Academic Study Programs Research Articles

Identifying the benefits of recovery programs of aquatic gymnastics, aquatic ludotherapy and therapeutic swimming on human motor, kinetotherapeutic and mental capacity

IntroductionThis study aimed to evaluate the motor, kinetotherapeutic, and psychological benefits of three aquatic therapeutic programs—aquagym recovery (AG), aquatic ludotherapy (ALT), and therapeutic swimming (TS)—for students specializing in balneo-physio-kinetotherapy. MethodsThe study group consisted of 101 students, out of which 43 students from the balneo-physiokinetotherapy study program (BFKT) and 67 master's degree students from physical therapy and functional rehabilitation (PTFR). The questionnaire was named Questionnaire regarding the benefits of therapeutic aquatic programs (QBTAP), and included 3 subscales according to the typology of the targeted objectives, namely: motor, kinetotherapeutic and psychological. The items of each subscale correspond to the objectives identified in the content of the 3 aquatic programs stipulated in the content of the courses corresponding to the disciplines in the education plans of academic study programs (BFK, TRFR). The motor subscale included 8 items, the kinetotherapeutic subscale included 16 items, and the psychological subscale included 10 items. The evaluation of the QBTAP questionnaire 5-point Likert scale. The three evaluated programs were: recovery aquagym (AG), aquatic ludotherapy (ALT) and therapeutic swimming (TS). ResultsThe results and conclusion sections should highlight the main findings succinctly. For example: "The QBTAP showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha >0.9) across all subscales and programs, with significant differences identified between the three programs (p < 0.05). ConclusionThe study concludes that aquagym most effectively improves motor capacity, aquatic ludotherapy enhances psychological function, and therapeutic swimming is most beneficial for recovery and rehabilitation.

Practice-Integrated Study Programs in Agriculture Sciences for A Better School to Work Transition in Albania and Kosovo: A Stakeholders Overview

The quality of study programs in higher education plays a crucial role in helping graduates transition from university to the labor market. There is a risk of losing qualified human resources in a knowledge-based society and economy if the education provided does not meet the needs of the labor market. This has led governments and higher education institutions in Albania and Kosovo to reconsider their academic offerings and study program curriculums to better integrate graduates into the labor market. This study examines how stakeholders, both private and public institutions, perceive the practical orientation of higher education study programs in agricultural sciences. A structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions using a Likert rating scale was used to analyze the views and expectations of employees in the public and private sectors about the practical skills that graduates in agricultural sciences should possess. The total number of analyzed questionnaires was 294. Employers in the labor market consider work-based placements, continuous training, and international training of students as "very important" to meet the demand for skills in the labor market. More than 91% of public institution executives stressed the importance of "practice" in reducing the practical skills gap for students, compared to 78% of private sector employees. The findings revealed that public employees are more aware than private sector employers that close cooperation between HEIs and work-life partners is crucial for producing a “university product” that meets future society's needs.

An analysis of Learners' Strategies in Listening Comprehension of High Ability Students at the Second Semester of English Education Study Program in Muhammadiyah Kotabumi University Academic Year 2022/2023

Listening is a skill that must be learned by language learners because listening is an important skill that develops faster than speaking and influences the development of writing and reading skills in learning a language. Listening comprehension is a process of receiving ideas and information deeply by the listener from the speaker. The ability of listening in English is a skill that is not easily mastered by all students who are not native speaker of that language. This is what makes the researcher interested in raising the title of the research to find out what strategies are used by high ability students when simulating. The current study used descriptive approach which involved seven students in the second semester of the 2022/2023 academic year English education study program at Muhammadiyah Kotabumi University. Researcher used triangulation techniques that are interviews and questionnaires. Data analysis was carried out in several stages, namely translating data, reducing data, displaying data, and drawing conclusion. The findings showed that high ability students used more than one strategy. The strategies are cognitive strategy, metacognitive strategy, and socio-affective strategy. All of seven high ability students used cognitive strategy in listening comprehension, four students used metacognitive strategy, and six students used socio-affective strategy. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that the cognitive strategy is most employed by the students.

On including assessments in the calculation of teaching loads.

Next to courses and seminars, tests and assessments represent the main parameters with which to describe an academic study program independent of its curricular content. Thus, the quality of education depends not only on the quality of the courses taught and how they are interconnected, but also on the quality of testing and the feedback given to students regarding their performance. Course quality should be ensured through course evaluation. The economic cost of courses is calculated based on the required teaching load. The concept of teaching load stems from the time when program planning was instructor-centered. The main variable in the rules and regulations governing university study was the number of hours per week per semester (or number of course hours). But even in today's student-centered planning, which uses ECTS credits per module as the variable, teaching loads are still used to determine the number of staff necessary to offer an academic study program. Some universities also include the assessments in the evaluation. Yet the economic costs of testing are de facto ignored almost everywhere, and this does not bode well for the quality of the assessments. Much progress would be made to improve higher education if assessments counted as part of the teaching loads and the curricular norm values. This paper identifies which requirements must be considered in order to include assessments in teaching loads.

Nine US Symbols to Revisit Some American Civilization Aspects

American civilization is part of academic study programs worldwide, especially those dedicated to general American studies. Being one of the most powerful countries in the world in the economic and military spheres, the USA is distinguished through its colorful plurality in terms of race, culture and origin, but also in terms of its tolerance vis-à-vis its opportunity doors open to all without discrimination. Over several decades, the USA has been influencing both third world countries and developed countries thanks to the American dream of being the land of the free and the home of the brave. But as far as geopolitics is concerned, the USA is also facing challenges relating to illegal immigration, and humanitarian crises through direct wars or wars by proxy in the Middle East especially. This paper presents nine national symbols that portray some aspects of American civilization.

ADAPTING CONTENT-BASED MATERIAL IN ESP COURSES: THE EXAMPLE OF DEBORAH POTTER’S HANDBOOK OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

The search for suitable teaching materials in ESP classes requires a lot of effort as available materials rarely satisfy all the specific needs of language learners in a particular subject area or syllabus. This is why some ESP teachers resort to adapting existing learning materials. This paper describes the motivation to adapt authentic content-based material for the use in English for Journalism courses within the academic study program of Journalism at the University of Zagreb. It outlines concrete techniques employed in adapting the Handbook of Independent Journalism written by Deborah Potter. These adapting techniques, primarily deletion and omitting, supplementation and rewriting of the original text, help learners to better identify specific morpho-syntactic features of English for Journalism, which is required by the syllabus. The main effect of material adaptation is better identification and acquisition of morpho-syntactic structures pertaining to English for Journalism. Overall, the adapted material re-engages learners with the content of the Handbook and thus enhances learning.

Implementasi Model Project Based Learning dalam Pembelajaran Menulis Karya Ilmiah pada Mahasiswa

The research objective is to describe the application of the Project Based Learning (PjBL) model which is process and product oriented in learning to write scientific papers. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. The research subjects were 2nd semester students for the 2022/2023 academic year Computer Systems Study Program, Balitar Islamic University. Sources of data include results of performance observations and scientific work products. The results showed that the PjBL model could facilitate students in achieving CPL with an average score of 81. By applying the PjBL model, students could develop ideas in writing scientific papers. The PjBL model is also able to develop aspects of cooperation, social sensitivity, ethics and morals, as well as good and correct Indonesian language skills. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that the PjBL model can support the achievement of learning to write scientific papers and develop aspects of cooperation, ethics, morals, and good and correct language skills.

Students’ difficulties on writing undergraduate thesis at Islamic university

Until now, there are still students who do not graduate on time. This study aims to determine the difficulties of students in writing undergraduate thesis in the English Tadris Study Program, UIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi. Researcher used case study designs and 31 questions interviews as research instruments. This research was conducted at the English Education Study Program, UIN Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi. The subjects in this study were 5 female and 5 male who were selected using a purposive sampling technique based on several criteria. In this study, the researcher found that there were some difficulties for students in writing their thesis. These difficulties include: difficulties regarding basic knowledge of thesis; Psychological; Economic; Socio-Cultural; The consultation process with the advisor; and Technological. Besides that, researchers also found other results, which are students' difficulties in lacking basic English knowledge and skills, academic requirements files, study programs and faculty academic services.

Modeling and Measuring Domain-Specific Quantitative Reasoning in Higher Education Business and Economics

Quantitative reasoning is considered a crucial prerequisite for acquiring domain-specific expertise in higher education. To ascertain whether students are developing quantitative reasoning, validly assessing its development over the course of their studies is required. However, when measuring quantitative reasoning in an academic study program, it is often confounded with other skills. Following a situated approach, we focus on quantitative reasoning in the domain of business and economics and define domain-specific quantitative reasoning primarily as a skill and capacity that allows for reasoned thinking regarding numbers, arithmetic operations, graph analyses, and patterns in real-world business and economics tasks, leading to problem solving. As many studies demonstrate, well-established instruments for assessing business and economics knowledge like the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE) and the Examen General para el Egreso de la Licenciatura (EGEL) contain items that require domain-specific quantitative reasoning skills. In this study, we follow a new approach and assume that assessing business and economics knowledge offers the opportunity to extract domain-specific quantitative reasoning as the skill for handling quantitative data in domain-specific tasks. We present an approach where quantitative reasoning – embedded in existing measurements from TUCE and EGEL tasks – will be empirically extracted. Hereby, we reveal that items tapping domain-specific quantitative reasoning constitute an empirically separable factor within a Confirmatory Factor Analysis and that this factor (domain-specific quantitative reasoning) can be validly and reliably measured using existing knowledge assessments. This novel methodological approach, which is based on obtaining information on students’ quantitative reasoning skills using existing domain-specific tests, offers a practical alternative to broad test batteries for assessing students’ learning outcomes in higher education.

Exploring Between-Sector Transfers: Why For-Profit University Students Switch to Public Institutions

This study explores the choices and experiences of undergraduates who transfer out of for-profit 4-year universities and matriculate into a public university. Interviews with students who moved from one of seven 4-year for-profit universities to a single public university during Fall 2021 indicated a combination of academic and financial factors that precipitated their decisions to transfer. Specific academic-related issues included lack of alignment between students’ interests and the school's available degrees, quality concerns, and institutional policies and practices that restricted students’ agency in making decisions about their academic program of study. Affordability was also a major consideration for many study participants. Attending the for-profit was a low-cost option initially but changes in aid packages and/or tuition prices motivated them to seek less expensive options elsewhere.

STEM students’ career choice for teaching: studying career choice processes using personal projects

ABSTRACT Understanding how teaching interest and motivation develop during the academic STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) study program is essential to design effective interventions to increase teacher recruitment. This article describes a new approach to study STEM teachers’ career choice processes. The retrospective method, which is based on personal projects analysis, focuses on the career choice process of STEM teachers during the academic study program as well as on their current personal values and goals, and the interconnection between these two. Evaluation took place in a small-scale explorative study with recently graduated STEM teachers. The results illustrate that the methodology provides insight into STEM teachers’ career choice processes in a personally salient and ecologically valid way. The use of personal projects provides structure and focus, but also enables large-scale data collection. Therefore, this research methodology could be positioned to complement survey studies and narrative inquiry.

Quality assurance and curricular development of medical faculties using graduate surveys: Challenges - proposal of a core questionnaire - implementation guide.

Graduate surveys provide valuable information to further improve and develop an academic study program. The aim of this project report is to point out the relevance of these surveys for medical schools and to offer guidance on planning and implementing such surveys so that comparable evaluations of medical degree programs are possible.The authors of this project report were asked by the MFT working subgroup on Quality Assurance in Education to generate quality recommendations for surveying medical graduates. To accomplish this, the questionnaires used by the medical schools to survey graduates were closely inspected and analyzed. A questionnaire containing core and optional questions was created as part of this project. A comprehensive matrix was also developed listing all of the procedural elements of graduate surveys.

Towards a digital service to help the elaboration, implementation and follow-up of study regulations at the University of Geneva - a hands-on experiment

Writing study regulations for academic study programs and automatically implementing those regulations is a difficult task that involves a variety of actors and requires at each step careful compliance to the constraints defined in the regulations. This paper describes: (1) the innovation process, taking place through a hands-on experiment, that lead the R&amp;D Unit of the University of Geneva to provide a proposal for a digital service targeting the above purpose; (2) the actual design of such a digital service, providing various functionalities: (a) the elaboration of study regulations; (b) the elaboration of the corresponding study plan; (c) the actual implementation of the study plan through the information system. The digital service relies on two main ideas: (1) all study regulations and study plans are built from common atomic elements, that we call building blocks; (2) ensuring compliance to various constraints is achieved through a reasoning engine capturing the constraints defined over an ontology of the study regulations domain. Each year, for a given University, several study regulations, with various constraints and structure are defined or updated. They all need to be carefully crafted and implemented. The work presented in this paper has the potential to alleviate and improve this task for the various actors involved (students, program directors, lawyers, scientific committee members, study advisor, information systems managers, students’ office).

Diagnosing Engineering Students’ Competence of English Language Skills at Entry Level Academic Programme

In the Indian context, an academic study program at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) comprises a mixed group of learners coming from various social-economic, education, and a wide range of linguistic backgrounds. These learners secure admission into various engineering programs at IITs, having qualified for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), a national-level competitive exam. To qualify for this exam, students prepare rigorously, even at the school level. The JEE exam tests students’ knowledge in the core subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Aptitude and Reasoning; hence, students seem to focus more on these core subjects but not on the English language. These learners vary widely in their English language proficiency level in terms of oral and written English proficiency. It is believed that the level of language proficiency of learners has a direct influence on their academic performance in the program in which they are admitted. Therefore, the study aims at diagnosing 405 engineering students’ competence of English language skills at the entry-level undergraduate engineering study programs of Bachelor of Technology at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar. A diagnostic test that comprised the components of English language skills was designed and administered to 405 students. The results were analyzed and interpreted qualitatively and quantitatively. It was found that the majority of the students who performed well in the test had better education backgrounds. For the students who performed poorly, the study recommends possible implications besides some remedial measures.

Development and Assessment of the Personal Emotional Capital Questionnaire for Adults.

(1) Background: The present study developed and evaluated a personal emotional capital questionnaire (PECQ) for adults that assessed 10 domains of personal emotional capital. (2) Method: Initially, 100 items were created and then administered to students attending Semnan University and Semnan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Of the 700 questionnaires distributed, 527 were completed in full. Students were sampledusing the multi-stage random cluster method. Exploratory factor analyses, Cronbach’s alpha, and test–retest reliability were used to evaluate the scale. (3) Results: The ten components ofthe PECQ were confirmed. Test–retest correlations after 30 days were high, as was Cronbach’s alpha (0.94). Thecomponents highly correlatedwith overall emotional capital. The PECQ displayed convergent validity as it positively correlated with the Keyes’s Mental Health Continuum—Short Form and students’GPAs. The PECQ displayed divergent validity as it negatively correlated with measures of depression, anxiety and stress (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21)). Differences in overall PECQ scores and its components were examined for several variables including gender, age, marital and employment status, academic program, and field of study. PECQ scores were not sensitive to the order of administering questionnaires. (4) Conclusion: The results suggest that the PECQ is a valid and reliable measure of personal emotional capital and supports its use in adults.

Problematika Pembelajaran Daring Mata Kuliah Geometri Transformasi di Masa Pandemi Covid-19

This study aims to analitis the problems of transformation geometry learning at the semester of the 2019/2020 academic year which are carried out online, then attempt to determine solutions and follow-up online learning based on the results of the evaluation. This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The research technique used was a survey technique. The research was carried out on students in semester 4 of the 2019-2020 academic year study program of mathematics education, FKIP Muhammadiyah Kotabumi University in the Transformation Geometry subject with 30 respondents as the object of research. The instrument used was in the form of a questionnaire consisting of 9 questions. The conclusions of this study are 1) it is better if lecturers in online learning use an application that is agreed upon at the beginning of the lecture and is easily accessible to students, 2) it is better if you prepare learning media / materials in the form of digital learning videos that can be accessed via YouTube, WhatsApp, or Instagram. etc., 3) uploading the syllabus, RPS, and material in the learning application, 4) providing lecture information must still be through the learning application and also shared via the WhatsApp Group, 5) providing a grace period for submitting assignments, 6) Continuing to carry out formative and diagnostic assessments for get feedback and return the results of UTS and UAS to Students.

Environmental Effects of the Livestock Industry: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior among Students

Abstract Background The livestock industry has numerous impacts on the environment. The aim of this study is to examine the level of knowledge, awareness and behavior on topics related to environmental pollution caused by industrial animal food production and to determine whether there is a relationship among them. Methods Cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. 361 students were asked about their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to the environmental impact caused by livestock industry. The data were analyzed using correlations, t-tests for independent samples, and linear regression models. Results Students have almost no knowledge about the environmental impact of livestock industry, their attitudes are moderately pro-environmental, yet they are not strict about them. Students with higher levels of environmental knowledge demonstrated more pro-environmental attitudes and behavior (r = 0.33, p &amp;lt; 0.001; r = 0.36, p &amp;lt; 0.001 respectively); attitudes mediate the relationship between level of knowledge and behavior with respect to environmental pollution caused by the livestock industry (Adj. R2 =0.28, p &amp;lt; 0.001). Significant differences were found between participants who rear animals and participants who don't, in the level of knowledge (t = 3.78, p &amp;lt; 0.001), attitudes (t = 3.04, p &amp;lt; 0.01), and behavior (t = 2.33, p &amp;lt; 0.05). Conclusions These findings are in line with other studies, which showed that some consumers are concerned about production of animal foods but their knowledge on this topic is very limited, and most continue to consume animal products without any intention of reducing consumption. There is a need to raise awareness of the environmental and health impacts caused by livestock industry. An introductory course on environmental science should be integrated into different academic study programs. Further research should be conducted among additional population sectors. Key messages Students have almost no knowledge about the environmental impacts of the food they consume. There is a need to develop campaigns to raise awareness of environmental impacts of food.

Does Climate Change Matter to Us? Knowledge, Attitudes, and Environmental Behavior

Abstract Background Climate change is one of the greatest global threats to humanity in the 21st century, and it is directly or indirectly caused by human activity. In view of the effects of climate change, it is important to examine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the public. A better understanding of these variables should improve the current debate on the impact of human behavior on environment and health. Methods In a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire, 704 students were asked about their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to climate change. The data were analyzed using correlations, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and linear regression models. Results We found that students have a medium level of knowledge about the impact of climate change and that their attitudes are moderately pro-environmental, yet they are not strict about pro-environmental behavior. Students with higher levels of environmental knowledge demonstrated more pro-environmental attitudes and behavior, and attitudes mediate the relationship between level of knowledge and behavior. Women demonstrated more pro-environmental behavior than did men, and computer science and management students have the highest levels of knowledge, while health sciences students hold the most positive attitudes and more pro-environmental behavior. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of raising awareness of the effects of climate change and increasing knowledge about how climate change can be mitigated. To this end, an introductory course on environmental science should be integrated into various academic study programs. Further research is needed in order to understand the factors associated with pro-environmental behavior and how to promote it. Key messages Environmental behavior is a function of knowledge, skills, and values. Nevertheless, gaps might exist between social and environmental values that a person aspires to believe in and his/her behavior. Preferring the present over the future is a classic sustainability problem, as intentional sustainable behavior necessitates long-term thinking and gives precedence to future benefits.

Námsframvinda nemenda í meistaranámi við Háskólann á Akureyri

Greinin fjallar um niðurstöður tilviksrannsóknar þar sem leitast var við að greina hvaða þættir styðja og hverjir hamla námsframvindu nemenda í meistaranámi við Háskólann á Akureyri. Tekin voru viðtöl við þrettán útskrifaða meistaranemendur af öllum fræðasviðum sem lokið höfðu námi á tímabilinu 2010 til 2016. Meginniðurstöðurnar eru þær að reglubundnar staðlotur í náminu opnuðu nemendum tækifæri til náms sem ekki hefðu gefist annars. Búsetutengdir þættir hömluðu aðeins að litlu leyti framvindu námsins þó að margir nemendur ættu um langan veg að fara í staðlotur. Konur gátu þess fremur en karlar að þær hefðu þurft að gera sérstakar ráðstafanir vegna fjarveru frá fjölskyldu meðan loturnar stóðu yfir. Nemendur töldu verkefnavinnu og hópavinnu styðja betur námsframvindu sína en fyrirlestra og próf. Einnig kom fram í máli nokkurra viðmælenda að kvenkyns kennarar legðu meiri áherslu á skipuleg vinnubrögð í kennslu og áætlunum en karlkennarar. Í máli allra viðmælenda mátti greina að tengslanetið sem þeir byggðu upp á námstímanum hefði haft jákvæð áhrif á námsframvinduna. Rannsóknin varpar ljósi á mikilvæga þætti tengda umgjörð, skipulagi og stoðþjónustu í háskólanámi sem gagnast geta við þróun einstakra námsleiða, sem og almennt í gæðastarfi háskólastofnana.

Opportunities of MOOCs and flipping micro-learning models in international joint academic degree programs

This research paper investigates the readiness of students to opt for MOOC courses in universities offering a joint master degree international program. A study is conducted on two joint academic study programs offered by the University of Hasselt in Belgium and Princess Sumaya University for Technology in Jordan. The study examines the readiness of students to take MOOC courses and their acceptance by universities' management staff and professors. The study reveals promising results as they suggest that such virtual study programs are readily accepted in both universities by professors and students, though management staff and some professors expressed concerns on the approval of the equivalence of a MOOC onto courses. A flipping microlearning class-learning model is proposed as the future excellent educational model, creating the flexibility for the students to study courses or on distance or on campus. MOOCs have been found a suitable option for delivering learning content online.