Diploma Program Research Articles

Intercultural competence for peaceful communities: The role of blended learning higher education in refugee camps

This research investigates how refugees living in camps who graduated from a blended higher education programme have described their journey in building intercultural competences, by analysing the voices of almost 100 refugee graduates of the Diploma in Liberal Studies programme, accredited by Regis University and delivered by Jesuit Worldwide Learning. Focusing on the geographical scope of Dzaleka camp (Malawi) and Kakuma camp (Kenya), this article unveils the transformative intercultural learning that occurs in the Diploma programme, mostly appearing in the elements of knowledge and skills, attitudes, behaviour and outcomes. By anchoring this research in a context of social and geographic marginalisation, this paper contributes to the literature by investigating how a blended learning Diploma programme in Liberal Studies can serve as means to overcome physical barriers faced by students to access higher education and inner ones as graduates develop intercultural competence for their benefits and the ones of their community. Lastly, by bringing seldom heard voices, this paper reconciles the characteristics and values of intercultural competence with the intercultural needs of refugees living in camps to transform this competence into a peacebuilding tool.

Employability Skills and Career Development Self-Efficacy as Indicators for Workforce Success

The development of graduates’ employability skills has become one of crucial agenda in today’s educational milieu. One if the strategies is my adding the soft skills components in teaching and learning delivery across curriculum. This agenda includes Technical and Vocational and Education and Training (TVET) academic program which now has become the forefront agenda to spearhead the local skilled workforce for the nation. The research employed a quantitative descriptive and cross-sectional study among vocational college students from diploma programs across field of studies to combat numerous issues related to graduates’ preparedness on entering workforce, particularly on lack of employability skills. The employability skills section of the instrument was adapted from Grant, Malloy, and Murphy (2009) and Sarigoz (2012). The CD-SEI (Career Development Self-Efficacy Inventory) was replicated from Yuen et al. (2005) as dependent variable. Findings related to employability skills were indicated at a moderate level. The self-efficacy for career development was moderately high. Students' self-efficacy for career development was not significantly influenced by the demographic variables of gender or academic success. Additionally, the results indicated that vocational college students have higher cognitive skills which significantly predicted the career development self-efficacy. The results of this study can be capitalized as guidelines to carry out a curriculum that is more industrially driven, contributing the exposure to industrial experiences as self-efficacy and employability skills values before venturing job market.

Predictive Model for Factors Influencing Students’ Continuance Usage Intention on a Gamified Formative Assessment Application

Formative assessments help students identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as the target areas that need work. Meanwhile, the success of gamification implementation in mobile learning (m-learning) applications has been proven by many research associated with technology acceptance. However, studies on the technology post-acceptance phase are scarce. Deploying gamification concepts in competency-based education and assessment method, aim to diversify the game dynamics usage in new and practical areas such as technical and vocational education. Therefore, this study focused on the development of a predictive model for a gamified m-learning application that extends the Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) with perceived enjoyment. This study applied a correlational research design on the students of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) based diploma programmes in one of Malaysian public university. An online survey was conducted, and garnered 269 responses, which were used in the final analysis based on the Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings showed that all the factors in the model, which are the confirmation of expectation, satisfaction, perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment, appeared to be significantly influencing the students’ continuance usage intention towards the gamified m-learning application as well as jointly explained 64.6% (R2) of the changes. The addition of variable perceived enjoyment provided an increment of 2.7% compared to the R2 value of the original ECM model. Most importantly, the proposed extended ECM proved to be a reliable prediction model when the Q2 values for continuance use intention and perceived usefulness displayed strong predictive accuracy, having 0.368 (Q2) for both variables, while satisfaction showed moderate strength with the value of 0.305 (Q2). Therefore, the predictive model is reliable to be used to investigate future usage and effective designs of gamified m-learning products among the technical and vocational education students in other Higher Education Institution (HEI).

The impacts of International Baccalaureate expansion on professional cultures and assessments in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore

ABSTRACT The rapid propagation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) in the East and Southeast Asian region, together with the continuing globalisation of education, has generated implementational opportunities and challenges for teachers within the IB network of schools. Based on semi-structured interviews with teachers and school leaders across 15 IB Diploma Programme (DP) schools within the three milieus of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, the study explored how DP’s expansion fuelled ambiguities and inconsistencies in programme policy, which impacted on professional cultures and assessments. The analysis highlights the overreliance on the voluntary contribution of teachers and external examiners in supporting professional development and assessments as well as the connection of assessments to anxiety and dissonance in teachers.

Service learning in teacher education programmes: A literature review on the rationale, benefits, and challenges

Service-learning is a teaching approach that gives students opportunities to participate in a service that meets community needs as well as being relevant to the curriculum content and to reflect on the service-learning activity/activities and experience. While the discipline specific content is determined by the National Approved Curriculum for the respective Degree, Diploma or Certificate programme, activities which contribute towards concretising concepts and thus, marry theory with real-life challenges are jointly designed and agreed upon by the subject lecturer and the specific community partner. As pre-service teachers engage in service-learning activities, they experience personal and professional growth through: (i) taking leadership roles in service-learning activities; (ii) exposure to- and awareness of the real-life environment in which the 21st Century teaching profession has to operate; (iii) engaging in and participating in authentic real-life centred teaching practices; (iv) acquisition of new dispositions necessary for a 21st Century teacher; and (v) exposure to- and the relevance of service-learning as a teaching/learning pedagogy. Therefore, this study is a literature review of a range of some of the existing work on service-learning and it collates and brings together key components of service-learning, its benefits, and challenges. The implications of service-learning in Teacher education programmes are that curriculum content should be questioned regarding its relevance in modern day society, how well it prepares pre-service teachers for teaching skills and needs of a rapidly changing economy and society, and that education should take place in an authentic learning environment where community service activities are integrated with the academic curriculum.

Importance and Barriers of Establishing Educational/Training Programs in Electric Vehicles/Hybrid-Electric Vehicles in Jordan

Jordan has set priority plans to mitigate climate change impacts, where Jordan moves towards low emissions by promoting the Electric Vehicle and Hybrid-Electric Vehicle (EV/HEV) market. Therefore, there will be a pressing need for professionals in the field of maintenance and design of EV/HEVs. Accordingly, surveys were conducted to address the market needs in Jordan. The surveys targeted main stakeholders from different geographical locations in Jordan. This study was concerned with project partners, Academic staff, and students from eight universities located in Balqa’a, Irbid, Al-Karak, Tafilah, and the capital city Amman. The responses obtained are from 8, 140, and 799 project partners, academic staff, and students, respectively. The results, including surveys on teaching and training facilities, are analyzed and discussed. In conclusion, this study presents a crucial foundation for three specialized diploma programs (vocational diploma, technical diploma, and higher diploma) and a bachelor program tailored to Jordan’s EV/HEV market needs. Through a deliberate alignment of the curriculum with the evolving demands of the EV/HEV sector, the diploma programs will foster graduates who hold the essential knowledge and skills to excel in this rapidly expanding field. Furthermore, the programs address the distinct competencies and expertise that the local market requires, ensuring that graduates are well prepared to meet industry needs. The significance of this work serves as a bridge between academia and the market, resulting in graduates who possess the knowledge and skills, that are highly sought after by prospective employers.

Pharmacists' perspectives on the impact of postgraduate distance learning on their well-being: A qualitative study

IntroductionUndertaking postgraduate education is becoming increasingly common among United Kingdom (UK) pharmacists to facilitate career progression. However, whilst there is evidence that postgraduate study can negatively affect well-being (defined as when “an individual is feeling good and functioning positively”), there is a lack of research into the well-being of pharmacists as postgraduate learners. This study therefore aimed to explore pharmacist learners' perceptions of the impact on their well-being of undertaking a distance learning postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy at a UK university. MethodsSemi-structured interviews with students enrolled in a postgraduate clinical pharmacy diploma programme were conducted using Microsoft Teams (Microsoft, Corp). An interview guide was developed according to the aim of the study and modified iteratively. Recruitment continued until data saturation was achieved. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed by thematic analysis using the principles of constant comparison. ResultsThe results highlighted three themes: juggling act, transition and support, and attitudes to study and well-being. Participants reported struggling to juggle multiple commitments; The transition to postgraduate education was described as difficult; university communication methods as well as insufficient employer support were reported to have had a negative impact on well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted further on well-being. ConclusionsThe findings of this study add to the literature that postgraduate study whilst working may negatively affect pharmacist learners' well-being. This may help universities, employers, and learners develop strategies to prevent, where possible, and better manage challenges that can lead to poor well-being among learners.

Motivating Students Intrinsically Through ESP and Integration of Academic and Professional Skills in EMI Context

While much research has been done on improving motivational levels among students, educators still struggle everyday trying to motivate students. There’s little or negligible evidence of research pointing to the role of ESP and integrated academic and communicative skills in improving intrinsic motivational levels among students. This report discusses a case study in a higher educational institute, in Kuwait where the low motivational levels in students encouraged the foundation program unit to explore whether incorporating ESP and academic skills in the foundation program can motivate students intrinsically to learn the language and thus support them in acquiring content in their diploma programs. The foundation unit designed a new foundation course, ESF (English and Skills Foundation) program to deal with amotivation and motivate students intrinsically. The new program aimed at aligning future goals of students to their current language learning in order to motivate them intrinsically under the EMI context. The program introduced two new components ESAP (English for Specific and Academic Purposes), Business English and IDEAS (Integrated Directions for English and Academic Skills), a course aimed at improving academic, communicative and computer literacy skills in students to prepare them for the globalized environment and learning they need so much in their EMI context. Closed ended questionnaires and open-ended focus group interviews were administered to foundation program students, both before and after the implementation of the program, to investigate any improvement in their motivational levels. The findings indicate that program was taken positively by students and showed improved motivational levels amongst students. The research findings revealed a new dimension wherein students employed learner strategies and integrated regulation pointing to improved intrinsic motivational levels as a result of the new ESF program. The new ESF program sets an example as a pilot project for other major programs of study.

Pengorganisasian dalam Lembaga Pendidikan Tinggi

Higher education is the level of education after secondary education which includes diploma, undergraduate, masters, specialist and doctoral education programs organized by universities. In the government regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 30 of 1990 concerning tertiary institutions that higher education is education at a higher level than secondary education in the school education pathway. Higher education is an education that becomes the final terminal for someone who has the opportunity to study at the highest level through school education. Education has an important role in producing reliable human resources. Education service providers have an obligation to create quality human beings through an effective educational process. In general, education service providers in Indonesia consist of two types of services, namely education provided by the government and the community. Higher education can be organized by educational units organized by the Government, in this case other departments or departments or other Government agencies, or by educational units organized by the community. Academic implementers in the field of education can take the form of faculties, departments, or laboratories. The faculty coordinates and/or implements academic and/or professional education in one or a set of certain branches of science, technology and/or arts. The department carries out academic and/or professional education in one or a set of certain branches of science, technology and/or art. The department carries out academic and/or professional education in one or a set of certain branches of science, technology and/or art. Laboratories/studios support the implementation of education in majors in academic and/or professional education.

Nursing Education in Some European Higher Education Area (EHEA) Member Countries: A Comparative Analysis.

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has aimed at unifying, harmonizing, and ensuring consistency of higher education systems in Europe for over two decades. The objective of this study was to investigate the similarities and differences in the training programs of nurses in selected EHEA member countries. Comparative analysis was used. Based on three sources: research articles, internet databases, and emails sent to nursing education institutions. Three databases, namely Science Direct, PubMed, and ERIC, were utilized. Regarding educational institutions, the majority of countries' nurses graduated with a Bachelor's degree, except for Estonia, Russia, and North Macedonia. Russia had the shortest education duration (2 years and 10 months), while other member countries had programs lasting between 3-4 years. In countries where colleges were still active, diploma or certificate programs were offered, such as in Estonia and Russia. Only North Macedonia did not offer any continuing education for nurses, and Estonia, Latvia, and France did not have PhD programs in nursing. Nurses constitute the largest occupational group in healthcare, and the quality of medical care relies on their theoretical and practical training. Despite efforts to unify nursing curricula through the Bologna Process, significant differences still exist.

Leading and Teaching in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme: A Phenomenological Study

Leading and Teaching in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme: A Phenomenological Study

Evaluation of EXTVT PROST DKA Application for Civil Engineering Diploma Program, Sultan Azlan Shah Polytechnic

The Internet of Things (IOT) technology is a concept of communication networks through the internet and communication equipment such as mobile phones, computers, tablets and others that parallel the concept of Mobile Learning (M-Learning) which is increasingly being adapted in teaching and learning systems ( PdP). Various online applications that have been developed in line with Industrial Revolution 4.0 and to facilitate the PdP process especially in the Final Year Project (FYP) course. FYP courses require students to access project-related information quickly and easily anywhere. Therefore, the EXTVT PROST DKA application has been developed for the purpose of facilitating the distribution of information between students, supervisors, coordinators and panels in addition to providing a platform in the search for reference sources for student projects. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the EXTVT PROST DKA application developed for the DCC40181 – Final Year Project, Civil Engineering Diploma course. The study respondents are semester four (4) students who took the DCC40181 course in the December 2020 Session, Session 1 2021/2022 and Session 2 2021/2022. The study uses an online questionnaire instrument provided through google form. This research instrument is divided into 3 parts namely application design, application usability and user satisfaction. The reliability test (Reliability Test) on 20 questionnaire items obtained a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.964. Then the evaluation of the application continues by distributing the questionnaire link to the students. The results of mean score analysis from 97 respondents found that all items were within the estimated mean score of 4.29 to 4.45. Overall, the study found that the EXTVT PROST DKA application was very helpful in the implementation of the Final Year Project among Civil Engineering Diploma students.

Challenges experienced by nurse educators developing postgraduate nursing diploma curriculum programmes, Gauteng.

Nursing education's positioning within higher education mandated public nursing education institutions to develop competent nurses to manage diverse disease profiles of the country. Nurse educators were tasked to develop a competency-based curriculum with emphasis on primary healthcare to help prepare nurses to be independent, leaders, researchers, and critical thinkers. To explore and describe the challenges experienced by nurse educators in Gauteng when developing the curriculum for the postgraduate nursing diploma programmes. An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was used. Purposive sampling was followed to select the participants based on the inclusion criteria. Four focus group interviews were conducted, comprising of six participants each, leading to a sample of 30. Data collection were between March 2022 and April 2022. Thematic data analysis were performed following Tesch's eight steps of analysis. Themes that emerged during data analysis were psychological and emotional impact, challenges with communication and interpersonal relations, nurse educators experienced transformation and empowerment, nurse educators encountered barriers that impacted on their allocated tasks, and, nurse educators demonstrated resilience with the curriculum development processes. Participants reported positive and negative experiences they encountered during curriculum development. The findings revealed that nurse educators need support when involved in curriculum development, for instance, managerial, administrative, technological, financial, and most importantly capacitation, as this could enable them to work effectively without deterrents.Contribution:This study highlights the need to train and support nurse educators when developing a curriculum to equip them with the necessary competencies.

The Level of Environmental Education Awareness Among Student-Teachers Enrolled in the Professional Diploma Program in Teaching and its Relation with some Variables

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of environmental education awareness among student-teacher participants in the Postgraduate Professional Diploma in Teaching (PPTD) program at Al Ain University in the United Arab Emirates and its relationship with various variables. The study utilized an analytical descriptive approach and was carried out on a sample of 309 male and female student-teachers from Al Ain University's Postgraduate Professional Diploma in Teaching (PPTD) program. An Environmental Education Scale was used as the research instrument in the second semester of the school year 2022-2023. The findings of the study revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the degree of environmental consciousness of student-teachers enrolled in the Professional Diploma in Teaching program due to differences in educational backgrounds or prior teaching experience. The study recommended that public and higher education institutions play a larger role in boosting student understanding of environmental education.

Analisis Hubungan Antara Jalur Masuk Universitas dengan Predikat Kelulusan Mahasiswa

There are different characteristics of each entry route, so there will be the potential to achieve a different GPA. There are 3 types of entrance routes for public universities held by LTMPT, namely SNMPTN, SBMPTN, and SMMPTM. The achievement of student learning outcomes in tertiary institutions can be seen through the final results indicated by the GPA. Diploma and undergraduate program students have four graduation predicates, three of which are satisfactory (GPA 2.76-3.00), very satisfactory (GPA 3.01-3.50), and with honors (GPA more than 3.50). The population in this study were all PTN graduates from 2018 to 2022. The sample used in this study was at least 50 PTN graduates from 2018 to 2022 and 150 samples. This research will be tested using the Chi-Square test method. Based on the Chi-Square test on the contingency table related to the relationship between college admissions and student graduation predicates, it can be concluded that there is no relationship between college admissions and student graduation predicates. In addition, the relationship between university admissions and student graduation predicates is related to majors and campus clustering in 2020. Meanwhile, the relationship between university admissions and student graduation predicates has no relationship with gender and domicile.

Lessons learned through crisis: the effect of Covid-19 on pre-service Technology Education teacher development.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced post-secondary institutions to shift their technical offerings to blended and/or remote delivery. The Pandemic was a catalyst for pre-service Technology Education programs, traditionally designed for face-to-face learning, to explore innovative pedagogical arrangements. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of pre-service teachers as they navigated their way through their Pandemic-impacted Technology Education Diploma program. In particular, pre-service teachers were asked about the challenges, benefits, and lessons learned through their lived experiences dealing with the re-organization for remote and blended learning in response to the various waves of the Covid-19 Pandemic. An exploration of the learner experience within pre-service Technology Education programs contributes to a growing body of literature that continues to offer meaningful insight on the institutional arrangements to cope with the limitations brought on by the Pandemic. Interviews from a purposeful sample of nine (N = 9) pre-service teachers was the primary data source within this qualitative study that sought to understand the following research question: How have institutional responses to Covid-19 impacted the experiences and perceptions of pre-service teachers enrolled in a re-organized Technology Education Diploma program? Thematic analysis was used to identify and explore recurring nodes within the data. The findings of this study suggest that the shift in instructional modality had significant impacts on how pre-service teachers experienced their Technology Education program. The reorganization delayed the development of peer relationships within the program cohorts and disrupted lines of communication.

An Analysis of How Formative Assessment Affects the Assessment Methods of Chinese High School Education--Taking the Internal Assessment in IBDP as an Example

In a society with competition for talents and knowledge, Looking at Chinese current education, students have been in a state of test-oriented education for a long time. There is no doubt that the assessment of students is mostly based on final test scores, namely gaokao. Such assessment methods seriously hamper the innovative spirit and ability of students. In order to solve this contradiction, quality education must be implemented in an all-round way, and student assessment plays a role in guiding the development of value orientation suitable for social development in this process. As a long-standing assessment method in China, the college entrance examination naturally has the advantages of high reliability, high validity, and high efficiency. However, the shortcoming of being scored-based is obvious as well. This paper focuses on the literature-based method by collecting and analyzing various existing literature on the subject and selecting information from it for the purpose of the study. In this study, the beneficial impact of formative assessment on educational development is expounded through the characteristic internal assessment method in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). Combined with the actual situation in China, it analyzes the feasible methods of formative assessment in China such as diverse formative assessment in different subjects and the problems it may face, such as the large population base and the shortage of education funds.

Exploring The Factors That Enhance Learning And Self-Efficacy Of Midwifery Students: A Sem-Pls Analysis

This study aims to identify the influencing factors on midwifery students' learning and self-efficacy development in Indonesia. The study employed a descriptive and cross-sectional analysis using an online questionnaire that included demographic data and analysis factors such as environmental learning, lecturer quality, learning methods, self-motivation, social support skills, assessment and feedback, circumstances of learning enhancement, and perceived self-efficacy. The study population was students majoring in midwifery at the Ministry of Health Health Polytechnic Sorong, who are currently enrolled in diploma and undergraduate programs. A total of 40 respondents completed the survey. The results showed that learning methods have a significant influence on both learning improvement and self-efficacy. The study highlights the need to identify and evaluate the various factors that influence midwifery students' learning to develop more effective and efficient strategies and methods to increase the quality and effectiveness of midwifery education. The findings of the study could have implications for the future of education and health in Indonesia.

Unveiling the Relationship between Internal Assessment and External Assessment in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program

This study aimed to explore the relationship between internal assessment (IA) and external assessment (EA) scores of the high school students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP). Methods: Simple linear regression analysis was conducted to explore to what extent the IA scores predict the EA scores in the Turkish, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics courses. Findings: The quantitative analysis revealed that only a small percentage of the variation in IBDP EA scores can be explained by the model containing only IA scores in the IBDP standard level (SL) and high level (HL) courses. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient was utilized to explain the degree to which the IA scores are associated with the EA scores. This analysis revealed that there is a moderate relationship between IA and EA in HL English and SL biology course, but a weak relationship between IA and EA in SL and HL biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, English (only SL) and Turkish courses. Value: This research highlights some important implications for educators about the consistency and reliability of IA as a tool for forming a final mark in the IBDP assessment and the role the IA plays in predicting the students’ general academic achievement.

Evaluating the higher national diploma industrial art programme of tamale technical university in Ghana: Curriculum versus implementation

In Ghana’s Polytechnics/Technical Universities, the Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes are ran to provide the country with its middle-skilled manpower base in science, engineering, technology, commerce and art for socio-economic development. However, the HND Industrial Art Programme of Tamale Technical University begun in 2008/2009 academic year and has since run up-to-date with options in Painting and Decorating (P/D), Leatherwork, Textiles and Ceramics without any form of evaluation to ascertain its impact in the country despite the numerous calls from stakeholders. Therefore, the study sought to examine the impact of the HND Industrial Art Programme of Tamale Technical University on the Art Industry in Ghana. To conduct the study, the main objective was to evaluate the scope and content of the curriculum of the HND Industrial Art Programme with reference to its implementation in the University. The Concurrent Triangulation Mixed-Method research design involving both qualitative (case study, document and descriptive analysis) and quantitative research were adopted to undertake the research. Questionnaire, interview and observation guides were relied as tools to collect data for the study. A sample population of 223 (present students: 57, graduates: 137, lecturers/technicians: 13 and industrial attachment supervisors: 16) was selected using purposive, random and snowball sampling techniques. From the study, the major finding is that, the curricula of the programme’s options provided students with knowledge and skills required in their respective industries as conceived by the Department. Nonetheless, with time and advancement in technology as being noted in the industry, some of the courses require review to catch up with industry standards. The findings from the study have implication on the training of students in the Country. It is therefore recommended that appropriate steps should be taken in conjunction with relevant stakeholders to have a holistic review of the curriculum to make it relevant.