Learning Outcomes In Higher Education Research Articles

Entry Assessment of Student Learning Preconditions in Higher Education: Implications for the Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Education in Germany

The acquisition of domain-specific knowledge and interdisciplinary skills such as critical thinking is increasingly gaining significance as key learning outcomes in higher education that are crucial for all professionals and engaged citizens and that enable lifelong learning. Despite this socio-political consensus, up until the last decade there have only been a few evidence-based insights into the competencies of higher education students. Therefore, the Germany-wide research program Modelling and Measuring Competencies in Higher Education (KoKoHs) was established in 2011 by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In the 85 projects, theoretical-conceptual competence models and corresponding assessments were developed for selected large study domains (e.g. economics) to reliably measure the students’ competencies in different phases of higher education (entering, undergraduate, graduate). More than 100 technology-based assessments of both discipline-specific competencies and generic skills were validated across Germany at over 350 universities with over 75,000 students. This article presents findings from the Germany-wide entry diagnostics in the one KoKoHs project (WiWiKom II) with beginning students in business, economic and social sciences that provide evidence-based insights into students’ learning preconditions and their impact on domain-specific knowledge acquisition in bachelor’s degree courses. The results lead to far-reaching practical implications for successful transitions between secondary and tertiary education, including recommendations for the development of mechanisms to support access to tertiary education and to prevent high dropout rates.

The Effectiveness of Using Mobile Learning Techniques to Improve Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

Recently Mobile technology is considered an effective way to improve students' skills such as positive thinking, collaborative, communication, as well as it is considered the main part of major innovation in many e-learning research areas. As a result of the 21<sup>st.</sup> century requirements, skills were developed to address the rising needs in higher education which causes a shifting paradigm from the traditional methods of teaching to M-learning. In this research, we discuss the effect of using Mobile learning techniques to improve learning outcomes in Higher Education. We have implemented a web-based survey through two questionnaires. The questionnaires were distributed among 200 students in the second and third levels in the computer science department at both Community College and College of Arts and Science. This research explores a study on e-learning using mobile technology to identify students’ perceptions in the acceptance of mobile techniques and recognize the quality of mobile services for academic and social purposes to improve teaching strategy and learning performance in higher educational organizations. The outcomes of this research would support the evolution of M-learning at the university-level and cause shifting the traditional learning methods by merging M-learning methodologies as a learning management system that provides mobile learning services to students and teachers any time and from any location. The research study shows some important results towards the integration of mobile technology into teaching include: student positive perception, facilitates student concentrate, flexible access to m-services for learning materials, and increases students' skills in using mobile technology for e-learning.

Development of Learning Management System-Based Blended Learning Model using Claroline in Higher Education

<p class="0abstract">Learning Management System (LMS) is a learning process that utilizes computer information technology equipped with internet and multimedia telecommunications facilities (graphics, audio, video) in delivering material and interaction between instructors and learners. The purpose of this study is to develop blended learning Using Claroline as a learning tool that facilitates students in learning. To achieve the objective of the study the research uses a quantitative approach to collect data using pre and post tests and questionnaires. The sample in the study were students of economic Islamic consisting of two classes, with a total of 50 students enrolled in this study. The results show that the difference in the average pre-test and post-test score was -29.43720. While the t-test that tests Ho: pre-test = post-test gives a value of t = -37.43720 with a degree of freedom of 49. While the p-value for the two-sided test of 0,000 is smaller than α = 0.05. This data approves that the statistical hypothesis Ho: pre-test = post-test is rejected, meaning that the average pre-test and post-test scores are significantly different. The findings of this study can be used to recommend effective ways of learning and teaching using e-learning that can improve student learning outcomes in higher education. The implications of this research is to encourage teachers to use e-learning technology and facilitate students with the technology in improving academic learning outcomes.</p>

Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes of University Graduates

Learning outcomes is always an extensive research area in higher education. The research is to assess the learning outcomes of university graduates. To accomplish the aim, descriptive research and survey design was used for data collection. It was the case study of the University of Sargodha. A self-developed questionnaire was validated by expert opinion, and reliability was established at .92. For analyzing the data, descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to test the mean difference of participative programs. It was found that there is no significant difference in the learning of students on the basis of the program in which they are enrolled. The study recommends an extensive study of learning outcomes in higher education.

A thematic analysis of the quality audit reports in developing a framework for assessing the achievement of the graduate attributes

PurposeGraduates are expected to possess the knowledge and right skillset, commonly known as graduate attributes, which they need to become employable and work-ready. This study describes the approaches that were employed by an academic institution in developing an assessment framework for measuring the student achievement of the graduate attributes and learning outcomes.Design/methodology/approachIt used thematic analysis in analyzing the 43 audit reports of higher educational institutions (HEIs) in Oman which have undergone the regional quality audit as well as the outcomes of the institutional standards assessment.FindingsThe analysis exposed the critical issues necessary for embedding graduate attributes and learning outcomes in higher education. Likewise, the study revealed that the assessment of the graduate attributes (GAs) and learning outcomes (LOs) is the area that garnered the most number of comments from the audit panel, and 69 per cent of the HEIs are still problematic in this area. Moreover, most of the HEIs in Oman lack the mechanisms to assess student learning as evidenced in the regional accreditation outcomes. Only 43.8 per cent of the HEIs, which have undergone the institutional accreditation process, have garnered a Met Rating in the Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Outcome criterion. Hence, this study presupposes its high relevance and usefulness to the work in this area, drawing from the experience of an HEI in Oman.Practical implicationsThis study will present the relevant and meaningful content, especially good practices and potential gaps that inform HEIs regarding the current trends, policies, and practices relevant to the assessment of graduate attributes and learning outcomes in higher education.Originality/valueThis study extends the limited literature on the assessment of graduate attributes and learning outcomes, especially among the HEIs in Oman.

Emotionally intelligent students are more engaged and successful: examining the role of emotional intelligence in higher education

The role of emotions in student engagement has been examined in many studies. However, little is known about how emotional intelligence (EI) is related to engagement and other key learning outcomes in higher education. To fill this gap, this study examined how EI is associated with student engagement and how EI and engagement jointly predict key learning outcomes in higher education, including the students’ GPA, generic outcomes, and satisfaction with the university experience. The study adopted a prospective longitudinal design involving 560 first-year students from 10 faculties of a university in Hong Kong. The data were collected at two-time points, namely before the start and after the end of the students’ first year in the university. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the measurement and hypothesized models. Results indicated that EI positively predicted all dimensions of student engagement and promoted key learning outcomes (including GPA, generic learning outcomes, and students’ satisfaction with the university) via the different dimensions of student engagement. The model also explained 16%, 44%, and 38% of the students’ GPA, generic learning outcomes, and satisfaction with their university experience, respectively. This study provides empirical evidence on the positive effect of EI on the students’ optimal functioning in the higher education context. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Student engagement and wellbeing over time at a higher education institution.

Student engagement is an important factor for learning outcomes in higher education. Engagement with learning at campus-based higher education institutions is difficult to quantify due to the variety of forms that engagement might take (e.g. lecture attendance, self-study, usage of online/digital systems). Meanwhile, there are increasing concerns about student wellbeing within higher education, but the relationship between engagement and wellbeing is not well understood. Here we analyse results from a longitudinal survey of undergraduate students at a campus-based university in the UK, aiming to understand how engagement and wellbeing vary dynamically during an academic term. The survey included multiple dimensions of student engagement and wellbeing, with a deliberate focus on self-report measures to capture students’ subjective experience. The results show a wide range of engagement with different systems and study activities, giving a broad view of student learning behaviour over time. Engagement and wellbeing vary during the term, with clear behavioural changes caused by assessments. Results indicate a positive interaction between engagement and happiness, with an unexpected negative relationship between engagement and academic outcomes. This study provides important insights into subjective aspects of the student experience and provides a contrast to the increasing focus on analysing educational processes using digital records.

Pharmacy students' perceptions toward peer assessment and its use in teaching patient presentation skills

Background and purposeConducting peer assessment has been associated with positive learning outcomes in higher education. The primary objective was to evaluate pharmacy students' perceptions of using peer assessment as a pedagogical strategy in learning patient presentation skills. Secondary objectives were to determine helpful factors for providing and/or receiving peer assessment and to compare students' perceptions of peer assessment relative to receiving feedback from teaching assistants (TAs). Educational activity and settingPatient presentation skills were taught to third-year pharmacy students in three sessions (session 1: didactic lecture, session 2: faculty-led patient presentation workshops followed by peer assessment, session 3: one-on-one patient presentations to TAs). An anonymous survey instrument consisting of five-point Likert scale, yes/no, and open-ended questions was administered. FindingsA total of 187 students (98%) completed the survey. Peer assessment was perceived as a useful way to obtain feedback on patient presentations (87%). It facilitated higher level thinking and a self-reflection of students' own patient presentations. Most students felt that they received constructive feedback from peers (82%) that helped them improve their patient presentation skills (72%). However, students were more trusting of TAs' skills in assessing patient presentations (76% versus 93%, p < 0.001). Some students were concerned about the specificity and criticalness of feedback they received from peers. SummaryPeer assessment is a useful pedagogical strategy for providing formative feedback to students in learning patient presentations skills in the classroom setting. Students may benefit from additional training to improve the quality of feedback in peer assessment.

A systematic review of graduate student peer mentorship in academia

ABSTRACTWhile researchers have suggested that mentorship positively affects academic and learning outcomes in higher education, little is known about the impact of peer mentoring on graduate students’ academic experiences. We conducted a systematic review to explore the impact of peer mentorship on graduate students’ learning, and formal approaches to enhancing these relationships. We searched eight multidisciplinary databases to identify relevant studies. Studies were included if they reported on graduate students’ peer mentoring, or evaluated initiatives to further the development of these relationships. Forty-seven studies were included in this review. The majority of students who participate in formal peer-mentoring programs benefit from these experiences. Peer mentorship positively affects developmental outcomes across four domains of graduate learning: academic, social, psychological, and career. While group-mentoring may be an effective means of delivering peer-mentorship support, further evaluative research is required to determine how academic institutions can promote positive peer mentoring relationships in graduate education.

Digital collaborative learning in nursing education: a systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in digital collaborative learning implemented in nursing education. A systematic literature review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was carried out in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines and the PRISMA statement. CINAHL (EBSCO), ERIC, MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus databases were used to identify original peer-reviewed RCT studies published between 2003 and 2018. The 'hits' were systematically screened by title, abstract and full text by two authors acting independently. The quality of the selected original studies was evaluated using the quality assessment criteria of the JBI and Cochrane collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. The studies were analysed by narrative synthesis. Five peer-reviewed RCT studies were included in the review. All participants in these studies (647 in total) were nursing students exposed to educational interventions in various nursing programme courses. The reviewed studies indicated that digital collaborative learning increased students' knowledge and nursing skills. The results show that collaborative learning in digital learning environments enhanced nursing students' interaction and collaborative skills, problem-solving skills, satisfaction and motivation for learning. Collaborative learning in digital learning environments has encouraging effects in enhancing nursing students' knowledge, competence, satisfaction and problem-solving skills. Moreover, evidence-based digital collaborative learning is becoming increasingly effective in nursing education, as available tools and teachers' abilities to use them are improving and providing new learning activities to boost students' learning outcomes in higher education. Thus, its systematic use in digital collaborative learning environments in various nursing courses is recommended.

Ethics and Fairness in Assessing Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

Fairness is one of the most important quality criteria of assessments and a necessary condition for valid test score interpretations. In this paper, we describe findings related to an assessment of N = 7664 beginning business and economics students at 46 universities across Germany using a domain-specific higher education entry test. From the perspective of test fairness as defined by the internationally established validation standards outlined by AERA et al. (Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, AERA, Washington, DC, 2014), we identify which students had particular difficulty completing the test, taking into account gender- and language-related influence factors in the assessment of their test performance. Our results highlight the particular challenges in admissions testing in higher education. One of these challenges is finding a suitable way to address the disadvantages experienced by various groups of students to guarantee fairness and ethical integrity when developing and administering tests. Current migration developments and the overall internationalization of higher education have led to an increasing heterogeneity of student bodies. These challenges are therefore of particular relevance for education policy and practice when it comes to ensuring fairness when assessing learning outcomes for all student groups. This also applies in the context of commonly used standardized assessments and established examination practices in higher education.

E-PORTFOLIO AS A TOOL FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF THE PROSPECTIVE SINGERS

This article examines the role of e-portfolios as digital assessment tools in enhancing the quality of student learning outcomes in higher education. E-portfolios tap into the potential of digital technologies to support students’ self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and sharing of learning. Thus e-portfolios have been reported as bringing about improvements in prospective singers’ learning. On the other hand, existing research also shows challenges for university teachers when adopting e-portfolio assessment. The issue of using e-portfolio assessment is currently being discussed in national and foreign studies (D. Alfimov, N. Mykhailova, M. Ostrenko, O. Pichkur, N. Savina, I. Shalyhina, E. Heinrich, M. Bhattacharya, R. Rayudu, S. Peacock, L. Gordon, S. Murray, K. Morss). To formulate strategies for optimising the learning potential of e-portfolios, a landscape review of research literature is conducted to address the research question about how e-portfolios are used as digital assessment tools to enhance the quality of learning outcomes in higher education.The article presents an overview of e-portfolios as digital assessment tools. A typology of e-portfolios is then presented to analyse the situations where e-portfolios are applied in higher education. The chapter goes on to argue for two essential affordances of e-portfolios, namely: empowerment and ownership of learning for students, and feedback and interactivity by drawing on digital technology. This is followed by a discussion of challenges and opportunities of e-portfolios in meeting conventional assessment criteria, including: reliability, validity, authenticity, and honesty. Key pedagogical factors influencing the use of e-portfolios as digital assessment are then examined. The author distinguishes the following factors: students’ motivation for engaging with e-portfolios, dual roles of e-portfolios in assessment of learning and assessment for learning, possibility of students lacking the capacity for self-reflection, potentially insufficient teacher guidance and support.

Studying Professional Development as Part of the Complex Ecosystem of STEM Higher Education

Professional development in teaching is a critical component of ongoing work to improve student learning outcomes in higher education, especially STEM education. While there are many large-scale professional development programs designed to help participants change the way STEM is taught, few have thoroughly evaluated the outcomes to determine whether faculty members have adopted new techniques and transferred what they learned to their teaching practice. Importantly, without substantive assessment of long-term professional development outcomes, we are left with little evidence of program effectiveness. In this article we examine the current state of professional development evaluation in STEM higher education, propose possible study design elements to use when investigating the impact of professional development on instructors, and describe a novel longitudinal research design for the evaluation of professional development activities.

PENGARUH PROFESIONALISME, KECERDASAN EMOSIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR TERHADAP KINERJA ANGGOTA DPRD KOTA SORONG

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji, menganalisis danmenginterpretasi : 1) Pengaruh profesionalisme terhadap kinerja kinerja; 2) Pengaruh kecerdasan emosional terhadapkinerja; dan 3) Pengaruh Organizational Citizenship Behavior terhadap kinerja anggota DPRD Kota Sorong. Desain dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kuantitatif dengan menggunakan metode survey dengan sampel 30 orang.Penelitian ini dianalisis dengan software SPSS 25.Kesimpulan dari hasil penelitian ini adalah : 1) Profesionalisme berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja Anggota DPRD Kota Sorong, semakin tinggi tingkat profesionalisme pegawai maka akan meningkatkan kinerjanya sebagai anggota DPRD khususya dalammelaksanakan tugas dan wewenang lain yang diatur dalam ketentuan peraturan perundang-undangan; 2) Kecerdasan emosional berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja Anggota DPRD Kota Sorong,anggota DPRD yang memiliki kecerdasan emosional dapat menggunakan perasaannya secara optimal guna mengenali diri sendiri dan lingkungan sekitarnya, sehingga dapat menyerap aspirasi rakyat dan 3)Organizational citizenzhip behaviorberpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja Anggota DPRD Kota Sorong.Secara umum Anggota DPRD memiliki sikap membantu sesame Anggota DPRD lainnya meskipun tidak menjadi keharusan, dengan cara seperti ini mereka saling membantu untuk meningkatkan kinerjanya dalam melakukan pengawasan terhadap pemerintah Daerah dan menyerap aspirasi rakyat

Effects of remote labs on cognitive, behavioral, and affective learning outcomes in higher education

This literature review on remote labs in higher education examined the empirical research on learning benefits of such labs. The aim of this study was to investigate what kinds of learning outcomes were examined, how these effects were examined, and which findings these studies provided. Effects that were examined in the reviewed articles (k = 23) concerned cognitive, behavioral, and affective learning outcomes. Overall, results showed positive findings with respect to all three types of learning outcomes: students gained conceptual knowledge, were engaged in the lab, and were satisfied with learning in a remote lab context. However, evaluation approaches of the learning outcomes were quite superficial, because examining the educational benefits of the remote labs was not the main focus of most articles. Future research should address this issue to provide more rigorous evidence about possible benefits of remote labs on student learning in higher education.

A Case Study on Effect Analysis of Students’ Engagement and Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

A Case Study on Effect Analysis of Students’ Engagement and Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

Role of Blended Learning Environment towards Student Performance in Higher Education: Mediating Effect of Student Engagement

Higher education has become an important area of focus in India. With the initiatives of the current government like SWAYAM there is a greater emphasis on the learning outcome in higher education. Technology based education brings engaging experiences to the students. A hybrid approach which is a mix of online, technology based and class room teaching is the best strategy for imparting knowledge. The current study aims at understanding the effect of blended learning environment on student performance along with the mediating role of student engagement. The cross sectional study was conducted in the Delhi-NCR region. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 305 responses regression analysis. The results from the study reflect that blended learning has a positive impact on student performance. The blended learning enhances the engagement level of the students and thus the performance of the students also increases.

Emotional intelligence (EI) and self‐directed learning: Examining their relation and contribution to better student learning outcomes in higher education

Self‐directed learning is recognised as a key goal of higher education. To facilitate self‐directed learning, emotional intelligence (EI), which encompasses the ability to regulate one's own emotions and to generate positive emotions, is important. The present study aimed to examine the effects ofEIon self‐directed learning and howEIand self‐directed learning contribute to key learning outcomes in higher education, including grade point average (GPA), generic learning outcomes (including social, cognitive and self‐growth outcomes) and students’ satisfaction with their university experience. The study adopted a prospective longitudinal design with 560 first‐year undergraduate students completing different measures at the beginning and end of the academic year. Results of the structural equation modelling showed thatEIhad a strong effect on self‐directed learning, which in turn was positively associated withGPAand various generic learning outcomes that are related to students’ satisfaction with the university experience. To better delineate the relationship betweenEIand self‐directed learning, multiple regression was performed. Results indicated that three key emotional abilities—emotional regulation of the self (ERS), appraisal of emotions in the self (AES) and emotional regulation of others (ERO)—were positively associated with self‐directed learning. This study provided empirical evidence that students who are more emotionally intelligent are more self‐directed, leading to higher achievement in both academic and generic development, which in turn results in higher university satisfaction. Implications of the findings are discussed.

The relationship among learning outcome measures used in higher education

ABSTRACTAlthough grades are still considered important signifiers of graduates’ quality, greater attention has been paid to other measures of learning outcomes in higher education. This shift in attention is attributed to an increased focus on study quality, employability, quality development and accountability. This article examines how grades relate to different measures of self-reported learning outcomes in engineering, health programmes and education programmes. Longitudinal data from national surveys in Norway are analysed in combination with data from public registers. Self-reported learning outcomes are related to student engagement and factors indicative of effective educational practices, while grades are related more to student background characteristics. Self-reported learning outcomes therefore measure individual gain or value added, using the personal starting point as a reference In this regard, this paper argues that it is important to critically discuss what kind of measures should be used as learning outcomes.

How can Student Learning Data at Institutional Level Support Decision-Making for Educational Improvement for Academic Programme? A Case Study in A Hong Kong University

Student surveys have been commonly used by university administrators for assessment of student learning outcomes in higher education. The information collected from such stakeholders’ surveys has only been to use as supporting documents for the effectiveness of university education. More recently, there have been calls for utilizing student feedback information to improve quality of education at the programme level and guide educational leaders and teachers about implementing data-based decision-making. This study aimed to explore the learning gains in the undergraduate education perceived by its alumni in one of Hong Kong universities. The study reported the procedures in examining the assessment scores and discussed the interpretation of assessment results at the programme level. The findings showed that interpretation of the student ratings of perceived learning gains could not be appropriately aggregated at the programme level. Implications for theory and practice of educational data use and for educational administration are discussed.