Academic Programs Research Articles

Students Exploring Health Disparities in Undergraduate Kinesiology Course

ABSTRACT Kinesiology courses that implement health disparities (HD) topics into the undergraduate curriculum engage students in critical and conscious thinking about health outcomes and strategies as they prepare for careers as future health and medical professionals. Health disparities are disproportionate differences in health based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality, and environmental factors that are preventable for providing opportunities to achieve optimal health. Implementing HD topics into undergraduate courses increases knowledge and awareness and inspires long-term interest in health equity work. This ethnographic case study assessed how 142 undergraduate Kinesiology majors navigated HD topics with critical consciousness as a guiding framework. Three themes emerged from student exploration: eye-opening experiences, lived experiences, and learning experiences. Upper-level students reported an increase in HD (75%–95%) awareness of the meaning of the term and the communities impacted. The lack of prior engagement (29%) with HD ignited tensions around learning experiences. Students who engage in HD topics earlier in their academic programs increase their knowledge and strategies for integrating HD into future learning and practices.

Sport students’ experiences of teaching and learning in the United Kingdom: A comparison between further and higher education settings

Few studies have investigated teaching and learning experiences of university sports students which is surprising considering the high annual numbers recruited to sport degree programmes and consequent non-completion rates. This study compared teaching and learning experiences of 350 first-year sport students at a post-92 English University with how they were taught at their further education institutions. Key findings showed the teaching and learning methods at university were less structured and tutor-led but with more teaching staff involved. Practical implications for developing rich modes of university provision that best support the needs and expectations of newly arrived sports students are provided.

Addressing the Decline of Traditional Students

It is common knowledge that the population growth of many countries is nearing a stagnation point. For nations such as Japan and South Korea which have already passed this threshold there seems to be almost a non reversible decline in births. This does not bode well for many sectors of society, especially that of education. As the younger ages decline there is a continuing rise in those of advanced age. Some institutions of higher learning have discerned this and for many years have begun offering more community classes to retirees on a variety of subjects. Additionally, a few universities have begun actively recruiting seniors in hopes that their return to the university campus could spark an uptick in overall enrollment. Many senior citizens have expressed interest in becoming students once more; allowing retired individuals to pursue a delayed university degree or to add to their life experience by acquiring a new credential. It is not as simple as it sounds though with actually a minority of senior citizen students, or SCS, who are willing or interested in pursuing more education on a formal level such as university attendance. With the decline in the number of 18 year olds are there enough seniors willing to continue their education to supplement the short fall in undergraduates? Are universities able to develop a business strategy that finds the human resources necessary to include those individuals who are in their early 20’s along side of those who are in their 60’s, 70’s, or older? Globally, the overall trend with higher education institutions are in a continuing drop in traditionally aged (18-24) student enrollment. Those universities that wish to stay viable must develop a widening enrollment strategy that is welcoming to anyone of university age be they in their late teens or twilight years. This paper discusses the feasibility of seniors actively attending universities in significant numbers and what may be necessary to accomplish this.

Dr. Sitikantha Das: A legacy of healing, education, and innovation in Ayurveda

Abstract Late Dr. Sitikantha Das, an esteemed Ayurvedic practitioner. Born in 1936 in Odisha, Dr. Das inherited a rich tradition of Ayurveda from his family, notably his father, Kabiraj Lambodar Das, a freedom fighter and prominent Ayurvedic practitioner. Dr. Sitikantha Das’s early exposure to Ayurveda, witnessing the successful treatment of smallpox through a blend of Ayurvedic and allopathic medicine, fueled his lifelong commitment to the ancient healing system. His educational journey included studies at renowned institutions, leading him to excel in Ayurvedacharya. Not only did he showcase his athletic prowess, becoming the “Uttar Banga Badminton Champion” and a member of the famed football club “Mohan Bagan,” but he also established himself as a skilled practitioner during his senior housemanship at J.B. Roy State Ayurveda Medical College, Calcutta. Dr. Das’s commitment to Ayurveda extended beyond his practice. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of institutions like Mayurbhanj Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and Balangi Degree College. His contributions to education and healthcare included being a founding member of the Vyasa Vihar Education Foundation, which later evolved into Fakir Mohan University. Recognized for his expertise, Dr. Sitikantha Das received prestigious awards such as the Piyush Pani Samman and Sidha Vidya Samman. He actively promoted Ayurveda through seminars, discussions, and the establishment of a research unit. Despite facing challenges, including the closure of his pharmacy, Narayani Pharmacy, in 1999, he continued to develop innovative formulations like Makardhwaja Vati and Mukta Rassaya. Dr. Das’s impact on Ayurveda encompassed areas such as Nadi Pariksha, formulation of medicinal combinations, and the establishment of Ayurvedic dispensaries. His efforts towards the integration of Ayurveda into mainstream healthcare are reflected in his initiatives, including the unsuccessful collaboration with the Kanika Ayurveda Foundation and the establishment of a cooperative society for affordable medicines. In his later years, Dr. Sitikantha Das faced health challenges but remained active in club culture, literature, sports, and philanthropy. His legacy endures through his son, Dr. Santanu Das, and the acknowledgment of his profound contributions to Ayurveda.

Career Track and Course Preference of Freshmen Students of MSU Main Campus: Its Influence to Student Monitoring System

The noteworthy development in the Philippine Education system making Filipinos ready for the 21st century skills is the emergence of K-12 Program. It made students nowadays essentially set to select a specialization as early as in their senior high school. This study was undertaken to determine the factors that influenced the choice of career track as well as college course preference and examine its level of influence to student monitoring system. Three hundred thirty-seven (337) freshmen students who belonged to the pioneering K-12 graduates enrolled during the first semester of school year 2018-2019 participated in the study, which made use of cross-sectional survey research design using quantitative - descriptive approach in its data interpretation. Results implied that a typical freshman student is female, nineteen (19) years of age coming from a family earning below Php10, 000 per month. This student came from the Academic Track particularly in the Accountancy and Business Management (ABM) strand. This was inspired by their own personal choice and subsequently pursued a college course in line with it. This highly influenced the school monitoring in terms of student retention in the program and program completion on time while it moderately influenced on the Scholarship maintenance.

Do universities have the articulation of college programmes in mind when reviewing their academic curricula?

In order to articulate academic programmes from college to university effectively, the curricula of the two institutional structures must be aligned. Studies show that this is not always the case, despite the existence of national and sectoral policies that are intended to promote alignment. In grappling with this reality, this study explored the level of interface of academic programmes between TVET (technical and vocational education and training) colleges and a comprehensive university in South Africa. It also investigated whether, and the extent to which, university policies and actors considered college programmes during their curriculum-review processes. Document analysis and semi-structured interviews were used to gather qualitative data. It was found that, instead of considering college curricula, curriculum review was driven by professional bodies, market demands and relevance. Moreover, institutional actors did not have the required agency to engage with the current misalignment of college–university academic programmes or curricula. The implication is that, while necessary, university policies for promoting academic curricula for articulation and programme interface are not adequate for resolving the problem of the misalignment between college and university curricula. To facilitate the interests of agents in articulation, the articulation officers at institutions of higher learning must ensure that articulation policies are in place in departments and that curriculum designers and related stakeholders are imbued with articulation principles during the review and realignment of curricula.

Diagnostic testing for individualised academic writing support

The presentation explored how diagnostic testing can be used to provide individualised academic writing support to large student cohorts. Academic writing is a key part of most university courses, yet many students lack confidence with written expression (Busby and Malone, 2023). Both international and home students often struggle with basic aspects of written English, such as grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure (Jefferies et al., 2018). Diagnostic testing has been widely used across higher education. In most cases, however, diagnostic assessments of writing are made by manually marking student submissions (Palmer et al., 2014; Xie, 2017; Shahsavar and Asil, 2019), which is too workload-intensive for a large cohort (Farrell and Leung, 2004). The ‘Writing for Success’ diagnostic tool, developed at the University of Dundee, provides students in the School of Health Sciences with personalised support through a self-marking diagnostic quiz. Students answer questions concerning basic writing skills, receive feedback on their strengths and weaknesses across eight competencies, then develop their skills through eight self-directed online modules. This presentation drew upon data from surveys and focus groups with both students and staff to evaluate the extent to which the diagnostic tool impacts students’ writing abilities and academic confidence. It included practical suggestions for writing clear diagnostic questions and administering the diagnostic to a large cohort. The presentation also discussed the importance of academic involvement from inception to evaluation. Throughout, the presentation offered ‘lessons learnt’ to support learning developers considering adopting a diagnostic approach.

Professional development in teacher education: (Vocational) teacher students’ descriptions

This article focuses on a learning objective, as part of a teacher education course at a Swedish university, where student teachers should be able to discuss their own professional development and identify further development needs. Since both research and policy documents highlight professional development as an important part of teacher education, it is important to study professional development from the perspective of student teachers. The theoretical starting point is Communities of Practice (CoP), and the study focuses on knowledge and learning within a social community. Ten subject teacher students and six vocational teacher students are interviewed about their descriptions of what the professional development for teachers in teacher education means for them, which results in six prominent themes: 1) the developmentof identity formation, 2) the development of subject specific and vocational knowledge, 3) the development of leadership, 4) the development of relationship-building, 5) the development of knowledge about policy documents, laws, rules and regulations, 6) the development in relation to changes in the society. Despite common denominators in the students’ descriptions of professional development, there are also nuanced differences that can be understood by positioning actors about the (vocational) teacher education community. The vocational teacher students frequently connect their professional knowledge to industry and working life, whereas the subject teacher students often connect their subject knowledge to university courses and research. Both the vocational teacher students and the subject teacher students in the study describe that they need to stay up-to-date and continue developing their competence in pedagogy. However, the vocational teacher students specifically highlight the need for pedagogical knowledge within the school environment, rather than in the context of working life and workshop settings. This may be because some vocational teacher students are accustomed to training and teaching interns in these environments as part of their professional practice.

성인학습자의 대학 교육 만족도가 삶의 변화에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to empirically analyze whether the educational satisfaction of adult learners participating in adult learning degree programs in Korean universities affects life changes as a learning outcome. To this end, data from 170 adult learners enrolled in universities in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Chungnam from September to October 2024 were used, and regression analysis was conducted as a research method. The results of the study showed that, first, adult learners' educational satisfaction with university degree programs was relatively high with an average of 4.09 points (standard deviation .477). Second, educational satisfaction was found to be an influential factor in affecting life changes as a learning outcome, with the effects being in the terms of social life changes, physical domain changes, family life changes, and career and employment changes. Based on these findings, suggestions were made to expand customized university education programs for adult learners, establish a flexible learning environment for adult learners in universities, provide learning counseling and active feedback from faculty,and strengthen career-related education programs., It is also recommended to introduce an objective and fair evaluation system for adult learners’ academic achievements, so that educational satisfaction can be directly linked to learning outcomes.

Building Academic Comprehensive Stroke Program in Ethiopia: A Model for Lower-Middle-Income Countries.

Building Academic Comprehensive Stroke Program in Ethiopia: A Model for Lower-Middle-Income Countries.

A Comprehensive Framework for Research-based Learning to Elevate Undergraduate Research

Objectives: This study proposes a comprehensive framework for Research-based Learning (RBL) that actively engages undergraduate students from diverse disciplines in collaborative research, and aims to enhance their problem-solving and research skills. Methods: RBL was introduced in the 2020-21 curriculum for six engineering branches at Thakur College of Engineering & Technology (TCET), Mumbai, and was expanded to include three additional branches in 2023-24. It comprises four courses namely RBL1, RBL2, RBL3, and RBL4, spanning from the third to the final year. RBL activities were designed and implemented for over 4,300 students from 2020 to 2024. Findings: The outcomes of RBL activities were analyzed based on students’ achievements at the end of each semester. Application of the framework across different engineering branches for 4 years produced tangible outcomes in the form of an increase in in-house publications, participation in project competitions, and improved students' skills contributing to individual growth and institutional branding. The number of publications in TCET increased from 133 to 274 from 2022 to 2024. The total prize money received by students through participation in different project competitions amounted to INR 9.44 lakhs. The effectiveness of the framework is evaluated through online feedback surveys. A survey of 605 students consisting of 5 questions yielded 87.76% positive responses, while a survey of 83 teachers consisting of 9 questions showed positive feedback ranging from 90% to 96.4%. The successful research outcomes and positive feedback from students and teachers support the implementation of the framework in other institutions offering degree programs. Novelty: The RBL framework is integrated into the undergraduate engineering curriculum, providing time-bound achievements. It offers flexibility for online and offline use and is scalable for large groups of undergraduate students. Keywords: Research-based learning (RBL), Undergraduate research (UR), Research outcomes, Publications, Problem-solving skills

Bringing embodied approaches to on-campus research methods teaching for large STEM cohorts: design, challenges, learning

In the post-pandemic world, Learning Development researchers have posited a ‘new hybrid era of teaching’, in which lessons from lockdown in best practice for online and remote teaching play a key role in increasing the inclusivity of higher education (Kantcheva and Bickle, 2023). At the same time, as many students have returned to campus, research has begun to interrogate the role that campus spaces and in-person interaction play in teaching and learning in this new era (Hrach, 2021; Cox et al., 2022). Whether through explicit pedagogical design or implicitly, courses with practical elements, particularly in many scientific disciplines, tend to favour principles of embodied learning through ‘learning-by-doing’. Courses incorporate hands-on interaction with laboratory equipment and social constructivist approaches through student co-creation (Deshmukh, 2021), the centrality of which to students’ professional training was made even more apparent during the move to remote learning. However, these same principles have not underscored the pedagogical approach to research methods education on the undergraduate Engineering degree programmes at the University of Manchester, which has typically been taught more didactically in recent years. This lecture-format approach has been used partially due to challenges of practicality, with the course unit being delivered to a large cohort that can reach 500 students in a typical year. With these principles in mind, this academic year, the Library Teaching, Learning and Students team has collaborated with academic leads across Engineering disciplines to deliver embedded research methods workshops that incorporate elements of an embodied, social constructivist approach, playing to the unique strengths of in-person group learning. This presentation charted the process of Learning Developers and academic staff co-designing these workshops, highlighting challenges encountered, and outlining learning from the process to take forward into future collaborations with disciplines with large cohorts.

The Pathways of Ideological and Political Education Integrated Throughout Business English Curriculum from the Perspective of Fostering Virtue

Fostering Virtue is the Fundamental Task of Education. Based on this fundamental task, universities should improve the teaching design of every course in various disciplines, integrating ideological and political education into them. This article explores the basic pathways for implementing ideological and political education in Business English courses from the perspective of fostering virtue. These pathways include establishing and dividing course groups for ideological and political education, exploring ideological and political elements to find corresponding material for integration, and innovating teaching methods to strengthen the effect of moral education. This article provides new ideas for integrating ideological and political education into Business English courses in universities.

Implementasi Kegiatan Supervisi Akademik di Sekolah

The school is a vehicle or space for the transformation of knowledge by and between school personnel, namely the principal, teachers and students as subjects and objects in the learning process as well as other educational staff who support the smooth running of managerial activities in the school. For the success of learning activities, the competence of the principal as a supervisor in the school is required to provide guidance and direction to teachers through academic supervision activities which are carried out in stages and continuously in accordance with the obstacles experienced by teachers during the learning process. This research aims to explore the implementation of academic supervision. The subjects of this research were teachers at Madrasah Aliyah Ma'arif 7 Banjarwati Paciran Lamongan using purposive sampling techniques. Data collection was carried out using interview, observation and documentation techniques. The research results showed that at this stage activities were carried out, including preparing an academic supervision program plan, preparing academic supervision instruments and socializing the academic supervision program; The stages of implementing activities carried out in academic supervision are pre-observation, observation and post-observation; In the follow-up stage, the activities carried out by the school principal are evaluation and follow-up.

Gender Differences In Undergraduates’ Perceived School Support, Self-Esteem, Academic Fatigue, And Engagement In Nigerian Government-owned Universities

Various research results show that there are differences in perceived social support, self-esteem, academic fatigue, and academic engagement based on gender. Yet, at this current research location, pre-research data shows the contrary. This study examines undergraduates’ perceived school support, self-esteem, academic fatigue, and engagement in two public Nigerian universities. The cross-sectional quantitative research type of the non-experimental design was utilized for the study through the theory lenses of Self-concordance and Demands-resources. The population of the study was undergraduate students undertaking degree courses at two public universities in Southwest Nigeria (the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, and the Ekiti State University), and these were selected using both the purposive and simple random sampling techniques. An instrument tagged "School Support and Undergraduates' Self-esteem, Academic Engagement, and Fatigue Questionnaire" was used for data collection with Cronbach alpha of 0.78, 0.81, 0.88, 0.89 for the four sections of the scales, respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts and percentages), and t-test at a 5% significance level. The study's findings have shown that undergraduates’ gender influences their perceived school support and academic fatigue, with gender differences in favour of males. Still, there was no significant gender difference in undergraduates’ self-esteem and academic engagement. The study recommends that efforts be concentrated on ensuring continued gender equity, equality, and gender-balanced dynamics within the school context. Implications of the study and future research suggestions are proffered.

Impact of the Usage of Cell Phones and Social Media Among the Rural College Girl Students

The main problems of the study deal with prevalent in Government Colleges, every year 25% of college girls drop out of their higher education, and 10% of the girls are coerced into marriage by parents and continuing education. The study was conducted at the Government Arts and Science College for Women, Alangulam of Tenkasi District. It was purely an empirical study. This College offers 5 Degree Courses in Arts and Science, comprising 896 girls. One-eighth of the samples were taken for the present study. The main objectives of the study include studying how many hours cell phones are spent per day by female students on social media. ii, to examine whether it has been used for either academic purpose or personal purpose. iii.To provide effective supportive mechanisms to solve socialmedia addiction. The present study covers 100 college girlsstudents in art science. 80% of students have said that daily onehour using 2GP (Rs.250/- per month) for online courses incollege and more than one and a half hours using houses forpersonal uses. 60% of the of girl's students have reported thatapart from studying, they cell phones for chatting with friends,WhatsApp status, and reels. 25% of the girls students haveescaped from college education and eloped with lovers throughcell phone chatting.15% of the cell phones were snatched byparents and stopped their education.

Neurostructural features predict binge drinking in emerging adulthood: Evidence from a 5-year follow-up study

BackgroundBinge drinking (BD) involves consuming large amounts of alcohol within a short timeframe, leading to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08g/dL or above. This pattern of alcohol consumption is prevalent among young adults and has significant implications for brain structure and subsequent drinking behaviors. MethodsIn this prospective longitudinal study, we employed zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to examine whether various neurostructural features (i.e., volume, surface area, cortical thickness) of brain regions involved in executive and emotional/motivational processes at the age of 18–19 could predict number of BD episodes five years later, at ages 23–24, once participants were expected to complete their university degree. Specifically, we recorded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 68 students who completed both the baseline MRI and follow-up alcohol use assessment, with the aim of analyzing the predictive value of these neurostructural characteristics five years later. ResultsThe analysis revealed that a larger surface area in the caudal division of the right middle frontal gyrus was significantly associated with a higher incidence rate of BD episodes (IRR = 2.24, 95 % CI = 1.28–3.91, p = 0.005). Conversely, a smaller surface area in the right caudal anterior cingulate cortex was associated with a higher incidence rate of BD episodes (IRR = 0.61, 95 % CI = 0.44–0.85, p = 0.004). ConclusionsThese findings suggest that specific neurostructural characteristics during adolescence can predict BD behaviors in young adulthood. This highlights the potential of neuroimaging to identify individuals at risk for developing problematic alcohol use.

An Analysis on the Reform and Innovation Path of Research-based Teaching of Philosophy Major Courses—Taking Jaeggi's Critical Theory of Life Form as an Example

With the advent of the era of artificial intelligence, the traditional humanities are facing unprecedented challenges and impacts, especially philosophy as a strong foundation, without the characteristics of practical function, facing a particularly severe disciplinary development dilemma. This topic aims at the problems faced by the construction of philosophy professional courses in local colleges and universities, and focuses on the topic of Marxism for graduate professional courses Taking Jaeggi 's critical theory of life form as an example, this paper attempts to explore new teaching methods from daily professional teaching practice, fundamentally changing the traditional single teaching mode of basic philosophy theory courses, overcoming the mechanical rigidity of the binary teaching and research between teachers and students, so as to correct the poor interaction between teachers and students In particular, it has a good effect on stimulating students' initiative and originality of thought, and promotes students to enter the research track as soon as possible. In order to fundamentally form a philosophy academic community with clear boundaries, it provides research exploration experiments in philosophy teaching.

Empowering Community College Students’ Geospatial Education Through Virtual Practical Training

Practical training is important for community college students to gain high-impact real-world experience. This study aims to evaluate the impact of practical training of remote internships of community college and two-year associate degree students on spatiotemporal GIS learning during the pandemic. Anonymous pre- and post-internship surveys and in-person focus groups were conducted, ensuring the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Outcomes reveal discernible enhancements across all skill domains, encompassing technical proficiencies and soft skills such as research, presentation, and time management. Findings provide valuable insights for refining the efficacy of similar internship programs.

How Economically-Marginalized Adolescents of Color Negotiate Critical Pedagogy in a Computing Classroom

Background & Context: With the growing movement to adopt critical framings of computing, scholars have worked to reframe computing education from the narrow development of programming skills to skills in identifying and resisting oppressive structures in computing. However, we have little guidance on how these framings may manifest in classroom practice. Objectives: To better understand the processes and practice of critical pedagogy in a computing classrooms, we taught a critically conscious computing elective within a summer academic program at a northwest United States university targeted at secondary students (ages 14-18) from low-income backgrounds and would be the first in their families to pursue a postsecondary education (i.e. first-generation). We investigated: (1) our participants’ initial perceptions of and attitudes toward the benefits and perils of computing, and (2) potential tensions that might emerge when secondary students negotiate the integration of critical pedagogy in a computing classroom. Methods: We qualitatively coded participant work from a critically conscious computing course within a summer academic program in the United States focused on students from low-income backgrounds or would be the first in their family to pursue a post-secondary education. Findings: Our participants’ initial attitudes towards technology were mostly positive, but exhibited an awareness of its negative impacts on their lives and society. Throughout the course, while participants demonstrated a rich social consciousness around technology, they faced challenges in addressing hegemonic values embedded in their programs, designs, and other classwork. Implications: Our findings revealed tensions between our participants’ computing attitudes, knowledge, self-efficacy, and social consciousness, suggesting pathways for scaffolding the critical examination of technology in secondary education. This study provides insights into the pedagogical content knowledge necessary for critical computing education.