BSc Honours Research Articles

A Strategy to Improve Pass Rates of Written Postgraduate Statistics Modules

<p>Many universities apply student support services to undergraduate (UG) students, but some postgraduate (PG) cases need it. South African universities have intensified PG admissions. PG students admitted with a minimum admission mark are not PG-ready. For the Bachelor of Science Honours (BSc Honours) in Statistics (Stats) that requires intense Math conceptual knowledge to apply to Stats concepts, where competition is high, only top students can be competitive. In South Africa, the job market prioritizes graduates from historically white higher education institutions (HEIs), and formerly black and newer university graduates’ struggle. Non-stop students from the latter universities are not easily employed, so they need a stimulus. This study focuses on BSc Honours (Stats) students who perform low for intervention to improve their performance. Measures were proposed for student conduct and behavior to enable lecturers to constantly stimulate the teaching and monitor and evaluate progress while continuously assessing the students. The study followed an experimental design. Students were ordered to practice with module exercises using statistical software packages in the computer laboratory. Exceedingly high pass rates of 100% were realized. The methods were viewed as effective and beneficial.</p>

Interview with Dr. Peter McGrath, Coordinator of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and Co-coordinator of the UNESCO-TWAS Science Policy/Science Diplomacy programme

Dr. Peter McGrath obtained his BSc (honours) in Agricultural Zoology from the University of Glasgow, UK, and followed this with a PhD from the University of Leeds, UK, in 1989. His 10-year research career focused on the insect transmission of plant viruses and included postdoctoral positions at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (now the James Hutton Institute) as well as Purdue University and the University of Arizona in the USA. Returning to the UK in 1997, he established his own business as a freelance journalist focusing on agricultural, environmental and scientific issues. The experience he gained in communicating scientific issues to non-specialist audiences made him an ideal fit for his first position at The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) – as writer/editor in the Public Information Office. During this time, he worked on the TWAS Newsletter, TWAS Annual Report, and edited seven volumes of the TWAS-UNDP case study series ‘Sharing Innovative Experiences’. From 2006, Peter began overseeing the implementation of TWAS’s core programmes, including South-South fellowships and other exchange schemes, research grants and various prizes, as well as the activities of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). During this time, he has helped expand these programmes as well as developing new partnerships and activities, including the EU-funded EuroAfrica-ICT project (2009-2012), and acting as the liaison person for TWAS’s involvement in the Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative (SRMGI).

Maria Helena Gilleece

Maria Helena Gilleece was a distinguished and talented student, attaining scholarships, winning the Henry Cohen and W.F Jones year prizes in medicine and general practice, and intercalating with a BSc...

In memory of Dr Maria Helena Gilleece MD, MBChB, BSc Hons (Biochem), MRCP, MRCPath, PGCMed (27th November 1959-24th June 2021).

In memory of Dr Maria Helena Gilleece MD, MBChB, BSc Hons (Biochem), MRCP, MRCPath, PGCMed (27th November 1959-24th June 2021).

Evaluation of a delirium awareness podcast for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a pre\u2212/post-test study

BackgroundDelirium is a common disorder affecting several people in primary, secondary, and tertiary settings. The condition is frequently under-diagnosed leading to long-lasting physical and cognitive impairment or premature death. Despite this, there has been limited research on the impact of innovative approaches to delirium education amongst undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a delirium awareness podcast on undergraduate nursing student knowledge and confidence related to the condition in Northern Ireland.MethodsThe intervention was a 60-min delirium awareness podcast, available throughout May 2020, to a convenience sample of year one undergraduate nursing students (n = 320) completing a BSc Honours Nursing degree programme in a Northern Ireland University. The podcast focused on how nursing students could effectively recognise, manage, and prevent delirium. Participants had a period of 4 weeks to listen to the podcast and complete the pre and post questionnaires. The questionnaires were comprised of a 35-item true-false Delirium Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ), a 3-item questionnaire about professional confidence and a 7-item questionnaire evaluating the use of podcasting as an approach to promote knowledge and confidence about delirium. Data were analysed using paired t-tests and descriptive statistics.ResultsStudents improved across all three core areas in the post-test questionnaire, demonstrating improvements in knowledge about symptoms of delirium (7.78% increase), causes and risk factors of delirium (13.34% increase) and management of delirium (12.81% increase). In relation to perceived confidence, students reported a 46.50% increase in confidence related to recognition of delirium, a 48.32% increase in relation to delirium management and a 50.71% increase their ability to communicate about delirium. Both questionnaires were statistically significant (P < 0.001). The final questionnaire illustrated that nursing students positively evaluated the use of podcast for promoting their knowledge and confidence about delirium and 96.32% of nursing students believed that the podcast met their learning needs about delirium.ConclusionsA 60-min podcast on delirium improved first year student nurse knowledge about delirium. Nursing students also expressed that this approach to delirium education was effective in their learning about the condition.

Evaluation of a co-produced delirium awareness programme for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a pre-test/post-test study

BackgroundDelirium is recognised internationally as a common disorder that causes acute deterioration in a person’s cognitive abilities. Healthcare professionals play a key role in the early identification and management of delirium and effective education can support timely recognition and treatment. There is currently a lack of research exploring the delirium education provided to undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a co-produced delirium awareness programme on undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland.MethodsThe intervention was a 2-h delirium workshop, delivered in April 2019, to a convenience sample of year one undergraduate nursing students (n = 206) completing a BSc Honours Nursing degree programme in a Northern Ireland University. The workshop focused on four core elements: defining delirium, reflecting on practice, recognition of delirium and management of delirium. Participants completed a 35-item true-false Delirium Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ) at baseline and post intervention using Socrative, a cloud-based student response system. In addition, students also completed a short questionnaire at baseline and post-workshop, designed by the authors, to ascertain perceived confidence about caring for people with delirium. Data were analysed using paired t-tests and descriptive statistics.ResultsIn the DKQ, Scores were normally distributed around the mean at baseline (71.89%) and post intervention (81.89%). Students improved across all three core areas in the post-test questionnaire, demonstrating improvements in knowledge about symptoms of delirium (7.32% increase), causes and risk factors of delirium (17.91% increase) and management of delirium (5.72% increase). In relation to perceived confidence, students reported a 60.20% increase in confidence related to recognition of delirium, a 49.51% increase in relation to delirium management and a 45.04% increase their ability to communicate about delirium. Both questionnaires were statistically significant (P < 0.01).ConclusionsA 2-h workshop on delirium improved first year student nurse knowledge about delirium. Nursing students expressed that this approach to delirium education enabled collective thinking about how knowledge could be transferred into individual practises. Students also stated that learning incorporating the voice of the person who has experienced delirium, was an effective and powerful way to deliver education.

Implementation of SDGs at the University of South Africa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how universities can play a pivotal role in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs). It recognises the advantage that universities have in responding to social challenges through their functions and operations, mainly through research and innovation and academic prowess. Not much guidance is available on how they can contribute to SDG implementation. The research is a case study of the University of South Africa, a distance education institution. It showcases how its science campus in Johannesburg has incorporated SDGs in its operations.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through interviews with campus operations managers and sustainability office managers, a survey with environmental science honours students was conducted and observations of the Unisa Florida campus environment were undertaken to establish practices that contribute towards SDG implementation. Document analysis assisted in complementing the data collection process. Data were analysed by aligning practices with SDG indicators.FindingsThe research revealed a number of practices that align with SDGs in teaching, research, community engagement and campus operations management. Unisa is however challenged by financial limitations and as an open distance education and learning (ODeL) institution, it struggles to involve students in these projects. The paper concludes that while the most obvious contribution of universities to SDGs is towards quality education (SDG 4), higher education, including distance education institutions, can play an active role in implementing other SDGs as well.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was limited to one institution, Unisa, owing to time limitations. While this might seem like the research was too selective, it was intentional, as the aim was to research a distance education institution. The research targeted staff involved in campus operations at Unisa’s Florida Campus, which is located in Johannesburg. Interviews were limited to students pursuing BSc Honours in Environmental Management. This was a methodological decision to contain the research, but making sure that the targeted respondents were the most informed. Individual case studies are often critiqued for being insufficiently representative to allow generalisations to other contexts (Jupp, 2006). This applies to this research in terms of “populations and universes” (Yin, 2003, p. 10), but generalisations to “theoretical propositions” (ibid) are possible.Originality/valueThere are few studies in Africa which researched implementation of SDGs in universities, let alone in ODeL institutions. The research revealed the challenge of involving students in sustainability practices in distance education institutions and serves as a testimony that such institutions can still have successful projects on and off campus. It suggests involving students in applied research based on the current sustainability projects on and off campus.

Serving up graduates

Serving up graduates

Study versus experience.

As an advanced nurse practitioner who holds a BSc honours degree, I would like to see what transitional changes are planned for ANPs (news, 28 September, p9 ).

Western Faculty Profile: Dr. David Litchfield

David Litchfield is the Vice Dean, Research &amp; Innovation at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr Litchfield graduated from McMaster with an Honours Bsc in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Western with a PhD in Biochemistry and finally completed his postdoctoral training in the department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington Seattle.

O57. Current opportunities for Medical Physics Internship training in South Africa

Introduction Two year Medical Physics (MP) Internships (practical clinical training) are established in South Africa (SA), and are a requirement prior to registration, as a MP, with the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA). Over the past decade there has been an increasing demand for registered MPs in SA, thus the number of people in available academic programs has increased. Filling of state funded internship posts has declined and some posts have been scrapped. Recently there is anecdotal evidence of a transition in post availability as the number of graduates applying for any advertised internship post seems to have increased. The aim of this study is to determine current opportunities and intake of students and interns into training and education programs so as to facilitate informed planning of future opportunities. Materials and methods All HPCSA Accredited Departments of MP were contacted and requested to provide information about their current education and Internship programs. The information was summarised and analysed. All information was treated confidentially. Results There are currently about 120 active registered MPs in SA. There are 21 Interns registered against HPCSA Accredited Internships. These are either employed in State funded Internships, self-funded, funded by National Research Foundation Internship Bursaries, or by private sector bursaries. There are currently 29 BSc Honours students with MP subjects (or equivalent courses aimed at internship registration), 25 MSc Students, and 11 PhD students. Structured MSc programs were considered as equivalent to research based MSc programs. Conclusion This study highlights several points. The eight accredited training institutions offer diverse programs and have widely different organizational and training structures, even while complying with the HPCSA accreditation process. Post graduate research programs are active. There is a shortage of Internship opportunities for MP training countrywide. Increased private sector involvement and filling of State posts are suggested solutions. Two year Medical Physics (MP) Internships (practical clinical training) are established in South Africa (SA), and are a requirement prior to registration, as a MP, with the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA). Over the past decade there has been an increasing demand for registered MPs in SA, thus the number of people in available academic programs has increased. Filling of state funded internship posts has declined and some posts have been scrapped. Recently there is anecdotal evidence of a transition in post availability as the number of graduates applying for any advertised internship post seems to have increased. The aim of this study is to determine current opportunities and intake of students and interns into training and education programs so as to facilitate informed planning of future opportunities. All HPCSA Accredited Departments of MP were contacted and requested to provide information about their current education and Internship programs. The information was summarised and analysed. All information was treated confidentially. There are currently about 120 active registered MPs in SA. There are 21 Interns registered against HPCSA Accredited Internships. These are either employed in State funded Internships, self-funded, funded by National Research Foundation Internship Bursaries, or by private sector bursaries. There are currently 29 BSc Honours students with MP subjects (or equivalent courses aimed at internship registration), 25 MSc Students, and 11 PhD students. Structured MSc programs were considered as equivalent to research based MSc programs. This study highlights several points. The eight accredited training institutions offer diverse programs and have widely different organizational and training structures, even while complying with the HPCSA accreditation process. Post graduate research programs are active. There is a shortage of Internship opportunities for MP training countrywide. Increased private sector involvement and filling of State posts are suggested solutions.

Samir Kumar Chatterjee

Samir Kumar Chatterjee qualified with a first class BSc honours degree in zoology and botany in India, before he trained as a doctor. He originally came to the UK in...

Paramedic decision-making–how is it done?

In 2005, The Bradley Report called for a move to higher education and the ambulance services saw the advent of the degree and diploma paramedic. Historically, ambulance services have used the Institute of Healthcare Development (IHCD) vocational educational programmes to develop and educate their own staff, using a skills escalator approach to paramedic status, rather than supporting their development in the Higher Education (HE) environment. More recently the services have started to use graduate paramedics educated and developed to the requirements of the HPC Standards of Proficiency (2007) in universities across the UK. This article considers the decision-making process of the graduate paramedics against that of the IHCD paramedic, and involves the hyperthetico-dedutive and intiuitive approaches used by paramedics to inform their decisions, and the treatment that they provide. In addition, it involves the initial work of two research ethics approved empirical studies, currently in progress, that form part of the the authors doctoral studies involving sample groups of graduates from an IHCD programme, and a foundation degree and BSc Honours degree at two UK universities.

Your tutor is your friend: using experiential learning to enhance second year transition

PurposeThe purpose of this paper describes a second‐year induction programme developed to support student transition. The sophomore slump theory suggests that students may experience a slump in the second year, resulting in poorer outcomes and increased attrition rates. Students were asked to reflect on their first year experience in order to identify learning and plan for the year ahead, in order to reduce potential for a slump during the second year.Design/methodology/approachStudents beginning the second year of a four‐year BSc Honours Nursing programme participated in a one‐day induction prior to commencement of semester 1 classes. Students were assigned to groups and asked to reflect on some key questions in relation to their first year experience. Responses were collated on flip chart paper and discussed together.FindingsEmergent themes are discussed here: forward planning, engagement with the institution, and building a strong foundation.Practical implicationsThis process served to illustrate to staff some of the “hidden curriculum” issues and offered opportunities to focus on areas of student weakness such as referencing and academic writing. Using a combination of reflection, and experiential learning in induction may serve to transition students through the sophomore slump.Originality/valueThe challenge for academics is to continue to find ways to enhance the student experience in an increasingly diverse student population, and determine its effect on attrition rates. This paper offers a reflective commentary, exploring the authors’ learning, on the implementation of one innovative programme of longitudinal induction.

Degree of success? A review of delivering BSc Honours degrees in an FE college

Widening participation initiatives led by the government encourage non‐traditional students to enrol in higher education courses usually offered through a franchising arrangement between a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and a local Further Education Institution (FEI). The focus has been on the development of foundation degrees with most collaborative agreements concentrating predominantly on offering these qualifications on the proviso that students must attend the host HEI to complete the final full degree year. This review focuses on an FEI in South Wales which has successfully obtained a franchise to offer BSc provision at honours level in care studies and childhood studies. Delivery of honours provision is a new concept for the FEI in question; issues considered revolved initially around the establishment of an HE ethos and environment within the college together with the additional requirement for implementing guidelines for dissertation supervision and scholarly activity which are not normally a remit of FEIs. A model for the delivery of HE in an FEI had already been established previously but it soon became apparent that provision of honours level required some modification and expansion of this model looking at flexibility of delivery within the traditional inflexibility of an FE teaching contract. The issues surrounding this and their subsequent resolution are discussed in terms of both practice and policy development. The first year of honours provision was outstandingly successful and it is hoped to develop an established model of HE provision in an FEI that encompasses the total progression pathway from sub‐degree to full degree for students who are described as non‐traditional students within the widening participation culture. The outcomes of this review will become the baseline for the development of a comprehensive policy for delivering HE provision in a FEI.

George Malcolm Ross Smith

George Malcolm Ross Smith—George, as he was known to all—was born in Naini Tal in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1936. His father was a civil engineer with the...

An appreciation of Daniel Robert Boyle, and an introduction to the special issue of Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis in his honour

Daniel Robert Boyle,our friend and colleague, died on 29 June 2000, in Ottawa, Canada, at the age of 52 after a courageous battle with cancer. Dan was a leader at the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) in the application of lithogeochemistry, and groundwater geochemistry for the study of mineral deposit genesis, mineral exploration, environmental and health issues. He was the son of the (recently deceased: 5 August 2003) internationally renowned and respected geochemist Bob(Robert W.) Boyle, who was also employed at the GSC (Garrett 2004). Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, Dan spent many happy summers travelling with his family to places across Canada, notably New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, where his father's fieldwork took him. These experiences instilled in Dan and his sister Heather a love for the sciences and the outdoors that shaped both their future careers: Dan following in his father's footsteps as a geochemist, while Heather, the family radical, became a biochemist (Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand). Dan completed a BSc honours degree at Queen's University at Kingston, Canada, with a thesis entitled “Geochemical environmental study over a Cu–Mo porphyry deposit, British Columbia”. He continued his education at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, London, UK. He graduated with a PhD in 1976, and his thesis was entitled “The geochemistry of fluorine and its application in mineral exploration“. During his studies in the UK, he completed several mineral exploration consulting contracts in Spain, France, Ireland, Turkey, and Great Britain. During the latter part of his PhD studies, he became a member of the Mineral Industry Research Organization review board of Great Britain. While at Imperial College, Dan became an associate professor, and later (1975) head of the mineral exploration research section of the applied geochemistry …

Access, Astronomy and Science Fiction

It is argued that a positive response to lifelong learning policies involves the use of imaginative curriculum design in order to attract learners from disadvantaged backgrounds who are otherwise alienated from higher education. In this article a case study is presented based on the popularity of science fiction within popular culture, beginning with community-based modules in the South Wales valleys and culminating in a complete BSc honours award in Science and Science Fiction. This experiment in curriculum engineering has recruited adult learners, as well as school-leavers, and has led to the use of innovative teaching and learning methods that complement curriculum objectives and outcomes.

Robert Millner Shackleton. 30 December 1909 – 3 May 2001

Robert Millner Shackleton, who died peacefully in his sleep on 3 May 2001, was born on 30 December 1909 in Purley, Surrey, the son of John Millner Shackleton (an electrical engineer of Irish derivation who, at one time, worked for the Post Office telephones) and Agnes Mitford Shackleton (née Abraham). He was distantly related to the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and was educated at the Quaker school of Sidcot, which profoundly influenced his subsequent life and career. He entered Liverpool University in January 1927 and graduated with a first–class honours BSc in geology in July 1930 under P. G. H. Boswell FRS, the first George Herdman Professor of Geology. He was only the fourth student in the history of the department to achieve a First. Shackleton's first visit to Africa was as an undergraduate in July to September 1929 to attend the 15th International Congress in Pretoria, South Africa. He always remembered Boswell's help and how he had persuaded him into going and even shared a cabin on the Union Castle ship to South Africa with him to reduce the cost at a time when most professors would not have done so. He saw the Karroo, the Kimberley diamond mine, the Witwatersrand mines, the Bushveld, Rhodesia, and the Drakensberg. This visit to Africa was to be the foundation of his love of Africa, its people and its geology. Shackleton went on to complete a PhD at Liverpool in December 1933 on the Moel Hebog area of North Wales, between Tremadoc and Nantlle, although some of the work was done while at Imperial College, London (IC), where he was Beit Research Fellow from 1932 to 1934, largely facilitated by Boswell, who was also an IC man and had moved back there to the Chair in 1930. The Moel Hebog mapping included examining some cliff faces never scaled by any geologist or, indeed, anyone before; it was part of a systematic re–survey of North Wales encouraged by Boswell, and followed the surveys of Snowdonia by David and Howell Williams. The Moel Hebog mapping was superb and, with his other field achievements, led to his receiving the Silver Medal of the Liverpool Geological Society in 1957. Shackleton was one of several Liverpool students, including one of us (B.E.L.), who from the 1920s onwards did part of their PhD work at IC. He had a petrological training, being taught silicate analysis by A. W. Groves at IC, but the petrological and palaeogeographic interpretation of his PhD area was hindered by the fact that ignimbrites had not yet been recognized and only a few chemical analyses could be completed. The published account (7) è did not appear until 1959 and then only because of the encouragement and devoted help given by Dr J. C. Harper.

Does a Problem-solving Based Curriculum Develop Life-long Learning Skills in Undergraduate Students?

Background and purpose In preparing undergraduates for professions that require a commitment to continuing professional development, Higher Education has an obligation to ensure that its graduates have the ability, confidence and desire to continue as educationally self-directed learners. It is suggested that undergraduate curricula can be used to facilitate self-directed learning development. This study compared the learning profile development over time of two full-time BSc(honours) Physiotherapy cohorts (C94 and C98) who experienced different curricular presentations of the same syllabus. Curricular changes intended to facilitate self-directed learning development were introduced before the second cohort. Methods Both cohorts completed the Guglielmino (1977) Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale and the Rezler and French (1975) Learning Preference Inventory on admission, at four selected points during the three-year courses, and seven months after graduation. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test for cohort change with change over time tested using a first order polynomial contrast. Results Completed sample sizes were C94 = 31, C98 = 36. On admission both cohorts preferred a fact-based learning environment that was teacher-structured. Both curricula influenced students' learning profile development over time. C98 responded differently (p < 0.05) from C94. The former were better able to learn in student-structured, interpersonal and individual learning environments. Seven months after graduation, the learning environment flexibility of the C98 cohort had reduced. Conclusions C98 responded positively to the curricular changes introduced as an attempt to reduce dependence on the teacher of C94. However, these changes were short-term and did not extend into early postgraduate life, bringing into question the ability of the professional environment to reinforce and encourage fledgling postgraduate learning development.