Canadian University Research Articles

The impact of frequency and stakes of formative assessment on student achievement in higher education: A learning analytics study

AbstractBackgroundResearch shows that how formative assessments are operationalized plays a crucial role in shaping their engagement with formative assessments, thereby impacting their effectiveness in predicting academic achievement. Mandatory assessments can ensure consistent student participation, leading to better tracking of learning progress. Optional assessments may encourage voluntary engagement, potentially leading to a more genuine reflection of student understanding. Also, frequent assessments provide continuous opportunities for feedback and adjustment, which can keep students actively engaged in the learning process.ObjectivesThis study aims to investigate two crucial facets of formative assessments: frequency and the level of stakes involved (mandatory vs. optional). We examine how modifying the frequency of formative assessments affects students' course performance. Additionally, we evaluate the impact of mandatory versus optional formative assessments on students' course performance in higher education.MethodsThe sample of this study consisted of undergraduate students (n = 336) enrolled in three sections of a large asynchronous course at a Canadian university. We extracted features associated with online formative assessments (e.g., the number of attempts and average scores) from the learning management system. Next, we used these features to predict students' performance in summative assessments (two midterms and a final exam).Results and ConclusionsOur findings indicated that increasing the frequency of online formative assessments did not consistently improve student performance. Also, participation frequency in online formative assessments seemed to vary depending on assessment stakes (i.e., optional vs. mandatory). We recommend that instructors examine what conditions can maximize the contribution of formative assessments to students' academic achievement before building predictive models.

STEM Teacher Candidates’ Preparation for Online Teaching: Promoting Technological and Pedagogical Knowledge

Emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on pedagogical challenges that require the immediate attention of teacher education programs. This paper focuses on teacher candidates’ preparation to teach online in a STEM curriculum and pedagogy course in a teacher education program at a Canadian university. The authors present a two-phase study of two cohorts of teacher candidates enrolled in this course and explore 1) their perceptions of the dynamics and effectiveness of online teaching as a teaching modality, and 2) the impact of the course on their technological and pedagogical skills necessary for online teaching. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through pre- and post-surveys administered online at the beginning and end of the course. Findings suggest that teacher candidates’ engagement with course content resulted in a notable improvement in their views toward online teaching as a teaching modality, pedagogical approaches, and personal abilities utilizing innovative online teaching strategies. This research emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive training programs that enhance teacher candidates’ technological competencies while simultaneously refining their pedagogical methodologies for online settings. Implications for teacher education research and practice are discussed.

Practice patterns for eosinophilic esophagitis vary widely among Canadian gastroenterologists: a nationwide survey

Abstract Introduction Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic allergic, type 2, immune-mediated condition of the oesophagus, resulting in dysmotility and oesophageal stricturing. This study aims to identify practice variation among Canadian gastroenterologists treating adults with EoE. Methods A cross-sectional, web-based survey was distributed to Canadian gastroenterologists through the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology and administrations of Canadian universities. Results Seventy gastroenterologists completed the survey, with 59% working in academic practice or research. Overall, 90% of gastroenterologists require histological evidence of EoE to establish a diagnosis of EoE, while 50% require clinical symptoms of oesophageal dysfunction; 39% of gastroenterologists take less than 5 biopsies when assessing for EoE, with variability in biopsy location. Only 51% of respondents took biopsies in every case presenting with acute food bolus. Proton pump inhibitors were the initial therapy of 70% of gastroenterologists, with 11% using topical steroids. The preferred dietary approach was the 6-food elimination diet in 36%, followed by the 2-food elimination diet in 26%. Overall, 27% of participants did not use histologic improvement and 63% did not use endoscopic improvement to evaluate treatment response. Use of EoE Endoscopic Reference Score (EREFS) is low, with 56% being either unaware of what EREFS is or never using it. Most respondents feel Canadian guidelines would be helpful in their practice. Conclusions Eosinophilic esophagitis practice patterns among Canadian gastroenterologists are variable and differ from consensus guidelines. The development of Canadian guidelines and continuing medical education content can be considered to improve the management of EoE in Canada.

Assessing Quality of Referrals to a Community-Based Chronic Pain Clinic

ABSTRACT Introduction Because patients with chronic pain are complex, with significant medical and psychiatric comorbidities, referrals to specialty pain clinics are often necessary. The present study explores the quality of information submitted and the profile of referring physicians associated with rejected patient referrals by a community pain clinic. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on a series of consecutive new patient referrals rejected by a noninterventional community pain clinic (November 2021–June 2022). Data were collected on the reasons for rejected referrals and physicians responsible for these referrals using the public database of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Results During the study period, 120 new referrals made by 99 physicians (88% primary care providers, or PCPs; male : female ratio 1:1.2; 53% Canadian university graduates) were rejected because of inadequate information (62%) or because they were inappropriate (38%). Only 46% of the rejected referrals were resubmitted within a median of 7 days (range 0–96 days) and accepted. Half of the non-resubmitted referrals could have been accepted if the referring provider had sent in the missing information. Conclusion A significant number of referrals to our pain clinic (primarily from PCPs) are rejected for mainly avoidable reasons. The process of rejected referrals and resubmissions requires 92 to 126 h of additional staff time/year. Without additional health care resources, our study highlights simple but effective improvements in the referral process that could facilitate patient care, avoid unnecessary delays, and decrease possible sources of patient complaints.

Faculty Response to Journal Cancellations

This paper reports on a qualitative study that aimed to discover faculty and graduate students’ reaction to journal cancellation projects. In most studies that examine cancellation projects the main aim is to delineate methods used in making decisions about cancellations and the process followed to achieve a successful outcome. Our study looked at these factors but also interviewed faculty to get their response to the cancellations that had occurred at their university and to discover whether there was an alignment between the different ways in which librarians and faculty evaluated journals. We interviewed fourteen librarians and thirteen faculty/graduate students from five medium-sized Canadian universities. Our analysis of the librarian interviews indicated that one of their major concerns when embarking on a cancellation project was the negative reaction they might get from faculty. To counteract this response, librarians made a concerted effort to make them aware of the upcoming cancellations and to provide alternative methods to access journals if their important journals were cut. From the faculty interviews we learned their reactions to these efforts and their knowledge of the journal publishing ecosystem. We also had librarians rank the importance of nine factors used when deciding to buy back journals, and asked faculty to indicate the importance of similar factors in their evaluation of journals. An interesting finding was that although librarians felt that citation metrics were the most important criteria to faculty in evaluating journals, faculty did not consider them as important as other factors. In conclusion we found that there was a stronger alignment between librarians’ and faculty/graduate students’ journal value metrics than librarians previously expected providing opportunities for them to work with faculty to find solutions to the current inequitable journal pricing situation.

Bridging Between High School and University: Assessment of Students’ Readiness to First-Year Engineering Programs

This descriptive case study uses self-assessment tools to explore 26 prospective students’ preparedness regarding their knowledge and competencies for entering the first year of engineering programs at a large, research-intensive Canadian university. We aim to provide insight for developing the Brigde2Engg (B2E) Program to empower and support students in their transition to university. Applying Conley’s college readiness model as a theoretical framework, findings from this study reveal that most students appear confident about their knowledge and skill preparedness for the first-year engineering programs, including their critical thinking abilities, problem-solving skills, and understanding of engineering professions. However, they are less confident in physics and the use of engineering tools. Therefore, we suggest that, when they choose to participate in the bridging program, these students should focus mainly on the subject they deem inadequate. Results also show that an introduction to engineering tools is essential to familiarize students with the programming and spreadsheet software they will use throughout their university programs.

Multimodal Academic Discourse Socialization: Examining Geoscience Students’ Disciplinary Knowledge Construction and Socialization at a Canadian University

Abstract This ethnographic multiple-case study examines how undergraduate students are socialized into the disciplinary norms, values, and practices of a geoscience course at a Canadian university. Transcending logocentric assumptions about academic discourse, this article advances a broader domain of inquiry––multimodal academic discourse socialization––which foregrounds the polysemiotic nature of academic socialization. This approach examines not only linguistic but also a wider range of semiotic resources, including gestural, visual, material, and spatial ones, among others. To understand geoscientists’ disciplinary norms, values, and communicative practices, ethnographic data (classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, course-related artefacts) were thematically analysed. Focal students’ geoscience poster presentation performances were also analysed using multimodal interaction analysis to scrutinize micro-level instantiations of disciplinary practices. Findings highlight how students were socialized into geoscience ‘observations and interpretations’ through a recurrent multimodal classroom activity, which was also reflected in micro-level multimodal practices enacted in students’ geoscience poster presentations. This study emphasizes that multimodal enactments constitute a crucial dimension of disciplinary practices and values connected with learning to think, view, and represent knowledge as geoscientists.

"I don't feel fully prepared": a qualitative study of recently graduated students' mental health experiences of the transition out of university.

This study aimed to better understand the mental health experiences of students as they prepared to transition out of university. Participants included 18 recently graduated students from a Canadian university. Virtual one-on-one semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed following the protocol for content analysis and using QSR NVivo. Four main themes were identified, including: distress and feelings of doubt, the importance of connections, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and experiences with mental health service use. Participants discussed feeling pressured to succeed and a fear of failure, uncertainty and unpreparedness for next steps, the importance of connections to peers and professors, a lack of motivation and feeling 'unfinished' due to the COVID-19 pandemic response, and the need for flexible and accessible mental health services to address immediate and longer-term needs. Results have implications for better support of students as they prepare for graduation.

Will I fit? The impact of social and identity determinants on teamwork in engineering education

In engineering as with many STEM spaces, the environment delivers many cues that affect psychological fit, which affects choices students make. Teamwork experiences can be particularly challenging for equity-deserving students. Using focus groups at a medium-sized multi-cultural Canadian university, we examined how engineering students navigated and experienced teamwork and how that interacted with social determinants (e.g., money and time constraints) and identity, including gender, race, and sexuality. We used the framework of State Authenticity as Fit to Environment to develop themes of teamwork choices, experiences, and outcomes. Social fit (respect from peers) and self-concept fit (whether self-image matches stereotype) affected many choices and experiences including selection of teammates with similar identities or allies. Women and low socio-economic status students sought self-concept fit by avoiding coding within teams. Visibly under-represented students felt pressure to excel to validate self-concept fit. The team environment itself sent messages about social and self-concept fit to many students, though the focus on collaboration and applications with social benefits often aligned with goal fit. These fit-guided choices and threats to fit nudged many students away from engineering careers. Interventions to address factors that cause negative experiences for marginalized students include strategic group composition, supporting mentorship and affinity groups, rotating group roles, structured collaboration, inclusive teamwork training and increasing diversity.

Student entrepreneurs with triple bottom line objectives: capabilities in creating viable business models

PurposeThe objective of this instrumental case study is to investigate issues impacting capability development/transformation with respect to student entrepreneurs’ aspirations to create a viable, evolving business model for their start-ups, namely, that are underpinned by goals featuring the “triple bottom line”. That is, instead of simply profits as an economic performance metric, there is also a consideration of wider social issues within the notion of “responsible leadership”, involving people and the planet.Design/methodology/approachUnderpinned by a “capabilities lens”, the research setting focuses on the perceptions of student entrepreneurs together with other stakeholders in a Canadian university. The country context is pertinent, since to gain scalability, owners of start-up firms may need to internationalise to overcome limited domestic demand (despite the large geographic area); also, stakeholders’ support is sometimes needed to facilitate growth.FindingsNew insights demonstrate the need for appropriate stakeholders to facilitate effective transformative capability development amongst student entrepreneurs with triple bottom line objectives. Student entrepreneurs’ capability of validating facets of a viable evolving business model that address “all” and not “some” aspects of the triple bottom line is especially important. This is alongside the capability of being able to pivot product-market strategies where necessary, and this may feature the need to internationalise in the event there is limited domestic demand. A capability to develop soft skills is also likely to help student entrepreneurs communicate with stakeholders. In turn, such capabilities are likely to help move ideation, passed validation and through to commercialisation.Originality/valueThe utility of institutions and associated stakeholders offering education and training support to develop capabilities amongst students as aspiring entrepreneurs has featured in earlier studies. Likewise, issues associated with the notion of sustainability have also been previously considered. The originality of this instrumental case study is to offer a more nuanced investigation into salient issues associated with capability development amongst student entrepreneurs exhibiting triple bottom line objectives in their start-ups. That is, focusing on considerations related to validating their evolving business models and especially when facing limited domestic market demand.

Exploring mental health experiences and supports among international engineering undergraduate students – insights to inform university support

ABSTRACT This study explores the mental health perceptions, expectations for mental healthcare, and use of existing mental health services among international engineering students at a Western Canadian university. Employing a phenomenological qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 international undergraduate engineering students to understand their mental health challenges and service usage. The thematic analysis revealed three significant themes: students’ understanding of mental health; their experiences within the engineering programme, and recommendations to enhance and facilitate a positive mental health experience at the university. Findings suggest that mental healthcare for international engineering students should be responsive to the students’ unique needs, providing support and accessible services during their transition from their home countries and recognising the impact of the environmental and cultural factors on their experiences as members of the Faculty of Engineering and the broader university community.

Unequal inequity and precarity: The changing demographics and career trajectories of Canadian university provosts

Unequal inequity and precarity: The changing demographics and career trajectories of Canadian university provosts

Visa policy and international student migration: evidence from Canada

Abstract This article examines how visa policy affects international student migration. Using administrative data on community colleges in Canada, we evaluate a reform that introduced a new visa stream—the Student Partners Program (SPP)—with shorter processing times and higher approval rates for student visa applicants able to demonstrate that they have the financial resources and language skills to succeed academically. Using a triple difference estimator, we find that SPP increased student migration from treated countries by 34% relative to what would have occurred without the reform, and that this effect materialized only among students from origin countries suffering from low approval rates. Moreover, we show that higher enrollment was driven in roughly equal proportions by an increase in visa approval rates and the volume of visa applications, suggesting that the policy helped reduce statistical discrimination and increased the attractiveness of treated institutions. We also leverage the SPP reform to investigate potential crowding-out effects. While inflows of international students did not reduce the number of domestic students enrolled at Canadian community colleges, the reform helped foreign enrollment outpace domestic enrollment by crowding-in international students from countries that were not eligible to SPP.

Why do instructors pass underperforming students? A Q-methodology study

BackgroundFormal evaluations are an integral part of a student's learning and encourage students to learn and help instructors identify students’ weaknesses. Over the past few decades there have been growing concerns that instructors and evaluators are passing students who do not meet expectations. This phenomenon, in which instructors pass students who do not meet expectations, has been referred to as “failure-to-fail”. In this study, we used Q-methodology to identify instructors’ justifications for failure-to-fail.MethodsA Q-methodology study was conducted to identify the major viewpoints of instructors at a Canadian university. A by-person factor analysis with principal component factor extraction and Varimax rotation was used. The analysis was conducted using the QFACTOR program in Stata. A Cohen’s effect size of 0.80 was used to identify distinguishing statements.ResultsFifty seven instructors participated in this study. Through a by-person factor analysis, three factors representing three viewpoints emerged: Intrinsically Motivated, Extrinsically Motivated, and Administratively & Emotionally Deterred. The Intrinsically Motivated group perceived mental barriers that prevented them from failing students. They strongly disagreed that they experienced pressure from either students or their schools to pass students. The Extrinsically Motivated believed that their higher-ups and the university encouraged them to pass all students. They perceived discomfort associated with defending their reasons for failing students and were concerned that failing students would damage their own career advancements. The Administratively & Emotionally Deterred group believed that the process of failing a student was stressful and exhausting. They disagreed that a failed student is a result of the instructor’s own inadequate guidance or mentorship.ConclusionsThis study identified three distinctive viewpoints that outline areas of consideration for addressing the failure-to-fail mechanism. More transparent discussions within schools, as well as identifying solutions, are required to create systems that ensure educational and professional standards are maintained. Further replication of this study in various disciplines may be used to determine whether these findings are consistent in different fields.

Summer Camp Clinical Placements in Young Families Nursing: An Interpretive Description Study.

Obtaining meaningful clinical experiences with paediatric and perinatal (young families) populations is increasingly challenging for nursing programs. Care for this population has largely moved to outpatient and tertiary settings. Therefore, a current trend is to use non-traditional clinical settings. While summer camps offer rich learning experiences for nursing students, they are seldom used as clinical placements. Faculty at an Atlantic Canadian university sought a novel way to engage students in young families' learning by partnering with overnight summer camps, staffed by counsellors, camp administrators, and on-site nurses. Campers included those with lived experience of cancer, diabetes, physical and developmental challenges, and socioeconomic challenges. This study assesses how young families course outcomes were met by an innovative clinical experience within a Bachelor of Nursing program and describes the perceptions and experiences of those involved. Study participants included students (n = 4), camp directors (n = 3), a camp nurse (n = 1), and the clinical educator (n = 1). Data collection involved semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Interpretive description methodology was used to identify themes and patterns related to overarching research questions. Students met the outcomes and overall participant perceptions and experiences were positive. However, some participants shared constructive critiques for future consideration. Nursing students who completed a young families clinical placement at summer camps met course outcomes, and those involved reported both positive experiences and constructive critiques for future consideration.

Food for Thought: Mental Health, Psychological Well-Being, Social Engagement and Campus Service Utilization of Students Experiencing Food Insecurity at a Large Atlantic Canadian University

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence and associated mental health characteristics of food insecure (FI) students at an Atlantic Canadian University. Based on data from the National College Health Assessment-third revision (NCHA-III, 2023) (N = 1694; mean age = 26.6; 63.2% female), FI prevalence was 46.6%, with higher rates for male, international, and undergraduate students, and those from low-income families. Food Insecure students were more likely to report “serious” psychological distress, a state of ’languishing,’ a greater frequency of all forms of suicidality, and use of the university’s food bank and mental health services. Concomitant social issues were also more likely for FI students in terms of lacking companionship, feeling left out and isolated from others, experiencing problems/challenges with family and peers, and indicating less agreement that they belonged at their university, and that their health/well-being was a priority on campus. Recommendations on how institutions can address the issue are considered.

Engagement Strategies in a Peer-quizzing Game: Investigating Student Interactions and Powergaming

Educational games are a popular means of engaging students in learning activities. However, students in game-based learning environments often engage in powergaming to reap undeserved rewards and spoil the experi-ence of their peers. This may happen when the students pretend to engage in game activities or collude with other students, exploiting the game settings and rules to maximize their points. In this explorative study, we investigate powergaming in three settings of an asynchronous online multiplayer peer-quizzing game in a blended learning setting – a first-year programming class in a Canadian university. We designed three experi-mental settings with three versions of an education game which allowed different levels of powergaming. The between-subject study involved three experimental groups: Group 1 used a game version where they received weekly performance feedback and tips on how to improve their performance, Group 2 used a game version with access to an existing resource bank, allowing them to maximize the number if their activities in the game, and Group 3 served as a control group with no additional interventions. The research aimed to investigate 1) the association between the power gamers' activity, their grades and their preference to work alone or in a group, 2) the types of activities (type of quiz questions) most used by power gamers, and 3) which game setting was the most conducive to power gaming. The results show that better grades are not associated with higher activity levels in the game. Students who engaged in more diverse types of game activities had better learning outcomes The control Group 3 had the highest average grades. As we expected, Group 2 engaged in the high-est number of activities, esp. in creating questions, a form of powergaming. The qualitative results showed that contrary to our assumption the powergamers in Group 2 was not harmful, because it created a rich set of re-sources in the game and fostered student engagement in the game.

“Dear John”: Overriding institutional axiology by privileging Indigenous relational ethics

Institutional ethical oversight of research involving humans conducted at Canadian universities is guided by the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2). Beginning in 2010, the TCPS2 included a chapter specific to research involving First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples of Canada, which is intended to provide a framework for the ethical conduct of research with Indigenous communities. These institutional guidelines reflect progress in the way research is done with Indigenous communities. However, concerns remain about the ways in which these guidelines are taken up, interpreted, and operationalized by institutional research ethics boards, which include creating tensions and challenges for Indigenous scholars conducting research together with their own communities. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the challenges and conflicting expectations we faced as an Indigenous doctoral student and non-Indigenous academic supervisor, navigating the axiological differences between institutional ethical oversight and community relational ethics with the aim of supporting other Indigenous scholars who may experience similar challenges and influencing policy change and relational engagement in ethical review processes in university settings. We outline the various critiques of institutional oversight of Indigenous research, share several examples of how we experienced the tensions and potential/actual harm that institutional power interference caused in the review process and how we worked through them, and demonstrate how, in our experience, it was not bureaucratic institutional procedures that protected community participants from risk, it was community relationships. We conclude by discussing implications and offering our suggestions for change.

Teacher content-language awareness in Canadian immersion teacher education programs

Research demonstrates that content, language, and literacy integration is challenging for teachers working in content-based instructional contexts such as immersion and Content and Language Integrated Learning. Although teacher preparation programs for content-based instruction contexts exist, it is unclear whether and how they help pre-/in-service teachers acquire the knowledge and awareness they need to be effective. In recent years, scholars have lamented that research has ignored immersion teacher education and that teachers and teacher educators do not yet fully understand the knowledge base that immersion teachers require. This article reports on an exploratory study that included an examination of web-based program descriptions, course outlines, focus groups with course instructors (N = 11), and teacher candidates (N = 29) to compare immersion teacher education programs at Canadian universities with the goal of better understanding how they develop learners’ Teacher Content-Language Awareness (TCLA) and what challenges they face. Findings include the urgent need to establish general guidelines for content-based teacher education programs as well as the need to include criticality as a fundamental element to all TCLA domains.

Overlap of Ethics and Sustainability for Responsibility Mindset: Insights for an Educational Approach Change in Ethics of Engineering

The mandate of universities and higher education institutes is to shape students' ethical wisdom and catalyze sustainable development. However, everyone does not have equal access to higher education which drives the above mindsets, leading to unequal quality of education. Today, most ethics teaching in engineering schools is narrowly micro-ethics and does not attempt to define macro-ethics’ special challenges. Micro-ethics concentrates on concerns related to the individual and the innermost workings of the profession. However, macro-ethics encompasses sustainable development with a focus on the collective social responsibility of the profession and public concerns about technology. This study examined undergraduate engineering programs in 25 major Canadian universities to see if they are adequately prepared to navigate both the micro and macro aspects of ethics education. The curricula of the programs show many courses focusing on micro-ethical concepts. The lack of explicit macro-ethical agendas for advancing society invites further work on curricula to enhance the efficacy of the content and delivery modes. This inadequate commitment to socially responsible engineering is conceptualized as a “culture of disengagement”. The study introduces important moments of change to strengthen ethics education. These include twinning engineering and computing ethics; embedding overlapped ethics, sustainability, and responsibility mindsets; and promoting the scholarship of integration through research, synthesis, practice, and teaching. By adopting these approaches to curriculum and pedagogy, the students will effectively cultivate a critical understanding of and obligation to the profession’s collective responsibility and the well-being of the greater society. These changes provide crucial insights into broadening sociotechnical-minded prospects of engineering ethics education.