Major Course Research Articles

Relative importance of students' expectancy-value beliefs as predictors of academic success in gateway math courses.

Math-intensive fields in postsecondary education, such as physics and math, often struggle with high student dropout rates. Motivational declines after the transition to postsecondary education are a key factor underlying students' achievement difficulties and decisions to leave these fields. A better understanding of which motivational factors play a particularly central role in predicting achievement difficulties and dropout decisions is needed to inform potential interventions. Thus, drawing on Eccles' expectancy-value theory, we examined changes in the relative importance of students' expected success and different task values as unique or joint predictors of students' academic success and course dropout across three time points within a semester. Data were collected in gatekeeper math courses for physics and math majors (N = 811). Commonality analyses showed an increasing overlap in the predictive effects of students' expectancies and values on later academic outcomes, which indicates convergence in these motivational beliefs, as they likely influence each other over time. A significant shift in the relative importance of students' expectancies and values occurred after the transition to postsecondary education, highlighting a sensitive time point for interventions. Pre-existing achievement, socioeconomic, and gender differences lost some of their unique predictive power toward the midpoint of the semester.

Approaches and Reforms in Undergraduate Education for Integration of Major and General Education: A Comparative Study among Teaching, Teaching—Research, and Research Universities in China

With the major education model as the dominant model, general education is squeezed in quality and quantity, and implementing the concept of general education is challenging. There are several problems in undergraduate education with “strong majors and weak general education” that need to be addressed in order to integrate major education with general education. Therefore, we selected three levels of universities: nine first-class research universities, seven key provincial teaching–research universities, and seven teaching universities from China. One-way ANOVA, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis were used to analyze the differences in three kinds of universities based on the total undergrad credits and “big category” majors. One-way ANOVA results showed that “total undergrad credits” and “big category” majors are significantly different between research universities, teaching–research universities, and teaching universities, but there are no significant differences in minor course credits, general course credits, disciplinary and major basic course credits, and elective course credits. Based on cluster analysis, the first cluster G1 showed that all the research universities had similarities in the total undergrad credits, minor course credits, general course credits, disciplinary and major basic course credits, elective course credits, and “big category” majors. PCA results confirmed that research universities are significantly separated from teaching universities and teaching–research universities at the PC1 axis, which has a higher number of “big category” majors. There are three key issues with strong majors and weak general education: (1) the difficulties in popularizing the progressive minor training model; (2) the low percentage of elective courses, general elective courses, and individualized courses; and (3) major transfer system restrictions. Based on their own student characteristics and school resources, teaching universities, research universities, and teaching–research universities are encouraged to enhance the cultivation of students’ compound knowledge and skills at the three levels of micro-major, double degree (minor degree), and minor-major (double majors or second majors), respectively. The universities should adhere to the diversified combination of general and major education, the integration-oriented undergraduate education, the reform concept of reducing burden and improving quality, appropriately increase students’ freedom of choice in undergraduate instructional management for an effective combination of “general education and major education”, and then bring the undergraduate education to a characteristic and high level.

Research on Exploring and Integrating Ideological-Political Elements in College Public English Textbooks

As a public compulsory course for Non-English majors in colleges and universities, College Public English should not only develop students’ language and cross-cultural communication skills, but also cultivate their correct outlook on life, values, world and native land emotion, which is consistent with the ideological-political goals of the course. English textbook is the guarantee for the smooth progress of English teaching, and more importantly, it is an important carrier to practice Chinese teaching ideas. This paper mainly focuses on how to integrate ideological-political elements into English teaching from textbook perspective. It discusses the measures of integrating ideological-political education into College English courses from four aspects: teaching objectives, unit themes, and knowledge points, grammatical structure and word explanation. It is finally pointed out that exploring and integrating ideological-political elements in textbooks is the key link to realize ideological-political education in College Public English courses.

Research on Ideological and Political Construction of Basic Accounting Course for Non Accounting Majors

Basic accounting is a basic course for non accounting majors stipulated by the Ministry of education. It is the core course for all majors of economics and management. The introduction of ideological and political education content in the teaching process of basic accounting can integrate the socialist core values into teaching and educating people, stimulate students’ interest in learning, mobilize students’ enthusiasm for learning, and then improve the learning effect. Firstly, this paper introduces the significance of carrying out curriculum ideological and political teaching reform in the basic accounting course of non accounting majors under the educational concept of “curriculum ideological and political education”; Secondly, it analyzes the current situation of the curriculum construction of basic accounting for non accounting majors, then discusses the problems existing in the ideological and political construction of basic accounting for non accounting majors, and finally puts forward practical measures.

Research on the Talent Cultivation System of Erhu Performance Major in Nanjing University of the Arts

The erhu performance major courses in Nanjing University of the Arts are the earliest undergraduate erhu major core courses established after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Now, it has a history of 72 years, and the disciplinary context has a long history. This paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the talent cultivation system of this course from five aspects: the situation of student sources, teaching reform and innovation, the design of practical teaching activities, teaching methods and case analysis, and teaching conditions.

Redesigning Outcomes-Based Mechanical Engineering Course Syllabus Using the Constructive Alignment Approach

The field of Mechanical Engineering is one of the earliest disciplines within the realm of engineering, having acquired a distinct identity during the nineteenth century. This study constitutes an ongoing endeavor aimed at enhancing the quality of Mechanical Engineering education. As the foundation for this revision, the authors have undertaken an evaluation of the existing syllabi for three major Mechanical Engineering courses, employing a constructive alignment approach. Pertinent data were collected through the analysis of existing documents, interviews, and consultations with the instructors of these ME major courses. Thematic analysis was employed to scrutinize the gathered data. The resultant insights were utilized to formulate a novel course syllabus that is attuned to the requisites and objectives of the university, while adhering to the Outcomes-Based Teaching and Learning Framework established by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education.

A Study on Teaching Model of Multi-dimensional Integration of Ideological and Political Education into English Major Courses --- “English Viewing, Listening and Speaking” Course Perspective

Under the educational background of “Ideological and Political Theories Teaching in All Courses” in colleges and universities across the country, how to effectively realize the multi-dimensional integration of ideological and political education into English major courses has become an important topic for foreign language teachers to think and explore. In this paper, based on the core course of English major, “English Viewing, Listening and Speaking”, the goal of ideological and political education is clarified, the teaching content is reconstructed, the teaching design is optimized, the assessment and evaluation are innovated, so a teaching model that integrates the multi-dimensional ideological and political education into all aspects of the course teaching is constructed. While learning professional knowledge and improving language ability, students should enhance their cultural confidence and national feelings, expand their international vision, shoulder their social responsibility of “Share China stories and spread China voice by good communications”. This study will help the ideological and political education model of all-round education and provide reference for the construction and improvement of the ideological and political theories teaching in English major courses.

Research on the Teaching Reform of Translation Online Course for Business English Majors in Application-oriented Universities -- A Case Study of S University

With the advent of the information age, online education has developed rapidly. The teaching reform of translation online course for business English majors in application-oriented universities is an important means to cultivate high-quality application-oriented talents. In view of this need, this study has explored the teaching reform of translation online course for business English majors in application-oriented universities from the aspects of curriculum orientation and planning, teacher team construction, curriculum resources, teaching and management as well as teaching effect. Therefore, this study aims to improve the training quality of application-oriented talents, innovate the talent training mode and form teaching characteristics.

Application of EMI in International Business Law Course in EFL Setting

International Business Law is a fundamental course for Business English majors. It is suitable for adapting EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) teaching mode according to its nature, talent training goal and teaching contents. This paper focuses on the implementing EMI in International Business Law course for business English majors of Baoding university and conducts questionnaires and an interview to collect data to summarize and analyze some experience so as to provide some useful references for peer universities.

The Main Directions Of The National Freedom Movement In Northern Azerbaijan At The Beginning Of The 20th Century

Abstract. Research on the main development course and characteristics of the National Liberation Movement at the beginning of the twentieth century in Azerbaijan is important in the light of the decolonization discourse. This study analyzes religious-philosophical (idealistic), atheistic-Marxist, also enlightenment, national-democratic and socialdemocratic directions, existed for solving the political problems of this era. Moreover, the nature of political-ideological, socio-philological aspects of these directions has been studied. Before the first Russian revolution (1905-1907) and during the years of the revolution, the political and ideological situation of Northern Azerbaijan became complex and contradictory. Especially after the first Russian revolution, the political and ideological life of the country mainly developed in three directions: 1) National enlightment romanticism (realists, romantics), 2) National democratic direction (Islamism, Turkism, modernism and etc.), 3) Social democratic trends and Marxism (national revolutionaries, Menshevism, Bolshevism, Socialist Revolutionaries). The results of the study show that although all three directions played a unique role in the national liberation movement of Azerbaijan, the national democratism was a major course. At the same time, this paper scrutinize the conditions, as well as the factors that existed in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic1 and led to the end of its existence.

On Integrating the Moral and Political Elements into the English Reading Course for Minors

The Moral and Political education, since proposed as a concept, has received much attention among literature works. It regards strengthening moral education and cultivating people as the foundation of education and provides the major and clear orientation for all the talents cultivation. Many researches have worked on the construction of integrating moral and political education into major courses, each with different mode, but little consideration was taken into research participants. Due to the diversity and particularity of the minor degree, the study determines to explore the complex path of integrating moral and political education into the English reading course for minors, hoping it may shed some insights into the similar types of integration and the researches on complex courses.

Does the Teaching Modality and Exam Proctoring Setting Influence Pre-Clinical Medical Students' Performance? A Retrospective Cohort Study of Student Performance in Remote Versus Face-to-Face Setting, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The intent of this study is to compare the academic performance of pre-clinical medical students in online teaching with online proctoring settings versus face-to-face (F2F) teaching with traditional F2F exam proctoring settings. In 2019, the world was faced with a rapidly progressive pandemic of COVID-19. Consequently, numerous institutions have opted to transform from the traditional F2F teaching method to an online modality, ensuring the safety of their students and maintaining the effectiveness of their educational programs. In particular, medical universities faced a unique challenge in creating a new learning system due to their atypical curriculum, which often involves hands-on training and is not easily adaptable to remote teaching. The core of this study is based on the scores of first-year undergraduate medical students across three academic years from the Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dubai (MBRU), United Arab Emirates (UAE). Course and semester grades were collected and compared in both F2F and online teaching modalities as well as exam settings. Our results show that major courses with high-credit courses had no difference in students' performance regardless of the teaching modality, and in low-credit courses, students generally did better in the online teaching modality. Regarding exam settings, no significant difference was observed in students' performance. With few studies examining the variations between F2F and online teaching, the current study in the UAE is the first study comparing academic performance during the COVID-19 era. Our findings illustrate no significant difference between both online and traditional F2F learning. Therefore, given the considerable potential of alternative teaching modalities, future studies are encouraged to explore the efficacy of online learning and proctoring methods.

Investigation and Research on the Satisfaction of Undergraduate Liberal Arts Major Students in China with Their Major Courses and Its Influencing Factors under the Background of the "New Liberal Arts"

Investigation and Research on the Satisfaction of Undergraduate Liberal Arts Major Students in China with Their Major Courses and Its Influencing Factors under the Background of the "New Liberal Arts"

Discussion on the Reform of Ideological and Political Teaching in Major Courses of Big Data Management— Taking the Operations Research Course as an Example

Discussion on the Reform of Ideological and Political Teaching in Major Courses of Big Data Management— Taking the Operations Research Course as an Example

Performance Evaluation and Identification of Key Influencing Factors for Student Achievement Based on the Entropy‐Weighted TOPSIS Model

To address the shortcomings of the existing comprehensive evaluation methods, the entropy TOPSIS (Technique for Oder Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method was introduced into the comprehensive evaluation of classes students’ grades in college, and the results of year 2019∼2020 of 30 classes student’s major courses of 2 colleges within 2 semesters were used as an example for analysis. The study shows that the entropy TOPSIS method can not only effectively reflect the course differences but also avoid the subjectivity of weight setting and improve the rationality and objectivity of the comprehensive evaluation and ranking of students’ performance in classes, and it can be used as an objective evaluation tool for the external factors affecting students’ performance. At the same time, the internal factors affecting students’ performance are analyzed. It can be found that reasonable sleep time and the cultivation of good study motivation can help improve students’ academic performance. The results of this paper are of great theoretical value and technical reference value for scientific evaluation of student performance in universities.

Praxiologias translíngues emergentes em três contextos de desenvolvimento profissional de professores de inglês no Centro-Oeste brasileiro

ABSTRACT: In this article, we explore our attempts to infuse the classes we teach with our emergent translingual praxiologies. We describe this process in three educational contexts: an undergraduate English major course, a graduate course in Linguistics, and an in-service course for public school English teachers, all in the Midwest region of Brazil. To do so, we use qualitative, interpretive research through personal narratives. For us, translingual understandings emphasize language as fluid, negotiable, and creative, in contrast to monolingual orientations that hold languages to be discrete, fixed, and finite. Such ideas hold potential for developing (de)colonial approaches to linguistic education, which value diverse ways of knowing and being that potentially enhance life across the globe.

Study on the influence of art micro-lecture education on the aesthetic psychological development in the primary and middle school students in China

In recent years, due to the rapid development of science and technology in China, technology has continuously advanced the process of informatization in education. Among them, the emergence of micro-lectures has made learning more convenient and efficient. In Chinese compulsory education system, art education has always been hindered by the drawbacks of exam-oriented education, and the neglect of art classes is often observed in classrooms. Teachers always consider that art classes is less important than the major courses and lose sight of it. However, with the advent of the internet information era, micro-lectures have proposed new solutions and motivation for the difficulties and challenges faced by art education in China. Micro-lectures, due to their various advantages and characteristics, are a teaching method with great potential development in art education. This article mainly explores the capacity enhancement of primary and middle school students through micro-course teaching, and it has strong practical and application significance.

Research on the classroom teaching reform method of bridge engineering based on the cultivation of innovation and entrepreneurship ability

Innovation has an important impact on a country and a nation. It is the premise of national development and national revitalization. The course of Bridge Engineering is also the most basic major course in the civil engineering specialty. During the course, there are many teaching contents with strong spatial sense and abstract characteristics. However, in the teaching process of the bridge engineering course, the traditional teaching methods have obvious shortcomings. The reform and practice methods of the existing teaching methods and teaching models in improving students' hands-on ability, innovation ability and team cooperation ability still need to be improved in the four aspects of course teaching content, teaching activities, teaching methods, and course evaluation. This paper analyzes the problems in the teaching of this course and puts forward corresponding suggestions.

Research on the Implementation Path of Ideological and Political Education in Civil Engineering and Architecture Major Courses from the Perspective of Critical Thinking

Research on the Implementation Path of Ideological and Political Education in Civil Engineering and Architecture Major Courses from the Perspective of Critical Thinking

Teaching reform of “production planning and control” for modern manufacturing industry

"Production Planning and Control" is one of the major courses in Industrial Engineering, and its cross-cutting, adaptable, and practical characteristics require that the course should well integrate technology and management to meet the evolution of modern manufacturing industry. Through the study of the traditional teaching effectiveness of "Production Planning and Control", this paper pointed out the issues, including insufficient interaction, unappealing content, and lack of systematization of the knowledge. By introducing teaching reform approaches for the course, it proposes to combine various teaching methods, rearrange the teaching material, systematically plan the practical teaching links, and assess the learning effect through a diversified evaluation system, in order to promote students' motivation and learning enthusiasm, meanwhile improve the teaching effect of the course to meet the requirement of modern manufacturing industry for talents.