University Faculty Members Research Articles

IJCM_88A: Perception of the medical college faculty on new competency-based medical education curriculum for MBBS students

Background: Medical education needs to be adjusted to meet the fast- changing expectations of society and the resulting demands on daily medical practice. The Medical Council of India (MCI) has updated the Medical Curriculum based on CBME. Objectives: 1. To assess the perceptions of the faculty members of the Medical college on the competency-based medical education curriculum for the MBBS course 2. To assess the readiness to incorporate competency-based medical education in the medical education curriculum among faculty members Methodology: This cross-sectional study was set in Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, among teaching staff of pre-clinical, para-clinical, and clinical departments. A total of 93 (pre-clinical-29, para-clinical-31, clinical=33) faculty members were requested to fill out the questionnaire. Results: Our study highlights inter-department coordination, time demands, and lack of faculty training as the major barriers to the implementation of CBME. Among all participants around 60% were females. Most of the participants had teaching experiences between 0-5 years. Almost 95% of the participants were aware of the new MCI 2019 curriculum. The majority of the participants rated their knowledge about CMBE as moderate level (38.7%). 61.3% of the faculty members consider themselves to be ready to incorporate CBМЕ. According to most faculty members, a moderate amount (50%) of training is required and sessions and workshops (68.8%) are the most preferred type of training. Conclusion: Most of the faculty members found that the CBME pattern will be effective in imparting skills to undergraduates. Most of the participants identified inter-department coordination, demands of time, and lack of training in evaluation and feedback to be the major barriers to implementing the CBME pattern. Most of the faculty members consider themselves to be ready for this change even though a lot of them find the implementation of CBME to be a difficult task.

Self-Perceptions and Benefits of Psychological Resilience Among Women Academics in the Context of Working in South African Higher Education Institutions (SA-HEIs): A Mixed-Method Approach

Higher education institutions (HEIs) globally heavily depend on the resilience of academic staff members to achieve excellence in teaching and learning. The extant scholarly work on resilience seems to take the relationship between workplace environmental factors (WEFs) and the adverse experiences of resilience among women academics for granted. Using South Africa as an example, this research mainly focused on the WEFs acknowledged as the primary sources of adversity and the overall perceptions and experiences of resilience among women academics in South African HEIs. This research employed a mixed methods sequential explanatory design comprising an online quantitative survey of 135 women academics, and individual in-depth/semi-structured qualitative interviews of 27 women academics. The aim of this article was to illustrate how resilience can shape the way women academics interpret and respond to adversity. More specifically, the mixed-method findings presented in this article thought to document the perceived experiences of PR among women academics in South African Higher Education institutions (SA-HEIs), with a particular focus on the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) which is located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The findings unpack how four building blocks of psychological resilience (BBPRs)—neuroticism, mindfulness, self-efficacy, and coping—moderated the effects of WEFs-related adversities; and provide insights into the impacts of human resources management practices (HRMP) on women academics’ resilience. We conclude that a higher self-reported level of resilience is not necessarily indicative of positive experiences of WEFs amongst women academics in South African universities.

Comparison of the Effects of E-learning Blended with Collaborative Learning and Lecture-Based Teaching Approaches on Academic Self-Efficacy among Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Applying new technologies in teaching has led to the phenomenon of blended learning (BL), which is currently flourishing as a specific requirement for higher self-efficacy and success in increasingly complex healthcare environments. Although various forms of novel education are on the rise worldwide, the effects of electronic learning (EL), combined with collaborative learning (CL) and lecture-based teaching (LBT) approaches, have not yet been validated on academic self-efficacy among undergraduate nursing students. Utilizing a pre-/post-test comparison-group design, this quasi-experimental study was conducted on 70 undergraduate nursing students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran, selected by the census sampling technique in 2020. The eligible participants were allocated to intervention groups, viz., the EL+LBT group (n=34) and the EL+CL group (n=36). A learning management system (LMS) was used for both intervention groups along with the LBT approach, and then 10 steps were integrated into the CL approach during 14 sessions, lasting 150 minutes. Afterward, a demographic information form and the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES) were administered to collect the data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent-samples t-test, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). No significant difference was observed in the CASE scores between the students were taught using the EL+LBT (113.76±16.98) and the EL+CL approaches (107.66±16.70) before the interventions (P=0.136). However, the CL+EL approaches resulted in the highest changes in the CASE scores at the pre- (107.66±16.70) and post-test (119.08±25.49) stages (P=0.019). Moreover, the female students attending the CL+EL classrooms experienced significantly positive differences in their CASE scores (127.12±30.34), compared to the males (112.65±19.30) (P=0.011). Blending the EL and CL approaches significantly promoted CASE among the undergraduate nursing students in this study by providing sufficient collaboration, essential educational equipment, and better technical support.

Integration of Science and Religion in the Methodology of Holmes Rolston's Philosophy

The viewpoint that talks about religion and science is not a subject that will run out with the times. This is because the connection between the two fills space and time, and it is interesting to study and accelerate the correlation between the two clearly. In fact, these studies need to be developed in a concentrated manner among scholars, especially academics in universities. The basis of the correlation between the two is to provide reinforcement that science and religion/theology are two sides of a coin that are interrelated to explain each other between the levels of belief and rationality. Moreover, this answer, on the other hand, makes the assumption that science and religion cannot be united. Based on this description, we will try to think about how scientific integration between religion and science is not dichotomized with its own scientific building. As seen in Holmes Rolston's philosophical methodology, which seeks to explain the correlation between the study of theology and science, In his view, theology, or religion, and science can clearly grow and develop together, and there is even certainty of complementarity between them. By using the writing rules of a qualitative approach through a literature study or library research, this research seeks to upload Holmes Rolston's views regarding the integration of science and religion/theology. Because, in his view, religion and science are a response to the cyclotomy that seeks to answer that between the two is able to meet and complement from a methodology.

Perceptions of Teachers Regarding Teachers’ Assessment Process at Universities of Balochistan

The study was sought to explore the perceptions of teachers regarding teachers’ assessment process at universities of Balochistan and to discover the perceptions of teachers regarding the process of annual confidential reports (ACRs) at Universities of Balochistan. A cross sectional descriptive design was adopted. All the faculty members of public and private sector universities of Quetta constituted the population. Convenient sampling technique has been used to select 93 teachers for data collecting data through a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data. Findings of questionnaire from teachers stated that majority of respondents 76(81.7%) said they have regular feature of teacher’s assessment. Maximum respondents 68 (73.! %) answered in yes about teacher's assessment ACRs are used in department. Most of teachers 72 (77.4%) agreed that Peer review is essential part of teacher's assessment. Majority of respondents 63 (67.7%) agreed in yes that Opinions of students are also included in the assessment procedure. Majority of respondents 63 (67.7%) answered in no that they know the result of ACR. Maximum respondents 70 (75.3%) answered in yes that ACRs provide the vital input for assessing your performance. Maximum respondents answered in No that chairperson ever take any action against the poor ACR findings of any teacher.

Mediating Effect of Organizational Virtuousness in Ethical Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Relationship: A Study of Higher Education Sector in Pakistan

With increased commercial crimes, work ethic, and ethical leadership have gained popularity among management researchers, focusing on the creation of an ethical climate and transferring managers from moral persons to moral managers who have the ability to shape the pro-social behavior of followers. The current study investigated the moderating role of organizational virtuousness in ethical leadership and organizational citizenship behavior relationship of faculty members of universities/degree awarding institutes in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Using a cross-sectional design, 385 randomly selected faculty members of universities completed a self-administered survey questionnaire. The findings of the study support our assumptions that ethical leadership creates a virtuous organizational culture and fosters organizational citizenship behavior. Further, the mediating role of organizational virtuousness in fostering organizational citizenship behavior due to ethical leadership was also proved in the higher education sector in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. We have also discussed the implications of the study as well as the directions for further research.

The development and evolution of ethics review boards – Israel as a case study

Although well established in developed countries, Ethics review boards in the academia, and specifically for social and behavioral sciences (SBS) research, is a relatively new, and still a controversy inducing endeavor. This study explores the establishment and functioning of ERBs in Israeli academia, serving as a case study for the challenges and progress made in ensuring ethical research practices in non-medical related spheres. A purposeful sample of 46 participants was selected, comprising ERB current or past members and SBS researchers, who each interacted extensively with ERB’s evaluation processes. The participants came from all eight research universities of Israel, as well as seven large public and private academic colleges. Open, semi structured In-depth interviews were conducted in order to facilitate a critical reflective stance among the various participants, exploring their experiences, behaviors and the meanings they assign to ERB processes. Our research revealed two major themes. The first is the developmental trajectories in the construction processes of ERBs in Israel, comprised of the following stages: Initiation, expansion, opposition, and acceptance and assimilation. The second was a typology of participation throughout the ERBs’ construction process. Inspired by Merton’s strain theory, this typology includes conformists, ritualists, ideologists, control-freaks, and insurgents. The findings expose a unique perspective into the initiation, establishment, and development of ERBs, which can shed light on the role of ERBs in general, as well as point out how resistance to ERBs, as well as the different reasons for championing them, affected not only ERBs form and their legitimacy, but also their interaction with researchers.

The Republic of North Macedonia's Research Ranking Platform for Academic Staff and Universities

In the present-day realm of higher education, the integration of open data and machine learning has become a crucial means of improving the evaluation and ranking of research publications by university professors. This research endeavours to address the pressing need for an effective computerized paradigm that combines the collection, analysis, and use of public data in higher education. The main objective is to provide recommendations in the form of informative reports for interested institutions and to rank university professors' scientific works on an open data platform. This research not only contributes to the advancement of educational evaluation methodologies but also responds to the growing importance of open data and machine learning in modern higher education. By automating the assessment of research publications, universities can better track and enhance their academic impact, ultimately fostering a culture of excellence in research and innovation.

Ocular surface changes during COVID-19 pandemic among university faculty members with dry eye disease in northern India: A longitudinal study

ObjectiveThe pandemic has brought a paradigm shift in pedagogical modalities throughout the world, with a resultant increase in screen time and ultra-violet light exposure among both students and teachers. The current study was conducted to analyze ocular surface changes in university faculty members with dry eye disease (DED) during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among university faculty members of a medical university in India. An online questionnaire was sent via social media from December 2020 to January 2021, which consisted of questions on demographic details, DED symptoms and use of visual display terminals. All those participants who had DED based on Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score were followed-up after one month when the pandemic had subsided. ResultsOut of the 150 faculty members in the university, 130 completed the survey (response rate 86.7%). The number of participants with symptomatic DED based on OSDI score was 111 (85.3%). All these participants showed a statistically significant change in subjective measurement of DED symptoms after one month, using OSDI questionnaire. ConclusionDED symptoms increased during the pandemic and there was a statistically significant change in the OSDI scores suggestive of ocular surface damage and a positive relationship with increased digital screen time. The finding has implications as targeted interventions need to be undertaken to mitigate the effects of increased screentime, especially among populations with more duration of near work using digital screens.

Creation of Business Incubators in University Through the Perspective of Business Law

One of the most important ways to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education is to incorporate business incubators. However, there are other legal considerations related to the development and administration of these incubators, including commercial law and educational legislation. The legal framework governing the creation of business incubators in higher education institutions is examined in this qualitative investigation. The study examines liability concerns, contractual agreements, intellectual property rights, and regulatory compliance through interviews and document analysis. The results shed light on the difficulties and possibilities present in academic business incubation programs, providing legislators, college administrators, attorneys, and other interested parties with useful information

Clinical decision support tools useful for identifying sepsis risk.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the clinical decision support tools (CDSTs), POC Advisor (POCA), and Modified Early Warning System (MEWS) in identifying sepsis risk and influencing time to treatment for inpatients, comparing their respective alert mechanisms. This study was conducted at two academic university medical center hospitals. Data from adult inpatients in medical-surgical and telemetry units were analyzed from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. Criteria included sepsis-related ICD-10 codes, antibiotic administration, and ordered sepsis labs. Subsequent statistical analyses utilized Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, focusing on mortality differences by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Among 744 patients, 143 sepsis events were identified, with 83% already receiving treatment upon CDST alert. Group 1 (POCA alert) showed reduced response time compared with MEWS, while Group 3 (MEWS) experienced longer time to treatment. Group 4 included sepsis events missed by both systems. Mortality differences were not significant among the groups. While CDSTs play a role, nursing assessment and clinical judgment are crucial. This study recognized the potential for alarm fatigue due to a high number of CDST-driven alerts, while emphasizing the importance of a collaborative approach for prompt sepsis treatment and potential reduction in sepsis-related mortality.

Universalizing science literacy: How to transcend deficit models of teaching and learning

Student attrition figures are a hidden metric in universities. They signify institutional failure, inhibit branding and marketing campaigns, and displace blame onto individual students. Behind the thousands of cases of attrition are individual stories of shame, guilt, failure, confusion, and lost future hopes and aspirations. This article explores how students – in and through their diversity - can be supported to succeed. Critiquing the deficit model of teaching and learning and deploying both universal design and the abundance model of teaching and learning, this article provides new strategies for student success. We offer innovative methodologies to understand and enable productive pathways for students through a curriculum. The goal is to enhance and enliven science education and demonstrate the gift and power of well qualified university academics aligning innovative research and teaching.

Interweaving Narratives of Lived Experience in Mental Health Social Work Curriculum

ABSTRACT This study explored the metacurriculum of an undergraduate mental health social work subject that was developed and delivered collaboratively by lived experience and social work academics in a regional Australian university. Metacurriculum refers to implicit messages about how students learn how to learn that is, the ontological and epistemological positioning of curriculum. In this subject, students were invited to reflect on multiple, diverse, lived-experience narratives of mental distress as they developed their understanding of mental health social work practice. Using cooperative inquiry, we collectively critically reflected on the experience of teaching and learning with this curriculum. Coresearchers included a student who had completed the subject; a mental health social work practitioner/tutor, a social work academic, and a lived-experience academic who coproduced the subject material; and mental health academics acting as critical friends. Findings revealed engaging with lived-experience narratives was experienced as generating compassion for all humanity; challenging stigma by sharing the responsibility of positioning; and enabling critically reflexive dialogue. We concluded that diverse, lived-experience narratives can be incorporated to enact metacurriculum that aligns social work teaching and learning with emerging transformative approaches to mental health. IMPLICATIONS Incorporating diverse narratives of mental distress into curriculum can highlight the operation of intersectionality and privilege. Engaging with multiple narratives of mental distress undermines the binary construction of “them” and “us”. Metacurriculum enacting inclusive, collaborative knowledge development aligns teaching and learning with transformative mental health.

An Instrument to Assess Faculty Who Support Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder at Community Colleges

ABSTRACT Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are one of the fastest growing groups at the community college, and supporting faculty members who teach students with ASD is a challenge for college leaders. Faculty members need a knowledge base about these students as well as the pedagogical practices that lead to their success. There have been no instruments, however, specifically designed to explore community college faculty members knowledge about students with ASD and the instructional methods to support them. This paper presents the development of an instrument assessing faculty members knowledge about students with ASD and the pedagogical practices to help them succeed. The instrument also addresses faculty members preferences for professional development to enhance ASD student success. Implications for community college leaders are presented, including the using instrument to develop systematic professional development plans – involving both full-time and adjunct faculty – to improve instruction for ASD students.

Academic identities in today’s university: a visual study

ABSTRACT Recent years have seen the development of accountability processes to monitor the quality, autonomy, and performance of universities. These include the evaluation of university academics based on a quality quantification system that prioritizes research over other roles. For Spanish academics, their professional trajectories hinge entirely on successfully navigating evaluation procedures of this type. This study analyzes the impact of these processes on the academic identity of university teaching staff through an alternative and complementary perspective using visual methodologies. To this end, we employed collaborative image creation processes and engaged in reflective analysis, applying both narrative (vertical) and paradigmatic (horizontal) approaches. The results reveal the particular impact of evaluation processes on the identity of university academics. Additionally, we observed the influence of other elements that further amplify this impact, including job insecurity, the quest for employment stability, autonomy to fulfill the work role, as well as the prevalence of inequalities and competitiveness within access procedures. Consequently, we have identified the development of identities with distinct nuances, all underpinned by a common thread: subservience to the demands of evaluation processes, which have emotional and health consequences. This article concludes by proposing lines of action to enable the optimal development of academics.

Consciousness and Transcendence Effects the Emotional Intelligence and Teaching Quality among Private Universities

The ongoing evolution of high-quality university academics prompts an exploration of the factors defining teaching excellence. This study delves into the impact of consciousness and transcendence, spiritual intelligence (SI) elements, on lecturers' emotional intelligence (EI) and its influence on teaching quality. A structural model was developed utilizing data from a questionnaire survey with 125 usable responses. The results indicate partial mediation by both consciousness and transcendence between EI and teaching quality. This suggests that consciousness and transcendence enhance EI in university teaching, fostering adaptability and inclusivity and promoting transformative learning for well-rounded individuals.

Research data management practices of faculty members in Ghanaian universities

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the current research data management practices among researchers in Ghana and their impact on data reuse and collaborative research. The study aims to identify the methods used by researchers to store and preserve their research data, as well as to determine the extent to which researchers share their data with others.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a mixed-method research strategy to blend qualitative and quantitative data and is conducted at two public and two private universities in Ghana.FindingsThe study revealed that researchers in Ghana currently store and preserve their research data using personal devices, such as laptops, CDs and external flash drives, rather than keeping the data in university data repositories. They also do not share their research data with others, which negatively affects collaborative research. The current practice of storing data on personal devices and not sharing data with others hinders collaborative research. The study recommends that universities in Ghana revise their research policy documents to address RDM-related issues such as data storage, data preservation, data sharing and data reuse.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted at two public and two private universities in Ghana, but the findings were placed in a wider context through appropriate references.Practical implicationsThis study emphasises the need for sound research data management procedures to support research collaboration and data reuse in Ghana. Universities should provide incentives to academics to disclose their data to encourage data sharing and collaboration.Social implicationsThe government and management of universities should consciously invest in the needed technologies and equipment to implement research data management in their universities.Originality/valueThis study looks at how researchers in Ghana manage their research data and how it affects data reuse and collaborative research.

Navigating challenges in social science research: the impact of halo effect and inadequate academic socialization on Chinese young researchers

ABSTRACT While there exists an extensive body of literature on Early Career Researchers (ECRs), there has been a notable lack of focus on the hurdles encountered by ECRs in social sciences at local universities when it comes to academic publishing. This study addresses this gap by conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 15 Chinese university academics to explore the hindering factors affecting ECRs’ scholarly publishing in CSSCI-indexed journals. The research is grounded in the conceptual frameworks of the halo effect and academic socialization. The findings reveal a myriad of hindering factors operating at different levels, including macro-level factors such as the dilemma of growing demand and shrinking supply in CSSCI-listed journals, the halo effect’s impact on journal gatekeeping, and the insufficiency of constructive review feedback. Meso-level factors encompass the lack of academic mentorship and support, and the burden of teaching and administrative responsibilities. Micro-level factors involve inadequate speculative research skills, unfamiliarity with journal norms, diminishing confidence in research endeavors, and a shift in academic identity. To address these problems, academia, institutions, policymakers as well as academics need to take collective efforts to foster an environment that supports the growth and success of young social science researchers at local Chinese universities.

Effect of Organisational Factors on Intrapreneurial Behaviour of Public University Academicians in Malaysia

Academics in Malaysia have been working hard in recent years to move towards a more innovative and intrapreneurial culture with the support of the government. The aim of this study is to particularly look at the organisational factors that influence their intrapreneurial behaviour, as it is thought that organisational factors may have some effects on their intrapreneurial behaviour. It is also argued that a good environment and support from an academic institution will not be enough if an academician does not have intrapreneurial attributes. Alternatively, an academician with adequate intrapreneurial attitude may be demotivated to innovate in respective research and teaching activities, if his/her institution does not provide adequate support. An online survey questionnaire was circulated to 4 universities in the southern region of Malaysia from where 250 respondents took part in the survey. It was found that all four organizational factors considered in this study have a significant effect on intrapreneurial behaviour. The mediating role of gender was also sought. It was found that recognition of intrapreneurial activity does not show a significant effect on the intrapreneurial behaviour of academicians in the presence of gender. However, the other three variables (managerial support, flexible organisational structure, and favourable organisational culture) show significant effect on intrapreneurial behaviour while gender acts as a mediating variable.

The Role of University Academic Innovations in Agriculture and ICT to the Country’s Economic Transformation (A Case of Kapasa Makasa University)

In the recent past, Zambia has seen an increase in the number of institutions of higher learning and Kapasa Makasa University is one such Institution. Kapasa Makasa University (KMU) being the only public university in Muchinga province has put research and innovation at the helm of its daily academic activities. As a result the institution has between 2019 and 2021 developed a number of innovations, which if fully exploited by the government and private sector can have the potential to contribute significantly to the economic transformation of the country. In trying to actualize the implementation of these innovations, Management engaged various stakeholders in the industry to determine whether or not they can help to commercialize these innovations. As its motto state “Learn to Innovate”, KMU has put so much emphasis on innovations in the areas of ICTs and Agriculture which if well enhanced can help to contribute significantly to the economic transformation of the nation. Against this background the current study seek to investigate the role of university academic innovations in to the country’s economic transformation. To this effect a descriptive survey was conducted on the university population involving members of academic staff and students to determine the evolving role of university academic innovations on the country’s economic transformation. The results established that lack of deliberate academic policies aimed at commercializing innovations, inadequate stakeholder’s engagement (government and private sector), and lack of proper communication of innovation successes across internal and external audiences as well as limited financial resources are the main factors that hinder the innovations in universities from contributing to the country’s economic transformation. Based on the findings the study recommends that there is need to create strong partnership between the university, government and the industry in order to further develop and commercialize the innovations in university. In addition, the university authorities need to create academic policies that are aimed at commercializing innovations as well as deriving a proper and well-coordinated mechanisms to communicate the innovations to both internal and external audiences. Finally the study also concludes that university management need to adequately fund innovations in the institutions if they are to make a positive impact to the economic transformation of the country.