Student Performance In Higher Education Research Articles

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching Outcomes in Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic forced much of the world to adapt suddenly to severe restrictions. In this study, we attempt to quantify the impact of the pandemic on student performance in higher education. To collect data on important covariates, we conducted a survey among first-year students of Microeconomics at the University of Cologne. In contrast to other studies, we are able to consider a particularly suitable performance measure that was not affected by the COVID-19 restrictions implemented shortly before the start of the summer term 2020. While the average performance improves in the first term affected by the restrictions, this does not apply to students with a low socioeconomic background. Trying to identify more specific channels explaining this finding, interestingly, our data yield no evidence that the average improvement results from the altered teaching formats, suggesting instead that the enhanced performance stems from an increase in available study time.

ESTILOS INTELECTUAIS, DESEMPENHO E ADAPTAÇÃO AO PLANEJAMENTO DE CARREIRA NO ENSINO SUPERIOR

A presente pesquisa objetivou analisar os estilos intelectuais, o desempenho acadêmico e a adaptação ao planejamento de carreira de estudantes do ensino superior e averiguar se os estilos intelectuais podem prever essas variáveis. Participaram 316 universitários de três estados do Brasil (média de idade [MIdade] = 22,2; desvio padrão [DP] = 4,7) que responderam coletivamente ao Inventário de Estilos Intelectuais e à subescala Adaptação ao Planejamento de Carreira do Questionário de Adaptação Acadêmica do Ensino Superior. As médias de desempenho foram obtidas nas secretarias de graduação das universidades, somente dos alunos que consentiram informá-las. Os resultados indicaram a existência de correlações positivas e significativas entre as variáveis, bem como alguns dos estilos intelectuais da amostra pesquisada puderam prever a adaptação ao planejamento de carreira e o desempenho acadêmico. Também foi observado que a adaptação ao planejamento da carreira pode prever, em certa medida, o desempenho dos estudantes do ensino superior. Os resultados são discutidos em vias de suas implicações psicoeducacionais com base na literatura científica.

You can teach old dogs new clicks - the importance of teacher use of online content in a blended higher education course in Singapore

Lecturers and teachers teaching in blended learning courses have myriad teaching strategies to employ and various online and face-to-face content at their disposal. There is still much we can find out about what and when to blend online and face-to-face components. In this study, we investigated the effects of the lecturer’s synchronous use of online content in the physical class on the subsequent asynchronous online participation and performance of higher education students. We found that the teacher’s use of the online content in the physical class has a positive effect on students’ subsequent online participation out-of-class. The results illustrate that intentional and integrated online and face-to-face components have positive impacts on students’ engagement and online participation. The results have implications for teachers, course designers, learners, and researchers of higher education blended courses.

Predicting student performance in higher education using multi-regression models

Supporting the goal of higher education to produce graduation who will be a professional leader is a crucial. Most of universities implement intelligent information system (IIS) to support in achieving their vision and mission. One of the features of IIS is student performance prediction. By implementing data mining model in IIS, this feature could precisely predict the student’ grade for their enrolled subjects. Moreover, it can recognize at-risk students and allow top educational management to take educative interventions in order to succeed academically. In this research, multi-regression model was proposed to build model for every student. In our model, learning management system (LMS) activity logs were computed. Based on the testing result on big students datasets, courses, and activities indicates that these models could improve the accuracy of prediction model by over 15%.

Tamanho da Turma e Desempenho Acadêmico dos Universitários: evidência para a UFPB

Resumo O objetivo do presente estudo consiste em investigar a relação entre o tamanho da classe e o desempenho acadêmico de estudantes do ensino superior. Para isso, utilizaram-se dados administrativos da Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), os quais contêm informações acadêmicas e socioeconômicas, como as notas dos alunos e o background familiar. Como estratégia empírica, estimou-se um modelo de dados em painel, com a inclusão de efeitos fixos e dummies para combinações de professor-semestre e disciplina-semestre, como forma de captar a influência de fatores não observados fixos e variantes do tempo, tendo em vista a endogeneidade do tamanho da turma. Empregou-se o método de Guimarães e Portugal (2009) para as estimativas na média e regressão quantílica para dados em painel presente em Koenker (2004). O coeficiente do tamanho da turma estimado pela média se mostrou negativo, embora sua magnitude seja bastante pequena, ao passo que as estimações por regressões quantílicas mostram um efeito negativo para os alunos com pior desempenho e um efeito positivo aos estudantes com as melhores notas.

Predicting Student Performance and Its Influential Factors Using Hybrid Regression and Multi-Label Classification

Understanding, modeling, and predicting student performance in higher education poses significant challenges concerning the design of accurate and robust diagnostic models. While numerous studies attempted to develop intelligent classifiers for anticipating student achievement, they overlooked the importance of identifying the key factors that lead to the achieved performance. Such identification is essential to empower program leaders to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their academic programs, and thereby take the necessary corrective interventions to ameliorate student achievements. To this end, our paper contributes, firstly, a hybrid regression model that optimizes the prediction accuracy of student academic performance, measured as future grades in different courses, and, secondly, an optimized multi-label classifier that predicts the qualitative values for the influence of various factors associated with the obtained student performance. The prediction of student performance is produced by combining three dynamically weighted techniques, namely collaborative filtering, fuzzy set rules, and Lasso linear regression. However, the multi-label prediction of the influential factors is generated using an optimized self-organizing map. We empirically investigate and demonstrate the effectiveness of our entire approach on seven publicly available and varying datasets. The experimental results show considerable improvements compared to single baseline models (e.g. linear regression, matrix factorization), demonstrating the practicality of the proposed approach in pinpointing multiple factors impacting student performance. As future works, this research emphasizes the need to predict the student attainment of learning outcomes.

Investigating the Impact of Social Media Use on Student’s Perception of Academic Performance in Higher Education: Evidence from Jordan

Aim/Purpose: The main objective of this study is to explore students’ beliefs with regard to social media use (SMU) in higher education and the consequences of such use on the perception of their academic performance. Additionally, the study aims to determine the major influential factors with regard to SMU in student learning settings as a means of enhancing their performance. To achieve these objectives, drawing on the literature related to SMU in higher education settings, a research model has been developed. Background: Social media platforms have led to a significant transformation with regard to the communication landscape in higher education in terms of offering enhanced learning and improved teaching experience. Nevertheless, little is known, particularly in developing countries such as Jordan, as to whether or not the use of such platforms by students in higher education increases the perceptions of their academic performance. Therefore, this study has developed a model to examine the perceptions of higher education students with regard to social media use and its effect on their performance. Methodology: The Structural Equation Modelling approach is used to analyze data collected via an online survey in the form of a questionnaire to examine the use of such a model. The study sample is drawn from undergraduate and postgraduate students from three universities (one public and two private) in Jordan. Convenience sampling is used to collect data. Out of 730 sent questionnaire, 513 responses were received, of which 403 were deemed qualified to be part of the data analysis process. Contribution: This study contributes to the literature on social media in higher education by enhancing our understanding of the perceptions of higher education students on the use of social media in their learning. The tested model can be used as a benchmark for other studies that target the impact of social media on student performance in higher education. Findings: The results reveal that perceptions of (1) usefulness, collaborative learning, enhanced communication, enjoyment, and ease of use of social media have a positive effect on the use of such media in student learning; (2) resource sharing has an insignificant effect on social media use in student learning, and (3) social media use has a positive influence on students’ perceptions of their academic performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Senior management and policy makers in higher education institutions will have to train faculty members on effective strategies and methods in order to effectively integrate social media into education. This would equip faculty members with the necessary digital skills needed to help them to be fully informed regarding the benefits of social media and its tools in learning and teaching activities and would also allow them to avoid any possible drawbacks. Furthermore, faculty members should reconsider their current techniques and strategies, and adopt new methods in their teaching that encourage students to use social media platforms as part of their learning. For example, they can regularly post discussions and assignments on social media platforms to inculcate the habit of using such platforms among students for educational purposes. Students, on the other hand, should be aware of the implications and potential advantageous aspects of SMU in their learning. This could be done by conducting regular workshops and seminars in the various faculties and schools at universities. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are encouraged to investigate additional factors that might influence the use of social media by students as well as faculty members. Specially, an emphasis should be given to identify any potential obstacles that might hinder the use of social media in higher education. Impact on Society: Social media is not only useful for socializing, but also it can be an effective educational tool that enhance students’ performance in higher education. Future Research: Although the collected data support the research model, this study is subjected to various limitations that need to be tackled by further studies. This study is based on the principles of quantitative research design. Data for this study was collected via survey questionnaires. Accordingly, future studies may consider a qualitative research design in order to uncover additional factors that may impact the use of social media on the part of higher education students. This would allow researchers to generate in-depth insights and a holistic understanding of SMU by higher education students. A convenience sampling method was employed to select respondents for this study. The respondents who participated in this study were from three universities (one public and two private) in Jordan. Accordingly, future research is deemed to be necessary to achieve a degree of generalizability regarding the findings of this study.

Applying the SOBC paradigm to explain how social media overload affects academic performance

Research suggests University students are more disposed than others to develop problematic social media use. Social media overload, the phenomenon where users are exposed to a massive amount of information and communication demands via social media that may require energy and cognitive processing beyond their capabilities, is the specific problem under investigation in this paper. Combining qualitative data with the situation–organism–behavior-consequence paradigm, we develop a research model of the etiology of social media overload and its consequences for student performance in higher education. Using SEM-PLS techniques to analyze survey data from 182 students revealed a fear of missing out (the situation) is associated with feelings of overload (the organism), which in turn is linked to deficient self-regulation (the behavior) and ultimately reduced performance (the consequence). Our study advances the understanding of problematic social media use among students by demonstrating the psychological and behavioral conditions which hinder academic performance. Interventions designed to address social media overload should target the performance antecedents identified in this study.

Use of Machine Learning to Measure the Influence of Behavioral and Personality Factors on Academic Performance of Higher Education Students

Quality of education and improvement of school achievement has been linked to students’ cognitive, behavioral and personality trait factors. Several researchers have investigated the correlation between these factors and students’ academic performance. Particularly, it is assumed that behavioral and personality factors, such as study habits and self-esteem, have a positive and high relationship with students’ academic achievement. However, research studies have shown a weak and inconsistent linear correlation level. Hence, research about better representation methods is needed. In this article we present and discuss the results from two studies on the influence of study habits and self-esteem on the academic performance of 153 college freshman students. First, we analyzed the linear correlation between our target variables; similar to previous work, we found a weak positive correlation between academic performance and study habits (r=0.283) and self-esteem (r=0.214). In addition, multiple linear regression was used to explain the relationship between these variables; it was found that the independent variables only explain the academic performance in 6.18%. Second, we propose to use K-means, an unsupervised clustering algorithm, as a better method to explain the influence of behavioral and personality factors and students’ academic performance. Through the use of this method: 1) a predictive model of the academic performance is proposed, 2) it was achieved a better representation about the influence among the target variables, and 3) a set of students’ academic profiles was created: low, medium and high. We found that 80% of the students with a high level of self-esteem and study habits (high academic profile) obtained a good or outstanding academic performance; outperforming students within the medium and low academic profiles by a significantly margin.

Role of blended learning environment towards student performance in higher education: mediating effect of student engagement

Role of blended learning environment towards student performance in higher education: mediating effect of student engagement

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

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

Cultural fit and academic performance of higher education students

This study provided empirical evidence on the relationship between cultural fit and individual performance in an area where it is rarely investigated: the academic achievement of higher education students. The authors employed an adapted version of the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) to estimate individuals’ culture fit (as the inverse of the difference between the culture as it is perceived and as it is preferred by the respondents), and the indicator of students’ performance was their semester grade average. Their sample consisted of 348 full time higher education students from a Hungarian university. Based on linear and rank correlation, as well as linear regression analyses the authors have found that higher education students’ cultural fit tended to relate positively to their academic performance.

P41 - I Really Should Change My Mind About These Vegetables: A Signature Assignment with Social Responsibility in Mind

Objective: Describe an exercise in an undergraduate nutrition class that meets Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) social responsibility objectives and is assessed using a rubric adapted from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) VALUES rubrics. Target Audience: The audience is educators interested in embedded assignments and AACU VALUES rubrics for assessing written student work. Theory, Prior Research, Rationale: Even as Every Student Succeeds Act [ESSA] 2015 addressed standardized testing as an accountability measure, it sparked interest in authentic or direct evaluation of student performance in higher education. Through signature assignments universities, engage faculty in assessment design and generate common data across diverse courses and multiple disciplines. Description of Course and Curriculum: Principles of Nutrition is a large enrollment undergraduate course that meets THECB social responsibility objectives including intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities. During summer 2017, faculty attended a LEAP Texas Signature Assignment Institute and worked across disciplines to create student learning experiences that demonstrated knowledge acquisition and real-world application. The goal was to produce assignments that tested proficiency without relying on standardized testing. The resulting nutrition signature assignment, I Really Should Change My Mind About These Vegetables, was launched in Fall 2017. Evaluation: Prior to writing a 500-word Change My Mind About These Vegetables reasoned statement, students engaged in Least Likely Vegetable discussions that demonstrated growth in food knowledge and self-reflection concerning the personal and social value of vegetables in the diet. Subsequently a university social responsibility rubric was used to score statements where student described the influence that sharing vegetable likes and dislikes had on personal rules and biases. Using a standard rubric allowed for both assessment at the class level and aggregation of multi-class performance data at the university level. Conclusions and Implications: Signature assignments enhance teaching and learning and contribute to university analytic studies on student success in achieving identified learning outcomes. Funding: None.

Teaching Mindfulness Online

This article outlines the design and delivery of sessions used and the results obtained from a 2016 pilot study investigating whether the use of mindfulness-based techniques could enhance the wellbeing and academic performance of university students. The study, a collaboration between counselling and chaplaincy at Charles Sturt University (CSU) had three aims: (1) to determine benchmark data of wellbeing, focused attention and academic motivation across the CSU student population; (2) to determine whether mindfulness training affected the emotional wellbeing, focused attention and academic performance of higher education students; and (3) because around 60% of CSU students study online, to examine the relative contribution of two different online modes for delivering mindfulness training, one in real time and one self-guided. Based on research that supports the assumption that ‘mindful learning’ benefits students by enhancing their cognitive and socio-emotional capabilities and improving their general wellbeing and academic performance, this study used three validated psychometric scales to measure the attention and awareness, wellbeing and academic motivation of the participants before and after a four week mindfulness training course. The results demonstrated three main findings: mindfulness training may contribute in the long-term to creating a mindset conducive to learning; mindfulness training can be successfully administered online, both in real time and self-guided; and mindfulness training may contribute to shifting patterns of motivation for learning from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation.

Measuring the impacts of administrative policies on student performance in higher education

In this study, we investigate the joint impacts of class size, modality of content delivery and instructor workloads on 1078 student performances from 2010 through 2014 in a required College of Business Administration Information Systems (IS) course at a public Midwestern university, controlling for 11 demographic and other factors that might impact student performance. Class size, modality of delivery and instructor assignments are strategic college decisions affected by and subject to administrative policies that can impact the probabilities of student performance. Using the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) and Chi-square significance tests, we construct a parsimonious binary logit model of individual student performance in the IS course and examine the effects of the administratively controllable factors on student performance. We find that the class size and the assignment of instructors to teach the course significantly impact student performance while modality of delivery does not. We offer and evaluate administrative policy recommendations likely to improve student performances.

Doing it twice, getting it right? The effects of grade retention and course repetition in higher education

Many students who enter college are insufficiently prepared to follow a demanding college-level curriculum. Thus, higher education institutions often require low-performing students to repeat failed courses, a full term, or even a full year. This paper is the first to investigate the effects of such a “(grade) retention” policy on student performance in higher education. We study a setting where first-year undergraduates who fall short of a pre-defined performance requirement have to repeat all first-year courses before they can proceed to the second year. To determine the causal effect of retention and repetition on student performance, we apply a sharp regression discontinuity design to administrative data from a Swiss university. Based on a sample of 5000 students, we find that grade retention increases dropout probabilities after the first year by about 10 percentage points. Repetition of a full year persistently boosts grade point averages by about 0.5 standard deviations, but does not affect study pace and major choices.

Exploring the retention and success of students with disability in Australian higher education

ABSTRACTThe proportion of higher education students with disability is increasing. We know there is institutional variation in retention and performance of higher education students with disability, and there is a need to understand the reasons for this. This exploratory national study examines supports and adjustments provided by universities, including the role of disability practitioners, influence retention and performance of students with disability. The study uses a mixed-methods approach. National equity retention and performance data are analysed by higher education institution. Qualitative data on institutional policies and practices collected from a purposive sample of Australian higher education institutions are then analysed. Findings from the study include identification of factors linked to retention and performance of students with disability, including different types of disability.

Decomposing university grades: a longitudinal study of students and their instructors

First-degree course grades for a cohort of social science students are matched to their instructors, and are statistically decomposed into departmental, course, instructor, and student components. Student ability is measured alternatively by university acceptance scores, or by fixed effects estimated using panel data methods. After controlling for student ability, course characteristics, and instructor fixed effects, departmental grade differentials range over 7 points out of 100. Instructors who teach in more than one department grade more generously in departments that award higher grades, suggesting that differential grading policy is set by departments and does not result from unobserved differences in instructor quality and teaching material. Finally, student fixed effects, which measure ability at university, are correlated to 0.41 with their university entrance scores, which measure ability prior to university. This suggests that university entrance scores are poor predictors of student performance in higher education.

Linking counter-knowledge to goal orientation through an unlearning context — A study from a Spanish University

The performance of higher education students may be explained by characteristics of both the academic and social environment in the classroom. The environments provided by classrooms to facilitate learning among students can be seen as useful vehicles for creating shared narratives to transfer gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths (i.e. counter-knowledge). This paper focuses on unlearning as a context to counteract the problem of counter-knowledge. The relationships between an unlearning context and counter-knowledge are analysed by using an empirical study of 210 undergraduate students in order to identify whether there is a significant impact on student's goal orientation by unlearning. Our results confirm that counter-knowledge is a variable that, when controlled, has the effect of strengthening the relationship between unlearning and student's goal orientation. However, when left uncontrolled, the relationship between unlearning and student's goal orientation is weaker than it otherwise would be.

The Impact of ICT on Student Performance in Higher Education: Direct Effects, Indirect Effects and Organisational Change

El propósito de este estudio es examinar la relación entre el uso de las tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación (TIC) y el rendimiento de los estudiantes en la educación superior. Hasta ahora, la investigación económica no ha logrado alcanzar un consenso claro acerca del efecto de las inversiones en TIC sobre los resultados de los estudiantes.  Nuestro estudio trata de resumir los principales resultados obtenidos en los trabajos publicados y ofrecer dos explicaciones complementarias.  La primera explicación se centra en los efectos indirectos de las TIC sobre factores explicativos estándar. Dado que los resultados de un estudiante vienen determinados principalmente por las características del propio estudiante, el entorno educativo y las características de los profesores, las TIC tienen un impacto sobre estos determinantes y, en consecuencia, sobre los resultados de la educación. Las diferencias observadas en los resultados de los estudiantes se hallan, por tanto, más relacionadas con el impacto diferenciado de las TIC sobre los factores explicativos estándar.  La segunda hipótesis argumenta que los usos de las TIC necesitan un cambio en la organización de la educación superior. Mientras los índices de uso y el equipamiento TIC siguen creciendo rápidamente en la Unión Europea, la implementación de diseños organizativos complementarios se lleva a cabo lentamente y varía de una institución a otra. Esto puede explicar las diferencias observadas en los resultados de los estudiantes.