Academic Education Research Articles

The potential integration of Simodont® Dental Trainer in different stages of the dental curriculum

BackgroundThe lack of standardised studies remains an obstacle to developing a consistent approach to integrating virtual dental simulation (VDS) into dental education. The aim of this study was to develop consensus among experienced educators and dental practitioners on the optimal integration of VDS at various stages of dental curricula. The goal was to propose clear yet flexible recommendations that could be implemented by most educational institutions. MethodsFocus groups were established, consisting of experienced academic educators involved in VDS, experienced academic staff who had not previously been involved in VDS, and experienced dental practitioners. These groups exchanged ideas about the best ways to integrate VDS into dental curricula. The Simodont® Dental Trainer system was used to design a curriculum for VDS. ResultsThe expert group agreed that VDS for manual dexterity exercises should be introduced in the first year of dental curricula. This should be followed by cariology exercises in the second year and crown preparation exercises in the third year, alongside traditional manikin-based simulation exercises. Additionally, VDS was recommended for senior students on an ad hoc basis for academic recovery purposes. However, VDS endodontic exercises were excluded from the proposed integrative dental curriculum. Other ways of utilising VDS were identified, such as student recruitment activities and intensive refreshment programs at the start of each academic year. ConclusionsThis study proposes a flexible approach to including VDS in dental curricula. This proposed approach can be customised to meet the specific needs of each educational institution, providing a tailored learning experience for students.

Professional, educational and psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatricians

ABSTRACT Objectives COVID-19 infection is not limited to medical aspects, but may have significant negative impacts on education, tourism, the economy as well as sociocultural, ethical, and legal aspects. We aimed to assess the multidimensional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatricians by examining their COVID-19 infection, domestic life and quarantine, as well as work patterns, educational activities, and psychosocial impact. Methods An online survey consisted of seven sections and 68 questions was prepared through ‘Google Forms.’ The survey was sent via e-mail to physicians who are members of the National Pediatric Association of Turkey. Results The pandemic has affected pediatricians working in our country in a multifaceted aspect. They experienced significant anxiety/depression/stress, 8% of them felt it at a pathological level and were receiving treatment, and women and young pediatricians were more vulnerable to the pandemic. The more adequately informed about the disease, the more prepared for COVID-19 and lower levels of psychological distress, which emphasizes the importance of education and institutional continuing support. Our study showed that academic education was seriously disrupted and the satisfaction rate with virtual education was low. Conclusion Although COVID-19 has less impact today, it has taught us that it is necessary to be ready for new pandemics in the future. The required measures should be taken urgently and effectively healthcare professionals should follow a rational and applicable disaster plan.

Miniaturists — Graduates of the Imperial Academy of Arts on the Modern Art Market

Graduates of the portrait miniature class at the Imperial Academy of Arts, which operated for more than half a century, were many first-class miniaturists whose names are now, unfortunately, known only to specialists. By now, most leading museums have published their collections of portrait miniatures, but historically, none of the researchers have considered the study of the art market (and the miniatures of academician artists appearing on it) as an opportunity, firstly, to identify new works of miniature art, and secondly, to find out whether an artist’s academic education or title influences contemporary pricing and the interest of buyers (which can be private collectors or museums) in his works.Nevertheless, it is the information on the functioning of the art market that provides data for more in-depth and comprehensive research. Thus, the sales index of a certain author much more clearly than numerous exhibitions can show its demand among art lovers. It should be noted that not all users of auction platforms are professional collectors. There are cases when personal exhibitions of artists did not contribute to the growth of interest in their work on the part of art collectors. There is also an opposite situation, when works by artists about whom only a rare researcher knows become a desiderata for many collectors. The present study expands the understanding of the place on the contemporary art market of Russian miniaturists associated with the Academy of Arts (its graduates and academicians), and makes it possible to fill in the gaps in the attribution and identification of the peculiarities of their works. It is concluded that there is no direct connection between the fact of studying at the Imperial Academy of Arts and the prices of their works, but the high artistic level of miniatures allows us to say that the title of academician was indeed given to the most worthy masters.

Origins, belonging, and expectations: assessing resource compensation and reinforcement in academic educational trajectories

Abstract Research has shown that socioeconomic and psychological resources may influence educational trajectories. There are still unanswered questions, however, about the unique roles of these resources and the interplay between them. We consider two such questions: First, how do major psychological resources—a sense of school belonging and optimistic future expectations—predict educational trajectories when controlling for the effect of socioeconomic resources? And, second, do these psychological resources compensate for lacking socioeconomic resources or do they reinforce the influence of socioeconomic resources on educational trajectories? We used data from a 15-year-long Swiss panel study (N = 1989) and investigated educational trajectories concerning individuals’ transitions from lower-secondary to academic upper-secondary education, and from there to university. Findings indicated that both socioeconomic and psychological resources were significantly associated with individuals’ probability of transitioning to academic upper-secondary education. We also uncovered some evidence of resource compensation between socioeconomic resources and future expectations, suggesting that optimistic expectations may buffer the adverse effect of scarce socioeconomic resources on educational attainment. Furthermore, we found that both the sense of school belonging and future expectations were significantly associated with individuals’ probability of transitioning to university. Overall, we conclude that psychological resources play a critical role in academically oriented educational trajectories and that they may partly compensate for the effects of limited socioeconomic resources on these trajectories.

Re-envisioning vocational education: critical discourse analysis of a government publicity campaign in Hong Kong

PurposeVocational education in Hong Kong suffers from an image problem. Stakeholders often perceive it as a second-best option for those who fail to advance in academic education. In 2016, to promote vocational education, the Hong Kong government launched a publicity campaign and rebranded vocational education and training (VET) as vocational and professional education and training (VPET). This study critically analyzes the new discourse crafted by this campaign and assesses its potential to change VPET’s status.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies critical discourse analysis to the set of television public service advertisements produced as part of the government publicity campaign.FindingsThe messaging of the publicity campaign consists of two major discursive strategies. One stresses the ability to find self-fulfillment through VPET. The other stresses the academic ability and middle-class status of VPET students as well as the non-manual and high-end career opportunities for graduates. While the first strategy offers a new basis on which to value VPET, the second recreates assumptions about the value of academic achievement and what constitutes respectable employment, even as it attempts to challenge stereotypes. It reinforces that the ultimate goal of education is financial gain and social status. It overlooks other values of education and the potential value of VPET in enhancing individual choice and agency.Research limitations/implicationsDiscourse analysis does not provide information about audience perceptions and interpretations.Social implicationsThe government could consider reframing their messaging in terms of the diverse values and experiences of VPET students. Highlighting the values that VPET students themselves see in their education provides alternative discourses that can better challenge hegemonic ideas.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first discourse analysis of the government’s publicity campaign to promote VPET.

How emotions catalyse learning through study tours: Evidence from Panda Ambassador

Emotions are critical antecedents to learning in the academic education context. However, how emotions flow, and how emotions affect learning in study tours remains unclear. This case study focused on a UNESCO study tour program, the Panda ambassador 2023, to address the gap. A mixed-method approach was applied, collecting data through daily questionnaires, written diaries, and interviews. A wide spectrum of emotions was identified throughout the study tour. Both emotional valence and intensity affect learning outcomes. Motivations, embodiment, peer interactions, tutorial instructions, itineraries, and contextual stimuli affect how emotions stimulate learning outcomes. Theoretically, our work presents a framework explicating how emotions affect tourist learning. Practically, implications are made for destination managers and study tour practitioners on experience and product design.

Exploring Structures and Processes Supporting Interprofessional Education During Experiential Learning Placements for Student Pharmacists

ObjectiveTo explore stakeholder views on the structures and processes supporting planned and unplanned interprofessional education (IPE) during experiential learning (EL) placements for student pharmacists in Scotland. MethodsOnline semistructured group interviews were conducted with academic staff, practice educators, and EL facilitators (preceptors). Recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Systems theory underpinned the study. Ethical approval was granted by the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences Ethics Review Committee at Robert Gordon University. ResultsThree main themes were identified: current IPE delivery and context, factors affecting IPE delivery and student pharmacist learning, and rethinking current IPE provision. Stakeholder views provided valuable insights into presage factors relating to contextual elements (cultural, logistical, regulatory) and their influence on IPE delivery and interprofessional learning. EL facilitator and student pharmacist characteristics were also highlighted as influencing factors; process factors included examples of planned and unplanned IPE experiences on offer in community, hospital, primary care, and specialist areas of pharmacy practice; product factors highlighted the importance of IPE to support the development of collaborative competencies. Future developments need to focus on a continuum of IPE learning and a coordinated approach between higher education institutions and placement providers and interprofessional practice teams. ConclusionCurricular development and implementation of new IPE is not without its challenges. This study has provided a strong foundation that will inform future developments to ensure new initiatives are conducive to supporting effective interprofessional learning during placements.

Wise Use of Technology : Fostering IMTAQ and IPTEK in The Pesantren Region of Cianjur Regency, West Java

This community service aims to foster IMTAQ (Faith and Piety) and IPTEK (Science and Technology) in the pesantren (Islamic boarding school) region of Cianjur Regency, West Java. The focus of the community service is on how pesantren can integrate modern technology to strengthen religious and academic education. The methods applied in this service involved a participatory approach and collaboration with relevant parties. The results showed that the integration of technology in pesantren not only improves the quality of learning but also facilitates the balanced development of student's character in both IMTAQ and IPTEK. This study highlighted the importance of training and capacity building for educators and the need for policies that support the wise use of technology in the pesantren environment. The community service had successfully demonstrated the transformative potential of integrating faith-based education with modern technological advancements. Through a series of targeted interventions and collaborative efforts, the project achieved several significant outcomes. Thus, pesantren can become a model of education that combines traditional values with technological advancements to produce a generation that is both religious and knowledgeable.

Change in expectations: A policy recommendation for future and current nurse educators

Currently, there are no standardized requirements for pedagogical preparation for nurse educators at the state and national level. Various stakeholders have identified an issue in the preparation of nurse educators in academia. Current recommendations are that faculty have a master's or doctoral degree in nursing (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017); however, requirements do not include educational preparation prior to or concurrent with starting a faculty position. This policy paper highlights a recommendation to require one of the following: the Certified Nurse Educator credential or certificate in teaching for educators without prior formal education in pedagogy. Outcomes of such a requirement would include nurse educators have a better understanding of the science of nursing education and preparation related to teaching. A second outcome is students receive an education that uses evidence-based teaching methods.

How university management decision making affects academic educators’ wellbeing, decision making and ability to change

AbstractUniversity policy setting and implementation has the potential to significantly affect the quality and delivery of teaching and learning by effecting academic wellbeing and performance, particularly during times of significant change. Existing research predominately focuses on student wellbeing, largely overlooking academic wellbeing. This article presents a study which illustrates how university decision making can affect academic wellbeing. Fifteen academics were interviewed in June 2023 to explore how change shaped their teaching. Applying the lens of Self Determination Theory (SDT), the data were then analysed to identify how the university’s response to environmental change affected academic wellbeing and performance. The findings suggest that how institutions implement policy decisions, particularly in high stress environments, is critical to understanding how academics respond. This study provides a rationale for why, in times of significant change, clear upper management decision making, and effective resource management systems are essential to support academics in adopting wellbeing and coping behaviours. The authors conclude by recommending that the application of SDT may offer a structured approach for higher education policy makers and management decision makers to identify possible impacts of change on academic motivation, wellbeing and decision making.

Academic education in environmental chemistry in Europe-addressing future challenges in research and regulation.

Following the tradition of the 16th International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment (ICCE) in Oslo, Norway (2017), and the subsequent 17th ICCE in Thessaloniki, Greece (2019), a follow-up session on higher education in environmental science was organized at the 18th ICCE in Venice, Italy (June 2023). The aim of the session was to stimulate the exchange of experiences and knowledge on graduate and post-graduate level educational programmes, including their development, prioritization, and implementation. The session discussed the integration of practical training activities, which included the integration of environmental chemistry in various bachelor's and master's programmes. The aim was to demonstrate the versatility of environmental chemistry as an interdisciplinary scientific discipline that allows the development of essential green skills for developing sustainable strategies for the environmental experts of tomorrow. Furthermore, during the session, a survey was conducted among the conference participants to collect attitudes and reflections from the audience on the education of environmental chemistry (and related fields).

Decelerating Education

Current educative practices have given rise to the predominant pressure to increase production and speed in academic work and education in general. Educators need to ask whether conceiving of education in such terms is what we really want our children and youth to experience. In this paper, we aim to interrogate the question of how a deceleration of education is possible, and why this would be desirable for students and teachers. We do this in a circuitous way, by exploring four exercises in pedagogical deceleration. These exercises are inspired by philological, didactical, pedagogical, and phenomenological practices.

Children’s rights in action: involving care-experienced individuals in academic lessons

ABSTRACT Focusing on children’s right to participate, as outlined in Article 12 of the 1989 Children’s Rights Convention, there is a growing body of research on involving children and young people in participatory practices in institutional meetings, everyday life, and peer research. However, fewer are the initiatives involving care-experienced young people in social work and educational professional training, as well as in academic education. Building on these considerations, this article describes the involvement of two care experienced young women coming from alternative care experiences within the Course of Work and Organizational Psychology, Social Work BA, Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy. Drawing on ethnographic notes taken during co-planning, co-delivering, and receiving feedback, I critically reflect on the methodological challenges and necessary psychological considerations of such initiatives, paving the way for future participatory training and academic opportunities for social workers.

Importance of Value Education in School and Life

Today, education is not just confined to books. It goes much beyond that. In today’s world, what is most important is a child’s holistic development. This is why parents focus on extracurricular activities and value education along with academics. It feels like moral values are almost disappearing in today’s generation. To resolve this, value education is the best solution. Through Val-ed, as it is commonly known, we can develop the children into people with a strong character. Such children know how to utilize their knowledge for the advantage of mankind. Education is a strong weapon that can change the world. Here, education refers to both academic as well as moral value education. As much as academic education is important, value education is important too. It has the power to change the world. We have discussed the importance of value education in this article.

Investigating the Possibility of Nurse Prescribing Training Development in Nursing Education System in Iran

PurposeEnough medical knowledge and skills are fundamentals for nurse prescribing authority development. This study will explore the potential for developing nurse prescribing training in Iran, where nurses currently lack prescribing authority despite their strong academic nursing education. MethodsThis is a study with two phases. At first, in a conventional qualitative content analysis method, with purposive and snowball sampling, from June 2021 to March 2023, 20 participants, including 16 nurses in different clinical, managerial, educational, and policy-making settings, three physicians, and one clinical pharmacist were interviewed. Unstructured interviews were conducted face-to-face or virtually due to COVID-19. Qualitative content analysis Elo and Kyngäs 2008 was used for data analysis. In the second comparative analysis phase, four masters of science and one doctor of nursing curricula were analyzed in the existence of the nurse prescribing prerequisite courses and these five curricula and two potential masters of science in community health and critical care nursing curricula were compared with John Hopkins University curricula. ResultsIn the qualitative phase, two themes emerged: nursing education challenges and the potential for nurse prescribing training development. These were further broken down into four subthemes: inadequate nurses' knowledge in prerequisite nurse prescribing courses, unprepared educational infrastructure, treatment sector potentials, and educational potentials, with a total of 12 concepts identified. During the comparative phase, it was found that none of the nursing curricula had adequate prerequisite courses for nurse prescribing. However, the Community Health and Critical Care nursing curricula showed potential for developing nurse prescribing training. ConclusionsIn the nursing education system, there are some challenges and potentials for prescribing training, and the community health and critical care nursing curricula have the potential capacity to prepare the graduated nurses to prescribe. It needs educational and managerial policies. More developmental research and pilot studies are recommended.

Demand and Strategy of Lifelong Education Digital Integration and Innovative Development

With the comprehensive advancement of the information-based Education 2.0 action plan, digital integration and innovative development have become an important measure to promote the high-quality development of lifelong education. The digital construction of lifelong education not only has the basic characteristics of “wide, large, deep and comprehensive” but also can provide collaborative services for academic education and non-academic education so as to meet the needs of diverse groups of audiences and diverse school systems, and achieve the goal of innovation and upgrading of all elements, all processes and all scenarios. Therefore, in the process of digital construction of lifelong education, it is necessary not only to clarify the necessity of digital integration development based on realistic needs but also to determine the basic characteristics of digital integration of lifelong education through connotation analysis and to determine development strategies, so as to build a lifelong education digital integration innovation development path.

Assessing vaccine hesitancy and vaccine literacy among the European prison population and staff: A multicentre observational study

Vaccination is the most efficient and cost-effective public health intervention. Prison population, for its low social distancing, constant turnover, and high percentage of migrants, should be an important target of vaccination campaign. However, vaccination coverage in prison is low. In this study we estimated vaccine hesitancy and vaccine literacy among the prison population and staff and assessed their correlation.We conducted a cross-sectional study in 13 prisons of 4 European countries. The sample included 847 people living in prison and 755 staff members. Through a structured questionnaire we assessed vaccine hesitancy, vaccine literacy, general health literacy, previous vaccine refusal and socio-demographic characteristics of participants. Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract three components of vaccine hesitancy. Logistic regression was applied to assess the association between previous vaccine refusal and vaccine hesitancy; linear regression was applied to assess the association between vaccine hesitancy and vaccine and general health literacy. All analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic variables.We identified three components of vaccine hesitancy explaining 49% of the total variance: Mistrust, Concern and Conspiracy. In both people living in prison and staff, all the components were associated to previous vaccine refusal (p-value < 0.001) and presented good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90, 0.73 and 0.78). Young participants presented the highest levels of vaccine hesitancy; migrant people living in prison had the lower levels of Mistrust and the higher level of Concern; all three factors were lower among participants with the highest degree of education. Mistrust and Concern were inversely associated with vaccine literacy while all three subscales were inversely associated with general health literacy (all p-values < 0.001).This study suggests that educational interventions aimed at increasing vaccine literacy in people living and working in prison could decrease vaccine hesitation and consequently increase vaccination uptake among the prison population and staff.

How effective is immersive VR for vocational education? Analyzing knowledge gains and motivational effects

While Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) technology has been predominantly employed in technical and medical academic education, it also holds significant potential for Vocational Education and Training (VET). IVR's unique properties, such as high immersion could be especially beneficial in VET, where action-oriented skills, domain-specific knowledge, and their application in new work contexts are crucial. This study investigates the effectiveness of IVR in vocational education, focusing on (1) objective knowledge acquisition, (2) subjectively perceived knowledge acquisition, and (3) motivational effects in the domain of warehouse logistics. Through a randomized controlled trial with 72 vocational students, we compared IVR-based learning to traditional paper-based methods. Results show that IVR did not improve immediate declarative knowledge acquisition; in fact, the paper-pencil group outperformed the IVR group on an objective post-test. However, IVR significantly enhanced students' perceived knowledge gains. The study also confirms higher motivation and immersion in IVR settings compared to paper-based learning environments. The identified discrepancy between perceived and actual learning may help explain the unclear state of research regarding knowledge acquisition in IVR studies, based on the measures used. Moreover, the findings underscore the necessity for a nuanced approach to IVR implementation in VET education. While IVR can be recommended for enhancing short-term learner engagement, traditional methods or a blend of IVR and non-immersive techniques may be more effective for fostering declarative knowledge in the short term.

Basic advantages of education in the spirit of Confucianism and lessons for Vietnam today

Confucianism considers human education as upholding the role of educational culture, considering academic education as an important way to promote social development and create human identity. Although Confucius's views on the purposes, guidelines, contents and methods of education were introduced more than 2500 years ago, many of the contents still have topical significance up to now. The article explores the basic advantages of education in the spirit of Confucianism and draws lessons related to education in Vietnam today. Accordingly, for Vietnam today, after 37 years of implementing the doi moi process, along with economic growth, macroeconomic stability has been maintained in all aspects: politics, society, national defense and economic development. security is guaranteed and stable, including very encouraging achievements in education and training. The lesson for education in Vietnam today is: the lesson of attaching importance to education and training as the top national policy and the lesson of social justice in education. The limitation of this article is that it has not analyzed the limitations of education in the spirit of Confucianism.

Retooling a Clinical Nurse Leader Curriculum in Response to the Nursing Faculty Shortage.

Our school had increased full-time and adjunct faculty vacancies. To deal with this crisis, we recruited our clinical nurse leader (CNL) graduates. Many reported not feeling prepared to teach. This article describes changes made in a CNL curriculum to better prepare graduates for positions in academic nursing education. While the CNL skill set was created for care of patient populations, it is also transferable to nursing education. Previously, our curriculum used only clinical experiences to teach aspects of CNL practice. We added academic educational experiences and content into our curriculum as another means of teaching the skill set. The size of our CNL program doubled. Students reported gaining confidence about the CNL role in both clinical and academic settings. This curricular change allows CNL students to "try on" the role of nurse educator. This exposure may increase their desire to pursue a career in academia. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.].