Student Entry Research Articles

Exploring the school-university mathematics skills gap for Economic Sciences

The training of highly skilled persons for the areas of Economics and Commerce requires that degree students upon entry need certain knowledge and skills in mathematics including aspects of statistics. The context is distance education and entry students seem unable to cope with the requirements of the mathematics-based topics that they need to study at the first year of tertiary education. It resulted in university staff speculating about a gap in pre-knowledge and skills. This study aims to investigate this phenomenon, starting with content and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy analyses of final year school examination papers in mathematics, comparing it with similar analyses of first-year mathematics-based module examinations in the Economic sciences. Students that passed mathematics at school are supposed to have had adequate preparation for the first level Bachelor of Commerce. Coping with routine procedures mainly upon exit from secondary education does not signal well for the subsequent training of economists and commerce students. The situation seemingly does not improve at tertiary level where there is a further emphasis on routine procedures compared to higher order thinking skills.

Are Australian Islamic schools elitist?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether Australian Islamic schools, by dint of their unique status within Australian private schooling, may be construed as elitist or exclusivist premised on markers such as religious affiliation, school age, history, location, reputation and non-curricular excellences such as affluence and alumni. This issue has not been examined empirically hitherto. This study addresses this absence, as these markers, when used selectively, may make student entry restrictive by virtue of enrolment criteria that is either hyper selective or exclusivist that is often administered through costly tuition fees.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative analysis is used to examine four distinct elitist markers associated with Islamic schools, as they appeal to a market prescribed by faith, preference and demand. Data is sourced from selected government and independent school databases including the index of community socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) database.FindingsThe findings indicate that Islamic schools do not fit any of these markers partly because these schools are positioned predominantly in middle to lower socio-economic communities and areas where the measure of educationally advantaged backgrounds is only marginally above the ICSEA threshold of 1,000. Further, their enrolment criteria are not premised on high fee-based structures nor on exclusivist selection and enrolment practices that would tag them as elitist.Research limitations/implicationsIt is quite possible that parental and community perceptions of Islamic schools using qualitative measures may identify some schools as elitist. This, however, has yet to be tested empirically in further studies relying on surveys, interviews and focus group sessions.Practical implicationsIslamic schools should not market nor portray themselves as elitist or exclusivist for that may undermine the very purpose of their function as faith-based institutions.Social implicationsPerceptions of elitism levelled against some Islamic schools must be weighed against a number of distinct social markers. The examination of four markers in this study does not support such perceptions. Elitist perceptions may abound within communities and amongst parents when vying for student placements in these schools. The basis for such observations, however, is at best anecdotal or outright conjectural in the absence of empirical evidence.Originality/valueThis is the first and only study that examines the issue of elitism amongst Islamic schools in Australia and elsewhere.

IoT Based Smart Bus System using wireless sensor networks

Millions of kids want to travel from their houses to their institution daily. The Safety in the transport of the kid’s plays an important role and it is said that, kids were kept locked in the bus during their boarding till they reach the destination. Another challenge is that they may miss the bus and board the wrong bus in certain cases. This paper provides the solution to overcome these issues and to develop a system that monitors the entry and exit of students in their buses with an excellent IoT based technology. The proposed system will record the data of student’s entry and exit in the bus using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and GSM technologies when the travel is successful from their house to their institutions, the system itself generates the SMS to all the parents concerned. Meanwhile it detects the children who are entering the wrong bus and absence and it detects whether the driver is drunken also. If any stuck in the traffic the driver can give the information to the management without any delay.

Characteristics of gateway entry medical students and their academic performance in France

BackgroundGateway access to a medical school currently represents 10% of medical students in France. It should increase to 40% in the coming years, starting with the 2020–2021 academic year, due to the implementation of a national reform designed to diversify the selection process and ease access to medical education. The objective of this study was to describe and analyze characteristics of gateway students and their academic performance in France. MethodsA retrospective multicentric study on gateway students (Passerelle) enrolled between 2011 and 2019 at three medical schools was conducted. Student characteristics, academic performance (examination results from second to sixth year) and rankings at the national residency exam, Epreuves Classantes Nationale (ECN), were described. A multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) described those with an ECN ranking between 1 to 4000. ResultsIn total, there were 243 gateway entry students, with females representing 57.6% (n=140). The mean age of students was 26.2±3.6 years. Those with a degree in sciences accounted for 89.3% of the total. Gateway students that dropped out accounted for 6.6%, and mostly at the end of second year (n=10). 110 gateway entry students completed the ECN with a mean ranking position of 5,624±2,108. ECN rankings between 1 to 4000 were significantly associated with (i) males, (ii) having a mention (score≥12/20) on the French baccalaureate, (iii) never having enrolled in the first year of medical school, and iv) having a low number of uncompleted modules. With the MCA, a mention of ‘very good’ on the French baccalaureate exam (score≥16/20) was associated with an ECN ranking between 1 to 4000. ConclusionsThis study was the first to describe the characteristics of gateway medical students in France. Most students came from a sciences academic background and had a low rate of dropping out. Future studies on academic performance should be conducted.

\u2013A cross-sectional study of clinical learning environments across four undergraduate programs using the undergraduate clinical education environment measure

BackgroundThe clinical learning environment (CLE) influences students’ achievement of learning outcomes and the development of their professional behaviors. However, CLEs are not always optimal for learning because of clinical productivity expectations and a lack of support from supervisors. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare students’ perceptions of their CLEs across four undergraduate programs.MethodsThis study is cross-sectional. In total, 735 students who were registered in the medical, nursing, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology (SLP) programs were invited to participate. Data were collected using an online survey, which included demographics and the Undergraduate Clinical Education Environment Measure (UCEEM). The UCEEM consists of 26 items congregated into two overarching dimensions—experiential learning and social participation—with four subscales: opportunities to learn in and through work and quality of supervision, preparedness for student entry, workplace interaction patterns and student inclusion, and equal treatment.ResultsIn total 280 students (median age 28; range: 20–52; 72% females) returned the questionnaire. The mean total UCEEM score was 98.3 (SD 18.4; range: 91–130), with physiotherapy students giving the highest scores and medical students the lowest. The mean scores for the dimensions experiential learning and social participation for all the students were 62.8 (SD 13.6; range 59–85) and 35.5 (SD 6.2; range 13–45), respectively. Medical students rated the lowest for all subscales. The items receiving the highest ratings concerned equal treatment, whereas those receiving the lowest ratings concerned supervisors’ familiarity with the learning objectives. There were few statistically significant differences between the semesters within each program.ConclusionsThe students generally hold positive perceptions toward their CLEs. However, the students from the medical and nursing programs rated their learning environment lower than did the students from the physiotherapy and SLP programs. Importantly, in several aspects, the medical students provided significantly lower ratings for their CLE compared with the students from the other programs. The medical students’ low ratings for their supervisors’ familiarity with the learning objectives underscore the need to ensure that the prerequisites for optimal supervision are met.

Design of Student Attendance System based on 2.4Ghz RFID Technology

In order to improve school management of student attendance, based on the 2.4Ghz card, using RFID technology and server back-end technology, A set of student entry and exit attendance system has been designed. The current positioning method generally used distance fitting model based on RSSI. This method has very high accuracy, but the accuracy of calculation results is highly affected by the environment and the amount of data required for calculation is very large. Usually, the data need to be transmitted from the terminal to the server for processing witch increases calculation complexity. The paper proposes an algorithm based on least squares semaphore, this algorithm greatly simplifies the calculation complexity and improves the calculation efficiency.

Development of an In‐Person Dissection Based Learning Environment for Medical and Dental Gross Anatomy Students during a Pandemic

Human anatomy is complex and best understood through hands‐on dissection in the laboratory. Faced with the daunting task of adapting to the constraints brought on by the pandemic, a team of current and past course directors, while under extreme and fluid circumstances, designed systems to allow for a dissection based, in‐person curriculum for large student groups (220 medical and 105 dental) while maintaining a safe environment. Through immeasurable hours of deliberations, numerous unique and novel changes were instituted. Tank teams of students (6 medical & 4 dental) were assigned to rotating pairs of dissection or review teams. A complex plan of staggered student entry into and exit from the laboratory, provided for distancing. 3D printed face shields, designed and assembled in house, were provided to faculty; additional face shields were provided to students. An intricate rotating peer‐teaching component was incorporated to hand off the dissection between groups and to allow for study of anatomical variations. In‐person lectures were converted to virtual platforms using both synchronous and asynchronous formats. Medical tank teams met virtually to review and report on their dissection. A strict protocol was designed for in‐person self‐study. Students have embraced these designs and safety protocols and continue to perform extremely well. Student success, as measured by exam performance, is comparable to previous years. While several students required absences out of an abundance of caution, none of the students tested positive due to contact during the actual lab time. Three students reported testing positive for COVID‐19 following the Thanksgiving break. This time‐intensive endeavor required creativity, commitment, and leadership, and has had several novel benefits to include improved student to faculty ratio, more time for self‐study, and the additional responsibility and accountability for tank‐mates to act as both learners and teachers.

Professors' Expectations About Online Education and Its Relationship With Characteristics of University Entrance and Students' Academic Performance During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to COVID-19, universities have been facing challenges in generating the best possible experience for students with online academic training programs. To analyze professors' expectations about online education and relate them to student academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and considering the socio-demographic, entry, and prior university performance variables of students. A prospective longitudinal design was used to analyze the expectations of 546 professors (54.8% male) in T1. In T2, the impact of the expectations of 382 of these professors (57.6% men) was analyzed, who taught courses during the first semester to a total of 14,838 university students (44.6% men). Professors' expectations and their previous experience of online courses were obtained during T1, and the students' academic information was obtained in T2. A questionnaire examining the Expectations toward Virtual Education in Higher Education for Professors was used. 84.9% of the professors were considered to have moderate to high skills for online courses. Differences in expectations were found according to the professors' training level. The professors' self-efficacy for online education, institutional engagement, and academic planning had the highest scores. The expectations of professors did not directly change the academic performance of students; however, a moderating effect of professor's expectations was identified in the previous student academic performance relationship on their current academic performance.

Conditions for Successful Adaptation of Foreign Students in Ukraine

The article is devoted to the problem of foreign students’ adaptation to the living and study conditions in Ukraine. A brief review and an analysis of scientific literature on the problem of studying the difficulties of the individual’s adaptive processes and determining the nature of the phenomenon and duration of the ‘culture shock’ effect on foreigners are carried out. The aim of the work is to find out the foreign students’ particular features that affect the quality of academic performance, and factors that contribute to the effective and comfortable adaptation of foreigners in conditions of stay in a foreign culture. International education faculty of NTU "KhPI" is an important stage in the system of training foreign qualified specialists for foreign countries. Therefore, curators need to properly organize the gradual entry of foreign students into a foreign language culture, help them get used to the living and socio-cultural conditions of Ukraine, the new education system and the new language. Getting students into a new cultural environment always causes them "culture shock". In this regard, the lecturer-curator needs to pay considerable attention to solving this problem and finding new forms and methods of work to successfully overcome it. The lecturer's assistance in the process of adapting international students to new socio-cultural conditions is the main factor that significantly affects the success of students and the effectiveness of the educational process. Preparing textbooks and manuals contributes to the development of communication skills and the formation of ideas about the cultural realities of the country of the studied language. Successful adaptation is facilitated by thematic lessons, writing abstracts for the student scientific conference "Ukraine and the World" under the curator’s supervision, preparing presentations and speeches, vocational-guidance events, etc. City presentation tours, trips to the Maxim Gorky Central Park for Culture and Recreation, visiting the opera and ballet theater, viewing art and other exhibitions, getting acquainted with Ukrainian dishes, etc speed up the cultural adaptation of foreign students. A successful combination of academic and extracurricular activities can significantly facilitate the entry of foreigners into the Ukrainian socio-cultural environment.

The Use of Lecture Recordings as Study Aids in a Professional Degree Program.

Lecture recording is now common in many educational institutions, leading to discussion about how best to support student learning. In this mixed methods study, we used a survey (n = 46 participants), think-aloud methodologies in observed study sessions (n = 8 participants) and recording analytics (n = 637 recordings) to characterize how veterinary students utilize recordings during their studies. Only 48% of survey respondents considered they were more likely to use recordings as exams approached, but 78% considered they used recordings more when the topic was difficult. In the observed study sessions, students characterized their use of recordings as helping them to control their learning environment, allowing them to pause and rewind challenging topics, and as a jumping off point for future study, allowing them to structure the seeking out of additional information. In a linear model describing the recording analytics, students who had entered higher education directly from high school were more likely to watch more of a lecture than graduate entry students. In addition, the most visited lectures were also the ones with more view time (F(5, 631) = 129.5, R2 = 0.50, p < .001). Overall, this study suggests that veterinary students were selective about their use of recordings in their study strategies, often using them to make up for deficits in their knowledge and understanding, or to supplement their experience at veterinary school. We discuss the consequences and implications for student study skills support.

Use of Online Resources to Study Cardiologyby Clinical Veterinary Students inthe United Kingdom.

Online resources are being increasingly used by veterinary students to complement their learning. However, their use by veterinary students, especially for cardiology learning, remains poorly understood. This article investigates the extent to which clinical veterinary students use online resources to study cardiology and whether this is affected by factors of gender, age, year of study, or entry status. This was a questionnaire-based study distributed to clinical veterinary students across eight UK universities and achieved 213 respondents. The lecturer was the most preferred resource except for direct entry students and students aged 27 or more, who preferred recommended textbooks. Some 95.3% of students use search engines to research cardiology topics, and 93.4% indicated that they would first search for answers online rather than contacting their instructor. Online video clips were popular as 71.8% of students accessed them at least once per week for cardiology learning. Of those students, 89.3% found online videos useful for understanding cardiological concepts. Social media was only rarely used (6.6%) to discuss cardiology information. Nonetheless, most students (64.3%) stated that they would enjoy interacting with course material on an instructor-led social media page. Despite most students (62%) not automatically trusting online resources, only 46.9% of students indicated that they verify online cardiology information. Online resources play an important role in complementing traditional resources in cardiology learning and suggest that some level of academic oversight may be necessary to ensure students use these resources in an appropriate manner.

Culturally sustaining approaches to academic languaging through systemic functional linguistics

Historically, academic language (AL) has been a highly contentious and debated construct, criticized because of its framing as a set of objective linguistic forms requisite in academic settings, as being more specialized and complex than non-academic registers, and prioritizing White linguistic practices. Educators in support of AL instruction view it as an inherent part of each academic discipline and, therefore, as a tool for equity and access that provides students entry into the curriculum and enhances their chance of success in school. Both camps concur that a focus on teaching academic registers without scrutiny of their raciolinguistic implications may certainly sustain linguistic hierarchies of registers and reinforce deficit views of racialized communities’ language practices. In response to this pressing debate described above, we discuss the theoretical and pedagogical framework of Culturally Sustaining Systemic Functional Linguistics as a means for centering students’ cultural and language practices while heightening their critical language awareness around academic registers. The marriage of CSP and SFL, embodied in CSSFL, presents an avenue to address raciolinguistic ideologies while engaging with our revised relationship and conceptualization of academic languaging. This special issue provides a productive space in which to explore the interconnection between the theory and praxis of CSP and SFL and their applications across instructional contexts.

Factors Predictive of Medical Student Involvement in Research: Results from a New Zealand Institution.

BackgroundPrevious studies have elucidated several benefits of engagement in research by medical students. The aim of the current study was to assess if any factors influenced the student’s actual involvement (not mere interest) in scholarly activities during medical school.MethodsAll medical students at the University of Otago were invited via e-mail to complete an online questionnaire. The outcome was a substantial contribution to a research project. The predictors were prior research experience, student’s entry route, and planned career type. Multiple regression analysis was undertaken to control for any confounding factors influencing medical students’ involvement in research.ResultsValid responses were gathered from 669 students (yielding a response rate of 44.8%). Of those, 254 students (38.3%) had engaged in one or more research activities. Students who engaged in research activities indicated a higher likelihood of future involvement in research but expressed less interest in internal medicine sub-specialties as potential future careers.ConclusionA sizeable proportion of our samples has been involved in the research. Targeting medical students not yet involved in research may necessitate additional curricular and faculty support in order to stimulate their research curiosity.

Preparing ABSN students for early entry and success in the clinical setting: flipping both class and skills lab with the Socratic Method.

Accelerated Second Degree BSN (ABSN) students have limited time to gain expertise. Reaching competency in skills takes weeks, delaying the application and mastery of skills in clinical practice. Our objective is to describe how our ABSN program fundamentals of nursing course enhances learning effectiveness and prepares students for successful entry into nursing. Using the Socratic Method and flipping the classroom and skills lab, with deliberate practice techniques, ABSN students quickly gain competence in core aspects of nursing. Rapid acquisition of competence early in the program allows for a meaningful clinical experience. NCLEX pass rates for our ABSN graduates averaged 93.84% over the past 4years, and students report high levels of satisfaction with the program. Using the Socratic Method in a flipped classroom and skills lab provides an environment that engages students, fosters NCLEX success, and supports development of clinical judgment critical for positive patient outcomes.

Teacher perceptions of A-level music: tension, dilemmas and decline

AbstractA-level music, a qualification taken most often in English and Welsh school contexts around the age of 18, has been a long-standing feature of the musical training of many musicians. Historically bound up with Western European Art Music, the qualification has somewhat broadened its horizons in recent times, though with mixed success in opening up new ways of thinking about music. Recent research has highlighted the seemingly precarious nature of A-level music in many English schools. The reasons for this picture of decline are highly complex and difficult to disentangle, and are part of a much broader diminishing of creative subjects in the school curriculum. Decreasing numbers of A-level music entries run somewhat counter to popular policy discourse, which celebrates flagship announcements of £79 million given to Music Education Hubs in 2019–2020, and 2018 survey results that reported more than 700,000 children learning to play a musical instrument through music hub provision. However, behind these headlines, although there are many children having the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, few continue through to A-level and beyond. Despite its declining numbers, A-level music is recognised as a valuable qualification amongst music teachers, offering something distinct from graded music examinations and other Level 3 musical qualifications. This article presents the results of a recent nationwide survey of A-level music teachers to offer an insight into teacher perceptions of current A-level music specifications, the extent to which it prepares students for entry into higher musical education, and its appropriateness for aspiring young musicians.

Seizing opportunity: Diverse early-entry nursing students’ perceptions of seeking a PhD

BackgroundThe aging and retirement of the current nursing professoriate and the increasing numbers of nurses pursuing practice doctorates has precipitated decreasing numbers of nurses, specifically diverse nurses pursuing a research doctorate, thus limiting the development of nursing science. PurposeTo describe factors influencing decisions about entering a PhD program from the perspectives of early-entry PhD nursing students. MethodA qualitative descriptive design using semistructured interviews to explore the perceptions of making the decision to pursue a PhD in nursing of the students who participated in two early-entry mentoring programs. FindingsA model, entitled “Seizing Opportunity” was developed from the findings about the process of students deciding to pursue a PhD. DiscussionMotivators and detractors that can help nursing educators understand how to successfully recruit diverse PhD students were uncovered. Providing knowledge and mentoring for early entry students can increase the numbers of diverse students pursuing a PhD in nursing.

Bridging the Sustainable Skills Gap in Business Education Curriculum for Post Oil Boom Economy in Nigeria

Business education curriculum was designed to prepare students for entry in advancement of jobs within business and to prepare them to handle their own business affairs and to function intelligently as consumers and citizens in a business economy. However, education offered at tertiary institutions especially business education programmes seem not to prepare graduates of business education to meet real life situations as tertiary institutions curriculum structure cannot be said to have attained the expected level of standard and quality. This paper therefore focused on the need for sustainable business education curriculum in Nigeria as a panacea for the post oil boom economy. The paper looked at the present business education programmes and its curriculum objectives. Attention was given to some key concept such as sustainable business education curriculum, prerequisite for sustainable education curriculum, sustainable business education curriculum for post oil boom economy, and bridging the sustainable curriculum gap in business education. The paper concluded that the need for sustainable curriculum in the post oil boom economy is imperative because of the experiences of the economy recession and the need for holistic industrial development of the economy. Finally, the paper recommended among others the re-assessment, re-evaluation and redesigning of the business education curriculum by educational institutions to meet its practical functionality in the Nigeria economy so as to reflect the 21^st century sustainability skills and culture for gainful and self-sustainable employment.

Empregabilidade dos egressos do curso de licenciatura em química de uma Universidade pública de Alagoas

ABSTRACT: The Concern for the future of graduates has been one of the ways in which institutions seek to analyze the effectiveness of the higher education offered, verifying whether the training acquired by their graduates meets the needs of the current labor market. Thus, in view of this concern, this study aimed to raise data about the graduates of the Chemistry degree course at UNEAL, Campus I, Arapiraca, from 2004 to 2019, on aspects of the labor market and academic training. The analysis instrument used was an online questionnaire with questions regarding the employment status and academic education of the graduates. The results obtained showed that most of the respondents graduated between 2008 and 2011 and that 94% of the graduates are employed and have continued their academic training. Thus, it was possible to conclude that UNEAL contributed to the entry of students into the labor market, whether in the field of Chemistry or related fields. One of the most highlighted areas in the research was teaching. KEYWORDS: Graduates, Chemistry, job market, academic training.

Changes in student entry competencies 2001–2017

ABSTRACT Diagnostic testing on entry to university provides an opportunity for students to ascertain individual strengths and weaknesses and allows course teams to gain insight into the competencies of the whole cohort. Coventry University has been using the same diagnostic test since 1991 and a previous analysis showed students coming to Coventry University in 2001 were performing considerably worse than their counterparts in 1991. Given the changes to A level Mathematics that have taken place since 2001 and the recently implemented reforms to A level Mathematics in the UK, it is timely to review performance in the diagnostic test and to create a benchmark before students enter higher education with the new (linear) A levels. This paper therefore reports on the changing entry competencies of students at Coventry University from 2001 to 2017 and shows that there has been a general improvement in performance across all entry grades. However, students are still not performing at the same level as they were in 1991 and the gap between students with higher entry grades (A level A*–C) and lower entry grades (A level D–E) is getting wider.

The survey Awareness of Students in Hamadan School of Rehabilitation about Patients’ Rights Charter

Introduction: Patients’ right charter has been implemented for equal accessibility to all healthcare services. knowledge and regard of Patients' Rights is important to improve quality and strengthen the health system and patient satisfaction. The current study has been done with aim of evaluating the survey awareness of students in Hamedan school rehabilitation about patients’ charter. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study was performed. The study population included 143 students (all of them) in rehabilitation facility. The data-gathering tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire based on the elements of Iran patients' rights developed by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME).The collected data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics using SPSS 23 software. Result: The results show that students were 64.3% female and 35.7% male. 44.1% occupational therapists, 30.8% speech therapists, 25.2% audiologists. The inputs of the year 92 were 8.4%, the inputs of the year 93 were 34.3%, the inputs of the year 94 were 35% and the inputs of the year 95 were 22.4%. The total awareness of students was 10.62 ± 4.70 There was a significant relationship between knowledge of access to the effective system of complaints and access to information and the year of entry students (P = 0.02). There wasn't significant relationship between gender and Age and field of study the students’ awareness (P = 0.14) (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: Approximately half of the participated students had low level of awareness about patients’ charter right .Therefore, it is suggested that greater emphasis should be placed on inclusion and support of patients' rights in course and curriculum planning is necessary.