Similar Disciplines Research Articles

"Diluting Its Value as a Word by Applying It to Everything": A Qualitative Study Exploring Perspectives and Practices of Mindfulness Practitioners.

The aim of this research was to explore the perspective, language, description, and practices of practitioners who identify as using mindfulness techniques for a range of health and clinical conditions. This study was guided by a qualitative descriptive methodology. Mindfulness practitioners from a variety of backgrounds that included medical, allied health, complementary and alternative medicine, and traditional Buddhism from across Australia were invited to share their perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom, telephone, and face-to-face which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were thematically analysed. Sixteen mindfulness practitioners from Australia self-nominated to participate in this study. Overall, the interviews revealed similarities, differences and even disagreements between participants from the different modalities regarding mindfulness. Participants from similar disciplines also reported differing perspectives and nuanced opinions. Differences appeared to stem from both participant background, training, and the overall aims of their practice. This research highlights the complexities of what constitutes mindfulness. This study has highlighted, across a broad cohort, that for mindfulness practitioners, their beliefs, aims, and practices are varied and influenced by a range of factors including their ideological perspectives. While the diversity and broad application of mindfulness may be one of its strengths, it may also be its weakness as its value may be diluted due to plurality of understanding and multiplicity in use. This requires careful and considered actions from mindfulness stakeholders.

Competence-based ranking in training of specialists in the field of strategic communications, advertising and public relations

The article represents the authors’ methodology in assessing the level of professional training of specialists in the field of advertising and public relations within the framework of competence-based approach to education. The authors consider it insufficient to rank the students based on purely academic performance and suggest changing the existing criteria to assess the level of acquired skills and competences required in the future profession. To increase the learning motivation, it is suggested to use the creative potential of future public relations specialists. The authors’ approach involves the introduction of gamification elements, including scenes and vocabulary known to students from computer games. Special attention is paid to transparent and visual organisation of ranking tables. Such ranking has been tested at MGIMO – University for a number of years and has shown an increase in motivation and, as consequence, learning outcomes. This methodology may be used to improve the efficiency of the educational process in advertising, strategic communications, public relations, branding, and similar disciplines in humanities and social studies where competences are an integral part of professional training.

Public Health, Health Promotion and the Problem of Positivism

Abstract Introduction Even though in public health and health promotion (HP) the most fundamental concepts refer to philosophical notions like equality, equity, fairness, justice or well-being, the practice of empirical research in HP is dominated by quantitative and standardized measures (seen widely on Health Literacy studies). Most of the quantitative empirical research has hardly any contact to these notions above referred. Public health and HP concepts shared by the WHO, UNESCO, UNHCR (asf. charters and declarations) deserve to be better explored. Development It is argued that there are several reasons that reproduce the domination of numbers in the field of public health and HP, rather than the insightful and transformative thoughts of theoretical developments. One reason is the power from medicine and similar disciplines that use their statistical and evidence-based methods as standard rules of evaluation. A second reason is the promise of public health and HP to make things better. A third reason is that in public health-related study programs very little attention is given to philosophy or sociological insights, although these are basic foundations of public health and HP. Explore some problems and shortages of a positivistic understanding of public health and HP, i.e. the scientific practice that overwhelms the reality by its methods and sees only what can be seen through the lens of the used methods, is needed to reflect on sustainability of human action. Discussion Public health and HP both refer immanently to - although contested - concepts and theories of democracy, freedom and justice. These concepts and theories are resistant against a pure mathematization and cannot be operationalized fully by quantitative numbers. There is a normative surplus in the subject of public health and HP that needs to be addressed differently. Finally, the relationship between empirical research and theory building in public health and HP is a quest yet to be firmly rooted.

Practices and Insights of Digital Transformation in Financial Management Education at Private Universities

This paper aims to explore the practical experiences and insights gained from digital transformation initiatives in financial management education at private universities through case studies. The widespread application of digital technology in the field of education is profoundly altering conventional teaching methodologies. By conducting thorough investigations into the digital transformation endeavors within financial management education at various private universities, this study compiles the key success factors evident in effective cases, such as collaborative efforts among faculty members and increased student engagement. Moreover, valuable recommendations are drawn from these experiences, including suggestions to enhance teacher training and optimize course content. These practical insights and lessons have significant implications for similar disciplines and contribute valuable guidance to the process of digital transformation within higher education institutions.

Japanese Flipped Classroom Knowledge Acquisition Based on Canvas Web-Based Learning Management System

INTRODUCTION: Since 2010, flipped classrooms and Canvas-based online learning spaces have been widely recognized by colleges and universities, changing the traditional Chinese learning space.
 OBJECTIVES: To ensure that students learn effectively, learning management systems must be applied. The issue of integrating classroom space and electronic learning management systems gives students the freedom and flexibility to manage their time after school.
 METHODS: In this study, Japanese language skills were learned through questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations, and two students with similar disciplines and conditions were selected from the experimental and control categories for a learning reform experiment during the semester's learning cycle.
 RESULTS: By comparing the characteristics and effectiveness of the experimental and tutorial courses, an appropriate Japanese language course was designed and developed, and some constructive suggestions were made for the application of the Canvas network to Japanese language courses.
 CONCLUSION: The use of flipped teaching methods and structured e-learning methods in the education of basic Japanese language majors can improve students' academic performance and sense of cooperation.

Індивідуальна освітня траєкторія в сучасній українській вищій освіті як інструмент адаптивності її середовища

The adaptability of modern education depends on a number of technical and organizational factors, including the provision of the educational process with computer technology, the ability of all participants in the educational process to use cloud technologies, the readiness of the administration of higher education institutions (HEI) to create conditions for studying students according to individual educational trajectories. Adaptability allows HEI to compete on the market of educational services, to maintain the level of education in the unfavorable conditions of a prolonged pandemic and war, to change the content of disciplines in accordance with the rapid development of science and technology. Our research demonstrated the possibilities of predicting the success of individual educational trajectories using the trend method, which works on the basis of the widely used Microsoft Excel office program. The individual educational trajectories of students (separately from each other) studying music and forming valeological competence while studying the valeological discipline "Health Pedagogy" were analyzed. Trend forecasting, based on the use of qualitative indicators of competencies, showed fairly accurate results (with an error of approximately 10%), which allows us to recommend the forecasting method for use by higher education institutions, regardless of the student's study profile. We have also identified four conditions for ensuring the adaptability of higher education: a large number of optional disciplines, the possibility of changing the forms of education, the pace of learning (depending on the abilities and health of students), crediting the results of studies in similar disciplines in other institutions of higher education and in non-formal education. The method proposed by us for predicting the success of training according to an individual educational trajectory can be considered adaptive, because it allows evaluating the results of training in different specialties.

Equity in Global Health Research.

Equity in Global Health Research.

Stuck with Tourism: Space, Power, and Labor in Contemporary Yucatán

Stuck with Tourism: Space, Power, and Labor in Contemporary Yucatán

BiCAM-based automated scoring system for digital logic circuit diagrams

Abstract In online education, it is critical for the quality of education to evaluate and grade the assignments or examinations that students upload to the system. However, it is time-consuming to determine how well the circuit drawings prepared for the digital logic course, which is a fundamental course in computer engineering and similar disciplines, are not only correct but also compatible with the truth table. Content-addressable memory (CAM), also known as associative memory, is a data storage and retrieval unit. Typically, it is used instead of the conventional memories in fast-paced and time-sensitive applications such as address lookup in Internet routers, databases, and pattern recognition. CAMs implement the search process by comparing the content itself with a key instead of finding the address like the conventional memories. To see the effect of using binary content-addressable memory-based memory on the time spent scoring hand or digital-drawn logic circuits, it is compared with various data structures commonly used in logic simulation programs. I found a significant relationship (O(1)), indicating that the proposed architecture reduces the time complexity in the search process. This expression is the same as time complexity in hash tables.

The Introduction of Soft Skills in the Study of Disciplines of the Second Stage of Higher Education at the Sukhoi State Technical University of Gomel

Professional skills, as opposed to interpersonal skills, are types of skills that students learn in university. These skills are easy to quantify. The proficiency in these skills is easy to verify. Soft skills cannot be measured and tested as simply as professional skills. The authors highlight the most in-demand soft skills among employers. The article presents the results of several surveys of employers about the important requirements for jobseekers required for employment. Similar surveys were conducted among employers and employees of IT companies in the Republic of Belarus. It is concluded that soft skills are very important both for getting a first job and building a successful career. However, in the universities of the Republic of Belarus, teaching soft skills is poorly represented. The article shows how the process of teaching students of the second stage of higher education was modernized. Only the IT specialties of five Belarusian universities have undergone modernization. This work was carried out with the support of the international project MaCICT. At the same time, the experience of teaching similar disciplines in the universities of the European Union was used. To assess the effectiveness of students' acquisition of soft skills at the university, a system for assessing the results of the modernization of the learning process was developed. Questionnaires for teachers, students and employees of IT companies have been developed. A survey of all stakeholders in the results of the international project MaCICT was carried out. The paper provides information on the dissemination of the main approaches for organizing the teaching of IT specialties for teachers of another specialties of the Sukhoi State Technical University of Gomel, as well as for teaching IT disciplines of another universities in the Gomel region.

Instructional design with ADDIE and rapid prototyping for blended learning: validation and its acceptance in the context of TVET Bangladesh.

Following COVID-19, the global educational landscape shifted dramatically. Almost every educational institute in Bangladesh undertook a strategic move to begin offering online or blended learning courses to mitigate the challenges created by the pandemic. The TVET sector, particularly the polytechnic institute of Bangladesh, endeavored to explore the blended learning approach as an immediate and long-term solution to address the educational dislocation caused by the pandemic. This study attempts to conceptualize a pedagogical design based on the ADDIE and rapid prototyping model to make a reliable and robust instructional design to be used in the blended learning context. A content validity index (CVI) was used to validate the proposed model; a technology acceptance model (TAM) was employed to examine its acceptability to students; and finally, students' academic performances were analysed to evaluate the overall performance of the proposed instructional design. The findings reveal that the proposed instructional design can be a reliable and valid pedagogical approach to be implemented in the blended learning context for polytechnic students. The proposed instructional design may help TVET educators and course designers to create a robust blended learning environment in the TVET sector and in other similar disciplines, such as science and engineering education.

Educational values and challenges of i-STEM project-based learning: A mixed-methods study with data-transformation design.

Integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) embedding project-based learning (i-STEM PjBL) is still faced with challenges, and its educational values have not been revealed, which is what the study aimed to explore. Participants consisted of 48 freshmen from a senior high school, including 27 male students and 21 female students. The open-ended questionnaire and the interview for the students were administrated after the i-STEM PjBL. The qualitative data were converted into quantitative data counted by the occurrence frequencies of the codes. The results based on the integration and comparison of the open-ended questionnaire and interview outcomes showed that i-STEM PjBL provided students with positive educational values (including learning acquisition, performance, and perception), but there were also learning challenges in the process. Learning acquisition focused on the basic structure and components of a robot, principles of robot motion, hull structure, principles of sailboat navigation, and skills of designing and assembling sailboats. Learning performance referred that students were satisfied with their hands-on performances and confident of their abilities to perform better in similar disciplines, but did not learn well on programming. Learning perception indicated that students felt interested in i-STEM PjBL materials could acquire knowledge and skills from various fields, PjBL could be helpful to complete works, and principles could be helpful in practice, while programming design learning materials were not enough. Learning challenges indicated that students were unfamiliar with the usage of tools and hands-on operation, and they also felt challenged by programming. Students' feedback can be taken as references to modify and improve i-STEM PjBL and the materials in the future.

Motivation and satisfaction of medical students participating in an educational intervention on Pathology

Undergraduate Pathology training in medicine is based on modalities centered on the teacher and associated with controlled motivation, with low satisfaction with the educational process. According to the Self-determination Theory, an early participation with responsibilities in clinical practice and an educational environment that promotes autonomy and basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPNS), would generate intrinsic motivation. To develop an educational intervention based on the pathologists' workplace model, which supports a learning environment intended to the satisfaction of BPNS in medical students. To evaluate the results of the intervention on the levels of motivation and satisfaction. In the first phase of the study, an educational modality focused on the student was planned, consisting of the design of a pathological clinical case (DPC), performing the specialist's steps under minimal supervision and a contextualized environment. In the second phase, the level of satisfaction (Scale of student experience) and intrinsic motivation in 3rd year medical students was evaluated. After the intervention, 99 students showed high levels of satisfaction (94% of agreement) and intrinsic motivation (6.7 of 7 points), including all sub-scales. They considered that their competences had increased and assessed the intervention as useful. DPC is an innovative, feasible and attractive methodology for Pathology learning, with a high degree of satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. This experience can be extended to similar disciplines.

Relational Capital and Technology Brands Over Time

Study examines alternative metrics for assessing relational capital. Associated with intellectual capital, relational capital has to do with knowledge about external relationships. It is chiefly knowledge about customers, but also includes knowledge concerning all external entities such as regulators, collaborators, and others.
 
 Relational capital is not widely studied. It’s not even included in some popular metrics such as VAIC but is increasingly important in a digital world dependent on customer information, customer interactions, and customer relationships. The concept of brand equity is very similar though from another discipline and not often discussed with or related to the relational capital framework. But by bringing similar disciplines closer together, we can learn things that allow a better understanding of both. Brand equity is particular important to reference because a number of consultancies offer metrics for measuring it, particularly for firms with powerful brands. As a consequence, any alternative metrics suggested will have some baseline for comparison once brand equity is included.
 
 This study explores alternative metrics for relational capital, specifically using web-scraping sentiment analysis software to examine select brands. In this case, the study replicates previous work on technology brands, looking at key indicators for the top worldwide smartphone brands. The previous study examined them over a five-week period in early 2021, and this study continues the research with similar results from early 2022. Key metrics include sentiment (positive/negative), influencers, platforms (social networks, blogs, forums), location, and volume. Brands identified as more valuable by other metrics show more interest and more stability over time though all brands do show the potential for a change in value in response to circumstances.

Floral economies

Biology and economics are surprisingly similar disciplines. At their core, both fields are the study of competitive interactions for scarce resources and the consequences of those interactions over time. Perhaps the first person to notice this similarity was Charles Darwin, who credited his reading of the influential economist Thomas Robert Malthus with catalysing his understanding of natural selection as the driving force of evolution. While it may not have been recognised at the time, this was not the only area of Darwin's thinking to parallel economic concepts.

Quantifying Risk in Air Sports: Flying Activity and Incident Rates in Paragliding.

The volume, nature, and risks of paragliding are poorly quantified. More comprehensive understanding, including incident rates allowing comparison to similar disciplines, will help direct and appraise safety interventions. Paraglider pilots were surveyed regarding experience, incidents, recordkeeping, and risk perception. The survey could not capture those who had left the sport or died, so a subset of responses from UK pilots was compared to records from an incident database. There were 1788 (25%) responses from 7262 surveyed. Respondents flew a total of 87,909 h in 96,042 flights during 2019. Local flying was most frequent (n=37,680 flights, 39%) but a higher proportion of hours were spent flying cross-country (n=33,933 h, 39%). The remainder were spent in competition, hike and fly, tandem, aerobatic, or instructional flight. Flying incidents led to 103 (6%) respondents seeking medical attention, attending hospital, or missing a day of work in 2019. Near misses were reported by 423 (26%) pilots. Asymmetry and rotational forces typically led to incidents, and limb and back injuries resulted. Pilots frequently failed to throw their reserve parachutes. Only 3 (0.6%) incidents involved equipment failure, with the remainder attributed to control or decision errors. Incident rates of paragliding were estimated as 1.4 (1.1-1.9) deaths and 20 (18-27) serious injuries per 100,000 flights, approximately twice as risky as general aviation and skydiving. Incidents usually resulted from pilot error (control and decision), rather than equipment failure. Future safety interventions should focus on improving glider control skills and encouraging reserve parachute deployment.

Influence of BIM-Based Teaching Methodology on the Spatial Abilities of Construction Engineering Students

Spatial visualization skills are considered essential for a variety of professional careers, especially those related with architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC). A number of studies have proven that these skills are progressively acquired by AEC students during their years in college, being necessary specific pedagogical approaches for this purpose. Other 3D native design software has been proved to exert a positive influence on the spatial abilities of students in several fields, such as fine arts or civil engineering. In the field of AEC, BIM software stands out as an appropriate tool for this purpose, as it supports 3D-native design. This study was conducted to clarify the influence that working with BIM models has on the spatial abilities of the students to visualize constructive components in 3D; it was hypothesized that the effect would be positive to some extent, as in similar disciplines. To that end, an experiment was conducted with 73 undergraduate students in construction engineering, who attended an intensive 4-week workshop where they had to work with BIM models. The improvement in their spatial abilities was measured by the Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and, besides, a satisfaction survey was conducted. The results indicate that MRT scores improved between 3.8% and 15.5% and that students felt highly satisfied with this pedagogical approach. These results aim to help in implementing BIM in the academic curricula to maximize the educational outcomes of the students while gathering their assessment of BIM-based teaching methodologies.

Nauki o komunikacji społecznej i mediach – forma, treść, kontekst

The regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 20 September 2018 on the fields of science and art, and scientific and artistic disciplines pursuant to Article 5 (3) of the Act of July 20, 2018 - The law on higher education and science has introduced a new classification of fields of sciences/art, and disciplines. Selected disciplines were 'consolidated', reducing their number from 102 to 42. In the paper, I am going to analyse the consequences of one of these ‘consolidations’, taking as an example the newly created discipline named Communication and Media Studies. Communication and Media Studies aggregated three previously independent disciplines, i. e. Library and Information Science, Media Studies and Cognition and Social Communication Studies. I will refer to the name of the discipline, its object/objects, purpose/purposes and methodology (content), and finally human resources and a position in relation to similar disciplines in world science (context).

MRI findings in chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the forearm: Using signal intensity ratio as a diagnostic tool.

BackgroundChronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) of the forearm is a rare but important cause of morbidity amongst athletes involved in strenuous upper limb activities. The diagnosis remains challenging due to the absence of objective, reproducible diagnostic studies.ObjectivesTo assess and quantify signal intensity (SI) changes of involved muscles in patients with CECS of the forearm compared to healthy control subjects competing in similar sporting disciplines. Also, to objectively measure MRI SIs within muscle compartments when using a pre- and post-exercise regime and calculating a signal intensity ratio (SIR) between post- and pre-exercise studies.MethodThe study retrospectively examined MRI scans of patients treated for CECS of the forearm and compared these to the MRI scans of asymptomatic high-level rowers. A specific, reproducible pre- and post-exercise MRI scanning protocol was utilised in both patient and control subjects between 2011 and 2020. Signal intensities were evaluated pre- and post-exercise in involved muscle groups and ratios were calculated.ResultsA total of 86 SIs were measured (43 pre- and 43 post-exercise) in nine study participants (five patients and four controls). After post:pre-exercise comparisons, a statistically significant difference was found between control and patient groups (p = 0.0010). The extensor carpi radialis, flexor digitorum profundus and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles were most commonly involved.ConclusionThis study confirms that significant SI changes are apparent in patients with CECS of the forearm when making use of a standardised pre- and post-exercise MRI protocol. Furthermore, SIR may be used to accurately diagnose CECS of the forearm.

Tracing changes in teachers' professional learning network on Twitter: Comparison of teachers' social network structure and content of interaction before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has affected teaching and professional learning activities. Teachers may have to rely on online spaces, such as Twitter, to interact with their professional learning networks and get enough support.ObjectivesThis study aims to investigate the structure and the content of teachers’ network interactions on Twitter both before and during the COVID19 pandemic.MethodsData were analysed for 103 teachers using multiple methods, including social network analysis (SNA) and content and thematic analysis.Results and ConclusionsContent analysis revealed that teachers’ cognitive and affective posts increased significantly during COVID‐19. Thematic analysis showed that, during COVID‐19, teachers’ post sfocused on issues around digital transformation. SNA showed that the sizes of teachers’ networks and in/out‐ties grew during COVID‐19. Although the study finds that teachers interacted with individuals both within and outside their discipline and their country, most teachers’ interactions were with teachers from similar disciplines and same country. Teachers used Twitter to share information and support each other.ImplicationsThis study provides recommendations for stimulating professional interactions among teachers. This work shows the potential of SNA and content analysis to analyse teachers’ professional learning networks.