A Model First-Year Seminar Introducing STEM Students to Community Engagement and Public Service

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the importance of didactic and experiential training in community engagement for students conducting Health Services Research (HSR) in pharmacy. The incorporation of community-based learning (CBL) courses can be beneficial for graduate students because they provide an opportunity to gain important skills in stakeholder engagement and developing sustainable research partnerships. Early exposure and mentorship of graduate students through CBL courses could minimize the risk of students entering communities in their future careers with harmful tactics such as stereotypes and implicit biases. In this paper, we draw upon previous research to identify an educational gap in community preparedness. Accordingly, we developed a community-engagement course for masters and doctoral graduate students in the HSR program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. This paper provides an example of how other graduate programs may incorporate training in community engagement within their curriculum. In addition, we summarize how CBL courses can help address foundational graduate student knowledge gaps and offer suggestions for the formation of a CBL course.

Institutions of higher education have a longstanding commitment to democratic engagement and civic learning. This commitment is most apparent in institutional missions, visions, and strategic plans as well as cocurricular programs that emphasize civic engagement, experience with diverse populations, a responsiveness to globalization, and transferrable skills. According to a national report published by the American Association of Colleges & Universities (2012), educators need to ensure all students are qualified with the skills to succeed in work and life in the global economy. As part of Drexel University's commitment to democratic engagement, civic learning, and 21st-century skills, the university introduced the Side-by-Side community-based learning format in 2012. This high-impact course format brings together traditional Drexel students and disenfranchised community students from the surrounding West Philadelphia neighborhood as equal participants in postsecondary courses. Although the courses have received high course evaluations, there has been no formal research on this course format. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the acquisition of essential 21st-century skills as a result of the Side-by-Side course format. A study of the National Student Survey of Engagement (NSSE) and a priori code analysis of student pair interviews and course presentation videos combine into a convergent mixed-methods study to examine the acquisition of 21st-century skills as a result of this unique learning model. The skill and engagement composite scores did not demonstrate any significant change; however, responses to 12 individual questions registered statistically significant change from the beginning to the end of the course. Students who completed the Introduction to Civic Engagement course demonstrated an increase in global perspective and greater engagement. Additionally, of all four 21st-century skills and engagement were prominent throughout the video and interview data. Implications of this study include the value of the NSSE instrument in the evaluation of community-based learning courses and 21st-century skills, as well as empirical support for providing scaffolding for civic learning. Evidence from the study may support the growth of a national Side-by-Side course pedagogy, which serves as an instructional model that democratically engages students across disciplines.

I compare students in two different data analysis courses: one course included a community-based learning (CBL) component and one did not. I find that students who chose to take the CBL course were more likely to have less mathematical and statistical background (as measured by the number of college-level mathematics and statistics courses and self-reporting), were more interested in community service, and wanted a statistics course that aligned closely with their career goals and aspirations. In comparison, students in the more traditional course had stronger mathematical and statistical skills, were more interested in a traditional course where they learned the methods from a variety of “case-studies,” and had less time for and interest in a community project. The results of the comparison suggest that there is a place for both CBL and traditional courses and that students tend to appropriately self-select into the course that meets their needs. CBL courses may also be a good place to draw in students who might otherwise not choose to take a data analysis course in college.

This study outlines the use of a community-based learning (CBL) applied to a Retailing Management course conducted in a 16-week semester in a private institution in the East Coast. The study addresses the case method of teaching and its potential weaknesses, and discusses experiential learning for a real-world application. It further addresses CBL as an important teaching application of experiential learning for the students to have a meaningful experience of studying and making recommendations about multiple aspects of retailing management for a local retailer. Course evaluation results that compared non-CBL and CBL classes showed that the mean scores in selected questions of CBL classes were statistically higher than those of non-CBL classes and the effect size was moderate. Qualitative student comments further suggested benefits and limitations of a CBL course. Notwithstanding the challenges to the instructor and the students of a CBL course, CBL applied to Retailing Management course provided meaningful benefits to the instructor, the students, and the community partner.

How can community-based learning courses (CBL) simultaneously be a catalyst for student empowerment, community empowerment and sustainable community development? This paper traces the progression of student and community empowerment over a four-year period and five CBL courses focusing on optimizing refugee resettlement in Lancaster County, PA.

This paper offers an indepth analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on STEM students’ academic well-being beyond the initial stages of the pandemic. We draw upon a unique self-collected cross-sectional cohort dataset (n = 990, prepandemic and pandemic first-year STEM students) and longitudinal dataset (n = 170, students who started their studies pre-pandemic and are in their second year during the pandemic). Study 1 revealed that STEM students’ academic well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic was lower than before its onset, as shown when comparing a pre-pandemic and pandemic cohort of first-year students and from analyzing first-year students’ changes in academic well-being over time (i.e., lower academic satisfaction, belonging, efficacy and persistence intentions). Study 2 showed that especially COVID-19-related worries regarding academic enjoyment and study progress were related to STEM students’ decreased academic well-being, both for first and second-year students. Study 3 demonstrated that both peer support and faculty support contributed to higher academic well-being among first and second-year STEM students during the pandemic. These findings benefit policymakers and higher education institutions as they provide insight in how to safeguard sustainable academic well-being for STEM students in times of crisis or challenge.

PROTOCOL: Participation, inclusion, transparency and accountability (PITA) to improve public services in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Since 2015/16, a standardized written final examination in mathematics or applied mathematics has been compulsory for nearly all pupils at the upper secondary level in Austria. While this standardized competence-oriented maturity examination is intended to increase pupils’ subject-related study ability, empirical research in this regard is scarce. Therefore, the subject-related study ability for six partially different control and experimental groups containing between 11 and 17 first-year STEM students is compared using a one-tailed two-sample Wilcoxon rank sum test. No significant differences in the subject-related study ability are detected between the control groups, comprising first-year Austrian STEM students who did not participate in the standardized written final examination in mathematics, and the experimental groups, comprising first-year Austrian STEM students who did participate in the standardized written final examination in mathematics. However, post hoc power analyses show that the sample sizes for each of the six sample cases would have to be much larger to prove significant results with a power of at least 80%. Additionally, no evidence for teaching-to-the test practices could be found in the experimental groups.

Systems thinking is crucial for understanding and solving complex problems and is considered an important thinking skill in engineering. Active learning is considered an effective approach for fostering STEM students’ systems thinking. However, viable methods for teaching and assessing systems thinking with active learning across STEM disciplines, particularly in first-year undergraduate education, are still under-researched. In this paper, we introduce a research-based framework named System Architecture-Function-Outcome to help first-year STEM instructors both foster and assess students’ introductory systems thinking. To conduct an initial evaluation of the framework’s suitability in active learning settings, we designed a directed case-based learning assignment with an adapted article and a rubric for assessing ‘introductory systems thinking’, as defined in the framework. We deployed the assignment among 84 first-year STEM students and successfully tested its inter-rater reliability, with 75–100% inter-rater agreement across all assessment criteria. We discuss the implications of our results on fostering and assessing first-year STEM students’ systems thinking, and outline examples for potential applications of the framework, pending further validation, in case-based learning settings of varying degrees of learner autonomy, from lecture-based to problem-based learning.

Described in this article is how sport management curricula can offer unique, real-world learning experiences and corresponding student learning gains, when grounded in community based learning (CBL). To achieve these ends, this study was designed to explore how to best execute CBL in sport management, informed, in part, by analyzing the lived experiences of students who were required to develop their understanding of community needs and resources, as well as devise and execute plans to meet these needs, in order to successfully complete the course. Students’ structured reflections of their discipline-specific CBL course and changes-in-self were assessed using rigorous qualitative analysis to detect emergent themes. Results indicated students’ self-reported professional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal gains in relation to how the course was taught/specific pedagogical practices.  Competencies subsumed within these categories included learning how to effectively fund raise, learning to negotiate the challenges of group work and team dynamics, cultivating critical thinking and leadership skills, and cultivating self-as-professional.  These data inform how to derive the unique impacts of service learning in sport, including the opportunities it presents for students to cultivate professional skills often reported to be under cultivated among recent graduates. Thus, results of this study fill a gap in the literature regarding how to foster student preparedness for “real world” experiences, and serve as model of how faculty and administrators can successfully integrate CBL in experiential sport management coursework.   Key words: Community-based learning (CBL), sport management, high-impact practices, fundraising, cultivating pre- professional skills in CBL coursework.

First-year students at universities continue to experience adjustment challenges which are an indication of low academic buoyancy. Academic buoyancy is a student’s ability to succeed amidst academic difficulties and setbacks in academic settings. This study examined the gender differences in academic buoyancy among first-year undergraduate students in one public university in western Kenya. Within the positivist research paradigm, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The sample size of the study comprised 213 first-year students, selected using a simple random sampling method. The Academic Buoyancy Scale was used to collect data. An independent samples t-test was used to test the hypothesis. The results indicate that there is a statistically significant difference in the academic buoyancy scores for males and females [t (211) = -5.178, p <.001], but the magnitude of the differences in the mean was moderate (eta squared=.113). Thus, the male first-year students registered comparatively higher academic buoyancy than their female counterparts. This implies that male students have better coping mechanisms for environmental stressors at the university as compared to their female counterparts. The study recommends that counselling staff at universities should develop gendered orientation programmes to enhance the academic buoyancy of female first-year students. Moreover, universities should develop more focused academic orientation and nurturing among all first-year students to uplift academic buoyancy in all the courses for which they are registered.

BackgroundEfficient doctor-patient communication is essential for improving patient care. The impact of educational interventions on the communication skills of male and female students has not been systematically reviewed. The aim of this review is to identify interventions used to improve communication skills in medical curricula and investigate their effectiveness in improving the communication skills of male and female medical students.MethodsA systematic review of the literature was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were as follows: used intervention strategies aiming to improve communication skills, participants were medical students, and studies were primary research studies, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses.Results2913 articles were identified based on search terms. After title, abstract, and full-text review, 58 studies were included with interventions consisting of Training or Drama Courses, Curriculum-Integrated, Patient Learning Courses, and Community-Based Learning Courses. 69% of articles reported improved communication skills for both genders equally, 28% for women more than men, and 3% for men more than women. 16 of the 58 articles reported numerical data regarding communication skills pre-and post-intervention. Analysis revealed that post-intervention scores are significantly greater than pre-intervention scores for both male (p < 0.001) and female students (p < 0.001). While the post-test scores of male students were significantly lower than that of female students (p = 0.01), there is no significant difference between genders for the benefits, or difference between post-intervention and pre-intervention scores (p = 0.15), suggesting that both genders benefited equally.ConclusionImplementation of communication training into medical education leads to improvement in communication skills of medical students, irrespective of gender. No specific interventions benefitting male students have been identified from published literature, suggesting need of further studies to explore the phenomenon of gender gap in communication skills and how to minimize the differences between male and female students.

Instructors utilizing community-based learning (CBL) attempt to connect academic content and student field placements through critical reflection. Sociology’s attention to the causes and consequences of social structures is an exemplary fit alongside CBL pedagogy. Simultaneously, CBL holds the promise to bring sociological concepts and theories to life for students. I describe the strengths and challenges of developing CBL courses for sociology instructors through three social justice-oriented dimensions: the development of authentic relationships, reducing power dynamics, and student embodiment of social change (Mitchell 2008). In the process, I highlight ways CBL can continue to advance, including: (a) prioritizing the development of long-term CBL partnerships, (b) a call for more reflective scholarly work documenting the partnership development process to aid interested instructors, and (c) creatively structuring CBL efforts to directly engage students in social change work and, in the process, to come closer to realizing the social justice aspirations of CBL pedagogy-based sociology courses.

A Review of:&#x0D; Soria, K. M., Fransen, J., &amp; Nackerud, S. (2014). Stacks, serials, search engines, and students’ success: First-year undergraduate students’ library use, academic achievement, and retention. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 40(1), 84-91.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2013.12.002&#x0D; &#x0D; Abstract&#x0D; &#x0D; Objective – To investigate the degree of relation between first-year undergraduate students’ library use and their academic achievement (measured by cumulative GPA) and first- to second-year retention. &#x0D; &#x0D; Design – Quantitative data obtained from library systems combined with regression analyses.&#x0D; &#x0D; Setting – A large public university located in the United States of America.&#x0D; &#x0D; Subjects – The study included 5,368 non-transfer first-year students, with a total of 5,162 students retained for the final sample. &#x0D; &#x0D; Methods – Data on 10 library usage variables were collected using student logins to library databases and websites and analyzed using SPSS. These variables included logins to databases, use of electronic books and journals, chat reference questions, and workshops signed up for, among others. There were 2 separate regressions utilized to predict students’ cumulative GPA by these 10 types of library use. Two separate logistic regressions were utilized to predict first- to second-year retention by the same library usage variables.&#x0D; &#x0D; Main Results – 81.9% of first-year students used at least one library service. Overall, students who used their academic library’s services and/or resources once or more during an academic year had a higher average retention rate and GPA compared to their peers who had not used the library. It was found that four library use areas, including book loans, database logins, electronic journal logins, and library workstation logins, were positively associated with students’ GPA. Database logins and library workstation logins were positively associated with retention. Each of the models used to predict either student GPA or retention by library use were found to be statistically significant.&#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusions – The study suggests that there is a positive and significant relationship between a number of library activities and students’ GPA and retention. The effect size of these activities upon the primary outcome variables of GPA and retention is small, though this is logical considering the one-time use of a library service is unlikely to meaningfully influence one’s academic success. Other non-library factors in the student experience must be considered.

BackgroundAnxiety disorders have become a major public health problem in urban communities. To address this issue, this study proposes the hypothesis that by combining community public services and duloxetine treatment, the symptoms of residents diagnosed with anxiety disorder can be improved. This study aims to explore a novel intervention that combines community public services with duloxetine therapy. Community public services can provide a range of support and resources, including psychological counseling, social support, and life skills training. Duloxetine, a commonly used anti-anxiety drug, is widely used in the treatment of anxiety disorders.Subjects and MethodsThis non-randomized control study involved urban residents diagnosed with anxiety disorders. We used the Stanford Acute Stress Response Questionnaire (SASRQ) and the 3-min Confusion Assessment Scale (3D-CAM) as our primary assessment tools. Data were collected and statistically analyzed using SPSS23.0 software.ResultsFollowing targeted community interventions supplemented with Duloxetine treatment, the affected residents exhibited a significant decrease in SASRQ and 3D-CAM scores, representing a reduction in anxiety symptoms. Moreover, improved community involvement and increased utilization of public services were noted post-intervention.ConclusionsThe application of urban community public services combined with Duloxetine appears to effectively alleviate anxiety symptoms among city residents. It not only enhances mental well-being but also bolsters community cohesion and public service utilization. Despite the promising results showcasing this concerted approach’s potential, more extensive research is crucial to unequivocally substantiate and refine this intervention strategy.AcknowledgementSuqian Branch of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt Construction Institute 2022 general project (No. dyhsq202206).