Quality of Academic Life during COVID-19 Pandemic as Perceived by Taibah University Students

The current study aimed to identify the quality level of academic life during COVID-19 pandemic from students' perception of Taibah University, Yanbu branch. To this end, a descriptive approach was used to answer the following main research question: What is the quality level of academic life during COVID-19 pandemic from students' perception of Taibah University? The study tool consisted of a questionnaire to measure the quality level of the students’ academic life. The tool was ensured for reliability and validity and composed of three sections that contained indicators to measure the quality of academic life; academic practices, academic satisfaction, and academic support. The sample of the study consisted of 187 male and female students. Results showed high perceptions for the respondents in the quality of academic practices section (M=4.15, SD=1.03). The statement No.9 entitles “Rate the precautionary actions provided to you to activate the online education as an alternative to face-to-face education during COVID-19 pandemic” obtained the highest rank (M=4.63). The second section that measured the level of academic satisfaction recorded (M=1.76, SD=1.10), obtaining 58.71%. The statement 6 entitles “I felt my love to home increased during COVID-19 pandemic” obtained the highest rank (M=4.63, SD=.81, 98.93%). The academic support dimension recorded (M=4.33, SD=.93), Indicating that the level of academic support for students during COVID-19 pandemic was excellent (86.65%) as perceived by the study sample. The statement 5 which entitles “Rate the extent to benefit from academic counseling during COVID-19 pandemic” got the highest rank (M=4.67, SD=.72, 93.485). The most challenges encountered the students gradually categorized from the highest to the lowest were the poor Internet network, non-availability of laptop computers, low experience in working with blackboard, and poor technical experience. The study recommended the significance of academic support and suggested doing further studies on and the reality of quality of academic life from faculty members perspectives and the role of precautionary health during COID-19 pandemic to enhance the national loyalty for the university students.

Problem based learning approach increases the academic satisfaction of health science students in Ethiopian Universities: a comparative cross sectional study

Background Problem based learning is being highly implemented in many medical schools worldwide due to its perceived advantages including improvement of problem-solving abilities, development of communication skills, creation and development of critical thinking skill, and making of individuals to be lifelong learners & responsible for their own learning process. Objective The study aimed to compare academic satisfaction of Problem and Lecture based learning of regular undergraduate health science students in Ethiopian Universities, 2021. Method Institution based comparative cross sectional study was conducted from February 1-30, 2021. Data were collected using a pretested structured and self-administered questionnaire among 850 eligible students from two Universities. Data were entered into EPI info version 6.04 and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Binary Logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with academic satisfaction considering the association to be significant p- value <0.05. Result The study result revealed that the magnitude of academic satisfaction among problem based and lecture based learning students were 50.9% and 49.9% respectively. Similarly, problem based learning students were more likely to be academically satisfied than lecture based learning students in their type of curriculum with (AOR= 1.50, 95% CI= 1.02, 2.21). Experience of classroom distress (AOR=1.93, 95% CI= 1.22, 3.06), quality of teaching (AOR= 0.54, 95% CI= 0.34, 0.86), relationship with classmates (AOR= 0.33, 95% CI= 0.13, 0.80), course content (AOR=0.56, 95% CI= 0.33, 0.93) and accessibility of technology in the campus (AOR= 0.62, 95% CI= 0.40, 0.96) were the significant factors of academic satisfaction of problem based learning students. Year of study (AOR= 0.29, 95% CI= 0.17, 0.48), quality of teaching (AOR= 0.51, 95% CI= 0.31, 0.85), course content (AOR= 0.59, 95% CI= 0.35, 0.97) and energy & effort (AOR= 0.55, 95% CI= 0.35, 0.88) were significantly associated with academic satisfaction among lecture based learning students. Conclusion The study revealed that the academic satisfaction among problem based learning students was higher than lecture based learning students. Incorporating problem based learning as a formal instructional method in across the universities curriculum is recommended.

The Effect of Learning Goal Orientation on Academic Satisfaction based on the Perspective of Social Cognitive Theory

Based on the perspective of social cognitive theory, this study conducted a questionnaire survey on academic satisfaction of 302 college students, and investigated the mechanism of learning goal orientation on academic satisfaction by using correlation analysis and regression analysis. It was found that: both learning goal orientation and academic Self-efficacy had a significant positive effect on academic satisfaction; academic Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between learning goal orientation and academic satisfaction; teachers' academic support partially moderated the positive relationship between learning goal orientation and academic satisfaction. The empirical results of this study provide a reference for universities and college students to improve learning goal orientation and academic satisfaction by themselves.

The COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study (C-19 ISWS)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on the mental health and well-being of different populations including young adults. This study replicates and extends previous research by evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of college students in Cyprus, a Mediterranean island with unique sociocultural and genetic characteristics, and to identify risk factors related to the poor mental health of university students. Behavioral changes in the students before and during the quarantine period were also examined. A total of 387 university students completed an online survey coordinated by the Young Universities of Europe (YUFE) network. Results indicated that most of the sample (89.3%) reported depressive symptoms. Academic stress and academic satisfaction were associated with depressive symptoms and loneliness. Specifically, students with greater academic stress and lower academic satisfaction reported more symptoms of depression and felt lonelier. Younger students with poorer economic capital were more likely to feel depressed, and younger college students with higher academic stress were more likely to feel lonely. The results of t-test analyses indicated that quarantine affected students’ time and type of study turning to online studies and to moderate physical activities. The present study’s findings add to the existing literature and support the development of new measures to support students, both financially as well as psychologically.

A Novel Model to Predict Academic Satisfaction on Scientific Research Among Medical Postgraduates in China: a Cross-Sectional Study

Academic satisfaction with scientific research is an important reflection of whether the process or result of academic research meets researchers’ expectations. However, the status quo and associated factors among medical postgraduates have not been studied extensively. We carried out a cross-sectional study. This study was based on an online questionnaire that was designed and extended to medical postgraduates in hospitals affiliated with Chinese universities between November 12, 2020, and January 12, 2021. An 11 Likert scale (from 0 to 10) was used to measure self-satisfaction, and the mean score among academic masters, professional masters and doctors was 4.43, 3.70 and 4.65, respectively. For a total of 1067 medicine participants, low academic satisfaction significantly correlated with depression or anxiety. Research learning manner of self-learning without guidance is another important risk factor (OR=1.88). Medical school year of training, number of projects participated, research working time per day and marital status are other considerable associated factors but less association between papers and satisfaction. The results suggested that academic satisfaction among medical postgraduates improves with the guidance and projects participated. Assessing low satisfaction early and intervention measures are needed to improve academic satisfaction, especially for master candidates.