Academic Results Research Articles

Effects of the neoliberal agenda on academic results at federal universities

With the emergence of debates about the weight of federal public universities' budgets in public accounts, the development of scientific research that present data on such issues to society becomes relevant. In this context, this work sought to identify the effects on the academic performance of Federal Institutions of Higher Education (FIHE) caused by the application of the neoliberal agenda in the budget formation of these institutions. For this purpose, the adopted methodology grouped the universities based on their similarities, using the cluster analysis method, and verified the existence of a correlation between the budget and performance variables. The results found point to a scenario of disruption in FIHE budgets, represented by attacks on the financing model of these institutions under arguments of inefficient performance based on incomplete or biased analyses. In addition, the emergence of the application of neoliberal measures generates signs of a change in the profile of actions carried out within universities, moving from a vanguard place in the generation of scientific knowledge to a kind of service provider in which market demands are met through financial support.

Procedure for the Determination of the Student Workload and the Learning Environment Created in the Power Electronics Course Taught Through Project-Based Learning

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> In the research presented in this article, a procedure for determining student workload has been designed, tested, and validated. This procedure also makes it possible to analyze how different teaching variables are affected by workload and to visualize the learning environment generated in the course. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</i> When the project-based learning (PBL) methodology is used in a course, if the students’ workload is not properly planned and controlled, important variables in the educational environment, such as the teaching organization and the students’ approach to learning, can be affected. The PBL methodology may even become unfeasible as it affects the other courses with which it shares year and semester. This justifies the need to know the student workload of a subject. The previous research has presented procedures for establishing student workload. However, they use questionnaires with a high number of questions. A questionnaire with many questions affects the reliability of students’ answers. The questionnaire presented in this article reduces the number of questions without affecting the results obtained and it is easily applicable to other courses. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research Questions:</i> The questions to be answered in this research are: 1) is the workload of the students, when using the PBL methodology in a course, in line with the one established in the syllabus? and 2) is the learning environment created in the course as expected? <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Methodology:</i> The methodology used to obtain the necessary data is based on students completing weekly surveys, two critical incident questionnaires (CIQs), and a final survey. The aim was always to minimize the number of questions to be answered, ensuring that the data collected provided a true picture of the workload and the educational environment. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Findings:</i> The analysis of the data obtained by applying the procedure provides mechanisms to control the workload, ensure involvement and motivation, improve students’ academic results and show the learning environment created in the course. The implementation of this method, during three academic years, has allowed to test its effectiveness, validate some of the initial hypotheses, and confirm the conclusions of some previous studies.

STATE OF STRESS IN NURSING AND TECHNICAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS IN MOROCCO

In a world where success is often measured by academic performance during university studies, and where everyone seems to be increasingly suffering from psychosocial illnesses linked to various types of pressure, it seems important to evaluate these two dimensions and to connect between them, in order to isolate favorable conditions for good mental health, combined with good academic results. The nursing student population is exposed to different stressors than the rest of the students, which is why this study is an attempt to evaluate the determinants of stress in this population within the ISPITS of Marrakech, as well as the impact of those on academic performance. The instruments used are self-administered questionnaires to students in S2 and S6 (N = 324) including a perceived stress scale. The results were analyzed using a correlational design. The findings show high levels of stress that appear to be correlated with age, sex, and work activity, with no apparent or significant connection to academic performance through appreciation. Our analyzes appear to grasp an interesting effect of the efforts made versus the rewards obtained as well as perceived demands on the stress experienced, with a slight gender effect.

Level of Anxiety among Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The general atmosphere of the medical college is frequently seen as being extremely stressful; as a result, medical students' academic results suffer, as well as their physical and psychological health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate medical students' levels of anxiety about their future careers. Objectives: To exploring the level of anxiety among medical students during COVID-19 Pandemic Methods: It was a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional research. After receiving verbal approval from each student at the Fatima Jinnah Medical University in Lahore, the participants enrolled. The data was gathered using a pre-designed questionnaire. A VAS score was employed to assess anxiety levels. SPSS 23 was used to analyze data. To get the desired findings, a statistical test like the chi-square test was used, with a p-value of 0.05 being considered statistically significant. Results: The results showed that the mean age student was 20.33± 1.49 years with range from 19-27 years of 165 female medical students were enrolled. Maximum strength of 3rd professional year as 70(42.42%), students were asked to respond to their own self-perceived level of anxiety by using VAS scale of 0 to 100 (mild, moderate and severe) and 84(50.91%) students’ shows severe level of anxiety. The factor contributing anxiety during COVID-19 explored and faced fear about future career 127(76.97%). Students observed that it took great effort to understand online lectures 108(65.45%) and faced the problem of recalling the memorized online 112(67.88%) as insignificant p-value. Conclusion: The COVID-19 epidemic did not seem to enhance the general degree of anxiety among medical students, but instead, they were more concerned about their studies, exams, and especially their future career. Keywords: Visual Analogue Scale, Exam Anxiety, Anxiety.

The Effect of Monitoring and Evaluation on Quality Assurance in Higher Education (A Case Study of Accra Technical University (Atu), Accra-Ghana)

The study aimed to examine the effect of monitoring and evaluation on quality assurance in higher education using Accra Technical University, Accra- Ghana. The study was guided by three research questions grounded in the literature of monitoring and evaluation and quality assurance in higher education. The mixed method research approach which involves both qualitative and quantitative approach was employed for the study. A convenience sampling technique was used to select 60 respondents. Questionnaire and interview were the main data collection instrument. Statistical Product for Service Solution (SPSS) was used in the analysis of the data. Pearson correlation coefficient tool (t-test), chi – square, frequencies, percentages and tables were used to present the data. The study revealed that distractions by colleagues, conflict of interests by superior officers, insufficient financial resources, lack of support from management and difficulties in accessing information are some of the challenges to effective monitoring and evaluation in higher education. It was also discovered that monitoring and evaluation helps to deliver good quality assurance results in terms of – content, professional development, leadership, academic results. It was recommended that there should be continued managerial support through resource allocation to address non-conformities in the quality assurance policies in the university. It was also recommended that there should be extensive examination of the nature of relationship that exists between the vice chancellor registrar, examination department and the quality assurance directorate in the university by focusing on the exact landscape of the relationship as this will help to understand the strengths and drawbacks of the existing relationship.

Epigonism Vis A Vis Authentic Islam: Authority Claim And Novelty Production

This study focuses on acute epigenetic phenomena still inherent in modern civilization today. Epigonism is also more severe in academic research results, which tend to experience repetition of research. This is marked by a sharp decline in interest in Islamic studies, which then tends to copy the classical legacy, considered a novelty in research. On the other hand, Epigonism and claims of Islamic authentication have not yet encountered a meeting point against the most valid claim of Islamic orthodoxy by blaming other groups who are not in line. Another phenomenon that is not inferior is also blaming each other for the results of research in each science discipline, one of which is the common ground for Covid-19. This study recommends that one should harmonize textualism and contextualism to align with any civilization and culture to achieve a complete understanding of Islam. In addition, there must also be an appreciative attitude towards research results that are not in line with the disciplines that are the focus and dialogue between sciences, namely multidisciplinary research is more focused than monodisciplinary research, which tends to be repetitive even though the place and object under study changes.

The Relationship between Personality, Motivation and Academic Performance at Medical Students from Romania.

The academic and health system requirements are constantly growing due to the continuous development of this sector. Therefore, it is important to investigate the structural factors that improve performance in the medical system. The aim of our pilot study is to analyze if there are associations or correlations between personality and motivation and the results obtained for the National Residency Exam of Romanian medical graduates. We conducted a prospective pilot study on 179 medical students from George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania between February 2021 and December 2021, who were evaluated by the DECAS, IM, and SPM scale. Our results showed that all the dimensions of personality according to the Big Five Model, which include openness (OR = 0.392, p = 0.01), extraversion (OR = 0.512, p = 0.03), conscientiousness (OR = 3.671, p = 0.004), agreeableness (OR = 2.791, p = 0.07), and emotional stability (OR = 4.863, p = 0.0003), are statistically associated with the result obtained. Motivation also plays an important role in academic achievements, through motivational persistence and motivational involvement which correlates with the conscientiousness dimension and the result obtained. This study confirms that both personality structure and motivation are associated or correlated with the academic results of medical students and represent a starting point for future research.

Application of Machine Learning Techniques to Evaluate the Performance of Students in an Academic Environment

Identifying the most influential factors affecting the student’s performance plays a vital role in improvising student’s academic results. The conventional counseling is a time consuming process to understand students’ performance. Machine Learning techniques play a major role in educational institutions to estimate the students, performance leading to better performance in placements. The major objective is to find behavior patterns of students in a timely and accurate manner. We find out the groups of students who need to be counseled in time. The system uses parameters such as attendance status, extra circular activities, grade, technical skills, previous semester results, grasping capability, aptitude grade, interaction with lecturers etc. This also helps faculty members to identify the most influential factors affecting the students’ performance. Analyzing student mental issues for low academic performances is a complex task in the current education sector. The system uses data science technique called as "Association Learning" to find the patterns. The Eclat algorithm is used to find patterns. The proposed system builds as real time application useful to educational institutions to understand students’ behavioral patterns. The system helps faculty to identify the most influential factors affecting the students’ performance. A web browser in the future can be developed and used as an application. More number of parameters can be added to predict the students’ performance.

A Film for Our Times: The Story of XP School

A new film explores the UK's most radical state secondary school. XP school in Doncaster, a disadvantaged area of England, is putting kindness at the heart of its school culture, and reaping outstanding student engagement, attainment, attendance and behaviour. Its approach is in marked contrast to a recent tendency in UK schools to focus on tough discipline, teaching to exams and excluding students who don't deliver academic results.

Application of Statistical K-Means Algorithm for University Academic Evaluation.

With the globalization of higher education, academic evaluation is increasingly valued by the scientific and educational circles. Although the number of published papers of academic evaluation methods is increasing, previous research mainly focused on the method of assigning different weights for various indicators, which can be subjective and limited. This paper investigates the evaluation of academic performance by using the statistical K-means (SKM) algorithm to produce clusters. The core idea is mapping the evaluation data from Euclidean space to Riemannian space in which the geometric structure can be used to obtain accurate clustering results. The method can adapt to different indicators and make full use of big data. By using the K-means algorithm based on statistical manifolds, the academic evaluation results of universities can be obtained. Furthermore, through simulation experiments on the top 20 universities of China with the traditional K-means, GMM and SKM algorithms, respectively, we analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different methods. We also test the three algorithms on a UCI ML dataset. The simulation results show the advantages of the SKM algorithm.

The Law and Science Trial: a learning experience through role-playing

INTRODUCTION: Problem-based learning and roleplay allow students to develop an active role in their learning process and make them implement classroom-acquired theoretical concepts in a practical environment. METHODS: The group of students was divided into 2 groups, the first representing the patient's family and the second the patient's insurance company. Each group defends its interests, the family defends the need for gene therapy and the insurance company defends the limitations that may occur with it. MAIN OBJECTIVE: In this article, we present an educational experience based on roleplaying and problem-based learning developed for a Molecular Biology course in a Faculty of Medicine of a Colombian university, where students are asked to act out specific roles on a simulated trial. RESULTS: As many concepts taught through the course are easily forgotten, the Law &amp; Science Gene Therapy Trial was developed to make learning a more didactical process and, therefore, improve academic results. This experience allows a theoretical-practical integration based on the students’ knowledge of gene therapy, its molecular basis, and clinical implications. CONCLUSION: The trial is a meaningful experience that has been implemented for more than 10 years with Institutional support. Academic results from the experience have been exceptional and students are motivated to develop assertive communication and teamwork capacities.

An economic analysis of tiger parenting: Evidence from child developmental delay or learning disability

A controversy over “tiger parenting” was provoked by the book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.” While the media and public often focus on its cultural implications and effectiveness in child-bearing, and economics literature focuses on the choice of parenting style with respect to economic conditions, this article takes a step further and examines the operation of parenting style by studying the economic implications related to a common method used by “tiger parents” in parenting their children: punishment. We argue that if parents employ punishment as an instrument to discipline their children to exert more effort in their human capital investment, the possibility of punishment should be increasing in children's capability. We test this hypothesis by investigating the effect of children's developmental delay or learning disabilities on the likelihood of parents punishing their children in case their academic results are below expectations, and find supportive evidence. Surprisingly, we find no evidence on parents being more kind to children with development deficiency.

Paid work activity and entrepreneurial cognitions of students – evidence from European emerging economies

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate whether paid work activity (PWA) experience of students from five emerging economies is related to academic results and self-assessment of possessed entrepreneurial traits. Additionally, the authors verify the relationship between obtaining work experience and the willingness to start own business among students.Design/methodology/approachParticipants included 3,631 students of the first level of higher education at six universities in five countries (Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine). A survey questionnaire was used which included questions on the previous work experience, paid work during university studies, the assessment of competencies related to entrepreneurship and the assessment of the desirability of entrepreneurship as a career choice.FindingsFindings indicate that students who engaged in PWA before studies are more likely to do it during studies. PWA during studies is related to perceiving oneself as a worse-performing student, but also to the perception of oneself as an entrepreneurial person. No such relationship was found for the PWA experience before entering the university. It was also found that students are likely to start their businesses after obtaining work experience.Practical implicationsPractical implications pertain to the role of the contemporary academic institutions that should consider their approach to enabling students’ PWA and teaching them how to engage in it for the benefit of their own and the societies to which they belong. It is argued that it may be particularly essential in emerging economies.Originality/valueThe correlates of PWA of students have been underexplored. This paper allows broadening the current understanding of this phenomenon. The authors investigated its relationship with feeling entrepreneurial and academic achievements among young people from five emerging economies, which provides valuable insights for policymakers and educational institutions. It is argued that such insights may be particularly essential in emerging economies. Additionally, the authors contribute to advancing two theories that have not been extensively used in the entrepreneurial context: expectancy theory and social learning theory of career development.

The market value of cash and the creation of high‐governance listings of voluntary adoption: Evidence from the Brazilian stock exchange

AbstractResearch Question/IssuesIn this article, we analyze whether the initiative of a domestic stock exchange that designed three high‐governance listings of voluntary adoption, in addition to maintaining its traditional listing, can mitigate managers' ability to expropriate cash. As a result of the reduction in improper cash diversion in firms with higher disclosure and corporate governance standards, we hypothesize that investors place a higher value on cash in the firms that voluntarily migrate to the premium listing.Research Findings/InsightsAfter a series of robustness checks, we document that investors place a higher value on the cash of firms from the non‐mandatory premium listing ($0.589) in relation to the cash of the companies from the regular traditional listing ($0.239). Our findings also reveal that the market value of cash is higher in firms from the segment with the highest standards ($0.687), where companies follow the “one share, one vote” principle.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsThe empirical results suggest that shareholders associate the premium listings segments as a commitment that reduces the risk that cash holdings will be converted into private benefits, and consequently, they place a premium on the cash of companies that subject themselves to these levels. Hence, by lessening shareholders' markdown of cash holdings, the premium listing segments mitigate part of the value loss associated with weak governance in Brazil.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsOur results provide important policy implications by demonstrating that a domestic stock exchange, by creating a premium listing of voluntary adoption, can provide mechanisms for firms to self‐select into segments with greater transparency and stricter corporate governance that, in turn, send a positive signal about the underlying risk that firms may expropriate cash. Hence, emerging countries where reforms of corporate law are designed to protect investors from facing serious political opposition may also consider creating special listings such as in Brazil, as a private contractual arrangement, to increase the protection of shareholders.

BIM for the Realization of Sustainable Digital Models in a University-Business Collaborative Learning Environment: Assessment of Use and Students’ Perception

This paper develops an assessment of an academic implementation of building information modeling (BIM) carried out in an expert project subject of a School of Industrial Engineering. The objectives were for the students discover sustainable industrial during the design process and the students understand and participate in a real process of the implementation of industrial projects through real collaboration between academic and business contexts. The outcomes of this academic initiative were evaluated using academic results as well as students’ perceptions. Academic results were analyzed using the FUZZY VIKOR method. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine whether the use of BIM, the proposed university-enterprise environment and the sustainability proposal rate of the students’ projects had statistically significant effects on the results. Students´ perception evaluation was based on a Likert survey with five levels, and the results were interpreted using fuzzy k-means clustering and classification tree analysis. The results show that 77.8% of students consider that for learning, it is more effective to carry out a project related to an existing company, with the realization of the project with BIM methodology being of great value. The sustainability aspects were applied more easily thanks to the proposed methodology, and they were positively valued by the company.

The formation of Russian borders and its impact on Russia's national security

The boundary problem has not only been one of the major international conflicts but one of the most sensitive and difficult issues to deal with. Russia has had or continues to have serious western and southern border problems, which may probably or already lead to many issues, such as the challenges to Russia's national security system posed by the EU's eastward expansion and the resulting Russia-Ukraine conflict. In this paper, the author will sort out the academic research results, focus on analysing the border issues where disputes and conflicts exist in Russia, summarize the potential risks and pitfalls that still exist and discuss the negative impact of these pitfalls on the Russian national security system, as well as predict the possible future research directions. Based on the formation of Russia's borders and border problems, this paper finds that the conflicts arising from Russia's borders are not only historical problems but also the root cause of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In the context of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, the academic community should conduct an in-depth study on the problems of Russia's borders, which problems will continue to be a potential threat to Russia's national security, and what adjustments have been made to Russia's national security system in response.

Improving the Online Regional Student Experience: Findings from the Country Universities Centre (CUC) Student Evaluation

For Australian university students living out of reach of a campus and studying online, the growing presence of Regional University Centres (RUCs) is changing their student experience for the better. People from regional areas of Australia are historically under-represented at university. Those who begin university are at higher risk of not completing their qualifications than students from metropolitan areas. COVID-19 restrictions in the past two years have added to the continued growth in regional students studying their degrees online. A recent survey of students attending a Country Universities Centre (CUC) within their local community shows these centres to be highly effective in supporting regional students. The participants overwhelmingly reported improvements not only in their academic progress and results, but also in their motivation, confidence, and likelihood of completing their qualification.

Application of the Classification Algorithms on the Prediction of Student’s Academic Performance

Measuring student performance based on both qualitative and quantitative factors is essential because many undergraduate students could not be able to complete their degree in the recent past. The first-year result of a student is very important because in the majority of cases this drives the students to be either motivated or demotivated. So, the first-year student performance of a renowned university in Bangladesh is investigated in this paper. This research is mainly based on finding the factors for students’ different types of results and then predicting students’ performance based on those 11 significant factors. For this purpose, 2 popular supervised machine learning algorithms have been used for classifying students’ different levels of results and predicting students’ performances, those are support vector machines (SVM) classifier and random forest classifier (RFC) which are tremendously used in classification and regression analysis. The input dataset for both training and testing were taken by merging the values obtained from 2 surveys done on students and experts using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy interference system (ANFIS). RF has outperformed SVM in predicting students’ performances. According to factor analysis, students’ effort (Factor-11) is the significant factor. This proposed model can also be applied to predict course-wise students’ performances and its precision can also be greatly improved by adding new factors.&#x0D; HIGHLIGHTS&#x0D; &#x0D; Identify the significant factors responsible for students’ different levels of performances&#x0D; Apply two machine learning algorithms to classify students’ results based on the factors&#x0D; Analyze the results obtained from the methods&#x0D; Compare the accuracy, and find the top five factors responsible for students’ academic results&#x0D;

Feasibility Study on using MCDM for E-Voting

An online voting system is an election system that manages the election process. This is a medium for the voters to cast their votes. It is also being used to calculate the votes collected from the voters to choose the representative for their own faculty. A typical voting system is based on a single attempt for each candidate being voted. The voting does not reflect the criteria implies to the characteristic of the candidate that going to be the student leader. To be a student leader, the student should fulfil the requirement such as good academic results, interpersonal skills with society, involving in activities of university and etc. Although the current voting system is able to maximize the participation of the voters, the voters may blindly vote the ballots casually due to they do not know the details of the candidates and the result is low quality and low public’s trust in the selected candidate. In this study, the aim is to develop an interactive online voting system that have ranking feature with MCDM method which allow online voting system to collect high-quality results from the voters. The Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method is used in the voting system while choosing the candidate. MCDM can let the voters make decision making or selecting the candidate based on the criteria that suit the position. The study starts with the literature study on implementing MCDM for a voting system. Then, a survey will be made to get the users’ views on the with and without implementation of the MCDM method in an online voting system. The expected result of the study is to investigate the current implementation of MCDM as a tool for decision making, then identify the possibility of adopting MCDM for the online voting system while choosing the representative for faculty students’ society. As a conclusion from the survey from the users’ views, it shown that most of the users thinks that the system with the implementation with MCDM method is less time consuming and able to produce high quality result compare to the current online voting system. Most of the respondents also stated that they are more preferring to use the online voting system with MCDM method in the future.

The relationship of sport with academic performance of higher education students

The general objective of the article was to relate the sport with the academic performance of the students of the Bachelor of Science, Education and Humanities and of the Faculty of Engineering of the Autonomous University of Coahuila. It was a quantitative, cross-sectional and correlational study. 80 subjects answered the survey, by means of a non-probabilistic sample for convenience. The central hypothesis was: There is a relationship between sport and academic performance. The working hypotheses: H1. There are significant differences between gender and the variables to be contrasted. H2. There are significant differences between the faculties and the variables to be contrasted. Statistical analyzes were performed: frequencies and percentages, comparative, correlation and exploratory factorial. The contribution of the study lies in the fact that when the student body practices sports, it increases their concentration, it makes it easier for them to integrate with their peers, improves their academic performance, their studies, allows them to prioritize their classes, which generates good evaluations. It can be said that, to the extent that the student community performs physical training, they improve their academic results and face situations positively as well as their emotions.