Types Of Courses Research Articles

Blended Learning Delivery Methods for a Sustainable Learning Environment: A Delphi Study

The outbreak of COVID-19 necessitated social distancing. Universities around the world were left with two options: a total suspension or a major reduction in students’ attendance. While the nature of many courses made it very difficult to teach them online, blended learning was the most suitable approach to teach these types of courses. Academics and educational institutions have realized the significance of blended learning not only as a response to immediate disruptions but also as a pivotal element in fostering a sustainable learning environment. However, designing successful blended learning courses requires making challenging decisions regarding the selection of the most appropriate delivery methods to achieve learning outcomes. To support higher education adoption of blended learning, this study identifies and rates the importance of the delivery methods that need consideration when designing a blended learning course. The aim is to assist academics to prioritize their delivery options and provide adaptable and resilient educational models. A Delphi study of two rounds was conducted to identify and rate the delivery methods. An expert panel of 19 academics with extensive experience in course design and online delivery was recruited. The findings indicate that online collaborative work and face-to-face collaborative work should be academics’ first delivery choices. Interestingly, face-to-face instructor-led learning was at the bottom of the list and rated well below all the other delivery methods.

Investigating the Efficacy and Sustainability of Virtual Education Courses

As teacher educators prepare for the future of teacher education, it is important to address the sustainability of virtual education courses. This study used a pre-existing model provided by the New York State Education Department as a framework to define the types of courses that may appear in an education program. Data was collected using a convergent parallel mixed methods approach to simultaneously gather qualitative and quantitative data. A total of 640 education courses from accredited education programs across the United States were analyzed. Findings indicated the type of course did not play a role in the course effectiveness during the pandemic, suggesting all education courses can be delivered effectively in a virtual modality. The delivery method of undergraduate courses was indicated by participants to be less effective during the pandemic than graduate courses. Results suggest courses that involve fieldwork (i.e., Field Experience, Student Teaching, or Practicum) were indicated by participants to be the least sustainable as virtual courses post-pandemic. Results also suggest that although virtual education courses at the graduate level are sustainable in education programs post-pandemic, undergraduate courses may not be. Advantages to virtual course delivery clustered around logistics and access while challenges clustered around engagement and hands-on-learning. This study provides curriculum guidance to those across the globe in the position of making modality decisions.

Towards the Systematic Development of Marketing Students’ Creativity

Many university marketing students feel uncomfortable about developing creative thinking skills during college. However, they will soon graduate and face a need to utilize their creative abilities and contribute to their organizations. Therefore, this article provides a wide range of strategies to develop students’ creative abilities in marketing classes. It uses Gagné’s classical Nine Instructional Events (i.e., Gagné et al., 2005) to develop the strategies because Gagné systematically and comprehensively examines how to develop effective instructional stages across the entire learning process. The article also focuses on developing specific strategies to help students build creative competencies for very different teaching modes, such as asynchronous and synchronous online, HyFlex, and conventional face-to-face classes. By developing strategies for different modes, the instructor will be able to have comparative insight into how to adjust marketing courses to maximally stimulate students’ creativity, regardless of the type of course.

Implementing Competency Based Assessment (CBA) in a First Year Engineering Program

The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Engineering implemented a new First Year Engineering program in 2021/22. Competency-based assessment (CBA) was implemented across most of the curriculum, in a variety of types of courses. An extensive survey of this First Year cohort was conducted in the summer of 2022, and several questions focused on student perceptions of experiences with various aspects of the CBA implementation. This paper details findings from student perceptions of the USask CBA system, the reasons for those perceptions, how students used and navigated CBA, and suggestions for improvement. Descriptive statistics were compiled for all closed-form questions as well as for the coded text response questions. Overall, CBA worked quite well in this first major roll-out of the program. The forgiving nature of the assessment scheme was the most noted positive feature. Logistics play a key role in realizing CBA’s benefits, and improvements in the implementation will be needed in order for students and the program to maximize the potential of CBA.

Surgical anatomy of superior gluteal artery in relation to lumbosacral plexus – A cadaveric study in the Indian population

Background: The superior gluteal artery (SGA) passes in between branches of the lumbosacral plexus after arising from the internal iliac artery. Variations in the course of SGA from the internal iliac artery till it passes out of the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen are very important during pelvic surgeries. Pseudoaneurysm of SGA caused by iatrogenic injuries can compress branches of the lumbosacral plexus, causing foot drops and sciatica. Aims and Objectives: The aim is to study the course of the SGA in relation to branches of the lumbosacral plexus. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was done on 25 formalin-fixed human adult cadavers. Dissections were performed in the pelvic region and branches of the internal iliac artery and lumbosacral plexus were identified. SGA was traced on both sides from origin till passing out of the greater sciatic foramen and its relation to branches of lumbosacral plexus was recorded. Results: Three types of pathways taken by SGA were identified in relation to the lumbosacral plexus. The most common path taken by the SGA was between the lumbosacral trunk (LST) and the first sacral nerve. Thirty-five out of 50 were of this type (70%). Ten out of 50 had the second most common type which was between L4 and L5 branches of LST (20%). Five cadavers had SGA lateral to LST (10%). Ten cadavers out of 25 (40%) had side differences in the type of course taken by SGA in relation to the lumbosacral plexus. Conclusion: A surgeon must keep in mind variations in the path taken by SGA in relation to the lumbosacral plexus to prevent pseudoaneurysms of SGA, which in turn can compress branches of lumbosacral plexus, causing foot drop and sciatica.

ASSESSMENT OF LOCATION AND COURSE OF INFERIOR ALVEOLAR CANAL USING CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

Background and Rationale:Forensic radiology is an evolving integral branch of forensic medicine. The most challenging tasks for forensic dentists and anthropologists has been identification and determination of sex of unknown human skeletal remains. Morphological and morphometric analysis of course and relationship with adjacent structures of mandibular canal can be useful in determining gender. CBCT being very useful in forensic contexts offering several advantages for postmortem forensic imaging including good resolution for skeletal imaging, relatively low cost, portability, and simplicity. Aim and objectives:To determine the sexual dimorphism of mandibular canal using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods:Course of mandibular canal classified into types based on considerable distance between the mandibular canal and the root apexes of premolars and molars, A) Catenary, B) Progressive descending, C) Straight. Location of mandibular canal was evaluated in 4 different points. Comparison of length and width of mandibular canal, prevalence of anterior loop, bifid mandibular canal, accessory mental and mandibular canal among genders. Comparison of continuous variables such as distance, length and width of canal with gender and side was done using unpaired t-test. Comparison of categorical variables with gender and side was performed using Chi-square test. The level of significant was 5%. Results:The prevalence of type of canal was highest in straight canals 53.9% followed by progressive descending and catenary canals 23.7% and 22.4% respectively. Measuring the length of canal showed statically significant result as mean length of IAC was 68.36 ± 5.24, 64.10 ± 3.18 in males and females respectively. Width and distance to adjacent structures had no significant result but dimensions were slightly lesser in females. Prevalence of anterior loop was found to be 57.9%.The most frequently observed type of bifid canal was retromolar42.9% followed by forward 28.6%, dental 19%and buccolingual 9.5%. There was no significant difference of assessing prevalence of anterior loop, accessory mental and mandibular foramen in relation to gender and side. Conclusion:Sex determination becomes one of the first priorities in the process of identification by a forensic investigator in the case of mishaps, chemical and nuclear bomb explosions, natural disasters, crime investigations, and ethnic studies.Advanced cross-sectional imaging modalities especially CBCT is a suitable tool for observing anatomic characteristics of mandibular canal in forensic odontology. In the current study we found significant result on type of course and length of canal for gender determination.

Teaching Students to Read COVID-19 Journal Articles in Statistics Courses

Statistics is interdisciplinary and the practical application of statistical methods in various areas prompts undergraduates to learn more about statistics and better understand complex methods. This article presents a classroom teaching design that guides students in reading COVID-19 literature. The activities presented encourage peer-peer and student-instructor interaction, which can be modified based on the type of course offered as well as the level and major of students by changing the articles required for reading. The teaching activities are designed with evidence-based teaching strategies such as scaffolding and connecting the activities to learning outcomes aligned with levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. In our experience, the COVID-19 literature teaching activity improves students’ learning interest, cultivates students’ critical thinking, and enhances students’ understanding of theoretical methods. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Compliance is the armour for lending institution: a case study related to agri-finance

Learning outcomes The case study will help to learn about the importance of pre-sanction precautionary measures before lending to self-help groups (SHGs), to learn about the potential lapses and errors while sanctioning SHG finance and to learn about the importance of bank’s guidelines and compliance before sanctioning loans. Case overview/synopsis This case study details the tenure of Seema in a rural branch of Safe Bank of India located in Haryana which she joined as a manager in the year 2016. She overachieved the target given by the district collector office, and going by the tide, she kept her reliance on the references provided by non-government organization (NGO) without complying the bank’s instructions. She committed errors while sanctioning the loans, which led towards the upsurge of non-performing assets of the branch. Later on, after investigation it was discovered that she did not follow fundamental bank’s instructions. In wake of those lapses and errors, how she could have avoided those lapses and secure the public money? What were the most important documents while granting agriculture finance and what due diligence she should have taken? How did she treat calls from the government departments? Was she right in trusting the suggestions of the NGO? Complexity academic level This case study caters to students of various streams, namely, management, business administration and law, and can be targeted at both undergraduate and postgraduate students. It could be suitable for several types of courses and students. Furthermore, this case study can also be targeted for various training programmes for bank employees and employees of various lending institutions engaged in agriculture finance and credit linkage programmes. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and finance.

Surgical treatment of Ahmed glaucoma valve’s tube protrusion relapse. Clinical observations

In the practice of an ophthalmic surgeon, patients with a large number of concomitant conditions after repeated surgical interventions are seen with increasingly frequency. One of the grave complications in such patients is secondary glaucoma with a refractory type of course. After successful compensation of intraocular pressure in such patients, the risk of complications increases many times, for example, protrusion of the Ahmed valve drainage tube, which becomes the entrance gate for infection, which can lead to endophthalmitis. This article presents clinical cases of surgical treatment of recurrent protrusion of the Ahmed valve drainage tube.

Optical coherence tomography angiography in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

This study analyzes the main changes in retinal microcirculation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their relationship with the type of disease course. 159 patients (318 eyes) were examined. The groups were formed according to the type of course and duration of MS: group 1 - 37 patients (74 eyes; 23.27%) with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) less than 1 year; group 2 - 47 patients (94 eyes; 29.56%) with RRMS from 1 year to 10 years; group 3 - 44 patients (86 eyes; 27.05%) with RRMS >10 years; group 4 - 32 patients (64 eyes; 20.12%) with secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Subgroups A and B were allocated within each group depending on the absence or presence of optic neuritis (ON). Patients underwent standard ophthalmological examination, including optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). A decrease in the vessel density (wiVD) and perfusion density (wiPD) in the macular and peripapillary regions was revealed, progressing with the duration of the disease and with its transition to the progressive type. The minimum values were observed in patients with SPMS (group 4), with the most pronounced in the subgroup with ON (wiVD = 16.06±3.65 mm/mm2, wiPD = 39.38±9.46%, ppwiPD = 44.06±3.09%, ppwiF = 0.41±0.05). OCTA provides the ability to detect subclinical vascular changes and can be considered a comprehensive, reliable method for early diagnosis and monitoring of MS progression.

Qualitative research training in graduate programs in Public Health: an overview in Brazil

This article analyzes the evidence of qualitative research training in graduate programs in Public Health accredited by Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) in Brazil in 2021. To map out the disciplines, the Sucupira Platform was accessed to locate the graduate programs in Public Health, and the institutional portals were searched. A total of 98 courses were identified. Using reflective thematic analysis, it was possible to group the data production and the characterization of the courses into the following macro categories of analysis: (a) workload and type of course offered (mandatory or optional); (b) teaching-learning objectives; (c) content (with emphasis on the investigation of scientific paradigms or different theoretical-methodological approaches to qualitative research); (d) teaching-learning methodologies. The results show that only 40.4% of the courses are mandatory and the predominant teaching-learning objectives focus on instrumentalization and enabling graduate students to create research projects. In total, 59.3% of the courses did not inform the type of teaching-learning methodology. There is a gap in the use of digital technologies and spaces and a predominance of the text-based approach. Furthermore, the epistemological-theoretical training is fragile. The learning of the Positivist paradigm predominates over the interpretive paradigm of critical theories/traditions. The article concludes by systematizing elements for a training itinerary with increasing degrees of complexity, intentionally structured and developed in an institutional environment that fosters decoloniality and epistemic reparation.

A08: Effects of Participation in Sports Clubs Activity on College Students’ Perceived Stress and Well-Being

Purpose: Mandated social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic has brought more anxiety and stress to college students. The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether college students' participation in sports club activities can reduce anxiety and stress. The secondary purpose was to compare the effects of different types of sport clubs. Methods: The sample consisted of 242 college students (143 males; mean age=22.63 years old) in an academically prestigious university. They were voluntarily enrolled in either team sports clubs, such as volleyball, football, baseball, and softball, etc. (n=96), or individual sports clubs, such as squash, cycling, mountaineering, etc. (n=146). They responded to validated scales to assess perceived stress (Sheldon Cohen, 1983) and well-being (Diener & Biswas-Diener, 2009). Self-compiled questionnaires on motivation to join sports clubs and basic information on club organization activities were collected. All surveys were conducted in October 2021. Results: A considerable proportion of students (34.7%) participated in sports clubs to reduce academic pressure. Most of them (72.26%) have already recognized the physical and mental health benefits of physical activity. Significant decreases were observed for perceived stress in both groups: team sports group (ΔM = -0.76, p < 0.01), and individual sports group (ΔM= -0.77, p < 0.01). A significant increase in well-being was observed in two types of courses led by the team sports group (ΔM=1.55, p < 0.01) followed by the individual sports group (ΔM=1.34, p < 0.01). Individual sports clubs have a more pronounced effect on reducing negative emotions than team sports clubs (ΔM = -2.01, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Participation in both team sports clubs and individual sports clubs reduced perceived stress and increased well-being. Individual sports clubs had more decreases in negative emotions compared to team sports clubs.

​​RAISE THE AWARENESS OF GENDER EQUALITY AND PROMOTE THE HARMONIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF MEN AND WOMEN​

Equality between men and women is the basic national policy of our country, and the gender harmony is the basic guarantee of social harmony and stability. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his 20th report, " We will adhere to the basic state policy of gender equality and protect the legitimate rights and interests of women and children."According to the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum, China ranked 102nd in the gender equality index among 145 countries, leaving a long way to achieve gender equality. In order to understand the gender awareness of college students in our college, improve the concept of gender equality, and implement the basic national policy of gender equality in China, the "gender awareness survey of college students" is carried out for college students. A total of 4,376 valid questionnaires were collected. It is found that the traditional concept of "strong men and weak women" has been broken. College students have a high awareness of gender equality, especially female students. Women need to get more equal opportunities. Finally, five measures are proposed: offering different types of courses on gender equality for college students; caring for girls, encourage them to be "four self" female students; including gender equality awareness education in staff training, integrating gender awareness into mainstream decision-making; and establishing a special gender / women research center.

EVALUATION OF EDUCATION INITIATIVES TO INCREASE DELIVERY OF AGE-FRIENDLY CARE IN CONVENIENT CARE CLINICS

Abstract The Age-Friendly Health Systems model of care reliably provides four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, to all older adult patients: What Matters, Medications, Mentation, and Mobility (the 4Ms). MinuteClinic at CVS implemented the 4Ms model in all 1100+ locations nationwide in May 2020. To prepare MinuteClinic providers to deliver 4Ms care, educational modules were developed to provide an understanding of the gerontology that supports the 4Ms model of care: an orientation module with two scenarios illustrating the usual care of an older adult patient followed by the same patient receiving 4Ms care, monthly grand rounds (case studies of older adult conditions with the 4Ms), and ten video vignettes regarding integration of 4Ms care. Our goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of these education initiatives, as measured by changes in the mean number of Ms delivered per visit. Over 70% of 3,188 providers completed at least one education module. The rate of 4Ms delivery was 1.7 times higher (p< 0.001) among those completing at least one education module, and 5.7 times higher (p< 0.001) among those completing ten or more modules compared to those who completed none. Each course was associated with significant within subject increases between 10% and 38% in 4Ms delivery in the month following course completion. The self-directed learning environment (e.g., providers self-select into number and type of courses) reflects real-world variation in engagement; despite this variation, improvements in 4Ms delivery were observed at any educational dose, underscoring the value of prioritizing education time with quality improvement initiatives.

Teaching the Russian War on Ukraine

In this article I discuss an approach to teaching about the Russian war in Ukraine that uses the war as a focal point for teaching about topics in comparative politics and international relations. I discuss the pedagogical advantages for political science teaching, including meeting the interests of students, introducing students to theories in political science, and re-centering courses on the region away from Russia. I then discuss how the various political science topics and research questions are related to the war, and I conclude with a section on assignments and methods for student engagement that work well with this type of course.

Reflection and Exploration of Ideological and Political Education in the Curriculum—A Case Study of the University in Shijiazhuang City

In the context of the new era, higher education is not just about imparting knowledge, but also about cultivating students’ ideological and moral qualities and humanistic spirit. Therefore, ideological and political education integrated into all courses has become an important component of higher education. The construction of curriculum ideological and political education has gradually become a new exploration and challenge for ideological and political education in universities. Curriculum ideological and political education is a comprehensive educational philosophy, which includes the purpose of fostering virtue through education, the practice subject being all teachers, relying on courses, and combining explicit and implicit education. Its characteristics include the humanistic teaching philosophy, the integration between courses, the potential influence of methods, and the permanence of influence. The aim is to integrate ideological and political education into all types of courses, imperceptibly influencing students’ ideological consciousness and behavior, and taking morality education as the fundamental task of education. Strengthening the construction of curriculum ideological and political education is conducive to improving the effectiveness and quality of ideological and political education in universities, cultivating new-era youth with ideals, who dare to take responsibility, can endure hardships, and work hard. The practical path of “curriculum ideological and political education” from the perspective of cultivating students’ moral character and enhancing their ideological awareness is to start from the teaching philosophy and teaching content design to improve educational quality, improve the assessment and evaluation system of curriculum ideological and political education construction, strengthen campus cultural environment construction such as optimizing campus environment, improving classroom teaching environment, providing modern learning support services.

Features of the Debut as an Early Predictor of The Clinical Prognosis of Schizophrenia with An Episodic A Type of Course

The aim of the study was to determine the prognostic significance of the features of the debut of schizophrenia for the social and labor prognosis at the remote stages of the disease. The results of the study allowed us to establish that the acute onset of the disease at the age of over 20 years are favorable factors for the social and labor prognosis of patients with paroxysmal schizophrenia. Early onset of the disease at the age of 20 years with initial disorders, on the contrary, play the role of unfavorable factors that worsen the prognosis as the disease progresses.

A Study on the Pre- and Post-Pandemic Media of Instruction and Learning Effectiveness in Information Systems Courses

The objective of this study is to understand the effectiveness of medium of instruction based on student performance in courses offered face-to-face prior to the pandemic and virtual hybrid mode after the onset of the pandemic from a media richness theoretical perspective. This study analyzed data from 1157 students from 43 Information Systems courses over a 6-year pre- and post-pandemic period. This study analyzed student performance data from face to face and virtual hybrid courses across medium of instruction, type of course, course level, and gender. Overall, students performed better in face-to-face classes prior to the pandemic than the virtual hybrid courses. Across gender, and type of course, and course levels, face-to-face medium of instruction was found to be best for student performance. The post-hoc interviews with students and faculty indicated that face-to-face was the choice of instruction medium for technical courses and virtual hybrid mode was preferred for theory intensive conceptual courses, confirming the results from the data analysis.

Microglial Reactivity in the Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia

Background: schizophrenia is associated with neuroinflammation and dysregulation of the immune system involving microglia. The study of microglial reactivity in schizophrenia is at an early stage. The results of neuroimaging and postmortem studies are contradictory. Aim of the study: to analyze and summarize the results of morphometric studies of the microglial reactivity at the ultrastructural level in postmortem prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. Material and methods: the study was performed in layer 5 of the prefrontal cortex in 21 cases of schizophrenia and 20 control cases using transmission electron microscopy and morphometry. Results and conclusion: we found that chronic schizophrenia is characterized by a combination of signs of activation, progressive dystrophy and accelerated aging of microglia. The reactivity of microglia in schizophrenia is associated with age, the age of onset of the disease, the duration of the disease and the type of course of the disease, which indicates the participation of microglia in the pathological process in schizophrenia. Damage and deficit mitochondria and the disturbance of energy metabolism can play a key role in microglial dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Podcasting as a powerful tool for the promotion of bilingual scientific argumentation in a formative assessment environment

ABSTRACT The internationalisation of higher education as well as the emergence of evidence for the claim that bi/multilingualism in science should be the norm, not just an option, are conditions that explain the rise in university bilingual science courses. Thus far, however, little is known about how to foster bilingual scientific argumentation in this type of course. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence that the creation of bilingual scientific argument podcasts (BSAP) – a form of podcast where two languages are used to communicate elements of scientific argument structure (e.g. argument, counterargument, rebuttal) – can be used as a springboard to foster undergraduate bilingual scientific argumentation. The data was derived from scripts of the podcast episodes produced by twenty-seven students (19 females and 8 males, 19–25 years old) during a university Spanish-English bilingual science course taught within a formative assessment environment. Results indicate that student-created BSAP effectively enriched participants’ skills to produce (counter) arguments and rebuttals in Spanish (g = 0.79) and in English (g = 1.20). Moreover, findings suggest that undergraduates benefited from formative assessment practices such as instructor feedback and peer feedback. Implications related to bilingual science education practices and supporting students’ development of bilingual scientific argumentation within formative assessment environments are discussed.