Third-year Course Research Articles

Flipped classrooms: Using Google Groups to facilitate in-class communication

Foreword This report describes two mandatory one-semester ESP courses (English for International Relations) offered to second- and third-year undergraduates at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO) enrolled in the selective “international relations” track. The second-year course deals with topics related to jobs in international relations and the third-year course with topics related to recent issues in international relations and diplomacy. The common objecti...

<i>Mrs Dalloway</i> in Johannesburg: Reconceptualizing Literariness in Woolf’s Novel after #FeesMustFall1

This article describes my experience teaching Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway as part of a third-year English Literature course during the #FeesMustFall protests in South Africa and the calls for curriculum transformation across the academy that ensued. In particular, it discusses students’ heightened awareness of “the social function of difficulty” (Diepeveen 30) and the critical doubt to which activist readings of Woolf’s aesthetic were subsequently subjected. It then explains how the introduction of recent neuro-cognitive approaches to Woolf’s writing provided a surprisingly enabling approach to the novel in this context by illuminating both the intuitive and “transforming” (Miall and Kuiken 125) version of literariness that Mrs Dalloway explicitly promotes, as well as the specialized and arguably elitist one that Woolf’s difficult and “multiply embedded” (Zunshine 279) aesthetic implicitly inscribes. My conclusion is a largely speculative one: I propose that the cognitive approach had some efficacy in this context because it helped students translate their intuitive and affective responses to Woolf’s difficulty into analytical terms and, moreover, legitimized the feelings of alienation that her work often engenders.

SELF-AWARENESS AND EMPATHY AS TOOLS TO MITIGATE CONFLICT, PROMOTE WELLNESS, AND ENHANCE PERFORMANCE IN A THIRD-YEAR ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSE

Historically, students in engineering design courses learn how to resolve conflict almost exclusively through experience and with varying degrees of success, which can have ramifications on student wellness and performance [1]. Instructors can intervene by scaffolding conflict resolution, but since they are often made aware only when team conflict becomes unmanageable, proactive strategies are needed. Several strategies were implemented in a new third-year course to enhance students’ self-awareness and empathy for others when working in teams. These included personality and conflict style exercises, the generation of an approachability statement, and the reflective monitoring of team dynamics using ITP metrics’ assessments during the term [2]. Surveys gauged student satisfaction with teamwork, the frequency of team conflict, and preparedness for resolving conflicts. Overall, students felt better prepared to handle future conflict as a result of the course. However, additional accountability measures may enhance the perceived value of the interventions used.

Profile matching for students specialization in industrial engineering major

Nowadays, various specific skills are needed in the global work environment. Because of that, many university majors provide specializations within majors. The Industrial Engineering major at Telkom University has eleven specializations that can be selected by the fourth-year students. The class maximum capacity for each specialization is 45 students. Every academic year, some specializations have registrants more that the class maximum capacity. Therefore, this study aims to create a selection procedure. The methodology used in the selection procedure is profile matching. The matching is done between the students’ capacity and the requirements of the specializations. The capacity and the requirements are measured by using seven previous first to third-year courses as the criteria. The value of the criteria is measured by the grade index of the seven courses. The gap is identified between the students’ grade achievement and the highest grade. This study is limited to two specializations that have 55 and 47 registrants in the academic year of 2019/2020. The profile matching calculation is simulated using the data of three students for each specialization. The highest and the lowest match score from the six students are 4.9 and 3.6 (on a scale of 5).

‘Between phutu and samoosas’: Student response to assessment tasks for a thirdyear university course which adopts a World English approach

This article demonstrates how teaching World Englishes (WE) and Indigenised Varieties of English (IVE), such as South African Englishes (SAE), challenges the hegemony of English which persists in African teaching contexts despite progressive language policies, the multilingualism of the learners and the fluid, translingual linguistic boundaries which exist in the 21st century. There is a need to acknowledge the linguistic resources of the multilingual learner. This article describes the value of teaching SAE as a didactic initiative designed to empower multilingual speakers of English in a semester module prescribed for the major in English at the University of South Africa, taught via distance education. It represents, in this context, a challenge from within the heart of hegemony. The paper showcases assessment tasks designed to teach WEs while promoting English language proficiency at graduate level. A qualitative analysis of student responses reveals that, although the hegemony of English remains strong, ‘Black’ South African English (BSAE) as an IVE is rapidly gaining ground. Students write with authority when the linguistic resources they bring to the assignment task are harnessed, but find certain of the theoretical underpinnings of WE difficult. This is not surprising given that although a greater tolerance for non-standard varieties of English is endorsed by the course, a standard variety is required for assessment purposes. Keywords: World Englishes, pedagogy, indigenised varieties of English (IVE), South African Englishes, multilingualism, hegemony

Implementation of an ACPE-Accredited PharmD Curriculum at a Saudi College of Pharmacy

Objective. To establish an academic curricular collaboration between the newly established college of pharmacy at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Saudi University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and a US college of pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and assess measures of success. Methods. Criteria for selecting a college for collaboration were established. A systematic approach was followed in negotiating legal, logistical, and financial issues with the selected collaborating institution. Course materials were transferred and implemented and minimal changes were made to the alignment and sequencing of lectures. The faculty at KSAU-HS developed and implemented research and seminar courses. Pharmacy practice experiences were designed and rubrics were developed. Results. All courses were implemented successfully. The PharmD students scored significantly higher in all academic levels in a benchmarked progress test than did students in other programs. Students' evaluation of 43 first-, second-, and third-year courses in 2017-2018 using a survey that assessed numerous aspects of each course showed significantly higher overall satisfaction than the institutional averages. Also, female students indicated significantly higher satisfaction with the PharmD program than did male students. Conclusion. The transfer and implementation of an accredited PharmD curriculum to the KSAU-HS College of Pharmacy went smoothly and the program was launched on time. Learning and teaching success was facilitated by the KSAU-HS faculty. Program outcomes were verified by students' high scores on a benchmarked examination and by their satisfaction with the courses.

Prediction of Students’ Performances Using Course Analytics Data: A Case of Water Engineering Course at the University of South Australia

An association between students’ learn-online engagement and academic performance was investigated for a third-year Water Resources Systems Design course at the University of South Australia in 2017. As the patterns of data were non-parametric, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed using SPSS. It was revealed from the test results that distributions of students’ logins to learn-online site for all categories and sub-categories including gender, international/domestic students and grades were almost similar. Therefore, it is relatively unrealistic to use lean-online engagement data to predict students’ performances. A correlation test was further performed to validate the hypothesis testing results and a weak relationship (Pearson’s r = 0.29) between login to learn-online site and grade was observed. The smaller F ratios of one way ANOVA also validated the test results. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests can be applied to course analytics data for face-to-face and online courses to understand a better picture about the uses of learn-online engagement data.

The Hidden Curriculum of Compassionate Care: Can Assessment Drive Compassion?

Medical schools are expected to promote compassionate care among learners. Assessment is a key way to communicate values to learners but can create a hidden curriculum. Assessing compassionate care is challenging; however, not assessing it can communicate to students that such care is not valued. The purpose of this study was to explore how current assessment strategies promote or suppress the idea that caring behaviors are valued learning objectives. Data sources were third-year course documents; interviews of 9 faculty, conducted between December 2015 and February 2016; and focus groups with 13 third-year medical students and an interview with 1 third-year medical student, conducted between February and June 2016. The stated intentions of third-year assessments were compared with the behaviors rewarded through the assessment process and the messages students received about what is valued in medical school. Syllabi did not include caring as a learning outcome. Participants recognized assessment as a key influence on student focus. Faculty perspectives varied on the role of medical schools in assessing students' caring and compassion. Students prioritized studying for assessments but described learning about caring and compassion from interactions such as meaningful patient encounters and both positive and negative role models that were not captured in assessments. Faculty members expressed concern about not assessing caring and compassion but acknowledged the difficulty in doing so. While students admitted that assessments influenced their studying, their reported experiences revealed that the idea that "assessment drives learning" did not capture the complexity of their learning.

The Possible Learning and Teaching Benefits of Short Mind-calming Exercises in Undergraduate Courses

The potential benefits of meditation exercises to promote more focused student attention and engagement have only rarely been quantitatively investigated at the college/university level. Here, I report student perceptions on the impacts of regular short mind-calming exercises at the beginning of every class in second, third, and fourth-year biology undergraduate courses, using voluntary anonymous surveys that were completed by at least two-thirds of each class (total enrollments 326, 68, and 15 respectively).
 In the third year course, 93% of respondents indicated that the exercise was “enjoyable and relaxing”, 73% indicated that it was “a valuable use of lecture time because I feel it enhances deep learning”, 75% found it a useful perspective “to achieving balance/calm in my life”, and 76% rejected the suggestion that although “the exercises are useful, they are not course-related material and therefore are inappropriate within class time”. Responses to several other distinct survey statements were also strongly positive, and furthermore, very similar favourable results as above were obtained in the other two courses. Overall, although it is unclear whether these very short exercises actually enhanced learning, many students perceived that it did. Finally, my teaching performance in university-based student assessments of the third-year course was significantly elevated in the year with mind-calming exercises compared to each of the previous nine iterations in which I had been an instructor. Together, these quantitative results suggest that the regular use of such exercises has multiple direct and indirect benefits that may contribute to more effective undergraduate learning and teaching.

Experimental and simulated operation of absorption column for the removal of VOC from air

Separation processes represent one of the most important operation in chemical industry. The most used techniques are distillation and absorption. The Industrial Chemistry Bachelor’s Degree program at the University of Milano, Chemistry Department, includes a third-year course titled “Industrial Plants with Laboratory”. This laboratory (six university credits course) is devoted to separation processes with an average annual attendance of about 80 people. An experience concerning the use of an absorption column is proposed to the students. A 1 m height column with an internal diameter of 0.044 m, filled with Sulzer-type structural bodies is used for data collection in steady state conditions. Water purifies a mixture of a VOC (acetone) and air in counter current. With the collected data, students check the material balance on the column and, knowing the height of the column, determine the global diffusion coefficients. Moreover, the software PRO II 9.3 by AVEVA is used for the simulation of the plant. The comparison between experimental and simulated data is a key aspect of the laboratory and guarantees a cross-check of both activities. Students evaluation of the course is strongly positive.

Experience in the Use of Social Software to Support Student Learning in University Courses of Science and Engineering Degrees

A wiki is an easy-to-use online tool for teachers and students, as it is a collaborative website that provides the opportunity to develop and modify its content to every member in an interactive and fast way. This paper comparatively describes experiences in the implementation of wikis as voluntary activities in first-year courses in a degree in Chemistry and third-year courses in a degree in Telecommunication System Engineering. The main goal of using the wikis was to achieve collaboration among students to generate knowledge. The developed methodology was applied to the resolution of exercises, problems, and test questions, as well as to the elaboration of class notes and a bilingual glossary. The approach turned the students into active learners, increasing their interest in the course contents, promoting knowledge exchange among students and encouraging the self-management of their learning process. The role of the teacher was to provide feedback to the students in order to ensure the accuracy of the contents. Four different patterns were distinguished among the students according to their participation level in the wiki. The students who were most committed to the courses were also the most involved in the wikis, and the combination resulted in the students’ success. The results obtained for the degree in Chemistry were better than those of the degree in Telecommunication System Engineering, which was ascribed to the increased connection among the first-year students. The didactic strategy was very positive, although the percentage of participation in the wikis was somewhat low, in particular for the third-year students, who were more independent and self-organized. Initially, the number of wiki visits increased suddenly, and then moved to a long period of lower activity in the degree of Chemistry and lethargy in the degree of Telecommunication System Engineering. Therefore, it is desirable to introduce modifications in the approach, such as flexible and consensual planning with the students in order to ensure their full engagement.

MAKING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE MORE PRODUCTIVE

Problem analysis is taught in the classroomenvironment by having students solve problems that oftenhave ready solutions. Because classroom problems areoften solvable within an hour, problem analysis, as oneCEAB (Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board)graduate attribute, may be viewed separately from othergraduate attributes. Students participating inundergraduate research, however, learn problem analysisby also developing investigative skills, use of engineeringtools (Matlab, Excel), even communication skills. In thispaper we discuss our undergraduate research experiencefrom perspectives of mentor and mentee. Mentor'smotivation to recruit undergraduate research studentscould include (i) high probability of finding talentedstudents to work on project of relatively short duration(i.e., one year) and (ii) producing solutions to a variety ofproblems that could lead to research problems. Thesemotivations align well with motivations of undergraduateresearch mentees, i.e., experience in solving morerealistic (open-ended) problems and strengthening theirresearch portfolios. Generating "real world" problemscan be achieved by introducing student-proposed designor analysis project component into a third-year course.Projects completed can then be continued into summerresearch projects. Results from the summer projects inturn enrich the third-year course content. To makeundergraduate research experience more productive,mentor encourages mentee to write and present together aconference paper, such as CEEA 2018 Conference.National-level conference experience would strengthenstudent's research portfolio. Projects with highertechnical content could even be presented to engineeringconferences, which is what we are aiming for. We discussways to increase student participation. We provide acourse project template for faculty members who areinterested in adopting our experience into their teachingand research activities.

English Noh Theater Workshop: Lessons from a Japanese University EFL Classroom

Recognizing the value of performing arts activities within EFL education, teachers have experimented with a wide variety of approaches in their teaching. This article draws broadly on one such project which took place at a prefectural university in Fukushima during late 2016 and early 2017. Here, English was embedded in a traditional Japanese dramatic form and students in a third-year elective course developed an English language Noh theatre set in cyberspace. While this work is discussed in detail elsewhere (Rockell, 2019), the current article focuses on some of the practical ways the project was carried out and uses these ways as a basis for a suggested English Noh Theatre workshop to be offered to language teachers in Japan in the near future.

Addition of Care for Transgender-Related Patient Care into Doctorate of Pharmacy Curriculum: Implementation and Preliminary Evaluation.

The number of transgender and gender-diverse patients seeking medical care in the United States is increasing. For many of these patients, pharmacotherapy is a part of their gender-affirming transition. Effective instructional methods and resources for teaching pharmacy students about this patient population’s social considerations and medical treatments is lacking. Three hours of educational material on caring for transgender patients was added to a third-year course in a four-year Doctorate of Pharmacy program in the United States. The content included cultural, empathy, and medical considerations. Students in the course were given a survey to assess their perception of each instructional method’s effectiveness and self-assess their confidence in providing competent gender-affirming care to transgender people before and after the learning session. The survey response rate was 36% (54/152). Students’ self-assessed confidence to provide competent care to people who are transgender increased significantly. Before the learning session, the median confidence level was 4/10 (Interquartile range (IQR) 3–6), after the class session, the median confidence increased to 7/10 (IQR 6–8, p < 0.01). Students rated the pre-class video, jeopardy game, and patient panel as most helpful to improving their skills. The addition of transgender-related patient care material into the Doctorate of Pharmacy curriculum significantly increased the students’ confidence to provide competent care to people who are transgender.

Be More, Know More: An Evaluation of Students' Learning in a Community Events Course

This study takes an exploratory case study approach to assess the learning outcomes of a community events course using a Kirkpatrick model of evaluation. This third-year course uses a number of workshop and assessment-based activities to develop students' knowledge of community event management, while also developing a set of values that allows students to be differently in the world. Underpinning the course design was an appreciative inquiry approach to community events. Results of the end of semester course evaluation surveys (n=36 students) suggest that much of the students' evaluation of the course was at Step 1, or reaction (enjoyment) level. However, some students also noted learning and behavioral outcomes (Steps 2 and 3) from undertaking the course. The findings indicate that an alternative approach to event management, focusing on small community events, and using an appreciative inquiry approach to develop a social legacy from events can have solid impacts on students' sense of being and learning in Business degree, with positive sense of social responsibility outcomes.

In search of meaningful assessment in the university curriculum: the case for culturally relevant pedagogy

ABSTRACTThe poor performance of Pacific students at university is a concern for every level of society. Conventional models of teaching, learning and assessment have overlooked the cultural background of students, yet the effects of this oversight have been disastrous, alienating and disempowering. Studies of and developments in education in the Pacific and elsewhere offer opportunities to rethink the methods of teaching, learning and assessment of Pacific students in ways that are congruent with their home culture. Informed by the principle of so’a lau pule (the Samoan concept of consensus through consultation and conversation) and ethnographic research methods, this study describes an attempt to rethink ways of teaching, learning and assessing student performance in a third-year course on Resource Conservation and Management in the School of Geography, Earth Science and Environment at the University of the South Pacific. Introduced in 2007, the Student Innovative Contribution to Knowledge (SICK) allows students to participate in key decisions concerning teaching, learning and assessment. SICK is grounded in the principles of inclusiveness and participation. It takes account of the skills and abilities of Pacific students and is aligned with the philosophical basis of Pacific cultures. One hundred and fifty-eight students took part in this study over a 5-year period. Analysis was based on students’ written reviews of the semester’s work, in-depth conversation with individual students and the end-of-the-course evaluation. The findings show that, while students embrace the need for non-conventional forms of teaching, learning and assessment, the most frequently cited responses for non-participation are poor time management and varying perceptions of what is considered an innovative assessment. This study shows that understanding the cultural background of students is critical to creating culturally inclusive learning environments.

INTRODUCTION OF AN ACTIVE LEARNING COMPONENT THROUGH RESEARCH REPORTS IN A LABORATORY COURSE

Abstract –Mechanical Engineering Laboratories is a third-year course at the University of Manitoba that covers the application of mechanical engineering principles to relevant experimental problems. The course spans two terms, counts for two credit hours per term and traditionally required student teams to prepare formal laboratory reports only.&#x0D; An active learning component was introduced by assigning students to write research reports on topics that would otherwise have been covered in the lectures. This allowed us to enable additional laboratory groups during former lecture slots and accommodate the program’s enrollment increase from 80 to 120 students. Introducing research reports also allowed students to learn independently, research beyond the level of detail in the course if they wished, and practice their lifelong learning skills along with teamwork skills.&#x0D; Most students did well in this component of the course. Student feedback comments on the research reports were mostly positive. This experience suggests that an active learning component through research reports in lieu of some lectures may be a useful active learning tool in an upper-level laboratory course.&#x0D;

Teaching the future: learning strategies and student challenges

Purpose How do you teach the future when it has not happened yet? The purpose of this paper is to delve into the teaching and learning philosophies of Futurist Dr Ian Yeoman of Victoria University of Wellington who emphasises authenticity, problem-based learning, visuals as creative tools and students’ negotiating problems. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a reflective account of the Author Dr Ian Yeoman as a human instrument. Findings The paper overviews three papers taught by the Author Dr Ian Yeoman – TOUR104 is a first-year introductory course addressing how the drivers and trends in the macro environment influence tourism from a political, economic, social, technology and environment perspective. TOUR301 is a third-year course as part of the bachelor of tourism management degree. The course aims to help students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to understand and critically analyse tourism public policy, planning and processes within New Zealand and a wider context. TOUR413 is a scenario planning paper, applied in a tourism context and taught to students in postgraduate programs. Originality/value The paper examines different learning tools and strategies in order to deliver the philosophy with scaffolding and incremental learning featuring predominantly in this approach.

For US Students, L2 Reading Comprehension is Hard Because L2 Listening Comprehension is Hard, Too

The Simple View of Reading (SVR) model posits that reading is the product of word decoding and language comprehension and that oral language (listening) comprehension is the best predictor of reading comprehension once word-decoding skill has been established. The SVR model also proposes that there are good readers and three types of poor readers—dyslexic, hyperlexic, and garden variety. In this study, a random sample of US high school monolingual English speakers completing first-, second-, and third-year Spanish courses were administered standardized measures of Spanish word decoding, reading, listening comprehension, and vocabulary and then classified according to SVR reader types. Findings showed that regardless of reader type, most students exhibited good word decoding but poor reading and listening comprehension skills even when compared to young native Spanish speakers. There were strong and significant correlations between Spanish reading comprehension, Spanish listening comprehension, and Spanish vocabulary. Path analyses showed that listening comprehension was the strongest predictor of reading comprehension but vocabulary contributed independent variance to Spanish reading ability. Findings indicate that Spanish reading comprehension is hard for US learners primarily because their Spanish oral language comprehension skills are very weak.

No Place Like Home: The Impact on Medical Students of an Interprofessional Home Visit Experience with Pharmacy Students

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Medical and pharmacy schools are required to train learners using interprofessional education (IPE) to meet accrediting requirements and to enhance the learning experience. Standards for optimal IPE learning have not yet been clearly identified. During a year-long course, 135 third-year medical students participated in a clinical home visit experience with third-year pharmacy students and a geriatrician or geriatric nurse practitioner. Six weeks after the home visits, medical students completed a survey about the value of the experience. In addition, at both the beginning and end of the third-year course, medical students completed a survey of attitudes about physicians and other health care providers, including pharmacists. Interdisciplinary work was significantly less valuable than the other aspects of the home visit (p &lt; 0.001). The top three learning elements were: (1) close contact with the patient, (2) experience of the practitioner, and (3) debriefing after the visit. IPE is an important avenue to enhance education at all levels and in multiple areas of medical education. However, consideration of the learning environment is imperative to success of any IPE experience. This study is one of the first to demonstrate that the setting of the experience is at least as important and may be more important than length of interaction, types of faculty involved, level of learners, and preparation for all parties in the design of an IPE experience.