Content Of Course Research Articles

Modern technologies and subject content of a foreign language course for future media specialists

Importance. The subject-language integrated approach is relatively new in the field of foreign language teaching methods. It pursues a dual goal related to the formation of professional communication skills in a foreign language (the formation of communicative and professional competencies). The application of the subject-language integrated approach faces several challenges related to both teachers and students. Firstly, the level of training of students should correspond to the B1B2 level. Secondly, the level of teacher training should combine the foreign language teaching with the specialized content teaching. The potential of the subject-language integrated approach in teaching foreign languages has already been applied and evaluated in the future doctors training, lawyers, and agricultural specialists.Research Methods. The subject-language integrated approach can be incorporated into the language training for future professionals in the media sphere (areas of training “Journalism”, “Advertising and Public Relations”, “Media Communications”). The professional component of the course is related not only to the thematic content of the classes, but also to the possibility of using modern technologies (for example, the artificial intelligence capabilities, virtual and augmented reality technologies) in the media products development within the framework of the training course with their subsequent discussion in the language being studied.Research Results. The subject-language integrated approach has obvious potential in the language training of future media specialists (areas of study “Journalism”, “Advertising and Public Relations”, “Media Communications”). The specialized subject content of the course, as well as the technologies and tools used in the practice of media specialists in the media products and advertising products development, along with language competencies, allow the formation of professional competencies.Conclusions. The aim of the research is to further investigate the potential of an integrated approach to the training of future media professionals. Of particular interest to the study is the identification of specific speech skills required for effective foreign language communication in the speech interaction professional sphere.

EXPERIENCE-ORIENTED TRAINING CONTENT FOR ADVANCING THE QUALIFICATIONS OF UNIVERSITY LECTURERS

The article touches upon the eliminating contradictions between the potential of professional knowledge of young people, practical experiences of production specialists working in higher educational institutions and the empirical idea of professional and pedagogical competencies that contribute to the development of cognitive and personal skills and competencies of students in the educational process. In order to form and develop the above-mentioned personal qualities the authors have developed a level based professional development program for young and experienced university lecturers, the content of educational courses and the methodology of modern training. The level based educational program has been developed for three years. The content of the educational material of the second training module is aimed at developing innovative teaching methods and the final module allows them to study the methodology and monitoring of conducting pedagogical research. The practice of using active exercises as methodological methods at the beginning of classes allowed increasing motivation for educational and cognitive activity and improving the psychological state of students. Upon completion of the level training courses, students will be given the opportunity to perform project work on training modules and test themselves in readiness for transformative activities. The results of the work on the development of the content of the course program and the methods of teaching students at the courses can be useful for teachers, managers of advanced training courses at the university

English as a medium of instruction as part of the internationalization strategy at the University of Novi Sad

ABSTRACT University of Novi Sad (UNS) is strongly oriented towards internationalization, which entails the use of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI). This process is defined by language education policy at the macro level (national legislation) and by university policies and strategies at the meso level (university documents). However, so far there have been no studies that focus on the connections between Serbian education policy regarding EMI and how it is put into practice. For that reason I conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 content area lecturers from six faculties at UNS in order to discover how clearly content area lecturers see and perceive their role in internationalization pertaining to EMI, as well as the ways language education policy is implemented at the meso level in terms of training lecturers for EMI and providing support for teaching content courses in English. Finally, I look at how language education policy is realized in the classroom to determine to what extent lecturers rely on EMI pedagogy hoping that the comparison of all three levels of language education policy will uncover weak points and provide a basis for practical solutions that will eventually lead to more detailed and data-driven language education policy concerning EMI.

Students’ attitudes to lecturers’ English in Englishmedium higher education in Denmark

This study examines the evaluative reactions of university students to their nonnative lecturers’ English skills in English-medium instruction, i.e. when English is used as a lingua franca in an academic context. In particular, we examine the relationship between perceptions of English language proficiency and perceptions of general lecturing competence (defined here as knowledge of subject and teaching skills). Statistical analyses of 1,700 student responses to 31 non-native English-speaking lecturers at a major business school in Denmark revealed that the students’ perceptions of the lecturers’ English language proficiency is a significant predictor of their perceptions of the lecturers’ general lecturing competence and vice versa. We interpret this as a two-way relationship caused by speech stereotypes similar to those which have been demonstrated in socialpsychological experiments. This effect should be addressed when universities use student ratings to evaluate teaching in English-medium content courses.

La pedagogía crítica universitaria: Encuentros educativos interculturales entre la Universidad Nacional y la comunidad de Kachabri, en Costa Rica

Aim.To underscore the necessity of revising university pedagogy at the National University of Costa Rica (UNA). Discussion. Effective teaching and learning require stepping out of our comfort zones. This involves contextualization and practical application of theories. Therefore, intercultural educational tours are promoted as a didactic approach to develop and evaluate theoretical content of courses related to concepts of distinction, diversity, difference, and exteriority as an ethical proposal and policy. These field trips should be integrated across various courses to promote positive interactions, balance with nature, social justice, and the appreciation of various cosmogonies. Conclusion. The essay concludes by presenting the perspectives of students who have undergone these formative experiences. These students emphasize the significance of such experiences in enhancing educational processes that foster human awareness and connection with nature, integrating them as essential components within various university curricula.

Pre‐service middle school teachers' specialized content knowledge on sampling variability

AbstractThis study investigates a range of non‐normative ideas that pre‐service teachers (PSTs) employ in reasoning about sampling variability. This issue was studied in the context of a content course on statistics and probability for pre‐service middle grade teachers at a Midwestern American university. Analysis of seven PSTs' video and screen records of task‐based interviews has articulated fundamental facets of sampling variability that have not yet been fully explicated in the literature, especially with middle grade PSTs. With the content expectation of sampling variability for middle grade students as suggested by policy reports in the United States of America, this study is particularly fertile ground for designing curricula that can support middle grade PSTs' development of critical specialized content knowledge on sampling variability.

Developing Students’ Competences in the Era of Technology: Experience of Integrating Writing in a Content Course at Christian Bilingual University of Congo

Developing Students’ Competences in the Era of Technology: Experience of Integrating Writing in a Content Course at Christian Bilingual University of Congo

Profiling lexical coverage in EMI academic seminars: a corpus-based study

Since the implementation of the Bologna Process, Higher Education Institutions have increasingly offered English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI) programmes to promote “internationalisation at home” (Beelen & Jones, 2018). While these programmes allow students to take content courses in English, EMI settings may also be challenging for learners due to the linguistic demands they may impose. However, current efforts to identify these demands have primarily relied on self-reported data, with limited consideration given to the linguistic features that may cause difficulties for EMI learners. This paper aims to address this gap by exploring the lexical demands of EMI seminars. The study analyses the lexical coverage of BNC/COCA (Nation, 2012) and ASW (Dang et al., 2017) lists in MetCLIL, a corpus comprising nine EMI seminars and 110,496 tokens, and investigates the impact of contextual variables on lexical demands. The findings indicate that (1) EMI seminars show lower lexical demands on L2 learners than L1 lectures and seminars or EMI lectures but similar to L1 tutorials, (2) academic spoken vocabulary is less frequent than in other educational settings, and (3) certain contextual factors seem to play a critical role in lexical coverage.

INTERACTION STRATEGIES IN THE SKILL AND CONTENT COURSES IN EFL CLASSES

Studies to reveal the factors contributing to the effectiveness of language instruction are still underway. This study disclosed the phenomenon in EFL classes focusing on the interaction strategies in skill and content courses, which use English as the target language. This study uses a descriptive qualitative method. Having been collected by observation, recording, and interview, the data were transcribed, identified, and classified, then analyzed by description, quantification, and comparison. The findings were that, despite both employing a learner-centered approach; the interaction strategies are divergent due to different instructional goals. First, in the skill courses, the students' talking time is greater than the teachers' talking time, and the opposite fact exists in the content courses. Second, the interaction patterns in the skill courses indicate more student-active learning than in the content courses. Third, directive acts were performed more in the skill classes, and assertive acts in the content classes. Fourth, the native language was used more in the content than skill classes. The implication is that the interaction strategies should be varied following the pedagogical purposes to optimize the effectiveness of language teaching in an EFL context.

Impact of English proficiency and self-efficacy on EMI content learning: a longitudinal study in Taiwan

Abstract In many countries, English-medium instruction (EMI) courses have become a requirement for universities to maintain their competitive global rankings. This study reports on a three-year EMI program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at a national university in Taiwan. A total of 63 students participated in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected, including measures targeting students’ English proficiency, language learning beliefs, classroom anxiety, self-efficacy, content course grades, and interview data from four faculty members. The t-tests indicate that students’ English proficiency significantly improved from their freshman year to their sophomore year but then tapered off in their junior year. Multiple regression analyses show that students’ self-efficacy remained the strongest predictor of the content learning outcomes, overriding the English proficiency. Interview data show that, after navigating the initial language impact and adapting to the EMI environment, students were better able to focus on the content learning due to enhanced self-efficacy. The qualitative data provide enriched contexts to support the statistical findings, against the backdrop of the 2030 Bilingual Policy, initiated in 2018 by Taiwan’s National Development Council to build a bilingual society by 2030. Finally, pedagogical implications and future research endeavors are also discussed.

Attempts to teach ethics to police leaders and managers at the Police College: a lesson from history

ABSTRACT This practitioner and experience-based insider account outlines the reasons for the introduction in the late 1970s of a named ‘ethics package’ to the content of courses of study at the Police College, Bramshill. The context of the College, and the modal characteristics of its client groups of middle and senior ranking police officers are highlighted. In 1978 an ‘ethics package’ began to be constructed in order to make a significant contribution to the ‘professional’ knowledge and practices commensurate with the role-requirements of police leadership. An outline of the intellectual basis guiding and informing the content of the ‘ethics package’ is provided. The paper then identifies some of the persistent and often disappointing responses to the continuing attempts to include something called ‘ethics’ on the various programmes of study at Bramshill. From 1992 onwards ‘ethics’ was to make various appearances on the leadership and management courses but its status was always fragile partly because of the various regime changes that befell the institution. In 1994 a formal educational action-research process, was begun which sought to position ‘ethics’ on the ‘Police Management Programme’ such that the subject would not be set aside. However, after six years of commitment and endeavour, the feedback from course participants never achieved the level of positive response needed to achieve the fundamental aim of the research project. The paper concludes with a very brief summary of some of the reasons why presenting something called ‘ethics’ to experienced police officers was – and perhaps remains – intrinsically difficult.

Explicit Incorporation of the Nature of Science (NOS) in an Undergraduate Preservice Teacher Science Content Course: Action Research

This study aimed to address the gap in an environmental science undergraduate course by investigating the impact of explicitly integrating the Nature of Science (NOS) into the instruction of scientific inquiry. The lab-based course focused on developing an understanding of the natural world, as well as the processes scientists use to study that world. Through action research, data collection methods included the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS-B) and analysis of students' reflections on assignments and open inquiry projects for 37 students. Pre- and post-questionnaires were analyzed using NVIvo12, categorizing responses into five levels of NOS understanding thematically. Descriptive statistics were used to assess NOS views. Class reflective assignments and open inquiry projects were coded and evaluated using the revised NSI rubric employing a mixed methods analysis. The results reveal a notable shift in students' NOS understanding following the intervention which demonstrates the significance of deliberate NOS instruction. The research also pinpoints areas where students require focused instruction, offering valuable insights for educators with an emphasis on the impact of NOS integration in enhancing scientific literacy and highlighting the role of action research in refining instructional practices.

Teaching note-taking in EMI: an experimental study in Economics and Business Administration

Abstract Learning to take effective notes is particularly difficult for non-English-native university students enrolled on English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses. However, time and cost constraints mean that many universities provide no support in English for academic purposes or academic skills. One solution to this problem would be to work closely with subject lecturers to develop training that can be delivered within the framework of the EMI content courses themselves. We developed a pilot programme for training students to take effective notes in English and applied it within the context of a first-year content course in Economics and Business Administration at a Spanish university. The students improved on several measures from the pre-test to the post-test, and provided positive feedback. They particularly appreciated learning how to build outlines, simplify information, and use abbreviations and symbols. Questionnaire responses indicated that they had found the training useful and appreciated the possibilities for direct application of the new skills acquired in their other EMI courses. Further research on how to train students in academic language competences within the ecologically valid setting of the EMI classroom itself could include support with subject-focused academic writing and speaking skills.

Characterizing engagement in the science practices: A study of preservice elementary teachers

AbstractPreservice elementary teachers enter their science methods courses with a range of prior experience with science practice. Those prior experiences likely inform much of their science pedagogy and goals. In this study, the authors examine how a cohort of preservice elementary teachers engaged in science practice as they learned content in a physics course. Drawing on course documents, videorecords, and artifacts from in‐class lab work and interviews with nine participants, the authors used an asset‐based, mixed methods approach. The authors developed rubrics to assess the level of sophistication the participants used while engaging in science practice on a scale of 1 (pre‐novice) to 4 (experienced). They used descriptive statistics and ANOVA's to interpret the performance of the participants in addition to grounded theory open coding of interviews to determine the participants' level of prior experience with science practice. The findings suggest that these preservice teachers primarily engaged in science practices at a novice level. In general, their sophistication scores on the rubric aligned with their prior experience. The findings suggest that while one content course steeped in science practice was not enough to significantly change preservice teachers' engagement, it can provide a needed starting place and that it likely takes time to develop these skills. The findings have implications for both teacher educators and researchers who hope to increase the use of science practice as a method of learning science content.

The expertise of novices: A framework for prospective teacher’s noticing of children’s mathematical thinking

The purpose of this study was to articulate nuances within the process of learning to notice and to provide a framework for characterizing the capabilities of noticing in prospective mathematics teachers. We collected and analyzed data on teacher noticing based on classroom videos from prospective teachers in a mathematics content course. We analyzed data in accordance with existing research-based frameworks on noticing and in consideration with literature on expertise. We provide the Framework for the Expertise of Noticing, which describes noticing expertise along five dimensions: Evidence-based Noticing; Concrete vs. Abstract Characteristics in Noticing; Individual vs. Pattern Focus in Noticing; Task vs. Contextualized Perspective in Noticing; and Cognitive vs. Metacognitive Characteristics in Noticing. The framework is a tool for mathematics education researchers and teacher educators who study and support the development of noticing in prospective teachers.

Taking Care of Business and Doing Overtime: Teaching Research Methods in Public Affairs Curricula

In this research, we sought to better understand important trends and developments in the teaching of quantitative and research methods courses in graduate public affairs programs. We were specifically interested in the following areas related to the teaching of quantitative and research methods: the impact of new technologies on curriculum delivery; the content of courses related to statistical analysis and research design; and the importance of numeracy, ethics, and data visualization. We surveyed quantitative and research methods instructors in graduate public affairs programs using the same survey instrument at two intervals 8 years apart and analyzed results from each period side-by-side. Findings indicate some stark differences in the content and delivery of these courses. Given the timing of the second survey—Spring 2021—findings are considered within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students’ Satisfaction on e-Learning at Faculty of Nursing-Medical Technology of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy

This study is conducted to describe the satisfaction on e-learning and identify factors related to the satisfaction on e-learning of students at faculty of Nursing – Medical Technology in a national University of Medicine and Pharmacy. We designed a cross-sectional study with questionnaire collected from 736 nursing students. The participants have high satisfaction with an average mean score of 3.86/5. The criterion with the highest value is Capacity and the lowest is Reliability. Factors related to student satisfaction with e-learning include gender, course, content of course, activities before class, distance education methodology and academic results. This result reinforces previous findings regarding e-learning satisfaction among nursing students in a developing country and contributes to the current systematic studies in this field at the developing countries.

Students’ Perceptions of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in Secondary School Bilingual Classes: A Case Study

In contemporary international secondary education in Indonesia, English-Medium Instruction (EMI) has gained popularity and expanded into a rising global phenomenon. Recognizing this phenomenon and the importance of English language skills for students from an early age, this study aims to investigate the perceptions of junior high school students in bilingual classes on the use of EMI in schools. A qualitative research design in the form of a case study was adopted in this study. It involved thirteen (13) junior high school students (2 males, 11 females) of two bilingual class programs at a private junior high school in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and an FGD (forum group discussion) session. The findings indicate that all participants show positive perceptions of the EMI implementation in terms of the importance of EMI for Learning, the importance of EMI for career, and the use of EMI associated with the preservation of tradition issue. This study also reveals the obstacles that are often faced in the use of EMI such as a lack of understanding of technical terms in the content course and teachers' low proficiency in English. Therefore, it is expected that this study will offer recommendations from the perspectives of EFL practitioners in order to optimize the advantages of the EMI policy in an EFL context.

Industry-Academic Partnership And Its Impacts On Specialized Education In Southwest Nigeria

The inseparable needs for close collaboration between institutions offering mechanical technology education and allied industries was the focus of the study. Occupationally, contents of courses offered in this field and similar other are supposed to be industry-derived and society needs-compliant. This has for some time, not been seen to be so, and has therefore, created some input-output deficits that have not only affected students’ performance and society benefits, but have significantly affected students’ enrolments into the programmes negatively. Two research questions and two research hypotheses were raised to guide this study. Survey design using structured research instruments were developed by the researchers on collaboration between academic institutions and industries. Population of this study will be 50 Lecturers in Mechanical and Automobile Technology drawn from Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in the Southwest, Nigeria, alongside 42 industry practicing experts in the same fields were involved in this study. Research questions were answered with Mean and Standard Deviation while t-test was used for the hypotheses. Based on the emanating outcomes of the analysis and discussions followed, it was recommended that functional channels of communication should be opened between academia and industry for meaningful interaction, make partnership an occupational policy and constantly share resources among others.

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) Advantage for Police Chiefs: A Case for Studying Business for Law Enforcement Leadership

Historically, two advanced degrees — the Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) — have been considered the preferred choices for those seeking the highest ranks of law enforcement leadership. However, in recent years, characterized by rapid social change, technological progress, and growing public attention, the role of the police chief has evolved into a multifaceted leadership position that goes far beyond the traditional responsibilities of law enforcement. It covers a broader set of duties related to leadership and management communications in police units, organizational effectiveness, strategic management, administration, and control, effective financial resources and budgeting management, communications and accountability in local communities, and ethical decision-making to overcome the multifaceted challenges of modern police activity. The article argues that the degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA), known for its adaptability and versatility, can become a powerful alternative to MCJ and MPA today, as it provides police leaders with a more universal educational base, a comprehensive set of business skills and specialized knowledge, becomes more extensive, practical and an actual form of education of capable and adaptive police management personnel, allows to best prepare them for dynamic changes and transformation of job roles. The article critically examines to what extent and when solving which tasks the heads of police departments need knowledge and skills according to the traditional attributes of an MBA: in the field of financial management, strategic planning, leadership, and human resources management, effective and crisis communication, negotiation, interaction with the public, business ethics. The specifics of the application of the main attributes of those theories that are traditionally studied within the MBA program for the role of heads of police departments are analyzed: the theory of servant leadership, the theory of situational leadership, the theory of managerial economics, PESTEL analysis, and the theory of human relations. As a conceptual inquiry, this article lays the groundwork for continued research in this area to explore the MBA and its content courses as a useful tool for developing the skills and abilities of law enforcement leaders.