486 Comparison Between Online and In-person Instruction in a Laboratory-based Animal Science Course

Online teaching has been rapidly integrated into laboratory-based learning environments across all disciplines due to the 2019 pandemic. With such an abrupt transition to online instruction, the quality of traditional instruction in laboratory-based courses is in question. The objective of this study was to determine if a hands-on laboratory could be effectively taught online. This study compared the academic achievement and perception of students (n = 163) in an Introduction to Animal Science course where half the course instruction was online, and half was in-person. Student achievement was measured from weekly quizzes, and two major exams, a midterm and final, testing material covered online and in-person, respectively. All statistics were analyzed using JMP Pro 14. Exam scores were correlated to quiz scores to assess output to input, and were strongly correlated. A 10% increase in quiz performance resulted in a 1% increase in exam performance for both types of instruction (P < 0.01). There is no difference in this effect between material delivered online, and in-person. The efficacy of the method of instruction was measured by student surveys. Meeting style preference of students was different between instruction methods, where student preference shifted from asynchronous (40% to 11.6%) to hybrid instruction (39.6% to 69.5%), with no change in virtual preference (P < 0.01; P = 0.14). Student perception of quiz and exam question fairness was different where students thought question fairness increased between online and in-person instruction for quizzes and exams, respectively (P < 0.01; P < 0.01). In conclusion, there are no differences in student performance based on grades between online and in-person instruction; however, student perception of meeting style and assessment question fairness improved when students were taught in-person. As a result, laboratory-based science courses can be successfully transitioned to online instruction.

Structure Rearrangement of an Introductory Course for General Shipping Education

A literature on maritime education is at the corner side, comparing with large amount of works on business and management topics. However, the importance of forming and updating a maritime education system should not be neglected, leaving a research gap for academic discussion. This paper is a continuation of an introductory course design study in a maritime university (Wang, Zhang, Ge, & Chao, 2021). In the last paper, we deal with the content selection problem for general shipping education. The content of shipping education relies heavily on the practice. Evolved with the internal and external environment change of shipping industry, the structure of the course designed before cannot fully comply with the industrial requirements. This paper aims to rearrange the course structure by increasing the student and practitioner engagement, where the student preference and industrial requirements are both considered. The Entropy-TOPSIS model is applied to evaluate the contents of each module. It is shown that students and practitioners are very sensitive to the different modules; the common and divergent perspectives were identified. Finally, the proportion of each content was adjusted accordingly based on the results of the measurement. The main contribution is to provide a possible solution for the course reform of general shipping education.

ANALYSIS OF DEMAND FOR COUNSELLING SERVICES FOR UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE STUDENTS

The offer for counselling services at universities and colleges is nowadays their standard component. University counselling focuses on learning, psychological, social, special-pedagogical and career issues. The aim of the paper is to acquaint with the results of the demand analysis for counselling services among students of all grades of the selected university in the Czech Republic. The results identified specific areas where students would need guidance or their further development (e. g. soft skills) while gender and student preference differences at different stages of study were found for most indicators. The results of such investigations are the core basis for reflection, innovation and improvement of the university counselling services status quo.

Speaking Softly and Listening Hard: The Process of Involving Young Voices from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse School in Child Health Research

The involvement of young people in the planning of research continues to be rare, particularly for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. This paper describes our experience in establishing a Youth Research Advisory Group (YRAG) in South West Sydney (SWS), including barriers and successful strategies. One hundred and fifteen students between school Years 7 and 12 (ages 11–18) took part in at least one of five sessions between 2019 and 2021. In total, we carried out 26 YRAG sessions, with between five and 30 students in each. Sessions focused on mapping the health priorities of the participants and co-developing research project proposals related to their health priorities. Our work with students revealed that their main areas of concern were mental health and stress. This led to material changes in our research strategy, to include “Mental Health” as a new research stream and co-develop new mental health-related projects with the students. Important strategies that enabled our research included maintaining flexibility to work seamlessly with organisational and individual preferences, and ensuring our processes were directed by the schools and—most importantly—the students themselves. Strategies such as maintaining an informal context, responding rapidly to student preference, and regularly renegotiating access enabled us to engage with the students to deepen our understanding of their experiences.

Preparation and synchronous participation improve student performance in a blended learning experience

Blended learning can create flexibility for students, more efficiently utilise infrastructure, and can provide high-quality learning at scale. We investigated perceived value and learning gains associated with asynchronous eLearning and synchronous face-to-face (f2f) components of a blended learning experience. We hypothesised that individual student preference for eLearning and f2f learning would be variable, but that participation in f2f classes would enhance student learning. Using a design-based research approach, we have evaluated two iterations of a blended learning experience, combining qualitative survey data and quantitative attendance data and student grades. Students overwhelmingly valued active learning, both within eLearning materials and f2f classes. Final marks positively correlated with the number of f2f classes students attended. Analysis of a subset of intended learning outcomes (ILOs) showed that students who accessed eLearning independently and students who attended f2f classes performed equally-well in ILO-related assessment tasks, however, students were more likely to choose an assessment task directly-related to a class they attended. In addition, completion of required eLearning prior to f2f class attendance significantly enhanced student performance in related assessment tasks. We suggest that f2f attendance as part of blended learning is beneficial, however students can obtain selected ILOs from engaging eLearning materials. Implications for practice or policy: Instructors will gain insight into aspects of blended active learning that students value. We present evidence that supports the benefits to students of completion of pre-eLearning prior to participation in synchronous f2f classes.

Describing the good professor from the perspective of theological students in French-speaking Africa

The study presented in this article used a mixed-methods research model to identify and describe the professor qualities that were preferred by a group of theological students in French-speaking Africa. In the quantitative strand of this research, questionnaire data identified student preference for professor qualities related to student development, knowledge, teaching methods, and connecting theory with practice. Qualitative data was then collected in a focus group setting in which the participants articulated what these professor qualities meant to them, why some qualities were more important, and how they recognized these qualities in the classroom. From this data, five phenomenological themes emerged that describe the good professor as an intellectual and moral authority. According to these five themes, the good professor is knowledgeable of the subject matter and how to teach it, as well as making it practical to students. Good professors also listen to students, respond benevolently, and are committed to the long-term intellectual development of students.

Lessons Learned from Research on Student Evaluation of Teaching in Higher Education

In higher education, anonymous student evaluation of teaching (SET) ratings are used to measure faculty’s teaching effectiveness and to make high-stakes decisions about hiring, firing, promotion, merit pay, and teaching awards. SET have many desirable properties: SET are quick and cheap to collect, SET means and standard deviations give aura of precision and scientific validity, and SET provide tangible seemingly objective numbers for both high-stake decisions and public accountability purposes. Unfortunately, SET as a measure of teaching effectiveness are fatally flawed. First, experts cannot agree what effective teaching is. They only agree that effective teaching ought to result in learning. Second, SET do not measure faculty’s teaching effectiveness as students do not learn more from more highly rated professors. Third, SET depend on many teaching effectiveness irrelevant factors (TEIFs) not attributable to the professor (e.g., students’ intelligence, students’ prior knowledge, class size, subject). Fourth, SET are influenced by student preference factors (SPFs) whose consideration violates human rights legislation (e.g., ethnicity, accent). Fifth, SET are easily manipulated by chocolates, course easiness, and other incentives. However, student ratings of professors can be used for very limited purposes such as formative feedback and raising alarm about ineffective teaching practices.

Sculptorades, Cloodles, and Cameos, Oh My! A Cranium Game for General Psychology

Background: Many instructors use trivia-style review games to encourage self-testing, increase student engagement, and promote collaboration. However, most published examples of review games include trivia questions only, rather than activities that incorporate kinesthetic learning. Objective: We evaluate a review activity modeled after the game Cranium, which includes charades, pictionary, sculpting, and trivia questions. Method: In Pilot Study 1, general psychology students ( n = 25) completed a self-report evaluation of Cranium, and we compared performance on exam items practiced during Cranium versus control items. In Pilot Study 2, students ( n = 23) were assigned to review for a mock exam via Cranium, a trivia-only version of Cranium, or a practice question review. Results: Students rated Cranium as enjoyable and useful, though not more so than comparison activities, and Cranium elicited similar exam performance to comparison activities. Conclusion: Cranium is similar, not superior, to trivia-only and practice question review activities in terms of student perceptions and exam performance. Teaching Implications: Cranium provides an additional tool for instructors to engage students in team-based review activities in general psychology. Games that incorporate self-testing are likely useful for student engagement and learning, and the specific choice of activity may depend on instructor and student preference.