Student Perceptions Of Learning Research Articles

A framework for using SET when evaluating faculty

ABSTRACT This paper presents a framework for utilizing Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) in faculty evaluations. Recognizing the ongoing debate about the validity of SET as a measure of teaching effectiveness, the authors agree with scholars who propose viewing SET as a tool for gauging ‘student perceptions of learning’. They present a method that combines post-estimation residuals from an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model, which accounts for key confounding factors, with simple mean SET scores. This approach provides a more nuanced perspective on each faculty member's individual ratings. The authors draw on SET data from courses taught by tenured faculty in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at a large, private university in the Northeastern United States. Their findings suggest that the proposed residual framework can help address some of the concerns associated with the use of SET in personnel decision-making. However, they caution that this approach requires careful explanation and should be used in conjunction with a comprehensive review of a professor's full teaching portfolio. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the use of SET in faculty evaluations, offering a more equitable and nuanced approach to interpreting SET data.

Study to assess perceptions of the Educational Environment among medical undergraduate students using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM)

Abstract Background: The educational environment can be described as the atmosphere perceived by the students and teachers. It affects the transfer/acquisition of knowledge and skills needed in training medical students. Assessing the Educational environment of medical schools is a current global trend and has even been suggested by the National Medical Commission. The DREEM tool is a widely accepted and globally validated instrument for assessing the educational environment in undergraduate medical institutions and has five subscales including perceptions of learning, perceptions of teachers, academic self-perceptions, perceptions of the environment and social self-perceptions. DREEM is a valid tool in referring to deficient areas in the learning process. Objective: To assess the student’s perception of the educational environment using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire among undergraduate medical students. Methodology: A Cross-sectional study was conducted at Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College, Nanded from January 2022 to December 2022 among 450 first to final-year MBBS students using the DREEM inventory scale. Results: The first-year students perceived the Educational environment most positively, with the highest global DREEM score of 120/200. The global scores of the 4th-year students were the lowest. The highest scores were recorded for the Student's perceptions of learning (SPL) domain (34.19/48, 71.23%), followed by student's academic self-perceptions (SASP) (22.21/32, 69.41%), student's perceptions of atmosphere (SPA) (32.25/48, 67.19%), student's perceptions of teachers (SPT) (30.48/44, 69.27%). Conclusion: The undergraduate medical student's perception of the educational environment is positive and there is scope for improvement and some general measures like improvement of student's accommodation, inclusion of stress relieving measures in the curriculum, encouragement of extra-curricular activities etc.

Two-Way Immersion Classrooms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Student Learning

The present study examined parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of student learning in Spanish–English Dual Language Education (DLE) programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants included 72 parents of students from kindergarten to second grade and eight teachers in two schools in the southeastern U.S. Parents retrospectively reported their perceptions of their children’s instruction and learning experiences in English and Spanish during the 2020–2021 school year. Teachers reported if their students had opportunities to practice oral bilingual skills and their perception of students’ improvement in English and Spanish skills. Parents reported that there were more opportunities to practice English than there were to practice Spanish. Teachers reported that remote instruction offered fewer opportunities than hybrid instruction did to practice oral language skills. Overall, the teachers agreed that students’ language skills in English and Spanish improved. Similarly, the parents agreed that students’ language skills improved; however, they reported that their English skills improved more than their Spanish skills did. Student and family background factors, such as language fluency and parental education, were negatively associated with barriers to remote access. Implications for future research and suggestions for supporting students attending DLE programs during remote instruction are offered.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Performance and Perceptions of Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected higher education, but when learning shifted to an online environment it provided an opportunity to gain insight into how classroom format influences student performance and preferences. Thus, our objective was to assess student performance across classroom types, along with student perceptions of learning, to better understand the learning environment at the height of COVID-19. We evaluated student performance by final grade in undergraduate animal genetics (ANEQ 328) and large animal physiology (ANEQ 305) courses across four semesters, from before the pandemic through the return to in-person learning. In addition, students received surveys with questions regarding their learning experience. Survey analysis showed a consistent influence of COVID-19 within the classroom, mostly due to secondary effects. Student performance increased (P < 0.05) or was maintained in the pandemic centered semesters compared to pre-pandemic scores. When in-person learning resumed, scores in the ANEQ 305 course were worse (P < 0.05) than any previous semester but scores in the ANEQ 328 course returned to pre-pandemic levels. Overall, this study indicated that student performance was not negatively affected by the online transition during COVID-19 in these two courses, but it did decrease student satisfaction with their learning.   

Practical nursing students' learning and assessment during work-based placement: A qualitative study.

To describe practical nursing students', mentors' and educators' perceptions of student learning and assessment of learning progress during work-based learning. A qualitative descriptive study. The research data were collected by interviewing eight practical nursing students, 12 mentors and eight educators (total n = 28) from three vocational institutions and four social- and health care organizations in Finland during November 2019-September 2020. The interviews were conducted as focus group interviews, after which the collected material was subjected to content analysis. The researchers had received appropriate research permits from the target organizations. Work-based learning depends on the student, who must be goal-oriented and responsible for their own learning. The mentor also plays a key role in the learning process as the supporter and enabler of a student's goal-oriented learning process. The educator is responsible for instructing both students and mentors, and supporting a student's goal-oriented learning process. The vocational institution also has a role in successful learning among practical nursing students as an enabler of students' individual learning process. The participants shared that the workplace is responsible for ensuring a secure learning environment.

A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) using Ocean Plastic Microbes as a Framework that Is Impactful for Both In-Person and Online Course Modalities

A course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) is described, both in its original, field-based and in-person design, as well as its adaptation to online delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CURE experience was centered around the topic of microbes attaching to ocean plastic debris, and included connecting nontraditional undergraduate students attending a primarily teaching institution to personnel of a research-intensive institution. The CURE was implemented in nonmajors and majors’ general biology laboratory courses, as well as in an introductory microbiology lab course for health majors. Student perception of the CURE was assessed quantitatively through self-administered retrospective surveys, and qualitatively using open-ended survey questions and focus group interviews. Survey questions were grouped into four themes: (1) research at the research institution, (2) research at the teaching institution, (3) laboratory skills, and (4) interest in science. To assess impact of the CURE by modality, major and course level, theme scores were analyzed using ANOVAs (α = 0.05). Changes in student perception of learning were measured by comparing the “before” and “after” survey scores in each theme. The main source of variation in the model was time, followed by theme and major, while modality had a negligible effect. Overall, there were increases in student perception of learning across all themes across modality, major, and course level; however, not all were statistically significant. Highest gains were observed among nonmajors, while those of the majors’ upper division courses were the lowest. On the other hand, majors’ overall scores were the highest. Health majors’ survey gains were mostly between those of nonmajors and majors. Qualitative data contextualized the quantitative results. The online adaptation was a valuable alternative, especially for nonmajors, as it expanded the range of students reached, with results similar to the in-person alternative. Preliminary data show a positive effect of the CURE in student success majoring in biology.

Perceptions of Learning and Engagement with Mobile Technology in a University Setting

Mobile technology has changed the landscape of post-secondary education. This descriptive study examined student and instructor perceptions of student learning and engagement while using mobile technology. Overall, student perceptions of learning and engagement were neutral; however, instructors reported higher positive perceptions on both constructs. Positive aspects of mobile technology included themes of interactivity, convenience, note taking, and collaboration, whereas negative aspects included distraction, technology compatibility, and note taking. While there seems to be potential for the use of iPads in the classroom, caution should be taken when considering how to implement mobile technology into the curriculum.

Perception of undergraduate students towards online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic in a medical college in Hyderabad, India

Background: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected medical education and clinical training and forced medical schools to switch over to online teaching. To assess the success of online learning, knowing students' perceptions is an important criterion. The present study evaluated the students' insight toward online teaching and learning. Aim of the current study was to evaluate the students' perspective toward online teaching through an online questionnaire in the challenging time of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Objective of the study was to assess students' perception of online teaching and barriers faced by them. Methods: This institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 September to 30 September 2021 at medical college, Hyderabad. Out of 600 students of MBBS 1 to 4 year, 329 agreed to participate. They were given an online questionnaire that included the Dundee ready education environment measure, to assess students' perception of the educational environment. A part of it was used, i.e., SPL (students' perception of learning) domain, to assess the student’s perception. Results: Overall score of perception of online teaching-learning according to the SPL domain was 23.41±4.61, which was less than the optimal score of 25, which indicated many problems in this method of online teaching-learning. 67.5% preferred face-to-face teaching to online teaching. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected traditional teaching-learning methods, and online teaching has emerged as a boon to continue the learning process. However, many students faced many obstacles adapting to this new learning model. Hence, the offline mode of teaching was preferred over the online mode.

Evaluation of the Undergraduate Learning Environment at Dental Schools in Syria

The learning environment plays a vital role in dental education. A positive learning environment could improve students' satisfaction, psychosocial well-being, and academic achievement. This study set out to measure the quality of the learning environment according to the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) at different dental schools in Syria. The study included dental schools at Damascus University (DU), Tishreen University (TU), and University of Hama (HU). DU and TU are considered 2 of the largest universities in Syria. Students across all years of study were invited to complete an Arabic version of the DREEM questionnaire. In total, 1205 students completed the questionnaire: 650 were from DU, 309 from HU, and 243 from TU. Cronbach's alpha value of the DREEM instrument was 0.927. The total DREEM score for all universities was 108.8 ± 31.5 (n=1205), which is 54.4% of the total score; DU scored the lowest on the DREEM scale (105.9 ± 28.5) followed by TU (111.1 ± 34.3) and HU (113.3 ± 34.4). There was a significant difference amongst the 3 universities (P=.001) with a small effect size (eta-squared=0.01). At the subscale level, students' perception of learning (SPL) at DU and TU was perceived unfavourably, and the social self-perception of students (SSP) was negatively perceived across all universities. Clinical students scored significantly lower than their preclinical counterparts. No significant difference emerged between male and female students. This study provides a baseline data on the learning environment at dental schools in Syria. Although the study suggests a more positive than negative perception of the learning environment, Syrian dental schools scored considerably lower than their Arab and international counterparts. Aspects related to SPL and SSP were the most serious areas requiring improvement, and future research should focus on designing proper interventions to address them.

Expanding the Agricultural Educator’s Toolkit: Identifying Challenges in Digital Media Production Technology

This study explores the perceptions and experiences related to agricultural educators in Minnesota who have used digital media production tools and concepts as learning activities in the classroom. As the cost associated with digital media production equipment and software continues to decrease, this technology is becoming more accessible and creates the potential for new types of classroom outputs. This type of learning activity is in its infancy in School Based Agricultural Education (SBAE). As more educators look to embed 21st century skill-based projects in their coursework, it is important to begin exploring needs and resources identified by those currently engaged in this strategy. The researchers in this project aimed to better understand how the participants map knowledge and identify gaps when using digital media production as a learning tool. The project examined the motivations, experiences, implementation processes, and future goals of participants. A collective case study was used to explore this phenomenon. In-depth interviews with educators were examined using qualitative open coding techniques. This produced emergent themes regarding lesson design and implementation as well as perceptions of student learning. Educators highly valued this student learning activity to develop communication skills necessary for many career paths. Other emergent themes were an increase in student engagement, critical thinking, media literacy, and transferable skills. The study found barriers to digital media activities such as prior experience with technology, school district resources, professional development opportunities, and lesson preparation time. Educators identified a need for streamlined resources and accessible professional development to fully embrace digital media as a learning strategy.

Impacting Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies by Decreasing Bias Through Simulation Experiences

Simulated teaching environments have been used for more than two decades and are likely to continue to expand to meet the demands of teacher development programs. In this study, the self-reported changes in culturally-responsive teaching perceptions of ten classroom teachers serving more than six hundred students are reported. This paper includes first year findings from a program designed to use artificial-intelligence (AI) based algorithms to reduce implicit bias in teaching. Findings from this study include significant pre-post increases for self-efficacy related to culturally responsive teaching as well as instructional self-efficacy. These findings add credibility to the contention that a key innovation of using simulation programs for teacher professional development is that it provides teachers and teacher trainees many learning trials with simulated students, thereby increasing teacher confidence and competence, and which in turn will improve student learning. Findings set the stage for measuring the impact on student perceptions of learning and cultural engagement intended to support teachers in recognizing and ameliorating their own implicit biases.

Perspective of educational environment on students' perception of teaching and learning.

Cross-sectional research was designed using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) to examine the impact of the educational environment on students' perceptions of learning and teaching in a university offering higher education. Using a Likert scale, 300 participants from various streams were assessed. There were no disparities in the students' judgments in the five DREEM categories of discipline, accommodation, gender, level of study, and disciplines. In general, students judged that the student-teaching environment was satisfactory. To investigate the validity of the DREEM, we conducted Cronbach alpha analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) employing principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Only 44 of the 50 factors were deemed to be significant, with a cumulative explained variance of 46.539%. The total construct dependability of the EFA nine-factor solutions was 0.954. Finally, only five acceptable factors explained 46.539% variance using the criteria of eigenvalue > 1 and Cronbach's alpha > 0.6. Factor analysis was appropriate as evidenced by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy of 0.942. With a Cronbach alpha of 0.955, the revised first domain of "student perception of learning" was the most trustworthy DREEM item, accounting for 20.19% of the variance. The highest factor loading was for the item "Teaching helps me become a more active learner". A redesigned DREEM might be valuable for assessing the educational environment at institutions providing higher education.

Undergraduate Supervised Clinical Practicum Activities: An Enlightening Exploration.

Clinical nursing practice is the hallmark of nursing education providing for the application of nursing knowledge to the care of patients in a contextual clinical environment. There is no universal method for educating students in the clinical arena. The literature has been limited to the evaluation of clinical education models and student perceptions of learning; however, there is a gap in the literature regarding the daily clinical activities of faculty and students. This exploratory descriptive study examined the explicit undertakings of a clinical day among faculty and students in the southeastern United States. Responses from 61 survey participants described detailed activities of a clinical day including preclinical preparation, prebriefing, student and faculty clinical activities, and postconference structure. This foundational knowledge provides insight for improving clinical education with the goal of educators connecting clinical activities to the development of student competencies. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(10):591-593.].

Student Perceptions of Learning in Biochemistry Using a Science Communication Focused Writing Assignment

Student Perceptions of Learning in Biochemistry Using a Science Communication Focused Writing Assignment

Association of learning environment and self-directed learning ability among nursing undergraduates: a cross-sectional study using canonical correlation analysis

ObjectivesThis study explores the relationship between the perception of the learning environment and self-directed learning (SDL) ability among nursing undergraduates.Design, setting and participantsA cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2020...

The relationship of educational environment and preparedness to practice - perceptions of Malaysian dental graduates.

This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of dental graduates' educational environment as well as preparedness to practice, and how these two components are correlated. A self-administered, validated questionnaire, developed from previous studies, was distributed to dental graduates of a public Malaysian university (n=178, response rate=60%) via online and postal surveys. Bivariate analyses were carried out using Spearman's rank-order correlation (Spearman's Rho, significance level p < .01) to determine the correlation between (1) Global Preparedness Score and Global DREEM Score, (2) domains of DREEM Inventory and perceived preparedness, and (3) domains of perceived preparedness and DREEM Score. The Global Preparedness Score was 191.52, with more than 90% of respondents feeling well prepared in the "General Patient Management," "Drug and Emergency Management" and "Practice Management" domains. The Global DREEM Score was 148.99/200, interpreted as "more positive than negative." The DREEM Inventory domains with the highest and lowest scores were "Students' Academic Self-Perception" (78.03%) and "Students' Social Self-Perception" (71.86%), respectively. A moderate positive correlation was found between Global Preparedness Score and Global DREEM Score (p < .01). In addition, moderate to large positive correlations were noted between perceived preparedness and "Student Perception of Learning," "Student Perception of Atmosphere" and "Student Academic Self-Perception" (p < .01). Moderate positive correlations were also found between the DREEM Score and most domains of perceived preparedness (p < .01). The majority of graduates were well prepared to perform in most areas of clinical practice and perceived their overall educational environment as positive. In particular, those who viewed the educational environment in a positive light were also found to possess a good level of preparedness.

Transformative learning through participation: experiences at a rural clinical training site in South Africa

BackgroundDistributed training has been cited as an opportunity that offers transformative learning experiences in preparing a future workforce to address local needs. For this reason, rural and longitudinal placements are increasingly being adopted by medical schools across the world. Place, participation and person are considered integral in the process of transformation of medical students into responsive graduates on the distributed platform. This article aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of student learning on a rural training platform in South Africa while considering the interrelation between person, place and participation as a process of transformation to becoming a health care professional. The research forms part of a 5-year longitudinal case study, initiated in 2019 to explore a university-rural hospital collaboration on students, staff and the local health care system.MethodsData was collected using interviews and surveys from 63 purposively selected and consenting participants between January and November of 2019. All qualitative data were inductively analysed using an interpretivist approach to thematic analysis for the purposes of this article. All quantitative data was analysed descriptively using Microsoft Excel. Ethics and permission for this research was granted by the Stellenbosch University Human Research Ethics Committee, the Undergraduate Students Programme Committee and the Northern Cape Department of Health, South Africa.FindingsFour themes, namely: authenticity of context; participation in a community of practice and social activities; supervision and reflection; and distance support were extracted from the data. These findings contribute to the theory of transformative learning on the distributed platform by expanding on the interrelationship of person, place and participation, specifically as it relates to participation within various communities and practices. The value of active participation in reflection and supervision, distance academic support and social support systems are explored.ConclusionsThe three dimensions and interrelationship of person, place and participation in the process of transformative learning on the rural training platform can be further unpacked by exploring the types of participation that have facilitated student learning in this research context. Participation in interprofessional teams; supervision, reflection and distance support appear to be the most crucial elements during this transformative learning process.

Students\u2019 perception of educational environment based on Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure and the role of peer mentoring: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThe curricular reform at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran, has been implemented since 2011 when peer mentoring program started. The program is believed to have a crucial role in students’ perception of the educational environment (EE). We aimed to determine how students perceive the educational environment and compared the mentees and non-mentees’ perception of EE.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 190 first-year medical students enrolling at Tehran University of Medical Sciences from March to September 2019. A questionnaire was used to collect information on students’ age, gender, marital status, dormitory status, and their mentoring status including satisfaction of mentor-mentee relationship. The study also employed Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). The collected data were then entered and analysed using SPSS version 20. To compare the perception of EE between mentees and non-mentees, we used independent t-test.ResultsThe mean (SD) for total DREEM score for EE was 144.1 (19.3), which signifies a more positive than negative educational environment perception. Nonetheless, the mean scores of total DREEM was not significantly different between students with or without mentors (P =0.390). The overall mean score for student perceptions of learning for mentees was 32.47 (4.5) while for those without a mentor, the score was 31.70 (4.9) (P =0.491). The items concerned with “emphasizing factual learning” and “teacher-based teaching” were rated the least. The item “having an appropriate support system” was scored significantly different between students with or without mentors (P =0.009).ConclusionsSince having an appropriate support system was significantly different between groups, we suggest curriculum designers focus on the above-mentioned issue under caption for improvement during the reform programs.

Applying an interactive learning approach provided by an academic coach in a graduate-level accounting course

PurposeThe paper makes a significant contribution to the accounting education literature by examining the impact of using online meetings with an academic coach on student-perceived learning outcomes, course and instructor evaluations in an online graduate-level accounting course.Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental design is adopted by the author to compare the students' evaluations in fall 2018 and in spring 2019 in an online graduate-level accounting course taught by the same instructor and assisted by the same academic coach.FindingsThe study finds that the use of online meetings with an academic coach helps students have a much positive view about the course and a better perception about the instructor's teaching effectiveness for the course. The offering of online meetings by an academic coach also improves students' evaluation about the academic coach in an online graduate-level accounting course.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new perspective to investigate students' perception with the use of online meetings with an academic coach.

Influence of Agricultural Degree Programme environment on career in agribusiness among college students in Nigeria

The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure was used as a universal diagnostic inventory to assess the educational environment of Agricultural Degree Programme of the selected institutions. A logistic regression model, which assumes the probability of respondents' preference for the choice of Agribusiness as a career, was deployed to achieve some objectives of the study. Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and T-Test were also used. The study revealed that majority of the students were trapped below the poverty threshold, with only 27% willing to pursue agribusiness as a career. Although there was evidence of more positive than negative perceptions about their educational environment (50%–87.4%), there were indications that all the indicators captured in the subscales need a lot of improvement (<88%). Similarly, the study found that students’ perceptions of their learning environment, learning atmosphere, quality of teaching, and ease of the course of study have a significant influence on their choice of agribusiness as a career. The study recommends that there must be deliberate efforts to improve the quality of learning by developing tailor-made agribusiness education, quality of teachers, quality of the academic atmosphere, and scholarship for highflyers among the students to increase their participation in agribusiness. Hypothesized Structural Model for the students' choice of Agribusiness.Students’ perception of the of their Education Environment in relation to the Quality World determines their interest in Agribusiness. • Finding shows that 86% of the sampled students live on less $1.47/day. • Students in state universities pay about $181.82 higher than their counterparts in federal universities. • Students' perceptions of their educational environment require a lot of improvement. • Students perceptions of learning and teaching were found to significantly influence their choice of agribusiness as a career. • Policies directed at creating enabling environment to study agriculture will improve students’ interest in agribusiness.