Postgraduate Master's Programme Research Articles

Pharmacy Students Motivation, Preparation and Factors Affecting Pursuing Postgraduate Education in Ethiopian University.

BackgroundPharmacy students seek postgraduate education (PGE) to develop their knowledge in a specified field of interest. Postgraduate Master’s programs under the school of pharmacy in Ethiopia include clinical pharmacy, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, social pharmacy and administrative pharmacy, and pharmaceutics. This study aims to assess pharmacy student’s motivation to study postgraduate programs and potential barriers to pursue postgraduate education.MethodsInstitutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on regular pharmacy students of the University of Gondar. A survey was distributed to undergraduate regular pharmacy students from year one to five. PGE interested and non-interested student’s difference in their characteristics was examined using chi-square. Binary Logistic regression was used to examine predictors of pursuing PGE. The study was conducted from February 1 to February 30, 2019.ResultsA total of 388 pharmacy students have participated in the study. More than half 215 (55.4%) of participants were males and in the age group 22–25, 204 (52.6%). Region (p-0.007), pharmacy as a first choice (p-0.001), experience in a leadership position (p-0.002), previous pharmacy-related work experience (p-0.001), and previous attendance at the conference (p-0.001) have shown statistically significant association with interest to pursue postgraduate education.ConclusionGenerally, few students rate their level of preparation and level of confidence to apply for PGE at high. Further works including preparing motivational speeches and details on admission requirements for available PGE programs have to be prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to enhance students’ interest. Besides, potential development of scholarships for PGE may enhance the ability of some students to apply for PGE, who otherwise would be unable to.

Digital collaboration in design education: how online collaborative software changes the practices and places of learning

ABSTRACT This article provides a snapshot of the digital collaboration practices in a postgraduate master programme studio, focused on service and interaction design. It presents and discusses research from a student survey focused on evaluating the usefulness of the online collaborative software (OCS) ‘Slack’ and how it relates to a broader media ecology, which is comprised of contemporary and legacy computer digital technologies, including smartphone applications and email. Affordance theory and the concept of polymedia are combined to account both for the inherent capacities of new communication technologies used in the learning context, and their relational, contingent aspects, which are given shape as part of complex and context-specific communicative practices. In conclusion, it is suggested that there is much potential for further research into how the changing boundaries between everyday life and work – in part a consequence of OCS and mobile computing – are also changing the way students communicate with each other and educators.

Conceptions of learning factors in postgraduate health sciences master students: a comparative study with non-health science students and between genders

BackgroundThe students’ conceptions of learning in postgraduate health science master studies are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to compare the factors influencing conceptions of learning in health sciences and non-health sciences students enrolled in postgraduate master programs in order to obtain information that may be useful for students and for future postgraduate programs.MethodsA modified version of the Learning Inventory Conception Questionnaire (COLI) was used to compare students’ conception learning factors in 131 students at the beginning of their postgraduate studies in health sciences, experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences.ResultsThe present study demonstrates that a set of factors may influence conception of learning of health sciences postgraduate students, with learning as gaining information, remembering, using, and understanding information, awareness of duty and social commitment being the most relevant. For these students, learning as a personal change, a process not bound by time or place or even as acquisition of professional competences, are less relevant. According to our results, this profile is not affected by gender differences.ConclusionsOur results show that the overall conceptions of learning differ among students of health sciences and non-health sciences (experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences) master postgraduate programs. These finding are potentially useful to foster the learning process of HS students, because if they are metacognitively aware of their own conception or learning, they will be much better equipped to self-regulate their learning behavior in a postgraduate master program in health sciences.

Adoption of Traditional Chinese Medicine in a Central Mediterranean Island Community

The Maltese Islands in the central Mediterranean was one of the earliest European countries to initiate political relationships with the People's Republic of China. The political interaction translated eventually to a better appreciation of the cultural diversity of the respective countries. This appreciation led to an early adoption of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services and their incorporation within the mainline western-based contemporary medicine generally practiced on the Islands. TCM clinical services were formally introduced in the public government-managed hospital in 1994 after a bilateral agreement was signed between the health ministries of the two respective countries. This service has now extended into the private health sector. The adoption of TCM clinical services, in the light of a greater acceptance of TCM by the patients, necessitated specific legislation to regulate the practice of TCM within the legal framework of the Maltese Healthcare Professions Act. In more recent years, since 2015, the University of Malta in collaboration with Shanghai University of TCM, have provided a postgraduate master program in TCM aimed at graduates holding a primary degree in a western-oriented health-care science.

Identifying the determinants for attractiveness of interdisciplinary forms of care from the perspective of health care professionals

Since the collaboration between care givers occurs on a voluntary basis in Austria, the development of integrated care initiatives relies primarily on the engagement and commitment of health care professionals. Motivation theory suggests addressing needs and individual goals in order to achieve higher commitment. If health care professionals believe that their personal goals can better be achieved in integrated care models we can expect a growth in interdisciplinary care provision. The aim of the study is to identify motivational factors and determinants of attractiveness in interdisciplinary forms of care. The development of the questionnaire was based on motivational theory, especially Herzberg`s Two-Factor Theory, Mc Clellands Need Achievement Theory, Vroom`s VIE Theory and previous studies on motivational factors in health care settings. In the first part information was collected on the respondent`s professional background, their working experience, age, work-life attitudes and general preferences for interdisciplinary forms of care. The second part addressed motivational factors and determinants of attractiveness of interdisciplinary forms of care. The sample included practicing physicians, nurses and other non-physician health care professions. Statistical methods included frequency distributions, explanatory factor analysis, t-test and regression analysis. The main sources for motivation are the work itself (interesting and meaningful work, working independently and with responsibility) and recognition and feedback. At their current workplace expectations concerning security and social relationships are met to a high degree whereas expectations concerning recognition and feedback are met to a low degree. Respondents were divided on the expected consequences of entering integrated care networks. Nurses and medical-technical staff expected more challenging work and stated that their interests could be better pursued in integrated forms of care. Doctors expected a reduction in autonomy and stated that their interests could not be better pursued in integrated forms of care. Several suggestions for designing attractive workplaces can be drawn from the findings of the survey. Results suggest that health care professionals are highly motivated by the work itself and by recognition and feedback. In order to increase attractiveness the following components have to be considered: working independently and with responsibility, interesting, meaningful and challenging work, performance-based compensation, feedback on performance, career opportunities and job security. A better understanding of motivational factors and attitudes towards interdisciplinary forms of care provides the basis for designing care in a way to meet the needs and interests of all groups involved. Paying attention to the individual goals of the care providers involved can facilitate the dissemination of interdisciplinary forms of care. The results of the study suggest that two factors seem to be crucial in obtaining the commitment of health care professionals: the dedication to the work itself and the desire to remain independent and autonomous. Respondents were students enrolled in postgraduate master programs. Their common interest in continuous education and learning could induce similarities in working motives and attitudes. Further studies, particularly ones using qualitative methods, should concentrate on the process of the formation of work values and attitudes.

Does professional experience save teeth? A survey among prosthodontists.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of clinical experience and educational background on clinical decision-making of dentists presented with two prosthodontic cases. A questionnaire-based survey was performed among 66 prosthodontists who were divided into two groups. The first group included clinicians from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands covering a wide spectrum of dental experience. The second (specialized) group consisted of German dentists performing their last module of a 3-year postgraduate master program in prosthodontics. Two patient scenarios of different complexities were presented to the participants who were asked to make an educated choice among seven therapeutic options. Sixty-six dentists participated. For case #1, 22 therapeutic suggestions were offered within the international group (variation 54%), while 17 options were chosen in the specialized group (variation 68%). For case #2, five (variation 12%) and four (variation 16%) different therapeutic options were planned in the groups, respectively. Treatment planning in combination with implants was clearly preferred by dentists with an experience of 20years or less. Conversely, participants with more experience favored more conventional treatments. All differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). Clinicians' experience and educational background had a clinically relevant influence on decision-making and treatment planning. A clear preference for implant-free therapies was noted for dentists with more than two decades of professional experience. In complex cases, clinicians with more than 20years of professional experience tend to save questionable teeth rather than to resort to implants. This interindividual variation might less likely occur when more external evidence is taken into account during the decision-making process.

Organizational Update: European Stroke Organisation.

Organizational Update: European Stroke Organisation.

An exploration of student teachers’ perspectives at the start of a post-graduate master's programme on inclusive and special education

ABSTRACTIn this article we explore the perspectives of a group of teaching professionals starting a post-graduate master's programme on inclusive and special education. Set in the current context of growing interest over the preparation of teachers for inclusive education worldwide, this exploration is part of research that looks more broadly at the impact of the programme on students. In this paper we set the context of the study and present results focusing on students’ pre-understanding of the concepts ‘inclusive’ and ‘special education’, as well as their reasons for choosing the programme and expected learning outcomes. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected with a questionnaire administered to students at the beginning of the programme. Findings reveal that students saw the programme as a factor contributing to their ability to implement inclusive education in practice. However, it emerged that they had somewhat different understandings of what ‘inclusive education’ actually means. Implications for providers of inclusive education programmes for teachers are discussed.

Why Do Young Males Attack Schools? Seven Discipline Leaders Share Their Perspectives

Mass shootings in public places such as political rallies in Arizona, movie theaters in Colorado, and grade schools in Connecticut and Norway are some of the most horrifying events we face in the 21st century. The time has come for us to research, understand, and communicate the causes for perpetrators who wreak such havoc on unsuspecting, unprepared, innocent people. The time has come for a peer-reviewed scientific journal to do everything possible to explore the contributing factors of such violent acts in order to mitigate or prevent them in the future. To this end, Violence and Gender has assembled a multidisciplinary panel of experts to look at the basic information regarding shooters--generally white males between fifteen and thirty years of age--from a wide range of scientific and behavioral perspectives as a foundation for understanding "why." Language: en

Forensic Engineering in Italy: A Reality

Forensic Engineering in Italy: A Reality

SEEDS–The international postgraduate master program for preparing young systems engineers for space exploration

SpacE Exploration and Development Systems (SEEDS) initiative originated from Politecnico di Torino and Thales Alenia Space Italy in 2005. It aimed at establishing a postgraduate international master course in space exploration and development systems to offer an opportunity to young engineers to get prepared for the future of Europe in space exploration. SEEDS project has been shared with Supaero Toulouse in France and with University of Bremen (together with the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity, ZARM) in Germany. SEEDS course comprises of two different steps in sequence: an initial learning phase and a project work phase. The distinguishing feature of SEEDS is without any doubt the project work phase, which includes the preparatory work and the conceptual design activities, performed in three European sites to develop a limited number of building blocks identified during the preparatory work. The first year of activity started in November 2005. Five years of activities have passed since then and five project works have been successfully completed, dealing with various space exploration themes. The paper focuses on the description of SEEDS master course, in terms of master course structure, applied methodology and students team organization, and on the main results achieved, in terms of project work activities and development of future space workforce. The positive experience of five years of SEEDS is brought to evidence and lessons learned are discussed in view of SEEDS continuation.

‘Issue-Based Research’ and ‘Process Methodology’: Reflections on a Postgraduate Master's Programme in Qualitative Methods

This article describes the conceptual foundation of a Master's programme in qualitative methods aimed at training professional qualitative researchers in the field of social and marketing psychology. Two principles underpin the Master's project: anchorage to research questions generated by the real social context as the driver of the entire development of the research project (i.e., ‘issue-based research’); and the adoption of what is called ‘process methodology’ as the methodological interconnection between the features of the social field (i.e., the context of the research) and of the research field (i.e., the study's scope). In practice, process methodology requires the learning of three sets of competences (content, contextual and flow) related to qualitative research. Those competences are devoted to the implementation and management of applied qualitative research able to produce situated knowledge and to enhance the transferability and usability of that knowledge. The article gives details of both the didactic structure of the programme as well as the teaching devices adopted.

The Teaching of Aerospace Vehicle Design at Cranfield University with Particular Reference to the Group Design Project

Over the years, the aircraft design course at Cranfield has evolved into the postgraduate master's programme in aerospace vehicle design that we have today. One of the unique features of the course is the extensive group design project, which has played a fundamental part in aircraft design education right from 1948 up to the current day. The success of the course, and the student experience, depends on the success of the group design project. The philosophy of the role of the group design project in the teaching of aircraft design is discussed in detail in this paper. Examples are presented of recent subject aircraft along with some novel features of these designs.

702 A new European post-graduate master programme in risk assessment and risk analysis

702 A new European post-graduate master programme in risk assessment and risk analysis

長岡技術科学大学の教育制度におけるインターンシップの役割と機能―現況と展望―

Internship education in Nagaoka University of Technology which was planned at the time of foundation of the university and started with the first students has been continued for 24 years. In our closely linked education system of undergraduate and postgraduate master programs, the internship is assigned a key role of connecting these course programs. Our internship is not a simple training, but requires each student to attain some achievement at the training institute, related with a relatively long training period of 4-5 months. The effect and usefulness of our system are verified by the result of questionnaires performed several years after the internship for the trainees who are now actively working in their job sites, as well as that done just after.