Professional Courses Research Articles

Co-designing health literacy actions: Connecting the dots to create meaningful impact

Abstract In closing the workshop, this presentation will bring together the participatory research recommendations for promoting and developing healthy literacy in Ireland, which will be led by Slaintécare Healthy Communities in practice, dissemination and scale up. In particular, a worked example from a third Slaintécare Healthy Community (Westmeath) will be presented; a healthy literacy “Train the Trainer” professional development course for local health literacy champions. In this presentation, we will also challenge attendees to offer suggestions of how to support and facilitate other recommendations suggested by our participants, and invite them to consider how this participatory action approach to a health literacy needs analysis could be utilised in their own contexts.

Teaching with ChatGPT as a linguistically responsive tool for multilingual learners

This study investigates the instructional applications of ChatGPT and other AI tools in the context of K-12 multilingual learner (ML) education in US public schools. Framed within a translanguaging lens, the research seeks to empirically document how these technologies are used by teachers to support language and literacy learning among MLs. Data was collected from two cohorts of in-service teachers enrolled in a professional development course focused on culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy, with classroom observations and post-observation interviews conducted with 42 teachers across various grade levels and content areas. The findings reveal several key practices, including using ChatGPT to facilitate communication, differentiate content, provide structured support for prompting, and engage in multimodal literacy experimentation. These practices align with dimensions of translanguaging pedagogy, particularly in terms of affordances, production, and co-labor, although gaps remain in the areas of assessment and reflection. The study highlights the potential of AI tools to enhance MLs’ linguistic responsiveness and agency, while also emphasizing the need for critical engagement and explicit instruction to address the challenges and ethical considerations associated with AI integration in education.

Development and evaluation of an online professional development course to support delivery of tiered school-based rehabilitation services

Purpose The Facilitating Integration of Rehabilitation Services Through Training (FIRST) Course provides online professional development on tiered service delivery models for rehabilitation professionals working in education settings. Created by content and e-learning experts, this study describes our use of the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation (ADDIE) instructional design model and the Successive Approximation Model (SAM) to develop, implement, and evaluate the FIRST Course, and reports the findings of an initial program evaluation. Method Rehabilitation professionals who completed the FIRST Course were invited to complete a cross-sectional survey to evaluate its utility. Results Between May 1, 2020, and August 11, 2023, 314 occupational therapists, 54 physiotherapists, and 170 speech-language pathologists completed the online course and survey. Respondents perceived the FIRST Course content to be relevant to their practice and to meet their learning needs regarding tiered services in education settings. Most respondents viewed the course positively and would recommend it to colleagues. More experienced respondents suggested a need for training on tiered service delivery models beyond an introductory level. Conclusions The ADDIE and SAM instructional design models were successfully applied to develop, implement, and evaluate online professional development for school-based rehabilitation professionals who wish to learn about tiered service delivery models.

Research on Teaching Reform of Landscape Engineering Course based on the Concept of CDIO

With the advancement of new engineering construction, it is urgent to explore the teaching reform of professional courses in the cultivation of landscape architecture professionals in combination with industry needs. In order to solve the problems existing in the current Landscape Engineering course, such as traditional teaching methods, insufficient student interest, lack of practical links, and the disconnection between teaching content and industry demand. This study discusses the teaching reform of the Landscape Engineering course based on the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) concept, aiming at solving the problems mentioned. Through the integration of CDIO mode, the core competencies that students should have are defined, including environmental landscape design and planning, innovative thinking, project management, and so on. The research emphasizes project-driven learning, interdisciplinary knowledge integration, and practical skill training, and puts forward strategies such as teacher training and professional development support to ensure the implementation of the reform. The purpose of the reform was to improve students’ professional ability and employment competitiveness, promote the improvement of education quality and the sustainable development of the industry, and exert a positive impact on landscape engineering education and industry progress.

Advancing inclusive practices in higher education: possibilities and limitations of a social justice professional development course

ABSTRACT Research on widening the participation of historically underrepresented university students tends to focus on student preparation and the structural adjustments needed to attract and retain them. Few studies have examined how to prepare university staff for the diversity of students that comes with such widening participation programmes. This paper contributes to this gap by discussing the impact that a professional development course on practising inclusion in higher education had on academic and professional staff participants’ understanding of equitable and inclusive practices. Using interview data, we found that participants developed a more nuanced and sensitive practice and greater confidence to act for change as they acquired new skills and knowledge associated with social inclusion practices, reflected on their professional identity changes, and gained critical insights into their roles. These findings support the need for this type of professional development to prepare all higher education staff to genuinely support university students from underrepresented groups. They also highlight the need for these professional development offerings to foster greater reflexivity about taken-for-granted assumptions, a deeper understanding of structural power and inequity in higher education, and higher education staff members’ capacity to enact change within these structures.

Regulation of health professions education and the growth of schools in Somalia.

Health professions education, encompassing training programs for medicine and surgery, nursing, midwifery, medical laboratory sciences,, and public health, along with their regulations, are pivotal to achieving universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goals, contributing significantly to health outcomes and public trust in the healthcare workforce. However, low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, face challenges, such as inadequate resources, outdated curricula, and weak governance. Somalia in particular grapples with a fragmented health system and a critical shortage of skilled health professionals, exacerbated by decades of civil war and political instability. This study employed a mixed-method approach that incorporated both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. A comprehensive literature review was conducted along with semi-structured interviews with 44 key informants, including representatives from professional health schools and officials from the Ministry of Health. Additionally, five focus group discussions were held with young professionals and an online survey was administered to students enrolled in professional health courses. The data analysis employed descriptive for quantitative data, and thematic analysis for qualitative data, guided by the human resources for health (HRH) maturity model framework. This study identified 112 health professions schools across Somalia, with a significant concentration in urban areas, particularly in Benadir. The health workforce analysis revealed a pronounced urban-rural disparity and a density of health professionals below the WHO's recommended threshold. The focus group discussions and surveys highlighted the employment challenges faced by young physicians and students' perceptions of their training and future employment opportunities. The proliferation of health professions schools without adequate quality control, the critical shortage and maldistribution of skilled health professionals, and the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework are significant challenges facing Somalia's healthcare system. The establishment of the National Health Professionals' Council (NHPC) Act in 2020 marks a step towards addressing these issues. This study emphasizes the need for accreditation of health professions schools, capacity building of HRH teams, and collaboration among stakeholders to improve healthcare workforce development and regulation. Addressing urban-rural disparities and combating professional misconduct are also crucial for achieving universal health coverage and improving health outcomes in Somalia.

Research on Hybrid Teaching Driven by Big Data Application Development Competition

With the increasing emphasis placed by the country on vocational education, it has become a key focus for vocational colleges to encourage their students to participate in national vocational skills competitions, through which they can enhance their professional qualities, theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and employability. The big data technology major of Jiangsu Maritime Institute has analyzed the knowledge and skill points required in big data application development skills competitions, and has constructed a project-driven hybrid teaching approach based on the Chaoxing Cloud Course Platform, which utilizes a SPOC (Small Private Online Course) approach. By aligning with the workflows and tasks of big data technology-related job positions, the major integrates skills competition projects into its curriculum, realizing a learner-centered, integrated online and offline learning approach. Through teaching practice, this teaching method has achieved good results, improving the quality of teaching and students' learning enthusiasm, and providing new methods and perspectives for the reform of big data technology professional courses in higher vocational education.

Exploring EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices about translanguaging pedagogy: A qualitative study from Iran

In the past decade, research on EFL teachers’ beliefs about translanguaging has significantly grown. However, little qualitative research has been done on teachers’ translanguaging beliefs and practices and the congruity between them. To address this gap in the literature, the current study investigated Iranian EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices, and the correspondence between these beliefs and practices. Data was collected from ten teachers who taught English as a foreign language through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations (three per teachers). The data was analyzed based on the principles of thematic analysis. The results showed that the teachers perceived six dimensions of translanguaging, including diverse beliefs of translanguaging, perceived relevance of translanguaging, pedagogical beliefs and approaches, attitudes toward benefits, concerns and challenges of applying translanguaging, and student-centered approaches. In regard to their practice, the teachers practiced translanguaging in various contexts and through different instructional strategies in their classes. Regarding the correspondence between beliefs and practices, it was found that there was a mainly direct correspondence between beliefs and practices. The study provides implications for teacher educators in running professional development courses that enhance teachers’ awareness of using translanguaging in their classes.

Systematic Review of the Effect of Financial Management Practices on Service Delivery in Secondary Schools

In this systematic review analysis design, we explore the available peer-reviewed literature on the effect of financial management practices on service delivery in African secondary schools. Specifically, we reviewed the effect of budgeting, auditing and financial internal control on the service delivery in secondary schools. Study findings reveal that budgeting ensures effective implementation of education programs. In addition, the activities in the secondary school system are adequately planned and allocate resources apportioned to ensure effective execution and implementation. Besides, audits of school accounts result in good financial management and effective control mechanism that ensures overall operational efficiency. From the results of this review, we hereby suggest that Head teachers need to manage financial resources more responsively for effective performance and fulfilling of institutional needs, those of the teachers, students and other stakeholders of respective secondary schools. It is very crucial for school administrators and support staff in charge of finances and resource mobilization to regularly attend professional development course in order to acquire relevant financial skills and competencies required for effective management of resources in the school so as to tremendously improve on the quality of secondary schools’ service delivery.

Beliefs in Online Professional Learning in Early Mathematics Teaching and Their Effects on Course Engagement

This study focused on the effects of an early math online professional learning course offered to preschool teachers. The course was designed to inform participants' knowledge of developmental progressions and promote daily mathematics instruction that encouraged students to view their world through a mathematical lens. A survey of preschool teachers' beliefs was administered to participants of the course to determine if participants' beliefs changed significantly and how their pre-course beliefs influenced their engagement in the course. Findings indicate that the course impacted preschool teachers regardless of their area of responsibility, education level, or experience level. The teachers' comfort with teaching math to young children and perspectives about age appropriateness of mathematics were both positively influenced by the course. The teachers with the most positive initial beliefs had a higher rate of course completion. Implications for the field of preschool teacher education and online professional learning environments are discussed.

The contribution of Tanzania library association in enhancing the librarianship profession: Views from the under 40-year-Olds - a quantitative study

This study assessed the contribution of the Tanzania Library Association in Enhancing the Librarianship Profession: Views from Under 40-Year-Olds librarians were gathered. The study adopted a quantitative approach with a case study design. Thirty-six respondents purposively selected from the Tanzania Librarian Forum and the Tanzania Library Association were involved in this study. Data were collected through a questionnaire created using a Google form. The questionnaire was shared with respondents and remained active for 2 weeks to allow them to fill it in. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) Version 23 computer programme. The study found that 47.2% of participants were very familiar with TLA, which suggests that a substantial portion of the participants strongly understand the Tanzania Library and Information Association (TLA) and its objectives. Regarding the perceived contribution of TLA in advancing professional development opportunities for librarians under 40, results demonstrated that a majority, comprising 24 respondents (66.7%), agreed that TLA indeed fosters such opportunities. Furthermore, 41.7% reported that TLA enhances networking platforms for librarians under 40. However, another 30.6% said that TLA was essential in addressing the ever-evolving needs and issues faced by librarians under 40. Professional associations are vital for the career development of their members, and TLA is not left behind. From the findings, the study recommends that TLA continues to foster development in its members by utilising different strategies like preparation and conducting continuous professional training courses for its members and the library profession at large, publicity among different institutions within and outside the country and forging links with other international information professional associations.

Profiling Geoguides at Stong Geopark: Enhancing Local Expertise for Sustainable Ecotourism

Stong Geopark is a prominent natural attraction site in Kelantan, characterized by its rich biodiversity and variety of species, catering to diverse visitor interests such as wildlife enthusiasts and tourists. Geoguides play a vital role in helping visitors comprehend the significance of the geopark's geological features, the interconnectedness of the ecosystem, and the knowledge of indigenous communities. However, the tourism industry faces challenges in meeting the requirements for various forms of tourism services, including geoguiding. This study aims to profile the geoguides at Stong Geopark and better understand their areas of expertise. The research employs a quantitative approach, surveying 39 geoguides, to provide a comprehensive profile. The findings reveal three distinct clusters of geoguides' areas of expertise: Cluster 1 - Nature and Adventure, Cluster 2 - Nature, and Cluster 3 - Adventure. The study also highlights the need for the majority of geoguides to receive additional training in English communication skills and continuous professional development courses. Overall, this study offers valuable insights into the profiles of geoguides at Stong Geopark, emphasizing the importance of supporting and developing local geoguides' expertise to enhance the effectiveness of geopark management and visitor satisfaction. Furthermore, the study provides a spatial understanding of Stong Geopark by highlighting the locations of active geoguides in relation to the distribution of geosites. The findings can inform policymakers, tourism authorities, and geopark management in developing targeted strategies for capacity building and professionalization of geoguides, ultimately contributing to the sustainable development of Stong Geopark as a thriving ecotourism destination.

Application Practice of SHPB Experimental Technology in "Blasting Engineering" Teaching

The course of "Blasting Engineering" is a highly practical professional course in the field of civil engineering. In order to help students deeply understand and comprehend the propagation and attenuation mechanism of stress waves during rock blasting process, as well as the influence of rock dynamic characteristics on blasting rupture effect, SHPB impact compression experimental technology is introduced into the teaching of "blasting engineering". Firstly, the structure, experimental process, and principles of SHPB equipment were introduced, allowing students to have a better understanding of the experimental principles of SHPB and the theoretical calculation methods of rock dynamic parameters. Then, by combining SHPB experiments with the theoretical course of "Blasting Engineering", the teaching mode can solve students' difficulties in learning blasting theory, exercise their scientific research and exploration abilities, expand their innovative thinking, and cultivate their ability to propose and solve key scientific problems. This helps to unleash students' subjective initiative in conducting experimental research independently and improve teaching effectiveness.

The Enhancement of Teacher Immunity in a Professional Development Course: Contributions from Supervisory Observation and the Observer

Classroom observation has been reported to be stressful for language teachers since it can disrupt the equilibrium and push the teachers towards maladaptive language teacher immunity. The present study is an attempt to shed light on the way classroom observation and a professional development (PD) course on classroom observation contribute to language teacher immunity development through self-organization lens. To this end, the researchers in the current study designed an explanatory sequential mixed method study and 13 novice language teachers were invited to fill language teacher immunity scale before and after a professional development course. The qualitative data were collected through narrative frames and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the immunity level of the students differed significantly before and after the intervention. The findings accentuate the importance of in-service programs in reforming the teachers’ narratives of classroom observations and enabling them to transform classroom observations from threats to opportunities.

Exploration of the Mining of Ideological and Political Elements and Teaching Integration of Bridge Engineering Courses in Applied Undergraduate Programs

The questions of what kind of individuals university education should cultivate, how to cultivate them, and for whom they are being trained are pressing issues that require immediate solutions. Implementing ideological and political education is a fundamental way to address these challenges. Integrating political education into professional courses is just as important as imparting knowledge, fostering interest, transmitting values, and shaping students’ character and spirit. The excavation of ideological and political elements in bridge engineering courses should comprehensively consider the dependent subject of ideological and political elements, the source of cases, the depth of excavation, the trade-offs between courses, the commonality and multifaceted nature of ideological and political elements, as well as the two ways of ideological and political elements integration. Ideological and political elements should be integrated into all stages of classroom lectures, course assignments, final examinations, course design, discipline competitions, school-enterprise cooperation, etc., so as to achieve the effect of educating people in the whole process.

Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning Textbooks: ICARE's Pedagogical Approach to the Teaching Profession

The objectives of the study are to design a problem-based learning-based teaching profession textbook using the ICARE (Introduction, Connection, Application, Reflection, Extension) pedagogical approach; to assess the viability and efficacy of a PBL-based teaching profession textbook. Using the Borg and Gall paradigm, this research methodology called research and development (R&D). The study was carried out at the FIP Unimed, PGSD Department, Teaching Profession course. Students and instructors with expert validation—that is, specialists in learning design, visual design, and materials—were the study's subjects. Additionally, by carrying out field, small-group, and individual trials. Expert validation from subject matter experts, learning design experts, and graphic design experts is required for the entire product's results. In order to identify a teaching profession textbook based on PBL and assess its viability and efficacy, the following step involves conducting individual, small group, and field trials as well as carrying out revisions and analysis. ANOVA and/or the t-test will be used to examine the quasi-experimental approach (pretest-posttest with control group design) and the study's findings. The study's findings show that the PBL-Based Teaching Profession Textbook is deemed useful and appropriate for use in the classroom, with the potential to enhance student learning outcomes.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TASK-BASED LEARNING MODULE (TBL) IN ENHANCING MASTERY OF GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE (GMP) IN PHARMACEUTICAL ENGINEERING COURSES FOR CHINESE VOCATIONAL COLLEGES

The issuance of the guidelines for the modernization of vocational education in China by 2025 along with the “Opinions on Promoting the High-quality Development of Modern Vocational Education” highlights the importance of transforming the existing teaching methods and models along with improving the instructional methodologies of vocational education. Despite being a necessary course for pharmaceutical engineering professionals at colleges and universities, the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) course struggles to employ an updated teaching technique that is in congruence with contemporary developments. Therefore, this study aims to explore the impact of Task-Based Learning (TBL) on enhancing students' grades, interests, and proficiency in the GMP course. This study has taken into consideration the individual competence and ability of the students along with exploring the challenges faced by teachers in conducting TBL in enhancing mastery of GMP in pharmaceutical engineering courses for Chinese vocational colleges. For an in-depth analysis of this study, a total of 91 students who pursue bachelor degrees in China are selected to conduct the survey. Furthermore, a total of 4 teachers from two classes are selected for the interview, who have minimum 5 years of experience in GMP vocational courses. The results of this study highlight that TBL is significant in enhancing the ability and academic performance of the students. It has been identified that TBL teaching methods can be beneficial for teachers to increase the effectiveness of the instructional methods in vocational courses. However, it has also been identified that the skills of the teachers to stimulate critical thinking among the students are also an important aspect of TBL. The study is conducive to the integration of theoretical perspectives which elaborates on the significance of the study in terms of GMP in pharmaceutical engineering courses in the context of China.

Design and implementation of a cloud computing based vocational college course teaching practice platform

In recent years, China’s vocational college education informatization construction has achieved significant results, but there is still a certain gap with the requirements of university informatization construction and education development. Firstly, the foundation for the construction of a public service platform for professional course resources is relatively weak, and there are insufficient shared mathematical professional course resources; Secondly, the construction of information infrastructure in some vocational college lags behind, and there is a shortage of high-quality and shared course resources. In addition, the application rate of information technology in professional course resources in vocational colleges is relatively low, which cannot fully meet the actual needs of China's vocational college reform and development. This article applies the theoretical foundation and practical methods of cloud computing to research and design a cloud computing based vocational college course teaching resource platform.

Exploration and Construction of Professional Curriculum System in the Field of Intelligent Manufacturing Based on Data Analysis

Intelligent manufacturing is an important means of developing strategic emerging industries and accelerating the formation of a modern industrial system. Currently, many universities are upgrading their related majors or offering new majors such as Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering to provide talent for the field of intelligent manufacturing. Due to the lack of integrated resources between industry and education in the field of intelligent manufacturing, it is difficult for universities to strengthen the correlation between the professional curriculum system and the industry when opening new majors or upgrading majors. With the integration of new generation information technology and manufacturing technology, the country plans to transform traditional enterprises into digital, information-based, and intelligent enterprises, and cultivate innovative, technical, and skilled talents that adapt to the development of intelligent manufacturing. It has become a new development strategy given to vocational colleges by the times. This article first obtains information on professional courses related to intelligent manufacturing and artificial intelligence offered in the region, and then uses Python data analysis technology to conduct statistical analysis on the collected professional courses. The analysis results provide reference and inspiration for universities to offer majors related to intelligent manufacturing.

Dementia Training for Nurses in Acute Care Settings: Impacts and Barriers.

The provision of consistent, high-quality dementia care training for healthcare professionals in acute care hospital settings has been largely overlooked until recent years. This study was designed to investigate the effect of current healthcare professional dementia care training courses on related knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy in hospital nurses and to understand their training-related experiences, willingness, and perceived barriers. Using a cross-sectional design, 201 nurses were recruited from a teaching medical center in Taiwan. A questionnaire was developed by the researchers to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy related to caring for people with dementia and to elucidate participant experiences and preferences regarding dementia care training courses. Five academic and clinical dementia care experts held three content validity evaluation rounds for the developed questionnaire. Inferential statistics were used to compare the knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy related to caring for people with dementia between participants who had and had not attended a dementia care training course. Nearly all (96.5%) of the participants had prior experience caring for people with dementia, but only 25.9% and 7.0% respectively reported haven taken basic and advanced healthcare professional dementia care training courses. Those who had taken either the basic or advanced course earned higher mean knowledge scores than those who had taken neither (p = .009 and p = .027, respectively). Time constraints and scheduling conflicts were identified as the major barriers to attending dementia care training (n = 164, 81.6%). The participants who had attended either the basic or advanced healthcare professional dementia care training course were found to have better dementia care knowledge than those who had not. Stakeholders should work to further reduce the barriers faced by nurses to attending essential dementia care training.