College-level Courses Research Articles

The Relationship Between Course Structure and Intensity, and Student Success in Developmental Education

Texas legislation mandated that colleges offer developmental education using a corequisite model, where students concurrently enroll in introductory college-level courses with supplemental developmental support. Using data from the population of Texas students in developmental education, we estimated regression models to investigate differential relationships between corequisite characteristics and outcomes, both overall and by student characteristics. Our findings suggest there is no single “magic bullet” course structure that is universally more effective, as relationships between the reform and student success vary by subject and student subgroup. Additionally, even a single credit of corequisite developmental support can be beneficial for some students, potentially more so than traditional three-credit courses.

Educating Professionals to Develop Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) as Infrastructure for Water Pollution Control: A Course Proposal

The objective of this study was to design a university-level course focused on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for water pollution control. The work unfolded in three phases: the initial planning, course delivery, and assessment of learning outcomes. In the planning phase, a set of competencies was outlined using the Developing a Curriculum Method (DACUM), resulting in defined learning outcomes and a structured course outline. Subsequently, the course was conducted over a two-week period, employing a hybrid format including both online and in-person sessions. The assessments of the learning outcomes included one test, an assignment, a satisfaction survey, and the post-course feedback. As a result of the planning phase, four competencies, seven learning outcomes and four course units were defined. The participant cohort encompassed a diverse group of 50 individuals, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, professionals working in industry and institutions, and professors. The assessment of the learning outcomes showed good results. However, issues regarding the mathematical calculations and field-trip experience were noted, suggesting areas for course enhancement. The participants expressed high satisfaction levels across the various course components. Notably, 70% of the participants indicated the application of the acquired knowledge in their professional endeavors. These findings underscore the successful implementation of the course, establishing it as a pioneering university-level program in NBS for water pollution control.

Enhancing student engagement with introductory microbiology and immunology topics using a novel board game.

In introductory microbiology courses for non-biology majors, it can be difficult to ensure that students gain a functional understanding of the interplay between the host immune system and an invading infectious agent. Immune Battle is a board game that allows students to explore pathogen evolution and the immune system's response to incursions in a captivating way, leveraging battleship and worker placement styles of gameplay. Students play in teams as either a pathogenic microbe attempting to reproduce and transmit itself to new hosts or as the immune system trying to defend the host from infection. Immune Battle seeks to mimic real-world interactions between immune cells and microbes using board game mechanics. For example, students will quickly find that adaptive immune system actions are better at fighting off microbial incursions than innate immune actions but require more time to activate. In this way, Immune Battle reinforces student's understanding of the immune system and pathogenic virulence in an exciting and interactive way that keeps them thinking about host defenses long after the end of the class period or exam. This board game is well suited for advanced high school courses and introductory college-level courses that have only limited time to cover the immune system and microbiology. Documents containing the necessary components of the board game (not including a six-sided die) are included in the supplemental materials, so educators can print out their own copies and use this board game in their classes with no cost to themselves or their students.

Acceptability, engagement, and preliminary efficacy of a college human physiology course with integrated mindfulness practice to support student wellbeing.

To evaluate the acceptability of and engagement with an undergraduate human physiology course embedded with mindfulness practice. To assess its preliminary efficacy on student mindfulness and wellbeing. Students (N = 36, 17% freshman, 33% sophomore, 22% junior, and 28% senior) answered online surveys at course completion. Primary outcomes were course ratings, assignment and assessment completion rates, minutes, types of mindfulness practice, changes in trait mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, MAAS), and self-reported wellbeing outcomes. We ran Chi-square goodness of fit tests and paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to decide if the outcomes differed significantly post-class. We tested the dose-response relation between mindfulness practice time and trait mindfulness and whether the out-of-class practice time was consistent across the weeks with generalized linear mixed-effect models. All participants reported finding the course enjoyable and that they would recommend it to their friends. They practiced for an average of 66 (SD = 27) min per week in the class and 112 (SD = 59) min on their own. The most common out-of-class practices were mindful movements, sitting meditation, and breathing. Per self-reports, the course increased student understanding of specific mindfulness practices and appreciation for their body. It improved wellbeing and trait mindfulness (MAAS mean within-person change = 1.2, SD = 0.8, p < 0.00001). We found no does-response relation between practice time and trait mindfulness. This pilot study supports that incorporating mindfulness practice into college-level courses may promote student wellbeing and such approaches warrant further investigation.

Impact of a place-based educational approach on student and community members’ experiences and learning within a post-secondary GIS course

Students develop personal connections to local places and build critical thinking skills as they engage in meaningful problem-solving rooted in place. At the same time, when students work within local communities, they can contribute to increased community technical capacity and well-being. In this case study, we sought to explore student and community perceptions of a place-based activity integrated within a college-level GIS course in Maine, USA. We partnered with a local conservation organization to develop place-based activities to address our partner’s geospatial needs. We drew on multiple data generation methods including pre-/post-test student responses within a quasi-experimental design, student reflections, and a group interview with community partners to illuminate the diverse benefits and challenges of place-based education (PBE). Our findings indicate that while quantitative results did not detect differences between the place-based, technologically-mediated place-based, and campus-based approaches, qualitative results – such as student reflections and community partner perceptions – depicted complex reciprocal gains resulting from education rooted in local community. Community partners benefit from PBE by increasing their GIS capacity and engaging on a personal level with students. We conclude with implications for GIS instructors seeking to incorporate place-based approaches within their college-level courses, such as the need to engage community partners thoughtfully and transparently, think critically about measurement and assessment of learning outcomes, and remain flexible to student needs.

Child Abuse in Schools from the Perspective of Physical Education and Sports Teachers

The aim of this study is to reveal child abuse in schools from the perspectives of physical education and sports teachers and to provide suggestions for preventing abuse. Case study approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The participants of the study consisted of 7 physical education and sports teachers. In this study, semi-structured interview was used as a data collection tool and the data obtained were analysed by content analysis method. As a result of the research, the opinions of physical education and sport teachers were grouped under four categories: types of abuse, signs of abuse, areas open to abuse and suggestions for preventing abuse. Types of abuse were divided into 4 subcategories as physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. The types of abuse were determined as hitting by the teacher, performance pressure, nicknaming the student, secretly watching, making fun of each other's bodies, ignoring the students' desire to participate in competitions, and neglecting their nutritional needs in tournaments. Symptoms of abuse include quitting the branch, temper tantrums, unkempt appearance, need for love and attention, withdrawal and desire to be alone. Areas open to abuse were identified as changing rooms, out-of-school activities, toilets, areas not seen by the camera, basements and empty classrooms. Suggestions for preventing abuse include educational programmes, physical environment safety and ensuring safety in sports activities. Teachers emphasised that university level courses should be added to increase child protection awareness in the field of sport and in-service trainings should be organised for existing educators.

The Impacts and Experiences of Corequisite Remediation for Latino Students

ABSTRACT Many colleges across the United States are scaling corequisite remediation, an approach that places developmental education students directly into college-level courses with supplementary, aligned academic support. We conducted a randomized control trial in five colleges with ethnic diversity, offering a unique opportunity to examine the benefits of corequisite remediation for Latino students. Latino students represent a large portion of the U.S. college student population and are overrepresented among developmental education participants. We found positive impacts on college-level English course completion for Latino and non-Latino students when randomized to corequisites, and estimates suggest that Latino students saw larger benefits. Further, Latino students in corequisites were less likely to report feeling academically overwhelmed and/or bored relative to their Latino peers in traditional developmental education courses. This evidence suggests that corequisites can support improved academic success and potentially help to address gaps between Latino and non-Latino students in early college course completion. On the other hand, we found some evidence of less frequent Latino student engagement in discussions and asking questions relative to non-Latino students in corequisites (a pattern not observed in traditional developmental education courses), so it may be important to ensure that corequisite classrooms are inclusive and encourage broad student participation.

Medical students’ attitudes towards well-being and welfare: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionMedical education poses serious stressors on medical students, as they report overall higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities compared with students enrolled in other university-level courses. The high rates of poor...

What does it mean to be good at peer reviewing? A multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis study of behavioral indicators of peer feedback literacy

Peer feedback literacy is becoming increasingly important in higher education as peer feedback has substantially grown as a pedagogical approach. However, quality of produced feedback, a key behavioral aspect of peer feedback literacy, lacks a systematic and evidence-based conceptualization to guide research, instruction, and system design. We introduce a novel framework involving six conceptual dimensions of peer feedback quality that can be measured and supported in online peer feedback contexts: reviewing process, rating accuracy, feedback amount, perceived comment quality, actual comment quality, and feedback content. We then test the underlying dimensionality of student competencies through correlational analysis, Multidimensional Scaling, and cluster analysis, using data from 844 students engaged in online peer feedback in a university-level course. The separability of the conceptual dimensions is largely supported in the cluster analysis. However, the cluster analysis also suggests restructuring perceived and actual comment quality in terms of initial impact and ultimate impact. The Multi-Dimensional Scaling suggests the dimensions of peer feedback can be conceptualized in terms of relative emphasis on expertise vs. effort and on overall review quality vs. individual comment quality. The findings provide a new road map for meta-analyses, empirical studies, and system design work focused on peer feedback literacy.

Enhancing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners’ Writing with ChatGPT: A University-Level Course Design

This research explores the innovative integration of OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 within a university-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing course, illustrating a novel approach to academic instruction. The course follows the ADDIE instructional design model, encompassing five systematic stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. This model serves as the backbone of the course structure, ensuring a comprehensive educational experience. The incorporation of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework in this course facilitates the effective integration of GPT-3.5 by enabling instructors to align advanced AI capabilities with appropriate pedagogical strategies, thereby enhancing the learning experience. TPACK guides educators in applying GPT-3.5’s features in a manner that is contextually relevant and pedagogically sound, ensuring the technology’s use complements the course content. The findings from this research are significant. They reveal that GPT-3.5 addresses three fundamental challenges often encountered in academic writing courses. Firstly, it enhances efficiency by providing immediate feedback and generating content ideas, accelerating the writing process. Secondly, GPT-3.5 ensures cohesive organization within students’ writing, guiding them to structure their thoughts more logically. Lastly, it serves as a reliable substitute for traditional peer reviewers, offering critical and objective feedback that students can use to refine their drafts. As students engage with AI, they enter a dynamic partnership. This collaboration with GPT-3.5 fosters critical thinking and empowers students to develop a distinctive writing voice. Through this interaction, students are not merely passive recipients of knowledge but active participants in a learning process that is augmented by cutting-edge technology. This study not only provides insight into the potential of AI-augmented academic writing but also highlights GPT-3.5’s role in promoting writing proficiency. It demonstrates that the application of AI in education can enhance the learning experience without compromising the individuality of student expression.

Protocol for designing and evaluating an undergraduate public health course on sexual and reproductive health at a public university in California

IntroductionComprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is associated with positive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, including increased contraceptive use, lower rates of unintended pregnancy and prevention of sexual violence. However, implementation of and requirements for CSE vary across the United States which can negatively impact students, both during and beyond high school, including among college students. Methodsand Analysis: This paper describes the research protocol for a multi-staged approach for designing, implementing and evaluating an SRH course for up to 60 undergraduate students at a public university in California. Before the class is offered, we will conduct 20 in-depth interviews with current students, educators and course design experts to learn from their experiences and seek their guidance on course design. To evaluate the course, enrolled students will complete a pre-course and a post-course survey before and after class is taught, to assess students’ attitudes and values relevant to educational concepts and the format and delivery of the course and its modules and activities. Approximately 20 students will take part in an in-depth exit interview, after completing the course, to gather perceptions about how the course impacted their knowledge and behavior. The goal is to refine materials for future in-person course offerings and develop a prototype for a fully online version of the course. DiscussionThis study introduces a novel university-level course to provide young adult students comprehensive, evidence-based education on sexual and reproductive health from a public health perspective. The program leverages existing CSE efforts, enhancing them with academic rigor, inclusive content and digital inclusion. This approach, inclusive of diverse sexual orientations, content on pleasure and sexual violence prevention, aims to fill existing gaps in university curricula and also set a new standard in CSE. The project's innovative and multidisciplinary design offers a model for broader impact within a large public university system and beyond.

Problem-solving activity during the foreign language writing process: A proposal for categorisation and visualisation of source use and a new take on fluency in multilingual writing

Writing processes constitute a complex interplay of planning, formulation and revision. Ideas take shape through the activation of previous knowledge and, when permitted, also its synthesis with information from sources that help to complement it and resolve doubts and shortcomings arising during writing. The possibility to use external help can be especially useful to those writing in a foreign language, and questions about the nature of the sources consulted can contribute new insights into language processing in the multilingual mind, as well as expand our notion of fluency. While leaving the target text is often considered a distraction, a ‘breakdown’ in fluency, it is, in fact, a part of language processing and text creation. This article proposes a novel way to use keylogging data from Inputlog (Leijten and Van Waes 2013) to visualise the crosslinguistic nature of solving language and content problems in L3+ writing: creating process graphs to display the temporal dynamics of different types of sources used. The example data comes from a university-level course on Spanish linguistics, where Spanish was a third or subsequent language for the participants. Evidently, the vast majority of their external activity was language-related and brief, and, interestingly, a great part of it recurs to a lingua franca, English. Some social context and reasoning is offered to explain such an observation.

Evaluation Capacity Building Through Community-University Partnership

Evaluation is essential to achieving program outcomes, especially when stakeholders engage with evaluation and make use of the findings. Both of these activities require evaluation capacity that might not be present in community-based organizations. In this paper, we describe how community-university partnership models can support evaluation capacity building (ECB). The basic framework for our ECB initiative was a semester-long, master's-level university course in which 5–6 community partners worked with small groups of 3–4 students to design an evaluation plan. We used mixed-methods to assess (1) if organizations implemented the evaluation plans developed in the course; (2) how organizations used the findings; and (3) what evaluation skills participants continued to use after the course ended. We found that organizations that implemented their evaluation plans gained intended outcomes of ECB, such as improving practice and communicating with stakeholders. These results suggest that community-university partnerships for developing ECB can be effective.

On the Books: Jim Crow and Algorithms of Resistance, a Collections as Data Case Study

On the Books: Jim Crow and Algorithms of Resistance is a collections as data and machine learning project from the University Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This project has created a plain text corpus of North Carolina legal volumes (1866–1967) and used machine learning to identify likely Jim Crow laws. The project has been well received and is now being expanded to two additional states, while assessing the use of On the Books products in research and instruction. State partners at the University of South Carolina and the University of Virginia are adapting the On the Books methodology to create corpora for their own states. Three teaching fellows created learning modules that use products from On the Books and taught the modules to college-level courses. Research fellows are making use of the products on research projects of their own design. This article will provide background for the On the Books project and will assess its use for multiple purposes: as a workflow to be reproduced by others, as content for use in teaching and learning, and as a resource for researchers. To demonstrate the utility of On the Books as a research tool, the article is co-authored by one of the research fellows. The project “Mental Health, Disability, and Jim Crow Laws in North Carolina, 1866–1967,” makes use of the legal corpus as a primary source for researching the intersections of information, mental health, nutrition, and shifts from agricultural to industrial economics in the history of North Carolina. By assessing the experiences of those making use of On the Books products, this article contributes to the understanding of best practices for those interested in creating and supporting collections as data so they may be used successfully for reproducibility, research, and teaching.

A Community Mental Health and Well-Being University Level Course: Design and Implementation

Background: Community mental health is growing discipline in psychology that recognizes the importance of creating a community that fosters wellness. Although universities provide many individuals a sense of community, little research has examined how community mental health interventions can be implemented into a classroom setting. Purpose: This paper provides a proof of concept of a university course that was created to give students the opportunity to interact with their campus community while receiving course credit over two semesters. Approach: In the first semester, the course provided students with content and theory as it relates to community mental health, well-being, and health promotion. The second semester implemented experiential learning, where students applied knowledge and skills to a placement related to mental health and well-being within their university. Conclusions: This university course can provide benefits to the university (e.g., cost-efficiency), the students (e.g., networking), and the community (e.g., accessible mental health services). This research presents a course framework that other post-secondary institutions can build upon and implement into their own programs. Implications: Future research should focus on implementing experiential learning courses that provide opportunities in the mental health field for undergraduate psychology students to facilitate post-graduate student success.

Fighting Hate and Hate Speech: Raising Anti-Hate Awareness through Critical Analysis of Popular Cultural Texts on an Undergraduate Course

Central to the understanding of hate is an apprehension of the complexities of various hate-motivated social attitudes, which include Othering and the production of social, economic, and political hierarchies of domination. While hate speech is endemic both online and offline in contemporary society, Korean youths have difficulties recognizing its structural forces. The present study aims to offer an instructional model of a college-level course for identifying and countering hate in everyday life. As participants in this course, students read popular cultural texts thematizing hate, wrote critical reviews, and held group discussions to develop anti-hate critical thinking and raise awareness about online hate speech and hate-motivated social behavior. They showed significant progress in the surveys, which measured anti-hate critical thinking, as well as during the course, as they proceeded from observing and identifying hate speech to formulating and articulating proactive strategies to challenge it. This study provided an opportunity for college students to develop good citizenship in reading hate speech and representations of hate in popular cultural texts with a critical eye, and to reflect on the problem of hate in society.

Expanding Climate Change Education in Agricultural Communities: Lessons from the U.S Midsouth

The U.S agricultural industry is a major player in the global market, and changes in climate that impact the industry have implications for both domestic and global food security. Existing studies have revealed a disconnect between agricultural stakeholders and the wider climatological community which impedes the process of informed decision making in response to climate-related changes in agriculture. Furthermore, the topic of climate change is not well-represented in national and state science education standards. We propose CLASS (Climate Literacy for Agriculture and Sustainable Societies), a collaborative project that aims to both bridge this gap in perception and understanding regarding climate change among stakeholders in rural communities and enhance the educational curriculum in high schools and higher education institutes. Beneficiaries for this project are students and educators at the secondary and post-secondary level and partners served by the partnering universities. The final products consist of college level courses, dual-credit courses for secondary schools, and educational materials for agricultural stakeholders with a focus on climate change. The project’s goal is to assist today’s students as they become part of the future agricultural workforce and to develop the knowledge, skills, and adaptive strategies required to meet the challenges associated with a changing climate.

Can a Developmental Education Reform Promote Momentum to Mid-Term and Longer-Term Student Success? Evidence from Florida

Developmental education reform has shown promising evidence toward improving short-term outcomes, yet questions remain about whether these early gains contribute momentum toward mid-term and longer-term postsecondary success. In 2014, Florida implemented one of the nation’s most comprehensive developmental education reforms. Many students became exempt from college placement testing and could enroll directly in college-level courses. Nonexempt students were still required to take developmental education courses if they scored below college-ready, but the colleges were required to offer these courses using accelerated instructional strategies such as corequisite courses. Colleges also had to develop enhanced advising and academic support services. Statewide student-level data is used in an interrupted time series design to examine trends in persistence, credit accumulation, transfer, and credential completion before and after Florida’s developmental education reform. While there are little to no differences in outcomes for the overall sample before and after the reform, there are positive associations between the reform and mid- or longer-term outcomes among students who are nonexempt from college placement testing and must participate in accelerated developmental classes if they score below college ready.

Spanish for Veterinarians Part 2: A Survey Gauging Student Perspectives on a Profession-Specific Language Learning Experience.

This article describes the distribution and results of a survey that was disseminated among students enrolled in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs in the United States. It is a critical component to a substantial effort being undertaken at Colorado State University (CSU) to overhaul their current Spanish for Veterinarians offerings (outlined and discussed in Spanish for Veterinarians Part 1: An Approach to Weaving Spanish Language Education into DVM Curricula) into a cohesive Spanish language program that offers consistent synchronous exposure to the language and guided practice over several semesters of instruction. The information obtained in this survey informs on veterinary student interest in and availability to engage in Spanish coursework created specifically for the veterinary field, as well as students' previous Spanish language learning experience. Additionally, it investigates the reasons motivating students' desire to participate in a Spanish for Veterinarians program, and their expectations and perspectives about receiving credit and paying for enrollment. It also includes students' online learning preferences and overall suggestions for optimal engagement in a Spanish language learning experience offered during DVM School. The anonymous results indicated that most respondents had taken Spanish only in high school, followed by those with one or two college-level courses. Interest in learning Spanish for the veterinary field is high and most students are willing to dedicate 2 to 4 hours weekly to language learning. This information guides curricular design decisions for a new Spanish for Veterinarians program that is currently being developed at CSU.

Role of English Language for Business Activities at the Present Era of Global Marketing

In this era of globalization, English is an essential language for global business and marketing. When we discuss "globalization," either explicitly or implicitly, the English language is brought up. People all across the world use English for reading, writing, and speaking. An estimated 2 billion people speak English, which is recognized as an official language in several nations. English is a subject that many schools and organizations around the world require pupils to take. Additionally, it is a key topic in college-level courses. Communication in trade, education, and business is frequently conducted in English. It is referred to as the lingua franca or the universal tongue. To participate in the international job and research markets, one must be able to speak and write English. The majority of significant books and films are written and produced in English as their primary language. As a result, we learn more about the English language and appreciate it more. The results of this study demonstrate that during the time of British colonial rule, the English language has played a key role in education and economic operations all over the world. In order to travel or study abroad in the modern world, English proficiency is a requirement. With the information and communication procedures that individuals utilize to interact in this era of globalization, writing competence in English is crucial. As a result, the goal of this essay is to highlight the significance of writing in proper English and several reasons why mistakes can be made while writing business communication documents. Also, this is a qualitative study, and the technique of data collection involved some writing assignments, followed by interviews with some bachelor level students of Baglung. Writing faults in the students' work were discovered by an essay exam. The flaws are analyzed, and the need of learning grammar principles is addressed. A small number of researchers' publications are examined to support this research report. This research is unique in terms of value.