Lebanese International University Research Articles

Pharmacy students' perceptions and satisfaction with blended instruction in quantitative chemical analysis course

Background: Course satisfaction in blended learning has become a priority among educators to keep students on track during their studies. This study investigated the Community of Inquiry (CoI) three key components, i.e. teaching, social, and cognitive presences and other factors that affect student satisfaction at Lebanese International University (LIU). Objective: The study aimed to examine pharmacy undergraduate students who enrolled in, and the effect of blended learning courses on learning environment perceptions, learning outcomes, and overall academic performance. Methods: Exactly 283 second-year students from a private School of Pharmacy registered in the Quantitative Chemical Analysis course participated in this study. Data were collected using an online survey, assessing students' prior pre-pharmacy course experiences. Results: The majority of students (58%) commended the course content, organisation, teaching resources, course design, and clarity of directions. Course satisfaction significantly correlated with age and social, cognitive, and instructional presences (Spearman’s Rho: 0.739-0.750, p < 0.05). Discussion: Studies found that blended instruction can improve student engagement, satisfaction, and learning outcomes, which are influenced by the quality of online materials, communication, feedback, and the degree of student and instructor interaction. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study support the assumption that blended learning encourages active, in-depth, and self-directed learning.

Access of Syrian refugees to COVID-19 testing in Lebanon.

Polymerase chain reaction is a well-known method for testing COVID-19 infection, however, refugee populations often face difficulties in accessing testing. Several structural and cultural challenges have hindered access of Syrian refugees to COVID-19 testing in Lebanon, including financial barriers, stigma, and low perception of vulnerability. To explore barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing by Syrian refugees in Lebanon. This qualitative study conducted 10 focus group discussions among Syrian refugees and 21 individual semistructured interviews with healthcare workers. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the Lebanese International University, and the study followed the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Syrian refugees in Lebanon did not consider COVID-19 testing to be important. Despite the availability of free testing services, psychological, cultural, environmental, and financial barriers hindered them from getting tested. Some of them relied on consultation with pharmacists, who were easy to access and provided symptomatic treatment without the need to test for COVID-19. Fear of stigma, deportation, and isolation were common cultural barriers. Testing was considered unnecessary because of the perception of low disease severity and an attitude of negligence towards preventive practices. The harsh economic and living conditions were of greater concern to the refugees. Findings from this study add to existing literature regarding the social and cultural barriers to COVID-19 testing among Syrian refugees and should be considered when tailoring health promotion campaigns to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lebanese Pediatricians’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Patterns toward Probiotics

Aya Ali Hashem Taleb, Sara Issam Abdel Samad, Issam Hekmat Abdel Samad, Mohamad Khaled Rahal, Nathalie Adel Lahoud, Marwan Ghazi El Akel and Ahmad Ibrahim Dimassi Author informationArticle notesCopyright and License information School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, LEBANON Department of Pediatrics, Ain Wazein Medical Village, Mount Lebanon, LEBANON Department of Epidemiology, Faculties of

Motivation, satisfaction, and future career intentions of pharmacy students: A cross-sectional preliminary analysis

IntroductionIn recent years, the pharmacy profession has undergone many changes that impacted pharmacy educational programs and students' needs and experiences. In Lebanon, no previous studies have addressed students' perspectives of pharmacy studies and their future aspirations. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was randomly sent to all pharmacy students at the main campus of the Lebanese International University. Questions included demographics, students' reasons for choosing pharmacy, satisfaction regarding choice of pharmacy, and future career plans. ResultsPharmacy as a study major was the first choice for 61% of respondents, and reasons for this choice were family recommendations (87%), friends' encouragement (26%), and schoolteachers' endorsements (20%). Looking for a job with various career opportunities, flexible working hours, security, good salary, and wishing to provide public service and improve health were the main incentives to join the pharmacy program. Concerning their satisfaction, 88% were proud of studying pharmacy and 66% would choose to study pharmacy if they were to select their program of study again. As for career intentions, 68% were considering community pharmacy, 66% hospital pharmacy, and 60% academic pharmacy. ConclusionsWhile the attitudes, perceptions, and career intentions of the respondents were variable, the majority were aspired by family or societal factors to study pharmacy, were satisfied by their choice, and intended to work in the community pharmacy sector. Pharmacy curricula should be regularly assessed to meet students' expectations and society's needs.

The Role of Game-Based Learning in Experiential Education: Tool Validation, Motivation Assessment, and Outcomes Evaluation among a Sample of Pharmacy Students

(1) Background: There is a scarcity of data regarding game-based learning (GBL) in experiential pharmacy education; in addition, the impact of educational games on the attainment of intended learning outcomes and students’ motivation to actively learn and practice through non-traditional pedagogical tools are yet to be explored. (2) Methods: This was a prospective quasi-experimental study that introduced GBL into the Pharmacy Practice Experience course of the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) program at the Lebanese International University in Lebanon. Data collection took place between July and September 2021. The study objectives were to assess the impact of GBL on attaining intended learning outcomes, determine students’ motivation to engage in GBL, and assess the impact of this motivation on the attainment of learning outcomes. (3) Results: GBL was associated with a significantly higher exam average (mean difference = 7.152, p < 0.001). Moreover, an active learning motivation assessment scale (ALMAS) was constructed and validated; it was found to have good reliability as well as high sensitivity and specificity, and it determined a good level of motivation to engage in GBL. Game-based learners with higher motivation scores had significantly higher exam averages compared to those with lower scores (Beta = 0.296, 95% CI 0.110–0.545, p = 0.004). (4) Conclusion: GBL was associated with better attainment of intended learning outcomes. Students appear to be motivated to learn by this style of active learning, and motivation is prognostic of the attainment of learning outcomes.

Smoking habits, attitudes and determinants among university aged population: Comparison of pharmacy and non-pharmacy students from a private university in Lebanon

Objective: To assess the prevalence of smoking among pharmacy students and to analyse how smoking affects pharmacy students’ attitudes towards smoking cessation practices. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to students from five schools at the Lebanese International University as part of a cross-sectional study. It looked into sociodemographic identities, smoking attitudes and beliefs, and pharmacy students’ smoking cessation consultation procedures. Results: A total of 1372 students were enrolled in the study (159 pharmacy students and 1213 non-pharmacy students). Almost half of the participants (45.0%) were current smokers, with males accounting for the majority. There was a substantial correlation between knowledge of smoking's health implications and smoking status (p = 0.021). Nonsmoking pharmacy students were more likely than smokers to offer cessation advice (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: A high smoking prevalence was determined among students, which should be addressed by boosting tobacco awareness efforts and enforcing strict anti-smoking policies on college premises.

Faculty perceptions on online education in a school of pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: To determine the perception of pharmacy faculty towards online education at the School of Pharmacy at the Lebanese International University upon the sudden shift to remote education due to COVID19. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study was conducted through a questionnaire administered to faculty members. It inquired about institutional educational changes and measured faculty perceptions towards this new educational method. Results: About 79% of the faculty responded to the survey (N = 49) and only 24.5% had previous experience with online education (N = 12). The majority (75.5%) used blended methods for course delivery (N = 37). More than half (N = 27) were generally undecided whether online learning was better or worse than normal education. More than 55% of the respondents showed high positive perceptions regarding remote education (N = 27). Conclusion: The preliminary findings reflect that faculty are still uncertain regarding the prompt educational shift to online learning, however, faculty members felt that better opportunities and enhanced experience for students may be provided through additional faculty support and training.

New system of heat recovery from parked vehicles: Experiments and analysis

The present study suggests a new concept of heat recovery applied to underhoods of vehicles parked in underground parkings. The advantages of this concept is twofold: (1) enabling cool the environment around the parked vehicle and under its hood (2) considering to use the excess of heat under the hood to heat/preheat water in use in public buildings. This system shows potential performance especially in car parking where a large number of vehicles is present such as supermarkets, universities, schools, etc. The feasibility of recovering energy from underhoods of parked vehicles is performed in the study. An experimental setup equipped with thermocouples, a heat exchanger and a fan is implemented. The engine is stopped after a certain period of operation then measurements are performed on two types of engines: V4 and V6. The temperature of the hot air aspirated by the V4 and V6 engine reached 40 °C and 54 °C respectively. The hot air is used for heating water using a finned-tube cross flow heat exchanger where the recovered heat rate reached around 500 W. In addition, a case study for the parking of the Lebanese International University along with an economic study are considered. From the study, 300 cars are assumed to be present daily in the parking, equipped by different engines (V4, V6 and V8). Consequently, the recovered energy obtained during the 80 min is estimated at 97 kWh, which permits to heat 4000 L of water from 20 °C to 40 °C.

Maintaining Service Quality in Remote Teaching Environment: Case of Lebanese International University

Purpose: The shift from traditional face-to-face classes to virtual classrooms in response to Covid 19 pandemic has affected the higher education sector worldwide, including Lebanon. Among all private universities in Lebanon, the Lebanese International University (LIU) is the largest in terms of enrolment, which enroll 30% of higher education students in the country. Therefore, this study evaluates the LIU experience in remote teaching. After completing three consecutive online semesters, it was essential to measure to which extent did the remote instructor performance affected the educational service quality at LIU.
 Methodology: By the end of the Fall 2021 semester, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted among students at the School of Business and a total of 450 usable responses pertaining to undergraduate students were considered for data analysis.
 Findings: Using SPSS Software, the validity and reliability of the questionnaire has been verified and results showed that remote instructors’ performance has a significant and strong positive correlation with all dimensions of service quality; highest for reliability and lowest for tangible. Moreover, regression analysis results showed that 81.5 % of the variance in service quality scores can be predicted from the remote instructors’ performance.
 Suggestions: Future studies could collect data in a longitudinal manner and include a more representative student sample of the university students.

Insights into the Positive Role of a Higher Education Institution in the Prevention of Misinformation During Pandemics: The Health Committee Model During COVID-19

In Lebanon, with COVID-19 cases escalating and national efforts exhausted in the containment of the pandemic, calls were made for increased awareness, scientific literacy, and the debunking of false information. This article sheds light on the positive role that a private University can play in spreading scientifically-authenticated, health-related, awareness through the community. The Lebanese International University (LIU) has 9 campuses distributed across all Lebanese Governorates with an extensive communications platform that takes advantage of LIU’s website, University Management System, several Facebook pages with thousands of followers, and many WhatsApp groups. LIU has over 34,000 undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to a little over a thousand faculty and staff members. The University capitalized on this extensive network to play a positive role in delivering authenticated health-related information to the University’s greater community. A health committee comprised of multidisciplinary educators, mostly from the fields of medicine and health sciences, was established to act as a health advisory panel to the University Council and to raise awareness among the University’s larger community. An extensive health awareness campaign was launched through activities and the sharing of the material of different formats aimed at providing accurate information on infection prevention, and disseminating authentic and accurate health-related guidelines and recommendations during the pandemic. This compendium aims to summarize the role of the health committee in meeting the various challenges created by the emergence of COVID-19 in our community, and highlights its influence and future perspectives.

Experiential Education in Pharmacy Curriculum: The Lebanese International University Model.

Experiential education is an essential component of pharmacy education in order to allow intern students to experience real conditions and training opportunities in different inpatient and outpatient settings. This paper provides a description of the pharmacy practice experiences (PPEs) in the Lebanese International University (LIU) 5-year bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) and postgraduate doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs; focuses on the opportunities and challenges encountered; and presents a model for experiential education in Lebanon. Learning outcomes and thus students’ acquisition of predefined competencies are evaluated in actual practice settings through assessment tools. Our experiential education program aligns with the accreditation/certification criteria set by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and equips future pharmacists with the knowledge and skills to become major components in the healthcare team.

Highlights from a model for remote delivery of pharmacy laboratory courses: Design, implementation and student feedback


 
 
 
 Laboratory courses constituted a major challenge to remote learning, particularly with limited previous experience in virtual delivery. This case study aims to describe a model used for remote delivery of laboratory courses for students at Lebanese International University, School of Pharmacy, and to report student experiences, perceptions and attitudes through a structured questionnaire. Google Classroom was used as the learning platform, with synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Videos were used to simulate experiments; assignments, reports and quizzes were used for assessments. A total of 329 students responded to the questionnaire. The majority reported a good experience and satisfaction; 62% believed that simulation videos were of good quality, easy to access and were of reasonable length. Gaps detected were deficient practice (44%), lack of experience with instruments (46%), and poor motor skills (49%). Students expressed preference for experiments videotaped by their instructors. Overall, this model was well received, and provided an alternative to remotely deliver practical courses. This study assists in preparation of future remote laboratory learning activities.
 
 
 

A Quick Shift from Classroom to Google Classroom: SWOT Analysis

COVID-19 caught everyone by surprise, and the situation quickly escalated from epidemic to pandemic. By February 21, 2020, the first positive case was reported in Lebanon, and following that, by March 12, 2020, the decision to close all educational institutes was put into effect. Online learning is not an approved form of education in Lebanon, which meant that none of the Lebanese universities was prepared to make a complete shift from face-to-face learning to online learning. Immediate actions were taken at the Lebanese International University starting at the level of the University Council, all the way to the level of individual departments. The approach of the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences is best described as “break barriers, build bridges, and launch transitions”. An initial assessment of strengths and weaknesses helped the department develop a model of online learning that took advantage of the readily available online tools (e.g., Google Classroom) while modifying the format of content delivery and assessment with the minimal potential for disruption by inadequate Internet, interruptions in electricity, and limited access to expensive hardware and software. A SWOT analysis of the model was done based on the survey that was given to the chemistry instructors in the department while taking into consideration the emails and comments received by students.

Learning Logs: The Effect of Incorporating Write-to-Learn Assignments on Promoting Learning and Retention of Information in a Phonology Course

This paper examines the role of learning logs in promoting learning, retaining information, and improving test scores through writing in a phonology course. At first, this study aims at showing how the difficulties of phonology concepts and pronunciation teaching for university students create problems in content comprehension. The preliminary study used an experimental design, a true experiment, to examine the data and validate the results of using different learning logs as one technique of the Write-to-Learn (WTL) approach which aims at improving the students' learning outcomes. A total of 30 students sharing a similar social and educational background were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The work group of the present research consists of 15 students who were given several learning log assignments during the Summer semester while the control group, also made up of 15 students, was given the course without any log assignments. A pre-post-test was conducted to both groups in order to find out whether both groups’ knowledge about phonology and pronunciation teaching developed throughout the semester. Four tests were administered to both groups in a period of five weeks in the semester. The findings of the study indicate that EFL students in the experimental group at LIU (Lebanese International University) outperformed their counterparts in the control group concerning the retention of the key conceptual knowledge, and the content comprehension of course concepts. A statistical analysis of exam scores on learning log indicator variables shows that learning logs increase content comprehension and improve test scores.

Gender leadership styles and linguistic practices: The case of Lebanese International University coordinators

Sociolinguistic research is interested in the way people, including leaders, use language to construct and perform social identities. Given that an increasing number of professional women have to do leadership side by side with men, this case study research, which was conducted at the Lebanese International University, studied gender and leadership styles from a qualitative content analytical perspective. More specifically, it sought to determine male and female leadership styles and to investigate their linguistic practices through the analysis of self-reflections and interviews. The researcher used five male and five female coordinators’ self-reflections and transcribed interviews that were collected, analysed and categorised to find out any differences in the leadership style and language use of male and female leaders in the academic settings. The findings showed the influence of the genders in their choice of linguistic expressions indicating the noteworthy dominance of the two prevalent dimensions in leadership styles, namely, transformational and transactional.
 Keywords: Gender leadership styles, gender linguistic practices, transformational leadership, transactional leadership, Lebanon.

The Role of Identifying the Lexical Relations among Target Vocabulary Words through Blended Learning on EFL Students’ Mastery in Using Target Vocabulary

This paper examines the effect of identifying the lexical relations among target vocabulary items through a blended learning approach on improving EFL students’ mastery in using target vocabulary. At first, this study aims at showing how the difficulties in using lexical units from a semantic perspective result in the production of erroneous sentences and consequently affect the collaborative process of communication. The current study will use an experimental approach, a true experiment, to analyze the data and verify the results of using various online and offline instruction and tasks with the goal of improving students' lexical awareness and development to master the target vocabulary. A total of 60 students sharing a similar social and educational background were randomly assigned to the experiment. The experimental group studied the target vocabulary items through blended learning strategies while the control group learned the same target vocabulary items through traditional way of teaching. After the traditional in class instruction period, a paper-based vocabulary test was administered to both groups of students; however, the experimental group which was made up of 30 students from the same section was taught the same target vocabulary items for a period of 4 weeks through blending task-based DDL instruction and in class instruction. The results of the study indicate that EFL students at LIU (Lebanese International University) make substitutional (synonym) lexical errors frequently; however, the results of the experimental group after receiving the blended pedagogic intervention with a systematic lexical and communicative approach surpassed their results before receiving the treatment. That is why students in the posttest showed a broader ability to produce a well-structured written text and comprehend a reading text as well.

Measuring the Motivating Potential Score of Academic Staff at the Lebanese International University

Measuring the Motivating Potential Score of Academic Staff at the Lebanese International University

English

English

AUTOMATED TOOLS FOR MULTI-CAMPUS UNIVERSITY COURSE ASSESSMENT

To improve the university teaching quality, and towards ABET accreditation, it is imperative to assess each course offered and provide feedback to instructors to evaluate the course outcomes and their relationship to the overall program outcomes in order to enhance the teaching methodologies and techniques. This paper aims at presenting the automation of the course assessment in the multi-campus common exams Lebanese International University by introducing two dynamic Excel Tools. The first one is the course section grading tool used by the instructor to evaluate his students and generate an assessment report. The second tool is the statistical tool that collects all class sections data and provides a statistical report including the course outcomes scores and the score of each program outcome. The coordinator uses this report to analyze the results, synthesizes the instructor recommendations, and proposes corrective actions to close the loop of continuous improvement.

Analysis of High Frequency EEG components in response to predefined realistic visual scenes

Event Abstract Back to Event Analysis of High Frequency EEG components in response to predefined realistic visual scenes Walid Hassan1*, Hassan Khachfe1 and Wiam Ramadan2 1 Lebanese International University, Biomedical Engineering Department, Lebanon 2 Lebanese International University, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanon The correlation between EEG and human visual information is presented in this article. EEG tests were performed in order to investigate the response of the brain signals upon passing different images with different textures and colors. Tests are performed on 4 different persons and EEG signals are recorded, processed and analyzed with various signal processing techniques. Electroencephalography recording sites are applied according to international 10-20 electrode system. High frequency components (70 to 150 Hz) in brain signals were analyzed in correlation to the texture of the shown image, and a correlation function is built. Results obtained show important affinity between the texture profiles of certain images and the brain response. This affinity could lead in further research works to define a brain stress or anti-stress level related to the image content shown to the subject. Keywords: neuromarketing, EEG, high frequency bursts, STFT, Full-band EEG Conference: Neuroinformatics 2013, Stockholm, Sweden, 27 Aug - 29 Aug, 2013. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: General neuroinformatics Citation: Hassan W, Khachfe H and Ramadan W (2013). Analysis of High Frequency EEG components in response to predefined realistic visual scenes. Front. Neuroinform. Conference Abstract: Neuroinformatics 2013. doi: 10.3389/conf.fninf.2013.09.00054 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 22 Apr 2013; Published Online: 11 Jul 2013. * Correspondence: Dr. Walid Hassan, Lebanese International University, Biomedical Engineering Department, Beyrouth, Lebanon, hassan.walid@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract Supplemental Data The Authors in Frontiers Walid Hassan Hassan Khachfe Wiam Ramadan Google Walid Hassan Hassan Khachfe Wiam Ramadan Google Scholar Walid Hassan Hassan Khachfe Wiam Ramadan PubMed Walid Hassan Hassan Khachfe Wiam Ramadan Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.