Common Educational Practices Research Articles

Measuring University Staff Mobility Impact in Higher Education

The paper addresses an issue within the field of higher education that has been discussed since the inception of the Erasmus mobility programme in 1987 - how to properly measure the impact of the staff mobility (academic and administrative). Students have a clear roadmap when it comes to the mobility practice and impact assessment but when it comes to staff mobility, impact assessment is less clear. For academic staff mobility, certain metrics can be used to objectively assess outcomes, but when it comes to the administrative staff, matters become more abstract as there are no widely used common metrics. This paper proposes a tool – the Mobility Matrix, that allows to measure the staff mobility impact using quantitative and qualitative data. The Mobility Matrix offers 10 characteristics of the mobility period that can be assessed at 3 levels for the quantitative part and three text fields for the qualitative part. This tool was tested at Riga Technical University (2023) for the assessment of the staff mobility impact. If the staff member provides credible and accurate data, the Mobility Matrix has the potential to become a common practice in higher education, allowing for new recognition mechanisms of staff mobility to emerge.

Aesthetic Normativity, Aesthetic Education, and Hypothetical Judgments

Abstract In this article, I will try to show that (1) one of the more compelling reasons for advocating for aesthetic normativity comes from an axiom that suppositionally underlies aesthetic educational endeavors and (2) by framing aesthetic judgments contextually and hypothetically we may be able to deal effectively with one of the more compelling reasons for antinormativity, namely the fact of irreconcilable differences between judgments of two equally competent judges. I will try to show that framing judgments contextually is common practice in aesthetic education.

Exploring factors affecting communication in three-dimensional virtual worlds for second language learning: development and validation of a scale

PurposeThe use of three-dimensional virtual worlds (3DVWs) is increasingly becoming a common practice in language education to provide digital learning environments for second-language (L2) communicative classes. This study aimed to identify the key factors underlying communication in 3DVWs that can improve the communication skills of L2 learners.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to validate the identified factors affecting communication in 3DVWs. A self-reported questionnaire with 47 items on a five-point Likert scale was administered to 513 pre-service teachers, teachers and lecturers in the field of language education.FindingsThe results of the EFA revealed four factors that contribute to communication in 3DVWs, namely learner motivation, interaction pattern, language development and learner autonomy. CFA results provided support for the updated model, with statistically significant Chi-square results (χ² (df = 83) = 181.049, p < 0.001) indicating a good fit between the model and the data.Originality/valueThe findings suggest that the four EFA-derived parameters are valid and can assist instructional designers and L2 instructors in creating 3DVWs that enhance L2 learners' communication abilities. This study provides valuable insights for educators, instructional designers and researchers in the field of language education and technology-enhanced learning.

Overlapping Training and Roles: An Exploration of the State of Interprofessional Practice between Behavior Analysts and School Psychologists.

Board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) working in the schools often are charged with supporting students with and without disabilities who engage in challenging behavior. Meeting the unique needs of these students often requires a collaborative approach with other school-based professionals. We specifically sought to understand how behavior analysts engage in interprofessional collaboration with school psychologists (SPs), professionals who also have training to support students who engage in challenging behavior. We disseminated a survey across the United States targeting school-based BCBAs and SPs to further understand how their training and job responsibilities overlap. We also asked respondents about the extent to which they collaborate with the other professionals, modes of their collaboration, and barriers and facilitators in effective collaboration. Our findings in this exploratory study indicate BCBAs' and SPs' training and responsibilities do indeed overlap in relevant areas. Roles diverge in the frequency each professional participates in common educational and behavioral practices. Both groups report similar barriers when engaging in interprofessional collaboration, although BCBAs are more likely to report differing philosophies as a barrier. For both groups, findings suggest that BCBAs and SPs can find common ground if their professional colleagues indicate that they also value collaboration. Recommendations for future research and study limitations are also discussed.

The Posthuman Pedagogy: A Learning Centric Educational Dimension

The article is based on a thematic analysis of available literature on posthuman educational practices and opportunities. It asserts that the posthuman context does not demoralize human space, but rather strengthens educational practices by going beyond formal and informal education and surpassing teacher-centered or student-centered teaching-learning activities. The article discusses perceptions of the posthuman context in general, as well as common educational practices about the posthuman context. Its primary focus is on posthuman pedagogical considerations and a method to incorporate digital realities as a strength to posthuman pedagogue. It proposes a multisensory pedagogy that incorporates human and nonhuman realities to promote lifelong learning procedures. It also asserts the concept of a diffractive teacher who transforms into a barycentric mass collaborating and functioning in a relational approach.

“Students Feel More Dignified": Alternative Grading and Self-Assessment in Online Courses

Judging, marking, and ranking students is a common practice in higher education, though the pervasive dependence upon grades to dictate a student’s success or failure has come under increased scrutiny. While “ungrading” and alternative grading practices are endorsed by progressive educators, there are few systematic, empirical studies of student responses to nontraditional grading. This study analyzed student reports of the benefits, challenges, and suggested improvements for “ungrading” using peer and self-assessment in two fourth-year undergraduate courses (N = 87). Student responses were overwhelmingly positive; notable positive effects of ungrading include increased motivation, decreased stress, and improved connection with peers. Challenges included being too self-critical and needing the guidance of a rubric for a gauge of where students stand in the course. Implications of this study include suggestions for freedom from the restriction, stress, and competition associated with grades, and the potential to move toward a postsecondary experience characterized by authenticity and intrinsic motivation.

HIGHER EDUCATION IN MOROCCO, A NEW GENERATION OF STUDENTS WITH NO MORE FINAL YEAR PROJECT

A new pedagogical engineering plan is being implemented in universities by Morocco's Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, by the start of the next academic year 2023-2024 in line with ESRI PACT 2030. The Final Year Project, a common practice in Moroccan higher education, has so far allowed students to apply their knowledge and skills in scientific research, promoting more equitable outcomes. However, the National Committee for Coordination of Higher Education has approved the plan to cancel it from bachelor degree programs in Morocco, which will be carried out by the next university year, raising new questions and concerns amongst the students. This paper aims to investigate the perceived importance of Final Year Projects for Moroccan students, measure their readiness to graduate with a bachelor degree without it and study the expected impact this would have on future generations' education journey.

Beyond reading together: Facilitating knowledge construction through participation roles and social annotation in college classrooms

Social reading is a common practice in higher education to engage students in critical reading and classroom dialogues around course materials. This paper introduces a study that integrated a social annotation technology and a scaffolding framework to support social reading in undergraduate classrooms. The framework, grounded in the computer-supported collaborative learning literature, specifies three participation roles—namely, facilitator, synthesizer, and summarizer—that have distinct responsibilities in each week's social reading activities. Using Hypothesis, the social annotation technology, we piloted the framework in a fully online undergraduate course. To examine how the framework facilitated social interaction and knowledge construction, we applied social network analysis and content analysis to a rich dataset. Results revealed that the framework fostered active participation in class with students followed the assigned roles properly. This study has practical implications for online teaching and collaborative learning in higher education.

The effect of Self-Directed Learning Motives and Students’ Cooperation on the success of Online Learning: The moderating effect of Resource Availability

Technology and online education have become increasingly crucial components of education worldwide in the twenty-first century. Though online education is not a common practice in Sri Lankan higher education, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced it to embrace it. Self-directed learning motives and students’ cooperation become critical factors in determining online learning success. As a developing country, however, resource availability will be a matter of achieving the intended outcomes in online learning. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of self-directed learning motives and students' cooperation on the success of online learning, while also assessing the moderating effect of resource availability. Using a quantitative approach, an online survey was carried out to gather 229 respondents from fifteen public universities in Sri Lanka during the Covid 19 pandemic, and the data were analyzed using correlation and multiple regression analysis. The study discovered the positive effects of self-directed learning and students' cooperation on the success of online learning. However, resource scarcity is eroding these connections. This study adds to the theory by expanding on the existing literature on self-directed and corporative learning on online platforms. It gives policymakers, government officials, educators, instructors, and students with insights into how to improve online education.

The opportunities afforded by offshore teaching to faculty members: Strengthening confidence in core qualities

ABSTRACT Offshore teaching is a common practice in Australian higher education. While challenges in offshore teaching have been well studied, the opportunities that it may provide have been seldom discussed. Considering this, the aim of this study is to address this gap by investigating the opportunities that offshore teaching provided faculty members in the development of their professional values. This study employs the memory-work method self-study based on the reflective notes of Author1 about his teaching experiences in the offshore programme between December 2019 and August 2021, with reference to Korthagen’s core reflection model. The reflections revealed that he not only identified but strengthened his confidence in his core qualities through offshore teaching. This strengthened confidence in his core qualities also helped him to negotiate with the new problematic situations created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

How Partial Anonymity May Reduce Students’ Anxiety During Remote Active Learning─A Case Study Using Clubhouse

Active learning, a common practice in higher education, has been shown to promote higher order thinking and skills. Class discussions have been chosen to be the medium to incorporate active learning in schools‘ curriculum. However, the rate of class participation could be low for certain courses. Literature has shown that the fear of negative evaluation from peers is the most common reason as to why students choose not to partake in class discussions. Anonymity via clickers or applications such as Kahoot! has shown to be useful in reducing students’ anxiety and increasing class participations. However, this is not a viable method to employ if vocal discussion is required for the course. Here, partial anonymity (voice only), Speak Your Mind, was applied into an environmental chemistry course with 20 students in the National University of Singapore (NUS) to study its correlation with students‘ anxiety and class participation. Participants survey results suggested that a reason for not participating in class discussions was the fear of being judged by their peers. Remote learning was conducted due to COVID-19 and partial anonymity was obtained by a proxy application: Clubhouse. This application allowed students to partake in a podium discussion while maintaining psychological safety via partial anonymity. Participants survey responses indicated that partial anonymity reduced their anxiety (Cohen’s d = 0.58) and slightly increased their self-reported class participation rate (Cohen’s d = 0.21); it was noted that partial anonymity did not have much effect on their fears of being judged if they provided the wrong answer (Cohen’s d = 0.11).

‘It is the easiest thing to do’: university students’ perspectives on the role of lecture recording in promoting inclusive education in the UK

ABSTRACT The implementation of lecture recording (LR) technology is becoming common practice in higher education (HE). While it is often promoted as a technological solution to inclusion, there is a need for more in-depth research to examine such assumptions. This study was conducted in a research-intensive elite university in the UK, employing semi-structured interviews with 15 students and 10 teaching staff and focusing on students’ voices as an under-represented dimension of LR research. The student participants recognised the usefulness of LR for improving access to learning activities and its limitations in addressing important pedagogical aspects such as student-staff relationships. LR was perceived to be aligned with a reductionist and tokenistic approach to educational provision – a compromise where the desired changes to HE’s exclusionary structure could not happen. The study concludes by highlighting the necessity of respecting students as agents of change to stimulate the critically informed use of technology for inclusive education.

Lessons learned from implementing a virtual flipped classroom during COVID-19: An autoethnography

The virtual flipped classroom has become a common practice in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. I used autoethnographic research to explore my personal teaching strategies and the challenges encountered while implementing a virtual flipped classroom during remote teaching in a higher education institution in Oman. A thematic analysis of the autoethnography account and interviews with two university teachers identified three themes: benefits of the virtual flipped classroom, challenges of the virtual flipped classroom and strategies for implementing the virtual flipped classroom. A framework for implementing this classroom style is proposed to guide higher education instructors when employing a virtual flipped classroom.

Web-Based Task Management System for Improving Group Work Collaboration

Group work collaboration in learning, such as carrying out group assignments or group projects, is a common practice in education. It can help group members to delegate tasks, develop communication skills and manage time. However, managing working in groups can be challenging as it is hard to keep track of the team member’s work progress, difficult to manage the given group tasks and tend to forget the assignment or project due dates. Thus, a new method is necessary to help students to manage and coordinate group work collaboration better. This study proposed a web-based application system with work progress, group task management and email notification features. The application was developed using the Waterfall methodology that consists of requirement gathering, analysis, design, implementation and testing. The implementation used Xampp, Php, Sublime Text and Yii2 framework. Based on the five times of functional tests conducted, the system managed to achieve the study’s objectives. In conclusion, the web-based system helps students in managing work group tasks when doing collaboration work. Future work for the application includes developing mobile platforms and uploading completed tasks or files to prove the work’s progress.

Integrating social determinants into pharmacotherapy courses: A case-based learning approach

BackgroundThe recognition of social determinants as major drivers of health outcomes has important implications for health care providers, including pharmacists. It is therefore imperative that providers have the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes to adequately address the contributions of social determinants of health (SDOH) alongside the impact of medical care on health and treatment outcomes.Case-based learning is a common practice in pharmacy education. Patient cases used in pharmacotherapy courses typically highlight clinical parameters and quantitative indices, often to the exclusion of sociocultural contexts. In actual practice, pharmacists (and other health care providers) must consider both clinical information and the context of SDOH in order to deliver responsive and effective patient care. Educational activity and settingThe aim of the project was to build patient cases that reflect both aspects. The intent is to use these cases in the core pharmacy curriculum to teach students how to concurrently consider both clinical and social elements in patient care. Eleven pharmacists and educators participated in three work groups to develop 10 cases for pharmacotherapy courses in cardiovascular disease, diabetes management, and mental health. Two of the cases were facilitated with fourth year students on advanced pharmacy practice experiences. SummaryFeedback from case developers and students highlights features of the cases that lend them to utility in the pharmacy curriculum. The integration of SDOH in patient cases provides opportunity for students to build the relevant competencies that will enable them to provide holistic patient care.

Understanding grade repetition from the perspectives of teachers and principals in basic schools in Ghana

Grade repetition is a common educational practice in schools in Ghana and Africa, yet it is under researched. Using a qualitative case study approach this paper draws from interviews with teachers and principals in select schools in Accra, Ghana, to better understand the factors and outcomes associated with grade repetition. Findings show how students with irregular attendance, from poorer families, that are overage, or that are working domestically in homes, are more likely to repeat a grade. Some successful approaches suggested by teachers in making grade repetition more effective include changes to teaching methods, classroom structure, and opportunities for student participation.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of developing real-world software projects as a motivational device for bridging theory and practice

ABSTRACT While incorporating project-based exercise is a common practice in software engineering education, few studies have been conducted in investigating how real-world project development influences university students’ proactive learning and knowledge transformation. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of developing real-world projects with industry engagement in encouraging students to apply knowledge to practice and be more proactive in learning. Using a two-group, post-test quasi-experimental design, the performance between the students taking real-world project development and the students in the control group are compared using descriptive statistics, the independent samples t-test and Welch t-test, accordingly. Both the Spearman’s rank-order and Kendall’s τ-b are used to examine the relationship between students’ practical works and the level of knowledge transformation estimated by the students through online surveys. The results suggest that using real-world projects in the classroom can be an effective motivational device for proactive learning and knowledge transformation. Project-based exercise should be both comprehensive and keeping pace with technology development driven by the software industry evolution to be more effective. The direct interaction with stakeholders, dynamic requirements change, employment of Agile methods, self-organising teams, and using challenging real-world projects, are essential in simulating a real-world software development environment in the classroom.

Teaching with digital games: How intentions to adopt digital game‐based learning are related to personal characteristics of pre‐service teachers

AbstractDespite many known educational benefits of digital game‐based learning, teaching with digital games is not yet a common practice in formal education. The role that digital game‐based learning might play in future school teaching can be explored by examining the behavioral intentions of pre‐service teachers as the ultimate gatekeepers. In this survey study, 402 pre‐service teachers from German‐speaking universities had participated. Multiple regression analyses were applied to examine the role of pre‐service teachers’ personal characteristics in their intention to integrate digital games into two educational contexts. For both educational contexts, we identified perceived usefulness and curriculum relatedness of digital games as key factors in pre‐service teachers' intention to teach with digital games. We also found differences in explained variance and relevant personal characteristics between educational contexts. Overall, we discuss how teaching with digital games could become a common practice if particular characteristics of pre‐service teachers are already addressed in teacher education. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Several conceptual and empirical works have synthesized diverse educational benefits of teaching with digital games and digital game‐based learning. Teaching with digital games poses several infrastructural and technological challenges for teachers. Whether teaching with digital games becomes a common practice is related to the intention of teachers who act as gatekeepers for effective educational approaches. What this paper adds Insights into relations between intentions to teach with digital games and personal characteristics among pre‐service teachers as future gatekeepers. The intentions of pre‐service teachers to teach with digital games show particularly strong relations to a small set of personal characteristics. The relations between the intentions of pre‐service teachers and their personal characteristics may vary between educational contexts. Implications for practice and policy The usefulness and curriculum relatedness of digital games in different educational contexts should be made clear to pre‐service teachers. Teacher education could better prepare pre‐service teachers for their future role as gatekeepers by providing key experiences and competences regarding teaching and learning with digital games. Policy makers could support teaching with digital games by advancing digital game‐based learning in teacher education and by reducing known barriers related to teaching with digital games.

An Unexpected Shift to an Online Design Studio Course: Student Insights on Design Critiques

AbstractOnline education is not a common practice in design education. As the cornerstone of design education, the design studio incorporates a hands‐on approach that stems from its materiality. This tactile character of the design studio has been challenged by the recent pandemic since many design schools and departments decided to proceed with their education online. Consequently, some fundamental pedagogical mechanisms that rely on the distinct habitat of the design studio were moved to the online context. Design critiques, a crucial activity in communicating design knowledge, were also carried to online channels. This shift from the physical to the online environment caused some changes in both the communication and understanding of design critiques. In the light of recent developments, this article reflects on students’ perceptions of design critiques in an online studio setting. In‐depth interviews were conducted with six industrial design students who started their semester in a physical studio environment but continued online. The study demonstrates that the students’ impressions of design critiques have been affected by several factors that can be grouped under three categories: crit actors, crit process and crit context.

Relational research ethics and disengagement from collaborative research projects in higher education: A conceptual analysis

Research collaboration is a common practice in higher education, and so is the discourse of research ethics. However, the colonial orientation of some research as well as the managerial models of higher education practices undermine the connectedness and relationality of collaborative research. In this article, I argue this point with a focus on disengagement or withdrawal of collaborators from research projects before they are completed. I argue that this practice has ethical implications at various levels, especially the level of the researched or colonised communities. Drawing from multi-disciplinary literature, I follow a conceptual analysis method, focusing on research collaboration, research ethics and disengagement. The article identifies the types and benefits of collaborative research, as well as common reasons and ethical implications of disengagement from such projects. It concludes by recommending an extension of research ethics regulations to incorporate disengagement, in consideration of the relationality of collaborative research projects. Keywords: collaborative research, disengagement, relational ethics, managerialism, higher education