Prerequisite Courses Research Articles

Problem-based learning in research method courses: development, application and evaluation

Background: The undergraduate curriculum in Indonesia generally requires students to take a research methods course as a prerequisite course for the preparation of scientific reports. The objective of this course is to teach students how to present research results both orally and in writing using the styles and forms of each university. However, this course is not popular among students because the material is complex and technical. As a result, there is a gap between learning outcomes and their application when students prepare scientific reports. Improving pedagogy and teaching interventions through student-developed research projects is important in complementing lectures. The purpose of this study was to analyze the improvement of students' ability in writing scientific reports through research method courses using problem based learning (PBL). Methods: This study reports the integration of scientific report writing in research methods courses through PBL at the Universitas Islam Bandung in Indonesia. PBL was implemented by involving students in research-related tasks with the following stages: writing research questions, determining the research design, collecting data, analyzing data, and presenting research results. Results: The results showed that there was an increase in scientific writing skills with good categories on indicators of possible plagiarism using Turnitin, use of report preparation formats, suitability of literature, mastery of research report content in-class presentations. Conclusions: This finding implies that assigning students to write scientific reports using PBL in the research method classroom is useful for improving learning outcomes, presentation, reasoning, communication, ambiguous problem-solving, and reducing plagiarism. The findings of this study strengthen the findings of previous researchers, namely increase students' abilities in using formatting to prepare scientific reports, using appropriate literature, mastering research materials as well as reducing the level of plagiarism.

The Perception of Lecturers on Public Speaking Anxiety among ESL Learners in a Public University (UITM)

Numerous polls have been undertaken to recognise public speaking as a number one concern among undergraduates in University Technology Mara when involved in English courses. This is regardless of the fact the university offers ample opportunities for students to develop their public speaking skills. If public speaking is a struggle in the sense of a native English speaker, then the fear of enhancing sustainable oral presentations in English to non-native English speakers is understandably greater. Nevertheless, speaking in English in front of an audience is increasingly seen as a valuable ability for ESL/EFL learners to develop and that is why public speaking courses in many Malaysian university programs are increasingly seen as a key component. According to research conducted by the Ministry of Education as a result of internationalisation policies, public universities in Malaysia have switched to the English language as their medium of instruction. Public speaking is offered as a university prerequisite course in many of these universities, making it compulsory for many students. Students are apprehensive, however about public speaking in English. The present study explores public-speaking apprehension in a public university among Malay learners of English. This study entailed a quantitative research paradigm on a sample of 30 lecturers who will interviewed using an interview pool. Data will be transcribed after the interview. This thesis aims to define techniques for the improvement of public speaking competences for adult ESL learners. Employees in the field at all various levels usually require good oral communication.

Authentic pharmacotherapy case study enhances learning outcomes in pharmacology in preprofessional undergraduate students

Introduction: Professional health training curricula that integrate basic and clinical sciences are associated with improved learning outcomes. Authentic clinical case studies that capture the complexity of a typical patient are frequently used in clinical training programs to model to students how to integrate information across disciplines to justify management plans. The value of such authentic case studies in preclinical students is less studied. This study seeks to know (i) if preclinical students in a large midwestern liberal arts college would be interested in participating in an optional case study assignment and (ii) if participation is associated with improved learning outcomes in a third-year pharmacology course. Material and Methods: Demographics, motivation, and vocational experience were assessed by an online survey. Binary multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between participating in the voluntary case study and performance on case-related and noncase-related questions. Results: More than two-thirds of the students participated in the case study, and their decision was driven largely by interest and/or experience in a healthcare vocation. Completing the case study was associated with better performance on case-related multiple-choice questions on midterm exams (Wald’s χ2 = 2079; P < 0.001). Conclusions: This study suggests that there are potential benefits to using case studies in preclinical curricula to drive improved student outcomes by underscoring the link between prerequisite courses and clinical practice. It also proffers a potential tool for assessing the efficacy of case study interventions.

Undergraduate pre-requisite coursework: Six important tips for pre-medical students considering Osteopathic Medical school in the USA

The road to becoming a physician is a long and winding and becomes muddied further by the complex administrative processes of medical schools and oversight boards involved in the admissions process. Pre-medical students in the US and around the world can find themselves quickly lost as they try to navigate this process, especially defining pre-requisite coursework. Without access to traditional support or resources, premedical students can find themselves wasting valuable time learning the ropes of the pre-requisite course work instead of focusing on strengthening skills that will help them to succeed in these courses.Three phases dominate the time students spend on the pre-requisite course work, namely, planning, implementing, and improving. Six tips have been selected and organized logically to enhance student's growth and improvement, and to alleviate the stress associated with their pre-medical journey.We provide data collected from most of the medical schools in the USA, regarding required and recommended courses for admission. The tips presented here reflect a summary of the experience and knowledge of medical school faculty, admissions officers, and recent literature concerning the importance of pre-requisite course work. This work is dedicated to premedical students worldwide but could be useful to medical science educators, admissions officers, and college administrators setting the prerequisites for admission. Leveling the field for all medical school applicants may help many students to improve their chances for admissions in medical schools.

A decision support system for curricula design

A curriculum is a set of related courses that constitutes the basis of a degree program. The required courses of a curriculum generally build student knowledge and skills particular to the field. In most cases, these are cumulative, meaning that as students go through their studies, they put their new knowledge on top of earlier ones, hence leading to the notion of prerequisite courses that must precede a given course. As accreditation practices gain widespread acceptance, and as uniformity among peer institutions is promoted to facilitate mobility, each course is assigned a set of learning outcomes. The learning outcomes of a prerequisite course are seen to encapsulate the skills necessary to take the downstream course. This study follows our efforts regarding the substantial revision of engineering courses throughout our college. As the task is quite involved, we developed a flexible linear programming-based tool to help the decision-making process by quickly evaluating alternative curricula. This study aims to provide an effective decision-making tool to accommodate many “what if” scenarios which would provide options to the decision-makers and help them detecting inconsistencies and oversights. This paper describes our approach and our experiences.

교육과정의 이차곡선 교수․학습 유의 사항과 교과서 및 교사용 지도서 구성에 대한 소고(小考)

With the introduction of the 2015 revised mathematics curriculum, changes were accompanied not only in the content system for quadratic curves, but also in ‘teaching and learning methods and precautions’ including the method of introducing quadratic curves. However, as a result of analyzing the consistency aspect of the 2015 revised mathematics curriculum and the high school &lt;Geometry&gt; textbooks and teacher's guide books written based on it, two points of improvement were derived in ‘teaching and learning methods and precautions’. First, the composition of the textbooks and teacher’s guide books written based on the revised curriculum did not partly correspond to it. Second, it was found that some of ‘teaching and learning methods and precautions’ conflicted with the unit school curriculum arrangement due to the completion standard according to the pre-requisite course arrangement in the mathematics course and needed improvement. If textbooks and teacher’s guide books do not match the curriculum and are composed heterogeneously, considerable confusion may be encountered at school sites, especially for teachers who guide students. In mathematics, where the content area is the central element of the curriculum, more careful attention is required for the coherence of the curriculum and textbooks.

A comparison of non-traditional online and traditional wet-lab experiences in human anatomy and physiology: An innovative approach for pre-licensure nursing education

BackgroundThe contributions of student laboratory experiences to student learning in pre-licensure science classes are not well understood. Despite the generally accepted premise that traditional hands-on laboratory experiences are essential to knowledge construction and superior to non-traditional online experiences, the literature suggests that both experiences promote equal levels of student learning. ObjectivesWe compared academic performance of students enrolled in a Human Anatomy and Physiology II course with hands-on laboratory to that of students enrolled in the same course but with online laboratory by examining several measures of student learning. Design and participantsThis was a quasi-experimental study of undergraduate students aged 18–22 years enrolled in equivalent human anatomy and physiology courses on two separate campuses of a private research university in the United States. One course was associated with hands-on laboratory while the other course was associated with online laboratory. MethodsThe Human Anatomy and Physiology Society standardized exam was administered as a pre-test/post-test assessment at the beginning and end of the academic year. Lecture exam scores, laboratory exam scores, and overall course grades served as measures of student learning. Comparisons of student performance between hands-on and online laboratory groups were made using t-tests. ResultsStudent performance on the pre-test and overall course grades from Human Anatomy and Physiology (part I) were not different between groups. While students in the online lab group did earn significantly higher Human Anatomy and Physiology (part II) course grades, their performance on lecture exams, laboratory exams, and the post-test assessment was not different. ConclusionsStudents in a pre-licensure prerequisite course with online laboratory demonstrated mastery of basic science concepts equal to or better than students in the same course with traditional hands-on laboratory. Online laboratory experiences may represent an appropriate, accessible and cost-effective teaching modality for pre-licensure coursework.

A framework to capture the dependency between prerequisite and advanced courses in higher education

A framework to capture the dependency between prerequisite and advanced courses in higher education

Grade Prediction in Blended Learning Using Multisource Data

Today, blended learning is widely carried out in many colleges. Different online learning platforms have accumulated a large number of fine granularity records of students’ learning behavior, which provides us with an excellent opportunity to analyze students’ learning behavior. In this paper, based on the behavior log data in four consecutive years of blended learning in a college’s programming course, we propose a novel multiclassification frame to predict students’ learning outcomes. First, the data obtained from diverse platforms, i.e., MOOC, Cnblogs, Programming Teaching Assistant (PTA) system, and Rain Classroom, are integrated and preprocessed. Second, a novel error-correcting output codes (ECOC) multiclassification framework, based on genetic algorithm (GA) and ternary bitwise calculator, is designed to effectively predict the grade levels of students by optimizing the code-matrix, feature subset, and binary classifiers of ECOC. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm in this paper significantly outperforms other alternatives in predicting students’ grades. In addition, the performance of the algorithm can be further improved by adding the grades of prerequisite courses.

Analysis and Enlightenment of American Ap Chemistry Curriculum Framework under International Background

American “AP course for short” has entered China in various forms. At present, the American University Committee has set up AP examinations in 38 subjects in 23 disciplines. According to the survey, AP courses have been widely offered in more than 15,000 high schools in the United States. This trend will promote the better connection between high school education and university education, and provide a broader platform for students. According to a nationwide survey conducted by the American College Advisors Committee, American universities have generally regarded students' performance in AP examination as the basis to measure whether they are qualified for college study. After completing the course, senior high school students take AP exams, and if they get certain grades, they can also get university credits and reduce or exempt university courses. Many American school admissions will also use AP scores as a basis for students' ability to study at a university. It is applied in one's own daily teaching to comprehensively improve students' chemistry literacy from the aspect and point of knowledge. With the continuous deepening of two-way exchanges in international education, characteristic education and open education have gradually been recognized by the public, and more and more Chinese people have gone to the world and are shining in various countries. This article discusses and analyzes the framework of related college prerequisite courses such as its AP design plan in the United States.

Experiences and perspectives of chiropractic students graduating from an alternate admission track plan.

This study explored self-reported experiences of alternate admission track plan (AATP) students who completed a chiropractic training program at a US chiropractic college. Our institution conducted semistructured exit interviews with 16 graduating AATP students. Our consensus-drafted open-ended interview questions probed in-depth for these students' experience throughout the training program, with national board exams, their personal characteristics, their satisfaction with the training program generally, and with the AATP program specifically. We employed a content analysis to identify themes and patterns of responses across the blinded deidentified interview transcripts. We used a combination of deductive coding based on our interview guides, and inductive coding to identify newly emerging subthemes. Perceived facilitators of student success were strong commitment to chiropractic, cooperative, and supportive environment (eg, student study groups and a highly committed faculty), work ethic, and time management skills. Although many recommended that AATP entrants without science backgrounds take prerequisite courses in biology and chemistry, they also observed that a capable student could dedicate the time and effort to obtain the needed information via available college resources. Graduating AATP students were positive about the AATP program overall, and their preparation for national board exams and for clinical practice. They greatly valued the opportunity to accelerate their entrance into chiropractic college. A major limitation of this study is that the perspectives of AATP students who did not complete the doctor of chiropractic program are not represented in these interviews of graduating students.

Brief Communication: Predictive Value of Veterinary Student Application Data for Performance in Clinical Year 4.

Student application packages for admission to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine currently include the following information: undergraduate grade point average (GPA), GPA in science courses, GPA in non-science courses, GPA for the last 45 hours (GPALast45hrs), Graduate Record Examination Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning (GRE-QV) score, GRE Analytical Writing (GRE-AW) score, and grades for 10 required prerequisite courses. From these data, an academics score of up to 70 points is calculated. Faculty reviewers also score each applicant up to a maximum of 30 points (FileScore), giving a total possible score of 100 points. Previous analyses demonstrated that the file score and academic variables are significantly related to first-year GPA of veterinary students; however, it is unknown how these variables relate to performance in clinical rotations. The present study pooled the two most recent graduating classes to compare each academic score component to student clinical rotation grades received during year 4 (CGrYr4) in the teaching hospital. Only one component of the student application packages-the pre-admission GRE-QV score-significantly correlated with CGrYr4.

Should Students with AP Credit Repeat Coursework in College? A Multilevel Analysis

Research on the Advanced Placement (AP) program generally shows that students scoring 4s and 5s on AP exams outperform their non-AP peers in subsequent college courses. However, faculty and academic advisors often suggest that students with AP credit should repeat prerequisite courses in college before attempting advanced coursework. We compared grades of 20,409 students in 42 subsequent courses across three groups: students who used AP credit as a prerequisite, students who earned AP credit but repeated the prerequisite courses in college, and students without AP credit. Results with two-level cross-sectional multilevel modeling showed that AP students performed similarly in subsequent courses whether they chose to repeat prerequisites or not; both groups outperformed non-AP students with similar academic backgrounds.

From the coeditors

From the coeditors

Factors Influencing Success in Advanced Engineering Mathematics Courses: A Case Study

Several studies have been conducted to understand the predictors of academic performance of various levels of high school and undergraduate students as quantified by the grade point average. This study focuses specifically on engineering students as they differ from other undergraduate students in their background and expectations. We focus on quantifying essential predictors of the performance of engineering students in an advanced mathematics course. We collected data from 72 participants recruited from engineering students enrolled in the advanced engineering mathematics (AEM) course in a research university. We chose this course to represent a standard engineering mathematics course covering several essential topics. We consider several factors in our analysis, such as cellphone usage and the academic background, e.g., the academic year, number of minors, and majors, performance in prerequisite courses. We perform several regression analyses to understand the effects of cellphone usage, course schedule, and academic background on performance in the AEM course and its prerequisites. In particular, we use the stepwise regression technique using forward selection and backward elimination procedures. We discovered a few interesting findings in this case study. Firstly, for the participants in this study, we find that the daily average “screen time” on their cellphones is not a statistically significant predictor of student performance. This finding contradicts some prior studies on this participant and may indicate adaption and integration of the technology by the new generation of students in recent years. We also found that the lecturing schedule was not an influential factor for their academic performance. These findings are especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they suggest that advanced engineering students have adapted to the use of technology and are flexible concerning lecture schedules. Another unexpected finding is that this study brings new evidence that the number of minors taken by the participants is a negative predictor of their grade in the AEM course. This observation may indicate that course-work from non-major classes may adversely impact their performance in mathematical engineering courses.

Embedding Research Directly into the Chemistry Curriculum with an Organic to Analytical Sequence

This manuscript describes the implementation of a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) sequence in chemistry that uses research to link a lower division, organic chemistry course to an upper-division, analytical chemistry course. In the CURE sequence, students created a library of modified sugar molecules during CURE-1, Organic, and then evaluated the behavior of those molecules within membranes during CURE-2, Analytical. In order to ascertain the causal mechanisms underlying the effectiveness and sustainability of CUREs within the standard chemistry curriculum, we conducted research on students in CURE laboratories and Standard Instruction (SI) laboratories. Results from the Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Survey, the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey (LCAS), and an end-of-course assessment are presented. Equivalency of the CURE and comparison groups was established based on demographic factors, reported gender and minority status, expected major, and grade in the prerequisite course. A direct comparison of this nature revealed the benefits of the CURE sections and equality in assessment performance regardless of the instructional method.

Forensic Art and Anthropology

Abstract Forensic artists must overcome ingrained ideas of what the human face “should” look like in order to learn how to draw it realistically. Ironically, those ingrained images and perceptions tucked away in our minds present the biggest obstacles to realism. As a teacher of a forensic art class in anthropology at Northern Arizona University, I encounter students of varying degrees of artistic ability and background. I do not require that students have pre-requisite courses in art before taking my course because I believe that any student can learn to draw faces more realistically if they apply some basic forensic art techniques used in composite sketching combined with an understanding of facial anatomy. This article is about teaching Northern Arizona University students forensic art drawing methods, but it is also about the lesser-known aspect of doing composite sketches, such as applying cultural understanding and sensitivity when interviewing traumatized witnesses and survivors of crime. The result is a very holistic approach to composite sketching rather than a purely technical one.

Business writing practice and support over time: Evidence from a strategic management class

Our study examines whether student business writing in pre-requisite courses and student use of university-provided writing support services are associated with student writing performance in the business capstone course in strategic management. Our results indicate that the number of writing center consultations over time and student performance in a pre-requisite business communication course were both positively associated with writing performance in the business capstone course. In addition, student performance in both the operations management and business communication courses were found to be strongly correlated with student performance in the capstone course. These findings support engaging students in repeated practice of business writing.

A Mixed‐Methods Study Exploring Anatomy Coursework as a Prerequisite for Nursing School Admission at Indiana University Bloomington

Undergraduate Human Anatomy (ANAT-A215) is a prerequisite course for admission to the Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) program at Indiana University Bloomington. Ten years of Student Information Systems data (2008-2019) was analyzed to explore pre-nursing student success in this course with correlation to admissions into the BSN. Special attention was focused on repeat attempts of the course. Correlations between A215 grades and grades in nursing courses determine the importance of anatomy for nursing school. A qualitative interview portion was also included to garner perspective on the importance of anatomy and achievement in anatomy. Results were extensive from both the quantitative and qualitative portions. Only 24.1% of IUB pre-nursing students are accepted into the IUB BSN. Students who achieve an A in ANAT-A215 are most likely to be admitted (81.7%), supported qualitatively with recognition that anatomy is important for a nursing career but of most importance for students is achieving an A. For each decrease in letter grade there is a decrease in acceptances and 0% for a B or less. Students who choose to repeat the course need an A for a chance at nursing school admission (66.7%) and acceptance is progressively less likely for each decrease in grade. The importance of ANAT-A215 is clear with positive academic correlations indicated for two nursing courses (PHSL-P215 and NURS-B261). Pre-nursing students not admitted to nursing move across majors with 22.4% choosing a major in the School of Public Health and 40.3% leave IUB without a degree. From the qualitative data and the many implications of the statistics, there is a need for more advisors in the School of Nursing to handle the many implications of this data and the large population of pre-nursing students. Changes in nursing admission standards and practices, advising of pre-nursing students, and support for the importance of ANAT-A215 are needed.

A Virtual Interdisciplinary and Interprofessional Educational Program (VIP) for Pre‐Matriculated Doctor of Pharmacy Students to Bridge Prerequisite Pharmacology Content

COVID-19 vastly disrupted education across the globe, creating unique challenges for health professions education (HPE) programs. While in some instances, COVID was perceived to serve as a potential driving force for transformative change in HPE through necessary “disruptive innovation”, a number of challenges have been identified, particularly for pharmacy education in countries as diverse as Japan, Nigeria, the United States, and United Kingdom. Worldwide adoption of online education in response to the pandemic's disruption need careful and long-term evaluation to ensure that adequate learner acquisition of skills-based and didactic curriculum occurred during this time. Nowhere is this need more urgent than for curriculum associated with interprofessional pre-matriculation programs. In 2018, we created an interdisciplinary, one-week-long pre-matriculation program to help incoming pharmacy students be adequately prepared for the rigors of a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. In summer 2020, we modified and expanded this pre-matriculation program by adding primers introducing interprofessional education, and cross-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary aspects related to pharmacy school and conducted a case-controlled, retrospective, single-blinded (blinded to the teaching faculty) study analysis through a comparison of learning metrics between 2019 and 2020. The two-week-long virtual program, co-taught by ten faculty members, was offered for six hours daily during the summer of 2020 in the week preceding orientation week for first professional year students in our Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. Case Based Learning and aspects of Team Based Learning were incorporated to engage twenty-two pre-matriculation students enrolled for our Doctor of Pharmacy program. This virtual program was designed to overcome diversity in pre-requisite course content and identify and address gaps in students’ abilities to relate foundational science knowledge with pharmacy subjects. The following subjects were included: cardiovascular, neuro, and renal pathophysiology and pharmacology, and skills-based courses such as introduction to simulation, clinical decision making, interprofessional education, graduate writing. The third area we focused on included emotional and mental health and resiliency in the current pandemic. Mixed method evaluation was used including comparing student perceptions of their learning on a twenty-question survey instrument and comparison of the post-activity quiz data. Seventy-seven percent of the attending students from 2020 agreed and 22 percent strongly agreed that the virtual program helped them connect the dots between pathophysiology and pharmacology and pharmacology and skills-based courses such as interprofessional education. Post-activity quiz results did not show any significant difference between the two cohorts suggesting that the online learning environment was at least as effective as the in-person environment. The major limitation was the small class size, paucity of time for specific topics, and familiarity with technology.