Open Learner Model (OLM) visualisations capture and display a learner’s learning state such as knowledge levels, learning progress, and misconceptions. Exposing learners to their own models offers learners a perspective about their learning state. Numerous benefits have been reported include providing more opportunities for learners to collaborate, enhancing learning outcomes, and prompting learners to be more self-regulated. We describe a new independent OLM tool, Doubtfire++ that we have designed to support Task-Oriented Portfolio teaching to raise student awareness of their progress and achievements, and to encourage self-regulated learning. The results of our evaluation show that Doubtfire++ helped the teaching staff in creating a supportive learning environment and students felt supported and rewarded for learning in a self-regulated manner. We have identified several OLM visualizations that were perceived to assist self-regulated learning. We also have gained insightful inputs and feedback that lead to expanding its application to a broader context.
This paper reports quantitative findings of a project investigating the in-progress formation of EFL students' critical intercultural awareness (CIA) in the Indonesian tertiary context. It examines a 10-week pedagogical intervention using culturally appropriate YouTube clips with intercultural tasks. A one-group pre-test/post-test design was employed involving a cohort of 50 undergraduate participants of mixed gender in five faculties and from varying ethnic groups. An intercultural awareness questionnaire was administered twice before and after the learning intervention. A paired-sample t-test was performed with SPSS 28 to examine the mean differences. The results revealed a significant improvement (Sig. 2-tailed value .001, p < .05) in participants' CIA scores. This suggests that video clip-assisted intercultural tasks promote the development of abilities to identify, interpret, and critically evaluate the intercultural values embedded in the clips. The study further showed that gender, fields of study and ethnicity did not significantly contribute to the CIA development.
An instructional intervention was introduced to enhance critical thinking skills, in the aspects of interdisciplinary and systems thinking, in an undergraduate Operations Management course at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The intervention included a newly developed visual-based mapping tool to induce deliberate divergent-convergent thinking (imagination and judgement). It was supported by a design-based problem as a formative assessment, with learning outcomes underlined by a set of assessment rubric. To evaluate its effect on the students’ critical thinking abilities, a quasi-experimental study was conducted with data collected from survey instruments, semi-structured interviews, and academic scores. The survey results indicate improvements in students’ abilities in consciously monitoring their cognitive activities, reflecting on their reasoning, and making self-assessment (self-regulation) as well as in assessing credibility, relevance, and logical strength of information (evaluative reasoning). Results from the interviews and academic scores complemented the survey findings. The largely positive results suggest the effectiveness of the intervention.
This article urges reconsideration of the traditional essay in undergraduate education. Despite renewed critiques of its efficacy as a pedagogical tool, the essay stubbornly retains primacy. As studies confirm the learning benefits of collaboration and highlight the potential of multimodal composition to challenge and expand forms of knowledge production, the collaborative digital multimodal essay offers an alternative to the traditional essay. This study focuses on 35 students in two advanced undergraduate literary studies courses who were assigned a collaborative digital multimodal composition project in the online publishing platform Scalar. Thematic analysis of student reflections following the project indicate that students perceive collaborative digital multimodal writing to offer opportunities for more creativity and autonomy and to challenge conceptions of academic writing forms, conventions and practices. Collaborating to develop complex and coherent arguments remained a significant challenge as did the technical demands of the digital writing platform.
Global competence is a complex concept as it is multifaceted, composite, multi-layered, multidimensional, and can be viewed from several perspectives. A previous study validated a set of rubrics designed to assess pre-service teachers' development of global competence. The research presented in this paper tested the internal consistency and reliability of the set of rubrics in order to create an instrument validated within the international context that was robust and consistent from a methodological point of view. The set of rubrics was self-administered online by 729 pre-service teachers studying in 12 teacher education programmes across 10 different countries around the world. The data analysis showed a high level of reliability and internal consistency of the rubrics, indicating their ability to assess pre-service teachers' global competence. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis suggested changes to two areas of the rubrics.
Many institutions have turned to course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) to involve more students in authentic research. However, research is lacking on how to best support and nurture student motivation in CUREs. Motivation is a critical construct to understand at the undergraduate level as lack of motivation has been identified as contributory to lower achievement as well as reduced interests in STEM college degrees and careers. Using mixed methods and self-determination theory (SDT), the purpose of the current study was to determine how students' basic psychological needs were supported or frustrated during CURE activities. Findings suggested that student motivation was potentially reduced during all CURE activities (i.e. scientific practices, collaboration, discovery, and iteration). Furthermore, students reported that autonomy was the least supported motivational construct during the CURE. Considering these challenges, the authors recommended specific strategies to increase choice, support competence, improve collaboration, inspire discovery, and create more opportunities for iteration during CUREs.
Developing a deeper understanding of factors that influence learning and teaching in widening culturally diverse learning environments is necessary in proactively planning supports and pedagogical approaches that encourage integration, intercultural understanding and respect for cultural difference. This qualitative descriptive study reports on the experiences and perceptions of teaching faculty and students (domestic and international) of learning and teaching in postgraduate culturally diverse environments. Three themes were generated from the data: 'early apprehension', 'cautious engagement' and 'shared acceptance', highlighting the multifaceted responses to cultural diversity in the learning environment. These findings illuminate how learning and teaching in widening culturally diverse education settings require careful, sensitive and proactive planning and supports. The individuality of learning experiences, self-preservation of identities, narrow perceptions of cultural difference and unconscious 'othering', influenced learning behaviours, integration and cohesive learning. The findings also highlight the necessity of adopting culturally responsive pedagogies.
The complex role of academic language and learning (ALL) professionals in higher education is poorly understood, even though it contributes to key outcomes such as improved study skills, academic language enhancement, curriculum development and student retention. In this paper, we explore the multiple professional identities of people working in this field. Ten ALL practitioners employed in Australian universities took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their roles and the contextual constraints and affordances of their work. We elaborate on eight discrete subject positions that emerged from the participants' data: the collaborator, the relationship manager, the applied linguist, the teacher, the content (non) expert, the academic, the strategist, and the expense. We draw on a critical realist frame to articulate the interplay between structure and individual agency within these identities, highlighting the range of expertise that ALL practitioners bring to the role.
The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study using document analysis was to explain the process of developing an interprofessional education initiative at a public university in the northeastern US. The aim of the initiative was to provide interprofessional education to graduate students. Documents, including a descriptive timeline of the initiative; student discussion posts, reflective journals, and announcements; emails; and a syllabus, were analyzed to determine successes and challenges encountered throughout the initiative. Process theory, as used in project management research, was employed as the conceptual framework of the study. The analysis revealed nine themes for successes and seven themes for challenges. Implications for the future design and implementation of interprofessional education opportunities across masters and doctoral programs relevant to these themes are discussed. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are also provided.
The traditional academic pipeline has branched out significantly in recent years. The motivation of students pursuing higher degrees has also changed dramatically in response to wider socio-economic needs. Supervisors of PhD students are consequently faced with the need to adapt supervision practices to equip graduates with a broader suite of workplace competencies. However, PhD supervision is a practice located in the broader setting of a higher education system, conditioned by factors that change over time. In this paper we share the perspectives of a range of STEM supervisors from varying backgrounds on their conceptions of the purpose and goals of the PhD. Archer's Social Realist theoretical framework was used in a comparative analysis between groups and across themes. It also enabled a novel visualisation in the form of a heat map, illustrating the mechanisms shaping supervision practices, highlighting the strong interplay between student agency and the development of particular dispositions.
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics influencing students’ satisfaction with online learning and their efficacy in online courses during the COVID–19 pandemic period. Furthermore, it examined whether there was a moderating of academic self-efficacy on perceived satisfaction and effectiveness of online education. The data for the study were obtained using an online survey from 319 respondents who were studying at any education level. The results indicate that instructor quality, course design, quick feedback, and students’ expectations strongly relate to perceived satisfaction. In addition, quick feedback and students’ expectations strongly relate to the effectiveness of online education, while course design and instructor’s prompt feedback are factors that have no relationship to students’ effectiveness in online education. Academic self-efficacy moderates the relationship between perceived satisfaction and effectiveness of online education paths. This paper builds a model to find the relationship between instructor quality, course design, prompt feedback, and student expectations, perceived satisfaction, effectiveness of online education. Furthermore, the moderate effect of academic self-efficacy in regulating the link between perceived satisfaction and online learning efficacy is proposed in this study. These results are most consistent with the earlier studies that investigated such variables throughout the background of social comparison.
The 'how' of teaching method varies in its effectiveness with 'what' learning outcome it intends to achieve, and for 'whom' the course is targeted. We employed a longitudinal research design to examine the effectiveness of experiential learning and case study immersion to develop entrepreneurial self-efficacy and opportunity recognition among engineering students. Data were collected from two undergraduate cohorts who undertook an entrepreneurship course with different pedagogical approaches. The t-test results showed no statistically significant difference in self-efficacy. However, there was a statistically significant difference in opportunity recognition. The effectiveness of the two approaches differed when a paired t-test was conducted. Educators should adopt an approach that is constructively aligned to a specific learning outcome. Whilst teaching 'about' entrepreneurship through case study immersion is effective to develop the cognitive ability of non-business students to recognize opportunity, in contrast, experiential learning or teaching 'through' entrepreneurship is more effective to develop their self-efficacies.
In higher education, non-traditional students experience a range of challenges, from aspiration and access into university to academic progress and success in their degree. Most students either enter employment or further study after their degree. This paper focuses on the latter stages of the effort to widen student access and participation in higher education, with an exploratory study of the career preparation and readiness of 22 final-year undergraduates from non-traditional backgrounds in the UK. We explore how students prepare themselves and are prepared by their degree for life after university, with the focus on career preparations and employment. In particular, we discuss the challenges for these students to engage in opportunities such as work experiences and extracurricular activities, which have implications for their chances of success and social mobility. We conclude with recommendations for practice, especially for academic and professional staff.
There is a substantial body of research concerned with student retention in higher education. However, in regard to factors related to study environment, existing research is described as incomplete. Based on Tinto's institutional departure model and a literature review of recent international articles on dropout in higher education, this article suggests a revised model for understanding dropout processes. The model envisages study environment as a concept consisting of overlapping domains of a social system, an academic system, and teaching. The article distinguishes between factors related to each of these three systems and discusses how they can be used to understand and prevent dropouts.
ABSTRACT Communication through sign language is essential for teachers of deaf students. This study sought to assess and evaluate the sign language proficiency of preservice teachers of deaf students to help preservice teacher preparation program designers identify what aspects of sign language need to be focused on and provide recommendations to improve preservice teachers’ sign language levels. An exploratory research design was used through questionnaires distributed to a convenience sample. The research subjects were undergraduate female students (N = 36) enrolled in a Saudi Arabian university’s preservice preparation program for teachers of deaf students. This study’s results indicate that preservice teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students scored highly for lexical signs, on an average level for iconic lexical signs, but on a low level for the domain of arbitrary lexical signs. There was a significant effect of participants’ grade point averages (GPAs) on their overall sign language proficiency score. No significant effect of age, academic level, and the number of completed sign language training on overall sign language proficiency score was reported. This study’s outcomes show that preservice teachers’ sign language level needs to be improved and developed. Recommendations are presented for future research and preservice teacher preparation program designers to develop learners’ sign language skills.
This study used a mixed-methods longitudinal design to investigate change in students' understanding, attitudes, anxiety, perceptions of relevance, and disinterest in a required social science undergraduate research methods course across a semester. Participants were 78 undergraduates (94% women, 6% men; 92% white non-Hispanic/Latinx, M age = 25.62, SD = 7.17) at a university in the United States. Results suggest that participant attitudes toward and perceptions of research methods shifted over the course of the semester. Overall, anxiety decreased, while positive attitudes increased. However, initial perceptions and changes in perceptions varied among the three course sections. Over time, students largely recognized the course's relevance and conveyed positive attitudes toward research and their success in overcoming the challenge of completing the course. Implications for pedagogy include the need for continued assessment of learners, development of students' self-concept as researchers, teaching of research as a process, and connection to application.
This experimental-mixed methods investigates the impact of shifting from a traditional laboratory model to a hybrid laboratory model. The hybrid model consisted of (1) online instructions and pre-laboratory test, (2) compressed face-to-face laboratory time, and (3) post-laboratory data analysis. This study analyses whether student perceptions of a targeted intervention were correlated to a range of student performance indicators. Only a fractional improvement in student performance was observed, but evidence suggests that the use of online content led to more frequent student interaction with the learning material. The pre-laboratory tests encouraged a better preparation for the laboratory. Splitting the laboratory intervention into different phases was generally better perceived by students than the traditional style. The findings are expected to encourage course coordinators and developers to adopt concepts used in the delivery of hybrid solutions which is important due to the current emphasis on the use of online models of instruction.
ABSTRACT The concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is related to a ubiquitously connected, pervasively proximate (UCaPP) world and its response to Covid-19. Pedagogies need to be aligned with institutional ‘quality education’ and changes in the nature of the undergraduate student intake to formulate a 'Future Educational System'. Considerations include students from ‘non-traditional’ sources adapting to existing university structures and how procedures might accommodate these students in addition to changes and disruptions resulting from Covid-19. Mobile devices allow Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) to be developed in accordance with individual students’ needs. PLEs allow ubiquitous, flexible structures to develop educational quality. Policies should involve connectivist approaches and active learning via broad curriculum development and appreciate the importance of individual student needs and capabilities, socio-economic as well as academic. We stress the importance of broadening access to higher education, particularly for those who have been ‘neglected’ by current procedures.
Mentoring has been pointed out as one of the strategies for early career academics (ECAs) preparation and support for smooth transition into academia. Although ECAs mentoring has been widely studied, and the findings have indeed been informative and illuminating, the issues facing ECAs have yet to be adequately addressed, particularly in Tanzania. Drawing from open-ended questionnaires, focus group discussions, and interviews, we examined the issues surrounding the mentoring of ECAs in selected Tanzanian universities. Academic exploitation, isolation, and lack of support from senior academics were among the key issues facing ECAs. The findings further revealed that regular mentorship training, peer support, and institutional policy framework as strategies in place to subdue the mentoring challenges. We argue for universities to have policy framework on professional development through ECAs mentoring to fill out the gap on pedagogical, research and public engagement deficits for ensuring capable next generation of academics.
This empirical qualitative study investigates whether the introduction of heutagogy in contemporary nursing education can foster the development of the digital self-determined learner, who is prepared to work and live in the fourth industrial age and beyond. The impact of heutagogical design on learner process and outcomes is explored through qualitative framework analysis of learner data and reflective educator observations. Findings suggest that with careful scaffolding and courage in remaining true to the educational philosophy, this approach has the potential to develop learners who demonstrate key principles of heutagogy including non-linear learning, learner agency, capability, self-reflection and metacognition and double-loop learning. This innovative study provides insight into the process of developing the self-determined learner and encourages further research into flexible and learner-centred approaches across Higher Education.
