Senior Undergraduate Students Research Articles

Are Future Nurses Ready for Digital Health?: Informatics Competency Baseline Assessment.

Background:Research continues to show significant gaps in nursing graduates' preparedness in digital health.Purpose:The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' self-perceived nursing informatics competency and preparedness in digital health, describe learning opportunities available, and identify perceived learning barriers and facilitators to developing informatics competency.Methods:A sequential mixed-methods design, using a cross-sectional survey and interviews, was used. Senior undergraduate students (n = 221) in BScN programs in a Western Canadian Province participated.Results:Participants self-reported being somewhat competent in nursing informatics. Three themes were identified: struggling to make sense of informatics nursing practice; learning experiences; and preparedness for future practice.Conclusion:Addressing inconsistencies in informatics education is an urgent priority so that nursing graduates are competent upon joining the workforce. Implications for nursing education, practice, and policy are discussed.

Factors Associated with University Students’ Development and Success: Insights from Senior Undergraduates

In order to effectively support students’ learning and development at university, we need a better understanding of what helps undergraduate students thrive in the university environment. In this study, we surveyed 204 senior undergraduate students at a large research-intensive university in western Canada to explore factors related to thriving as a university student. We measured sense of belonging (including perceived faculty understanding, peer support, and classroom comfort), task value (students’ perceptions of the value of their course content), and academic achievement (self-reported grade point average) for students’ current year and their recollections of their first year at university. We also asked students to identify factors they considered integral to becoming a successful university learner. Both sense of belonging and perceived task value increased from first to senior year. Sense of belonging was consistently associated with academic achievement, whereas task value was associated with academic achievement in first year only. Two components of belonging (faculty understanding, classroom comfort) predicted academic achievement in first year; only one (classroom comfort) predicted academic achievement in the current year. Qualitative analysis of responses to open-ended questions identified themes in four categories as key contributors to students’ development and success: personal development, social support, course design, and university resources and opportunities. Factors related to personal development (e.g., learning to prioritize health, improving time management skills, and developing self-regulated learning skills) were identified most frequently as key components in students’ adaptation to university learning environments. Insights from this study can inform development of curricular and co-curricular strategies to better support undergraduate students’ learning and development at university.

Introducing Theoretical Principles of Semi-, Relative, and Absolute Quantification via Conventional, Real-Time, and Digital PCR to Graduate and Senior Undergraduate Students of Chemistry

Introducing Theoretical Principles of Semi-, Relative, and Absolute Quantification via Conventional, Real-Time, and Digital PCR to Graduate and Senior Undergraduate Students of Chemistry

Accessing value-added market through cooperatives: a case study of Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samiti Ltd., India

PurposeMember-owned business organizations, such as cooperatives, are engaged in various economic activities that touch our everyday lives. Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samiti Limited (Sitajakhala Dairy Producers Cooperative Society Limited) is a successful cooperative society in the northeastern region of India. The purpose of this case study is to illustrate how the cooperative manages its production and supply chain of milk and milk products and highlights several issues that the cooperative encountered in the recent past and how those issues were managed. This case also illustrates how an agribusiness cooperative has been growing over the years, including expansion of business and the creation of a brand image, as well as benefiting its members and their communities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a case study approach where they went for in-person interviews of Sitajakhala's executive members and office staff; in addition, the authors were given access to Sitajakhala's marketing and financial records as well as its annual reports and vision documents.FindingsSitajakhala Co-op provides a platform where individual dairy farmers (most of who are small farmers and many of them are illiterate) can unite to bargain for higher prices for their milk. Due to its member-oriented business strategy, Sitajakhala Co-op has been growing well with active support of its members. Consistent quality control and marked improvements in labeling, bottling and packaging of milk and milk products has helped the cooperative to establish itself as a leader in dairy products supplier in Assam among bulk buyers as well as individual consumers. Sitajakhala cooperative also provides dairy farming related services to its members for free of charge to improve milk production and quality. One of the shortcomings of the cooperative is underutilization of its modern milk processing plant which needs to be addressed by the management in earnest.Research limitations/implicationsThis case study is based on information from one dairy cooperative in Assam, India; thus, the findings of this case may not translate into other dairy cooperatives in India or elsewhere. Nonetheless, cooperative practitioners may find the findings useful from a management perspective.Social implicationsSitajakhala Co-op management was keenly aware of the non-dairy related needs of the community it serves. Some of such services include free medical ambulance service for its members, supporting secondary education through providing merit and need-based scholarships and funding physical improvements to a local high school and a local college. In addition, the cooperative regularly provides funding to local sports and cultural events and local social institutions which have positive impact on the larger community. Sitajakhala cooperative has been providing employment to the local youth in the Morigaon area and plans on continuing to do so.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first case study focusing on the management and operations of a dairy cooperative in the northeastern part of India. Knowledge gained from such study is expected to benefit not only Sitajakhala cooperative but also other dairy cooperatives in a similar situation. This case study will also benefit senior undergraduate and/or graduate students specializing in agricultural economics/agribusiness and can also be used for executive training for the management of academic institutions and food companies.

Chiral Pool Guided Syntheses of Polycyclic Natural Products

Comprehensive SummaryChiral pools have been commonly utilized as inexpensive and versatile building blocks in organic synthesis. In this account, we provide an overview of our recent synthetic efforts toward polycyclic natural products using chiral natural small molecules (chiral pool) as starting materials. Key achievements during our syntheses include intermolecular Diels‐Alder/intramolecular hetero‐Diels‐Alder cascade to enable modification of previously proposed biosynthetic pathway of bolivianine, Diels‐Alder‐type dimerization through a conjugated furanyl diene intermediate to achieve three types of lindenane [4+2] dimers, Iron‐catalyzed reductive aldol reaction to construct core of rumphellclovane E and [3,3]‐rearrangement along with vinylogous Pummerer rearrangement to make epoxyquinol substructure of JBIR‐23/‐24. In the final, the outlook is also presented. What is the most favorite and original chemistry developed in your research group?Biomimetic and/or convergent synthetic strategies leading to concise natural product synthesisHow do you get into this specific field? Could you please share some experiences with our readers?I have become interested in natural product synthesis (NPS) since I was a senior undergraduate student, encouraging me to enter this field in my PhD study. NPS is both fascinating and challenging to make complex molecules from simple starting materials, and construct different chemical bonds with proper stereochemistry. In my opinion, solid knowledge in reaction mechanism and structural conformation and persistent passion to pursue dreams are the two key elements aiming at successful and beautiful natural product synthesis.How do you supervise your students?Persuade them that it is important to be cautious with experiments, to be curious with new development and to be open with minds.What is the most important personality for scientific research?Passion, creativity, persistence and honesty.What are your hobbies?Music, reading and sight‐seeing.How do you keep balance between research and family?To tell the truth, I actually owe a lot to my family.

Succession Intention in Continuing Family Business in Indonesia during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted many industries and created a different reality of function in terms of several aspects, including family business and succession. This paper discusses how family business successor intentions regarding succeeding the family business in the near future have been affected by the pandemic. The subjects of our study are senior undergraduate business students that could potentially become successors in their family business. Our model is based on the Intention Model from the Theory of Perceived Behaviors, modified from our previous study with Intention to succeeding family business as the dependent variable. Data of 203 valid respondents was collected through quantitative survey and analyzed using a multiple linear regression model. The results of our study show that, during the pandemic, the intention of the heirs of the family business in succeeding his/her family business will be determined by the successor’s own attitude in succeeding family business, campus education, familiness, and resiliency of family business situation in facing the pandemic.

Evaluating the Relationships among the Sociodemographic Variables and Gender Perceptions of Undergraduate Students in Turkey: A Meta-Analysis Study

This study seeks to examine gender perceptions in Turkey. After completing a literature review, the research compiles and analyzes academic studies on Turkish undergraduate students and their gender perceptions. Of the 763 studies included in the literature review, 15 were included in the meta-analysis. The study uses Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) Software (Biostat Inc, 2021) for the analysis and has concluded four different sociodemographic variables to be suitable for the meta-analysis. The variables used are undergraduates’ (1) gender, (2) school year, (3) mother’s education, and (4) father’s education. The paper presents the findings for each variable separately. The results show gender assigned at birth to have the biggest effect on undergraduate students’ gender perceptions, mother’s education to have a small effect, and father’s education to have no effect. The most striking and notable result from the meta-analysis is the lack of difference between the gender perceptions of freshman and senior undergraduate students.

What Students Learn With Personal Data Physicalization.

I describe the results of implementing a personal data physicalization assignment in an information visualization course for senior undergraduate and graduate students in computer science and software engineering. By collecting data about themselves and representing this data in physical forms, students were able to 1) learn about data visualization, 2) design creatively, and 3) learn about themselves. While data physicalization in education has been explored with nontechnical and novice audiences, the experience I report in this article provides evidence that data physicalization also has benefits for technical, visualization-savvy students.

Comparative Assessment of Burnout Syndrome in Medical and Dental Senior Undergraduate Students

Comparative Assessment of Burnout Syndrome in Medical and Dental Senior Undergraduate Students

Does the Next Generation of Sports Leaders Perceive the Presence of the Glass Ceiling and the Need to Shatter It? Insights of Undergraduate Students

The rungs for advancement up the corporate ladder in the sports industry can be slippery for women. Is the next generation of sports leaders aware of this fact? Senior undergraduate sport management students from Canadian universities completed the Career Pathways Survey (CPS) instrument to measure their perceptions of the glass ceiling. Both groups aspire to senior leadership roles. However, only the students who identified as women perceived the presence of a glass ceiling. Sport management students need to be better educated on the presence of the glass ceiling so the benefits of equitable, inclusive, and diverse leadership groups can be realized.

Identifying the Speaking Proficiency Level of Arabic Learners in Accordance with the International Guidelines of ACTFL for Assessing Proficiency in Foreign Languages

Language is a means of communication among human beings. Such communication among non-native and/or native language users can be facilitated through language learning and teaching. Language education professionals have developed guidelines for teachers and learners to measure the linguistic performance of these two groups. One of the prestigious international frameworks established in the field of foreign language teaching and assessment is the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) proficiency guidelines developed by a team of foreign language education professionals. The Arabic speaking skill, along with listening, is one of the main language skills used to orally communicate with Arabic speakers. Non-native students majoring in Arabic Language and Literature learn the required vocabulary and structures/styles to speak Arabic. But many of them face challenges in applying what they have learned when speaking Arabic. The present study, in particular, attempts to find an answer to the following two questions: What is the proficiency level of undergraduate students of Kharazmi University majoring in Arabic Language and Literature based on ACTFL guidelines for assessing speaking skill? What difficulties do Arabic language majors face in learning Arabic? The statistical sample of the study consisted of 30 undergraduate senior students majoring in Arabic Language and Literature at Kharazmi University, Tehran. To determine the students’ speaking level and discover the reasons for their possible deficiencies, a field (qualitative) research was conducted while adopting a descriptive and inductive approach. The research instruments included both the test and observation. The most prominent finding of the research was that while Arabic students take a total of 12 credits under the courses of Listening and Speaking 1 to 3 as well as Language Lab 1 to 3, they do not achieve a desirable level of speaking skill. There are many reasons for this weakness among which one can point out limited hours and credits allocated to the courses on language skills. The test results in particular revealed that the students did not perform well in the speaking skill. The contributing factors were the lack of confidence in speaking Arabic, fear of making lexical mistakes while speaking, and insufficient daily use of Arabic, among others.

Experiment to Teach Multiple Melting Phenomena in Semicrystalline Polymers Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry

This article describes a laboratory experiment used to investigate the phenomenon of multiple melting in polymers. The experiment is aimed at the level of senior undergraduate chemistry students able to carry out the investigation in a research-style approach, working together in small groups. The experiment highlights characteristic thermal behavioral differences between polymers and small organic molecules. It demonstrates that shifts in observed melting temperature upon heating are typically due to inherent metastability of the polymer system and not to impurities in the sample, for example. Differential scanning calorimetry is used to demonstrate and explore this fundamental yet contemporary subject of polymer melting, using a well-known and commercially available polymer, isotactic polystyrene. Effects of thermal history of the sample, including crystallization temperature and crystallization time, as well as analysis conditions including heating rate, on the melting point of the polymer solid are each investigated. The experiment provides a hands-on example of structure-property relationships in polymer science.

Water Quality Characterization Using ASTM Methods in an Undergraduate Advanced Instrumental Analysis Laboratory Course

Water analysis is an excellent interdisciplinary topic for project-based learning. An undergraduate course was designed to engage the senior undergraduate chemistry students in a real-life experience. In this course, students developed methodologies based on published American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods for the measurement of fluoride, phenols, and metals in real water samples. The procedures were utilized to analyze target analytes in real water samples from various sources, such as seawater, sewage water, swimming pool water, tap water, and drinking water in the eastern province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). These areas are profoundly affected by urbanization. The students analyzed the samples by employing a portable total dissolved solids (TDS) meter, a pH/ion-selective electrode (ISE) benchtop meter, an inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and a gas chromatography–flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The ASTM methods allowed the students to gather research-level data and study regional environmental issues. The students prepared and presented their results at the departmental conference. Through the water analysis project, students acquired field and laboratory research skills, performed a quantitative analysis of data sets, developed collaborative interactions, as well as utilized their writing and communication skills. The exposure of students to these research tools provided them with experience in dealing with the limitations of trace level analysis in real samples. The outcome of this study provided the students with an overview of how their theoretical knowledge was connected to the country’s limited water sources and pollution problems.

Assessing dental students' professional satisfaction with operative dentistry teaching and curriculum: A study in Saudi Arabia.

Evaluating students’ professional training satisfaction with operative dentistry teaching and curriculum can help identify their educational needs and improve the quality of the education imparted. This study aimed to assess the professional training satisfaction of senior undergraduate dental students in Saudi Arabia from the operative dentistry course teaching and its curriculum at different levels and among genders.A total of 193 (109 male, 56.48%; and 84 female, 43.52%) students participated in the survey. The respondents were at the 10th, 11th, and 12th levels of the Operative Dentistry course in a ratio of 34.2%, 32.1%, and 33.7%, respectively. Data were collected from survey items (18 questions) covering 6 areas: learning objectives, course materials, content relevance, instructor knowledge, instructor delivery and style, and facility and environment. Descriptive and analytical tests were performed using SPSS Software 19, with the significance level set at 0.05.A high level of satisfaction was seen among level 10 (68.18%), 11 (79.03%), and 12 (86.15%) students. A significant statistical difference was observed among level 10 students with a low level of satisfaction and a high level of satisfaction (P = .045). The percentage of satisfaction increased with the level. A high level of satisfaction was seen among male (78.90%) and female (76.19%) students, with a total satisfaction level of 77.72%.Continuous evaluation and assessment of teaching and curriculum can be a tool to improve the quality of education imparted, especially in clinical courses such as operative dentistry. This helps to prepare students for their professional life as healthcare providers. The role of teaching skills related to amalgam must be re-evaluated. It is recommended to include student representation and participation in course development committees, as they are the final recipients of the educational process.

Job-Seeking Anxiety Resilience and Family Influence on Career Decision-Making among Senior Undergraduate Students in Southern Thailand during the COVID -19 Pandemic

Objective: A study of job-seeking anxiety, resilience quotient and family influence on career decision-making is apparently lacking; especially in regards to the impact of the financial crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other factors, such as the political climate currently in Thailand. This study aimed to determine job-seeking anxiety, resilience quotient and family influence on career decision-making and related factors among senior, undergraduate university students.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a university in Southern Thailand; from May to October, 2020. Two hundred and seventy-one participants completed questionnaires regarding personal and parental demographic characteristics, resilience, family influence scale, job-seeking self-perception and job-seeking anxiety. Results: The prevalence of job-seeking anxiety among participants was low (40%), moderate (50%) and high (10%). In univariate analysis, factors significantly associated with job-seeking anxiety were: female gender (p=0.03), effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, economics and the current, political situation Thailand (p=0.03), resilience quotient (p<0.001) and job-seeking self-perception (p<0.001). The predictors of job-seeking anxiety, from multivariate analysis, were: resilience quotient (β = -1.169, P<0.001) and job-seeking self-perception (β = 2.232, P<0.001). Conclusion: Our study provided evidences that a significant proportion of senior, undergraduate students had experienced job-seeking anxiety, with the protective factor of job-seeking anxiety being individual resilience quotient. This information could be used as an effective management strategy for providing mental health promotion, and prevention for senior, undergraduate university students.

The Impact of an Undergraduate Anatomy Peer‐Led Teaching Program on the Perceptions and Appraisal of the Anatomy Discipline

Anatomy is a foundational prerequisite that is required for a multitude of health-related careers. However, despite the importance of this subject, anatomy courses are typically offered to students only once or twice during an undergraduate program. To provide undergraduate students with supplementary anatomy-specific experiences, Anatomy Volunteers (AV) have recently been introduced to the labs at Brock University. An AV is a senior undergraduate anatomy student who has excelled within the course previously and has returned to the program to assist their junior peers. AV assist in peer-led teaching by delivering didactic talks, facilitating interactive activities, and answering questions about the lab content. For many students, the AV opportunity fosters their first university teaching experience. Working closely with lab instructors provides the opportunity to shape their teaching skills, while perhaps cultivating an interest in anatomy or anatomy-related professions. Though many students apply for AV with an interest to pursue a profession in healthcare, it is unclear whether their exposure to anatomical education in this fashion may influence their career aspirations, or their perceptions and appraisal of the anatomy discipline. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of peer-led teaching on the perceptions and appraisal of the anatomy discipline. Participants were recruited from a pool of 117 students who had previously participated in the Brock University AV Program from 2017-2020. Participants completed an online Reflection Survey using the Qualtrics platform. The survey analysis examined three categories: learning experience, skillset development, and career aspirations. A combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses will be conducted to explore the impact of the AV program on each of these categories, respectively. Quantitative analysis will be used to report descriptive statistics and investigate associations between participant characteristics (i.e., program of study, number of anatomy courses taken, and duration of involvement in the AV program) and their responses to each category. Qualitative analysis will be used to assess open-ended survey responses, which will be coded for themes by the research team. These research goals are framed around the hypothesis that involvement in the AV program provides participants with exposure and training for prospective anatomical and teaching-related disciplines. These findings may provide validation for the role of anatomy volunteers beyond the capacity of helping the teaching staff in the lab. They can also improve the quality of teaching in anatomy in the labs while also redefining the process of anatomical training for a new generation of emerging anatomists.

Merging Biochemical and Analytical Training: a Computational Approach to Chemical Communication

As techniques in biochemistry and neuroscience progress, so is the volume of data generated by advanced technologies. Therefore, there is a need for training young scientists in both fundamental biology and biochemical concepts, but also in the handling, processing, and analysis of large datasets, i.e., Big Data. Two years ago, in the Department of Biochemistry at Virginia Tech, we created a new course entitled “Biochemical Communication,” where senior undergraduate students learn about the biochemical and evolutionary principles guiding chemical communication between organisms. Core components of the course are: 1) Lectures relying on active learning strategies, 2) student-led weekly discussions of the primary literature, and 3) a semester-long project consisting of analyzing large data sets generated in the laboratory of the instructor. Over the past two years, the data sets provided were: electrophysiological recordings from neurons of mosquito antennal lobes (i.e., primary olfactory centers) and gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry data resulting from the collection of plant headspace volatiles. Over the course of the semester (15 weeks), students acquire a working knowledge of data manipulation and visualization techniques, descriptive and inferential statistics, multivariate analysis, and machine learning approaches. These methods are deployed with the programming language R. Students’ training, as well as the approach they elect to employ, are guided by their drive to answer a biological question of their choosing. The work is conducted in groups to promote peer-mentoring. At the end of the semester, each group submits a seven-page long report structured as a scientific publication. The feedback collected after completion of the course indicated that students are receptive and enthusiastic about such hybrid classes where an introduction to biological and biochemical concepts is merged with hands-on learning of programming and data analysis.

Course Design on Emerging Technologies

This paper discusses the design of Emerging Technologies course under the Software Engineering Department at Atilim University. At Atilim University, a visionary course was needed especially for the senior undergraduate students of Information Technology (IT) related departments. At Atilim University, there are 3 IT related departments which are Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Information Systems Engineering. This course should have covered all the emerging technologies so that students can decide properly the fields to work after graduation. Moreover, students should have been encouraged for entrepreneurship to develop their own businesses. As a result, a course covering all emerging technologies was designed. First of all, a comprehensive definition is formed for emerging technologies, and they are classified. The important concepts included in the course are active learning, improving the vision, proposing new technologies, and forecasting the future technologies. The course also includes a project which is designed to be a simulation of an important emerging technology. For the simulation project, software development is requested from the students. This provides students to reconcile emerging technologies and software development, which is the most important technology for IT related students. This paper presents instructor experiences, student feedback analysis, lessons learned and recommendations for other instructors.

Observing the polarization of cosmic-ray muons in student physics laboratory

An undergraduate-level student experiment has been designed and implemented to measure the forward–backward asymmetry of the decay of the cosmic-ray muons, offering a pedagogical view to the parity violation in weak interactions. The detector system consists of six plastic scintillators installed vertically in row. The backward–forward asymmetry of the decay e− and e+ with respect to the muon motion direction is correlated with the incident depth of the muon stopped in the scintillator. MC simulations have been carried out in order to better interpret the data and optimize the data analysis. The forward–backward asymmetry of 0.051 ± 0.027 is deduced for the decay of cosmic-ray muons in the energy range being studied. The results are consistent with the picture of parity violation in weak interactions. The experiment can be constructed by the senior undergraduate students under the guidance of the course teacher.

“Why Should I Care?”

A scholar in the area of organizational behavior has just learned that her paper on gender diversity has been accepted by a top management journal. She is looking forward to today's class because her new paper, which she had assigned as reading for class, could serve as a test run to discovering what kind of response her research would elicit from practical-minded business students. But instead she must make a case for the relevance of research in the real world of business. Excerpt UVA-S-0301 May 23, 2018 “Why Should I Care?” Greta Birch, a widely respected rising scholar in the area of organizational behavior, had just learned that her paper on gender diversity had been accepted by a top management journal, Administrative Science Quarterly (ASQ), after five years of research, writing, and multiple revisions. Other premier outlets such as Academy of Management Journal and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes had rejected the paper, and even at ASQ, it had gone through four runs of revisions. The research had become almost an obsession for Birch, and she had spent nearly all her free time digging deeper, repositioning, and rewriting. She was elated that her sweat and tears finally had paid off. This was a timely acceptance because Birch was preparing her tenure package for full professorship. The business school at the major public university where she taught was consistently ranked among the top graduate programs in the nation. Its reputation was based on its teaching excellence, but it also placed a high premium on faculty publishing. Now with this paper's acceptance, Birch's application for tenure had become much stronger. And from a teaching standpoint, the timing was perfect as well because the topic for today's class in her elective course “Leadership in the 21st Century” highlighted diversity. The course was a favorite of MBAs and was open to some select senior undergraduate students. Every year it was in high demand, and this year was no different. Today's class was scheduled at the halfway point of the term, and students had just submitted midterm papers. The session was always relaxed and particularly interactive, reflecting students' mood following completion of the arduous benchmark midterms. Also by this point in the semester, the students and the instructor had developed a strong rapport; even those participants who had not been comfortable with case discussions at the beginning of the term had mostly warmed to the format. Birch was a well-liked teacher, and this group, with its wide-ranging geographical representation, brought a level of excitement and variety of insights to the topic. . . .