Perceptions Of Instructors Research Articles

PERSEPSI PENYULUH PERIKANAN TERHADAP KINERJA KELOMPOK PEMBUDIDAYA IKAN DI KECAMATAN LOA KULU KABUPATEN KUTAI KARTANEGARA

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of perception of fisheries instructors on the performance of fish cultivation groups in the villages of Panoragan, Sepakat, Jembayan and Sumber Sari Village in Lao Kulu District, Kutai Kartanegara District. The study was conducted for 9 months (January-September). The sampling method used in this study is a purposive sampling method with 5 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative methods .
 The results of the study of Fisheries Perception of the Performance of Fish Cultivators in the Loa Kulu sub District of Kutai Kartanegara District, the partial planning indicators are in the high category with a score of 8.8. Indicators of partial organizational ability are in the high category with a score of 9. Institutional access indicators partially are in the high category with a score of 9. Indicators of entrepreneurial ability are partially in the high category with a score of 9. Indicators of independence are partially in the high category with a score of 9.

Instructor Perceptions of Student Incivility in the Online Undergraduate Science Classroom.

ABSTRACTStudent incivility, defined as a student behavior perceived to be disrespectful or disruptive to the overall learning environment in a course, can negatively affect the science learning environment and instructors. The transition to online science courses during the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique environment for student incivility to take place in undergraduate courses. There are few studies that examine student incivility in online synchronous courses, and we know of no studies that have investigated student incivility during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we surveyed 283 instructors across U.S. institutions who taught undergraduate science courses with synchronous online components. We probed their experiences with student incivility during the fall 2020 term. Over half of instructors surveyed reported experiencing student incivility, with women being more likely than men to report student incivility. Compared with white instructors, people of color were more likely to perceive an increase in student incivility in fall 2020 relative to previous in-person terms. This work indicates that student incivility is perceived in the online synchronous learning environment and that the negative impacts of perceived student incivility during COVID-19 online instruction were not distributed equally among instructors, disproportionately burdening women and people of color.

A Survey of Human Gross Anatomy Laboratories in DPT Programs across the United States

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to 1) describe the current teaching methodology used in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) human gross anatomy (HGA) labs, 2) examine the demographics and perceptions of HGA instructors and compare responses based on years of experience, 3) determine the utilization and instructor perceptions related to cadaver dissection and other methods of instruction, and 4) determine which safety/security protocols are used in HGA laboratories. Method: All DPT programs (N=250) in the United States (US) accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) were eligible to participate. The anonymous, 89-item online survey was completed by either an HGA instructor or DPT program director in March of 2020. Seventy-four individuals responded for a response rate of 29.6%. Results: Respondents represented programs from 65.2% private and 34.8% public institutions. Fifty percent of respondents dedicated 31-60% of their HGA course to face-to-face lab time, with 68% reporting an instructor to student ratio in lab of 1:15 or smaller. Seventy percent of instructors were US licensed PTs, and 78% of those PTs held an academic doctorate. The average years of anatomy teaching experience was 11.3. Ninety-six percent of programs utilized cadavers. Most programs (86%) had students perform hands-on cadaver dissection. Overall, 90% of instructors incorporated learning activities into lab beyond dissection. Ninety-four percent of instructors reported enjoyment teaching HGA, and a majority felt they had adequate teaching support and academic preparation. Sixty percent of respondents felt that cadavers were the only way to teach lab, while 90% felt that cadavers were the best way to teach lab. Regarding safety, 38% of instructors had concerns regarding chemical exposure in lab, and 11% believed their health was at risk. Comparative analyses found significant differences in instructor perceptions based on years of anatomy teaching experience (+/- 10 years). Less experienced faculty were more likely to believe that a non-cadaver approach to teaching HGA can be as effective as using cadavers given the right technology, while more experienced faculty were more likely to believe that teaching HGA with cadavers was the best way to teach lab. Conclusions: DPT program directors and instructors may find this study valuable to compare their HGA course(s) to other programs in the US. Although there is a clear preference for including cadavers in HGA laboratories, it is evident that most instructors are incorporating other learning approaches in their HGA laboratories.

Does the Instructors Gender Identity and Syllabus Design Affect Students Perceptions of Their Instructor?

Background Learner-centered syllabi influence students’ perceptions of their instructors; however, studies have not investigated the gender identity of the instructor. Objective We sought to investigate whether the gender of the instructor and the syllabus design affected students' perceptions of the instructor, course, and memory of the syllabus. Method Participants were randomly assigned to read either learner- or instructor-centered syllabi for a course taught by a male, female, or gender-neutral instructor. They reported their perceptions of the instructor (i.e., Teacher Behavior Checklist), how they perceived the syllabus (i.e., Syllabus Tone Survey), and their memory of syllabus information. Results Students who received a learner-centered syllabus perceived the instructor as possessing higher master teacher behaviors, positive tone and remembered more of the course syllabus. Students perceived gender-neutral instructors as more caring, supportive, professional, and communicative compared to male and female instructors. Perceptions of male instructors were the least negative, and female instructors were the least positive. Conclusion The current study adds to the growing body of research demonstrating that a learner-centered syllabus can positively influence students' perceptions of the instructor. The initial evidence suggests that gender may also have an effect. Teaching Implications Instructors should consider designing their syllabus using learner-centered principles and be cautious and aware of a potential gender bias.

Student Perceptions of Effective Simulation Instructor Teaching.

Twenty-three focus groups were held with 183 first-year medical students to assess student perceptions of effective simulation instructors during preclinical training in a medical school. Qualitative descriptive analysis guided the interpretation of focus group data. Students identified 6 areas of knowledge (schedule, student learning goals, session scenario, tasks and checklists, technique, and session purpose); 5 effective instructor skill categories (setting up the learning environment, teaching at the appropriate level, teaching technique, providing deeper context, and giving effective feedback); and 8 positive instructor attributes (enthusiasm, engaged, prepared, knowledgeable, patient, relational, transparent, and calm) instructors should have. Each category of instructor attributes, skills, and knowledge was also described in detail providing illustrative examples of what effective instruction would look like in practice from the students' perspective. Recommendations for instructor faculty development methods and topics/goals are given.

Exploring students’ perceptions of instructor requests for forms of address and students’ appraisals of the instructor

ABSTRACT Guided by predicted outcome value (POV) theory, we explore how instructors’ forms of address (FOA) during the first class day impact students’ POV judgments and their perceptions of instructors’ credibility and socio-communicative orientation. College students (N = 416) were randomly assigned to view one of six stimulus videos varying by FOA (e.g., “Doctor,” “Professor,” first name) and instructor biologic sex (e.g., male-presenting, female-presenting) before completing dependent measures. Results suggest female-presenting instructors are perceived to be less caring, albeit more assertive when referred to by “Doctor” or “Professor” compared to male-presenting instructors referred to by the same FOAs. Female-presenting instructors are also perceived to be more caring, yet less assertive when referred to by first name only in comparison to the male-presenting instructor referred to by the same FOA. The current study highlights the gendered expectations students have of instructors and the implications of instructor FOA during the first class day.

Education sector policies and their role in the integration of workplace learning and higher education: A case of Tanzania’s higher technical and engineering education

Abstract Tanzania’s education system has been passing through different changes in its policies and strategic implementation plans. As a result, improvements in various areas, such as increased students’ enrolment rate, improved pass rates, and improved infrastructure at all levels have been realized. This pilot study aimed at understanding the awareness and perception of policymakers, employers, instructors, and students of the importance of policies in integrating workplace learning and technical higher education. With the main question being, how stakeholders in the education sector perceive the importance of policies in integrating workplace learning and technical higher education. In order to answer the above question, a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted with policymakers, employers, instructors, and students. Most of the interviewees stated that policies have significant roles in ensuring the smooth integration and implementation of these two learning modes. On the other side, several challenges were mentioned in policy implementation and realization of the strategic plans. These challenges were categorized as those related to the public’s and students’ awareness and readiness, financial constraints, educational institutes’ readiness, and operationalization of the organizations and educational institutes. From this pilot study, insightful information is gained on the importance of having policies that take into account all main stakeholders in higher education.

“You know what, I can do this”: Heterogeneous joint trajectories of expectancy for success and attainment value in chemistry

Using a situated expectancy-value theory perspective, we examined trajectories of expectancy for success and attainment value in introductory chemistry courses. Growth mixture modeling yielded four trajectory groups (classes) with unique patterns of expectancy and value over time. Perceptions of instructors’ connections to real life and enthusiasm predicted trajectory class membership, and trajectory classes significantly differed on grade and major outcomes. Follow-up analyses of students’ open-ended responses uncovered further insights about how students experience motivational supports, including broad themes that aligned with motivational design principles along with more detailed explanations of how such supports functioned for students in this setting. Frequently reported motivational experiences indicated variety in “what works” for students, but identified themes were mentioned equally often across the two courses and the four trajectory classes, suggesting students with differing trajectories of motivation equally attend to or benefit from the most commonly used motivational teaching strategies. Students’ open-ended reports also indicated that multiple course features worked in tandem to support students via consistent, mutually supportive teacher messages. Results highlight the importance of student perceptions and the need to consider motivational supports as complex systems of mutually supportive practices.

The Interactive Relationship Between Instructor Perceptions and Learner Personality on Surgical Skills Performance

The objective of this study was to examine the association between learner personality and capacity to be trained (i.e., performance improvement) on a surgical task, and how instructor perceptions of the learners' capacity to be trained interact with learner personality and performance during training and feedback. There is meaningful heterogeneity in the degree of learner surgical skills acquisition despite receiving the same amount of training. While learner personality may independently contribute to skill acquisition, the instructor-learner feedback process is also important to consider. To better understand this interpersonal relationship, it is necessary to also consider instructor factors (i.e., perceptions), and how this may contribute to learner variability in skills training. This exploratory study employed a prospective two-phase design. Medical and non-medical undergraduate students (N = 62) completed measures of personality and participated in two 20-minute training sessions with expert feedback 2 weeks apart, performing an end-to-side anastomosis on a low-fidelity model. Learner performance and instructors' perceptions of a learner's capacity to be trained were assessed. Sixty-two medical and non-medical undergraduate students. There was a significant interaction between learner Extraversion and instructor's perceptions of learner capacity to be trained. Higher learner Extraversion was only associated with an increase in performance improvement for those who were considered trainable (OR = 4.83, p = 0.017). Post hoc analysis revealed a significant difference in the amount of feedback provided to participants who were considered trainable (M = 9.45) versus not trainable (M = 16.48). This study highlights the importance of both individual learner factors and instructor perceptions on surgical skill acquisition.

Higher Diploma Program in Ethiopian Higher Education: Instructors’ Perception and Perceived Practices in Jimma University and Jimma College of Teachers Education

The study investigates the perception and perceived practices of Higher Diploma program (HDP) in the Jimma University and Jimma College of teachers’ education using a cross-sectional survey design comprised of questionnaire and interviews. The data were collected from 91 instructors, and 3 higher diploma leaders (HDLs) who were selected through lottery sampling and 2 higher diploma coordinators (HDCs) who were selected using availability sampling methods. The finding revealed the importance of the HDP (M=4.3, SD=0.91) though the perception of the HEI instructors differ before coming, and after coming to the HDP. Though the study indicated as the trained instructors are applying the knowledge and skill, which they have acquired from the HDP training, the HEIs are not following the actual practices of the training. The study found out that the HE instructors’ perception had a significant correlation with the practices of HDP (r=.694, p=0.00<0.01) having a moderate effect size (δ=0.48). The findings call for the proper implementation of the HDP for the betterment of the program and to achieve the intentions of the HDP.

Development of virtual ophthalmic surgical skills training

BackgroundThis study aims to assess whether ophthalmic surgical skills can be taught successfully online to a diverse international and interprofessional student group.MethodsMixed methods study involving 20 students and 5 instructors. Each student completed a pre-session and post-session questionnaire to assess their perceptions regarding online instruction. Changes in questionnaire responses were analysed using Wilcoxon signed rank (SPSS 25). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to assess instructor perceptions towards virtual surgical skills teaching. Thematic analysis was undertaken using NVivo 12.0 software.ResultsThere was a 100% completion rate of pre- and post-session questionnaires. Prior to the session, lack of instructor supervision and inability to provide constructive feedback were emergent themes from students. Pre-session concerns regarding online delivery: 40% of students thought their view of skills demonstration would be negatively impacted, 60% their level of supervision and 55% their interaction with instructors. Following the session 10%, 15% and 5% held this view respectively. All students were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ regarding the ‘Surgeon’s View’ camera angle as well as the use of breakout rooms. 75% perceived an improvement in their confidence in instrument handling, 80% in cable knot tying and 70% in suture tying. Overall student rating for the virtual surgical skills session was 8.85 (±1.19) out of 10 (10 being most satisfied).ConclusionsWe demonstrate that successful delivery of a virtual ophthalmic surgical skills course is feasible. We were able to widen accessibility and participation through virtual delivery, which has future implications for ophthalmic surgical teaching and its reach.

Case-Based Learning and its Application as a Teaching Tool for Medical Graduates in Competency-Based Medical Education in Clinical Microbiology

Background: Microbiology is taught using traditional methods, and its practical application is scarce among medical practitioners. As a result, “active learning” is essential to aid pupil learning. One such strategy is case-based learning (CBL), which helps to improve understanding as well as therapeutic applications of microbiology in everyday practice. Aim: CBL was first used as a teaching and learning method in clinical microbiology for medical students. Methodology: At IQ City Medical College and Hospital in Durgapur, an educational intervention study was undertaken for the 2nd phase MBBS students. A total of 82 people took part in the study, and two groups were formed. After sensitizing the faculty using CBL, the project was carried out. The first group was given a CBL, whereas the second group was given a didactic talk with crossover. A pre- and post-test was done, and student and instructor perceptions were recorded and assessed. Results: CBL was warmly received by both students and teachers. Students and teachers’ perceptions were rated on a Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. In comparison to Didactic Lecture, around 76.8% of students believe that in CBL, we interact more with teachers, followed by 65.9% who believe that CBL has helped me retain the material and its clinical application, and 62.2% who believe that CBL has stimulated self-study. Conclusion: CBL in microbiology is an effective technique for improving and changing students’ attitudes toward microbiology’s applicability in clinical practice. It also helps students gain a better understanding of microbiology.

The Making of a 21st Century English Language Teacher during the Pandemic

English language has become a cosmopolitan language. It is the lingua franca of the 21st century. This fact has turned learning the language to a must since it is the international language of communication. As teachers of English for more than 20 years, we have come to realize that to be successful in class, we need to learn and use English as a tool that helps us access information from other cultures and be able to transfer this knowledge and skill to our learners. We also need to provide our learners with enough exposure to English as used in context. However, this is not enough to turn our learners into 21st century citizens of the world. We need to help them become critical thinkers. This has become even harder with the move to online learning due to COVID 19 pandemic. This paper aims at exploring the perceptions of English language instructors in four local Lebanese universities regarding 21st-century critical thinking skills and the instructors' abilities to promote such skills in their classes. Twenty-seven teachers filled a questionnaire, and five participants were interviewed. Descriptive data were analyzed. The data revealed the perceptions and practices of these instructors. The study concludes with recommendations.

Life Skill Needs of Occupational Therapy Assistant Students: Perceptions of Instructors, Preceptors, Graduates and Current Students

Life skills are the basic skills required to function in everyday life. Occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students may struggle with life skills, and as a result experience challenges in academics and practicum. The purpose of this phase of a multiphase study was to identify the life skill needs of OTA students from multiple perspectives. This study used a pragmatic qualitative design. Students in the second year of a 2-year therapy assistant diploma program, graduates, instructors, and preceptors participated in interviews or focus groups to discuss OTA students’ life skill needs. Interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed. Applied thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview and focus group data and draw conclusions. Common themes were identified: contributors to student success; impact of students’ life skills on clinical encounters; and life skills training needs. These themes were identified across all participant groups. Findings suggest that OTA students with lower confidence or abilities in life skills may also have lower confidence and success in clinical encounters. Life skills training tailored to OTA students may help students develop foundational skills to enhance their confidence and competence in relevant life skill areas.

Diploma Students’ Perceptions about Their English Grammar Learnability at Umm Al-Qura University

The purpose of this study was to examine diploma students’ perceptions about their experiences learning English grammar as a general requirement course at a higher education institution- namely Umm A-Qura University (UQU) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the first semester 2022-2023. Random sampling was used to obtain the subjects of the study, who were students from different diploma programs attending English language classes at the starter level. The textbook taught was Business Result Starter, which uses the deductive method of teaching grammar through introducing the rules with examples in each unit followed by a section for free practice at the end. Many studies were conducted on the perceptions about teaching grammar, focusing on the perceptions of instructors, with an obvious lack for studies to analyze students’ perceptions about learning grammar. The current study was carried out with qualitative methods to investigate the perceptions of the students and collect the information from their personal experiences regarding how they learned grammar in their English course during the first semester of 2022-2023. A number of ten students were selected as respondents for the study. Structured interviews were conducted whether face-to-face or on Webex. Data Collection techniques included individual discussion for more profound responses that helped in revealing their positive and negative perceptions about how they learned grammar. The study found that most diploma students held positive attitudes towards their experience learning grammar using the deductive method but it was not enough to achieve comprehensive learning or learning for all participants due to individual differences and learning styles. The main strengths of using the deductive method with the diploma students were straightforwardness, comprehensibility, meeting instructor’s expectations, building up learner’s self-confidence, self-learning, enjoyableness, time-effectiveness and building grammatical skill. For the negative perceptions from their experience in learning grammar that semester, the participants informed that they were contributed by obstructing fluency, difficulty to achieve a dual task on rules and free practice of EFL at the same time, attracting attention to rules rather than use of language, and the challenges some learners faced to learn the rules. Through these findings of this study, EFL lecturers at UQU would be able to know the challenges and learning techniques experienced by the students while dealing with grammar lessons, and eventually come out with student-oriented solutions for more effective grammar teaching and for opening new windows of grammar learnability for the students to join the diploma programs. In addition, this study is expected to enlighten both instructors and students about the potential strengths and weaknesses of the deductive method of teaching grammar on the one hand, and to consider students’ experiences and perceptions that might lead to new insights into adopting an integrated or blended method to better teach, and/or increase learnability of English grammar on the other.

Perceptions of Learners and Instructors towards Artificial Intelligence in Personalized Learning

The goal of this research is to find out how learners and instructors view Artificial Intelligence in personalized learning. To uncover variations in learners and instructors’ sentiments regarding Artificial Intelligence in personalized learning, the primary data obtained from learners and instructors was analysed using Independent-Samples Mann-Whitney U Test and Independent-Krushkal-Wallis Test. In the 91 investigated samples of learners and instructors’ responses, the study found that both of them holds positive perceptions towards Artificial Intelligence implementation in personalized learning at Higher Education Institution in Oman. Furthermore, the positive attitude is not statistically dependent or influenced by the profession (learner and instructor), gender (male and female) category, and environment such as level of Internet speed (very slow, slow, moderate, fast, and very fast).

A Multi-faceted, Adjunct-Centered Initiative to Support Part-time Faculty

ABSTRACT The number of adjunct faculty members in higher education has been increasing nationally over the past two decades, and schools of social work are no exception to this trend. There has been robust debate about adjunct use, given concerns about low pay, poor access to benefits, lack of inclusion in academic decision making, and little support outside the classroom. Given the growing reliance on such part-time faculty in social work programs, and cognizant of ethical considerations, it is important to find ways of supporting adjuncts that both honor their contributions to social work education and promote the quality of education they offer the next generation of social workers. This paper explores the creation of a multi-faceted, adjunct-centered initiative for part-time social work instructors at a large, urban public university. The authors discuss the existing literature on perceptions of adjunct instructors across various constituencies, address issues around the inclusion of adjuncts in the faculty community, and share obstacles encountered and lessons learned in their endeavor to bolster programmatic support for adjunct instructors.

An Autobiographical Case Study on University’s Writing Class Operated in a Synchronous Online Manner －Focusing on the Perception and Reflection of Instructors through the Subject of Writing and Classical Reading at the University of Suwon

The purpose of this study is to analyze autobiographical cases in which the university of Suwon's essential liberal arts subject called “Writing and Classical Reading,” was conducted in a synchronous online manner. Through this process, the instructors shared the experiences, perceptions, and reflections that they discovered while practicing these writing classes in the changed educational environment. In addition, the instructors discussed the direction of synchronous online writing classes should take and the new issues required of them within this new environment.</br>Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a series of new studies have accumulated around the keyword “online class” from 2020 to the present, and these new discourses on education have led to various opinions and suggestions on how educational subjects should come up with educational countermeasures amid this pandemic. As a result of synthesizing these new data, I confirmed that instructors were paying attention to the difficulties of ‘interaction’ in the online environment. Therefore, in this study, the instructor's perceptions, reflections, and new practices experienced while operating the class were presented, with a focus on the changed educational environment and the resulting interaction patterns between instructors and learners.</br>As a result of this study, I was able to divide the instructor's perception and reflection into interactions in the technical environment, interactions pertaining to the learner's psychological aspect, and interactions regarding the instructor's practical aspect. In each of these interactions, the new practices attempted by the instructor could be summarized as “in-depth classroom practices,” practices for high context environments, “vivid voices” and relational communication environments, and “shared identities” and practices for the environment of practical knowledge.</br>In the future, many researchers will need to respond quickly to the changing trends of the times and share their experiences and opinions with other instructors involved in various educational subjects. At the same time, instructors will need to continue to implement new educational practices in their classrooms. Thus, I hope that this research paper contributes to this process in a beneficial and significant way.

Comparative Study of Class Situations in Two Different Instructional Designs of Flipped Learning －Focusing on the Perception of Instructors and Learners

This study aimed to explore the effective strategies in comparison with instructional designs: the face-to-face and online in-class instructions of flipped learning. For this purpose, a survey was developed and the perceptions of 22 instructors and 203 students were examined. The data analysis were conducted using content analysis. The findings were as follows: First, the survey found that several commonalities pertaining to learning aspects were derived from the students’learning activities regardless of the instructional designs. However, the dissimilarity was found in the manner in which the instructors provided their feedback. Second, 8 satisfaction determinant factors, such as space-time convenience, improvement of learning performance, teaching-learning method, facilitation of in-class activities, facilitating of communication, enhancing students’understanding, repeated learning, and self-directed learning were derived from the learners’ perception analysis. In addition, learners perceived 4 main aspects as dissatisfaction determinant factors: environmental obstacles to learning, limit of understanding, lack of communication, and an excessive amount of learning. Irrespective of instructional designs, no major difference was found in the learners’ perceptions. Third, instructors commonly perceived that flipped learning classes involved 6 implemental characteristics: motivation of learning, problem-solving, application activities, feedback, facilitating communication, and follow-up instruction. Furthermore, 6 difficulties on were also registered: implementation, communication, class operation time, instructional environment, the training program, and regulations. However, some differences in details were found based on the class designs. In conclusion, implications and suggestions for implementing flipped learning classes and following studies have been discussed.

International Virtual Exchange Conference (IVEC) 2020 special issue: editorial

We are pleased to bring you this Special Issue of the Journal of Virtual Exchange, the second such volume to publish articles resulting from the International Virtual Exchange Conference (IVEC) 2020. This special issue includes five research articles presented at IVEC 2020 (http://iveconference.org/2020-conference) and a panel discussion. Each manuscript underwent double-blind review, which was then followed by rigorous editing and revising. Their work represents the amazing diversity that is blossoming in the field of Virtual Exchange (VE) as practitioners, academic administrators, and researchers realise its potential as well as its inevitable challenges. VE research presented in this special issue ranges from the study of the impact of VE on language learning (uptake) (Feng et al.) to a complex, three-way project with a focus on physical and digital accessibility (Oswal et al.). While Bartsch et al. describe their new framework that combines inquiry-based learning with digital storytelling in VE, Ganassin et al. share their findings regarding the underexplored area of staff (administrators and instructors) perceptions of the role of VE in Internationalisation at Home (IaH). In this same vein, Ruther et al. report on their work in an assessment-based approach to VE programme building. Findings from longitudinal studies are also presented, providing evidence that VE research as a discipline is maturing.