Undergraduate Degree Programs Research Articles

Authenticity ahead of interdisciplinarity – a scoping review of student experiences in interdisciplinary science projects

Interdisciplinary projects are reported to facilitate the development of both disciplinary and generic skills. They vary in their design and implementation, but the effectiveness of different project models has not been studied. The aim of this study was to determine student satisfaction, engagement with learning and development of employability skills across interdisciplinary projects with different delivery models. This scoping review appraises interdisciplinary projects implemented in science-based undergraduate degree programs. Projects with varying models of delivery, interdisciplinarity, authenticity and external partner involvement were examined, and the reported student learning and satisfaction ratings compared. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulation using Fisher’s Exact test were used to analyse the data. The interdisciplinary project model had little effect on engagement with learning, but student satisfaction improved if the project task was rated as authentic (p<0.05). Improved learning was reported in about half of the projects reviewed. Improved employability was reported in projects where students used discipline-based skills to provide a consultancy (p<0.05), and those where an external partner was involved (p<0.05). The interdisciplinary project model did not affect disciplinary or employability skill development, apart from interdisciplinary competence, which was significantly improved in a truly interdisciplinary project (p<0.01). Interpersonal skill development was significantly improved where projects had integrated rather than sequential tasks (p<0.05). Overall, interdisciplinary projects that were authentic and/or involved an external partner generated better student satisfaction and real-world experience. These results inform the future design of interdisciplinary project-based learning tasks and encourage involvement of external partners in project design and delivery.

Influence of the Level of Family Social Support of Student Mothers on the Psychological Wellbeing, Egerton University, Kenya

In pursuit of intimate relationships, students in Kenyan Universities end up getting pregnant before completing their undergraduate degree programmes. Upon giving birth, the students have to balance between the roles of motherhood and attend to student obligations. Striking a balance between the dual roles becomes a challenge to majority of the student mothers. The strain involved in balancing the roles results into psychosocial challenges. Some of these challenges include; level of participation in student activities, level of interpersonal relationships, level of family social support and motherhood stigmatization. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of selected psychosocial challenges and coping strategies on the psychological wellbeing of student mothers among undergraduate students at Egerton University, Kenya. This study was guided by role conflict theory and the strain theory. The study used descriptive research design. The target population of the study was 91 respondents comprising of 82 student mothers, eight student counselors and one Dean of Students.Census sampling method was used to select the entire population. Data was collected using close-ended questionnaire for student mothers and interview schedule for student counselors and the Dean of Students. The instruments were validated by two supervisors and discipline research experts from the Faculty of Education and Community. The reliability analysis was based on a pilot study that was conducted in Maseno University involving eight student mothers. From the pilot study, the study revealed that the overall questionnaire reliability with 43 items was 0.838. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 was used to analyze data. The study found out that there was statistically significance influence on the level of participation of student mothers in student activities (β=0.217, р <0.05), interpersonal relationships (β=0.188, р <0.05), family social support (β=0.261, р <0.05), coping strategies (β=0.125, р <0.05) and motherhood stigmatization (β= - 0.203, р <0.05) on the psychological wellbeing of student mothers at 5% significance level. The study recommended development of a special counseling program for student mothers on personal, academic, social and psychological issue. Keywords: Interpersonal relationships, Stigmatization, Psychological wellbeing; coping, Strategies and family social support. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-29-06 Publication date: October 31 st 2022

Impact of industrial partnerships in the acoustics program at Kettering University

Kettering University has an experiential learning model in which students typically alternate between academic and cooperative work terms every quarter during their entire undergraduate degree program. In this approach, industrial partners play a particularly critical role. In this talk, we will discuss how partnerships with industry have impacted our classroom experiences and inspired curricular elements that incorporate theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches to solve problems in acoustics. We will highlight some of the work related to acoustics that students have done in their co-op projects and how students have served as a bridge between the academic and corporate environments. The course “Acoustics in the Human Environment” has recently benefited from a grant from the Head Acoustics Foundation. The course was revamped in Spring 2022 to include more detailed analysis and a jury study that make use of this donation. The course “Acoustic Testing and Modeling” uses Siemens Simcenter Testlab to acquire experimental data and Comsol for computer simulations. Recently, this course has added a module on Laser Doppler Vibrometry that makes use of equipment from Polytec. The efforts in these courses have enabled students to be better prepared for acoustic testing projects for a thesis or co-operative employment terms.

Infusing high-impact practices in undergraduate public health curricula: Models, lessons learned, and administrative considerations from two public universities.

High-impact practices (HIPs) can improve the rigor, quality, and outcomes of undergraduate education. Several high-impact practices are explicitly woven into the overarching goals, learning objectives, and curricular competencies for undergraduate public health degree programs, while others are natural fits. However, capitalizing on the value of HIPs for public health undergraduates requires a conscious effort in the process of curriculum design, course delivery, and administration of these programs. In this paper, we discuss both conceptual approaches and practical steps involved in the integration of HIPs in curriculum design and implementation. We discuss two exemplars of undergraduate programs that incorporate high-impact practices, illustrating how the same practices can be developed and implemented in different but equally effective ways across programs. We close with practical suggestions for designing or refining an undergraduate program to maximize the inclusion and effectiveness of high-impact practices.

Student perceptions of reading digital texts for university study

An increasingly important aspect of undergraduate study is the ability to deal with reading academic texts digitally. Whilst the literature suggests that students prefer reading print texts (Foasberg, 2014; Mizrachi, 2015) and often have a deeper level of engagement with texts in this medium (Mangen et al., 2013; Delgado et al., 2018), the reality is that, for most students, digital texts are the norm. Study guides often focus on reading strategies that are considered broadly applicable to both digital and print formats. However, the differences between the two mediums are likely to impact on the strategies used, with students developing their own approaches as they gain more experience. In this paper, we present findings from a study exploring students’ perspectives and practices in relation to digital reading. We carried out focus group interviews with 20 students in their second or final year of undergraduate degree programmes. Our analysis reveals that reading texts digitally does indeed form the bulk of students’ reading activity, with ease and speed of accessibility, cost, and environmental considerations influencing this choice, and in some cases, precluding reading in print. However, despite the prominence of digital reading, some aspects of print reading – in particular the scope for more sustained focus, detailed reading and enjoyment of the experience – were highly valued by the students. Students’ approaches to reading digital texts varied depending on reading purpose, but, in general, students had developed a range of techniques to help them navigate digital reading.

A Course Level Analysis of Academic Performance on Adult Learners


 
 
 Thanks, in part, to the rapid development and widespread adoption of the Internet and other online technologies, academic institutions are increasingly using analytics to enhance learning and teaching. Through the use of data mining techniques, this study examines some of the determinants at a course level that affect the academic performance of adult learners (which we will refer to as students in this paper) in the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). Formerly known as SIM University, SUSS is an institution that caters mainly to the learning needs of working adults although it offers a number of full-time undergraduate degree programmes to fresh school leavers. The data analysis found that students taking introductory blended courses performed better than those who took face-to-face courses of the same level. Furthermore, students of similar age taking level-2 courses outperformed students taking similar courses where the age difference was more significant. The findings indicate that no single optimal course design will lead to improved academic performance across all courses. Instead, educators should be ready to consider the nature, level, discipline and coursework component of each course to cater to the various students’ needs.
 
 

Educating and engaging a new target audience about the problem of pain for society.

Background: Pain education initiatives are typically targeted at health professionals, with less attention being placed on the education of other target audiences. Recent curriculum changes across undergraduate liberal studies degree programs at The University of Sydney presented an opportunity to develop an online course entitled Health Challenges: Pain and Society, which was aimed at a non-traditional target audience. To promote student engagement about the problem of pain for society, the course was designed using the Community of Inquiry framework. Research Design: This paper reports on an Educational Design Research study, investigating the effectiveness of the course in engaging students across two cohorts, in 2019 and 2020. Data Collection: Learning analytics were collected from the Learning Management System each year. The level of student engagement in non-assessable tasks was measured using multiple linear regression. Students' degree type and majors were recorded. In 2020, the quality of student workbook responses was recorded. Results: In both cohorts, engagement with the workbooks was a predictor of academic achievement. In 2020, a significant interaction effect between quantity and quality of engagement was observed. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of designing online learning to facilitate successful engagement for non-traditional target audiences about the issue of chronic pain for society.

Instrumentation Use in Postsecondary Instructional Chemistry Laboratory Courses: Results from a National Survey

Instrumentation plays a critical, ubiquitous role in modern chemistry. The undergraduate chemistry curriculum must therefore cultivate students’ ability to investigate chemical phenomena via relevant instruments. The instructional laboratory serves as the primary context in which undergraduates learn about instrumentation, where use of instruments in these settings is requisite to meaningful learning. However, little is known about what instruments are incorporated and students’ level of hands-on experience. Also, prior research points toward differences in instrumentation access, and in turn use in the instructional laboratory, across institutional contexts. This study investigates instrumentation use in postsecondary instructional chemistry laboratory courses via a national survey of chemistry faculty members (n = 574). Results suggest that courses incorporate a distinct set of instruments aligned with their respective curricula. These data provide an empirical foundation for relevant stakeholders (i.e., instructors, departments, curators of degree programs, and professional organizations authoring postsecondary chemistry education policy) to engage in evaluative discussions and possible curricular reform. Further, there was no evidence that incorporating instruments into the lab or students’ hands-on experience is associated with institutions’ terminal chemistry degree, receipt of NSF funding for improving undergraduate courses, or ACS approval of undergraduate degree programs. Findings collectively suggest similar instrumentation use across institutional contexts and possibly the elimination of previously reported disparities in access. However, students still obtain little hands-on experience with several instruments despite their incorporation into courses. Furthermore, instructors across institutional contexts report barriers to incorporating instrumentation beyond access. This work provides stakeholders with implications for improving undergraduate laboratory instruction.

CS202X and SEP-KA Update

In a nutshell, CS202X refers to the current effort to revise the curricular guidelines for undergraduate degree programs in computer science. These revisions are being managed by a Steering Committe comprised of representatives from the ACM, IEEE-Computer Society, and AAAI. Following the previous curricular revisions in 2001 (CS'01) and 2013 (CS'13), the proposed guidelines are broadly partitioned into categories referred to as Knowledge Areas (KAs). Each KA has an associated sub-committee consisting of a Chair and members from the Steering Committee, as well as subject matter experts from the computing community. SEP refers to the Society, Ethics, and Profesionalism KA within the proposed CS202X curricular report.

Diversifying Representations of Female Scientists on Social Media: A Case Study From the Women Doing Science Instagram

In the absence of real-life role models, women scientists portrayed in the media enable young women to imagine themselves as future scientists. Both traditional media and social media have the potential to provide role models, but their representations of scientists reinforce, rather than challenge, long-standing gendered stereotypes. Women Doing Science, a social media effort, was founded by the authors to address this representation gap by sharing daily photos of diverse women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with accompanying research descriptions in English and in other languages. To date, Women Doing Science has highlighted over 800 scientists to an audience of ~100,000 followers from around the world, who are primarily women in undergraduate and graduate STEM degree programs. Here, we evaluate the success of the Women Doing Science Instagram page in portraying women scientists with diverse racial and national identities. Furthermore, we explore which aspects of posts drive higher engagement from the audience. We find that our Instagram audience has higher engagement with posts featuring Women of Color, multiple languages, and posts that challenge stereotypes associated with women in STEM. In addition, we find that Women of Color are more likely to include additional aspects of their identity in their biographies, and that a primary reason our audience follows the page is because of the diversity portrayed in the posts. These results imply the powerful potential for social media platforms like Instagram to source diverse role models that expand conventional images of STEM professionals and allow international audiences to develop their STEM identities.

Beginning, becoming and belonging: using liminal spaces to explore how part-time adult learners negotiate emergent identities when embarking on undergraduate online study

Using the concept of liminal spaces, this paper discusses findings from a study exploring the experiences of fifteen adults as they negotiate their identity as online learners during the first module on a part-time undergraduate degree programme. Online programmes enable adult learners with diverse backgrounds and responsibilities to choose when and how they study and therefore make decisions of how their aspirations are best met. The convenience and flexibility of these hybrid spaces enables them to take control of their learning. However, such benefits are reliant upon negotiating new ideas, technologies, constructs of learning and emergent identities which may sit at the counterpoint of existing roles, responsibilities and experiences. For some, this period of transition can consequently be characterised by disorientation and liminality. The findings presented here provide new insights into the experiences of adults who choose to study online, highlighting the extent of the entanglement between their emergent identities and personal lifeworld. I explore the interplay of the factors which shape these early encounters and, using a narrative approach, examine how identities are forged, how the opportunities and challenges presented by online spaces are negotiated, and the importance of a sense of belonging. This approach contributes to the growing field of online research methods through an innovative use of online reflective journals and Skype interviews and further extends the writing on liminality into online spaces. Although the data for this study was collected and analysed before the COVID-19 pandemic, I examine what we, as educatorresearchers, can learn from these narratives and how this might inform our professional practice in the COVID-19 context.

Assessing the Strategies for Coping with Academic Stress among the Undergraduate Students of TNAU

Aims: College students experience stress from many different sources that ultimately have an impact on their academics. To cope with the academic stress, it is needed for them to undertake appropriate coping strategies. This study aimed to identify the extent of various strategies used among the students to cope with the academic stress and to compare coping strategies used by the male and female students. 
 Study Design: Ex post facto research design was used in this study.
 Place and Duration of Study: Study area: Four Constituent colleges of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University viz., Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Killikulam. Sample: Third-year B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture Undergraduate degree programme students. 
 Methodology: Sample: 180 students (90 male and 90 female) from the four colleges were chosen based on employing proportionate random sampling. The coping strategies were classified into five categories namely relaxation, social support, personal, diet and exercise and psychological strategies The most preferred coping strategies were identified by computing mean scores and Mann Whitney U - test was employed to find the gender difference in terms of major stress coping strategies.
 Results: The findings from the study showed that listening to music, seeking out friends for conversation, consulting with parents and relatives, using past experience to handle problems, getting enough sleep, look at the bright side of the things with mean scores of 2.48, 2.3, 2.29, 2.37, 1.99 and 2.35 respectively. There also existed a significant difference between male and female undergraduate students concerning relaxation and personal strategies at a 1% significance level. 
 Conclusion: It could be concluded that the students should regularly be encouraged and motivated to get involved and take up better-suited and also scientifically approved coping strategies to handle and get relieved from their academic stress.

ONLINE SCHOOL BETWEEN PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS. THE STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

The pandemic situation brought significant changes regarding the teaching activities, led to the emergency transition to the online system and with it, multiple challenges, both for teachers and students.The students, the main beneficiaries of the online lectures and seminar activities, understood that they have a greater responsibility in learning than before they had and that if they are not fully involved in teaching activities, they will not be able to achieve the desired results. In this context, we considered it necessary to identify and analyze the students' perspective in relation to their experience related to the online school. Thus, a micro-research was carried out, the purpose of which is to analyze the students' opinions regarding the lectures, respectively the online seminars during the pandemic, related to the following aspects: the vertical and horizontal educational relations; the teaching strategies used during classes, the seminars; the students 'access to support materials, the emotional feelings and students' motivation, the difficulties encountered during the period in which the lectures and seminars took place online. The main research method was the questionnaire survey. The target group consisted of students from Valahia University of Târgoviște, Faculty of Political Sciences, Letters and Communication, from all years of study, undergraduate and master's degree programs. The results show that students are aware of both the limits of online teaching activities (stress, numerous tasks and homework, connection issues, etc.), but also their benefits (quick and easy access to information resources, development of digital skills, participation in teaching activities from the comfort of your own home, etc.).

Sports therapists’ perceptions and experiences of graduate employment

Background/Aims Graduate employability is complex and has moved beyond the notion of subject-specific skills being sufficient for acquiring a graduate level job, to now include important transferable skills. Sports therapy is a rapidly expanding profession focusing on assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal conditions. These facets encompass components of critical thinking, problem solving, interpersonal skills and communication, thus courses can set graduates up for careers within or outside the industry. The three aims of this study were to survey BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy graduates to determine their current employment status and job role, explore graduates’ experience of their undergraduate programme and investigate graduates’ perceptions of how well the programme had prepared them for subsequent employment. Methods BSc (Hons) sports therapy graduates from two British universities were surveyed regarding their experience of their undergraduate degree programme and their perceptions of how well the programme had prepared them for employment. The survey was distributed to approximately 150 graduates and had a response rate of 23% (35 graduates). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the responses to the multiple-choice questions and thematic analysis was performed on free-text responses. Results Overall, 43% of respondents were employed as sports therapists and needed their degree to get their jobs. A total of 71% of respondents felt that their degree had equipped them fully or partly for employment. Free-text responses generated three themes relating to sports therapy specific skills, job availability and work-based learning opportunities. Managing student expectations, continued exposure to the range of career opportunities available and developing students subject-specific skills, ‘soft’ or transferrable skills, as well as personal characteristics, can help with employability. Conclusions Courses should be sensitive to the demands of a changing employment landscape and, as such, encourage a student-centred approach and support placement opportunities to help with graduate employability.

Teachers’ experiences of English-medium instruction in higher education: a cross case investigation of China, Japan and the Netherlands

ABSTRACT In recent decades, English taught programmes have rapidly increased in number throughout Europe and East Asia as universities aim to internationalise their curriculum, which has given rise to an increase in English-medium instruction (EMI). This study aims to compare the teaching experiences at three EMI programmes in The Netherlands, China, and Japan in response to calls for more comparative research on the pedagogical issues associated with teaching through English in non-Anglophone contexts. Interviews were conducted with 19 teachers in managerial and classroom-facing roles, working within comparable undergraduate English-taught business degree programmes across the three contexts. Data were thematically analysed for convergent and divergent experiences. Findings indicated similarity between the Chinese and Japanese contexts compared to the Netherlands, highlighting greater concerns surrounding student proficiency, teacher competence, and the overall impact of EMI on educational quality. Unique solutions were uncovered to inform better content and language integration in EMI practices.

Geography and public policy: taking responsibility in research and teaching

ABSTRACT In this short intervention I ask whether geographers are helping or hindering progress towards a policy turn. The inclination for turning to research means the largely unspoken aspect of the geography and public policy debate is our role as educators. While research-informed teaching is the fundamental mechanism by which academic staff engage students with public policy concerns, I highlight how the foundational books used in many undergraduate degree programmes to frame ‘doing’ geographical research provide no reference to policy. I argue as geographers we must take more responsibility for exposing students to a diversity of policy in geographical learning and teaching.

Turning Coffee Time into Teaching Moments Through Bite-Sized Learning for Adult Learners

The increasing number of adult learners in higher education is a trend that has been observed in recent years. An impetus for this trend is the need for upskilling and re-skilling in order to stay relevant and employable in today’s world of globalised knowledge. However, finding uninterrupted blocks of time to study in adult learners’ busy schedules may be challenging because of their many other commitments and responsibilities. Bite-sized learning, through the utilisation of micro-learning activities that learners can access anytime and anywhere on their mobile devices, is one method of helping adult learners better manage their studies and learn more effectively. Before adult educators put in the resources to develop bite-sized learning activities, it is nonetheless important to ascertain that adult learners would indeed utilise such provisions. This article discusses the results of a study conducted to investigate the utilisation of bite-sized learning by adult learners enrolled in a part-time undergraduate degree programme. Specifically, the study examined whether adult learners utilised bite-sized learning activities during pockets of “down time” in their busy schedules, especially during the daytime, since adult learners tend to study at night after work or over the weekends. The results showed that adult learners were keen to learn from bite-sized learning activities during these pockets of down time. Implications of the results and directions for future investigation, including the aptness of bite-sized learning in today’s COVID-19 situation, are also discussed.

Mental and physical health among students at a private university that held in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have serious negative consequences on mental and physical health, which may disproportionally affect young adults. The aim of this study was to understand short-term impacts on a population of students at a college that held in-person classes during the pandemic. Participants This study was conducted at a moderately-sized private university in the southeastern United States where approximately 75% of students were enrolled in undergraduate degree programs and 25% in graduate degree programs. Methods A survey was created to assess anxiety and depression symptoms, psychotherapeutic medication use, healthy living, and coping skills. Links to the electronic form were distributed to students via email in Spring 2020 and Fall 2020. Participation was completely voluntary and responses were collected anonymously. Results The rate of anxiety symptoms in the study cohort was higher than the national average (31%) and increased between Spring 2020 (39%) and Fall 2020 (50%). Rates of psychotherapeutic medication use also rose, with benzodiazepine use increasing from 6% to 11% and antidepressant use increasing from 16% to 20%. Compared to the national average, fewer students in the study cohort rated their overall health as “good” or better (72-76% vs. 82%). Physical exercise, nutrition, and alcohol use worsened between Spring and Fall 2020. Problem-focused engagement was associated with significantly fewer anxiety and depression symptoms. Demographic factors such as gender, race, and sexual orientation interacted with several outcomes studied. Conclusions Students at a private university that held in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic reported high rates of anxiety that increased between Spring and Fall 2020. Self-reported physical health was below average in Spring 2020 but improved in Fall 2020. Appropriate identification and management of the effects of pandemic-related stressors is critical during this uncertain time. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2052074 .

Preclinical dental training: Association between fine motor skills and compliance with ergonomic posture techniques.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental students' fine motor skills and their compliance with ergonomic posture techniques over the course of a preclinical training year. The correlation between fine motor skills and compliance was also assessed. The ergonomic posture of students enrolled in the second year of a five-year undergraduate dental degree programme (n=62) was assessed using the Compliance Assessment of Dental Ergonomic Posture Requirements (CADEP). This assessment relied on photographs of the students performing preclinical laboratory procedures during the school year. The photographs of each procedure received a score, and the final score obtained (0 to 10) corresponded to the extent of the student's compliance with ergonomic posture techniques. Initial compliance was calculated during the first two months of the training programme, whilst final compliance was calculated during the last two months. Fine motor skills were evaluated using the modified Dental Manual Dexterity Assessment (DMDA), which was also applied at the beginning and the end of the school year. Data were assessed statistically by Student's paired t test, and the correlation between fine motor skills and compliance with ergonomic posture techniques was estimated by Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) and Student's t test (α=0.05). The compliance scores were higher at the end of the academic year than at the beginning of year (p<0.001; t=-5.300). Fine motor skills improved significantly with time (p<0.001; t=-10.975). Non-significant correlations were found between students' fine motor skills and their economic posture compliance both at the beginning (r=-0.197; p=0.126) and at the end of the training year (r=0.226; p=0.078). The students' manual dexterity and compliance with ergonomic posture techniques increased over the course of the preclinical training year, and the correlation between students' fine motor skills and their ergonomic posture compliance was not significant.

Inclusive placement learning for diverse higher education students: anxiety, uncertainty and opportunity

ABSTRACT There is an increasing policy emphasis on supporting diversity and inclusive practice, as well as graduate employability for higher education students. Work-based learning (WBL), placement learning, or work integrated learning (WIL) is a key component of many undergraduate degree programmes. However, for many students, factors such as disability, ill-health, caring or work responsibilities can impact on their placement experience. This paper presents research based upon students’ experiences and staff members’ views of placement learning. It offers a wider discussion of inclusion and inclusive practice that goes beyond a single focus on disability. Firstly, the paper addresses the challenges that a diverse range of students face when considering placement and then discusses the experiences of staff in support of this activity. These are conceptualised within the three themes of anxiety, uncertainty, but also opportunity. As researchers and reflective practitioners, the authors present discussion that aims to develop our understanding of inclusive practice, inclusive placement learning, and meeting the needs of diverse groups of students. These are universal requirements, relating to themes of social justice, reaching across different institutions, subject disciplines, and international boundaries.