Work Students Research Articles

Improving a practical course assignment for mechatronics education

Hands-on learning is widely recognized as an essential component of mechatronics education. In this article, we describe an implementation of a student work assignment in an advanced course in mechatronics. The article compares the previous free-form project with the new common-form exercise. The purpose is to renew the form, execution, and grading of the assignment, for better control over the learning outcomes and focusing the workload of the teaching staff without needlessly limiting the students’ own exploration of the topic. The evaluation is based on the teachers’ observations and the students’ feedback. In the assignment, the students will design and build a controllable see-saw mechanism powered by ordinary computer cooling fans. Similar experiments are commonly used for teaching in the form of ready-made plans, kits or complete devices. In our version, we wanted to involve the students in the lower level design to better illustrate the effects of mechanical details on the control system. The updated exercise was well received, the students reported clearer understanding of the synergy between the different disciplines of mechatronics, and the teachers were able to provide more comprehensive assistance on questions. Some challenges were identified, including a lack of analytical research by the students when not specifically prompted to do so. In our opinion this renewed approach is flexible enough to accommodate students from various backgrounds and helps the teachers to better adjust the supplied materials according to their students’ particular needs.

Engagement and online mathematics enrichment for secondary students

Abstract Online may not be the ideal format for a mathematics enrichment event, but in some circumstances, it may be the only option available. This article considers a mathematics enrichment programme consisting of a series of masterclasses which were held live online for secondary students in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic. The series of masterclasses were part of the Royal Institution of Great Britain’s Mathematics Masterclass Programme which runs annually across the UK. In this study, we investigate how and to what extent students were able to engage with this series of online masterclasses. Learner engagement is researched through in-session observations, student work, attendance data, participant feedback and interviews. While the online masterclass series lost some of its traditional in person features, such as hands-on live social interaction and a university environment, it appeared that the participants perceived the online sessions as interactive enabling them to both enjoy the sessions and enjoy learning mathematics in the sessions. The evidence found suggests that the participating students could engage behaviourally, emotionally and cognitively in online mathematics enrichment. However, constructing mathematical knowledge in online sessions can be difficult for some students and social interaction may need to rely on existing social groups among school friends.

Critiquing ‘powerful knowledge’ in school geography through a decolonial lens

ABSTRACT The concept of ‘powerful knowledge’ has risen to prominence in the school curriculum in England, taking on a life both in educational policy and in the work of schools, teachers, teacher educators and students. This article conducts a decolonial critique of ‘powerful knowledge’ in school geography. We begin by reviewing research about ‘powerful knowledge’ in geography education before turning to its interpretation in education policy and curriculum framings. We then offer our decolonial critique. We argue that the concept adopts reductive binary frames and neglects the racialising politics of geographical knowledge production. In doing so, ‘powerful knowledge’ marginalises the everyday knowledge of people globally and glosses over their ‘hidden’ geographies and histories in ways that sustain racialised global inequalities. We conclude by explaining the reasons for the emergence of ‘powerful knowledge’ and arguing for its demise on account of lack of analytical rigour and inattentiveness to social justice.

Introducing a novel hybrid educational boot camp to augment medical student training in neurosurgery.

Neurosurgery subinternships are a critical portion of the medical student application to neurosurgery residency programs, allowing programs to assess the student's clinical knowledge, interpersonal skills, work ethic, and character. Despite how critical these auditions are, many students have a poor understanding of expectations prior to beginning these subinternships. Thomas Jefferson University hosted a combined in-person and virtual boot camp session open to all medical students interested in neurosurgery. The authors sought to determine the effectiveness of this inaugural course. A total of 304 registered participants were sent a survey assessing their attitudes toward neurosurgery subinternships, beliefs about their abilities, and their comfort with various neurosurgical skills. All participants were sent a postsession survey composed of the same questions. The mean scores for responses to pre- and postsession survey questions were recorded based on graduating year and by medical school type (US allopathic [US MD], US osteopathic [US DO], or foreign degree/international medical graduate [IMG]). Differences in means between pre- and postsession survey responses were analyzed using the Student t-test, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 112 presession surveys and 64 postsession surveys were completed, yielding a presession survey response rate of 36.8% and a postsession survey response rate of 21.1%. Seventy-five percent of the postsession survey respondents attended virtually, and 25% were in-person. US MD, US DO, and IMG attendees demonstrated a significantly increased understanding of the expectations of a neurosurgery subintern (p < 0.001). All students had significantly increased confidence in their ability to succeed as subinterns (US MD students and IMGs p < 0.001, US DO students p < 0.05). Regarding procedural confidence, US MD students had increased confidence in craniotomies and cranial plating (p < 0.001). When comparing responses by graduation year, students in the classes of 2024 and 2025 (rising 4th-year and rising 3rd-year medical students, respectively) demonstrated significantly increased understanding of expectations and confidence in their ability to succeed (< 0.001). Seventy-five percent of our postsession survey respondents attended virtually, and 25% were in-person. The in-person cohort had greater improvements in comfort with procedures such as craniotomies, cranial plating, and extraventricular drain placement (in-person vs Zoom mean differences: craniotomies and cranial plating, -2.29, extraventricular drain placement, -2.31) (p < 0.05). The boot camp successfully delineated the expectations of neurosurgery subinterns and enhanced the attendees' confidence in their abilities. The authors concluded that a hybrid virtual and in-person format is beneficial and feasible in increasing accessibility to information about neurosurgery subinternships.

Fostering innovation through bio-inspired projects in engineering design education

AbstractThis paper discusses the C-K theory approach and developing templates for student's use in design courses, specifically for the conceptual design phase. Examples of C-K templates are reviewed to demonstrate the process leading to a design solution. Analysis of student's work using these templates are presented and discussed with respect to design learning attributes and design innovation during the conceptual design. Student reflections from their final design reports indicated that students did develop knowledge and skills in bio-inspired design, collaboration, and interdisciplinary mindsets.

The plastic potential of the slide as an input for creating ceramic works for specific education students

The plastic potential of the slide as an input for creating ceramic works for specific education students

Social Work Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal: Current Practices and Future Considerations

ABSTRACT This paper examines the findings of a small qualitative study focusing on two virtual discussions facilitated by the Social Workers’ Association Nepal (SWAN) in May and June 2020 and follow-up interviews conducted with the participants during June 2020. The aim of these discussions and follow-up interviews was to examine the role of social workers in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal. Seven social work practitioners (including Master’s of Social Work graduates (n = 3), PhD student (n = 1), and social work practitioners (n = 3)) from across the country participated as invited speakers in the sessions with approximately 500 Nepalese social workers engaged as voluntary participants. Based on these discussions, a process of thematic analysis was utilized, where a series of findings emerged that gave consideration to the role of social workers in assisting Nepalese civil society in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings centered upon nationwide action including: emergency responses, relief goods coordination and distribution, quarantine management, psychosocial support, and infodemic management administered by social work practitioners. A series of recommendations emerging from the study’s findings serve to inform the central role of social workers in responding to the current pandemic in Nepal.

Employing multimodal dialogic feedback on EFL tertiary students’ writing: Formative assessment framework

Feedback is essential for improving EFL students' writing skills, even though it is still underutilized. Yet, only some studies examine multimodal dialogic feedback (MDF) on students' writing. To address the gap, this study, which employed an exploratory mixed-method, investigated the impact of MDF mediated by utilizing Google Docs and Zoom conferences as convenience platforms in a writing class among some Indonesian university learners and the impact of this MDF on the revision quality of the student texts. Furthermore, the study explored the students' perceptions of MDF from the formative assessment framework. While the quantitative method through classroom action research (CAR) with 39 students recruited purposively, examined the impact of MDF on students' writing skills, the qualitative approach using semi-structured in-person interviews with eleven students recruited conveniently, addressed the student's perceptions of the influence of MDF on their writing skills. The quantitative data were analyzed through simple descriptive statistical analyses to visualize the trend of students' improvement and the instructor's feedback. The qualitative data on the students' positive perceptions of the impact of MDF on their writing were analyzed using thematic analysis. Statistical analyses of the student's texts reveal that the student's writing skills are gradually developing. The results demonstrate how mediating MDF during teaching-learning writing affected the student's work on organization, content, language use, mechanics, and text length. Implications for writing instruction and the instructor's feedback are also discussed. Although this current study has limitations, suggestions for further research are offered.

EXPERIENCE OF USING CLOUD SERVICES FOR TEAMWORK BETWEEN SUPERVISOR AND GRADUATE STUDENTS

Given the recent events in the world in general and in Ukraine in particular, in the context of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus infection and the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, they contributed to the transition of all activities of the educational process to online mode. However, working with postgraduate students still required online work, as practice shows that a significant number of postgraduate students work full-time, and it is very difficult to choose a time that suits both parties. Therefore, there is a problem of finding new opportunities and prospects for using digital technologies for teamwork between supervisors and their Ph.D. students. Based on their own experience, the authors propose to use the following Google Cloud services in the complex: Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheet, Google Slide, Google Form, Google Meet, and Google Calendar. The advantages of using such cloud services for the joint work of a supervisor and a postgraduate student are presented. In addition to the proposed Google services for high-quality collaboration, the authors substantiate the expediency of using intelligent maps. The possibilities of using intelligent maps in the work of a supervisor and a postgraduate student are presented. In addition, communication with postgraduate students and management of their activities play an important role in the work of a supervisor. For this type of work, we offer the Trello project management tool. The expedient and pedagogically balanced use of digital technologies in the joint work of supervisors and postgraduate students will help to improve the quality of postgraduate research and increase the productivity of postgraduate students' work on their research. It has been established that the professional development of supervisors working with graduate students still does not receive sufficient attention. The pilot program of advanced training of Ph.D. students' supervisors "Innovative Supervisor", which was implemented in May 2023, is presented.

STUDENTS' CRITICAL THINKING PROCESS IN COMPETITION SCIENTIFIC WORKS

Critical thinking processes are needed in solving problems. In this case, the critical thinking process consists of (1) recognizing the problem, (2) assessing relevant information, and (3) solving the problem/drawing conclusions. Based on this step, this research seeks to describe students' critical thinking processes in scientific work used by students to compete. The critical thinking process in competitive scientific work needs to be carried out so that students can create quality scientific work that is based on critical thinking in solving problems. This research uses a qualitative approach. This research data is in the form of sentences, sentence groups, paragraphs and complete texts which reflect students' critical thinking processes. Data was obtained from student scientific work that was competed outside campus. The research results show that in terms of the critical thinking process, students' scientific work can be categorized into four types, namely (1) scientific work which shows the three stages of the critical thinking process, namely the stages of recognizing problems, assessing relevant information, and solving problems/drawing out problems; (2) scientific work which only consists of the stage of recognizing problems and solving problems/drawing conclusions, (3) scientific work which consists of the stage of recognizing problems and assessing relevant information, and (4) scientific work which consists of the stage of recognizing information. Based on the research results, suggestions can be given to assist students in the critical thinking process so that scientific work is produced with in-depth and accurate discussion so that the scientific work written becomes quality scientific work for competition.

Pulitzer Prize’s Breaking News Photography Intensifying Students’ Photojournalism

The recent surge in Pulitzer Prize-winning Breaking News Photography has prompted an exploration into its impact on student photojournalism. This research aims to investigate and analyze this phenomenon. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of recent Pulitzer Prize-winning Breaking News Photography on the intensification of student photojournalism. A qualitative approach, utilizing observational methods, was employed in this research. Sampling was conducted through cluster sampling, involving a total of 60 participants. The analysis of Pulitzer Prize-winning Breaking News Photography indicates a notable enhancement in the ability of students to produce high-quality journalistic photos. Assignments focused on reinforcing the essential principles of journalism have facilitated increased creativity in photo composition and improved accuracy in captioning. Moreover, the evaluation of student works uploaded to social media platforms has provided valuable insights for instructors. Additionally, the need for curriculum adaptation to emphasize skill development is highlighted, aiming to cultivate professional, integrity-driven, and honest journalists. The implications of this study underscore the significance of adapting curriculum structures to bolster skill development in student photojournalists, thereby fostering the emergence of journalism professionals characterized by integrity and honesty.

Situative Black Girlhood Reading Motivations: Why and How Black Girls Read and Comprehend Text

This study aims to illustrate the complex relationships between reading motivation and reading comprehension for Black girl readers. There is an urgent need for research that explicitly centers on the reading motivations of Black girls through a humanizing, asset-oriented lens. Through a Situative Black Girlhood Reading Motivations lens, which integrates a situative perspective on motivation and the tenets of Black Girlhood Studies, this multi-year study focuses on a group of Black girl readers participating in a summer reading program. Qualitative data, including video observations, student work artifacts, and small-group artifact-elicited interviews, were analyzed through a generic inductive approach to answer the research question, “How are relationships between Black girls’ reading motivations and their reading comprehension evident in their reading engagement and enactments?” The findings demonstrate that the participants’ most salient reading motivations in this instructional context (meaning-oriented, collaborative, and liberatory reading motivations) (1) were a precursor to their comprehension, (2) worked in tandem with their comprehension, and (3) stemmed from their comprehension. These findings contribute to models of reading by illustrating the need for additional complexity when describing the relationship between reading motivation and comprehension.

ANALISIS KESULITAN SISWA BERDASARKAN GENDER DALAM MENYELESAIKAN PERMASALAHAN MATEMATIS

The aim of this research is to analyze the mathematical problem solving abilities of class VIII middle school students based on the student's gender. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The subjects in this research were 23 students in class VIII of Malang National Middle School, consisting of 11 male students and 12 female students. Then 6 subjects were selected, namely 3 men and 3 women who had mathematical problem solving abilities in the high, medium and low categories. The research was carried out in the second semester of the 2022/2023 academic year. Analysis was carried out by giving a written test in the form of 2 essay questions. The material tested is problem solving questions related to the Pythagorean theorem. The results of the analysis of students' problem solving abilities were obtained based on the results of student work and interviews. The results of this study indicate that female students' mathematical problem solving abilities are better than male students in solving problems related to the Pythagorean theorem.

THEORY OF CONSTRUCTIVISM AND A COMMUNICATIVE COURSEBOOK AS A PREREQUISITE FOR ORGANIZING THE FIRST YEAR IT STUDENTS’ INDEPENDENT WORK AT THE ESP CLASSES

This article explores how the theory of constructivism, enclosed in the communicative coursebook, influences the design of independent work for the first-year IT students, learning a foreign language. It outlines the fundamental elements of constructivism such as self-directed learning and growth, as well as it considers two key dimensions of productivity: self-reliance and educational accomplishment with focuss on the crucial role of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and “scaffolding” conceptions within this paradigm. Our research emphasizes the efficacy of constructivism and the learning cycles of the communicative coursebook, built on the constructivists’ principles, in enhancing students' learning experiences, promoting active knowledge and skills acquisition, and cultivating critical thinking skills. Practical examples of applying constructivism to educational processes are provided here to enhance students' proficiency in English as a foreign language. Finally in this article, the four stages procedure of the students’ involvement into independent work within the communicative coursebook’s learning cycles- is described and the main assumption about the four-stage procedure, based on the experience of piloting the communicative coursebook, is made: this communicatively-oriented procedure appears to become an effective tool of learning, teaching and communication.

Mathematics Learning Assessment Based on Pirie-Kieren's Theoretical Framework in Elementary School

Various non-technical factors in the mathematics learning assessment process carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to describe students’ mathematical understanding as a whole. This causes a lot of gaps in students’ mathematical understanding. This study aims to describe the growth of elementary school students’ understanding of geometry through the use of an assessment instrument based on the Pirie-Kieren theoretical framework. This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study method. The participants in this study were fifth-grade elementary school students who were studying the topic of geometry. Data on the growth of students’ understanding of geometry was obtained through the process of analyzing the results of students’ work in completing the geometry understanding growth test based on the Pirie-Kieren theoretical framework. Findings from student work were then followed up with in-depth interviews. The results of interpretational constructivism data analysis through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions show that there are gaps in students’ understanding of geometry topics. The gap can be observed from every inhibitor and folding back activity in each layer of student understanding. Keywords: elementary school, mathematics learning assessment, Pirie-Kieren's theoretical framework

Investigating the Correlation between Different ChatGPT Versions and Task Initiation among Postgraduate Students: a Cross-Sectional Study

This study investigates the impact of ChatGPT usage on student task initiation, employing a cross-sectional design with 427 doctoral and master’s students. The research examines correlations between the frequency of ChatGPT interaction and the promptness of initiating academic tasks, utilizing a standardized scale for task initiation alongside a newly developed scale for measuring ChatGPT usage. Through statistical analysis methods including bivariate correlation and one-way ANOVA, the study aims to identify patterns of task initiation among non-users and users of different ChatGPT versions. Results indicate a significant negative correlation (rho = -0.511, p &lt; .01) between ChatGPT usage and task initiation, suggesting that increased use of ChatGPT may be associated with delayed task initiation. Notably, non-users demonstrated a higher tendency for prompt task initiation (M = 3.215) than ChatGPT users. Furthermore, variations in task initiation behaviors were observed between users of the V3.5 and V4 versions of ChatGPT, with V4 users exhibiting more favorable task initiation outcomes. The findings highlight the nuanced impact of ChatGPT on student academic behavior, suggesting that while ChatGPT can serve as a valuable academic tool, its usage may also influence traditional task initiation habits. These insights emphasize the need for a balanced approach to incorporating AI tools in educational settings, considering their potential to alter student work habits and discipline.

Co-ord Analysis on Soft Skills Article in Range 2016 - 2021

Currently, education is directed to facilitate the needs of students for work skills. This supports the performance of high school graduates in their careers. So that various changes to the education system add certain skills as an achievement in learning. These supporting skills are called soft skills. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the opportunities for developing research on Soft Skills related to student work competencies in higher education. This research was conducted by analyzing article documents called bibliometric analysis. The analysis includes four stages, namely (1) determining the keywords, (2) collecting data in Scopus, (3) sending data to application and (4) analyzing the visualization. The visualization of the data displayed is only analyzed to the extent of keyword analysis. The results of the analysis show that the development of soft skills still has the opportunity to be researched. This is evidenced by the results of co-word analysis in the last five years, which still show opportunities to develop research themes related to soft skills. In the last two years in the analysis based on the year of publication, topics related to soft skills research were more oriented to the use of technology, so that further researchers could develop in that area. Keywords: co-ord, analysis, soft skills

Fourth Graders’ Guided Inquiry into Local Public Issues of Birmingham

In this manuscript, the authors discuss a seven-day research project that occurred within the Birmingham metropolitan area where fourth graders researched the role that public issues played in the creation of two suburban school systems in their city. We coded student work samples to look for themes. Emergent themes from student work samples are described in the findings section. We conclude in our discussion section with some recommendations for future research studies to teach issues of race in U.S. history based on our findings.

Effectiveness of Assessment Exemplars in a Business Management Course

Samples of past and present student work should not just be kept away in the faculty drawers, cabinets or simply stored in the digital space. There are many benefits from these valuable pieces of work that can be shared with their peers and future students. By sharing and showing these exemplars, students understand better the expectations for their own work to obtain good grades. They not only learn to benchmark their work against their peers and understand the assessment requirements better, but most importantly, exemplars provide them guidance when undertaking a piece of assessment. This action research explores the use of assessment exemplars and its effectiveness on Business Management students in a pre-university programme at a private university in Malaysia. A basic qualitative approach using focus group discussions was adopted. Four major themes on the impact of assessment exemplars emerged from the focus group discussions, namely assessment exemplars provide guidance, make students aware of standards and expectations, provide motivation to start writing, and builds confidence. This study provides insights into understanding students’ experience in using exemplars in the pre-university context.

Flipped Classroom and Collaborative Work as an Inclusive Strategy in Higher Education

Objective: The aim of this research is to evaluate the implementation of the flipped classroom and collaborative work in university marketing students, in terms of academic performance, the development of cross-curricular competencies, student satisfaction and motivation, and the effective use of information and communication technologies in the learning process. Theoretical Framework: The main concepts and academic literature that underpin the research are presented, providing a solid foundation for understanding the context of the study. Method: The methodology adopted for this research is quantitative in nature, with a cross-sectional design, and exploratory and descriptive scope. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire composed of five dimensions, in order to cover all aspects inherent to the mixed inclusive strategy that combines the flipped classroom and collaborative work in the university classroom. Results and Discussion: The results suggest that the flipped classroom and collaborative work have a generally positive impact on higher education, in line with much of the current scientific literature. However, it is also evident that careful consideration of implementation and context is necessary to maximize their effectiveness. Variations in outcomes, depending on factors such as discipline, course design, and the digital skills of the participants, are crucial aspects that must be considered. These findings underline the importance of a balanced and adaptive approach in the application of innovative methodologies in higher education. Originality/Value: This study stands out for its rigorous exploration of how the integration of the flipped classroom and collaborative work in higher education enhances soft skills and academic performance, contrasting with traditional methodologies. It underscores the relevance of adapting educational strategies to maximize the effectiveness of ICT in a contemporary and diversified learning context. Its value lies in providing empirical evidence that supports the implementation of these innovative methodologies, promoting more inclusive and effective learning environments.