Teamwork Skills Research Articles

A Comparison of Science Learning Skills in the Teacher-centered Approach and Inquiry-based Science Fieldwork: Primary School Students' Perceptions

This paper describes and compares primary school students' perceptions of science learning skills in a teacher-centered approach (TCA) and in inquiry-based science fieldwork (IBSF). This comparison was prompted by primary school students' perceptions of science learning skills, which has recently gained momentum, and the Namibian primary schools' recent curriculum shift from TCA to IBSF. The study utilized quantitative cross-sectional data (n = 237) collected from two primary schools in the Oshana region of Namibia. The data were gathered via an online survey and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the TCA and IBSF groups. The results revealed that the students had positive to fairly positive perceptions of science learning skills in IBSF and very negative to negative perceptions of science learning skills in TCA, with the difference between the two perceptions being statistically significant. This may indicate that Namibian primary school students find it hard to develop science learning skills under TCA. Therefore, the current study provided evidence for the need to focus more on supporting students' science learning skills, particularly problem-solving, communication and teamwork skills. This implies that the IBSF teaching approach, which allows students to become aware of the importance of science learning skills, must be adopted in Namibian primary schools. The paper also discusses the benefits of IBSF of science learning skills in students.

Perceived soft skills needs of agriculture students in public universities in Niger Delta, Nigeria

The study investigated the perceived soft skills needs of agriculture students in public universities in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The population of the study is 11,283 agriculture undergraduate students in the 12 public universities in states in the Niger Delta geo-political zone. The sample size was 300 agriculture undergraduate students. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select the sample. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Percentage and mean were used for analysis. Results revealed that the majority of the respondents (97.2%) could communicate effectively; 96% had a good sense of humour; 95.6% possessed the ability to cope with new changes; 92% possessed the ability to meet responsibilities on time; 89.6% possessed problem-solving skills. The results also revealed that agriculture students need many soft skills; some of which are creative thinking skills (x̄ =3.51), teamwork skills (x̄ =3.50); problem-solving/decision-making skills (x̄ =3.48); and leadership/management skills (x̄ ==3.47) among others. The universities should establish 6-month to 1-year student internship programmes, which will enable agriculture students to fully understand professional soft skills such as teamwork, creative thinking skills, and time management, among others that are relevant to the establishment and sustainability of agro-based enterprises.

On the Promotion of Comprehensive Practical Training in Economics and Management in Universities based on VBSE System

With the rapid development of the market economy, enterprises and society have increasingly high requirements for the professional abilities and comprehensive qualities of various types of college graduates. Most universities have carried out education and teaching reforms based on this reason, in order to improve the employment competitiveness of graduates. Practical teaching is a key direction of higher education reform, and schools hope to provide graduates with a more systematic, comprehensive, and three-dimensional knowledge application system through practical teaching. The VBSE system is a simulation training platform that simulates the commercial and social environment. By building a simulated commercial and social environment on campus, students participating in the training course can engage in different jobs through role-playing, thereby understanding the functions and structures of each position, improving their professional abilities and comprehensive qualities in practice, and enhancing communication and teamwork skills among classmates in operation. This article will start from the current teaching situation in universities, analyze the necessity, advantages and disadvantages of introducing comprehensive management training in universities, and explore the specific trial plan of training courses.

Do we need a co-pilot in the operating theatre? A cross-sectional study on surgeons' perceptions.

The aim of this original study was to investigate general surgeons' perceptions on the role of dual surgeon operating for high-risk, elective complex surgical procedures. A 21-part cross-sectional online survey was self-completed by 85 general surgeons across hospitals in the UK. The survey assessed the perception of dual surgeon operating on patient morbidity and mortality, surgeons' burnout rates, complaints, patient waiting times and overall trainee experience. Statistical analysis was performed using R version 3.6.1. Overall 78.8% believed that dual surgeon operating could help to overcome these human factors. Sub-analysis includes improve surgeon fatigue (89.4%), improve confidence (83.5%), improve decision-making (76.5%), minimise technical error (69.4%), improve communication, team work and leadership skills (65.9%). 65.9% believed it would reduce surgeons' burnout. There was a statistically significant relationship between the participants believing it would reduce surgeons' burnout and those who felt it would reduce complaints, Chi-squared(4) = [30.8], p = [0.00000342]. A statistically significant relationship was noted between participants believing it would reduce surgeons' burnout and those who felt it would reduce patient mortality/morbidity, Chi-squared(4) = [19.9], p = [0.000517]. The survey has highlighted positive surgeons' perceptions regarding dual surgeon operating.

Enhancing students’ engagement and learning through peer assessment in group projects

Aiming at enhancing students’ active engagement and deep learning in a large-class setting, this study introduced group projects along with peer assessment among tertiary-level students in different cohorts. Following the designated pedagogical approach and assessment criteria illustrated by the course instructor, students’ learning experiences related to project preparation and peer assessment in a compulsory course were observed for three consecutive years. Students expressed a high degree of agreement that the flexibility allowed in selecting group members and project contents promoted their interests in conducting projects on diverse environmental issues beyond the lecture materials and helped them develop teamwork and interpersonal skills. Regarding peer assessment, the observed resemblance among teacher-assessed and peer-assessed grading in most cases indicated that students could successfully develop critical evaluation skills required for the peer assessment. Moreover, students provided positive feedback on the peer assessment method and responded that this exercise triggered reflection on their own work, which could be useful for enhancing their deep learning and understanding of the subject. However, unsurprisingly, some students requested more guidance and directions given by the course instructor regarding project selection and grading criteria ahead of the peer assessment. It is also interesting to note that students’ comments varied regarding the weighted fractions of project marks allocated to the teacher (50%) and peer (50%). Some students underscored that the teacher’s grading should have a higher weighting than those of peer students, which may improve the fairness in marking. These various comments could assist us to better implement peer assessment in other courses. In all, given the students' positive learning attitudes and improved evaluation skills, peer assessment of group projects can be considered as a comprehensive approach for engaging students in deep learning experiences and higher-level understanding of broader knowledge. Keywords: Tertiary Education, summative assessment, teaching Pedagogy, collaborative learning, reflection/evaluation, deep Learning.

The Roles of Actor/Teacher in Creating Youth Community Theatre: Empowering and Re-Connecting Youths with their Community in a Partnership School Project, Pichit Province, Thailand

This study documented the community theatre process for young people led by facilitators from the Play-Spirit Studio and examined how their processes and roles impacted the development of the youths. The program was implemented in four schools in Pichit Province, Thailand, with each project lasting five days. The facilitators used the community theatre process, working with youths between the ages of 9-12 and 13-18 as an intervention in 4 schools, encouraging them to create narratives based on their community. The narratives functioned as a learning process for the youths and as a production for the community audiences. The facilitators' leadership in the process provided a safe learning environment for the youths to explore social issues, assume roles in drama, and reflect on themselves. This was a transformative experience for both the young people and their teachers. The young people developed communication, team-working, and resilience skills through the theatre process while the teachers recognized the youths’ potential and the importance of community engagement in the young people’s learning.

Core Skills and Competencies for Inclusion in the Curriculum for Effective Performance of Extension Professionals

Changing situations and developments in agriculture in the 21st century demands extension workers to be equipped with a diverse set of competencies. Extension workers’ ability to adapt, communicate effectively and combine technical expertise with participatory approaches can significantly influence their job performance and ultimately, contribute to the growth and sustainability of the agriculture industry. Hence, an attempt has been made to know the level of need of core skills and competencies required for extension professionals to perform their job effectively. A scale was developed to measure the level of need of the skills and competencies thatan agricultural extension professional requires to perform their tasks. Twelve broad areas of skills and competencies required for agricultural extension professionals were identified and grouped. Professionals presently working in Karnataka State Department of Agriculture, Karnataka State Department of Horticulture and Coffee Board are considered as respondents. The results revealed that soft skills were ranked first, followed by entrepreneurship development skills and communication skills. Planning and designing need based programs, building teamwork skills, agricultural value chain extension, use of modern communication methods and AV aids, use of computer applications, monitoring and evaluation of extension programs, designing training programs, problem solving skills, knowledge on subject matter concepts, motivating farmers, innovativeness and stress management are the individual skills ranked first respectively on the listed twelve broad areas of skills and competencies. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that equipping extension workers with the necessary skills during their undergraduate and postgraduate education is crucial to ensure they are well-prepared to meet the evolving demands of the agriculture industry. By reorienting and enhancing the curriculum, agricultural universities and institutions can play a significant role in developing competent extension professionals.

‘We work together as a group’: implications of jigsaw cooperative learning

BackgroundModern clinical practice increasingly relies on collaborative, cooperative and team-based approaches for effective patient care. Recently, Jigsaw cooperative learning has gained attention in medical education. There is a need for studies in Southeast Asian context to establish its effectives in developing various core competencies expected of health professionals such as interpersonal, communication, collaborative, and teamwork skills. This current study explores the impact of using Jigsaw Cooperative Learning on undergraduate medical students.MethodAn explanatory mixed method research design was carried out on first year medical students at a private university in Malaysia. In Phase I, a survey was conducted to explore the effectiveness of jigsaw learning. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS. In Phase II, a focus group interview was conducted to explore their in-depth experiences. Qualitative data were thematically analysed.ResultsFifty-seven students participated in the survey and seven students took part in the focus group interview. Quantitative data analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the student’s individual accountability, promotive interaction, positive interdependence, interpersonal skill, communication skill, teamwork skill, critical thinking and consensus building after jigsaw learning sessions. Qualitative data explained their experiences in-depth.ConclusionJigsaw cooperative learning improves collaboration, communication, cooperation and critical thinking among the undergraduate medical students. Educators should use jigsaw learning methods to encourage effective collaboration and team working. Future studies should explore the effectiveness of the jigsaw cooperative learning technique in promoting interprofessional collaboration in the workplace.

Application of Revit Software to Improve Spatial Intelligence in Architecture Students in a Private University – Huancayo

Objective: To determine the effect of the application of the Revit program in the improvement of spatial intelligence in Architecture students in a private university in Huancayo-Peru.
 
 Theoretical structure: Armstrong (2006) expressed that spatial intelligence refers specifically to the content of forming a mental model in the spatial world and to control, act using this pattern, in an aggregate of attitudes and skills that combine a subtle understanding in shapes, lines, color, dimensions and spaces and the relationship of elements, which in turn allows largely to visualize and graphically represent a spatial or visual idea, mostly involves the improvement of visual perception. As stated by Rossado (2017) students use manual graphic expression to convey ideas quickly, and in the future, they should be able to combine the use of technology and manual expression, in addition to allowing students to express their design project anytime and anywhere, this will give them fluid cooperation, communication, empathy, cooperation, respect, ethics, honesty and teamwork skills, all of which provide adaptability to any work situation.
 
 Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was conducted through a quantitative approach, according to Hernandez et al. (2014) is quasi-experimental which will be composed of two groups, the control and experimental, which will receive the treatment or stimulus, it is of longitudinal cut will collect the results of the studies that are conducted by collecting data at a single time and with the execution of the post test allows us to measure the effect of the program on spatial intelligence.
 
 Conclusions: Differences of ranges of spatial intelligence have been observed between the control and experimental group; the value of Z was found below the critical value Zc= -1.96 where (-6.137<-1.96) and the p=0.000<0.05; with such result it can be affirmed that by using the Revit program a significant impact in the improvement of spatial intelligence is achieved, therefore the H0 is rejected and Ha is admitted.
 
 Originality/Value: The present study is a significant contribution because it postulates the results obtained through field work and whose statistical treatments allow understanding the importance of the development of special intelligence in university students of the professional career of architecture in the consolidation of technical skills and management of technological applications such as Revit.

Teaching transferable skills in teamwork, accountability, goal setting, writing, and problem-solving in a non-major microbiology lab: the unknown bacteria experiment redefined.

College to Career is a phrase that we often use to describe the skills and abilities that students should achieve while preparing for college and/or careers. To help prepare our students for their future careers, we developed a microbiology laboratory curriculum based on factors identified to improve college-to-career readiness. These factors include content knowledge, analyzing and interpreting data, accountability, goal setting, and teamwork. At the core of the design are inquiry and problem-based learning. This approach allows students to actively engage in the scientific process while collaborating with classmates and learning technical and transferable career skills. The curriculum includes microbiology laboratory skills, including plating, serial dilutions, and biochemical tests, with integrated opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, analysis and interpretation of data, teamwork, goal setting, decision-making, and scientific writing.

Statistical Analysis and Employability skills Equation for Graduate Students in the Bahamas

A statistical analysis was carried out to systematically explain and evaluate how the possibilities of acquisition of entry-level positions are raised by aiding and improving different employability skills. The data was collected from final-year undergraduate (Accounting, Banking & Finance, Computer Information Systems, Management & Marketing) students by using a convenient sample technique through a questionnaire, floated on an online G Monkey survey instrument to collect primary source of information based on Likert scale. The study finds that students used a combination of traditional and student-centred learning methods and pedagogies to acquire employability skills. The students’ responses data was analyzed using SPSS based techniques, ‘Cronbach’s Alpha’ , ‘backward regression’, and ‘ANOVA’ respectively to check the reliability of data, to iteratively examine the statistical significance of the employability factors, and to check whether ‘employability skills’, ‘academic skills’, ‘personal management skills’, ‘Teamwork skills and learning methods’ are the important employability factors, for the final-year undergraduate (Accounting, Banking & Finance, Computer Information Systems, Management & Marketing) students. However, based on student’s response analysis, it was investigated, the ‘employability skills’ ( F=28.45, P<0.000, α=0.05, Fc=1.39),‘personal management skills’( F=3.391, P<0.000, α=0.05, Fc=1.29) , ‘Team skills’( F=6.531, P<0.000, α=0.05, Fc=1.27) have no impacts on the possibilities of acquisition of entry-level positions, but students of all disciplines agrees with the significance of employability factors in ‘academic skills’( F=0.559, P=0.812, α=0.05, Fc=1.32). By knowing the effect and significance of employability factors/indicators it will be very beneficial and easy for graduate students to choose and acquire employability skills. The study contributes to the literature by providing the perceptions of graduate students from specific premises and respondents of a particular background in the Bahamas context. The statistical analysis of students’ responses shows, the employability factors were ‘numeracy skills (mathematical)’, ‘IT literacy skills’, ‘decision making skills’, ‘communication skills’, ‘critical-analysis skills’, ‘competence in specialized subject area’, and ‘ability to apply specialized knowledge from various field’. While the literature finds communication skills, problem-solving skills and interpersonal skills often appear among the highest ranked skills in terms of importance, the significance of this study is that ‘learning skills’ ranked as the second most important employability skill [1]. A regression model equation was developed for forecasting the probabilities of acquisition of entry-level positions based on ‘numeracy skills(mathematical)’, ‘IT literacy skills’, and ‘decision making skills’, ‘communication skills’, ‘critical-analysis skills’, ‘competence in specialized subject area’, ‘ability to apply specialized knowledge from various field’, skills [2].

Novel moving, handling and extraction simulation for students in a soft play area

Background: Emergency medical services often have to extricate patients from their location and take them to an ambulance. High-quality training is required to ensure patient and staff safety during moving, handling and extrication manoeuvres. This study aimed to determine student satisfaction and self-confidence regarding what they had learnt after a novel moving, handling and extrication simulation exercise in a children's soft play area. Methods: A mixed-methods cross-sectional survey was adopted, using the validated Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning survey tool. Qualitative data were collected from an open question for additional comments. Student paramedics and student emergency medical technicians from one higher education institution completed four time-limited scenarios, each of which involved moving an immobile patient away from their environment. Descriptive statistics were determined for the participant characteristics and survey responses. Thematic analysis was performed on the qualitative data. Results: The student participants were aged 18–47 years and the majority were women. They were satisfied with both their learning and their self-confidence in what they had learnt after the simulation event, and felt their communication and teamwork skills had improved. They enjoyed the event more than classroom-based simulation. While they felt the simulation was realistic, suggestions were made to make it more so. Conclusion: Use of a children's soft play area for a moving, handling and extrication simulation provided student satisfaction and self-confidence in learning.

Psychology-based cohesion education & drug effects on depressed college students

BackgroundThe prevalence of depression is increasing among students in higher education due to academic stress and interpersonal relationships. Although medication is the main form of intervention, medication alone may not achieve the desired results. Recently, cohesion education based on educational psychology has received attention and is considered as a possible effective non-pharmacological treatment.Subjects and MethodsThree hundred college and university students who had been diagnosed with depression were selected for the study. They were randomly divided into three groups: a medication group, a cohesion education combined with medication group, and a control group. Among them, cohesion education covered teamwork, group activity organisation, and interactive communication skills, which lasted for six months, once a week for two hours. All groups received conventional medication for depression. Students were assessed for depressive symptoms before, during and after the intervention using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).ResultsHDRS scores in the cohesive education combined medication group were significantly lower than those in the medication and control groups at the end of the study. In addition, students in the combined treatment group generally reported that their interpersonal relationships improved and their teamwork skills increased.ConclusionsCohesive education based on educational psychology combined with medication has significant efficacy for students with depression in colleges and universities. This combined treatment not only helps to reduce students’ depressive symptoms, but also improves their interpersonal relationships and teamwork skills.Acknowledgement 2016 Middle-aged and Youth Research Project of Fujian Provincial Department of Education (No. JAS160604).

Teaching Professionalism during and Posta Pandemic to Surgical Trainees: A Survey of the Impact of a Workshop on Trainers and Trainees.

Focussed professionalism training improves surgical trainees' communication, information gathering, and counselling skills. This study reviews the impact of a professionalism workshop for surgical trainees within a large trust in the United Kingdom developed during the pandemic to support the trainees and help them develop resilience and appropriate behaviours during the time of increased pressure. A workshop involving case-based discussions and reflections on professionalism was developed from the themes and methods of training noted to be effective on a literature search of Medline, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases carried out in May 2020. The impact of Covid on surgical trainees and educator's professionalism training and the techniques of training preferred by trainees was evaluated by a survey of trainees and trainers after the intervention to evolve future training initiatives. During the workshop, a behavioural marker checklist was used to improve feedback on the observed behaviours. 83 trainers and trainees were surveyed following a professional behaviour workshop training 63 surgeons at various stages of training. Surgical list availability had reduced by at least 5-10 a month for all the trainees within the trust during the pandemic. Most trainees surveyed (49 (60%)) felt that this had reduced the opportunities to train technical skills and develop professional non-technical skills like teamwork and communication skills, adversely impacting the trainee's clinical performance. The increased support offered by the workshop helped 50 trainees (80%) to improve non-technical skill performance objectively by referencing to behavioural markers and this was felt to have become embedded in practice when surveyed 4 weeks later in 38 trainees (60%). The majority of those surveyed (47 (75%)) felt trainers and trainees had acted professionally during the pandemic and subsequently. The workshop discussions also helped (56 (67%)) trainers and trainees to consider how best to engage professionally with new ways of working as work, and training switched to virtual or telemedicine platforms during the pandemic. Professionalism-based education facilitates surgical trainee development, making them stronger team members and helping to restore team working skills and embrace new working practices.

The impact of digital education initiatives

The article summarizes the arguments and counterarguments of the scientific debate regarding the impact of digital education initiatives on human capital development in Ukraine. The study’s primary goal is to determine the effect of digital educational initiatives on human capital development. The systematization of literary sources and approaches to solving the problem indicates that the debate about the advantages and disadvantages of digital education in Ukraine continues until now. The urgency of solving this scientific problem lies in the fact that digital education is essential for the state’s educational policy and the country’s general development of human capital. The study of the topic in the article is carried out in the following logical sequence: a review of the literature to determine the advantages and disadvantages of digital education in Ukraine and an assessment of the impact of digital education on the development of skills and abilities of education seekers. An in-depth retrospective analysis of scientific works was carried out to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the subject of research. To solve the set goal, the methods of statistical analysis and questionnaires were used in the work. The object of the study is digital education initiatives in Ukraine. The effectiveness of initiatives in improving students’ knowledge, abilities, and employment prospects is analyzed. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that digital education initiatives positively affect the development of human capital in Ukraine. Educators who have mastered the skills of working on digital platforms demonstrate improved critical thinking and teamwork skills. The results show that these initiatives improve students’ skills, knowledge and employability. The development of digital education also requires establishing fair access to digital educational materials, especially in rural areas, and improving pedagogical workers’ qualifications in using digital products. The findings contribute to the broader academic discourse on the relationship between digital education and human capital growth, providing ideas for future research.

CLIL METHODOLOGY IN UKRAINIAN PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITIES: CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS

The article highlights the implementation of the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology in higher educational establishments in Ukraine. The concept of CLIL is clarified, and scholars’ perspectives on the advantages of using content and language integrated learning in foreign language study are presented. CLIL has been identified as the most promising approach due to its integration of both professional and language training, combining subject-specific teaching tools with language instruction. The work emphasizes the necessity of CLIL implementation as a response to the growing demand for foreign language proficiency within the constraints of limited learning hours in pedagogical universities of Ukraine. The research investigates the challenges faced by educators in integrating CLIL into the existing language and pedagogical curriculum. The author examines the benefits and opportunities that CLIL offers for language learning and subject knowledge acquisition. It is revealed the significance of language proficiency and teacher training for successful CLIL implementation. The article points out the impact of CLIL on students’ motivation and engagement in the learning process. The author focuses on the role of CLIL in developing students’ critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills. The main advantages of CLIL methodology include fostering motivation to learn a foreign language, enhancing learners’ creative mental abilities, and purposeful mastering of lexical units. The study also identifies potential barriers hindering CLIL integration. The strategies to address these challenges and enhance CLIL effectiveness in higher educational establishments are proposed. Overall, this research sheds light on the potential of CLIL to transform language teaching and subject learning in Ukrainian pedagogical universities while highlighting the need for appropriate support and preparation for educators and learners. The significance of content and language integrated learning lies in students gaining knowledge in various subjects that they can apply in their future professional activity. Keywords: content and language integrated learning, motivation, foreign language proficiency, subject knowledge acquisition, higher education.

Introducing Game Jams for Ecology and Citizenship Education in High School Classes

This paper deals with the preliminary results of some applied game jam events integrated with the Citizenship and Civic education project in some Italian high schools.
 In Italy GBL is not systematically used as a didactic tool, especially in secondary school and game jamming is not well known nor used. A set of specifically designed game jam events called (EcoGJ - the game jam for ecology) were implemented in Italy during the 2022/2023 school year. The game jam format was designed to promote the discourse about climate change and ecosystems, and implemented to demonstrate how a more student-centred didactic approach can be used at school to foster collaboration and team working skills.
 Students in the 15-16 target age from different high schools have been involved in the EcoGJ format. Outcomes have been recorded with a survey and with on-field notes. Preliminary results show as game jams had a positive impact on students, encouraging them to use critical thinking and team working as well as activating them in discussing ecology and climate change issues. Notwithstanding, some critical points emerged both for students in terms of engagement and knowledge. It seems that game jams can be a valid working method to teach and learn new skills, as well as increase students’ self-confidence and their desire to learn more about complex issues such as climate change. Further explorations are needed to find the most adequate way to introduce game jamming in high school and the best format to use these events in the most effective way to foster students’ engagement in learning and to help them in deepening their scientific-based knowledge in ecology and climate change.

Fostering Employability Skills for Engineers with Serious Games: A gamified GBL concept

The world is becoming increasingly complex, and as a result, the demand for individuals with strong employability skills is growing rapidly. It is essential for engineering education to adapt to this reality and provide opportunities for students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, adaptability, and leadership skills. By doing so, engineering graduates will be well-equipped to navigate the complex challenges of the modern world and make meaningful contributions to society. Engineering education needs to adapt to this reality by incorporating more opportunities for students to develop their employability skills. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as experience- or project-based learning, internships, co-op programs, and industry partnerships. Game-based learning offers an engaging and immersive experience that can promote the development of these skills in a fun and interactive way. Within the Game-based learning approach implemented in our lecture the students play two subsequent game modules in which they first plan and build a factory building together and then put it into operation in the second part. The players are confronted with problems and situations that can only be overcome through communication and cooperation. This paper presents the self-developed online platform that uses gamification aspects such as micro-achievements for each student to represent the progress with the learning materials as well as within the gaming parts. The platform aims to provide students with an engaging and interactive way of learning, while also assessing their performance through collected data.

Multiplayer Serious Games Supporting Programming Learning

Computational thinking (CT) is crucial in education for providing a multifaceted approach to problem-solving. However, challenges exist such as supporting teachers' knowledge of CT and students' desire to learn it, particularly for non-technical students. To combat these challenges, Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) has been introduced in classrooms and implemented using a variety of technologies, including serious games, which have been adopted across several domains aiming to appeal to various demographics and skill levels. This research focuses on a Collaborative Multiplayer Serious Game (MSG) for CT skill training. The architecture is aimed at young students and is designed to aid in the learning of programming and the development of CT skills. The purpose of this research is to conduct an empirical study to assess the multiplayer game gameplay mechanics for collaborative CT learning. The proposed game leverages a card game structure and contains complex multi-team multi-player processes, allowing students to communicate and absorb sequential and conditional logics as well as graph routing in a 2D environment. A preliminary experiment was conducted with four fourth-graders and eight sixth-graders from a French school in Morocco who have varying levels of understanding of CT. Participants were split into three groups each with two teams and were required to complete a 16-question multiple-choice quiz before and after playing the same game to assess their initial structural programming logics and the effectiveness of the MSG. Questionnaires were collected along with an interview to gather feedback on their gaming experiences and the game’s role in teaching and learning. The results demonstrate that the proposed MSG had a favourable effect on the participants’ test scores as the scores of 4 of the teams increased and 1 remained the same. All students performed well on the sequential and conditional logics, which was significantly better than the achievement of the Bebras test of the graph routing. Furthermore, according to the participants, the game provides an appealing environment that allows players to immerse themselves in the game and the competitive aspect of the game adds to its appeal and helps develop teamwork, coordination, and communication skills.

Synergy of Internationalization Strategies and Talent Cultivation for International Organizations: A Study of Chinese Universities

The concept of internationalization holds growing significance in higher education, particularly for Chinese universities, as they enhance global engagement, cross-cultural exchange, and international collaboration. Simultaneously, international organizations play a pivotal role in addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development. This study explores the intersection of China's university internationalization strategies and talent cultivation for international organizations.Chinese universities have embraced varied internationalization endeavors, equipping graduates with intercultural competencies, global perspectives, and effective cross-cultural skills. These efforts align with international organizations' multifaceted needs, requiring a workforce adept at navigating complex global landscapes and addressing intricate issues. The study examines core elements of internationalization strategies impacting talent development, including alignment with international organizations, integration of cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary and intercultural social practice, and fostering diversified global outlooks. By aligning with international organizations' agendas, promoting global perspectives, and integrating academic research, universities pave a path for students to excel in international roles. Encouraging interdisciplinary and intercultural social practices enhances teamwork, social governance, and service-oriented skills—crucial competencies for international organizations. This study recommends aligning internationalization strategies with United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, addressing global challenges, and fostering international collaborative cultivation. These pillars are crucial for universities aspiring to nurture talents poised for international organizational roles.