Quality Of Undergraduate Education Research Articles

Undergraduate radiology teaching from the student’s perspective

ObjectivesTo obtain medical students’ evaluation of the quality of undergraduate radiology teaching received, preferred teaching methods and resources. This is a follow-up project to an earlier study of junior doctors who felt that radiology teaching left them ill prepared for medical practice.MethodsA questionnaire to third and fifth year medical students undertaking clinical rotations at Newcastle University, UK.ResultsThe questionnaire was completed by 57/60 (95 %) of third and 37/40 (93 %) of final year medical students. Students received minimal radiology teaching in pre-clinical years, feeling this was insufficient. The majority of students rated interactive case-based teaching as effective. Self-directed learning resources such as textbooks, journals and even online learning modules were perceived as less effective. Other types of web resources rated higher. Motivation for most students when studying radiology was to achieve learning objectives needed to pass their next exams and/or to improve as a doctor.ConclusionsMedical students criticise the lack of radiology teaching in pre-clinical undergraduate years. Radiology teaching should be represented in all undergraduate years, preferably delivered via interactive teaching sessions. Currently available e-learning modules do not meet the students’ learning needs and there is a call for reliable, up-to-date open access electronic resources.Main Messages • Radiology teaching should be represented in all pre-clinical and clinical undergraduate years. • Medical students rate interactive case-based teaching sessions as very effective. • There is a call for reliable, up-to-date open access electronic resources for medical students.

LA FUNCIÓN Y LA ACCIÓN DEL TUTOR EN FORUM DE DISCUSIÓN: LA PALABRA AL TUTOR

In contrast to other distance educational systems, tutors in the Brazilian Open University (UAB) play an essential role as mediators of the students’ construction of knowledge. Nevertheless, few empirical studies focus on the tutoring of undergraduate distance courses. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study, obtained through interviews, that aims to increase understanding of the meanings of the tutoring activity constructed by three tutors of the same UAB undergraduate course. We analyzed two generative categories: (1) tutor functions in relation to student knowledge construction; and (2) the tutors’ pedagogical mediation in discussion forums. The results indicated, on the one hand, that tutors value their function and recognize themselves as important mediators of knowledge promotion. On the other hand, we noticed difficulty, indicating the need for further research of the interface between psychology and education, in order to improve the quality of undergraduate distance teaching.

Analysis on the Cultivation of Comprehensive Ability of Students Majoring in Economics and Management During Undergraduate Paper Link

The undergraduate paper is a very important practical teaching links and is a very important way to implement the cultivation of application-oriented talent. Therefore, strengthening the teaching management of undergraduate papers has a very important significance for improving the quality of undergraduate teaching and cultivating talents with social competitiveness. This paper mainly study the cultivation mode of the undergraduates’ comprehensive ability which is appropriate for their undergraduate papers. By using the important link of undergraduate paper, it will greatly improve the students’ scientific research ability, innovation ability, the ability to analyze independently and the ability to solve practical problems, as well as essaywriting ability and language-expressing skills, and lay a good foundation for adaptation to their future job quickly. Key words: Economic and management specialty; Undergraduate paper; Comprehensive ability

Neurophobia in Medical Students and Junior Doctors in Singapore - Blame the GIK (P07.246)

Objective: To create a definition of neurophobia and determine its prevalence and educational risk factors amongst medical students and junior doctors in Singapore. Background is a fear of clinical neurology. Several studies have explored neurophobia in different teaching environments and countries, and concluded that both medical students and doctors have low confidence, knowledge, and perceived high difficulty, despite variable levels of interest in neurology, as compared to other subjects in internal medicine. Design/Methods: We performed two cross-sectional surveys of undergraduate medical students and junior doctors in Singapore including questions about knowledge, interest, perceived difficulty in neurology, and confidence in managing neurology patients compared to other internal medicine specialties, as well as quality and quantity of undergraduate and postgraduate neuroscience teaching, clinical neurology exposure, and postgraduate qualifications. Neurophobia was defined as ≤4 composite score of difficulty and confidence in neurology. Results: Neurophobia prevalence was 47.5% in medical students, highest amongst all medical subspecialties, and 36.6% in junior doctors, more common than phobia of other medical specialties except rheumatology amongst doctors. Multivariate analysis revealed that for medical students, female gender (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.3-6.7), low interest (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0-6.2), low knowledge (OR 10.1, 95% CI 4.5-22.8), and lack of clinical teaching by a neurologist (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.2-6.6) independently increased the risk of neurophobia; for doctors, low interest (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.3-7.0) and low knowledge (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2-6.2) independently increased the risk of neurophobia, and female gender was of borderline significance (OR 2.0, 95% CI 0.9-4.6). Conclusions: Neurophobia is highly prevalent amongst Singapore medical students and junior doctors. Low interest and knowledge are independent risk factors shared by both groups; female gender may also be a shared risk factor. The mnemonic GIK (Gender, Interest, Knowledge) identifies the risk factors to mitigate when planning teaching strategies to reduce neurophobia. Disclosure: Dr. Kam has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tan Shi En has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tan has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec and Merck Serono as a consultant and/or speaker. Dr. Lim has received personal compensation for activities with Allergan and GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Lim has received (royalty or license fee or contractual rights) payments from McGraw Hill. Dr Lim has received research support from National Medical Research Council and the National University of Singapore. Dr. Koh has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tan holds stock and/or stock options in Pfizer Inc and Stryker.

Improving Relevance and Quality of Undergraduate Education (IRQUE): public funding alternatives for Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Government has initiated reforms in a number of public management areas and introduced major reforms into the higher education sector to respond to national concerns that the higher education sector has failed to provide skills necessary for the national economic development. Reforming public funding strategy is a key task of the Improving Relevance and Quality of Undergraduate Education (IRQUE) project, which was initiated as an essential component of management in education in Sri Lanka. This paper discusses various funding mechanisms available for higher education funding and suggests a tentative model for public funding in Sri Lanka.

ACE - A Model Centered REU Program Standing on the Three Legs of CSE: Analysis, Computation and Experiment

Enhancing REU (research experience for undergraduates) has become a popular strategy for many selective universities to enhance quality of undergraduate education and recruit gifted new students. The university that the authors are affiliated has set REU as one of the major outcomes for our QEP (quality enhancement program) for next 5 years. This paper presents a model centered REU program entitled as ACE standing for Analysis, Computation and Experiment. As a work in progress, the program is planned to run for the next 5 years and to serve for 20-30 undergraduate students who are gifted in mathematics and computing annually. ACE is to use interdisciplinary research projects, the guided exploration based on sound pedagogical practice and the top niche analogical and virtual dual lab facility bring measurable impacts to over a hundred of gifted undergraduates.

A Comparison of the Requirements of University Library Quality Assurance System with Internationally Recognized ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems

Providing a quality service has become a must in the library and information science sector today. The readers expect an effective and efficient library service from the library staff. Therefore providing a customer oriented service has become a challenge to the librarians and information professionals. The University Grants Commission has initiated a Quality Assurance System for all the faculties and the academic libraries of the Universities under the World Bank project, Improving Relevance and Quality of Undergraduate Education (IRQUE). The quality management systems (QMS) ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 are internationally recognized Quality Management Systems. They have been successfully implemented in some Sri Lankan libraries to provide an effective service to the library users. A comparison of the requirements of the University Library Quality Assurance System and the two international standards is carried out in this study. Key words: Quality Management System; ISO 9001:2000; ISO 9001:2008; Academic Libraries; Sri Lanka DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jula.v15i1.3189 Journal of the University Librarians’ Association of Sri Lanka, Vol.15, Issue 1, June 2011; 83-97

Research into Our College English Teaching Team Construction

Teaching team and the construction of high-level teachers team is a key construction project in the college undergraduate teaching quality engineering, and it is an important guarantee to strengthen the teaching team construction, which will enhance the reform of higher education and improve the quality of undergraduate education. College English teaching team construction is conducive to promote college English teaching reform and improve the quality of teaching. Our college English teaching team is aimed at building up the team construction model “two centers, three teaching sections for support, exquisite course construction as the platform, second classrooms for practice bases” so as to achieve such goals as “first-class teachers team, first-class teaching contents, first-class teaching methods, first-class textbooks, first-class teaching management, first-class autonomous learning experimental base for students”. College English teaching team construction will contribute to make the goal of college English as national elaborate course, enhance students’ comprehensive English language abilities, and promote school college English teaching reform.

Nursing education and beliefs towards tobacco cessation and control: a cross- sectional national survey (GHPSS) among nursing students in Greece.

BackgroundWithin the healthcare system, nurses have the ability to influence their patients' smoking habits through counselling. Therefore, it is of great importance to appropriately train health professionals on smoking cessation strategies with the aim to help them provide advice to their patients. In light of the above, the objective of this study was to assess the association between Greek nursing students' beliefs towards tobacco control/smoking cessation and the professional training received.MethodsDuring February 2009, we conducted a cross sectional national survey among all 3rd year nursing students of the two university based nursing departments in Greece (University of Athens, University of the Peloponnese). The Global Health Professional Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire was applied and following written informed consent 73% provided a completed questionnaire (n = 192/263 enrolled students).ResultsOverall, 33% were current active smokers, while 74% reported ever to experiment smoking. In regards to their beliefs towards tobacco control policies, non smokers were more positive in regards to banning smoking in restaurants (94% vs. 61%, p < 0.001), in bars and cafes (82% vs. 34%, p < 0.001), and all public places (93% vs. 51%, p < 0.001) when compared to current smokers. In comparison with students who had not received training on the importance of asking patients about their smoking habits, those that did were more likely to believe that nurses should have a role in smoking cessation and should act as role models for their patients.ConclusionsResources should be invested in improving the quality of undergraduate education in nursing departments in Greece with respect to tobacco control and smoking cessation.

The urological foot soldier: are we equipping our foundation-year doctors?

Tomorrow's Doctors was first published by the General Medical Council (GMC) in 1993. The recommendations provide a framework for UK medical schools to use to design detailed curricula and schemes of assessment in the training of future doctors. They also set out the minimum standards that are used to judge the quality of undergraduate teaching. In 2003 this guidance was revised and a further 2009 version has now been published. A constant feature of these important documents is a list of therapeutic procedures that all graduates are expected be able to perform safely and effectively. These include male and female urethral catheterisation.

How Effective are the NSSE Benchmarks in Predicting Important Educational Outcomes?

Over the last three decades, colleges and universities increasingly have been expected to be accountable for the quality of undergraduate education. Although focused on K-12 education, A Nation at ...

Obtaining a picture of undergraduate education quality: a voice from inside the university

This study aims to construct ranking indicators from the perspective inside of the university and shift the ranking target from overall university quality to undergraduate education quality. In dealing with the complexity of the concept of undergraduate education quality, two-stage questionnaire survey was conducted to gain comprehensive opinions from 20 higher education evaluation experts. The Fuzzy Delphi Method then was introduced to perform data analysis and help final indicator selection as well as the distribution of weights. The results compared with ranking systems conducted by US NEWS and Guardian showed weighting differences and greater comprehensiveness in terms of the types of measures, sources of data and different perspectives from the students, employers and the academics. Most important of all, this study provided a more transparent ranking system and detailed ranking methodology that are crucial for users’ understanding and use of the ranking system.

What Student Affairs Professionals Need to Know About Student Engagement

In a 1992 Calvin and Hobbs cartoon (Watterson), 6-year-old Calvin asks his teacher whether he is being adequately prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. He wants to know if he will have the skills and competencies that will allow him to succeed in a tough, global economy. In response, the teacher suggests he start working harder because what he will get out of school depends on how much effort he puts into it. Calvin ponders this advice for a moment and says, “Then forget it.” The exchange between Calvin and his teacher gets right to the point about what matters to student learning and personal development. Indeed, one of the few unequivocal conclusions from How College Affects Students (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) is that the amount of time and energy students put forth—student engagement—is positively linked with the desired outcomes of undergraduate education. Unfortunately, Calvin’s response is all too common, if not according to what students say, then by what they do or do not do. In this paper, I summarize the role and contributions of the scholarship and institutional research about student engagement and its relevance for student development professionals and others committed to enhancing the quality of the undergraduate experience. The presentation is organized into four major sections. First, I briefly describe the evolution of the student engagement concept and explain its importance to student development. Then, I summarize findings from research studies about the relationships between student engagement and selected activities including participation in high-impact practices, employment, and some other experiences of relevant a relevance to the current generation of undergraduates. Next, I discuss some topics that warrant additional investigation to better understand how to further potential and utility of student engagement research and institutional policies and practices that the findings suggest. I close with some observations about the implications of student engagement research for student affairs professionals and others on campus committed to improving the quality of undergraduate education.

The British approach to improving the quality and quantity of undergraduate teaching in occupational health

Gezondheid en werk zijn onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden. De juiste soort arbeid kan de gezondheid verbeteren, herstel versnellen, en bijdragen tot een positief zelfbeeld. Het is daarom essentieel dat alle artsen een goed inzicht hebben in de samenhang van gezondheid en werk, en geen adviezen geven die patienten weg houden van hun werk. Dit artikel beschrijft de strategische aanpak van de Britse overheid, die ernaar streeft om de kwaliteit en kwantiteit van het onderwijs aan alle medische studenten te verbeteren, waar het de relatie gezondheid en werk betreft.

Inquiry-based learning in higher education: administrators’ perspectives on integrating inquiry pedagogy into the curriculum

Inquiry-based learning is one approach to improving the quality of undergraduate education by moving toward more student-directed, interactive methods of learning while focusing on learning how to learn. This paper deals with a missing component in the inquiry-related literature—the extra-pedagogical challenges of introducing and maintaining inquiry-based learning in the curriculum. Based in the collective experience of McMaster University, a mid-size Canadian university that has been a pioneer in inquiry pedagogy, the paper describes the challenges administrators faced in supporting the introduction of inquiry-based learning as components of traditional courses, as inquiry-based courses, and as inquiry-based degree programs. Derived from interviews, the paper presents a series of strategies and lessons for introducing and maintaining inquiry pedagogy in the curriculum. These lessons will be broadly useful to administrators, curriculum designers and faculty developers and should be widely applicable to institutes of higher education.

Improving Relevance and Quality of Undergraduate Education in Sri Lanka: the need for a change in public funding strategy

This article discusses the importance of improving relevance and quality of higher education in Sri Lanka. Undergraduate education should be directed towards the needs of the country. Graduate unemployment is an issue in Sri Lanka, which needs urgent remedial actions. This paper also reviews the main features of the funding mechanism in Sri Lanka and identifies issues of concern in funding strategy in Sri Lanka. This is an opportune moment to assess the extent to which Sri Lanka should and can reform its funding strategies for higher education and there are many lessons to be learned from international practice.

How can we prepare medical students for theatre-based learning?

The quality of medical undergraduate operating theatre-based teaching is variable. Preparation prior to attending theatre may support student learning. Identifying and agreeing key skills, competences and objectives for theatre-based teaching may contribute to this process of preparation. We carried out a cross-sectional survey of consultant surgeons and students using a forced choice questionnaire containing 16 skills and competences classified as 'essential', 'desirable' or 'not appropriate', and a choice of 6 different teaching methods, scored for perceived effectiveness on a 5-point Likert scale. Questionnaire content was based on the findings from an earlier qualitative study. Comparative data analyses (Mann- Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests) were carried out using SPSS Version 14. A total of 42 consultant surgeons and 46 students completed the questionnaire (46% and 100% response rates, respectively). Knowledge of standard theatre etiquette and protocols, ability to scrub up adequately, ability to adhere to sterile procedures, awareness of risks to self, staff and patients, and appreciation of the need for careful peri-operative monitoring were considered 'essential' by the majority. Student and consultant responses differed significantly on 5 items, with students generally considering more practical skills and competences to be essential. Differences between students on medical and surgical attachments were also identified. Consultant surgeons and medical students agree on many aspects of the important learning points for theatre-based teaching. Compared with their teachers, students, particularly those on attachment to surgical specialties, are more ambitious - perhaps overly so - in the level of practical skills and risk awareness they expect to gain in theatre.

A Follow-up Survey of the Teaching of Conscious Sedation in Dental Schools of the United Kingdom and Ireland

The purpose of this follow-up study was to assess and compare the quantity and quality of dental undergraduate teaching in conscious sedation with comparisons to a previous study conducted in 1998. Questionnaires were designed to collect information about undergraduate sedation education from teaching staff and final-year dental undergraduates at the 15 dental schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Staff responses from 9 schools (60%) and student responses from 11 schools (73%) were received. From the students' responses, the mean (range) number of cases observed in inhalational sedation was 7 (0-17) and the mean (range) number performed in inhalational sedation was 4 (0-8). The mean (range) number of cases observed in intravenous sedation was 9 (2-19), and the mean (range) number performed was 5 (0-8). There has been an increase in didactic teaching. There has been a decrease in the observing of inhalational cases, but an increase in the hands-on performance of this type of sedation. There is an increase in the hands-on teaching of intravenous sedation.

Institutional Selectivity and Good Practices in Undergraduate Education: How Strong is the Link?

Academic selectivity plays a dominant role in the public's understanding of what constitutes institutional excellence or quality in undergraduate education. In this study, we analyzed two independent data sets to estimate the net effect of three measures of college selectivity on dimensions of documented good practices in undergraduate education. With statistical controls in place for important confounding influences, an institution's median student SAT/ACT score, a nearly identical proxy for that score, and the Barron's Selectivity Score explained from less than 0.1% to 20% of the between-institution variance and from less than 0.1% to 2.7% of the total variance in good practices. The implications of these findings for what constitutes quality in undergraduate education, college choice decisions, and the validity of national college rankings are discussed.

A graduação em química: um novo químico para uma nova era

The discussions sponsored by the Brazilian Chemical Society, over the past five years, intending to produce a chemistry agenda with perspectives and needs for the next decade for the country, have involved the national chemistry community and several related sectors of Brazilian society. Chemistry education has been the theme throughout these discussions. It is known that the low level of basic and secondary education and the recent increase in high school courses and institutions adversely affect the quality of undergraduate teaching. The recent national Curriculum Guidelines for Chemistry Courses, through their flexible approach, encourage the integral, interdisciplinary (non compartmentalized) and critical-reflexive training of professionals as citizens and as entrepreneurs. However, deficiencies are still recognized. The system of undergraduate course evaluation has identified the most fragile modalities of the courses and other indicators. Also, it has been verified that the Brazilian chemistry industry absorbs only minimally the highly qualified professionals, which is attributed to the fact that the Federal Council of Chemistry is vertically organized and does not recognize the graduate degrees as professional qualifications. In conclusion, the importance of the effective implantation of the national curriculum guidelines is apparent, among other aspects, highlighting courses whose didactical and pedagogical projects may offer a solid formation in Chemistry. However, at the same time the guidelines are comprehensive and general enough to enable the chemistry professionals to develop varied skills.