Future Curriculum Planning Research Articles

Al in Secondary Classroom: A Study of Its Impact on Student Engagement, Personalized Learning, and Academic Progress

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasing woven itself into the fabric of our lives yet its full potential in education remains untapped. Despite its widespread use AI has not been seamlessly integrated within our education system. To ascertain the transformative impact of AI in education, this study explored the use of AI tools over a one-week period in classroom instruction. Following this, students showcased their learning using AI tools to key stakeholders. The level of student engagement was closely monitored, and an assessment was conducted to evaluate their academic progress. This study provides valuable insights for educators to inform future curriculum planning and instructional strategies.

Bridge to Practice: A Qualitative Evaluation of Joint Medical Program (JMP) International Medical Graduates Perceived Preparedness for Professional Practice.

This study sought to examine the views of international graduates regarding how they perceived the Joint Medical Program Bachelor of Medicine (JMP BMed) undergraduate training prepared them to practice in a health system different from that in which they had studied. Eighteen international graduates of the JMP between 2010 and 2017 inclusive agreed to be interviewed face-to-face. JMP BMed international graduates were interviewed using 18 standardized questions to elicit perceptions of their preparedness to practice and reflections on their training experience. The interview data were qualitatively analyzed, and the main themes were identified and categorized. Overall, the international graduates of the JMP BMed curriculum felt well-prepared for tasks associated with communication, self-directed learning, and approaching mental health issues. Conversely, they perceived the level of clinical exposure and experience as inadequate in preparing them for the expected level of medical knowledge and responsibility. They also felt underprepared for navigating a different health system. The strengths and weaknesses identified in the JMP BMed program in its preparation of international graduates, particularly those who chose to practice in their country of origin, are of relevance for all medical schools that enrol international students. Greater awareness of the needs of international medical students returning home to practice may be of value for future curriculum planning purposes to ensure that medical schools optimally prepare their graduates to practice with confidence in a range of healthcare systems.

The Lighthouse Framework: Proposing a Movement-Based Constructivist Framework for Early Childhood Music Education and Pre-Service Education Programs

This article aims to provide practical strategies and examples for pre-service early education programs and early education teachers to develop music- and movement-based curricula for teacher preparation programs and early childhood music classrooms. To address the inconsistencies in early childhood music programs, the authors developed the Lighthouse Framework, which utilizes constructivist ideology to help students learn through and adapt the teaching model while simultaneously learning music- and movement-based content. Through this proposed framework, pre-service teachers can gain authentic teaching experience, real-time feedback, and an adaptable framework for their future curriculum planning.

Blended Learning in Algeria: Assessing Students' Satisfaction and Future Preferences Using SEM and Sentiment Analysis.

Given the still existing restrictions of COVID-19, blended learning is undoubtedly becoming a better-fitting strategy for higher education institutions in underprivileged countries. Acknowledging the current changes in higher education, this study aims to investigate the elements that influence students' satisfaction and their future preferences regarding blended learning in Algeria. A total of 782 questionnaires were collected from different Algerian universities. A structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship among the latent variables of the proposed theoretical model. Moreover, an unsupervised sentiment analysis approach was applied to analyze the qualitative data received in the form of feedback from the participants. The results show that students' perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of blended learning had a significant positive impact on their satisfaction. Similarly, satisfaction had a positive influence on students' future preferences regarding blended learning. In turn, students' perceived ease of use and usefulness had an indirect effect on their future preferences, mediated by satisfaction. Additionally, qualitative data echoed students' eagerness to adopt more advanced learning technologies and what obstacles currently stand in their way. The contribution of this study is to reflect the current situation of blended learning adoption in developing countries and to support future curriculum planning and development. It can also help teachers, students, and policymakers to make better decisions and recommendations for an improved and more sustainable learning and teaching environment in the future.

Impact of a simulation-based interprofessional workshop (LINKS) on Portuguese healthcare students’ perception of roles and competencies: a quasi-experimental pilot study

There is a scarcity of simulation-based interprofessional (IP) programs in Portugal, with a notorious absence in undergraduate education. This paper describes the first step towards the development of an interprofessional education (IPE) undergraduate program, namely the implementation and preliminary assessment of the workshop LINKS – Lifting INterprofessional Knowledge through Simulation. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the educational effect of LINKS, in medical and nursing undergraduate students’ attitudes towards IP teamwork and collaborative practices, and their perception of roles and competencies within an IP team. A total of 23 final-year students participated in the workshop. Teams of three or four elements (medical and nursing students) were exposed to two critical patient management simulation scenarios. To assess the impact of the workshop on students’ perception of IP collaborative practice, two surveys (ATTITUDES and IPEC) were applied before and after the workshop. Additionally, students’ opinion/satisfaction towards the workshop and its curricular integration was explored. Students’ awareness of the relevancy of IP learning and self-competency in IP practice improved. For all subdomains and overall scores, statistically significant differences were found when comparing the pre- and post-scores, for both medical and nursing students, in both surveys. All students agreed that the workshop added educational value to their training, and recommended its integration in the formal curriculum, with a first round in the penultimate year and repeated in the last year. Considering the pre–post test results and anecdotal comments shared during the session, we may infer that this single IPE event contributed to a clearer understanding of the team dynamic and individual role definition, increased the motivation to engage in collaborative practice between physicians and nurses and potentially challenged pre-existent stereotypes of each professional group. These findings corroborate the need for sustainable simulation-based IP programs, integrated in the undergraduate curricula, promoting early clinical interactions of different professional groups. We envision that the results of this study can help to inform future curriculum planning and provide useful insights that can be used within and between Portuguese institutions to develop a common IP undergraduate program.

Transfusion camp: A retrospective study of self-reported impact on postgraduate trainee transfusion practice.

The optimal method of postgraduate transfusion medicine (TM) education remains understudied. One novel approach is Transfusion Camp, a longitudinal 5-day program that delivers TM education to Canadian and international trainees. The purpose of this study was to determine the self-reported impact of Transfusion Camp on trainee clinical practice. A retrospective analysis of anonymous survey evaluations from Transfusion Camp trainees over three academic years (2018-2021) was conducted. Trainees were asked, "Have you applied any of your learning from Transfusion Camp into your clinical practice?". Through an iterative process, responses were categorized into topics according to program learning objectives. The primary outcome was the rate of self-reported impact of Transfusion Camp on clinical practice. Secondary outcomes were to determine impact based on specialty and postgraduate year (PGY). Survey response rate was 22%-32% over three academic years. Of 757 survey responses, 68% of respondents indicated that Transfusion Camp had an impact on their practice, increasing to 83% on day 5. The most frequent areas of impact included transfusion indications (45%) and transfusion risk management (27%). Impact increased as PGY increased with 75% of PGY-4+ trainees reporting impact. In multivariable analysis, the impact of specialty and PGY varied depending on the objective. The majority of trainees report applying learnings from Transfusion Camp to their clinical practice with variations based on PGY and specialty. These findings support Transfusion Camp as an effective means of TM education and help identify high-yield areas and gaps for future curriculum planning.

The impact of COVID-19 on rheumatology training-results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance trainee survey.

ObjectiveThe aim was to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the clinical experiences, research opportunities and well-being of rheumatology trainees.MethodsA voluntary, anonymous, Web-based survey was administered in English, Spanish or French from 19 August 2020 to 5 October 2020. Adult and paediatric rheumatology trainees were invited to participate via social media and email. Using multiple-choice questions and Likert scales, the perceptions of trainees regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient care and redeployment, learning and supervision, research and well-being were assessed.ResultsThere were 302 respondents from 33 countries, with 83% in adult rheumatology training. An increase in non-rheumatology clinical work was reported by 45%, with 68% of these having been redeployed to COVID-19. Overall, trainees reported a negative impact on their learning opportunities during rheumatology training, including outpatient clinics (79%), inpatient consultations (59%), didactic teaching (55%), procedures (53%), teaching opportunities (52%) and ultrasonography (36%). Impacts on research experiences were reported by 46% of respondents, with 39% of these reporting that COVID-19 negatively affected their ability to continue their pre-pandemic research. Burnout and increases in stress were reported by 50% and 68%, respectively. Physical health was negatively impacted by training programme changes in 25% of respondents.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on rheumatology training and trainee well-being. Our study highlights the extent of this impact on research opportunities and clinical care, which are highly relevant to future curriculum planning and the clinical learning environment.

Teaching sustainability to online healthcare students: a viewpoint

Sustainability is an essential component of education today, as it is regarded as a global requirement in higher education. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have witnessed a rapid increase in healthcare student numbers within the online learning department of our university. While the importance of sustainability is recognised, how to educate this to online healthcare students remains to be discussed. Accordingly, this viewpoint paper identifies challenges regarding the integration of sustainability education and reports our attempts to address these challenges. The lack of time in the curriculum, minimal sustainability knowledge from healthcare educators, understanding of clinical relevance and consistency in curriculum planning were identified as the four key problems. To address this, at our university, sustainability content was introduced to the learning materials, academic staff increased their subject knowledge, an interdisciplinary student conference targeting sustainability was utilised, and future curriculum planning will see sustainability embedded. Informal feedback from students and staff has been positive, indicating a need for empirical investigation. Insights offered in this viewpoint can provide ideas for non-sustainability educators who wish to embed sustainability education in a feasible time and cost-effective way.

Problem-Based Learning and Capstone Course Teaching Strategies for University Social Responsibility: The Case of a Packaging Design Course

Most design courses in Taiwanese universities still follow the traditional teaching methods that cannot address the complex and interdisciplinary problems of the real world. In response to this, this study tries to integrate problem-based learning and capstone course approaches with university social responsibility to packaging design courses. It expects the hybrid teaching model will allow third-year college students to gain problem-solving skills, practical experience, and awareness of social responsibility in the design process. Therefore, this paper aims at addressing the following purposes: (1) explore each teaching approach’s features and the influence on design education; and (2) identify the implementation process for the new hybrid teaching method. This study uses qualitative research to obtain primary information, including authors’ observation and reflection and semi-structured interviews with 12 students and four clients. After three years of data collection and analysis, this study validates that the hybrid teaching method is suitable for design education and proposes a seven-stage implementation model applied to professional design courses. Adjustment according to the needs of different fields, providing a reference for teachers’ future curriculum planning and practice is included.

Post-COVID-19 Students’ Remote Learning Experiences from the Discipline of Tourism and Hospitality Management at The University of the South Pacific

he COVID-19 pandemic changed the perceptions and feelings of belonging to a community, country, or world. The increase in worldwide mobility and travel has affected many in recent decades. Pacific Island mobility is focused on education, employment, migration and maintenance of familial ties, with travel for leisure relatively uncommon except for visiting friends and relatives. However, the abrupt pause on travel within Fiji on 30th March 2020 left many with unanswered questions and a lingering sense of uncertainty and fear. This intensified with increased COVID-19 cases in Fiji and The University of the South Pacific (USP) moving to online learning. While the transition from the physical learning environment to virtual platforms highlights the potential of online learning in Pacific Island Countries, it is important to understand student experiences and perceptions to assist with the planning and developing academic curricula. This study investigated students’ online learning experiences in the Discipline of Tourism and Hospitality Management at the USP post-COVID-19, using an online survey and Zoom to conduct interviews. The study aimed to understand the effects of the different core components of the online learning environment on the students’ experiences and perceptions. In addition, the study investigated the coping measures students used to deal with self-isolation, maintaining relationships, and the sudden change from onsite to online classes caused by COVID-19. It explored the extent to which students have been affected by the pandemic. Findings revealed that while students found online learning difficult, they reported a generally positive attitude towards this mode of study. Online learning allowed students to spend more time with their families and friends. Students also found new and innovative ways to utilise technology to facilitate their learning. However, students did miss the socialisation aspects of attending face-to-face classes and faced mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and depression. This study will contribute to research in online education in tourism and hospitality literature and help educational institutes, including USP, with future curriculum planning and development.

A Pilot Study on Diagnostic Radiology Residency Case Volumes From a Canadian Perspective: A Marker of Resident Knowledge.

New guidelines from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have proposed minimum case volumes to be obtained during residency. While radiology residency programs in Canada are accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, there are currently no minimum case volumes standards for radiology residency training in Canada. New changes in residency training throughout Canada are coming in the form of competency-based medical education. Using data from a pilot study, this article examines radiology resident case volumes among recently graduated cohorts of residents and determines whether there is a correlation between case volumes and measures of resident success. Resident case volumes for 3 cohorts of graduated residents (2016-2018) were extracted from the institutional database. Achievement of minimum case volumes based on the ACGME guidelines was performed for each resident. Pearson correlation analysis (n = 9) was performed to examine the relationships between resident case volumes and markers of resident success including residents' relative knowledge ranking and their American College of Radiology (ACR) in-training exam scores. A statistically significant, positive correlation was observed between residents' case volume and their relative knowledge ranking (r = 0.682, P < .05). Residents' relative knowledge ranking was also statistically significant and positively correlated with their ACR in-training percentile score (r = 0.715, P < .05). This study suggests that residents who interpret more cases are more likely to demonstrate higher knowledge, thereby highlighting the utility of case volumes as a prognostic marker of resident success. As well, the results underscore the potential use of ACGME minimum case volumes as a prognostic marker. These findings can inform future curriculum planning and development in radiology residency training programs.

Why Quitting Double-degree Programs: Students’ Perceptions in China

Around the world, colleges have been providing opportunities for students to participate in double-degree programs. In the past 30 years, double-degree education at tertiary level has been developing fast in China. While many studies focused on its positive effects, little attention was paid to its shortcomings. Through a focus group interview of five undergraduates from a Chinese university, this study revealed some underlying deficiencies of China&amp;rsquo;s double-degree education. The interview comprehensively uncovered participants&amp;rsquo; motives, expectations, difficulties and reasons for quitting with regard to their double-degree programs. Colleges&amp;rsquo; failure to live up to expectations (i.e., quality of courses, teachers, job prospects) and students&amp;rsquo; lack of external support were found to be the main causes that led students to cease their studies. School policies and personal reasons also contributed to their decisions. This research provides advice for future curriculum planning and management of double-degree education from the perspectives of students, teachers and universities.

Changes in attitudes of first-year dental school students toward end of life care after a lecture

Objective: End-of-life care is important to improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients. However, dental school students have few opportunities to learn about such care. The present study was performed to allow future curriculum planning by chronologically examining the influence of an end-of-life care lecture on students’ attitudes toward end-of-life care. Methods:The participants were 48 first-year dental school students (25 men and 23 women; medianage, 19.5y; range, 18 – 26y). The students’ attitudes toward end-of-life care were measured using a shortened version of the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale, Form B, Japanese version.The survey was carried out three times—prior to the lecture, immediately after the lecture, and 7 months after the lecture to capture changes over time. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for statistical analysis. Results: A 100% collection rate/valid response rate was achieved before and immediately after the lecture. Furthermore, 91.7% of those who responded to the survey returned valid responses 7 months after the lecture. Of the six items, the post-lecture score for “it is meaningful for me to care for dying patients” increased significantly from the pre-lecture score (p &lt; 0.05), but that recorded 7 months after the lecture did not show a significant difference from the pre-lecture score (p &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: One-off lectures have limited influence on attitudes and awareness regarding end-of-life care among first-year dental students. Thus, a systematic curriculum over 6 years is necessary.

Qualitative data for examining fixed and incremental concepts of language learning: A search for the stories behind students’ motivation

Although quantitative tools are often employed to examine students’ beliefs in language learning, qualitative interviews can offer further depth and insight on these beliefs, by shedding light on the detail of the experiences behind student perceptions. This is important to understanding student motivation in the language classroom, since beliefs form one of the important pillars behind motivation and language learning goals. The present study analyzed beliefs for 8 students in English for Hospitality vocational courses (2 male and 6 female from 25 to 43 years of age) in one-to-one, narrative interviews, looking both to the content of what students chose to share and the form in which they expressed themselves. This population is particularly interesting given that other studies in vocational studies indicate a lack of study persistence due to problems in motivation. Utilizing this qualitative, open-ended approach allowed the authors to more specifically examine how students conceive language learning when understood as a story of their experience with languages. The rich descriptions that emerge from this methodology have been imported for future curriculum planning, as they describe in more detail students’ tendencies to categorize language learning as something passive or active, as an object or as a process, which should be taken into account in course planning to optimize study persistence.

Toward learner-centred high school curriculum-based research: A case study

In highlighting the importance of information literacy, this study focuses on bringing the notion of ‘voice’ to high school curriculum-based research. It hangs on the theory that when students learn to own their research by writing themselves into it after accessing, analysing, and interpreting related information, they become information literate. The inquiry group provided a working context within which the emergence of voice may be encouraged. This research is qualitative in nature and takes the form of a case study in which the lived experiences of six students, a history teacher, and a school librarian were examined. The application of an action research model saw the student participants completing their own research projects while employing the Big6 skills created by Eisenberg and Berkowitz (1990). The study combined the information search process from Library and Information Studies with social constructivist learning theories from Education. Researchers and scholars in Library and Information Studies and Education will find this study interesting and relevant. It will also add to the limited Caribbean literature on this topic and act as a guide for future curriculum planning and implementation by educational administrators and other key stakeholders.

Student film collaboration: The east–west dilemma

This paper outlines the results of a study examining student collaborative practice in screen production courses in Singapore and Australia. Of particular interest, is how the Australian curriculum, originally designed for graduates of a Western liberal higher education system, would translate to a culturally diverse group of students in Asia. The study was informed by the hypothesis that students in Asia would adopt an Eastern collective collaborative style and students in Australia would adopt a Western individualistic collaborative style. The survey was based on a US film-making questionnaire, which used Bilby's Wheelbook, a tool for assessing screen production personality types. The survey results demonstrated strong similarities in the collaboration styles of the two cohorts, revealing that a majority of students from both Australia and Singapore display traits of individualism, but acknowledging the importance of collaborative skills. The similarities suggest that globalization has had a significant impact on film-making practices, and that future curriculum planning should more clearly articulate these collaborative practices helping students to manage deadlines, resolve conflicts and sustain team dynamics.

HIV and rehabilitation: development of a conceptual framework for curriculum planning

The overall purpose of this paper is to present the development of a conceptual framework of existing HIV curricula and educational resources on to inform future curriculum planning for the education of rehabilitation professionals on rehabilitation in the context of HIV/AIDS. We conducted a scoping review of the literature from 1980 onwards to identify existing HIV curricula and resources used with current or future health professionals. Preliminary findings were reviewed with a national Advisory Committee and a framework was developed to inform future curriculum planning. The Conceptual Framework of Existing HIV Curricula for Health Professionals classified curricula based on whether it was interprofessional or uniprofessional, and targeted to rehabilitation professionals or more broadly included other health professionals. This framework consisted of four intersecting components that represented different types of curricula: (a) interprofessional HIV curricula specific to rehabilitation professionals, (b) uniprofessional HIV curricula specific to rehabilitation professionals, (c) interprofessional HIV curricula for health professionals, and (d) uniprofessional HIV curricula for health professionals. Evidence from the framework suggested that an interprofessional HIV curriculum designed for rehabilitation professionals may be an ideal model from which to build future HIV rehabilitation curricula. In summary, a range of HIV curricula exist that vary in the type of educational approach and the range of health professionals targeted. Future development, implementation, and evaluation of an interprofessional education curriculum will help to increase knowledge and capacity among current and future rehabilitation professionals so that they may better meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada.

The lived experiences of general student nurses on their first clinical placement: A phenomenological study

This phenomenological study explores and describes the 'lived' experiences of general student nurses on their first clinical placement in an Irish School of Nursing. The research question: 'What are the experiences of general student nurses on their first clinical placement?' provided the focus for the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine female student nurses and one male student nurse. Data from the interviews were collected, recorded and analysed using framework (Coliazzi, P., 1978 . Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In: Valle, R.S., King, M. (Eds.), Existential Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology, Oxford University Press, New York). Five core themes emerged: self-awareness, confidence, anxiety, facilitation and professional issues. The findings revealed that the standard of preparation for the placement was viewed positively though some aspects of preparation require a critical shift in thinking towards meeting the students' needs in future curriculum planning. The conclusions of the study indicate that the presence of mutual respect and regard for others had a positive impact on the students' self-esteem. The acquisition of knowledge led to an increase in confidence levels that subsequently reduced anxiety. This enhanced the learning process that was dependant upon the collaborative support and facilitation in the clinical learning environment. The findings prepare the way for further research that could continue to develop and maximise the educational value and clinical experience for undergraduate nursing students.

Multiculturalism: narrowing the gaps in art education

This article is a critical study of multiculturalism within British art education and examines aspects of the art school curriculum from compulsory levels of schooling to higher education. The study seeks to explore and to highlight relevant cultural theories connected with the student experience of art education, yet will also focus on how this ‘sits’ within the wider critical framework of education policy and practice and for or against prevailing issues in multicultural theory. The overall aim is to identify how multicultural referencing may or may not have been used in some of the current teaching strategies in art schools, colleges and universities in Britain and to note how unifying aspects of culture might be involved in the possibilities for future curriculum planning.

A Comparison of Private and Public Dental Students' Perceptions of Extramural Programming

This project was undertaken to compare the opinions of private and public dental school students' perceptions concerning extramural programming, which is defined as any aspect of the curriculum in which undergraduate dental students provide dental care outside the main dental facility. A survey instrument was used to collect data from undergraduate students at a private (N = 267; 88.4 percent response rate) and at a public (N = 213; 67.2 percent response rate) dental school. When asked to rate the value of various extramural sites in making them a better dentist, both groups rated private dental offices the most valuable and prisons the least valuable. When questioned about the amount of time students should spend each year in extramural programming, private students, overall, desired 34 percent more time than did public students. When asked what percentage of the total time spent in extramural programming students should spend providing various categories of dental care, public school students thought 26 percent more time should be spent rendering preventive services/health education than did the private students. The private students indicated a stronger desire (13 percent more) for rendering clinical services than did public students. Both private and public students were most likely to enter group private practice after graduation. The increasing interest in community-based programs makes the information gained from this study useful for future curriculum planning.