Delivery Of Course Material Research Articles

Using unfolding case studies to develop critical thinking for Graduate Entry Nursing students: an educational design research study

BackgroundGraduate Entry Nursing (GEN) programmes have been introduced as another entry point to nurse registration. In the development of a new GEN programme, a problem-based approach to learning was used to develop critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills of motivated and academically capable students.ObjectiveTo explore and evaluate the design and delivery of course material delivered to GEN students embedded in authentic learning pedagogy from the perspectives of both GEN students and academic staff using an unfolding case study approach.MethodsAn educational design research approach was used to explore the learning experiences of GEN students using an unfolding case study approach situated in experiential pedagogy and the teaching experiences of the academics who designed it. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students once they had finished the course and weekly reflective diary recordings by academic staff throughout implementation. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsStudent reflections highlighted that this cohort had insight into how they learned and were comfortable voicing their needs to academic staff. While the unfolding case studies were not liked by all participants, for some it offered a unique learning opportunity; particularly when scaffolded with podcasts, simulation labs, tutorials and clinical placements. Staff reflections primarily aligned with student experiences.ConclusionThe gaps highlighted in the delivery of the course suggest that a blended pedagogical approach to graduate entry nurse education is required. Specifically, GEN students are aware of the learning needs and are happy to express these to academic staff, thus suggesting that engaging with a co-design curriculum approach will benefit future cohorts.

"Better than my professor?" How to develop artificial intelligence tools for higher education.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are currently designed and tested in many fields to improve humans' ability to make decisions. One of these fields is higher education. For example, AI-based chatbots ("conversational pedagogical agents") could engage in conversations with students in order to provide timely feedback and responses to questions while the learning process is taking place and to collect data to personalize the delivery of course materials. However, many existent tools are able to perform tasks that human professionals (educators, tutors, professors) could perform, just in a timelier manner. While discussing the possible implementation of AI-based tools in our university's educational programs, we reviewed the current literature and identified a number of capabilities that future AI solutions may feature, in order to improve higher education processes, with a focus on distance higher education. Specifically, we suggest that innovative tools could influence the methodologies by which students approach learning; facilitate connections and information attainment beyond course materials; support the communication with the professor; and, draw from motivation theories to foster learning engagement, in a personalized manner. Future research should explore high-level opportunities represented by AI for higher education, including their effects on learning outcomes and the quality of the learning experience as a whole.

Excuse me, but can you repeat the question? Identifying correlations between thousands of engineering student questions and their impacts on the content and delivery of course materials

Student-generated questions play an important part in the learning process. This exploratory study examines trends between the type/frequency of these questions and the timeline of the course they are asked in. Modern pre-trained large-language models are used to classify these questions with very little labelled data at a reasonable accuracy. Results show that questioning trends span years and courses. Future work identifying the precise cause of these trends has the potential to allow instructors to monitor their classes’ learning progress in real-time.

Use of Technology to Increase the Quality of Collaborative Learning Experiences for Engineering Students in the Post-Pandemic Period

This paper focuses on the changes made to the design and delivery of course materials and lab sessions for an Engineering module in the post-pandemic period – aiming to keep a balance between hands-on experience and use of digital technology as part of the students’ socio-emotional learning (SEL) experience and development of emotional intelligence, employability skills required by Industry 4.0. The flipped classroom approach facilitated the students’ engagement in authentic and valuable learning experiences as active partners in the process of sustainable knowledge creation enabling the development of their growth mindset in constructive, active, intentional, cooperative, and authentic ways. The practical lab sessions aimed to develop the students’ manual dexterity and soft skills while preparing the lab work technical reports enabled the improvement of their creative and critical thinking skills through inquiry and reflective writing.The problem-oriented project work (where students examined and provided creative and innovative solutions for real-life situations through collaboration and problem-solving experiences) has increased their motivation, engagement, performance, persistence, and their capacity to give and receive constructive feedback by positive engagement with online discussion forums. The continuous cumulative assessment encouraged students to reflect on their performance and refine their learning practices to become career-ready engineering practitioners. The efficiency of the proposed approach was evaluated by conducting semi-structured interviews with students, analysing student’s academic performance and lecturers’ observations while engaging in classroom-based research. In conclusion the weaving of academic grace into the fabric of hybrid engineering courses has increased the quality of collaborative learning experiences for students.

Use of the Virtual Simulation Tool ‘MyDispense’ By Pharmacy Programs in the United States

Objective. Pharmacy programs are increasingly using virtual simulation to provide a safe and realistic environment for students to practice critical patient care skills. The aim of this study was to describe the use of MyDispense, a virtual simulation tool, by pharmacy programs across the United States.Methods. Researchers developed a 16-item survey focused on program characteristics and MyDispense integration in pharmacy curricula. It was sent to MyDispense administrators of pharmacy programs in the United States. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results.Results. Administrators from 36 pharmacy programs responded to the survey (72%). MyDispense was most commonly integrated into one or two courses for first- or second-year students. The most common skills that students practiced were medication dispensing, communication with patients, and drug information skills. Validation exercises were most commonly followed by dispensing and over-the-counter exercises. The number of pharmacy schools using MyDispense suggests the potential for collaboration among instructors to increase efficiencies in the delivery of course materials as well as evaluate student learning.Conclusion. Instructors most used MyDispense in courses for first- and second-year students to teach medication dispensing, communication with patients, use of drug information resources, application of pharmacy laws, and how to make recommendations about over-the-counter medications.

Using Videos in Blended E-Learning for a Structural Steel Design Course

Conventional methods of teaching structural engineering topics focus on face-to-face delivery of course materials. This study shows that using video-based e-learning in delivering an undergraduate Structural Steel Design course satisfactorily achieved most of the course learning outcomes. Video-based e-learning with animations and simulations gives students a profound understanding of the course intricate design materials. To gauge the effectiveness of video-based e-learning of the course, an online evaluation was conducted by sixty-eight undergraduate students at the United Arab Emirates University using Blackboard. The evaluation consisted of an online survey that was accessible by students who took the structural steel design course in the academic year 2019 using instructional videos provided to them as Quick Response (QR)-codes. The structural steel design course has six learning outcomes (CLOs), and the performance of students in the six CLOs was compared with that of students who took the same course in the academic year 2018 using the traditional face-to-face lecturing method. The survey data was statistically analyzed, and the results revealed that students’ performance improved, and most of the CLOs were attained. Video-based e-learning with animations resulted in better learning outcomes compared to face-to-face lecturing. Accessing the course instruction videos anytime and anywhere is one of the remarkable benefits to the students studying through the e-learning approach.

Got HIPs? Making student engagement enhancement a core part of program development with high impact practices

Learning how to engage students in educationally purposeful activities has been a challenge for instructors in higher education. It is often hard to push through institutionalized pedagogical boundaries rooted in traditional “teach-at-you” approaches to learning. The demands of a more diverse student body and more effective measures of student learning outcomes have led to rethinking the delivery of course material to gain greater student engagement. Studies have shown that higher order engagement enhances student learning and helps to narrow achievement gaps across the curriculum. This article focuses on student engagement and the use of high-impact practices (active-learning approaches) in the Alameda County MPA Program at California State University, East Bay. The application of HIPS to this specific MPA program provides a good example of how multiple student engagement enhancement techniques can be incorporated into the core of graduate-level program development. The article concludes with suggestions for future research, one being, examining the impact distant, online education has on student learning and engagement, in light of the recent pandemic.

Teaching Organic Chemistry at the American University of Beirut Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has single-handedly overturned a traditional lecture-based educational system at universities on a global scale. The required abrupt move to an online platform for education has caused tremendous challenges for educational systems in general and specifically also in the chemical sciences. In Lebanon particularly, the COVID-19 pandemic raked havoc on a country entrenched in popular uprising and riddled by an economic collapse observing unprecedented devaluation of the national currency. In this situation, the move to online education had caused tremendous stress and burden for faculty and students raising the need to develop mitigation strategies by embracing reduction in material and a careful consideration of students’ mental health. This commentary presents the author’s experience of delivering undergraduate Organic Chemistry courses at the American University of Beirut (AUB) through the COVID-19 pandemic, during the spring and summer 2020 semesters. While the author’s pre-recorded lectures of Organic Chemistry I were vital to the online delivery of course material, this commentary particularly highlights the inclusion of supplementary online assignments that include: videos to illustrate a covered organic chemistry concept, instructional videos to explain a multiple choice question (MCQ) of their creation, a cartoon to exemplify an organic chemistry concept, a cartoon to reflect on studying organic chemistry during the COVID-19 pandemic and a group assignment that allowed students to assume social responsibility.

Educational Leadership Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Instructional Strategies and Course Design in a Fully Online Graduate Statistics Course

In the past several decades, higher education has witnessed exponential growth of online learning, as well as the need for it. New technology has dramatically transformed the way education is delivered compared to what takes place in the traditional classroom. It has enabled online delivery of course materials to students outside of face-to-face classroom in an asynchronous manner and provide students with self-paced flexibility at their convenience. Given the abstract nature of statistics content, effectiveness of the instructional strategies and course design in online statistics instruction has become particularly important to students’ learning success. In this qualitative study, the authors explored perceptions of the Educational Leadership doctoral students towards an online graduate level introductory statistic course in terms of whether the online course instructional strategies and course design helped them learn statistics. The authors assessed effectiveness of the instructional strategies and design of the online statistics course as well as students’ needs, so more effective instructional strategies could be used for online statistics teaching. Students identified the PowerPoint presentations with recorded lectures to be the most useful strategy. This strategy, along with live Q&A sessions, guided practice and activities, helped make the textbook information more real-world and connected the elements of statistics to application.

Cognitive Learning in Large Lectures of the Basic Communication Course: Does Delivery Format Matter?

Abstract Both large lectures and online formats are encouraged as viable options for the delivery of course material in higher education today, especially in large general education courses. However, how do such delivery formats impact student learning? In an effort to understand how lecture format impacts cognitive learning, this study investigated how the delivery format impacts the actual and perceived cognitive learning of students in a basic communication course in a midsized Midwestern university. Using one-way between-subjects ANOVA, earned exam grades, coded written reflections, and scores from a cognitive learning perception scale were compared across online, hybrid, and face-to-face lecture delivery formats. As predicted, no significant differences on any of the dependent variables were identified, indicating a lack of influence of delivery format on actual or perceived levels of cognitive learning. However, aspects of teacher immediacy, student learning preferences, and degree of interaction in recitation sections is discussed, along with implications for future research.

A COST-EFFECTIVE MODEL FOR TEACHING ELEMENTARY STATISTICS WITH IMPROVED STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Dissatisfaction with teaching a high enrollment introductory statistics course led to efforts to restructure the course to remedy the perceived problems, including lack of student participation, an excessive drain on departmental resources, failure to take into account wide differences in student learning styles, an inability of students to apply statistics after the course, and negative attitudes of students. A cost-effective redesign of the course was implemented that incorporates a learning environment that is student-oriented, involves active student participation and hands-on experience with data analysis, uses technology to reduce costs through labor-saving techniques including low-stakes computerized testing, and sharing of resources enabled by a web site for course management and delivery of course materials. Responsibility for learning basic concepts was transferred to students and motivated by readiness assessment quizzes. The redesign led to about $125,000 in cost savings to the department.

Improvement of radiographer commenting accuracy of the appendicular skeleton following a short course in plain radiography image interpretation: A pilot study.

IntroductionRadiographers are at times required to provide preliminary information on plain radiography when significant findings are identified. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two short training modules to improve the accuracy of image interpretation of the appendicular skeleton amongst a group of radiographers.MethodsEight radiographers volunteered to participate in the study. All undertook a pre‐test and, following delivery of course materials, an immediate post‐test for two consecutive modules. A retention test was undertaken 6 months later. Sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp) and accuracy (Acc) scores were evaluated against the “Gold Standard” radiologists’ reports. Paired‐samples t‐tests were carried out to compare image interpretation scores between the start of module one to the end of module two, and between the end of module 2 and 6 months later. Summary receiver operating characteristics (SROC) scores on each of the participants’ module two post‐test study results were undertaken.ResultsSignificant improvements in scores were achieved between the mean (SD) scores of module 1 pre‐test (77.5 (±3.9)) and the module 2 post‐test (83.6 (±3.2) (P =0.022)). Sn, Sp and Acc scores increased from the start of module 1 pre‐test to the end of module 2 post‐test (Sn: 82.28–86.25%; Sp: 75.29–84.66%; Acc: 81.68–85.97%). The retention test revealed a non‐significant reduction in mean scores (80.0 (±5.1)) when compared to post‐test module 2 (83.6 (±3.2) (P =0.184)). SROC revealed an area under the curve of 0.90.ConclusionParticipants achieved significant improvements in commenting accuracy on plain radiography of the appendicular skeleton after completion of the two modules. However, continuous application and ongoing professional development is essential in order to maintain and develop the skills acquired.

Students’ attitudes to paper consumption in relation to carbon emissions and the impact of electronic course documents

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact, in relation to carbon emissions, of electronic course document use and attitudes to paper consumption levels among third- and fifth-year environmental engineering students (N = 78) enrolled in two courses during the 2015/2016 academic year at the Copperbelt University in Kitwe, Zambia. Data were collected through an online survey, to which 40 students provided complete responses, as well as through semi-structured interviews and observations. Overall, 80% of the students in the sample reported that they read electronic course materials. They also indicated that they ‘know a lot’ about sustainable development, climate change, greenhouse gases and global warming, and agreed that efficient paper use is an important aspect of achieving sustainability. Importantly, the study found that the lecturer’s mode of delivery of course materials influenced the students to develop responsible environmental behaviours such as reading and sharing e-course documents and reusing paper.Keywords: Climate change, paper consumption, education for sustainable development, higher education

Students’ attitudes to paper consumption in relation to carbon emissions and the impact of electronic course documents

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact, in relation to carbon emissions, of electronic course document use and attitudes to paper consumption levels among third- and fifth-year environmental engineering students ( N = 78) enrolled in two courses during the 2015/2016 academic year at the Copperbelt University in Kitwe, Zambia. Data were collected through an online survey, to which 40 students provided complete responses, as well as through semi-structured interviews and observations. Overall, 80% of the students in the sample reported that they read electronic course materials. They also indicated that they ‘know a lot’ about sustainable development, climate change, greenhouse gases and global warming, and agreed that efficient paper use is an important aspect of achieving sustainability. Importantly, the study found that the lecturer’s mode of delivery of course materials influenced the students to develop responsible environmental behaviours such as reading and sharing e-course documents and reusing paper. Keywords: Climate change, paper consumption, education for sustainable development, higher education

High Structure Active Learning Pedagogy for the Teaching of Organic Chemistry: Assessing the Impact on Academic Outcomes

Organic Chemistry is a required course for programs in chemistry, biology, and many health science careers. It has historically been considered a highly challenging course with significant failure rates. As with many science disciplines, the teaching of Organic Chemistry has traditionally focused on unstructured exposition-centered delivery of course material. This report details efforts to transform the teaching of a large section of Organic Chemistry to a more student-centered approach through the use of a highly structured, active learning format. In this study, the authors examine student performance data on homogeneous examinations and course grades for two groups of students at a large public university for comparison between those that received highly structured active learning pedagogy and those that received traditional, unstructured, lecture pedagogy in Organic Chemistry. Data consist of repeated cross sections over 4 different years, with a total sample size n = 766. Regression and propensity s...

In Praise of the Humble Quiz: A Compendium of Research Findings

ABSTRACTPostsecondary education has undergone dramatic changes in the past 30 years or so. When I began teaching at the college level in the mid-1980s I went to class clutching my scribbled notes and a piece of chalk. If I scheduled it well in advance, a few times each semester I could have someone wheel in an overhead or film projector. Students typed papers and I provided handwritten feedback. I typed exams on a stencil, duplicated them on a mimeograph machine, and painstakingly graded each one by hand. Those were not the good old days. Today we have seemingly endless options available to us when it comes to the delivery of course material and the assessment of student learning. As instructors, we create learning environments rich in information from many sources. We encourage our students to engage with the material and become active learners rather than passive recipients of knowledge. As our views of teaching and learning continue to evolve, it is tempting to discard less exciting and more traditional methods altogether as we embrace the future. I would argue that the decidedly old-fashioned quiz, however, deserves a place in this brave new world of education.

New Ways of Creating Capacity

Objective/Hypothesis: We aimed to determine whether an 8-week online training program for developing skills in short course development and delivery was effective in establishing locally driven, sustainable, evidence-based training for Bangladeshi hand therapists. Materials and Methods: Five Bangladeshi therapists from a rehabilitation center participated in the course, which was facilitated online by an Australian university. They completed 8 prerecorded modules over a 3-month period and were assessed in situ on their ability to deliver a hand therapy tutorial to their peers. A qualitative explanatory case study design was used to evaluate outcomes, drawing on data gathered from precourse, postcourse, and 1-year follow-up surveys, observations (including interactions during the course and final participant presentations), and a postcourse focus group. Results: The course achieved 6 of its 9 objectives, with all participants satisfactorily planning and delivering an evidence-based interactive tutorial to their peers. Participants noted improved competence and confidence in searching for evidence, and developing and executing a teaching plan. This was sustained at 1-year review. The key theme was a shift in participants’ concept of learning from being an expert-driven to a self-driven exercise. Enablers were multimodal teaching techniques, the presence of a local leader, and the establishment of informal peer support. Barriers were logistical issues such as access to reliable Internet services, and late delivery of course materials. Conclusions: Online distance education can be effective in producing sustainable change in practitioner skills in developing countries. Future programs would benefit from a blended learning approach incorporating “face-to-face” instructor contact.

Technology-Enhanced Learning in Cyber-Physical Systems Embedding Modeling and Simulation

Globalization in international research and development is changing the way universities need to educate and train students. As universities prepare their graduates for the needs of the 21st century and the global market economy, they face significant pressure to overhaul their well-established traditional curriculums and adapt the conventional delivery of course materials to new methodologies appropriate for the cooperative environment. Engineering Science is an emerging area with the potential to provide graduates with the skills needed to meet the challenges of complex designs of cyber-physical systems and shorten their time to market window. To ensure that university graduates are prepared to meet the challenges of a global market, the instructional methodology needs to be broadened. Such technology-enhanced learning is required to provide engineering students with the skills, tools, and training needed to verify and validate the details of complex cyber-physical systems designs and to understand the risk involved in development of inaccurate models. The results obtained from the accurate models can be analyzed to ensure the design of a cyber-physical system will be error-free and the system developed will perform according to the design specification and requirements.

#Design4Learning: Designing for the Future of Higher Education

Technology enhanced learning has the potential to develop and deliver innovative learning opportunities to improve the student learning experience (Conole, 2013; Sharples et al., 2015). There is now a wide range of learning trajectories from which curricula are currently being developed and for many this raises the question of how higher education educators can ensure that they choose appropriate, robust yet innovative learning designs. This is because a good learning design needs to assist with the delivery of course materials, learning support, and appropriate assessment strategies which will meet the learning outcomes demanded by educational institutions and employers.

Massive Open Online Courses as a Disruptive Innovation in Higher Education

Online learning is disrupting higher education. However, many online initiatives are perceived as being low quality despite evidence to refute that claim (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, & Jones, 2009). MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses are a platform for delivering online courses for free. MOOCs, a vehicle for the mass delivery of course materials and lectures, have gained incredible popularity. Over five million students have registered for MOOCs (Daniel, Cano, & Cervera, 2015), making education accessible and affordable. As such, MOOCs are shaking up higher education institutions with a threat to steer students away from the conventional forms of education (Kalman, 2014). This study will review the literature on MOOCs to examine the impact MOOCs are having on higher education, to determine if a viable business model is feasible, and to evaluate the value proposition to students.