Student Assignments Research Articles

Gauging growth in undergraduate information literacy: A case study in library-faculty collaboration

How do academic librarians and teaching faculty assess the impact we exert on students' capabilities as researchers? This paper describes the authors' unique six-week approach to incorporating library instruction into a research assignment for students in introductory Teacher Education and American Politics classes. We constructed a pre- and post- instruction survey that measured change in students' attitudes toward 1) their own level of information literacy, 2) their skills as researchers, and 3) the usefulness of the library's resources. The survey consisted of statements regarding students' attitudes toward the aforementioned categories, measuring agreement on a 6-point scale. We conducted this survey over three consecutive semesters (N = 208). We find that students began the project with high degrees of confidence in their own knowledge and abilities, but also increased their confidence in all categories. Moreover, the change between the pre- and post-project survey was statistically significant on all questions, as assessed by a difference of means test.

Let’s chat! Integrating ChatGPT in medical student assignments to enhance critical analysis

What is the educational challenge?: Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are overtaking the progress in teaching and assessment. Traditional assignments, such as written reports and posters, have become obsolete as these can be created almost entirely using AI tools. As educators, it is imperative that we devise out-of-the-box assignments to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding, ability to synthesize and think critically, while promoting the ethical and innovative use of AI. What are the proposed solutions?: In place of a traditional literature review essay, our junior medical students were given a structured assignment that required the use of ChatGPT to write a report, a critical analysis of the output, and the creation of a final report using their own research combined with the AI output. How was the solution implemented?: Students were provided with clear guidelines in writing and in the form of an in-person presentation, in addition to guidance during the process of the assignment. What lessons were learned that are relevant to a wider audience?: Using ChatGPT as part of constructing an essay and critically analyzing its output was a beneficial experience for the students, allowing them to recognize the utility and limitations of the widely available version of the AI platform. It also provided them with a sense of openness to new technologies that will support their academic journey. This structure could be generalized for use in a wider scope, to promote the effective and ethical use of AI. What are the next steps?: Implementation of such strategies to develop various types of assessments involving student coursework is at the center of revamping our medical school’s assessments. This successful endeavor represents the spark of innovation at our school which is constantly evolving to address the ever-changing needs of our medical programs.

The spillover of violence: The gendered relationship between parental physical violence and peers’ bullying victimization

Child welfare and protection are of importance in low- and middle-income countries, yet parental physical violence (PPV) towards children is still widespread in Vietnam. Despite existing research on the adverse consequences of PPV, there is a lack of evidence from developing countries, particularly regarding its peer effects. This study investigated the association between class-level exposure to PPV and an individual student’s risk of bullying victimization. Potential gender differences in the association were also examined. This study utilized nationally representative data from the Young Lives: School Survey, Vietnam, 2011–2012 (YLSSV 2011–2012) (N = 2,508). This study leveraged quasi-exogenous variation arising from the random assignment of students to classes by employing school fixed effects models. The results of this study showed a significant positive association between a higher proportion of classmates exposed to PPV and an individual student’s risk of bullying victimization. This association remained significant even after adjusting for individual-level exposure to PPV and a variety of individual- and class-level covariates. Gender-stratified analyses revealed that PPV among male peers (but not female peers) is significantly associated with bullying victimization risk for both boys and girls. The findings of this study highlight that the negative impacts of violent parenting practices extend beyond the directly affected children, influencing their peers as well. This emphasizes the importance of protecting students from physical violence in the home environment.

Community-Engaged Learning: Centering Public Health in Undergraduate Education by Examining Food Insecurity in the Tampa Bay Area

Community-engaged learning (CEL) is a “hands-on” approach to introducing undergraduate students to public health methods and theory in local contexts. CEL bridges academic theory and real-world practice by civic development and learning while addressing real-world problems, community needs, and interests. By applying public health theory and methods, students examined food insecurity and inequity in the Tampa Bay area by working in a community food garden and food distribution center to examine the social, economic, and environmental conditions that influence food insecurity. There were several learning outcomes for the students’ CEL experience, such as increasing the understanding of social issues through participation in the community, understanding the importance of offering culturally appropriate food, and examining how food insecurity is perpetuated by structural, social, and racial barriers within their community. This paper will discuss the process of creating community partnerships for CEL, student assignments, students feedback and reflection about their CEL experiences, and future recommendations for integrating CEL into undergraduate courses.

A Simple but Powerful Way to Enhance Critical Thinking Skills among Undergraduate Social Work Students in Online Class

As online education grows rapidly in social work, there are growing concerns about teaching critical-thinking skills in online environments. This retrospective case study shares experience of an online course that employed a strength-based instructional method to enhance critical-thinking skills among undergraduate social-work students. Twenty-two student assignments were reviewed from an online Human Behaviour and Social Environment course offered to undergraduate social-work students. Three approaches were adopted to learn the impact of instructional practices on critical-thinking skills: 1) students’ course evaluations; 2) the number of words written in students’ responses to written assignments; 3) the quality of students’ prompts. The study found that using a strength-based approach and providing individualised feedback were effective in enhancing critical-thinking skills in online courses. Limitations and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Transformasi Digital: Pemanfaatan Learning Management System dalam Pembelajaran Literasi Al-Qur’an

This research aims to analyze the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) to increase the effectiveness of Al-Qur'an literacy learning and analyze the role of technology in facilitating students' active participation in Al-Qur'an learning. The research method used is descriptive qualitative research using the library research method. The data collection technique is by examining theories from various book literature, journals, and research related to LMS and Al-Qur'an literacy that have been carried out. The sources were taken from books entitled Development of LMS SiCeria (Indonesian Smart Students) and AL-Qur'an Literacy: Tahsin-Tilawah Learning Model Based on Talqin Taqlid. The analysis technique goes through four stages, namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and the final step drawing conclusions and verification. The results prove that the LMS for learning Al-Qur'an literacy is one of the innovations in learning Al-Qur'an which is quite effective in the current digital era. By utilizing the LMS feature which can be used to store and create material to be taught, collect student assignments, and share links to teaching media such as videos, teachers can also assess their students' assignments and access them online. The use of LMS in learning Al-Qur'an literacy is very dependent on teacher innovation and student enthusiasm. The results theoretically and practically contribute to teachers and lecturers increasing their innovation in presenting Al-Qur'an literacy learning through LMS. Apart from preparing infrastructure, increasing human resources by providing training for teachers to integrate this LMS in the Al-Qur'an literacy learning process must also be prioritized.

Using an interactive simulation tool of national energy and climate policy planning to explore environmental policy options from the perspectives of different interest groups

AbstractTo reach the Paris Agreement goals, European governments have defined national contributions to the EU binding climate goals and have developed national climate and energy plans for 2021–2030 (NECPs). NECPs are detailed strategies in which governments can flexibly emphasize specific sectors, technologies and national energy policy choices. Every country has built its own energy modelling capacity for forecasting purposes. In most countries, this national modelling relies on optimization tools such as Markal or TIMES. For Latvia's energy sector, a system dynamics (SD) model was built to complement the TIMES model. The SD model deals with an integrated energy system, including the primary energy supply and transformation sector; energy distribution and storage system; and energy demand sectors (residential, tertiary, public, industry and transportation). Sectoral policies are presented in the Stella Architect interface. This study demonstrates how the interactive simulation tool was used in the Environmental Engineering Master level course ‘Environmental Policy and Economics’ as an experiential learning approach. The student assignment involved applying this tool to develop and analyse the energy transition policy package for one of four ideological interest groups: deep greens, bright greens, light greens and greys. Students had to assume a role and adopt its perspective by applying their border‐crossing competence and reflecting on selected policy mixes for that ideology. Various transition pathways, based on different ideologies, illustrate the possibilities for application. Results show that students were successful in fulfilling the assignment.

Utilizing Game-Based Learning in Literature Searching Instruction for Pharmacy Students

ObjectiveTo determine whether gamifying librarian-led literature searching instruction improved student performance on an authentic literature searching assessment. Secondary objectives included determination of effect on email requests for assistance and student confidence in literature searching abilities. MethodsLiterature searching in PubMed is taught by a librarian to first-year pharmacy students in a drug information course over a 2-week period. The librarian chose to implement 2 game-based learning activities in the live lecture sessions: a crossword puzzle and an escape room. To increase engagement, students were encouraged to work collaboratively as a team during class. To evaluate the impact of incorporating gamification into literature searching instruction, the authors evaluated student grades on a literature searching assignment, reviewed the number of emails received asking for assistance, and evaluated student confidence in literature searching. ResultsStudents scored higher on their literature searching assignment after the implementation of game-based instruction. The average grade on this assignment in 2022 was 90.1% compared with 2021 when the average was 79.9%. The average of 90.6% in 2023 also showed statistically significant improvement compared with 2021. Email requests decreased and student confidence increased when comparing 2021 outcomes with those in 2022 and 2023. ConclusionOverall, the gamification of literature searching instruction in this course appears to have increased student assignment scores and was well-received by the students.

Research on the Design of Performance Evaluation System for Physical Education Major Based on Multimedia Information Processing Technology

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform, despite its reach and potential, faces significant challenges related to learner diversity, including variations in student backgrounds, work experiences, and learning environments. By integrating the principles of ant colony clustering algorithms with MOOC platform dynamics, our study devises a strategy for grouping students based on shared characteristics, thereby fostering a tailored learning environment. A streamlined MOOC platform design framework is outlined, accompanied by a detailed blueprint for a peer-evaluation information system, aimed at accurately gauging students' academic progress within their disciplines. This platform enables students to effortlessly access and engage with courses aligned with their interests, while the reciprocal assessment mechanism heightens understanding of course materials and alleviates pressure on educators. Our research contributes a pragmatic solution to the challenge of student assignment clustering within MOOCs, enhancing both individual learning outcomes and the broader instructional quality.

ENGLISH NOUNS AND VERBS MORPHOLOGICAL INFLECTION MISTAKES AMONG UNIBA’S TOEFL PREPARATION STUDENTS’ ASSIGNMENTS

This research attempts to find and describe the types and factors of English nouns and verbs morphological inflection from the student's assignments. This research can also be seen as one form of language development research since it also discusses the factors of the mistakes that the students commit in the making of the assignment. The assignment was to write a paragraph about anything in English then the outcome was analyzed to find the morphological inflection mistakes and classify the data based on the criteria. This research applies descriptive qualitative design and uses observation for the data collecting technique and later uses document analysis. The techniques in this research are Spradley's domain, taxonomy, and componential analysis. This research finds 16 data of inflectional mistakes that fulfill the three categories of the factors while the discussion shows that the factor following each type is dominated by unfamiliarity with inflectional rules whereas the dominant type of inflectional mistake is omission. The conclusion shows that the most common mistakes happen in nouns by the supports from Tomasello's Usage-based theory (2009). Finally, the students mostly fail on noun inflection because they are unfamiliar with the inflectional rules of nouns.

Enhancing the community of inquiry in online courses: Making the case for blogs

The purpose of this article is to advocate for blogs as a method of building social presence, to present options for administering blog assignments, to provide feedback from students who completed blog assignments, and to contrast the practice of teaching with blogs to teaching with the frequently utilized discussion boards. Blogs create community, encourage dialogue, and inspire metacognitive processes leading to an authentic learning experience. Blogs can be effective and efficient tools for activities such as class bios/introductions, case studies, class reflections, or student assignment feedback, whereas discussion boards can be more effective in instances that necessitate genuine two-way dialogue such as asking for instructor assistance. Additionally, guidance for obtaining student satisfaction with using blogs in class is presented.

CLASSPOINT APPLICATION AS A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

The transformation to a digital platform allows the utilization of interactive tools that can create fun learning and motivate students to follow the learning process. Another tool is needed to support the learning process in understanding the material. This study aims to create learning that can motivate students through the ClassPoint application. This research is quantitative descriptive research with the research subjects of 31 first-semester students of the Informatics Engineering study program in one of the universities in East Java. The instruments used in this research are activeness set in ClassPoint, assessment results from student assignments, and response questionnaires. The data analysis technique was carried out by classifying student activeness according to the criteria, while the task results were analyzed based on the scores obtained by students. The data analysis results indicate that students are highly engaged in mathematics learning through the ClassPoint application because 74% were active and 26% were very active. It effectively helps them master mathematics materials since 90,3% of students got 80 or above as their assignment score. Students’ responses to mathematics learning are positive.

Conversational Artificial Intelligence: A Catalyst for Rethinking Assessment in Higher Education

Conversational Artificial Intelligence has disrupted higher education by fundamentally altering its landscape. Fuelled by natural language processing and machine learning this technology has gained widespread adoption particularly since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. As universities embrace digital transformation, assessment practices must evolve to align with the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence-driven chatbots and virtual assistants. This paper explores how conversational artificial intelligence impacts higher education, in particular, student assessment. A fundamental shift in assessment and evaluation of student competencies is necessary to not only consider knowledge retention but also critical thinking, communication, and adaptability skills. A review of the literature was conducted to understand how assignments should change due to the emergence of this disruptive technology. Conversational Artificial Intelligence and its application within the higher education context is uncertain, with disparate practices—in terms of ethical consideration and understanding—across the sector. A case study was conducted in which MSc Management students undertaking a specific module were tasked to use three Artificial Intelligence tools in their report writing of a business, to verify the sources and content provided by the Artificial Intelligence tool, and to critically evaluate the process as well as the output received for each prompt. The paper proposes a collaborative approach to navigate the ethical implementation and utilization of conversational Artificial Intelligence in higher education, advocating for the co-creation of guidelines through forums like Knowledge Cafés, stressing the need to rethink student assignments and its assessment and the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies by students for assignments.

Developing Self-Regulated Learners in Nursing.

Students who enter nursing programs without adequate study skills may be shocked when they fail their first nursing examination or assignment. If they continue to struggle, they may fail to progress to graduation or may perform poorly on their licensure examinations. Assignments based on self-regulated learning theory can help students develop control over their learning environment, establish effective study strategies, set goals, and prevent procrastination. Two assignments for students studying for a baccalaureate of science in nursing are presented as examples of activities that promote self-regulated behaviors: (1) Research Literature Search Assignment Strategies worksheet and (2) student-led examination reviews to prepare for an examination. Students' reactions to assignments are described. Integration of the principles of self-regulated learning can add value to active learning. Faculty with an understanding of self-regulated learning theory are better able to recognize student deficiencies and design assignments to help students succeed. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.].

Penggunaan Teknologi dan Pembelajaran Digital di MA Pembangunan Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

The use of technology is not unfamiliar when applied in schools. The existence of this technology shifts conventional learning media into digital learning. The purpose of this research is to find out the technology used by MA development as a digital tool. This research is expected to provide information that in this digital era educational institutions also participate in utilizing technology as an alternative to learning, one example is MA Pembanngunan Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. The research method used is direct observation and interviews at MA Pembangunan Jakarta. The results and discussion are that MA Pembangunan Jakrta has implemented technology as a learning medium, by replacing notebooks and blackboards with tab and laptop technology. As well as using e-book learning modules. Using certain applications such as Canva to design modules and student assignments. The conclusion of this research is that MA Pembanguan Jakarta has successfully used technology in education and digital learning well, as evidenced by various achievements, for example in creative design competitions.

The impacts of peer assessment on critical thinking competence: An epistemic network analysis

Critical thinking competence has recently become a popular topic in education research; however, it is insufficiently researched in tourism education. This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of peer assessment in developing critical thinking skills in a Chinese context. Peer assessment data were collected through group news presentations and individual assignments of college students studying tourism management. An epistemic network analysis was conducted to examine the role of peer assessment in students' critical thinking competence. The findings show that students’ critical thinking skills significantly improve as peer assessment activities are conducted, with higher-level critical thinking skills clearly emerging at a later stage of peer assessment activities.

Efficient neighborhood evaluation for the maximally diverse grouping problem

The Maximally Diverse Grouping Problem is one of the well-known combinatorial optimization problems with applications in the assignment of students to groups or courses. Due to its NP-hardness several (meta)heuristic solution approaches have been presented in the literature. Most of them include the insertion of an item of one group into another group and the swap of two items currently assigned to different groups as neighborhoods. The paper presents a new efficient implementation for both neighborhoods and compares it with the standard implementation, in which all inserts/swaps are evaluated, as well as the neighborhood decomposition approach. The results show that the newly presented approach is clearly superior for larger instances allowing for up to 160% more iterations in comparison to the standard implementation and up to 76% more iterations in comparison to the neighborhood decomposition approach. Moreover, the results can also be used for (meta)heuristic algorithms for other grouping or clustering problems.

Collaborating for co-researching: A multi-stakeholder case narrative of student nurses co-researching technology-supported care

AimEvaluate the impact of LS@H project participation on stakeholders. BackgroundAs populations age and workforces decline, care technology in nursing is becoming increasingly commonplace. Collaboration between nurse academia, education and practice can result in practice-based research and meaningful learning for nursing students and staff. However, little is known about the factors influencing effective collaboration. Based on the knowledge that narratives can be an effective vehicle for healthcare practice change, a Dutch school of nursing and its practice partners collaborated on the Living Longer and Safe at Home! (LS@H) project. This project aimed to explore a more person-centred approach to the use of technology in nursing care. Having gathered data from multiple sources to construct case narratives on the use of technology in older persons care, students nurses were able to contribute to practice development as their narratives were fed back to local and regional teams. DesignTo evaluate the impact of the LS@H project, we employed the same methodology used in the project: mixed data gathering methods to construct a case narrative. LS@H project students, supervisors, mentors and higher management shared their experiences and the research team constructed the case narrative. MethodsQualitative data were gathered via individual, duo and group interviews and supplemented with a survey among students. Transcription and thematic analysis followed, with multiple rounds of critical peer review before the thematic framework was agreed, survey results integrated and the case narrative constructed. ResultsAccording to stakeholder participants, the LS@H project led to an unfreezing of the status quo in both education and practice. The approach was new and guidelines with community support was needed to allay fears. The project design enabled a sense of shared ownership, across individuals and organisations for improving practice. Perspectives on the use of technology and older persons nursing were transformed. Critically dialoguing case narratives encouraged purposeful action to improve practice and fostered reflective practice among students and teams. ConclusionsCollaborative practice-based research can be a valuable learning experience for student nurses, positively influencing their view of nursing practice as well as enabling them to actively contribute to practice development. Adequate preparation, supervision and practice mentorship is vital, alongside practice (leader) commitment to ensure continued student assignments with subsequent critical dialogue of the multi-stakeholder case narratives produced. Registration numberAt point of submission put this on title page

AI and ethics: Investigating the first policy responses of higher education institutions to the challenge of generative AI

This article addresses the ethical challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in higher education and explores the first responses of universities to these challenges globally. Drawing on five key international documents from the UN, EU, and OECD, the study used content analysis to identify key ethical dimensions related to the use of generative AI in academia, such as accountability, human oversight, transparency, or inclusiveness. Empirical evidence was compiled from 30 leading universities ranked among the top 500 in the Shanghai Ranking list from May to July 2023, covering those institutions that already had publicly available responses to these dimensions in the form of policy documents or guidelines. The paper identifies the central ethical imperative that student assignments must reflect individual knowledge acquired during their education, with human individuals retaining moral and legal responsibility for AI-related wrongdoings. This top-down requirement aligns with a bottom-up approach, allowing instructors flexibility in determining how they utilize generative AI especially large language models in their own courses. Regarding human oversight, the typical response identified by the study involves a blend of preventive measures (e.g., course assessment modifications) and soft, dialogue-based sanctioning procedures. The challenge of transparency induced the good practice of clear communication of AI use in course syllabi in the first university responses examined by this study.

Transforming Teaching Practices Through Comprehensive Clinical Supervision in Secondary Schools

The teachers do not agree that the principal's supervision is more bureaucratic and autocratic, emphasizing hierarchy. The fact is that 44% of teachers do not like the supervision carried out in the classroom by either the principal or his deputy, and 58.8% of secondary school teachers disagree with teaching observations. This is urgent to research because there is a difference between theory and reality. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of clinical supervision on the teaching performance of teachers in secondary schools. Quantitative research method using a combination of teaching and learning observation instruments that have been adapted from all schools in assessing. The subjects were 38 secondary school teachers. Data collection techniques using observation instruments. The instrument was developed from indicators used as a tool to measure teacher performance. The instrument is given a score from point 1 to point 5. Analysis technique using SPSS Version 25.0 with measurements based on Learning Plans, induction tools, material delivery, questioning techniques, student involvement, reinforcement, training, and student assignments, checking training and student assignments, closing learning, and classroom management before and after clinical supervision. The results and findings of this research help teachers in schools to know the strengths and weaknesses when teaching is delivered in class. Clinical supervision also helps teachers improve the teaching and learning process more effectively so that teaching can improve student mastery. Clinical supervision can also be used as a guide for high school students to improve their knowledge.