Literacy Course Research Articles

Teaching Afro-Hispanic Literature in the Undergraduate Introductory Literature Course: A Pedagogy for Antiracist Teaching

Abstract: This essay posits that an institution's program design mandates the curriculum for the classes we teach and that curriculum affects the concept of "canonical" literature, teacher preparation, textbook content, and comfort with discussing difference in the second language classroom for undergraduates. For that reason, this essay argues for the need for intentional curricular design that incorporates the ethnic diversity of Spanish-speaking communities at all levels of undergraduate Spanishlanguage instruction and proposes that literature written by Spanish-speaking writers of African descent should always be an integral part of the introductory literature course. In this course, literature is examined as an expression of culture and used as a tool for the development of both critical thinking skills and intercultural competence. While inclusive teaching methodologies are inherently universal and have application in teaching literature in any language, what follows describes an approach to teaching Afro-Hispanic literature in undergraduate Spanish classes that ensures the development of intercultural competence, endorses a pedagogy with a foundation in antiracist philosophy, and is rooted in inclusive and equitable teaching practices that is both deliberate and student-centered.

АНАЛИЗ ВОВЛЕЧЁННОСТИ ОБРАЗОВА-ТЕЛЬНЫХ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ СФО В ПРОЦЕСС ПОВЫШЕНИЯ ФИНАНСОВОЙ ГРАМОТНОСТИ

The question of leveling up the financial lit-eracy of the population is attracting increas-ing attention from economic institutions of the state. In recent years, the government has actively supported initiatives to develop financial literacy, recognizing the importance of this aspect for the economic development of the country. Higher education institutions play an important role in improving the finan-cial literacy of the population. However, the degree of their involvement in this process may vary. Some universities are actively introducing educational programs on financial literacy into the educational process, conducting seminars, lectures and master classes for students and the general public. Other schools may pay less attention to this topic or may not have specialized financial literacy courses. This article is devoted to the analysis of the involvement of educational organizations in the process of improving financial literacy. To assess the current level of involvement, monitoring of the websites of universities in the Siberian Federal District was carried out, since the level of financial literacy of residents of this territory can be considered as a problematic link that requires additional attention and effort on the part of educational institutions, government bodies and public organizations to increase the awareness and skills of the population in the field finance. The results of the study made it possible to assess the involvement of higher education institutions in the Siberian Federal District in the process of increasing the financial literacy of the population, identify the main problem areas in this area, and offer recommendations for increasing the degree of participation of educational organizations in increasing the level of financial literacy of the population.

Reflection of Russian History in Literature Course (Based on Example of Ust-Medveditskaya Women’s Gymnasium)

Reflection of Russian History in Literature Course (Based on Example of Ust-Medveditskaya Women’s Gymnasium)

Cultural codes in epic works of Belarusian literature at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries

The article is devoted to the consideration of cultural codes in Belarusian prose at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. Research objectives: to justify the use of the term cultural code as a literary concept; using the example of different types of codes to show the features of interpretation of a literary work. The subject of the research is spatial, character, action, animalistic, floristic, color codes in the epic works of Vladimar Gnilomedov, Kastus Tsvirka, Vikror Kazko, Ales Navarich, Andreji Fedorenko. It is noted that the cultural code as a semiotic unit, which is the bearer of deep historical and cultural meanings through which social, economic, geopolitical, cultural features, the specifics of the national worldview, behavior patterns of representatives of a certain nation or the population of the country as a whole are manifested, is considered in literary studies within the framework of semiotic approach. Methods (historical-literary, structural, semantic) and methodological basis of the study are the works of M. Epstein, Y. Kristeva, V. Khalipov, I. Shved and others. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time the features of the use of cultural codes in the epic works of modern writers are analyzed. Conclusions are drawn that among the cultural codes found in Belarusian prose, emphasizing national markings, are “partisan forest”, “kuzhal”, “cornflower”, “Belarusian partisan”, “volkolak”, “tolokak”, etc. Practical area application of the results of the work is seen in the possibility of using this material for a deep understanding and study of such academic disciplines as “History of Literature of the CIS Countries”, “History of Belarusian Literature”, university historical and literary courses, during independent research work of students, when writing coursework and theses.

AUGMENTED REALITY AS A WAY TO PRESENT EDUCATIONAL CONTENTIN THE MOBILE APPS

This article deals with the issue of implementing the capabilities of augmented reality in learning mobile applications, which is very topical for modern education. The aim of the article is to consider the application of augmented reality in the learning content of mobile applications. This article is devoted to the main aspects of the educational mobile technologies and practical application of the research results in the educational process of the general education institutions. The article deals with the application of the educational content of the mobile application module with the application of augmented reality on the example of teaching the subjects ―Informatics‖ and ―Digital literacy‖ in the secondary general education schools of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The basic definitions associated with educational mobile applications and augmented reality technologyare given, an analysis of the subject area is carried out. The international experience of applying this technology in the educational process is considered. The stages of studying the subjects ―Informatics‖ and ―Digital Literacy‖ using mobile technologies of educational direction, such as mobile applications for the organization of the learning process and assessment of knowledge, skills and abilities of students are described. As a result of the experiment, the mobile application was practically realizedand the adapted author's program ―Application of mobile technologies at the lessons of informatics and digital literacy‖ was developed. The received results of application of mobile technologies in studying of a school course of computer science and digital literacy confirm the relevance of the carried out research.

Going Global: Scaling the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Course to an International Audience

Introduction: Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology continue to increase every year, however most radiology residencies lack a dedicated AI education curriculum. Fundamental AI education resources are even more sparse for trainees in low- to middle-income countries and under-resourced healthcare systems. The AI Literacy Course assesses the effectiveness and scalability of a free, remote AI education curriculum to increase understanding of fundamental AI terms, methods, and applications in radiology among radiology trainees in the United States and internationally. Method: A week-long AI in radiology literacy course for radiology trainees was held October 3-7, 2022. Ten 30-minute lectures utilizing a remote learning format covered basic AI terms and methods, clinical applications of AI in radiology by three different subspecialties, and special topics lectures. A proctored, hands-on clinical AI session allowed participants to directly use an FDA-cleared, AI-assisted viewer and reporting system for advanced cancer. Pre- and post-course electronic surveys were distributed to assess participants’ knowledge of AI terminology and applications, as well as their interest in AI education. Results: A total of 25 residency programs throughout the US participated in the course with participants attending from 10 countries. An average of 150 participants viewed the course per day. Nearly all participants reported insufficient exposure to AI in their radiology training (95.8%). Participant knowledge of fundamental AI terms and methods increased after completion of the course, with an average pre-course evaluation of 8.3/15 and a post-course evaluation of 10.0/15 (p=0.01). Conclusion: The scalability of the AI Literacy Course demonstrates a viable model to bring accessible fundamental AI education to radiology trainees in the United States and internationally.

진학계 고교 영어과의 진로별 과목 분화 방안 연구

Objectives The purposes of this study is to develop career-differentiated English subject syllabus necessary to implement a career-differentiated curriculum in academic high school. Methods To achieve this, the researcher presented a career-differentiated design proposal for English subjects to 130 teachers who specialized in English or educational curriculum. The approach involved obtaining feedback from them and tentatively finalizing the design proposal based on their opinions. Results This study drew the following conclusions. Firstly, it is necessary to differentiate English subject according to career course and as the grade goes up, English subject can be further differentiated according to the courses that require specialization. Secondly, English subject should be differentiated according to its level and function. Lastly, in terms of course completion system, adopting large-scale unit system will be able the career-differ-entiated English curriculum to operate well. Based on these results, English subject syllabuses were developed for literacy course, science course, art course, and athletics course. Conclusions The developed career-differentiated English subject syllabus will provide students with learning op-portunities that align with their diverse career inclinations. Students will have the chance to experience in-depth learning tailored to the characteristics of English curriculum subjects, enabling them to make informed decisions about their career paths through the selection and completion of English courses.

The Literature Course Mapping in the Undergraduate Curricula of EFL Education: A Case Study in Several Countries in Asia

This study aims to map the literature course in the undergraduate curricula of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education in Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan[1], and analyze the literature course mapping in the Indonesian, Thai, and Taiwanese undergraduate curricula of EFL education. The significance of the study lies in its contribution to the structure of the undergraduate curriculum of EFL education, addressing global higher education challenges in the twenty-first century. This research employed a case study approach in Asia involving quantitative mapping of curricula documents from several universities in Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan, followed by qualitative analysis of curricula documents. The results indicate that, on average, the twelve target universities allocate 6% of the total obligatory completed semester credits to the literature course for a Bachelor of Teaching degree. Most of these universities position the literature course at a moderately low level with their curricula. Ideally, the literature course allocation could be increased to 15% if the linguistics and general language skills course group is also set at 15%, while the elective course group should be at 6%. Since the data were validated using time triangulation, future research should explore additional data validation techniques, such as in-depth interviews or questionnaires. [1] Taiwan is a part of China.

Integrating EcoJustice pedagogy with social justice pedagogy in children’s literature courses

Integrating EcoJustice pedagogy with social justice pedagogy in children’s literature courses

Enhancing students’ L2 writing skills online: a case study of an introductory English literature course for ESL students

Abstract This research paper is based on a case study of an introductory English literature course that is being offered at a community college in Hong Kong, China. The 2020–2021 cohort was unique as it had the entire course online using Zoom without any face-to-face or hybrid teaching, which was considered the “new normal” of higher education under the pandemic. This study employs narrative inquiry (Barkhuizen, G. (2014). Revisiting narrative frames: An instrument for investigating language teaching and learning. System, 47, 12–27; Clandinin, D. J. (2016). Engaging in narrative inquiry. Routledge), semi-structured interviews, and analysis of student essays to demonstrate that online essay consultations and collaborative writing are useful for enhancing the essay writing skills of second language learners. The paper specifically reports and highlights how individual Zoom essay consultations, together with collaborative writing on Padlet, scaffold and enhance students’ essay writing and critical thinking skills. Essentially, the paper argues that online technologies expand the dimension of literature education and empower it as a form of content-based ESL instruction for long-term use.

Justification and Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy Courses in Higher Education

This paper presents a justification for the implementation of AI Literacy courses in higher education. Ethical concerns and biases surrounding AI technologies are explored, highlighting the importance of critical analysis and responsible use of AI. A conceptual framework is then proposed, focusing on awareness, skill development, and practical application of AI. This framework aims to foster comprehensive understanding and empower students to leverage AI's potential while mitigating risks. The paper provides sample course titles and learning objectives. The suggested course format covers AI concepts, ethical considerations, bias awareness, and practical prompt engineering skills. There is a need for integrating AI literacy courses in higher education curriculum and this paper offers a roadmap for implementation. By equipping students with AI literacy, colleges can prepare students to responsibly navigate an AI-driven world while nurturing innovation and critical thinking skills that will be needed for future success.

Digital literacy in undergraduate pharmacy education: a scoping review

Abstract Introduction Digital health technologies (DHTs) play a crucial role in enhancing patient care and have become an integral part of pharmacy practice. However, to fully harness the benefits of digital health, it is imperative to have a digitally literate pharmacy workforce. Despite ongoing efforts to promote digital literacy, there remains a gap in digital health education within many pharmacy schools. Aim To explore strategies used in the education, training, and assessment of digital literacy among undergraduate pharmacy students and trainees. Methods Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and guided by a registered protocol. Five electronic databases were searched (MEDLINE [Ovid], PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and CINAHL), using specific keywords and index terms. The eligibility criteria included: Participants (undergraduate pharmacy students and trainees), Concept (digital literacy in terms of curriculum development, training approaches, assessment methods, and evaluation), Context (worldwide studies), and Types of Sources (all study types published in English between 1995 and 2022). Three independent reviewers performed study selection in two phases (titles/abstracts and full text), resolving any discrepancies through discussion with two additional reviewers. Data were extracted by two reviewers using a predefined table. The extracted data were thematically analysed, examining patterns and themes across the studies, using the Health Education England (HEE) capability framework as an initial thematic framework.[1] The Constructive alignment theory was applied to assess the alignment between taught material and assessment approaches in the reviewed studies.[2] Results We identified 624 articles and included a total of 57 studies in our scoping review. Four main themes were generated: (1) competencies, skills, and learning objectives, (2) delivery methods, (3) assessment methods, and (4) course development. The studies identified three categories of learning objectives for digital literacy: theoretical understanding of health informatics, familiarity with various DHTs, and applied informatics for patient-centred care and interprofessional collaboration. The review found a variety of delivery methods, with blended approaches being the most commonly used. Various assessment strategies were employed, including retrieving data from DHTs for patient plan presentations, live evaluations of DHT skills, critical appraisal of DHTs, and quizzes/written exams. Multiple strategies were also utilised for course development, including literature reviews, evaluations of existing courses, piloting, and collaboration with organisations, experts, companies, and schools to develop digital health courses at undergraduate pharmacy schools. Conclusion This scoping review is the first study to focus on incorporating digital literacy education into undergraduate pharmacy programmes, emphasising its significance. It identifies learning objectives, skills, competencies, teaching and assessment method to achieve this goal. Recommendations include prioritising foundational knowledge, keeping pace with the developing technology, using standardised guidelines for reporting educational interventions, and partnering with stakeholders to facilitate the development of digital literacy courses. While providing a valuable overview and practical suggestions for enhancing digital literacy education, our study acknowledges limitations, such as the potential oversight of relevant unpublished studies and a lack of detail in some reviewed studies. Nevertheless, it offers essential insights and a foundation for future research and collaborative efforts to prepare future pharmacists for the evolving landscape of digital health.

Prioritized but declining: an analysis of student participation in Asian languages courses in secondary school 2001–2021

AbstractThe need for proficiency in Asian languages has been identified as vital for Australia’s regional prosperity, but in the absence of a national language policy and national data collection, languages study has continued to deteriorate at alarming levels. This article analyses recent data for trends in participation in ‘priority’ Asian languages, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, and Korean NSW High School Certificate (HSC) courses from 2001–2021. In 1994, these languages were first identified by the government as “priority” Asian languages and of considerable importance for Australia’s future prosperity. This study analyses disaggregated HSC data to examine trends in individual languages and courses. The overall finding in this study is that despite the considerable funding, there has been no significant improvement in Beginner, Continuers, In-context, or Literature courses: 2001 had 4.25% of HSC students studying one of the priority Asian languages, but in 2021 this figure dropped to 3.43%. This detailed analysis reveals possible reasons for this and explores the role of community language schools (CLS) in supporting the study of priority Asian languages. This study finds that disaggregated state-level and local data analysis is essential to inform national policy evaluation and future policy planning. Without consistent data collection, policy evaluation, and the development of evidence-based approaches to language education, Australian language education will continue to flounder.

Development of picture story learning media based on the Buayo Kuning Folklore assisted by augmented reality technology in regional literature courses

Development of picture story learning media based on the Buayo Kuning Folklore assisted by augmented reality technology in regional literature courses

Financial Literacy Simulation in Managerial Finance: Signing Up for a Mock 401(k)

Much evidence suggests a growing need for financial literacy as a prerequisite to a lifetime of financial well-being. And while it has been recommended that U.S. colleges and universities implement a mandatory financial literacy course (President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, 2009; U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission, 2019), no such requirement has been imposed. Currently, only one quarter of college students report access to financial literacy education (Montalto et al, 2019). Guided by best practices and insights, this paper examines the opportunity for an upper-division core business course to support a focused, financial literacy learning opportunity for upper classmates by employing a simulated retirement plan enrollment. This work contributes to the body of work on financial literacy education and represents an efficient approach to providing relevant education to meet the growing financial literacy needs of college students.

Online teaching of artistic creativity: Methods, motivation and evaluation

Relevance. In light of the pandemic, distance learning has gained significant importance. There has been a pressing need to adapt all academic disciplines to an online mode of instruction. Purpose. This study aimed to identify the most effective strategies for providing online literature courses, taking into account the distinct demands of artistic expression which typically necessitates a more intimate, real-time exchange between teacher and learner. Methodology. The study utilized a mixed-method approach, incorporating analysis of teaching practices, comparative studies, student surveys, and experimental comparisons of traditional versus innovative online teaching techniques for literary disciplines during the pandemic. Results. The study analyzed teaching methods in the Faculty of Philology and conducted a survey with 300 students from the Kazakh National University, followed by an experiment comparing traditional and innovative online teaching strategies. The research illuminated those innovative methodologies like game learning, problem-based learning, case study method, brainstorming, multimedia technologies, l-search strategies, and programmed learning, when deployed in teaching literary disciplines online, outperformed traditional teaching methods. Students taught using these modern techniques showcased superior academic performance and a deeper assimilation of course materials. Conclusions. Distance education, as evidenced by this study, can be an avenue for the integration of advanced technological tools, encouraging students to explore novel ways of presenting their understanding in literary disciplines. Keywords: digital pedagogy; virtual classroom strategies; e-learning; technological integration; student engagement

Using a Five-Phase Applied Linguistics Design to Develop a Contextualized Academic Literacy Placement Test for Pre-University Pathway Students

ABSTRACT For students who have faced previous educational disadvantage, academic literacies are key to access and participation in higher education. Reliable placement in academic literacies courses engages these learners in appropriately pitched learning activities, ensuring optimal learning while developing their confidence and motivation. In this context, we aimed to develop a reliable assessment of students’ academic literacy knowledge to ensure accurate and context-sensitive placement in one of two foundational academic literacy courses. These courses were situated in a pathway program in a regional Australian university that aimed to broaden participation in higher education for individuals from under-represented groups and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. In this article, we describe, sequentially, the use of a five-phase applied linguistics design to develop the Academic Literacy Level Test (ALLTest). The phases represent the underlying principle of allowing pragmatic considerations to precede (but not preclude) theoretical ones, and consist, in turn, of (1) identifying the language challenge, (2) applying technical imagination and knowledge, (3) devising an initial (and iteratively subsequent) solution, (4) providing a theoretical justification, and (5) revising or finalizing a blueprint. We demonstrate how this process resulted in an organizationally efficient, context-specific, valid and reliable test of academic literacy.

Application of ChatGPT in Information Literacy Instructional Design

Recent developments in generative artificial intelligence tools have prompted immediate reactions in the academic library community. While most studies focus on the potential impact on academic integrity, this work explored constructive applications of ChatGPT in the design of instructional materials for courses in academic information literacy. The starting point was the use of openly licenced information resources or content infrastructure as facilitators in the creation of educational materials. In the first phase, course teaching material was developed using a prompt engineering strategy, predefined standards, and a prompt script. As a second step, we experimented with designing a custom chatbot model connected to a pre-defined corpus of source documents. The results demonstrated that the final teaching material required careful revision and optimisation before use in an actual instructional programme. The experimental design of the custom chatbot was able to query specific user-defined documents. Taken together, these findings suggest that the strategic and well-planned use of ChatGPT technology in content creation can have substantial benefits in terms of time and cost efficiency. In the context of information literacy, the results provide a practical and innovative solution to integrate the new technology tool into instructional practices.

Using design-based research to adjust lesson study with pre-service teacher candidates

PurposeThis study reports on changes made within the study, plan, teach and reflect steps of lesson study with pre-service teachers who were learning to teach within a disciplinary literacy course.Design/methodology/approachUsing methods associated with formative experiments and design-based research, this study gathered data over four iterations of the disciplinary literacy course. Data included the course materials, pre-service teachers’ written work, observational notes from research lessons, transcripts of post-lesson discussions and teacher-educators’ analysis sessions and pre-service teachers’ post-program interviews. Data were analyzed within and across iterations.FindingsInitial adjustments to the lesson study process focused on the reflect step, as we learned to better scaffold pre-service teachers sharing of observational data from research lessons. Later adjustments occurred in the study and plan steps, as we refined the design of four-day lesson sequences that better supported pre-service teachers’ attention to disciplinary literacy while providing room for their instructional mentors to provide specific team-based feedback. Adjustments to the teach step included reteaching and more explicit attention to literacy objectives.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by explicitly applying formative experiment and design-based research methods to the implementation of lesson study with pre-service teachers. Furthermore, it contributes examples of lesson study within a disciplinary literacy context, expanding the examples of lesson study’s applicability across content areas.

Describing undergraduate students’ reasoning and use of evidence during argumentation about socioscientific issues systems

IntroductionWe conducted research in a post-secondary, large-enrollment science literacy course that asks students to apply multidisciplinary scientific evidence when providing an argument about the potential social and ecological consequences of policy solutions to socioscientific issues (SSI).MethodsCoding schemes were developed to describe students’ levels of proficiency in constructing arguments about the nature of SSI systems and were created through inductive coding of student arguments about SSI systems embedded within a structured decision-making process.ResultsThe coding schemes included student practices in 1) providing reasoning about the potential consequences of multiple solutions for an SSI, 2) linking evidence to reasoning, and 3) sources of evidence. In the highest level in the reasoning coding scheme, students used clear and traceable scientific evidence to address an assumption by specifying how (a mechanism) or by how much, an SSI solution might satisfy a desired policy objective.DiscussionThe resulting framework describes how students apply multidisciplinary scientific evidence to support their SSI reasoning, which may aid researchers and educators in exploring how students interpret and integrate scientific evidence in an SSI-context, with the ultimate goal of bolstering students’ ability to reason about evidence outside the classroom.