Skills Module Research Articles

The Oral Communication Skill Module: Investigating the Outcomes on Malaysian Employees’ Confidence in Terms of Fluency

English is widely used in the working environment globally. In Malaysia, many employers have English courses which relate to their job requirements. This is to help employees to become more competent, fluent, and confident in communicating in English while working. Besides academic qualifications, employers pay great attention to employees’ English communication skills. This paper explores to what extent the Oral Communication Skill (OCS) Module for a training program can help improve Malaysian working adults’ confidence levels in terms of fluency. It proposes that the activities in the OCS module are needed so that employees can speak fluently and, as a result, build their level of confidence. Three working adults were selected to use the module for 12 weeks. Their performances, interview responses, and reflective journal entries were recorded and analysed. The findings reported a growth in the participants’ confidence as a result of increased fluency, the awareness of the need to reflect on their speaking performances and to have appropriate English preparation as a key element before delivering oral presentations.

Integration of memory systems supporting non-symbolic representations in an architecture for lifelong development of artificial agents

Compared to autonomous agent learning, lifelong agent learning tackles the additional challenge of accumulating skills in a way favourable to long term development. What an agent learns at a given moment can be an element for the future creation of behaviours of greater complexity, whose purpose cannot be anticipated.Beyond its initial low-level sensorimotor development phase, the agent is expected to acquire, in the same manner as skills, values and goals which support the development of complex behaviours beyond the reactive level. To do so, it must have a way to represent and memorize such information.In this article, we identify the properties suitable for a representation system supporting the lifelong development of agents through a review of a wide range of memory systems and related literature. Following this analysis, our second contribution is the proposition and implementation of such a representation system in MIND, a modular architecture for lifelong development. The new variable module acts as a simple memory system which is strongly integrated to the hierarchies of skill modules of MIND, and allows for the progressive structuration of behaviour around persistent non-symbolic representations. Variable modules have many applications for the development and structuration of complex behaviours, but also offer designers and operators explicit models of values and goals facilitating human interaction, control and explainability.We show through experiments two possible uses of variable modules. In the first experiment, skills exchange information by using a variable representing the concept of “target”, which allows the generalization of navigation behaviours. In the second experiment, we show how a non-symbolic representation can be learned and memorized to develop beyond simple reactive behaviour, and keep track of the steps of a process whose state cannot be inferred by observing the environment.

Membangun Masyarakat Bijak Bermedia Sosial di Era Digital pada SDN Pejambon, Warungasem, Batang

Poorly managed social media can lead to the dissemination of inaccurate information, as well as radicalization and social conflict. Therefore, an appropriate intervention is needed to build a society that is wise in using social media, especially among students of SDN Pejambon, Warungasem, Batang. The purpose of this program is to improve media literacy and develop religious moderation skills in the use of social media among students. The method used is Participatory Action Research (PAR), which involves the community actively in every stage of the activity. Based on the results of problem formulation, a Community Service (PKM) strategy was developed to overcome these challenges. The program succeeded in increasing media literacy and awareness of religious moderation among students. The implication is that this program can be a model for other schools in building a social media-wise society in the digital era.

Developing commercial awareness and digital video interview skills in second-year life sciences students

Employers are increasingly using video interviews in the application process, highlighting the need for graduates to adapt to digital technologies. To ensure graduates are adequately prepared, a Year 2 skills module was redeveloped, replacing face-to-face interviews with asynchronous video interviews using ShortlistMe. Aligning the assessment to a careers event allowed students to engage with employers and develop commercial awareness. Out of 430 students, 395 completed the video interview, and 329 connected with employers during the careers event (a 63% increase compared to the previous year). A survey explored student perceptions of the video interview (n= 39). Student confidence in completing a video interview increased by 44.6%, and in demonstrating commercial awareness by 30%. This model effectively connected employers with the curriculum at scale, fostering digital fluency, commercial awareness, and enhancing employability skills. This adaptable approach could benefit any discipline, equipping students for success in a dynamic job market. This article was published open access under a CC BY-NC-ND licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .

Research on the Generation of Professional Skill Modules for Talent Cultivation in the Landscape Architecture Profession for Industry-Education Integration of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Due to industry characteristics or regional limitations, many students in certain majors tend to seek employment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs face certain challenges in implementing industry-education integration, and there is a lack of mature methods in specific implementation processes and talent cultivation plan generation. Taking the landscape architecture profession as an example, this paper conducts a correlation analysis and cross-analysis of the industry-required professional skills based on surveys of over 300 industry practitioners employed in SMEs. It provides professional skill cultivation modules based on market feedback. This research process and analysis method have certain reference significance for the rapid production of adaptive talent cultivation professional skill modules in other industries targeting SMEs.

An Innovative Assessment for a Research Methods Module: Assessing Master’s Students Analytical Skills Beyond a Traditional Dissertation

Research methods education is significant for enabling postgraduate students to demonstrate a mastery of knowledge and skills required to achieve their degree (QAA, 2020). Yet there is a lack of research on how students are assessed in research methods apart from a ‘final project’ (Earley, 2014). This presents a gap in pedagogical scholarship in engineering education on the assessment of student’s analytical skills to conduct research. To address this gap, the paper investigates the research question: “How to assess engineering master’s student’s analytical skills for research?” The authors present a case study of reflective practice in which an innovative analytical skills assessment was designed for 955 full-time postgraduate students enrolled on a transferrable skills module offered to 6 master’s courses. The paper presents challenges in designing a constructively aligned assessment for a diverse group of students with varying research interests and disciplines. Based on the authors’ reflections, recommendations are provided on the design of innovative assessment of analytical skills for a large class of engineering and business students as well as a call to develop a culture of engineering education scholarship on research methods education.

Comparative Evaluation of a Leadership Skills Module among Male and Female Junior MBBS Students in a West Bengal Medical College

Background: A competent Indian medical graduate must fulfill five roles: clinician, leader and member of the health-care team, communicator, lifelong learner, and professional. Leadership and management skills are essential for physicians to take responsibility as team leaders. Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a leadership skills module among male and female junior MBBS students in a medical college in West Bengal. Methodology and Participants: This observational cross-sectional study included male and female junior MBBS students, following institutional ethical clearance and informed consent. Students were divided into eight groups, provided with recorded YouTube videos, and participated in live interactive sessions and a fishbowl game to demonstrate leadership skills. Three online questionnaires assessed leadership skills, personality types, and leadership styles. Feedback was collected from students. Data were analyzed and compared between male and female students. Results: Out of 257 students who completed all tasks, personality types were assessed: ENFJ was the most common among males (25%), while ESTP and INFP were the least common (0.65% each). Among females, INFJ and INTJ were the most common (19.23% each), and ESTJ and ESFJ were the least common (0.96% each). Leadership scores (mean ± standard deviation) for males: authoritative 7 ± 2.30, democratic 9 ± 2.06, facilitative 9 ± 1.94, situational 9 ± 1.93, and leadership skills 65.05 ± 15.33. For females: authoritative 7 ± 2.21, democratic 9 ± 1.77, facilitative 9 ± 1.31, situational 9 ± 1.65, and leadership skills 64.15 ± 14.87. No significant differences were found between male and female students in these scores. Conclusion: Workshops on leadership skills improved student motivation and made learning enjoyable. Students were satisfied with the leadership skills taught, and the study increased awareness about leadership skills among students.

Evaluation of ImpENSAtechnology-enabled behaviour change module delivered to healthcare professionals in South Africa to improve micronutrient nutrition during the first 1000 days.

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have vital roles in providing evidence-based care to promote healthy micronutrient nutrition in early life. Providing such care requires scalable training to strengthen knowledge and confident application of effective behaviour change skills. Among 33 public and private HCPs (primarily dietitians) in South Africa, we evaluated the behaviour change aspects of a technology-enabled National Qualification Sub-Framework level 6 programme, Improving Early Nutrition and Health in South Africa ('ImpENSA').This programme comprises two self-directed micronutrient and behaviour change knowledge-based eLearning and one facilitated online practical skills modules to improve maternal and infant micronutrient nutrition. Using assessments, questionnaires and interviews, we collected data at baseline, after module completion and at 3-month follow-up after programme completion. Questionnaire and interview data showed major improvements in understanding of and attitudes towards person-centred behaviour change support immediately following the eLearning module on behaviour change. The assessment pass rate increased from 38% at baseline to 88% postmodule, demonstrating significant knowledge gain in behaviour change support. Intention to change practice towards a person-centred approach was high and many had already started implementing changes. Threemonths postprogramme, support was centred around patients'needs. Open relationships with patients, improved patient outcomes and increased job satisfaction were among reported outcomes. Many reported becoming better change facilitators and reflective practitioners. Additional improvements in understanding and attitudes to behaviour change support were evident, reinforced by making changes and experiencing positive outcomes. The findings suggest that technology-enabled learning can equip HCPs with knowledge and skills to effectively support behaviour change for healthy micronutrient nutrition during pregnancy and infancy.

EMPLOYABILITY SKILL "POSITIVE SELF CONCEPT" MODULE DEVELOPMENT FOR FINAL-YEAR STUDENTS AT FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION UNIVERSITAS LAMPUNG

Employability skills are really needed in facing the competitive world of work. However, there are no communicative modules available yet to improve students' employability skills. This shows the need for efforts to develop modules that can improve students' employability skills; focusing on positive self-concept that can be used independently. The aim of this research is to develop a module to improve the employability skills of "positive self-concept" in final year students. The method used is ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation). Research data was obtained from a team of employability and media experts; and 15 students in semesters 6-8 who were selected using purposive sampling technique. The data collection technique is using a questionnaire to determine the ADDIE validation of the module. The results of expert validation research for module material show an overall average = 0.73. In the assessment from media experts, the overall average value = 0.87. The results of the student validation assessment reached an average score = 73.75. Based on these results, it can be concluded that this positive self-concept employability skills module can be a communicative learning tool to increase student work readiness.

A Spiral Module of Professionalism, Ethics, Research & Leadership Skills for Undergraduate Medical Education; The philosophy and structure.

<p>The current medical education curricula are designed to address the competencies that result in the graduation of a holistic healthcare professionals. The global competency frameworks have highlighted the outcomes of future doctors that not only incorporate necessary medical knowledge and procedural skills but also equip the graduates with human skills of professionalism, ethics, leadership, lifelong learners, critical thinkers and problem solvers. This has led to the incorporation of these domains in the training curricula of undergraduate medical education in Pakistani universities as well. The focus of this paper is to highlight the structure of a Professionalism, Ethics, Research and Leadership skills (PERLs) module that can be implemented in health professions education to be able to graduate a humanistic doctor who can provide holistic care to the community.</p>

MODUL KEMAHIRAN BERFIKIR ALGEBRA UNTUK PELAJAR TINGKATAN SATU

Algebraic Thinking Skills (KBA) is one aspect of skills that students need to master in order to solve non-routine problems. These skills are also needed as a basis for preparing students to enter university studies and job fields that require logical and analytical thinking. However, the performance of Malaysian students in solving algebraic problems has not yet reached a satisfactory level according to the TIMSS 2019 and PISA 2018 reports. Thus, the Algebraic Thinking Skills Module (MBA) was developed to foster KBA through three constructs namely i) arithmetic generalization, ii) functions, and iii) modeling. MBA is developed based on heuristic methods through Polya absorption Model and digital bar. A bar model is a rectangular illustration constructed to represent known and unknown quantities and relationships between quantities. The digital bar model refers to the free application of the bar model at the link https://mathsbot.com/manipulatives/bar. The KBA test was constructed and administered as a pre- and post-test to 120 Form One students from a rural school in Sabah. The results of the paired sample t-test showed that there was a significant difference in the mean score between the pre-test and the post-test (t(119) = -17.553, p < .05) after the intervention using MBA. This shows that MBA can improve KBA through heuristic methods. This innovation is expected to be developed in rural schools to form students who think algebraically and are literate in digital technology.

Instructional Design of Classroom Instructional Skills Based on the ADDIE Model

Abstract: With the rapid societal changes, the diversity of educational design approaches has increased. Educational professionals are now confronted with new challenges in training pre-service music teachers. They are required not only to employ emerging technologies for knowledge transfer but also to focus on cultivating teaching abilities to better meet the demands of prospective employers. This study utilizes the five phases of the ADDIE model (Analysis、Design、Develop、Implement、Evaluate) to design and develop a classroom teaching skills module aimed at enhancing the teaching abilities of pre-service music teachers. The application of the ADDIE instructional model in designing and developing modules for teaching pre-service music teachers is explored. The research findings indicate that the classroom teaching skills module has significantly improved the teaching abilities of pre-service music teachers. This study aims to reveal pathways for instructional reform in pre-service music teacher education, aligning it more effectively with societal needs and expectations.

The Effect of Non-Verbal Communication on the Effectiveness of Classroom Teaching: The Case of BTCA Students at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha

The study on the effect of non-verbal communication on the effectiveness of classroom teaching was conducted at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha main campus. The study used a sample of 100 respondents who were selected randomly from BTCA students in the communication skills module at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha. The study used an explanatory sequential design that allowed the combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques in two phases, Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires, while qualitative data were collected through interviews. Validity and reliability were tested by using Cronbach alpha and content validity index respectively. These tests yielded 0.79 and 0.85 respectively indicating that the tools and their findings were reliable and valid. Data analysis was done by using simple linear regression and content analysis for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The study found that there is a significant moderate positive relationship between the use of non-verbal communication on the effectiveness of classroom teaching. This study has found that effective use of non-verbal communication in classroom teaching leads to effective classroom teaching. Furthermore, the study has found that some students are not aware of the use of non-verbal communication signs. Also, it was found that some teachers use irrelevant non-verbal communication. The current study recommends that teachers should use non-verbal communication effectively but students must be trained on the usefulness of non-verbal communication in learning. Furthermore, there is a need for teachers to use relevant non-verbal communication signs in teaching as respondents said that there are signs that are considered to be non-verbal communication but when teachers use them students never understand them.

New automation solution for brownfield production – Cognitive robots for the emulation of operator capabilities

Short-term automation solutions for industrial companies have potential to compensate for volatile demand, employee turnover or shortages. Current solutions are either not available at short notice or economically unviable, as integration in existing control systems and machine tools would be necessary. The paper proposes a cognitive robotic system that circumvents this problem by emulating the behaviour of operators through automated, cognitive skills. The approach uses a perception system, handling and skill modules and a skill-based control to automate in an industrial brownfield use case without additional interfaces to the existing control systems to reduce integration effort to a minimum.

Development of a Module Based on the Sas Method to Improve Reading and Writing Skills in Class II SDN 054905 Paya Redas

This research method uses the research and development method. This research aims to develop student learning modules that are suitable for student learning in lower grades, and improve the quality of teacher teaching in learning. The research was carried out at SDN 054905 Paya Redas with research subject II. The results of the research that has been carried out show that there are several students who have difficulty reading, there are still students who cannot distinguish letters and have not memorized the letters of the alphabet. One method that can motivate students to improve their learning is by using the SAS ( Synthetic Structural Analytical ) Method. Data collection techniques use documentation and questionnaires, while data analysis techniques use percentages . The result of the development stage is to produce a reading module product. Thus, it can be concluded that the development of reading skills modules is based on Synthetic Structural Analytical (SAS) is included in the very valid or very feasible category. Thus, it can be concluded that the feasibility of the beginning reading and writing module based on Synthetic Analytical Structural (SAS) in class II elementary school learning is included in the very feasible category.

The Validity and Reliability of Social and Psychological Skills (SP-Skills) Module

The Validity and Reliability of Social and Psychological Skills (SP-Skills) Module

Blended Learning in the Digital Skills Module: Insights from Students’ Perceptions

Blended learning is emerging as a significant pedagogical innovation in higher education, integrating traditional and distance learning methods. There is limited research focusing on students’ perception of blended learning mode in the context of Moroccan universities. Therefore, this article aims to investigate the perceptions of undergraduate students majoring in physics at Ibn Tofail University regarding the digital skills module that integrates blended learning mode. To achieve this objective, we randomly selected a sample of 265 students from the target population to conduct a quantitative research using a questionnaire consisting of ten questions employing a 5-point Likert scale. The median scores of all questions ranged between 3.36 and 3.95. The obtained scores suggest that the surveyed students hold a positive perception of blended learning-based digital skills module instruction. Furthermore, the results of this article show that students’ perception of the pedagogical resources and the pedagogical activities offered in the context of the digital skills module positively correlate with their overall satisfaction with the learning experience. The study’s originality stems from its role in bridging the literature gap by providing new insights into students’ perceptions of blended learning in the context of higher education in Morocco.

Pembangunan Modul Kemahiran Asas Bacaan Al-Quran (Meta-SIQRA’)

English:This study is set to introduce the development of basic al-Qur'an reading skills module (Meta-SIQRA') with ADDIE instructional model, improved with the SAVI (Somatic, Auditory, Visual & Intellect) modeul along with meta-cognitive strategies. The purpose of the Meta-SIQRA' is to improve the performance of al-Qur'an basic reading skills among children. Meanwhile, the instructional design, ADDIE, is the guiding model for design and development of the Meta-SIQRA' modules. ADDIE is a systematic module that is able to guide modules' development and maintenance for achieving the desired objectives. The ADDIE model consists of the following; Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. This is a repetitive model that connects one phase to another, whereby the output of a phase will serve as the input of another phase. This leads to a quantitative approacj to design, develop, and evaluate the Meta-SIQRA' modules. Data collection is carried out using Delphi 2 with structured survey modified based on previous works involving 6 field experts. Data is analyzed descriptively with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 12.0. Findings showed that the Meta-SIQRA' modules have high validation and are ready to evaluate al-Qur'an basic reading skills among children.

The Psychotherapy Practice of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group Skills Training in Indonesia: An Indonesian Language Module Development

Introduction: There is an increasing number of suicides in Indonesia. A high risk of suicide is often associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). To address this issue, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has been specifically designed for patients with frequent suicidal behavior and BPD. This study aims to develop DBT skills modules in Indonesian language for groups therapy and implement in clinical practice.Methods: This research was conducted in three stages. Stage 1 involved preparing the DBT skills module for 13 weeks, including the adding of TIPP (Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced Breathing, Paired Muscle Relaxation) distress tolerance skills and chain analysis. Stage 2 focused on module validation using face validity and content validity assessment conducted by two psychotherapy consultants. Stage 3 involved modules trials, both of whom had completed DBT training, practicing the prepared modules with two groups of 10 patients.Result: The face validity scores from the two experts for the DBT module on BPD in Indonesian was 3.188, indicating a high level of correctness. The content validity results from the two experts for the DBT module on BPD in Indonesian language were 84.06, indicating that almost everything was done correctly. After practicing DBT group skills training, two psychotherapists achieved a very good interrater score of 0.969 (p=0.003; 95% CI 0.746-0.997).Conclusion: Based on the face validity and content validity scores by the two experts, it was concluded that the DBT module for BPD in Indonesian language is suitable for use in clinical services.

Propelling negotiation skills modules in construction engineering programs: Reflections and supporting tools for educators towards an enhanced effective training

This paper aims to provide a detailed account of our experience in implementing a negotiation module in an optional course of Management Skills in the Master's Degree in Structural & Construction Engineering program at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and critically evaluate its effectiveness and impact on students' personal and professional development by triangulating experiences, surveys, and interviews. Based on an analysis of university curricula, the research explores effective teaching strategies, including Role-Play Simulation and Multi-Disciplinary Case Studies, which were highly valued by students. Video Recording and Playback, Peer Feedback, and Facilitator-led Discussions emerged as the most effective evaluation methods.