than the test value (3). It further reveals that there is no statistically significant mean difference in employability soft skills between male and female students apart from problem-solving skills which were found statistically significant (p=.046, p<0.05).

A structured professional development curriculum for postdoctoral fellows leads to recognized knowledge growth

Postdoctoral training enables research independence and professional readiness. National reports have emphasized professional development as a critical component of this training period. In response, many institutions are establishing transferable skills training workshops for postdocs; however, the lack of structured programs and an absence of methods to assess outcomes beyond participant satisfaction surveys are critical gaps in postdoctoral training. To address these shortcomings, we took the approach of structured programming and developed a method for controlled assessment of outcomes. Our program You3 (You, Your Team, Your Project), co-designed by postdoctoral fellows, focused on discussing specific management and leadership skills agnostic of ultimate career path(s) in a structured manner. We then measured outcomes in a controlled manner, by systematically comparing perceived knowledge and growth as indicators of awareness and confidence in participants against that of non-participants as the control group. You3 participants self-rated greater growth in targeted competencies compared to non-participants independent of the number of years of training. This growth was shown by multiple criteria including self-reporting and associative analysis. Correspondingly, You3 participants reported greater knowledge in 75% of the modules when compared to controls. These data indicate that structured learning, where postdocs commit to a curriculum via a cohort-structure, leads to positive outcomes and provides a framework for programs to assess outcomes in a rigorous manner.

Adopting Measures to Increase Alumni Donations at Prestigious Universities

This research uniquely aims to identify the key factors that current students at prestigious universities indicate have influence upon their likelihood of making donations to their alma mater in the future. Using data and examples from both the UK and the USA we show the importance of voluntary donations to prestigious universities and suggest that UK universities have much to learn from their American counterparts. A novel questionnaire was administered to students studying at a number of prestigious UK universities which resulted in a large number of responses being accepted for inferential statistical analysis. The robust results provide new insight into the significance of student centred pedagogy and students&#39; career and financial aspirations as major determinants of intention to donate and also confirm the importance of overall student satisfaction, acquisition of transferable skills and the social experiences of university as additional determining factors. It is intended that this research should have practical implications and so we emphasise elements of the student and pedagogical experience upon which universities and alumni departments should focus their resources in order to increase the likelihood of obtaining future alumni donations from their current students.