First Year Of Program Research Articles

A summer bridge program for first-generation low-income students stretches academic ambitions with no adverse impacts on first-year GPA

A large body of research documents the barriers faced by first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students as "hidden minorities" on elite college campuses. Although existing studies show brief psychological interventions can help mitigate some of these obstacles, universities are investing in more intensive interventions that try to both shift mindsets and mitigate structural disadvantages in FGLI students' academic preparation. In collaboration with the administrators at a highly selective university, we conducted a randomized controlled trial of a summer bridge program targeted at FGLI students. During summers between 2017 and 2019, we randomly selected 232 out of 418 first-generation or low-income students and invited them to attend an intensive, six-week-long residential summer program featuring courses for academic credit. Students randomized to the control group either interacted with online content offering no academic credit or had no summer intervention. Our preregistered analysis shows that the program encouraged FGLI students to pursue a more ambitious first-year program, increasing the proportion of nonintroductory courses by 7 percentage points. The program also increased the proportion of courses taken for a grade rather than as pass-fail by 6 percentage points. These improvements were accompanied by no discernible impact on first-year grade point averages (GPAs) and academic withdrawal. The findings show the potential to academically integrate FGLI students into selective university communities.

Engagement Strategies in a Peer-quizzing Game: Investigating Student Interactions and Powergaming

Educational games are a popular means of engaging students in learning activities. However, students in game-based learning environments often engage in powergaming to reap undeserved rewards and spoil the experi-ence of their peers. This may happen when the students pretend to engage in game activities or collude with other students, exploiting the game settings and rules to maximize their points. In this explorative study, we investigate powergaming in three settings of an asynchronous online multiplayer peer-quizzing game in a blended learning setting – a first-year programming class in a Canadian university. We designed three experi-mental settings with three versions of an education game which allowed different levels of powergaming. The between-subject study involved three experimental groups: Group 1 used a game version where they received weekly performance feedback and tips on how to improve their performance, Group 2 used a game version with access to an existing resource bank, allowing them to maximize the number if their activities in the game, and Group 3 served as a control group with no additional interventions. The research aimed to investigate 1) the association between the power gamers' activity, their grades and their preference to work alone or in a group, 2) the types of activities (type of quiz questions) most used by power gamers, and 3) which game setting was the most conducive to power gaming. The results show that better grades are not associated with higher activity levels in the game. Students who engaged in more diverse types of game activities had better learning outcomes The control Group 3 had the highest average grades. As we expected, Group 2 engaged in the high-est number of activities, esp. in creating questions, a form of powergaming. The qualitative results showed that contrary to our assumption the powergamers in Group 2 was not harmful, because it created a rich set of re-sources in the game and fostered student engagement in the game.

Student Motivations for Choosing the Re-Engineered First-Year Program at the University of Saskatchewan

As part of program evaluation and continuous improvement, the University of Saskatchewan deployed a survey across the common Re-Engineered First-Year (REFY) program in September 2022. Student answers to open-ended questions about their motivation to choose the REFY program were analyzed qualitatively using expectancy-value theory. This framework establishes four subjective task values that motivate behaviour (intrinsic, attainment, utility, and cost). Statistical analysis using logistic regression was then used to examine correlations between these motivators and student demographics. Results indicate costs specifically related to lack of final exams (24%) and costs unrelated to final exams (26%) were the most common motivators for choosing the REFY program, followed by intrinsic (17%) and utility (16%), with attainment (4%) being the lowest. The program features that students found most influential in their decision to join the REFY program included the opportunity to learn about different engineering disciplines, a lack of final exams, and competency-based assessment. Students also valued the program being designed to support them and to help them succeed; this program aspect is important to maintain because it strengthens motivation.

Academic Buoyancy Measurements of First Year Engineering Students at the University of Saskatchewan

As part of program evaluation and continuous improvement, the University of Saskatchewan deployed a survey across the common Re-Engineered First-Year (REFY) program in September 2022, and collected just over 300 responses. This survey included four questions developed by Martin and Marsh [3] to measure academic buoyancy, which these authors define as the ability to cope with everyday academic setbacks. In this study, the highest buoyancy question score (slightly positive) referred to dealing with setbacks, and the lowest (slightly negative) referred to the ability to deal with stress. Statistical analyses show a correlation between the responses to the two buoyancy questions related to stress, as well as between the responses to the two buoyancy questions related to setbacks. There is a statistically significant difference in all academic buoyancy scores between male and female respondents (male scores are higher). Buoyancy scores for students participating in high-performance competitive sports also tended to be higher than those in recreational sport activities. Members of clubs also tended to have higher scores than students engaged in other extra-curricular activities.

Student Demand by Engineering Discipline: Trends and Observations at One Institution

Engineering students most commonly select their discipline (i.e., program) before or during their first year of studies. Knowing what the student demand is for different engineering disciplines is important for program planning and the curriculum changes, and it may be helpful to students in their selection in situations where placement is done on a competitive basis. In this study, the demand for thirteen different disciplines at a large Canadian university with a common first-year program (i.e., where students start in their discipline in second year). The findings of this study are consistent with national trends in that mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, and computer engineering are in high demand, while manufacturing, environmental, mining, materials, and geological engineering are in lower demand. This study also considers the trends in demand, and reveals recent growth in biomedical, integrated, and computer engineering. Lastly, by considering patterns in student rankings, a mapping of programs commonly grouped together by students was determined.

Implementation of First-Year Aesthetic Education Program in University

We analyzed the first-year program in college aesthetic education that is promoted by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. Students need to take 11 general courses related to aesthetics in the four majors in art. Using a Student Aesthetic Literacy Questionnaire, we analyzed the aesthetic literacy of 608 students using the Levene test, the Shapiro-Wilk test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Dunn test. The results were analyzed to understand whether the students had different aesthetic literacy and performances by gender, grade, and college. At the same time, the correlation between the number of aesthetic-related courses taken, the number of times for aesthetic-related activities, and their self-aesthetic literacy was investigated. Female students were better at Visual Art Expression and Appreciation Skills than male students. To continue to promote aesthetic education programs, it is demanded to offer more diversified related courses and activities than at present. It is also necessary to conduct more targeted questionnaire surveys for future development.

Methodological opportunities for international students acquiring content and language integrated learning in a contemporary educational environment

Russian Federation has consistently ranked among the top ten countries in the world for the number of international students enrolled in secondary and higher education institutions to pursue a specialization. In this context, one of the most crucial and pressing problems of Russian pedagogy is the high-quality education. The current system, however, does not adequately address this issue, as seen by the high number of first-year international students that are expelled each year for not comprehending certain concepts in Russian language. In this regard, the goal of the study was to identify the challenges that prohibit international students from receiving a successful education in Russian universities' junior programs and to devise solutions to these challenges. Monitoring studies were carried out with the help of international students enrolled in the RUDN University's first-year programs for bachelor's, master's, and speciality degrees in order to achieve this objective. The data acquired show that the system of pre-university education for international students has to be modernized in terms of both the Russian language and specific academic areas. Subject-language integration as a learning strategy has enormous methodological promise for raising standards and effectiveness. Content and language integrated learning has a lot of methodological promise for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the current system. The author take into account and carefully analyze the technologies and guiding principles of this notion in relation to the duties of preparing international students for pre-university education. The theory and methodology of teaching the Russian language and specialized subjects in the Russian language to foreigners with a professional orientation are being developed by this research, which also helps to develop the conditions for maximizing the educational training of foreign students in Russian universities.

Examining Fijian first-year university students’ English proficiency on CEFR levels

English is the main lingua franca among the various ethnolinguistic groups in Fiji. This results in a sociocultural problem when students enter universities from different high school backgrounds. To this end, this study analysed the level of difference in writing abilities at the beginning of the first year of study and at the end of the first-year program of undergraduate students. The goal was to generate new insights that could inform ongoing efforts towards ameliorating academic English language proficiency in Fiji. The study took place at a university in Fiji where 120 students were sampled at the beginning of the first year and at the end of their first year of university program. This study used the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to evaluate student writing skills and for the development of curricula to meet students’ needs. The study employed quantitative research design to a longitudinal language testing research context. The CEFR was successful in gauging the student’s preparedness for university study and work life. Out of the 120 students, it was observed that from the 62 students who were at the A1 level at the end beginning of the year progressed to levels B1 and B2. Out of 62, 21 moved to B1 where 41 moved to B2. Further, 49 students from A2 level also progressed as 44 of these students had B2 and another 5 made substantial improvement by moving up to C1 level. The findings of this study can be used in improving support systems to enhance the smooth transition of multilingual students from high school through university and into the workforce. The analyses have the potential to provide insights into how Fijian undergraduate students are performing compared to students in other countries and how the EFL curriculum might be adapted to students’ needs.

Exploring the Validity of Continuous Assessment in a First-Year Programming Course at a Comprehensive Open Distance e-Learning University

Continuous assessments are commonly used to determine students’ level of understanding to implement measures to address any shortcomings. Assessment practices of programming courses at distance universities have always had numerous drawbacks due to large student bodies and time constraints. The large student body, in most instances, creates questions related to the validity and authenticity of the assessments. Time constraints in grading large numbers of assessments create questions related to the validity and authenticity of the feedback on assessments. The assumption is that the more assessments required for programming courses in a distance learning environment, the more chances there are for cheating and the less time there is to provide feedback for learning. This paper will investigate and report on assessment practices that were adopted in a first-year programming course to ensure valid authentic continuous assessment. Experiences shared in this paper offer programming instructors and the e-learning community, in general, an opportunity to make decisions on the extent to which they can use the continuous assessment strategies employed in their own settings.

Students’ Views on the Nature of Science in an Interdisciplinary First-Year Science Program: Content Analysis of a Weekly Reflection Activity

A primary aim of science education is to teach students how to interpret and engage with scientific information. To do so effectively requires an adequate understanding of the nature of science (NOS)—in other words, what science is and how it works. There is a long history of evidence to suggest that many undergraduate students struggle to properly understand NOS. While the specific factors contributing to misinformed views on NOS may be difficult to tease apart, the way in which students learn about science at the undergraduate level is a significant contributor. We implemented a reflection activity in a unique first-year program at a large Canadian university in order to promote student learning of NOS. Through the students’ reflections, we identified how certain pedagogical approaches, many of which deviate from traditional teaching methods used throughout undergraduate science education, can positively impact student comprehension of NOS. Our experiences support the use of reflective practices in promoting critical thinking and the development of more nuanced student views of NOS.

Developing a Data Fellowship Program and Peer-to-Peer Support Model

Objectives: To support the library’s research data services program and provide opportunities for student employees to gain skills in supporting data science research and teaching, the author led the creation of a data fellowship program at their institution. The author describes the development of the program’s peer-to-peer support model and how that model was integrated into the library’s broader research data services program.Methods: There were two aspects to the fellowship’s peer-to-peer support model. First, the data fellows provided direct support to their peers—through instruction, reference support, and outreach—who were engaged in data-related research projects and class assignments. Second, the fellows engaged in professional development and learning opportunities led by library colleagues. Results: During the first year of the program, the data fellows provided virtual data reference support, developed two CANVAS modules, conducted an email outreach campaign, and authored several blog posts. Furthermore, the data fellows received data reference training and engaged in discussions with library experts on pertinent data-related topics. These discussions provide the fellows with knowledge and skills that can be utilized both during and after the fellowship.Conclusions: The first year of the STEM Data Fellowship program proved to be successful in establishing the foundation for a robust peer-to-peer learning and support model for research data services at the author’s institution. The author plans to further enhance and grow the program in future years by providing more opportunities for established and new data fellows to contribute to the library’s ongoing RDS efforts.

Implementation of a Technology-Enhanced Peer Mentor Referral System for First-Year University Students.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41347-023-00303-8.

Flipping the (COVID-19) Classroom: Redesigning a First-Year Information Literacy Program during a Pandemic

The literature on information literacy identifies several significant challenges inherent in designing and providing comprehensive first-year programs, including reach, sustainability, instructional design, the flipped classroom, and assessment. In summer 2020, in response to the requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic, the User Experience and Student Success (UESS) Department at Tisch Library of Tufts University developed an innovative approach to instruction that addressed these challenges. The new concept optimized online learning in both asynchronous and synchronous modes and created a sustainable program for the future. This article outlines the process used to develop this program, its learning outcomes, and the results of both student learning and programmatic assessment.

As You Like It: Building, Executing, and Assessing an Adaptable Library Instruction Program for First-Year Experience Courses

Providing targeted experiences for first-year students both inside and outside the classroom is essential for building connections and creating a foundation for skill development necessary for academic success. Many first-year programs include a standalone course for incoming students or specific content weaved into existing course offerings. Information literacy skill-building holds an important place in these efforts; therefore, instruction librarians are provided additional opportunities to collaborate with faculty and reach students. Depending upon the size of the institution, however, the sheer number of first-year courses combined with shrinking library staff pose challenges. This Innovative Practices article is one library’s experience with building, executing, and assessing an information literacy program specific to the needs of first-year students in response to these challenges. Offering an array of library resources, collaborating on ideas for instruction delivery, and crafting a more intentional approach to assigning classes are solutions that may be adapted to address scalability and sustainability concerns.

Abstract P309: Long Term Outcomes From A Resistant Hypertension Program

Background: We report 10-year follow up data from a well-established Resistant Hypertension Program. Methods and Results: Between January 2012 and December 2021, there were 976 referrals, of which 357 were excluded, due to non-adherence/no-show. Therefore, demographic and clinical data from 619 patients are summarized in Table 1. Average duration of enrollment was 8.1 months with an average of 4.3 visits. The baseline and final data are shown in Table 2. Despite no weight loss, there were significant reductions in systolic BP (150.2 to 129.5 mmHg, p< 0.05) and diastolic BP (84.8 to 76.3 mmHg, p< 0.05). Average number of antihypertensive medications increased from 1.7 to 3.4, p< 0.05). There data are very similar to those from the first year of the program. Conclusions: Ten-year data from a well-established Resistant Hypertension Program maintained significant blood pressure reductions, similar to results from the first year of program.

Implementing kiva antibullying program in pioner schools in Spain

This study analyzes the implementation of the KiVa Antibullyiing program in Spain with 10 pioneer schools. This research has two aims. The first is a preliminary evaluation of the KiVa program’s implementation in the pioneer schools in Spain. To do so, the perceived levels of bullying and victimization have been analyzed through the surveys done anonymously by the students of 10 KiVa schools before and after the program’s implementation. The second is to identify the factors which explain the phenomenon with a view to knowing the background of the victims and the bullies and proposing courses of action. To do so, the school environment (atmosphere in the classroom and in the school), the perception of the students concerning teachers and parents in relation with the phenomenon (attitude, capacity and behavior) and the communication of the victims were analyzed in their environment in the case of bullying. In the empirical study, analyses were performed of the prevalence of bullying before and after the first year of program’s implementation, as well as an analysis of independence and multiple correspondences. This enables identifying the key variables and drawing conclusions about how the children surveyed live out school bullying in the pioneer Spanish KiVa schools, and what aspects should guide other schools interested in preventing bullying.

The teaching of the cello in Spain: An analysis of the planning frameworks used for teaching in conservatories

One might think that the elementary teachings of an instrument should follow uniform planning patterns. The present study shows discrepancies between the models developed by different Spanish conservatories, mainly attributable to the guidelines established by each autonomous community concerning the order of the curriculum markedly influenced by each community’s circumstances. This article analyzes and compares first-year didactic programs in the elementary music teachings of 40 Spanish conservatories within the cello specialty. This work shows significant heterogeneity in planning, marked mainly by the variety of content in planning. The lack of unified criteria and standards for teaching planning is evident in teachers’ freedom to establish the contents and evaluation criteria within the framework of regulations in each autonomous community, whose generality prevents the establishment of standard criteria. It is urgent and necessary to design training plans and standard content that consider improved learning practices and strategies to offer quality training based on common standards.

Exploring the Use of Tweets and Word Clouds as Strategies in Educational Research

This paper presents personal insights and discussions on the exploration of specific strategies which relate to data collection and analysis used to support the focus group discussion data collection and preliminary analysis of a doctoral research entitled Undergraduate students’ experiences of learning with digital multimodal texts. The main objective of the doctoral research was to understand the different ways undergraduate students experienced learning with digital multimodal texts (DMTs) within the context of a history module included in their first-year programme of studies both as readers (consumers) and authors (producers). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, written reflection accounts, a focus group discussion and consideration given to the DMT (a video) produced by the participants. The focus group discussion event included a hands-on task whereby participants were requested to write their views in response to a given prompt question in the form of tweets. Also, the written tweets were visualised as word clouds for the purpose of initial analysis. The findings reported in this paper, which are based on observation notes and investigation of the word clouds, suggest that the tweet-related, hands-on task acted as a good ice breaker, making the participants feel at ease and more relaxed about sharing their views amongst each other while eliciting discussions and fostering deeper thinking. Also, the word clouds were revealed to be an effective data visualisation tool allowing emerging and salient themes to stand out from the participants’ written tweets and reflections.

Learning Mathematics through WhatsApp Groups in University Preparatory Program during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined the impact of learning through social media (WhatsApp learning groups) on university students' mathematics achievements in the first-year university preparatory program when they engaged in some form of social media learning interaction compared with students who did the same module with a traditional face-to-face interaction learning approach. The study was undertaken using a quantitative research method. It employed a randomised Post-Test-Only with a Non-equivalent Groups design to investigate the only statistically significant difference between university students who studied through the traditional face-to-face lecturing approach and students who utilised a blended approach to learning mathematics. The study population comprised first-year university students enrolled for the university extended programme offered by all universities in South Africa. The sample consisted of 192 experimental groups and 341 control group students conveniently sampled from a university in South Africa. The main instruments used in this study were two standardised semester exams. These tests were checked and moderated by senior mathematics lecturers to ensure they conformed with the module content and satisfied all assessment policies of the university. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was used to measure the consistencies in these two-semester exams. The study's main finding showed no statistically significant difference in results between students who studied Mathematics through a face-to-face lecturing approach and students who studied mathematics through a blended learning approach. The study concludes that the latter performed slightly better than students in the former, confirming that a WhatsApp learning group can be a viable alternative to the teaching and learning at the university when face-to-face learning is not possible, as for an example in the Covid-19 era. The study recommends that more profound research be conducted to identify and analyse positive indicators when learning is done through social media interaction.

Shoot2Learn: Fix-and-Play Educational Game for Learning Programming; Enhancing Student Engagement by Mixing Game Playing and Game Programming

Aim/Purpose: The key objective of this research is to examine whether fix-and-play educational games improve students' performance in learning programming languages. We also quantified the flow experiences of the students and analyzed how the flow contributes to their academic performances. Background: Traditionally, learning the first computer programming language is considered challenging, In this study, we propose the fix-and-play gaming approach that utilizes the following three facts to alleviate certain difficulties associated with learning programming: 1. digital games are computer programs, 2. young students are fond of playing digital games, and 3. students are interested in creating their own games. Methodology: A simple casual game Shoot2Learn was created for learning the fundamentals of branching. A number of errors were intentionally implanted in the game at different levels, and the students were challenged to fix the bugs before continuing the game. During the play, the program keeps records of the student’s academic progress and the time logs at different stages to measure the flow experience of the students. The proposed approach was systematically evaluated using a quasi-experimental design in real classroom settings in two countries, Sri Lanka, and USA. Contribution: The results derived from this research provide empirical evidence that the fix-and-play educational games ease some challenges in learning programming and motivate the students to play and learn. Findings: The results show that the first-year programming students who play the fix-and-play game gain statistically significant improvement in their academic performance. However, the result fails to suggest a significant positive correlation between the flow experience and academic performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Empowering the students to fix the bugs in the educational games they play will motivate them to stay in the game and learn continuously. However, we have to make sure that the types and timing of bugs do not hinder the flow experience of the players, Recommendation for Researchers: Students normally play industry-level high-quality games. Experience and interest in game-playing differ significantly between students. Gender difference also plays an important role in selecting game genres. We need to identify how to address these issues when resources are not sufficient to provide an individualized gaming experience. Impact on Society: Programming is an essential skill for computer science students. The outcome of this research shows that the proposed approach helps to reduce the disenchantment associated with learning the first programming language. Future Research: Further investigation is necessary to verify whether the AI techniques such as user modeling can be used in educational games to reduce the effects of uncertainty associated with the variations in students' gaming skills and other factors.