Important Learning Outcomes Research Articles

APPLICATION OF PRACTICE-ORIENTED EDUCATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TRAINING STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE SPECIALTIES

Modern social, economic, technical transformations make adjustments in the organization and training of personnel in engineering and natural science specialties, in the basic elements of the structure and content of educational programs. Adjustment of educational programs taking into account modern trends allows providing graduates with competitive advantages in the labor market. At the same time, the problems related to the imbalance of theoretical and practical training, the gap between the skills and competencies formed in students and the needs of the industrial sector, non-adaptation of technologies and teaching methods to the specifics of academic disciplines and expected learning outcomes are still relevant in engineering and science education. Accordingly, the aim of the work was to analyze the peculiarities of application of practice-oriented learning technologies in engineering and science training. In this work the most important learning outcomes for students and employers were determined, the main deficiencies in the skills and competencies of graduates were identified, students' satisfaction with the quality of organization and conduct of practical classes and professional practices was assessed, practice-oriented educational technologies used in teaching professional disciplines were ranked by the degree of importance. Based on the obtained results, a significant correlation between the responses of students and employees of companies/enterprises has been established, the effectiveness of the application of practice-oriented educational technologies to increase students' motivation for learning and responsibility for learning outcomes has been shown, it has been established that employees of companies/enterprises attach greater importance to learning outcomes related to the development of students' personal, social and technical skills and competencies.

Exploring Influential Factors and Conditions Shaping Statistical Literacy Among Undergraduate Students in Mathematics Education

Statistical literacy (hereafter SL) has been considered an important learning outcome in statistics learning in higher education, yet studies that focus on investigating the factors and conditions that influence students’ SL, especially mathematics education students, are still limited. This study seeks to uncover the factors and conditions that significantly contribute to the SL of mathematics education students. This survey study involved 1,287 mathematics education students from 21 higher education institutions in Indonesia. Linear regression analysis involving four predictor variables (i.e., gender, status of higher education institution, laptop ownership, and research preference) was performed to determine the variables that contributed significantly in predicting SL achievement. The results revealed that gender, higher education institution’s status, and laptop ownership contributed significantly, but research preference was not significant in predicting mathematics education students’ SL. Furthermore, laptop ownership was found to have the highest contribution in predicting mathematics education students’ SL. All findings and their implications are discussed.

Integrating theory, experience and social learning in a professionalisation trajectory aimed at developing primary school teachers’ diversity competences

ABSTRACT Although diversity in the classroom offers new opportunities for learning and can be a source of inspiration, teachers often experience a diverse student population as challenging. Teachers at five primary schools engaged in a professionalisation trajectory, in which teacher learning teams, supported by researchers, developed educational approaches for making use of the diversity in the classroom, and thus improving the teachers’ diversity competences. Starting point was the notion that diversity is a positive and multidimensional phenomenon. The professional development approach chosen was a combination of Experiential learning, Social learning and Theoretical learning (EST learning). We investigated to what extent and how this EST professional development approach contributed to an increase in teachers’ diversity competences. Members of the learning teams (N ≈ 20) completed questionnaires, and repeated interviews were conducted. Different trajectories originated, which mainly differed by the starting point chosen: experimenting, exchanging experiences, or reflecting on and translating theory. The most important learning outcome was awareness of multidimensional diversity in the classroom. For the participants the learning team was the most important source of (social) learning in this. Future research should examine how theory as a source for learning can take shape more effectively.

Teaching critical thinking in nutritional sciences: a model course and assignments.

Critical thinking is a common and important learning outcome in college curricula. Case-based and problem-based learning can be used to assess and foster critical thinking skills. HNF 250-Contemporary Issues in Human Nutrition is a critical thinking course developed during the redesign of a nutritional sciences major program. Course assignments were designed to assess the course and nutritional sciences major learning outcomes. The nutrition and health claim assignment is scaffolded across the academic semester as three assignments: 1) bibliography assignment; 2) poster presentation; and 3) paper. Course lectures and materials have been designed to prepare students for completion of each assignment. The assignments have been modified over time based on classroom observations and student performance. In 2021, the course learning outcomes were examined by assessing several assignments including the nutrition and health claim poster and paper. Course learning outcome benchmarks using these assessments generally included 80% of students achieving an 80% for each criterion. Results revealed that students were not meeting most of these assessment benchmarks during the 2021 iteration, although benchmark data from other course assessments were more satisfactory. It is possible that the transition from a virtual to an in-person format negatively influenced student performance on these course learning outcomes. This course and the nutrition and health claim assignment example can provide a course design and learning outcome assessment framework for other higher education critical thinking courses.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This paper describes how a scaffolded nutrition and health claim assignment is used to teach critical thinking skills among nutritional sciences students and examine the program's learning outcomes. Further, this course example is to serve as an model for STEM majors on how to incorporate case-based and problem-based learning strategies into an undergraduate course.

Improving University Second-year Students’ Problem-Solving Skills in Computer Science Course (Digital Logic course) through Engineering Design Process in Inner Mongolia

Many researchers regarded that problem solving skill is one of the most important learning outcomes to help students adapt to the learning and working environment (Xiao et al, 2019). Through reading a large number of articles and experimental research, this study finds that currently the development of and research on problem-solving skill in university students who are major in computer science in digital logic course in Inner Mongolia is limited, especially in the context of STEM education. STEM education is currently widely valued in the K12 stage, but the STEM literacy of college students also needs to be paid attention to. There is an important need for developing university students’ problem-solving skill systematically and effectively, revealing the importance of this research. In the research field, process of engineering design was designed to developing students’ problem-solving skill. In order to have an in-depth understanding of the research questions, mixed methods were adopted. Students were divided into 2 groups: Experimental Group and the Control Group. The participants were 1 teacher and 140 students at university second-year at a university in Inner Mongolia. To collect reliable and valid data, standardized test of problem-solving skill, teacher interview form was designed. Independent T-test was used to analyze the quantitative data.

EXPERT ASSESSMENT OF COMPETENCES AND LEARNING RESULTS FOR MASTER’S ACCORDING TO HIGHER EDUCATION STANDARD IN INFORMATION AND MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES

The purpose of this work is to analyze the learning processes at the second (master’s) level of higher education for the training of specialists in industrial engineering. To achieve the goal, an analysis was carried out and the importance of applied competencies and learning outcomes in the standard of higher education for obtaining the master’s degree in the specialty “Information and measurement technologies” was evaluated. The conducted research is based on expert assessments of scientists of the National Metrological Center of Ukraine and a higher technical education institution in one of the European countries. An algorithm for group expert assessment of the importance of competencies and learning outcomes has been proposed and substantiated, and their priority has been established. The most important competencies and learning outcomes that can significantly influence the quality of education in the specialty “Information and measurement technologies” have been determined. The identified competencies and learning outcomes with the least impact require attention, as this may indicate their formal nature. Taking into account the current trends in the development of the industry, provisions of current legislation, regulatory documents, established terminology in the field of metrology, and information and measurement technologies, experts proposed changes to the description of some competencies and learning outcomes. The results of the conducted research should be taken into account during the next revision of the standard of higher education for the preparation of masters in the specialty “Information and measurement technologies”. At the same time, special attention should be paid to those competencies and learning outcomes that, according to experts, have the least impact. Research findings can also be useful for universities in identifying procedures and areas for improvement that will allow for better alignment of curricula, competency acquisition, and learning outcomes.

Teaching Quality as Predictor of Student Engagement, Well-Being and Performance

The relevance of the study is due to the need to obtain reliable data on the components of effective teaching that affect important learning outcomes, such as motivation, engagement, academic performance, and well-being of school students. The purpose of the study was to analyze the contribution of three, actively discussed in the literature, psychological and pedagogical indicators of teaching quality, assessed by the school students, to their engagement, psychological well-being and academic performance. The study involved 2028 eighth-grade students (1085 girls, 906 boys and 35 of unspecified gender; mean age - 13.96, SD = 0.46) from 73 schools and 16 regions of the Russian Federation. The analysis of the respondents’ assessments included such indicators of teaching quality as the relevance of the learning content, psychological and instrumental support, as well as school engagement, indifference, academic performance and indicators of their satisfaction (with themselves, their teachers and school). The results of the regression analysis showed that the perceived psychological support from the teacher was the strongest predictor of the growth of all the types of educational engagement of school students and the decrease of all the types of educational indifference; besides, this component of teaching quality was a predictor of well-being in the context of school life (including the respondents’ satisfaction with their school, their teachers and themselves). The teacher’s instrumental support was the next most important predictor of cognitive and emotional engagement of the students and, no less important, was a negative predictor of all the types of learning indifference; it was also a predictor of the students’ satisfaction with their school and relationships with their teachers. Thus, the present study, conducted on a large and representative sample of Russian school students, has shown the positive effects of two components of teaching quality, namely, psychological support and instrumental support provided by the teacher. The effects of actual learning content are less clear, which casts doubt on the importance of teachers emphasizing the connection between the educational material and real life in order to maintain the motivation of school students. The results obtained can be used for training and retraining school teachers and improving teaching quality in Russian schools.

The Harvard Macy Institute Art Museum-based Health Professions Education Fellowship: Transformational faculty development through the arts

Museum-based education for health professionals can lead to a variety of important learning outcomes within the domain of skills development, personal insight, perspective-taking and social advocacy. The Harvard Macy Institute’s Art Museum-based Health Professions Education Fellowship was designed to develop faculty expertise in art museum-based practices, encourage scholarship, and cultivate a cohesive and supportive community of educators. The Fellowship was piloted from January to May 2019 with twelve interprofessional Fellows. Two in-person experiential sessions were held at Boston-area museums with intervening virtual learning. Fellows were introduced to a variety of approaches used in art museum-based education and developed a project for implementation at their home institution. A qualitative formative evaluation assessed immediate and 6-month post-Fellowship outcomes. Outcomes are reported in four categories: (1) Fellows’ personal and professional development; (2) Institutional projects and curriculum development; (3) Community of practice and scholarly advancement of the field; and (4) Development of Fellowship model. A follow-up survey was performed four years after the conclusion of the pilot year, documenting Fellows’ significant accomplishments in museum-based education, reflections on the Fellowship and thoughts on the future of the field.

Development and Validation of a Data Literacy Assessment Scale

ABSTRACTThe recognition of data literacy as an important learning outcome in higher education has led to a call for assessment tools to measure students’ data literacy. Although there has been a growing interest in the conceptualization of data literacy, the literature lacks a measuring instrument to operationalize data literacy. This study developed and validated a three‐factor, 24‐item data literacy assessment tool using a sample of 573 students from four community colleges in the United States. The data literacy scale developed in this study has respectable reliability and construct validity, supported by a concept analysis of data literacy, a comparative analysis of data literacy competency frameworks, an expert panel review, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis.

Lessons for becoming bison wise and bear aware in Elk Island National Park

ABSTRACT Biospheres are working landscapes that promote conservation and sustainable land-use while also providing space for outdoor recreation, environmental education, and research. This study focuses on Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada, which is part of the Beaver Hills Biosphere. The park is home to bison and black bears and growing visitor numbers have increased the potential for human-wildlife conflict. With a focus on the promotion of human-wildlife coexistence, this study takes a mixed-methods approach to develop and evaluate an environmental education program targeted to improve visitor awareness about safety around bison and bears at Elk Island National Park. The program was found to be effective in teaching visitors about safe behaviors around wildlife and key themes arose about important learning outcomes. In particular, the findings indicate interpretation and environmental education programs have the potential to increase awareness about safety for both humans and wildlife and shift away from more human-centric perceptions.

Determining Learning Outcomes Relevant for Logistics Higher Education on Sustainability and Industry 4.0

The ambitious goals of the European Union require companies to transform themselves into sustainable and smart. To do so, for example, in the logistics field, employees who will know how to implement green transport and logistics and how to establish smart systems based on a higher level of digital maturity are needed. This article lists 51 essential topics from Sustainability, Industry 4.0, Logistics 4.0, and Digitalisation areas, further supported by 127 unique learning outcomes gathered through a multi-stage international Delphi study including practitioners and academics. Experts from 6 countries participating in the study first identified the most important topics from the field and the connected learning outcomes in the following rounds, and consequently achieved consensus on the most important learning outcomes that the future workforce in the logistics sector should have. Supporting the logistics sector with a workforce educated based on this framework should help it reach the European Union’s strategic goals.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE MEDIA PRODUCTION MODEL AND DISSEMINATING ONLINE PUBLIC RELATIONS MATERIALS FOR THE ELDERLY IN KAMPHAENG PHET PROVINCE

The objectives of this research are as follows: 1) to study the historical narrative knowledge of Kamphaeng Phet Province and other provinces related to the historical narrative of Kamphaeng Phet Province 2) to study the development of the curriculum and conduct practical training on the curriculum for the elderly individuals narrating the historical narrative of Kamphaeng Phet Province and 3) to study the production format of historical narrative media and the online dissemination of public relations media by the elderly in Kamphaeng Phet Province. This research will utilize a mixed research methodology, including quantitative methods through surveys, with a total of 300 sets. This research utilized a mixed research methodology, combining quantitative research through surveys and qualitative research through primary data collection. The quantitative part involved 300 sets of questionnaires, while the qualitative part included interviews with 150 individuals and group discussions with 20 participants from two sub-districts: Nakhon Chum Sub-district and the urban area of Kamphaeng Phet Province. The research findings were found as follows: 1) regarding the historical narrative knowledge of Kamphaeng Phet Province, the study identified key historical sites such as Wat PhraBorommathat, Sala PhraIsuan, Wat Chang Rob, and Rajabhat Kamphaeng Phet University 2) concerning the curriculum development, it was found that participants in the training program should possess a basic understanding of history, be physically fit elderly individuals, and community leaders. The important learning outcomes included storytelling skills and the safe and creative production of online public relations media 3) regarding the production and dissemination of online historical narrative media, specifically four video clips, the research revealed the following stages: pre-production involved elderly individuals contributing to scriptwriting, production involved elderly narrators recounting various events, and post-production involved the participation of elderly individuals in reviewing the sequence of images and sound. Additionally, the research examined the online media consumption behavior of the elderly and found that mobile phones were the main device used, with a high average rating of 3.98. The most common time for using online media was in the morning (4:00 am to 10:00 am) with an average rating of 3.47. Websites were the most popular type of online media, with an average rating of 3.44. Regarding the dissemination of online public relations media, the overall satisfaction level among the sample group was high, with an average rating of 4.13. The content of the media received the highest average rating of 4.16, followed by video editing with an average rating of 4.09, and program hosts with an average rating of 4.07.

Pilot: does clinical hypnosis training impart the confidence needed to use it?

ABSTRACT The clinical hypnosis literature suggests that confidence in new clinical skills is an important learning outcome; however, many current training standards for clinical hypnosis do not address outcomes such as confidence. To address this deficit, this pilot study asked whether clinical hypnosis instruction offered by the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) leads to learner confidence. A one-group observational A-B survey-based design examined baseline, expected, and post-training confidence in the use of skills necessary for clinical hypnosis. Twenty clinicians in attendance at an ASCH Fundamentals Workshop answered Likert-type questionnaire items immediately before and after clinical hypnosis training. The average change in confidence ratings from pre-training to post-training was +0.80, resulting in a significant effect, p = .022, suggesting that such workshops can lead to learner confidence. This work represents initial research on an affective learning objective in clinical hypnosis training, as well as the potential utility and relevance of affective learning objectives in such training. Future researchers may wish to further investigate and formalize this and other affective learning objectives in this discipline.

What should students be able to do? Helping students recognize professional skills in our courses

Abstract While the traditional goals of undergraduate courses are often content-based, the development of career-readiness and professional skills, such as those listed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, are increasingly recognized as important learning outcomes. As Mammalogy courses embrace more hands-on learning activities, they provide the opportunity to embed these professional skills, which are directly relevant to many careers in science. For example, many Mammalogy courses may include projects that incorporate experimental design and data analysis that focus on quantitative literacy, in addition to technical skills including small mammal trapping and handling, or preparing voucher specimens, that focus on problem-solving and attention to detail. Here, we review the professional skills that can be developed through a Mammalogy course and evaluate evidence-based approaches to build those skills into our courses. One approach, using Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), provides opportunities for both student skill development and instructor research program development. Because they invite students to participate in authentic scientific inquiry—from study design and data collection, to analysis and reporting of results—students participating in CUREs reported significant gains in their comfort with several important professional skills, including conducting field procedures, formulating and analyzing data, normalizing failure, and attempting new procedures on their own. Finally, we review the literature to demonstrate how active learning approaches inherent in CUREs can help students to build familiarity with technologies and techniques for collecting and assessing data from wild mammal populations, as well as to build important professional skills such as teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and written and oral communication.

Nursing students’ clinical judgment skills in simulation and clinical placement: a comparison of student self-assessment and evaluator assessment

BackgroundClinical judgment is an important and desirable learning outcome in nursing education. Students must be able to self-assess their clinical judgment in both the simulation and clinical settings to identify knowledge gaps and further improve and develop their skills. Further investigation is needed to determine the optimal conditions for and reliability of this self-assessment.AimsThis study aimed to compare the same group of students’ self-assessment of clinical judgment with an evaluator’s assessment in both simulation and clinical settings. The study further aimed to investigate whether the Dunning-Kruger effect is present in nursing students’ self-assessment of clinical judgment.MethodsThe study applied a quantitative comparative design. It was conducted in two learning settings: an academic simulation-based education course, and a clinical placement course in an acute care hospital. The sample consisted of 23 nursing students. The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric was used to collect data. The scores were compared using a t-test, intraclass correlation coefficient, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman plots. The Dunning-Kruger effect was investigated using linear regression analysis and a scatter plot.ResultsThe results showed an inconsistency between student self-assessment and evaluator assessment of clinical judgment in both simulation-based education and clinical placement. Students overestimated their clinical judgment when compared to the more experienced evaluator’s assessment. Differences between students’ scores and the evaluator’s scores were larger when the evaluator’s scores were low, indicating the presence of the Dunning-Kruger effect.ConclusionIt is vital to acknowledge that student self-assessment alone may not be a reliable predictor of a student’s clinical judgment. Students who had a lower level of clinical judgment were likely to be less aware that this was the case. For future practice and research, we recommend a combination of student self-assessment and evaluator assessment to provide a more realistic view of students’ clinical judgment skills.

Citizenship Outcomes and Place-Based Learning Environments in an Integrated Environmental Studies Program

This paper discusses the effects of the learning environment on an important and unique 21st century learning outcome—that of active citizenship, in contrast to more conventionally measured cognitive and attitudinal outcomes. In our study, we utilized a learning environment instrument, the Place-Based Learning and Constructivist Environment Survey (PLACES) with an integrated environmental studies program prepared for high school students in the Canadian context. Our research used a retrospective case study design to investigate how aspects of this unique learning environment are related to long-term, active citizenship outcomes as perceived by students from two previous student cohorts (N = 24 and N = 36) who were contacted several years after the culmination of the program. To access information about student perceptions, PLACES was implemented as part of a range of mixed methods which also included focus groups and interviews. This study is important because it links key aspects of the learning environment to long-term citizenship outcomes and is unique in that the data were collected five and eight years later as part of a longitudinal study. Our findings demonstrate that the learning environment and citizenship outcomes were closely linked, and that students’ perceptions as measured by the PLACES instrument (past and present) were remarkably stable across all dimensions. These findings further indicate significant and positive implications for future learning environments research.

Reflections of experts by experience and research team members on research and development about a sensitive issue that attracts stigma

To reduce the number of alcohol-exposed pregnancies in antenatal care in the UK, the CHAMPION study objective was to design appropriate training and resources to develop the midwifery skills and confidence required to have an effective conversation about alcohol with pregnant women. Women with lived experience of drinking during pregnancy and ‘birth mums’ of a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) were central to the co-creation process of the CHAMPION study. Some remarkable unintended positive outcomes resulted from this collaboration process for the women involved. They include increased confidence levels from newfound friendships with other mothers of children with FASD, and an acceptance that societal influences had a significant role to play in their personal situations. Reflecting on this authentic co-creation process has elicited important learning outcomes to inform future research design. The significance of excellent communication channels, robust support networks and genuinely valuing and respecting experts by experience as equal partners should not be underestimated.

Interestingness is in the eye of the beholder – the impact of formative assessment on students’ situational interest in chemistry classrooms

ABSTRACT Students’ interest is considered an important learning outcome, but it is also a relevant predictor for student learning, and future vocational choices. According to numerous studies, however, students’ interest in STEM fields usually declines during the course of secondary education. From the perspective of science education, it is therefore necessary to foster or at least maintain students’ interest. Despite the variety of approaches that have already been examined in order to promote student interest, the problem of low-interested students remains. Prior findings indicate that specific person characteristics and the students’ perception of the situation seem to be moderate the effectiveness of many approaches. The current intensive repeated measure intervention study addresses the investigation of a possible interest trigger (formative assessment) and also the process that influences the perception of this trigger. Based on a sample of 9th-grade chemistry students (N = 200), three different interventions of formative assessment were implemented in regular classrooms. Students’ situational interest was assessed repeatedly in short time intervals. Based on multilevel analyses, not all interventions were perceived as equally interesting by the students. While students’ individual interest influences the perception of all interventions positively, the impact of gender, chemistry grade, and enjoyment varies across the interventions.

PICTURE BOOKS BY JULIA DONALDSON IN THE CONTEXT OF POSITIVE EDUCATION

The paper examines the features of picture books by Julia Donaldson from the point of view of their adequacy and pedagogical value in working with preschool and lower primary children. The first part of the paper presents the most remarkable features of Donaldson’s poetics, points to the importance of using picture books in working with young learners, and emphasises the most important learning outcomes to be achieved in teaching. The second part of the paper identifies the character traits and the elements of plot in Julia Donaldson’s picture books. Through the interpretation of these features children can develop positive emotions, positive qualities and resiliency, which contributes to achieving the essential goal of positive education – empowerment and well-being of a child.

Making Philosophy Personal

Reflective journals are characterized by their expressive freedom and their intent that students explicitly connect course material to their own life experiences, emotions, beliefs, and feelings. Drawing on research on the use of reflective journals and on the reflections of students in my philosophy courses, I demonstrate how philosophy professors can use reflective journals as a tool to help their students achieve important learning outcomes. By making philosophy personal for students, reflective journals allow students to practice philosophy as a way of life, achieve important metacognitive outcomes, and (drawing on constructivism in learning theory) increase their knowledge and understanding of course content.