Students Of Different Courses Research Articles

Testing Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale with Bachelor students

The Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale is adapted from other scales measuring environmental concern with the aim of specifically targeting the subject of sustainable development. This scale was tested with three groups of students, those of International Business and Management Studies, and of Sustainable Business, both at The Hague University of Applied Science; and students of Environment and Development at Leiden University College. It was hypothesized that students who chose elective courses concerned with sustainability will be more ecocentric than those from a general business course. Analysis of the findings demonstrates however that while there are individual differences in attitudes between the students within the course, there are no significant differences between the students in different courses. This suggests that anthropocentric and ecocentric values are independent of the students' chosen course, and that students that follow sustainability course are not more ecocentric.

Testing Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale with Bachelor students

The Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale is adapted from other scales measuring environmental concern with the aim of specifically targeting the subject of sustainable development. This scale was tested with three groups of students, those of International Business and Management Studies, and of Sustainable Business, both at The Hague University of Applied Science; and students of Environment and Development at Leiden University College. It was hypothesized that students who chose elective courses concerned with sustainability will be more ecocentric than those from a general business course. Analysis of the findings demonstrates however that while there are individual differences in attitudes between the students within the course, there are no significant differences between the students in different courses. This suggests that anthropocentric and ecocentric values are independent of the students’ chosen course, and that students that follow sustainability course are not more ecocentric.

The effect of cognitive and metacognitive strategies in academic achievement: A systematic review

The existence of different researches on the relationship between learning strategies and academic achievement indicates the positive and efficient influence of these strategies on the learning process. The present study was conducted using the systematic review method, and with the aim of investigating the effect of cognitive and metacognitive strategies on academic achievement. The population of the present study is available studies related to the effects of cognitive and metacognitive strategies on academic achievement in Iran and abroad. The period of investigation of internal articles was from 2004 to 2014, and the period of the investigation of articles published in other countries was from 2000 to 2014. The results of different research indicated that learning strategies such as cognitive and metacognitive strategies have had the most effects on academic achievement of school and university students in different courses. In general, it can be said thatlearning strategies, from each type (cognitive and metacognitive) in all studies (experimental, quasi experimental, relational or correlational), in all learners (females and males) are very effective on the degree of their learning in different courses(experimental sciences, mathematics, and English Language).Keywords: Systematic review, learning strategies, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, academic achievement.

Some Features of the Professional Motivation Formation of Young People

To date, demands for reliability of human in the labor process are increasing. Accordance of natural inclinations of person with the chosen profession has significant impact on improving the reliability of human. However, often the choice of future profession made by students is not always conscious by them. Their choice is influenced by the various factors, including under the influence of "fashionable" trends, at the insistence of parents and others. Therefore the problem of professional orientation of young people to make deliberate and practically reasoned choice of successful future profession is an extremely important issue.
 The paper discussed the results of a study on the definition of natural aptitudes of students toward the type of profession chosen and profession satisfaction among the students of different courses. It was analyzed the main factors influencing the formation of positive motivation for training.
 It was found out that except the natural aptitudes regarding their chosen profession, it was important to make an informed choice of a future profession by an entrant – a prospective student.
 The obtained results confirm the need for career guidance to pupils – future students, before making the choice of future profession. The career guidance should take into account not only the definition of natural aptitudes for certain professions, but also the introduction of employment opportunities, demand in the labor market, wages, working conditions and so on.

Methodology for the Elaboration of Quizzes using Propositional Logic Calculus in an E-Learning Environment

This paper introduces the use of propositional logic calculus in the elaboration of educational quizzes to assess the level understanding of students in a specific theme of their courses. The technique introduced in this paper goes beyond multiple-choice quizzes. The technique requires several steps like a) to give a phrase, b) to re-order words of the given phrase in order to form a propositional logic formula, c) to make use of background knowledge for performing substitutions, d) to answer questions from one of the person in the team, e) to change synonyms/antonyms (if this is feasible), f) to perform actions in order to give value to both or at least one operand of the logic formula and g) to conclude the final answer of the logic formula (true or false) depending of the logic values of the operands in the logic formula. As a working example, the author shows a quiz for universal history, however, the same technique could be used to assess students in different courses.

ANALYSIS OF THE PHYSICAL SPACE OF HIGHER EDUCATION WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS

Educational environment as one of the most important urban spaces should be taken into consideration. Obviously, architectural features of educational units are considered an important factor affecting the success of the educational structure. This study analyzed the space of higher education with an emphasis on cultural and social factors. Research methodology is dealing with the problem and field study. In other words, this research is an applied research and it is the kind of descriptive and analytical. The study population included students in different courses at Iranian governmental universities and professors and experts in these centers. Research findings showed that independent variables such as naturalism, amount of spatial coherence and the availability of space were studied with the dependent variable of attitude towards improve educational quality. Naturalism and spatial coherence variables compared to other variables had the highest correlation with the improvement of educational quality. Moreover, it became clear that there is a conflict between the status quo of physical spaces in universities and cultural perspectives and performance of the students. Furthermore, according to the results obtained from professors and experts, we can say that policymaking at the macro level in relation to the cultural policy based on cultural principles and culture of students, compliance of spaces in universities with traditional and modern culture, creating spaces with Iranian and Islamic identity and create spaces for security, safety and welfare of students are the most influential ideas on improving physical space in order to improve students' cultural and social issues.

Alfabetización profesional durante la carrera universitaria: entre la universidad y la empresa

Writing practices and the teaching of writing in the university level is a growing research area in which scholars of different disciplines work. This paper presents some partial results of an ongoing research project about writing practices in the Industrial Engineering field. As part of the activities of the Institutional Program for teaching academic and professional literacy across the University curriculum (PRODEAC) developed at a nacional university, we surveyed a group of engineers and students in order to analyse the genres employed in professional settings. For this reason, we asked students working in different companies to tell us which genres they had already used at work and in the university assignments. In contrast with the findings of previous research work carried out in Spain and Chile, we have found out that students in different courses produced 20 of the 33 genres required in the companies and we have also identified the genres we need to describe and include them in the pedagogical designs of the subjects. (1) Lucia Natale lnatale@ungs.edu.ar y Daniela Stagnaro dstagnar@ungs.edu.ar. prodeac, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento.

The Effect of Different Presentation Patterns of Video Casting in Developing E-Books Design , Production Skills and Academic Achievement Motivation

T he aim of this research was to investigate the effect of Presentation patterns of video casting in developing the skills of designing and producing e- books and academic achievement motivation during the spring of 2012. And a total of 75 students were divided into three groups, each group was subjected to a different Presentation pattern of video casting, the first group used for alternative pattern that gave students an explanation of skills through vodcasts rather than the teacher explained in the lecture. The second group was the supplementary pattern supported by using vodcasts for the demonstration which began with teacher face to face during the lecture. The third group was the innovative pattern which offered creative ideas represented the application of these skills. The results showed statistically significant differences between the mean scores in three groups, the innovative pattern were less equal groups. The results reflected that all the groups were highly motivated for academic achievement after being subjected to the three different patterns. And that was the best of all, the alternative pattern group. The study recommended wider use of video casting for improving the learning of students in different courses and diversity patterns submitted to meet the needs of learners.

Technology consumer behaviour: a study of hedonic/utilitarian preference via virtual space

In this article, we analysed consumers' buying intention regarding integrated products in the virtual space, by exploring the interaction between utilitarian/hedonic characteristics and usage predictions. We based our analysis on data collected through four different experiments applied to 122 students of different courses at a university in the north of Brazil. The product studied was a digital reader or 'e-reader', which had recently integrated various services and devices into its overall structure. The factors that directly influence the choice and use of the product were examined, with purchase intention quantified in terms of fun, wellbeing, satisfaction, perceived value, utility, and importance related to the product, which, ultimately, justify the behaviour of technology consumers. As the integration of services increases, the hedonic and utilitarian value of the product purchased through e-commerce also increases; complementarily, consumers' usage predictions were found to be greater than their current use of existing products, and this is used to justify their purchases.

Perceptions of Uncivil Student Behavior in Dental Education

Students and faculty members in the health professions classroom are expected to exhibit professional behaviors that are conducive to maintaining a positive learning environment, but there is little published research concerning incivility in the area of dental education. The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in perceptions of incivility between dental faculty and students, between students in different courses of study, and between students in different years of dental study. The study utilized an anonymous electronic survey of all dental faculty and administrators and all dental, dental hygiene, and dental laboratory technology students at a single institution. The survey instrument contained questions concerning perceived uncivil behavior in the classroom and clinical settings. Response rates were 54% for faculty and administrators and ranged from 60% to 97% for students in various years and programs. The results were analyzed based on gender, course of study, year of study, and ethnicity. Significant differences were found regarding perceptions of civil behaviour between faculty and students, male and female students, the year of study, and the course of study. These differences point to the need for further research as well as administrative leadership and faculty development to define guidelines in this area in order to ensure a positive learning environment.

The road to realize the vision of higher education in Indiaan empirical study

The aim of this study is to evaluate the service quality in higher education institutions using the dimensions of SERVQUAL model. The education quality stands at the soul of education for all. A modified SERVQUAL instrument along with the focus group interviews is undertaken for this research. The main objectives of this study are to explore the services offered by Institutions of higher education, finding the perception and expectation of the students and thereby to find the gap between them. Exploratory research has been applied; an action research approach was adopted for this line of investigation. The researchers have used primary data through in depth personal interviews with the Head of Departments and Director of post-graduate and under-graduate programs & discussions among two focus groups of HODs & students of different courses. Seven item likert scales were used throughout, anchored by 1 - strongly disagree through to 7 ± strongly agree.

Blended Learning: The Student Viewpoint.

Background:Blended learning (BL) is defined as “a way of meeting the challenges of tailoring learning and development to the needs of individuals by integrating the innovative and technological advances offered by online learning with the interaction and participation offered in the best of traditional learning.” The Gulf Medical University (GMU), Ajman, UAE, offers a number of courses which incorporate BL with contact classes and online component on an E-learning platform. Insufficient learning satisfaction has been stated as an obstacle to its implementation and efficacy.Aim:To determine the students’ perceptions toward BL which in turn will determine their satisfaction and the efficacy of the courses offered.Subjects and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the GMU, Ajman between January and December 2013. Perceptions of BL process, content, and ease of use were collected from 75 students enrolled in the certificate courses offered by the university using a questionnaire. Student perceptions were assessed using Mann–Whitney U-test and Kruskal–Wallis test on the basis of gender, age, and course enrollment.Results:The median scores of all the questions in the three domains were above three suggesting positive perceptions on BL. The distribution of perceptions was similar between gender and age. However, significant differences were observed in the course enrollment (P = 0.02).ConclusionStudents hold a positive perception of the BL courses being offered in this university. The difference in perceptions among students of different courses suggest that the BL format offered needs modification according to course content to improve its perception.

Knowledge of hand hygiene and its self reported practice among nursing students during clinical experience at a teaching hospital in Mangalore

ContextHospital acquired infections being significant hazards in all health care settings are considered an important indicator of quality of health care. Nurses especially novices, the largest workforce in health care, are at highest risk of acquiring and transmitting diseases. Hand hygiene is one of the simplest measures to prevent infections. AimsThis study is to assess the knowledge of Hand hygiene and self reported hand hygiene practices during the clinical experience at the hospital. Settings and designThis exploratory study was carried out among 200 nursing students of different courses of study selected using disproportionate stratified sampling technique. Methods and materialKnowledge questionnaire and self reported practice checklist were utilized to collect data. ResultsKnowledge was ‘good’ about hand washing (75.5%). On an average higher number of students reported to have washed their hands after the specific procedures (90.97%) as compared to before performing it (72.58%). ConclusionsThere is a need for improving hand hygiene related knowledge and practices of nursing students.

ENHANCING A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO TRACK ATTENDANCE USING RFID

Over 95 percent of institutes of higher education in the U.S. have a learning management system (LMS) in place. Blackboard (BB) is one of the most widely used LMS and has a building block (freeware) that provides the ability to manually record and track attendance of students in different courses. This paper describes a RFID system that was developed in-house that automated the process of recording students' attendance in the existing attendance system on Blackboard.

A wiki as a common framework for promoting autonomous learning among university students

The process of adapting methodologically to European Credit Transfer System suffers from a lack in practical evaluations within the engineering field. One of the main competencies within the studies of telematics engineering is the development of skills related to behaving as technical consultants. This competency has been traditionally developed via publishing additional material through learning management systems; however, the approach followed within this study has promoted its development through the creation of practical guides within a wiki. The evaluation of this activity with students of different courses is presented herein, providing certain guidelines about its use as a support system for autonomous learning.

Analysis of the profile of a student of a higher education institution (HEI): marketing as a tool for higher education institutions

Private higher education institutions (HEI) face a crisis that mostly derives from the stabilization of demand and the drop in incomes, which represent challenges affecting their management. Marketing tries to offer answers to some of the companies’ most important aspects, while combining consumers’ needs with company capacities and targets. One of the approaches in the educational market consists of target marketing, in which the market is divided into segments and specific assistance offers are developed. The present research resulted from the interest to get a better understanding of individual behavior in choosing services in education, with a psychographic segmentation being accomplished. A case study in a private HEI was carried out to find out who their clients are. Two hundred and eight students of different courses were selected by means of sampling by (researcher) convenience. They all replied to an instrument composed of questionnaires covering personality traits, basic human values and need for cognition. It was observed that the human values and the personality values are adequate variables in which to segment this public, while the need for cognition does not possess discriminating capacity among the students of different courses. These results are expected to contribute to the development of specific actions in educational marketing.

Application Of Statistics In Engineering Technology Programs

Statistics is a critical tool for robustness analysis, measurement system error analysis, test data analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, and many other fields in the engineering world. Traditionally, however, statistics is not extensively used in undergraduate engineering technology (ET) programs, resulting in a major disconnect from industry expectations. The research question: How to effectively integrate statistics into the curricula of ET programs, is in the foundation of this paper. Based on the best practices identified in the literature, a unique “learning-by-using” approach was deployed for the Electronics Engineering Technology Program at Texas A&M University. Simple statistical concepts such as standard deviation of measurements, signal to noise ratio, and Six Sigma were introduced to students in different courses. Design of experiments (DOE), regression, and the Monte Carlo method were illustrated with practical examples before the students applied the newly understood tools to specific problems faced in their engineering projects. Industry standard software was used to conduct statistical analysis on real results from lab exercises. The result from a pilot project at Texas A&M University indicates a significant increase in using statistics tools in course projects by students. Data from student surveys in selected classes indicate that students gained more confidence in statistics. These preliminary results show that the new approach is very effective in applying statistics to engineering technology programs.

Thermodynamic Exploration of Eosin−Lysozyme Binding

We developed a modular pair of experiments for use in the undergraduate physical chemistry and biochemistry laboratories. Both experiments examine the thermodynamics of the binding of a small molecule, eosin Y, to the protein lysozyme. The assay for binding is the quenching of lysozyme fluorescence by eosin through resonant energy transfer. In both experiments, students measure fluorescence quenching at constant lysozyme concentration as a function of added eosin and determine the dissociation constant, KD, and ΔG° for binding. In the physical chemistry experiment, students repeat the fluorescence measurements at several temperatures to determine the temperature dependence of ΔG°, and therefore ΔH° and ΔS° as well. Typical student results yield a KD of (28.3 ± 7.5) μmol L−1 and a binding ΔG° of (−26.04 ± 0.70) kJ mol−1 at 25 °C. ΔH° and ΔS° of binding are found to be (−4.1 ± 2.5) kJ mol−1 and (73.9 ± 8.7) J mol−1 K−1, respectively. This pair of laboratories represents an interdisciplinary module in which students in different courses examine the same system but from different perspectives and with different emphases.

An approach to participatory instructional design in secondary education: an exploratory study

Background: Teachers have limited insight in students' perspectives on education, although these perspectives influence quality of learning. As students' and teachers' perspectives differ considerably, there is a need for teachers to learn more about students' experiences and ideas about education. Participatory design might be a good strategy for taking student perspectives into account in instructional design. In areas outside education, the positive effects of participation have already been demonstrated. Purpose: The main goals of this exploratory study are to develop an approach – based on the principles of participatory design – for student participation in instructional design, and to evaluate how students and teachers experience the discussion about possible changes in the design and how they co-operate in designing lessons. Additionally, the study investigates whether the used approach is workable and suitable for use with a range of courses. Sample: The sample consisted of six teachers (of mathematics, economics and English) from two secondary schools in the Netherlands and their 10th-grade pre-university students (N = 139; average age 16 years). In each class, a small group of seven co-designing students was selected as a representative sample of their class. All other students in these classes (i.e. those not directly involved in participatory re-design) were also included, as evaluators of the proposed changes. Design and methods: A participatory design meeting was organised for each group separately. In all groups, the same approach for participatory design was used. The quality of the meeting and the agreement with the proposed changes were evaluated using open questions. The questions were answered individually by both teachers and co-designing students. The remaining students answered questions about their agreement with the proposed changes. The written answers were analysed using a coding scheme. Results: Findings suggest that both teachers and co-designing students were largely satisfied with the meeting. The atmosphere was experienced predominantly as comfortable and enough opportunities were provided to express thoughts and ideas. Teachers, additionally, stated that the usability of students' suggestions was good. The remaining students predominantly agreed on the proposed changes discussed. No differences were found between the evaluation scores of students of different courses. Conclusions: The main conclusion from this exploratory study is that participatory design appears suitable for use in education. The approach used for initiating and structuring the discussion between the teacher and his/her students was appropriate for designing lessons, according to all those involved. As this study suggests, the barriers to the inclusion of students in the instructional design process are not insurmountable, and there are compelling reasons for implementing participatory design in education.

Secondary school science predictors of academic performance in university bioscience subjects

In 2009 the Faculty of Health Sciences at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia is introducing a common first year for 11 different undergraduate courses in the faculty. Current prerequisite science entry requirements vary with course and range from none to at least two science or mathematics subjects and from approximately 50 to 99 in Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) scores. Under the previous structure, students in different courses completed a variety of different subjects at first year. Concern about the ability of such disparate groups to complete a common first year led to the current investigation of the relationships between year 12 (final year of secondary school) science subjects and performance in first year university bioscience subjects. Year 12 results for all science-related units and ENTER scores were obtained for all Victorian students enrolling in a first year course in the Faculty of Health Sciences in 2005 and 2006. Regression and other analyses were conducted for five first year bioscience subjects. The ENTER score was the best predictor of academic performance in all units except regional anatomy. Performance in many secondary school science subjects was highly predictive of performance in physiology, combined systematic physiology and anatomy and biomechanics units, but again not for regional anatomy units. It appears that year 12 performance in science subjects and ENTER scores may be important predictors of success in physiology, but not regional anatomy subjects at university. It is possible that regional anatomy is an entirely new subject area that requires new types of learning unrelated to year 12 science subjects.