Catholic University Research Articles

Catholic University Cultural and educational role

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Sectoral priorities in the modernisation of engineering education in Brazil

ABSTRACT Modernising engineering education demands integrating diverse perspectives through multidisciplinary, collaborative approaches. In developing countries, collaboration with stakeholders presents a significant challenge. This study aimed to develop a novel collective approach to establish priorities for modernising engineering education. A workshop was conducted by the Modernisation of Undergraduate Education Program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in a Southern Brazilian metropolis, with 63 stakeholders from various sectors (education, experts, government, industry, and civil society organisations). The workshop consisted of three rounds discussions, including two rounds with stakeholders of the same sector and one round with stakeholders of different sectors mixed in discussion tables. Each table, comprising 3–7 participants, aimed to reach a consensus. Several topics were addressed in the discussions, including curricularization of extension, updating outdated curricular bases, and integrating soft skills and entrepreneurship into engineering programs. The resulting goals emphasised the integration of engineering education with society and industry. Participants agreed on short to medium-term deadlines for achieving these goals. This approach connected stakeholders, fostering an extensive collaborative, multisectoral network supporting engineering education modernisation.

A system of ODEs for representing trends of CGM signals

Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder which may result in severe and potentially fatal complications if not well-treated and monitored. In this study, a quantitative analysis of the data collected using CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) devices from eight subjects with type 2 diabetes in good metabolic control at the University Polyclinic Agostino Gemelli, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, was carried out. In particular, a system of ordinary differential equations whose state variables are affected by a sequence of stochastic perturbations was proposed and used to extract more informative inferences from the patients’ data. For this work, Matlab and R programs were used to find the most appropriate values of the parameters (according to the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC)) for each patient. Fitting was carried out by Particle Swarm Optimization to minimize the ordinary least squares error between the observed CGM data and the data from the ODE model. Goodness of fit tests were made in order to assess which probability distribution was best suitable for representing the waiting times computed from the model parameters. Finally, both parametric and non-parametric density estimation of the frequency histograms associated with the variability of the glucose elimination rate from blood were conducted and their representative parameters assessed from the data. The results show that the chosen models succeed in capturing most of the glucose fluctuations for almost every patient.

Mode of Instructional Delivery and Students’ Academic Performance in Mathematics and Non-mathematics Courses

This paper seeks to establish whether there is a statistically significant difference in students’ academic performance in mathematics and non-mathematics courses using face-to-face, online, and blended instruction. The study is quantitative research and employs a case study approach covering 603 students at the Catholic University of Ghana. The paired sampled t-test is adopted to analyze the data set. The study found that at a 5 percent significant level, there is no statistically significant difference in students’ academic performance in mathematics and non-mathematics courses using face-to-face instruction. Conversely, a statistically significant difference exists in students’ academic performance in mathematics and non-mathematics courses using online and blended instructions. The study concludes that non-mathematics courses can be best taught using online instruction whereas mathematics-related courses can best be taught using blended instruction. However, face-to-face instruction leads to no difference in students’ academic performance.

Nature and Nature's God: A Philosophical and Scientific Defense of Aquinas's Unmoved Mover Argument. By DanielShields. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2023. Pp. 328. $75.00.

Nature and Nature's God: A Philosophical and Scientific Defense of Aquinas's Unmoved Mover Argument. By DanielShields. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2023. Pp. 328. $75.00.

Academic Freedom and the Catholic University

Academic Freedom and the Catholic University

Development and implementation of the Capstone Program on integrating career exploration and medical humanities at a medical school in Korea.

This study aimed to implement and evaluate the outcomes, perceptions, and satisfaction of the Capstone Program developed at the Catholic University of Korea, which integrates career exploration and medical humanities. This study was conducted with fourth-year medical students from 2017 to 2019. First, the study analyzed the trends in the results of Capstone Projects conducted by students as part of their career exploration, where they independently explored areas of interest and selected topics. Second, it qualitatively analyzed the content of individual reports in which students reflected on their experiences from a "medical humanities perspective" through the Capstone Program. Third, it examined students' perceptions and satisfaction with the Capstone Program. The analysis revealed that students chose research topics from a wide range of fields, including basic medicine, clinical medicine, global healthcare, and integrated healthcare systems and innovation. The students reported positive perceptions of their career exploration and research experiences through the Capstone Program, particularly valuing sessions like "Meetings with Seniors" within the conference framework. Students indicated that the Capstone Program enhanced their ability to think introspectively from a humanities perspective, deepening their understanding of their roles and responsibilities as medical professionals. The Capstone Program provides a significant opportunity for medical students to explore their career paths and engage in introspective reflection from the viewpoint of medical humanities and social sciences. Thus, the integration of programs like capstone into the broader medical curriculum, focusing on career guidance and the reinforcement of medical humanities education, is imperative.

Unity in Christ: Bishops, Synodality, and Communion Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP with a foreword by Cardinal Mario Grech, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, DC, 2023, xi + 169 pp (paperback $25), ISBN: 978-0-8132-3731-2

Unity in Christ: Bishops, Synodality, and Communion Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP with a foreword by Cardinal Mario Grech, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, DC, 2023, xi + 169 pp (paperback $25), ISBN: 978-0-8132-3731-2

Glycated albumin may have a complementary role to glycated hemoglobin in glucose monitoring in childhood acute leukemia.

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as a glycemic index may have limited value in pediatric patients with acute leukemia as they often present with anemia and/or pancytopenia. To address this issue, we evaluated the usefulness of glycated albumin (GA) as a glycemic monitoring index in pediatric patients with acute leukemia. Medical records of 25 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 63 patients with acute leukemia, and 115 healthy children from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, were retrospectively investigated for serum GA, HbA1c, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, along with demographic data. GA, HbA1c, and FBG levels did not differ between the control and acute leukemia groups. In the T2DM group, positive correlations were observed among GA, HbA1c, and FBG (P<0.01). Although GA level was not associated with the HbA1c level in the control group, GA and HbA1c levels showed a positive correlation in the acute leukemia group (P=0.045). Regression analysis revealed GA and HbA1c levels to be positively correlated in the acute leukemia and T2DM groups even after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index z-score (P=0.007, P<0.01). GA may be a useful complementary parameter to HbA1c for glycemic monitoring in pediatric patients with acute leukemia, similar to its use in patients with T2DM.

PERAN E-WALLET DALAM PENGAMBILAN KEPUTUSAN YANG EFISIEN

This rapid technological progress has made many changes, such as in the current era, developments have made many changes in carrying out transactions such as digital wallets (e-wallets). This e-wallet has many advantages in making it easier for us to save money, carry out transactions and manage our daily finances digitally via smartphone in a practical and time efficient way to use it. The aim is to analyze the role of e-wallets which will influence efficient financial decisions among students of the 4th semester accounting study program at Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya 2024. The method used in this research is qualitative using respondents as data collectors. The total population of the objects we studied was 97 respondents, then we used the Slovin formula where the results of our calculations found that the number of respondents we had to research was 78 respondents. By compiling 5 questions, they were used as research objects. The results of the analysis show that e-wallets make financial management easier by recording all transactions in a position where of course e-wallets will provide efficiency in financial recording so that respondents or users don't have to bother recalculating their money manually. However, there are still some privacy issues and even fraud in certain circles which can be a point of view for all e-wallet companies to be able to anticipate this. The convenience and comfort provided by digital payments via e-wallet is present and felt by consumers when carrying out transactions and this can be a source of satisfaction for users. There are also shortcomings such as respondents not feeling any change in behavior because respondents have not felt any change in behavior due to lack of access or understanding of technology, to a preference for traditional payment methods

Extent of Parents Involvement in Enhancing Public Secondary School Students' Discipline in Siha District, Tanzania

Abstract: This study investigated the extent to which parent involvement can enhance the discipline of public secondary school students in Siha District. The study employed a convergent design under a mixed-method approach. The targeted population of 17 public secondary schools contains 17 heads of schools, 17 discipline teachers, and 7553 students from public secondary schools in Siha District. A stratified random sampling technique was used to sample 380 students from 15 schools, and a total population purposive sampling technique was used for 15 heads of schools and 15 discipline teachers to form a sample of 410 respondents. The study utilised questionnaires and interview guides for data collection, with instrument validation done by experts in educational planning and admiration at Mwenge Catholic University. The established reliability coefficients for students Likert items found in questionnaires were 0.842. The reliability of qualitative research tools was established through triangulation. The qualitative data were presented in narrative form and direct quotations and analysed thematically. The quantitative data were presented in a table and summarised in frequencies, percentages, and mean scores. Rigorous adherence to ethical concerns all over the study. The study found that, to a large extent, parent involvement enhances discipline among public secondary school students. The study concluded that parental involvement is crucial in improving student discipline in public secondary schools. The study recommends prioritising parental involvement in addressing student discipline issues rather than resorting to other strategies.

The Crisis of Care: State, Family, and Shifting Caring Space in Contemporary Indonesia

This special issue on the Crisis of Care is the result of extensive collaborative research, discussions, and interactions among contributors. In 2022, with colleagues from the University of Southampton, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia in Jakarta, and Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, we co-organised a conference entitled ‘Care Dynamics in Contemporary Indonesia’. Ciptaningrat Larastiti was part of a two-year research collaboration between the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) and Atma Jaya Catholic University (Jakarta), titled ‘Care Network in Later Life’. Her research focuses on care for landless older people with a state of dependency in rural Yogyakarta. Elan Lazuardi, having completed her PhD on HIV care, co-organised the conference as the representative of the Department of Anthropology, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

The Effect of Instructional Methods on Students’ Academic Performance in Ghana

This paper aims to establish the effect of instructional methods on students’ academic performance at the Catholic University of Ghana. A quantitative (generalized linear model-full factorial analysis) and a case study approach were employed. A total of 1,809 students’ data observations were analyzed. The findings postulate that blended instruction and the interaction between face-to-face and regular students significantly positively affect students’ academic performance. However, the interaction between face-to-face * regular students* science programs and the interaction between regular students* Science programs * Male students adversely affects students’ academic performance.

Are Our Schools Carrying Out Effective Environmental Education? In-Service and Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions

Faced with the environmental challenges facing today’s society, it is necessary to form critical, conscious, committed and competent citizens that can take action. Children represent, at the same time, the need for care and hope for a better and more sustainable world. The school is the ideal place to carry out this training. All citizens pass through school for many years and many hours a day. Everything in the school is designed to teach people how to learn and live together: the people who work there, the infrastructure, the rules, the resources and the opportunities to share daily actions. But are schools prepared to carry out effective environmental education? Several reasons have been pointed out as potential explanations of the lack of awareness and sustainable behavior observed in a large part of the population. Surely, one of the most important is the lack of adequate organization, which leads to a lack of long-term planning, of people in charge, or of an evaluation and communication of the results. In this paper, we present a study on environmental education carried out in a group of Early Childhood and Elementary education schools using structured interviews conducted by students of the Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir. The results obtained are congruent with the contributions made by previous studies, which have highlighted the lack of coherence between training, attitudes and teaching practices. The conclusions drawn seem to indicate that, although practicing teachers are aware of the importance of the subject, the presence of environmental policies in the school and the implementation of good educational action are far from being considered optimal, given the current need for them.

Participatory and Healing Methodologies with ANFASEP Women: A Collaborative Learning Project

Based on collaborative work carried out with women, family members and volunteers of the National Association of Relatives of Kidnapped, Detained, and Disappeared of Peru (ANFASEP), we aim to present and analyze the development of a collaborative and healing methodology emerging from the dialogue between indigenous and urban identities. More specifically, members of ANFASEP and ourselves - the researchers – worked together to develop a deeper understanding of their collective, relational, and personal political agency within the framework of various projects conducted between the Institute of Democracy and Human Rights of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (IDEHPUCP) and ANFASEP from 2017 to 2023.

“I Don’t Know if They Really Hated Us or if It Was for Fun”:Memories of Anti-Jewish Violence Perpetrated by Students of the Catholic University of Lublin in Oral Histories from the Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre Centre

“I Don’t Know if They Really Hated Us or if It Was for Fun”:Memories of Anti-Jewish Violence Perpetrated by Students of the Catholic University of Lublin in Oral Histories from the Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre Centre

Effect of Drying Method and Temperature on the Quality of Cascara Tea

This study aims to determine the effect of the drying method and optimum temperature on the quality of coffee skin tea (cascara). This research was conducted at the Laboratory of Food Processing Technology and Agricultural Products, Department of Agricultural Products Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Santo Thomas Catholic University, Medan. This research was conducted in March 2023 until completion. This research was conducted using a completely randomized design (CRD), which consisted of 2 factors. The first factor is the drying method (P), namely L : P1 = 4 hours, P2 = 6 hours, P3 = 8 hours and P4 = 10 hours. The second factor is the effect of drying temperature on the quality of tea from coffee skin (T), namely: T1 = 40°C, T2 = 50°C, T3 = 60°C and T4 = 70°C. The results showed that the drying method had a very significant effect (p&lt;0.01) on the yield, water content, polyphenol content, organoleptic value of taste, organoleptic value of aroma and color organoleptic value of cascara tea produced. The longer drying time, the yield and organoleptic value of flavor increase, while the water content, polyphenol content, organoleptic value of aroma and organoleptic value of cascara tea produced decreases. The drying temperature has a very significant effect (p&lt;0.01) on yield, moisture content, polyphenol content, the organoleptic value of taste, the organoleptic value of aroma, and organoleptic value of color. The higher the drying temperature, the higher the yield and taste organoleptic value, while the water content, polyphenol content, aroma organoleptic value and color organoleptic value decreased. The interaction of the drying method and temperature treatment had a significant effect (p&lt;0.015) on the moisture content, polyphenol content, and aroma organoleptic value of cascara tea but had no significant effect (p&gt;0.05) on yield, taste organoleptic value, and color organoleptic value of coffee skin tea (cascara). The best quality of cascara tea was obtained in the treatment combination P1T4.

Kontribusi Sosial Pada Masyarakat Melalui Penguatan Kebinekaan Talkshow Modul Nusantara

Social contribution community service activities are the culmination of a series of Nusantara Module, developed by the community service team, consisting of lecturers of S1 PG PAUD Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW) in the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program. One of the MBKM programs organized by S1 PG PAUD UKSW in the even semester of 2023/2024 is Pertukaran Mahasiswa Merdeka (PMM). PMM is a student exchange program attended by 10 exchange students from Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya who attended lectures at UKSW. The Nusantara Module develops activities to strengthen diversity which are arranged in a series of diversity activities, inspiration activities, reflection activities to social contributions to the community entitled the Nusantara Module Talk Show Series and Social Contributions to the Community. Talk Show Nusantara Module has 3 series, namely: Series 1: “Culture as Identity”; Series 2: “Integrity and Persistence of the Educator” and Series 3: “Challenges and Opportunities of Religious Diversity”. The series ended with social contribution activities to the community, namely Training on Developmental Detection and Socialization of Home Inventory to Parents. Social contribution activities are carried out to 6 (six) families from various religious, ethnic, racial and tribal backgrounds that embody the objectives of the archipelago module. The entire series of activities had a good impact on each participant involved, both exchange students and the community with the level of usefulness shown by the Likert Scale with the results of Good at a percentage of 22.4% and Very Good at a percentage of 77.6%.

MedInt And The Contours Of The Definitional Question

Medical Intelligence is not a new field of medicine or intelligence, but with the advent of the pandemic, its perspective has broadened and its definition requires the consideration of multiple theoretical and methodological factors that have not been considered until now. This paper aims to show, through a different perspective, the new areas and issues on which Medical Intelligence is becoming more and more a crucial element. The consideration presented makes use of the studies and insights that have been carried out and continue to be developed as part of the National Medical Intelligence Group as part of the SOCINT – Italian Society of Intelligence established in March 2023 at the Catholic University, Milan under the direction provided by Marco Lombardi and the coordination by Barbara Lucini. Finally, this paper traces lines of work that orient in an innovative way the field of Medical Intelligence and its future developments.

Peningkatan Literasi Biodiversitas Menggunakan Model Kebun Botani di Madiun

The improvement of literacy on biodiversity growing in the residential areas can support the attitude of society to sustain the ecology, even improving the life quality based on local potentials. However, there are limited live-learning facilities available for biodiversity education. Hence, a community service was carried out by the Study Program of Biology and Study Program of Food Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Indonesia. Its objective was to improve literacy on biodiversity of the societal partners through knowledge enrichment and awareness of biodiversification potentials which grow in their residential areas. The societal partners are alumni, high school students (St. Bonaventura and the 6th State High School, Madiun), and Pemberdayaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK) group “Asman Toga” from Rejomulyo village, Madiun; totally 45 participants. The activities included (a) building a botanical garden named Arbor Vitae”, (b)focused group discussion (FGD), and (c) workshop. Currently, it finished a clearing land and planting more than 50 species for foods and nutraceutical/medicinal sources as well as ecological services. The “Arbor Vitae” had been embedded into university institution by appointing a management in charged. Meanwhile, the improvement of literacy was measured from pre- and post-test during FGD which indicated a significant increase in partners’ literacy by 45.44%; after screening 18 respondents completely filled the tests. The test statements grouped into four indicators of literacy on biodiversity. Moreover, the workshop was complementarily improving the partners’ skill with technology of telang flower jelly drink, purslane medical simplisia, and water clarification using moringa seeds.