Master's Degree Course Research Articles

Conceptual design in a master degree course

Conceptual design in a master degree course

Harmonious learning: songs in English for ESP

Abstract The ubiquitous nature and diffusion of songs sung in English has meant that a great number of EFL and ESP students are listening to English and acquiring some notions about the language almost subconsciously. Such songs have also been incorporated into English as an L2 practice for, probably, almost as long as English has been taught as a foreign language. However, sometimes they are used as filler exercises or only as an exercise to keep the students happy. Slowly, songs have been gaining more acceptance as a valid didactic tool to be used in various moments of the general English L2 lesson and for various functions (Tegg 2018). This article reports on a project to use songs in English for Specific purposes lessons at an Italian university with students of two Master degree courses (Social Work and Social Policy; Sociology and Social Research). During the English modules, songs from various artists were specifically chosen and language-learning exercises devised around them to be used in almost every lesson for different learning objectives: these included introducing a new subject, presenting and revising grammar, learning individual words or short phrases including idiomatic expressions, as lead-ins to discussions. At the end of the course, the students completed a questionnaire aimed at eliciting their opinions about the use of songs in ESP lessons. The results indicate that the use of popular songs is an effective tool in an ESP lesson and that their inclusion can help motivate students as well as help them learn.

Active methodologies as a support in the teaching-learning process in healthcare

Active methodologies constitute a teaching-learning strategy based on problematization with the objective of reaching and motivating the student, who, faced with a problem, analyzes, reflects and decides on a given situation, showing active involvement in their training process. The objective of this work is to report the experience of the active methodologies discipline applied to Health Education, included in a master's degree course. Reflections were promoted based on welcoming dynamics, dialogued exhibitions and group work addressing the practices of active methodologies in the teaching-learning process. It is concluded that it is essential to incorporate innovative methodologies in Health Education, in order to promote the training of professionals with a profile that meets the demands of the SUS and current society.

The university training of the sports manager in Italy between legislative misapplications and overlapping degree courses

PurposeThe implementation of the 2021 sports reform in Italy introduced new professional figures, including the sports manager, defined by Legislative Decree no. 36/2021. According to this law, a master's degree in Organization and Management of Services for Exercise and Sport Sciences (LM-47) is required to practice as a sports manager. However, some universities offer bachelor's and master's degree courses in sports management under different study classes, such as Sciences of Legal Services (L-14), Administration and Organization Sciences (L-16), Business and Management Sciences (L-18), and Business Economics (LM-77). These degree courses may qualify individuals as pseudo-sports managers, despite substantial differences in the educational content compared to the legally defined sports manager profile. This study aimed to assess the illegitimate overlap of degree courses outside the class LM-47 and the discrepancies in their study plans compared to those of LM-47, which is the only one corresponding to the sports manager profile.MethodsThis documentary investigation used the two Ministerial Decrees of 2007 of the bachelor’s and master’s degree classes to extrapolate the degree courses involved in the overlap. Universitaly portal was used to identify the relevant subjects included in the individual degree courses in sports management other than the LM-47. The textual analysis of the objectives and content of the degree courses was done through the literature review tool Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), highlighting the relevant or consistent elements of the profile of the sports manager as established by law.ResultsDegree courses in Law and Sports Management in class L-14 have a juridical professional profile, which is minimally relevant to the sports manager's role. Similarly, degree courses in Economics and Business Management Sciences in the class L-18 and Administration and Organization Sciences in the class L-16 focus on economic–financial administration and management control, lacking alignment with the sports manager profile. Even master's degree courses in the class LM-77 exhibit disparities with the sports manager profile as defined by the law. Furthermore, all these degree courses lack European credit transfer system (ECTS) credits in the exercise and sport sciences area, an essential aspect of the sports manager profession.ConclusionThere are evident contradictions in the degree courses designed for sports managers other than LM-47. According to the law, a master’s degree in study class LM-47 is required to pursue this profession, but there are several degree programs from different classes of study (juridical and economic) available in the national educational offering. This situation may lead to the misapplication of Legislative Decree no. 36/2021 and result in problems with professional accreditation and limited employment opportunities for graduates of such courses. To promote the development of this professional figure, it is necessary to improve the educational offerings in the LM-47 with a more integrated approach to various economic and juridical knowledge to meet the educational needs of future sports managers who navigate the real dynamics of the sports industry.

Enfermagem avançada: recordar o passado, apreciar o presente e perspetivar o futuro

Introduction This article arises from the analysis of care practice as a Nurse, in a sense of continuous improvement. Thus, by understanding the professional history, the paradigms of the profession and the positioning of Nursing in terms of society in today's world, it is possible to envision possible paths for the profession. Objective This article aims to reflect on the historical evolution of Nursing in Portugal and to envision the future of Portuguese Nursing in the light of international influences. Development The historical perspective and the implications in Nursing care practice, Person/Client-Centred Care and the individualisation of the intervention and, finally, Advanced Nursing and Advanced Practice Nursing were addressed. Analysing the historical perspective of Nursing over the centuries, from its abnegated period, through the romantic era, medicine and the technicist phase, we understand some current practices and doubts regarding the perspective of the future. The development of knowledge and practice in Nursing should go through the recognition and advancement of the core competencies of the discipline. Conclusion An approximation between scientific production and care practice is essential for the development of Nursing. Facilitating this process is the development of the Nursing specialties as a master's degree course, promoting not only different practices, but also the critical look and thinking of professionals. In this process, the existence of other sciences – health, social and human sciences, among others – that will promote the development of the Nursing body should not be relegated to second place, but it is also crucial to disseminate scientific production in Nursing, in order to give visibility to the science and practice of the discipline.

Hands-on training in industrial cybersecurity for a multidisciplinary Master's degree

As a response to the scarcity of workforce with essential competences for Industry 4.0, academic institutions are making an effort to propose specialized educational programs. In this context of digitalization, industrial cybersecurity is an increasingly important aspect. Nevertheless, industrial cybersecurity is a challenging topic that requires the understanding of both information technologies and the operation of industrial facilities. Furthermore, practical training requires realistic environments to be useful. For this reason, in this work, we present a hands-on activity on a remotely accessible training platform to complement the theoretical concepts of a Master's degree course that deals with the introduction to industrial cybersecurity. This platform presents the students a realistic automation environment with industrial hardware and software. The educational experience has been assessed with regard to the students’ perception and its technical operation. The platform was found useful for learning and motivating, although the perceived degree of difficulty needs to be adjust to promote students’ self-confidence.

Profile of graduate students of a nationwide professional master's degree course in the health field

Resumo: Introdução: O texto apresenta pesquisa com alunos egressos do Mestrado Profissional em Saúde da Família (PROFSAÚDE) que é uma proposta de formação em rede nacional composta por 25 instituições das cinco regiões do Brasil, realizada na modalidade de ensino a distância (EAD), voltada para o fortalecimento de conhecimentos relacionados à atenção primária à saúde, à gestão em saúde e à educação. Objetivo: Este estudo caracteriza o perfil sociodemográfico e de atuação profissional dos egressos da primeira turma de mestrado profissional em Saúde da Família em rede nacional e identifica as contribuições do curso para a atuação profissional e o fortalecimento do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Método: Trata-se de uma pesquisa de abordagem quantitativa que utilizou um questionário com perguntas abertas e fechadas como instrumento de pesquisa. Resultado: Os resultados apresentam o perfil dos egressos, as motivações para realização do curso, os impactos no cotidiano de trabalho e na carreira profissional, bem como a repercussão do produto final do curso nos processos formativos de profissionais da saúde e na assistência. Conclusão: A experiência de formação de profissionais da saúde na modalidade EAD tem potencial pela capacidade de atingir equitativamente diferentes regiões do país, propiciando ao profissional-aluno ferramentas para examinar seu cotidiano e propor soluções aos desafios da atenção primária à saúde, como mencionado pelos egressos em relação à contribuição do produto final do mestrado.

Fostering interculturally responsive educators for a sustainable society

The COVID-19 pandemic rendered social inequalities more visible in the last two years and negatively impacted different spheres of life all around the world. How do we enhance quality education and reduce inequalities in the teaching and learning process? This paper presents the main results derived from a quantitative study involving university students who are enrolled in Bachelor's and Master's Degree courses in Italy. Students were asked to fill out surveys concerning the Student Measure of Culturally Responsive Teaching (Italian version) and the Sense of Belonging in order to explore their perceptions of culture-based teaching practices applied during lessons and their sense of belonging to the academic context. Data coming from statistical analysis shows a higher level of CRT and SoB, and reveales a moderate and positive correlation between the examined variables. These results allow us to reflect on the role of the active development methodologies, which can be applied in the educational contexts to promote intercultural dialogue and future culturally engaged professionals in order to reduce social barriers in the learning process and promote a more sustainable world.

MIGRATION MANAGEMENT IN EDUCATION: TRAINING OF THE HEADS OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AT A BORDER UNIVERSITY

Migration has actualised the problems in the education of migrants and refugees’ children. Therefore, training of the heads of educational institutions at the border territories is required for the migration management in educational institutions. The study presents a model of management training in a cross-border Federal university. The proposed model is based on the competence and personality-oriented approaches in education in Russia and abroad. The data for the study was collected through observation and semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. The development of the model was supported by a set of developed educational programs for master's degree and additional professional courses. The effectiveness of scientific and methodological educational software has been experimentally proven during the in-depth interviews. The results of the study contribute to the development of heads and teachers training and curricula. These results are used in the continuing professional educational programs, development of managerial and teaching staff in the field of education, in pre-professional education, and various special courses and training programs for the students of pedagogical specialties. In conclusion, the study develops a vision for the further development of the system for training managerial and pedagogical personnel in education for migration management in education.

Experience of using the interactive form of masters’ midterm assessment in a foreign language

A foreign language in a masters degree course is a tool for conducting research and development in certain problem areas determined by the educational program. The reasoning ability and the ability to report the main facts of the work done in a foreign language reflect the students communicative competence. The success of foreign language communication on professionally-oriented topics should be estimated by means of objective descriptors and in a form that allows the examinee to show his readiness for foreign language communication. The purpose of this paper is to identify the optimal forms of master students midterm assessment on Foreign Language in the sphere of Law. The author suggests discussing the practicability of using three forms of the exam: traditional and innovative with the use of two options for organizing interactive work of students in the masters program at the exam in the form of a presentation and discussion of advanced research directions related to criminology, criminal and penal law. The discussion can be conducted collectively or individually in the student teacher mode. The paper presents the evaluation system for masters midterm assessment, evaluation technique and the experience of conducting an exam using all three mentioned above organizational forms of work. The advantages and disadvantages of each midterm assessment form are outlined. Statistical methods (Mann-Whitney U-criterion) for evaluating the effectiveness of the exam indicate that it is advisable to use an interactive form such as an individual presentation of a scientific problem. At the same time, the qualitative characteristics of the results show that the collective discussion of scientific presentations makes it possible to check all the subcompetencies of the students communicative competence in the best and objective way, while the traditional form and the exam in the model of the individual presentation of a scientific problem allow assessing the examinees competence on its separate components partially. Thus, this paper makes the issues of the selection of measurable indicators for the foreign language competence of students actual and allows to intensify the discussion about the methodological component of the procedure for assessing master students ability to communicate.

Prospects for the Development of Design Thinking of Higher Education Applicants in the Culture and Art Industry in the Context of Digitalization

The rapid development of science, technology, and digital multimedia has made adjustments in all areas of design. Its ramifications and forms are deeply influenced by digital media, making new demands on teaching. A renewed society regulates new modes of teaching to produce applicants capable of adapting to the development of modern society and responding to the needs of the market. The article aims to present the impact of the development of modern digital media technologies on the teaching of modern fashion design at Kyiv National University of Culture and Art and to analyze the methodological problems of design thinking. The novelty of the work is the consideration of a new mode of teaching that is suitable for digital media art design from the perspective of design thinking methodology. The result of the work is the connection between the modes of design and the development of creative projects in the perspective of the model of homogeneous synthesis of the use of design thinking methodology and digitalization. The feasibility of the methodology synthesis is revealed in the results of the experiment, which involved 30 students from three faculties of Kyiv National University of Culture and Art. The groups took a combined bachelor's and master's degree course in design engineering, aimed at developing the best final project. Students combined this course with incorporating a design thinking approach. The best project was demonstrated by the group that focused the most on the use of design thinking and creativity and was guided in the design development by one of the basic components of design thinking, empathy. Taking the perspective of incorporating design thinking into the learning process can identify the next steps that can assess a future professional's life trajectory as well as address topics such as recognition, memory, and future development perspectives.

History of Indonesia in the Master's Degree Course of the Department of Foreign History, Political Science and International Relations, Petrozavodsk State University

The article shows the importance of oriental publications Sulalat-us-salatin: Malay Manuscript of Kruzenshtern and its Cultural and Historical Significance and Travel and Latest Observations in China, Manila and the Indo-China Archipelago for studying the colonial policy of the Netherlands in Indonesia as part of the training course "Politics of European Powers in the Countries of the East in the 16th-early 20th century" of Master's program at the Petrozavodsk State University. The organization of the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies in 1595-1597 and the creation of the United East India Company are analyzed. The materials of the article can be useful in preparation for classes in the field of History.

Technical competency required by postgraduate psychiatric nursing students: A qualitative research.

Technical skills result in the patient's safety. Psychiatric nurses need to learn and apply them to provide effective and secure cares. This study explains the technical competency required for postgraduate psychiatric nursing students. This conventional qualitative content analysis study is part of a larger study on the clinical competency of postgraduate psychiatric nursing students performed in Iran in 2020. A qualitative study was conducted at universities holding master's degree courses in psychiatric nursing. Participants were instructors and postgraduate psychiatric nursing students, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists selected by purposeful sampling method. Sampling continued until data saturation was achieved. Data were collected through a semi-structured individual interview and were analyzed by conventional qualitative content analysis. The "technical competency" has two subcategories of "specialized knowledge" (including general nursing knowledge, psychiatric nursing knowledge, and basic knowledge of psychology) and "application of knowledge in practice" (including clinical experience, skills of psychiatric nursing interventions, educational skills, and research and evidence-based practice skills). The psychiatric nursing student learns and operates knowledge of psychiatric nursing, psychology, education, and research, besides improving their knowledge of general nursing.

Teaching geography and blended learning: interdisciplinary and new learning possibilities

<abstract> <p>The pandemic due to Covid-19 ushered Italian universities into the world of digital education, with geography being one of the disciplines that derived multiple benefits from a worldwide, technological transition. Our contribution focuses on the Turin experience of Cultural Geography teaching for the degree-courses of Languages and Cultures for Tourism (Undergraduate course) and of International Communication for Tourism (Master's degree-course). It highlights how the combined use of Moodle, WebEx, Google Earth, and Instagram stimulated an interest in a traditionally neglected subject, but also offers food for thought on the use of the same technologies in teaching Italian language, through geography, in US universities.</p> </abstract>

UN’ESPERIENZA DI TEAM BASED LEARNING NELLA MEDICAL EDUCATION AI TEMPI DEL COVID-19: UNA SPERIMENTAZIONE DIGITALE

In recent decades, Medical Education has undergone several radical changes. Moreover, the changes currently due to the Covid-19 emergency must be added. This paper aims to share the results of a teaching innovation in medical education based on Team-Based Learning (TBL), which was implemented within an elective course in the Master's Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery. The results of the mixed method evaluative research led to identify interpretative elements concerning the students’ engagement, their outcomes, and their perceptions about the teaching approach. The TBL, if introduced progressively and implemented with appropriate scaffolding actions through the exploitation of the potential of educational technologies, can lead to positive results. It can indeed facilitate a greater involvement of the students and the mobilization of the knowledge autonomously acquired in order to face tasks with increasing cognitive complexity, as well as an empowerment process of the learning to learn skill in the perspective of lifelong learning.

Student teachers' narratives on learning: A case study of a course on older people's media literacy education

This qualitative case study evaluated student teachers' experiences of a course on media literacy education for older people. The course was developed as part of a research project and was integrated within a teacher education program focused on adult education that could be included in a Master's degree course or in post-Master's studies. A narrative research method was used to analyze the data. NVivo analysis was also performed. The data consisted of texts obtained from 20 student teachers. Collaboration with older people and the design assignment for media literacy intervention facilitating authentic and intergenerational learning, were perceived as significant experiences.

Advanced teaching method for learning power system operation based on load flow simulations

AbstractCurrent power systems are undergoing a rapid and complex transformation due to the integration of distributed generation. Load flow analysis is increasingly necessary to evaluate not only the operating point of the existing power system but also the design of future expansions. There are a wide variety of power system analysis packages used for load flow analysis. Of these, PowerFactory, one of the tools most widely used by network operators, is implemented for the present learning approach. In fact, one of the challenges for electric utility companies is the lack of experts who are familiar with this type of commercial tool. In the present work, several scenarios were defined and implemented using PowerFactory, covering common real‐life situations in power systems, such as the connection of a new line or a capacitor bank, or the installation of a renewable energy power plant. In this regard, the goal of the present teaching method was to complement the educational competences of power system engineers. As such, the proposed method was implemented in both an Electrical Engineering Degree course and a Master's Degree course in Industrial Engineering, where useful application feedback from students was obtained. Furthermore, the proposed approach is easily replicable for teaching/learning activities at other academic institutions.

Literary Criticism and Interdisciplinary Studies in Iran with a Closer Look at the Book Literary Theory and Criticism: An Interdisciplinary Textbook

Literary Theory and Criticism: An Interdisciplinary Textbook is written by Hossein Payendeh as a university textbook for master's degree course in Persian language and literature. It was first published in two volumes in 2018 by SAMT publications. Given the global importance of interdisciplinary studies in literature in recent decades as well as the need of the same in Persian literature, the current article makes an attempt to investigate the extent and manner of the application of interdisciplinary approaches in the aforementioned book. Taking into account historiographical and critical-analytical approaches, we could obtain a history of the theory and literary criticism in the West and then in Iran. This topic has also been presented in the official curriculums of Iranian universities. The form and structure of the book were studied after explaining the prevalence of the literary criticism discourse in Iran. In the section on reviewing the content, while enumerating the most important variables of the book, the relation of topics with the current situation of the theory and literary criticism in the West and Iran was explained and its contents drew the attention in order to confirm interdisciplinary studies in Persian literature. Based on the findings of this article, it can be argued that the publication of Literary Theory and Criticism: An Interdisciplinary Textbookwhile preserving the link with literary theories, indicating a break from those theories and turning attention to interdisciplinary studies in Persian literature. Its publication as an academic textbook can be considered as a turning point in academic literary studies in Iran.

Development of Online Master's Degree Course in Education Digitalization Conditions: On BSU Experience

This article presents a study of the development of the online master’s degree course at Belgorod National Research University (BSU) in a context of education digitalization in Russia. It demonstrates the successful introduction of the frameworks of intensity, scalability, and a modular approach to learning, asynchrony, interactivity, automation, openness, and adaptability. We consider the online master’s course as an open information and learning environment that is designed for effective management and monitoring of the educational process. The online master’s degree course at BSU aims to create a flexible and adaptive educational system that meets the needs of the digital economy and ensures the fullest use of the didactic potential of digital technologies. It is proved that to ensure high-quality assimilation of the master’s degree program, the managers of the educational process need to provide pedagogical support to learners. The basis for effective development of online master’s degree course is in availability of online courses (MOOC) placed on online platforms; formation of students’ ICT competence; application of interactive teaching methods; motivational readiness for self-education; readiness of teachers to interact online; available on-line maintenance in the educational process and the possibility of computer networks/Wi-Fi. According to the study, the conditions for the effective development of online master’s degree course in higher education allow: ensuring the personalization of the educational process; involving each student in learning activities; motivating learners at all stages of the learning process; providing the continuous personalized monitoring of students’ learning achievements, giving the prompt feedback to students; ensuring the availability of educational programs for learners who live in remote areas, as well as those with disabilities.
 Keywords: continuing education digitalization, online learning, e-learning, online master’s degree course, cyberculture, MOOC

"Growing through relationship" - the Engagement of the Health Professional Students in the Internship Experience: a Grounded Theory Research.

Background and aim:Little is known about the students’ engagement in the training experience and how it is lived by the health professional students. We aim at building a theoretical model of the engagement process starting from their lived experiences with Grounded Theory approach.Methods:In-depth qualitative interviews are conducted with 12 students from the Master Degree Courses in Nursing, Physiotherapy and Prevention Techniques in the environment and in the workplace, who had carried out and/or were doing internships in the same territory (2nd and 3rd year).ResultsThe health professions’ student engagement in the training program is developed in three main phases: initial phase, central phase and final phase, where emotions, behaviours, awareness contribute to the development of the entire engagement process with different relevance. The intertwining of these different components that develop along the stages of the experience gives life to the core category: growing through relationship, which expressed the crucial role of the relational network built during the internship experience in shaping students’ engagement.Conclusions:The results of this study underline the crucial role of students’ engagement in the internship experience in favouring both better learning outcomes and perspective professional success and wellbeing. (www.actabiomedica.it)