Course implementation of Mahara e-portfolio: university students’ perspective

Goal: Knowledge about domestic violence (DV) in medicine is often lacking, even though health professionals are often the first point of contact for victims of DV. A clinical compulsory elective course for medical students on DV was introduced to increase competences and knowledge on DV. The course is based on the didactic concept of the IMPRODOVA training platform [https://training.improdova.eu/en/] and was first piloted at the Medical School at the University of Muenster in summer 2020. The course was evaluated to assess whether it is suitable to increase knowledge and competences on DV. Accordingly, the following research questions were assessed: What competences and knowledge do students have about DV in general and how do students’ competences and knowledge about DV change after participating in the course?Methods: Knowledge assessment on DV in general was based on two surveys conducted at the German universities of Muenster and Luebeck in 2020 and 2021. 54 medical students from Muenster (n=37) and Luebeck (n=17) participated. Muenster medical students were asked to complete a questionnaire within a two-week time period prior participation in the clinical compulsory elective course on DV. Luebeck medical students who had registered for a workshop on DV participated in the same survey prior to the webinar. 28 of the medical students in Muenster underwent in addition a post course assessment. The surveys were created using Questback's online survey research tool EFS using a 5-Point-Likert-Scale. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The results are reported descriptively and differences between pre- and post-surveys were assessed by t-tests and effect sizes.Results: Knowledge assessment indicated that medical students had severe gaps in knowledge related to DV. Completion of an elective course has contributed to a significant learning and competence progress of the students in all DV subject areas.Conclusion: The newly established course is suitable to increase knowledge and competences on DV in medical students and should be included mandatory into the medical curriculum.

The relationship between arts education, museum education and drama education in elementary education

As part of the Erasmus+ project "ELPIS", a compulsory elective course in palliative medicine on handling wishes to die and the desire for suicide was put into place and offered for the first time at the Clinic for Palliative Medicine at RWTH Aachen University in the 2023 summer semester, both as a classroom-based session and an online session. The aim of this project was to provide students with background knowledge, skills and the opportunity to stake out a position in the ongoing debate on assisted suicide. The course was initially offered to 15 students in a classroom-based format and entailed 120 minutes during which an introductory lecture and an interactive conversation with a simulated patient were held. A pseudonymized online evaluation took place. In addition to 4 items to collect demographic data, the focus was specifically on capturing personal attitudes toward and knowledge about assisted suicide (6 items). The survey also described the global outcome (4 items) and measured gain in learning on the levels of knowledge, skills and attitude (8 items). The evaluation showed that assisted suicide is viewed as a form of medical care, but suggests at the same time that there are knowledge deficits concerning end-of-life alternatives. The students' self-assessed level of preparedness increased as a result of the intervention, while their fear of being confronted with a wish for assisted suicide decreased. The opportunity to take up a dynamic stance using an athletic playing field as an aid was perceived as helpful. The specific outcome evaluation showed a gain in learning in all of the dimensions. The participants displayed an open attitude toward assisted suicide as a form of medical care. At the same time, they felt unprepared and fearful of the responsibility that comes with receiving requests for assisted suicide. In order to gain a better understanding of the students' perspectives and fears, a comparative analysis of the digital course and semi-structured student interviews are currently underway.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of motivational climate, perceived ability, motivation and satisfaction in physical education (P.E.) class. This study consists of 1060 college students (518 males, 542 females) from nine different universities in northern Taiwan, who were enrolled in various physical education classes. The average age of male students was 21.21±2.09 years; while that of female students was 20.27±1.68 years. The results of this investigation were: 1 The one way ANOVA analysis revealed that (a) students from elective P. E. classes scored higher on perceived ability, intrinsic motivation, introjected regulation, external regulation, and satisfaction than students from compulsory elective courses and required courses; (b) Students from required courses scored extremely higher on amotivation than students from elective P.E. classes and compulsory elective courses. 2 The results of the Pearson correlation analysis indicated that: (a) perceived mastery climate and perceived ability were positively related to intrinsic motivation, external regulation, and satisfaction; and negatively related to amotivation. (b) perceived performance climate was positively related to introjected regulation, external regulation, and amotivation; (c)intrinsic motivation, .introjected regulation, and external regulation positively related to satisfaction; amotivation was negatively related to satisfaction. 3 According to stepwise multiple regression analysis, the results indicated four points: (a) Intrinsic motivation was predicted by mastery climate and perceived ability. The total explained variance was 47%. (b) External regulation was predicted by mastery climate, perceived ability and performance climate. The total explained variance was 35%. (c) Amotivation was predicted by mastery climate, performance climate and perceived ability. The total explained variance was 28%. (d) Satisfaction was predicted by mastery climate. The total explained variance was 30%. The findings of this study provide the further application of teaching college physical education classes.

E-learning adoption strategies are rising alongside the growth and accessibility of e-learning technologies that cater to the needs of a diverse range of learners. Meanwhile, most e-learning models and approaches try to find the optimal match between e-learning components and the determinants for enhancing e-learning and learner performance. Learners' digital skills are important determinants for e-learning success, which was not widely tested in prior research. Therefore, this paper aims to provide further insight into digital skills and their impact on students’ performance in the e-learning system. A comprehensive model was proposed incorporating digital skills dimensions (common digital skills, educational digital skills, and advanced digital skills) as independent variables and students’ academic performance (academic effectiveness, academic efficiency, academic satisfaction) as dependent variables, and data were collected from university students. After that, the study hypotheses and model were tested using regression analysis. The results reveal that the respondents possess satisfying common and educational digital skills, and less advanced digital skills. While their academic effectiveness and efficiency meet expectations, and their academic satisfaction is moderate. In addition, the findings show that the regression analysis supports the hypothesized relationships between independent and dependent variables in the research model; where digital skills dimensions positively impact students’ academic performance. Specifically, the results indicate that achieving the highest student academic performance requires a combination of digital skills application to be possessed by those students; mainly common digital communicating and application skills, educational digital problem-solving skills, digital safety skills, educational information and data processing skills, and some aspects of advanced digital skills such as application applications development, augmented reality, and database management systems. These results support the research model and show that this model provides good explanations for the variance in the student's academic performance. In addition, this study recommends further questions for more independent variables that may impact a student's academic performance dimensions.

Varieties of digital practices have increasingly become part of people’s everyday lives and people, in general, use these communicative practices on a daily basis, mostly for social and entertaining purposes. As to higher education, researchers have pointed out that digital technology could be a useful tool in how to learn more effectively, if it is based on the abilities that students bring with them into higher education from their everyday life (for example, Buzzard et. al., 2011). In this case study, we explore the issue of students' digital practices in everyday life as well as in higher education, in a teacher training programme at a Swedish University. The aim is two-fold: on the one hand, to provide knowledge regarding students' everyday experiences of digital practices and the ways in which these are utilised in higher education; on the other hand, to contribute to the understanding of the ways in which higher education contributes to challenging and developing students' digital skills. Twenty-nine students from teacher training programmes participated in the study by answering a questionnaire. The results show that the students’ digital habits are not being used or acknowledged in higher education, except for when it comes to their Teacher Training Practice (TTP). Furthermore, the results also show that higher education contributes to students’ digital skills. This, we argue, could be of interest for teachers and researchers in teacher training programmes and for teachers in primary to tertiary education, in developing education activities with digital technology based on pupils’ and students’ digital habits. We can also see that the study can inspire other teachers in higher education, where the idea of using students’ digital habits perhaps is not yet taken into consideration.

In this article we describe process, content and participants of the university compulsory elective course “The Robotic Kits in Education 2”, which we taught in the winter semester of 2017. We explain specific conditions and circumstances, which encourage transformation of the organization of the course. We focus on analysis of the knowledge our students acquired as the result of this modification. In our research we used the qualitative methods of data collection and data analysis. We compared all students’ work and products with the theory of Design of thematic unit and we also present students’ conclusions and recommendations for creation of leisure time lessons with robotics.

In this study, general culture and general education courses within the scope of knowledge categories in undergraduate teacher education programs in Turkey and the USA are comparatively analyzed. The study is a comparative education study and uses a descriptive model. In the study, the general culture - general education courses taught in the elementary teacher education curriculum at the education faculties of Gazi, Ankara, Hacettepe, Anadolu and Marmara Universities in Turkey and Central Florida, Delaware, Utah State and Indiana Universities in the USA were examined. In the study, the document review method was used and the data were analyzed through the document analysis technique. The results of the study reveal that the general culture courses that are compulsory in Turkey were determined by The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and they are applied in all of the undergraduate programs at education faculties. Yet, there are no explanations about what criteria are taken into consideration while determining these nine compulsory general culture courses. While YÖK puts emphasis on a teacher candidate being trained in a sophisticated manner, the results of the study ascertain that these compulsory courses within undergraduate teacher education programs are not diverse enough to serve the intended purposes. On the other hand, some universities suggest some elective general culture courses within knowledge categories; however, some of these are professional teaching knowledge and major courses. The compulsory courses within the category of general education in the USA are determined by the universities themselves whereas this is done centrally by The Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in Turkey, and the compulsory courses of each university vary in terms of content and number. However, the elective courses are grouped under certain themes and these themes are related to certain disciplines. It is compulsory for students to elect certain amounts of courses within each theme. This blocks electing similar courses under the same themes and directs the students to elect different courses. Key words: Higher education, teacher education programs, elementary teacher education curriculum, general culture, general culture courses, general education, general education models.

This research full paper is concerned with the question, in how far advanced pre-service teachers at the University of Vienna feel ‘fit’ to mediate digital skills as part of their instruction at secondary levels K5–K8. While the digital transformation is progressing rapidly, digital skills have become indispensable for all stakeholders in the educational field. To address this issue, we composed an online questionnaire consisting of closed- and open-ended questions. It was distributed among 4,054 students of the teacher education degree program and generated 322 full responses. In the survey, the students were asked to state their opinion on the integration of digital competencies in their attended teacher education degree program and how to improve it. With the use of qualitative content analysis (QCA), we analyzed which competencies and tools they missed the most in their studies or had to acquire on their own.The results of this mixed methods study indicate a lack of essential digital skills in the studies of most students, and that they feel a lack of preparation for the challenges to come as a teacher in the modern world. Moreover, most students agree that they had to acquire more than 75% of the required digital competencies on their own and pointed out the skills and tools they required the most throughout their study program or during their work as a teacher. Yet, some students report good practices in use in elective courses and in courses of various subject didactics. The paper provides a short overview of which digital competencies students wish most to be covered in their studies, including a truly professional handling of MS Teams and other tools such as learning apps, response systems, and tools for issuing learning materials and quizzes. As much as we value students’ capacities for self-learning in the digital sphere, we conclude with implications for a thoughtful integration of digital skills in teacher education programs to optimally prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges.

Citizens of the twenty-first century use specific skills to solve real-life problem situations, propose interdisciplinary solutions, and sustainably solve their communities’ socio-scientific and technological problems, locally and globally. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is an integrated and interdisciplinary teaching-learning space. STEM careers are subject to gender gaps in terms of access to higher education, and only a quarter of female students follow a STEM career. Moreover, later in their professional careers, women often obtain lower salaries and income in the STEM professions. STEM education seeks to actively engage students by incorporating technologies into teaching-learning processes since, favoring searching, analysis, solution, and simulation of socio-scientific problems. The latter has become highly visible during the pandemic caused by COVID-19, particularly in emergency remote education measures. Information and communication technologies (ICT) plays a role in online education, either via the knowledge involved in school curricula or an understanding of how the pandemic has evolved. This is a triple task for professors since they must have the right skills to train citizens of the twenty-first century, build new stimulating learning spaces for their highly technologized students, and develop these skills in their students. This article reviews the concepts associated with digital and STEM skills by analyzing a case study, exploring the perception of students in terms of their development of these competencies, and the commitments required in the study plans made by a Professor of Chemistry in a Chilean state university. A mixed investigation was undertaken, considering three phases with different methodologies. The first phase consisted of a bibliographic study, comparing both the digital and STEM skills of several organizations in Chilean education (UNESCO, MINEDUC, and ISTE). ISTE was used as the basis of the applied questionnaire to establish coherence in the dimensions coming from different reference frames. A second phase refers to the analysis of the study plan programs associated with STEM, ICT, and chemistry teaching, through an Analysis Matrix of Aprioristic Categories. In a third phase, the development of digital skills in undergraduate Chemistry students and professors were evaluated through the Digital Competence Questionnaire of Higher Education Students. Based on UNESCO information, the STEM competencies address both the content and its application to problems related to STEM careers in a manner consistent with the training model for science and chemistry teachers. In the case of digital skills, UNESCO integrates international reference frameworks respecting each country’s laws, enabling them to adapt them. In Chile, MINEDUC focuses on teachers’ use of digital tools to improve the teaching-learning processes of students; and ISTE is focused on the skills of higher education. The analysis of the study programs shows that students’ digital skills do not meet the requirements of the Chilean Ministry of Education (MINEDUC). However, the programs enhance more complex cognitive levels when the curricula advance, promoting STEM skills. The digital competence questionnaire for higher education students (CDAES) survey showed a development proportional to the curricular pursuit of the students where, in the first year of the degree, the students declare positive answers in 60.5% of the items consulted. This trend increases in the second and third years (90.7% of positive answers) and the fourth and fifth years (93.0 and 95.4% of positive answers). It remains a challenge to develop skills to design, create or modify technological educational media that promote the use of digital and STEM skills. In conclusion, this research proposes digital and STEM skills for teacher training, discussing the relevance of their integration in STEM teaching and learning. The teacher training curriculum does not have an explicit association with digital and STEM skills, although it addresses the skills required by national and international benchmarks. However, the students indicate positive attitudes toward the digital skills developed progressively during their training as teachers. As future Chemistry teachers, they value the development of digital teaching skills that allow them to address the challenges that arise in the classroom and thus promote the appreciation of STEM careers, which helps form citizens with more sustainable intentions.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) which emphasizes more on science and technology and the need to master the area in English seem to impact on the formation of identity of the Malay language. Thus, this study aims to identify and analyze the identity of Malay language among Gen Z, the generation born and grew up in this era. In this respect, appreciation and practice of the Malay language which are the components of identity were also investigated, particularly from the socio-cognitive perspective. Data were obtained from 660 respondents from a survey using Google forms. The respondents consisted of Gen Z throughout Malaysia who received invitations based on set criteria, covering urban, suburban and rural clusters. Research instruments developed specifically for this study have a high level of validity and reliability, namely ? = .75 to ? = .91. Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 software. This study utilizes Socio-cognitive Theory and Socio-cognitive approach to describe the relationship between Socio-cognitive elements with the identity of Malay language among Gen Z. In general, the study concluded that 50.0% of Gen Z are in the early phase of fading language identity. The study also notes that 62.1% of Gen Z have negative attitude towards the Malay language, 73.0% have negative perceptions of the Malay language and 40.0% have the low practice level of Malay language. However, the study found that 83.4% of Gen Z have high appreciation of the Malay language. In order to ensure the identity of Malay language among Gen Z can be maintained, the study suggested that the stakeholders in policy-making can make the subject of the Malay language as a compulsory elective course in all higher education institutions, both public or private, as a requirement for graduation.

This paper explores the role of e-learning in enhancing university students’ digital thinking skills. The descriptive approach is used. The research sample includes a sample of 120 male and female students randomly selected from the faculty of Arts at Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan. The results indicate a medium degree of approval regarding digital thinking skills using e-learning in teaching. The research paper recommends furnishing students of the Faculty of Arts with digital training programs to enhance their digital skills and activate online learning programs in virtual classrooms. This paper enriches the Arab and Western libraries with original academic contributions and scholarship to knowledge about the significance of adopting digital thinking skills among students in daily life situations. Other key implications are reflected in activating electronic educational programs in virtual classrooms, developing educational programs specific to e-learning and encouraging teachers to use electronic curricula in e-learning. The paper recommends conducting a study on the effectiveness of e-learning in developing critical thinking skills, meta-digital thinking, advanced thinking skills, and meta-digital thinking skills regarding future research work. Conducting a study on enhancing digital learning abilities among pre-university and university students is one of the primary implications.

The article discusses the formation of legislation on higher education in Russia. The sphere of education is the most important condition for the spiritual, professional formation and development of the individual, the social well-being of society, political and economic formation of the state. An analysis of the historical and legal experience of regulating public relations is a prerequisite for building modern legislation in the field of education. The relevance of the study of the Russian features of legislation on higher education of the XVII-XVIII centuries is that modern social relations in the field of education are not fully regulated. This is evidenced by a range of legal problems. Particular attention should be paid to the legislative regulation of certain powers of participants in public relations in the field of higher education, by-law legal regulation, as well as the implementation of certain legal norms of the Federal Law of 29.12.2012 № 273-FZ. The need to resolve these problems updates the relevance of theoretical problems. The answer to the above questions is an analysis of the historical foundations of Russian legislation on higher education. In the pre-revolutionary Russia, sufficient experience in managing higher education, as well as regulating relevant social relations was in place. The completeness of the study of the subject of public relations in the field of education in the historical context is closely related to the analysis of the activities of Russian universities. The article considers the reasons for the appearance of educational institutions in Russia. The first domestic educational institutions appeared at the end of the 18th century - at a historical moment when the expansion of Western European ideas for organizing university education reached the Russian state. Russia had an urgent need to train specialists in the field of public administration - officials, theologians - to strengthen the Orthodox faith, teachers - to educate and promote morality. The authorization of the first regulatory and legal sources in the field of higher education was associated with attempts to create the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy in Moscow. The revival of the ideas of education in Russia objec'tively accelerated the process of creating domestic educational institutions. The further development of legislation on higher education is associated with the implementation of new ideas about the establishment of universities under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine the Great . In the final part of the work, it is noted that in connection with the creation of the first educational institution in Russia, the first normative legal act regulating legal relations in the field of higher education is published - "Privilege for the Academy." During the XVII-XVIII centuries Russian legislation on higher education contained personal regulatory legal acts. They were strictly targeted and regulated the activities of the educational institution, its officials, teachers, students, as well as other participants in academic social relations.

Aim/Purpose: To explore the effectiveness of utilizing the design thinking approach in developing digital self-directed learning environment to enhance digital literacy skills in Thai higher education. Background: To foster digital literacy skills in higher education, Thai students require more than access to technology. Emphasizing digital self-directed learning and incorporating Design Thinking approach, can empower students to learn and develop their digital skills effectively. This study explores the impact of digital self-directed learning environment, developed using a design thinking approach, on enhancing digital literacy skills among higher education students in Thailand. Methodology: The research methodology involves developing a digital self-directed learning environment, collecting and analyzing data, and using statistical analysis to compare the outcomes between different groups. The sample includes 60 undergraduate students from the School of Industrial Education and Technology at King Mongkut Institute of Technology, divided into a control group (n=30) and an experimental group (n=30). Data analysis involves mean, standard deviation, and one-way MANOVA. Contribution: This research contributes to the evidence supporting the use of Design Thinking in developing digital self-directed learning environment, demonstrating its effectiveness in meeting learners’ needs and improving learning outcomes in higher education. Findings: Key findings include: 1) the digital media and self-directed learning activities plan developed through the design thinking approach received high-quality ratings from experts, with mean scores of 4.87 and 4.93, respectively; and 2) post-lesson comparisons of learning outcome and digital literacy assessment scores revealed that the group utilizing digital media with self-directed learning activities had significantly higher mean scores than the traditional learning group, with a significance level of 0.001. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners in higher education should use design thinking to develop digital self-directed learning environments that enhance digital literacy skills. This approach involves creating high-quality digital media and activities, promoting engagement and improved outcomes. Collaboration and stakeholder involvement are essential for effective implementation. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should continue to explore the effectiveness of design thinking approaches in the development of learning environments, as well as their influence on different educational aspects such as student engagement, satisfaction, and overall learning outcomes. Impact on Society: By enhancing digital literacy skills among higher education students, this study contributes to the development of a digitally skilled workforce, encourages lifelong learning, and aids individuals in effectively navigating the challenges of the digital era. Future Research: Future research could explore a broader range of student demographics and educational settings to validate the effectiveness of the Design Thinking approach in enhancing digital literacy. This could include integrating design thinking with alternative digital learning and teaching methods to further improve digital literacy.

Contemporary university students are motherland beams and social construction main forces, only rely on pass- ing on cultural knowledge is far from enough, we need to cultivate university students comprehensive quality all-round developed talents, only then can let contemporary university students to better go into socialism construction tide. There- fore, university students' sports elective course has become an indispensible part of university education. The paper util- izes analytic hierarchy process method, establishes university students elective course influential AHP model, by compar- ing weights, it gets sports option course of university students highest option rate. At first, start from students' themselves, teachers, teaching, management, field, apparatus and other aspects, analyzes numerous factors that affect university stu- dents sports elective courses, and then gets conclusions. Secondly, on this basis, utilize analytic hierarchy process to es- tablish target layer, scheme layer and criterion layer, by calculating and analyzing, it gets conclusions that students' them- selves, teachers, teaching, management, field, apparatus and others, all have certain impacts on university students' sports elective courses, current stage China universities' students of university sports elective course highest option rate is bad- minton, secondly is table tennis and basketball.