Undergraduate Student Engagement Research Articles

Undergraduate Students Experience of Nutrition Education Using the Flipped Classroom Approach: A Descriptive Cohort Study

To explore undergraduate students self-reported learning experience in a foundation nutrition education course/unit delivered using a flipped classroom approach (FCA), which requires students to complete independent learning before and after interactive in-class learning experiences. A descriptive cohort study design used selected items from a self-report flipped classroom student engagement questionnaire to assess Australian undergraduate student (n = 105) engagement in the course/unit and compared with nonflipped courses, preference for FCA, academic achievement, learning behaviors for 3 FCA learning phases, and more or less engaging aspects of the course/unit. Most (66.5%) students were engaged or very engaged, with half (55%) more engaged in this course/unit compared with other nonflipped courses/units with a preference for the FCA (53%). Almost half of the students agreed the FCA improved their academic performance (grade) (45%) and other academic skills (ie, teamwork) (48.5%). Most student comments related to the value of participate phase activities. The FCA engaged most students in learning and is an emerging learning and teaching approach appropriate for undergraduate nutrition dietetic education.

Exploring Big Data Footprints and Ethics

Big Data is collected via engagement in online activity and undergraduate students tend to be particularly heavy users of digital media. This article explores their online activity to assess their participation and usage patterns as well as their ethical perspectives. The research finds that these students have a somewhat substantial Big Data footprint since they actively engage in social media, use smart devices, shop online, use streaming services, and employ digital tools. Social connectedness necessitates the potential for their privacy being compromised and the findings suggest that introverts are more concerned about this issue then extroverts are. However, people of both types are concerned about conveying a positive image online. The majority of those surveyed primarily identified with the values expressed by the Utilitarian and Kantian ethical perspectives and less so with those expressed by Social Contract Theory and Virtue Ethics. However, study participants did not consistently ground their moral values in any one of these ethical theories.

Improving Undergraduate Student Engagement in a Hybrid Research Course.

Improving Undergraduate Student Engagement in a Hybrid Research Course.

Global Awareness Dialogue Project: Exploring Potential for Faculty Transformation Through a Professional Development Series

This article examines a faculty professional development program aimed at engaging faculty in an ongoing discussion about global awareness and the practices surrounding teaching and learning in a linguistically and culturally diverse classroom. The program is modeled on two key components: the engagement of undergraduate students and faculty in a structured dialogue outside the classroom and the contributions of experts to faculty discussions to locate and contextualize best practices. The initiative’s potential to affect faculty perspectives is explored through a transformative learning framework. Short-term and long-term assessments show that participants were motivated to improve and implement new instructional practices.

Using Deliberative Pedagogy as a Tool for Critical Thinking and Career Preparation Among Undergraduate Public Health Students.

Engagement of undergraduate public health students in active learning pedagogy has been identified as critical for recruitment, retention, and career preparation efforts. One such tool for engagement that has proven successful in STEM programs is deliberative pedagogy, where it is used to stimulate student interest in research and policy applications of technical course content. Broadly applied, deliberative pedagogy is a consensus model of decision-making, applied as an in-class exercise, where students work in small groups and model a community task force with assigned group roles. In these groups, students collect evidence from literature and media sources, and prepare a consensus response to an assigned question. Here we present an adaptation of this pedagogy to provide undergraduates with the tools needed to actively engage in public health policy and planning work groups. This adaptation is first applied during an introductory public health course, where it is used as a tool for engagement and excitement, and as a critical thinking exercise. It additionally serves as an opportunity for students to apply information literacy skills and engage with research and policy initiatives discussed in class. The same tool is reintroduced prior to graduation in a capstone course, where the emphasis shifts to application of research skills and analytical concepts. The activity is also an opportunity for students to apply professional skills needed for engagement in program development, program evaluation, institutional policy, and legislative advocacy. Through application of this pedagogical tool at two critical time points in an undergraduate curriculum, students develop skills necessary for early career professionals and are better prepared to actively engage in policy and planning as it relates to critical public health initiatives, both locally and globally.

International Undergraduate Student Engagement: Implications for Higher Education Administrators

Much has been written about engaging international students in their new campus environments. However, there is still a gap between literature and practice in terms of such students’ initial experiences. A systematic review of 48 studies published between 2007 and 2018 was conducted to locate the research gaps, examine how and in what areas international undergraduate students are being encouraged to participate, and their unique experiences with the process. The findings show that few studies focused solely on international undergraduates. Their engagement varied depending on the student’s background, major, region, and type of institution. These students faced unique and uneven experiences with social support, academics, community identity, connectedness, and perceived discrimination. Implications for higher education administrators, international students, and researchers suggested.

Can we reliably compare student engagement between universities? Evidence from the United Kingdom Engagement Survey

ABSTRACTPolicy changes in the higher education landscape have given way to increased interest in the way students perceive engagement in UK higher education. This paper examines whether we can reliably distinguish between institutions and disciplines, and what key student and institutional variables are a predictor of engagement of undergraduate students. Using data from two waves of the United Kingdom Engagement Survey (UKES), a national survey of undergraduate student engagement, we constructed multilevel models for different aspects of student engagement. The results show that the vast majority of the variance of the models is at the student level, indicating that demographic characteristics seem to contribute most to differential aspects of engagement. Some variance at student level could be explained: females, distance learners, part-time students, and disabled student indicators were negative predictors of engagement, while indicators for Black and minority ethnic (BME) students and for students from Africa and Asia were positive predictors of engagement.

Enhancing Cognitive Engagement of Pre-clinical Undergraduate Medical Students via Video Cases and Interactive Quizzes in Problem-based Learning.

BackgroundProblem-based learning (PBL) is one of the main pedagogical approaches utilized in the undergraduate medical education (UGME) program at a private medical college in Karachi, Pakistan. Video-enhanced cases and formative assessments were introduced at the end of PBL sessions to evaluate their effectiveness in enhancing student engagement.MethodsA mixed methods study was conducted with Year 2 medical students (n=102; divided into 11 groups) and faculty (n=11) facilitating the PBL process. Of the 10 PBL cases, five were converted to video-enhanced cases and five were kept as paper-based, “traditional” cases. “Micro” videos were used to introduce clinical scenarios, augmented by a set of guided questions related to the scenario. In addition, a formative quiz was conducted to assess concepts at the end of video-enhanced PBL sessions. At the end of a module, students and facilitators completed an online survey regarding this modified learning experience, and this was followed by a focus group discussion with the PBL facilitators.ResultsMore than two-thirds (71%) of the students and all facilitators preferred video-enhanced over paper-based cases. Seventy-nine percent of the students agreed that this method increased peer-peer and peer-facilitator engagement, while 66% (n=68) of the students and 81% (n=9) of the faculty agreed that the end of PBL formative assessment activity would support the "Universal Design for Learning" framework.ConclusionVideo-enhanced PBL used during the introduction of the case and formative assessment activities at the end of the PBL sessions improved student engagement and contributed positively to the discussions and their understanding.

Teaching self-efficacy of graduate student instructors: Exploring faculty motivation, perceptions of autonomy support, and undergraduate student engagement

In the U.S., graduate student instructors teach a substantial percentage of undergraduate courses. Teaching motivation is an important predictor of high-quality teaching; thus, understanding the motivations and beliefs of graduate student instructors is essential for undergraduate student success. Graduate students also form the pool from which faculty members are selected, so the trajectories of emerging faculty are often set during these formative teaching experiences. Our study explored antecedents of teaching self-efficacy for 98 graduate student instructors from STEM, humanities, and social science disciplines. We found that the number of semesters completed in graduate school and being in a non-STEM field were positively associated with teaching self-efficacy for instructional approaches and teaching self-efficacy for learning environment, respectively. Additionally, we found that teaching self-efficacy along with autonomy-supportive instruction was positively related to undergraduates’ classroom engagement (n = 2623). Relations between perceptions of autonomy-support and classroom engagement were moderated by teaching self-efficacy; this moderation was more pronounced for STEM contexts. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

CURE-all: Large Scale Implementation of Authentic DNA Barcoding Research into First-Year Biology Curriculum

Growing calls in science education reform have emphasized wide-scale engagement of first-year undergraduate students in authentic research experiences; however, large course enrollments, inadequate student experience, limited resources and departmental inertia often create obstacles to reaching this goal. To help overcome these obstacles, the Department of Biology at James Madison University (JMU) has developed a cost-effective, scalable, and transferable semester-long (14-week) course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) designed for large enrollment introductory biology labs. In this series of labs, first-year students use DNA barcoding to engage in authentic research practices drawn from the fields of ecology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. These labs enable students to identify local species of plants, fungi, and invertebrates using student-generated DNA barcode sequences, which are then shared through a public database. Since their implementation at JMU in 2016, students in these labs have created and shared over 1,500 unique DNA barcode sequences and documented over 300 local species of plants, fungi, and invertebrates. These data are being used in an ongoing project comparing the biodiversity of forest edge versus forest interior habitats, but the labs are adaptable to almost any habitat or taxonomic group. In this article, we provide detailed descriptions of the content, logistics, and implementation of this 14-week series of labs. To our knowledge, this is among the largest-enrollment CUREs being offered to first-year undergraduates in the United States, and we hope that it can be useful to other institutions interested in documenting biodiversity and engaging introductory biology students in authentic research.

O IMPACTO DE ESTÁGIOS NO EXTERIOR SOBRE O DESENVOLVIMENTO ACADÊMICO DE ESTUDANTES DO CURSO DE FARMÁCIA DA UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO: UM ESTUDO DE CASO DE 10 ANOS

A internacionalização do ensino superior foi incorporada às diretrizes das universidades brasileiras e estágios no exterior são bons exemplos desta medida. Nos últimos anos, a procura por estágios internacionais tem aumentado, porém, a literatura carece de avaliações sobre as contribuições desta política. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho avalia o envolvimento de alunos de graduação da Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas da Universidade de São Paulo em estágios no exterior e o impacto das experiências sobre a vida pessoal, profissional e acadêmica dos estudantes. Os dados foram coletados por um questionário aplicado a ex-alunos que realizaram estágios no exterior entre 2007-2016. Os resultados indicaram que os destinos mais frequentes dos estágios foram Canadá, Inglaterra, Austrália e Estados Unidos. O programa Ciência sem Fronteiras financiou 89% de todas as bolsas de estudo aprovadas. As principais motivações dos alunos para execução do estágio internacional incluíram: melhorar a proficiência na língua estrangeira, ter experiência no exterior e fortalecer a carreira profissional. Apenas 19% puderam receber créditos equivalentes em disciplinas obrigatórias cursadas no exterior. 91% validaram disciplinas eletivas. O apoio institucional aos estudantes; infraestrutura; acesso à biblioteca ou tecnologia da informação; e estratégias de aprendizado são os principais aspectos que precisam ser melhorados na FCF-USP.

Improving Class Participation by Using an Online Interactive Platform

Class engagement and participation has a direct impact on students’ learning. Improving participation has been one of the main focuses of education. It has been shown that classroom participation through asking questions can reinforce students’ learning process and improve their knowledge foundation. Classroom dynamics, that is, the interaction between the instructor and students, is another factor that influences students’ attentiveness and learning.The motivation for this pilot research is to examine the impact of using existing online platforms on the class participation and engagement of undergraduate Mechanical Engineering students at the University of British Columbia. By the use of this online platform, students can anonymously and dynamically provide feedback to the instructor and ask their questions.The findings of this work confirmed that classroom dynamics vary in different tutorial sections and instructional adjustments are necessary to accommodate students’ needs and learning dynamics. Overall, students were positive about the use of online platforms and more than 50% of the students suggested the use of this tool for future tutorials.

Abstract 229: Engagement With Text Messaged CPR Reminder Videos After Hands-Only CPR Training in Undergraduate Students

Background: Ultra-brief CPR videos have been used to help facilitate community CPR through increased public lay-person viewing of CPR skills. Similar videos have also been used as video reminders following CPR training to increase skill retention. However, real-life engagement in watching reminder skills videos after CPR training is unknown. The objective of this study is to evaluate the engagement of undergraduate students in watching CPR training reminder videos sent via text message following community-based Hands-Only CPR training. Methods: Undergraduate students at the Ohio State University (age > 18 years old) were recruited for Hands-Only CPR training. After training, students received text message refresher videos via personalized links for 6 months. Initial Hands-Only CPR training was conducted through a 1-hr standardized course followed by confirmation of skills acquisition by Laerdal Resusci Anne ® QCPR manikins during 2 minutes of Hands-Only CPR. CPR metrics evaluated included mean compression depth and rate (mean ± standard deviation). Following training, participants were sent one ultra-brief video per month for five months via text messaging. Our outcome of interest was engagement with viewing the reminder videos measured as the number of views per month per individual. Results: A total of 101 students (52 men and 49 females) were recruited during the 2017-18 academic school year. Initial Hands-Only CPR training was conducted with participants meeting guidelines for quality CPR with mean depth of 53 ± 9 mm and mean compression rate of 108 ± 10. During the 6 month post training period, 85% of participants watched the video at least once, 75% watched the video at least twice, and 50% watched three or more times. Only 14% did not watch any reminder videos. There was no difference in watching reminder video based on gender. Conclusion: Engagement of Hands-Only CPR trained undergraduate students in viewing a CPR reminder video at least twice in 6 months was high at 75%. Future research will be directed at determining whether reminder video viewings lead to retention of CPR skills.

A model for training undergraduate students in collaborative science

Engagement of undergraduate students in research has been demonstrated to correlate with improved academic performance and retention. Research experience confers many benefits on participants, particularly foundational skills necessary for graduate school and careers in scientific disciplines. Undergraduate curricula often do not adequately develop collaborative skills that are becoming increasingly useful in many workplaces and research settings. Here, we describe a pilot program that engages undergraduates in research and incorporates learning objectives designed to develop and enhance collaborative techniques and skills in team science that are not typical outcomes of the undergraduate research experience. We conducted a collaborative science project that engaged faculty advisors and upper year undergraduates at four institutions and conducted a review to assess the program’s efficacy. Students developed a broad suite of competencies related to collaborative science, above and beyond the experience of completing individual projects. This model also affords distinct advantages to faculty advisors, including the capacity of the network to collect and synthesize data from different regions. The model for training students to conduct collaborative science at an early stage of their career is scalable and adaptable to a wide range of fields. We provide recommendations for refining and implementing this model in other contexts.

A Multimodal Exploration of Engineering Students' Emotions and Electrodermal Activity in Design Activities

AbstractBackgroundThis exploratory study uses multimodal approaches to explore undergraduate student engagement via topic emotions and electrodermal activity (EDA) in different engineering design method activities and with different instructional delivery formats (e.g., lecture vs. active learning).Purpose/HypothesisThe goal of this research is to improve our understanding of how students respond, via engagement, to their engineering design activities during class. This study hypothesizes that students would experience no self‐reported mean changes in topic emotions from their preassessment scores for each engineering design topic and instructional format nor would electrodermal activities (EDA) associate to these topic emotions throughout the design activities.Design/MethodEighty‐eight freshmen engineering students completed online pretopic and posttopic emotions surveys for five engineering design activities. A subset of 14–18 participants, the focal point of this study, wore an EDA sensor while completing the surveys and participating in these sessions.ResultsPreliminary findings suggest that EDA increased for individual and collaborative active learning activities compared to lectures. No significant changes in EDA were found between individual and collaborative active learning activities. Moderate negative correlations were found between EDA and negative topic emotions in the first engineering design activity but not across the rest. At the end of the semester, active learning activities showed higher effect sizes indicating a re‐enforcement of students' engagement in the engineering design method activities.ConclusionThis study provides initial results showing how multimodal approaches can help researchers understand students' closer‐to‐real‐time engagement in engineering design topics and instructional delivery formats.

Optimizing engagement of undergraduate students in medical education research: The eMERG training network.

BackgroundThe practice of evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal are essential for the modern doctor. Early engagement of medical students in research methodology is considered as a rising need for most medical school curricula; however, few peer-reviewed initiatives have been reported so far. We developed a Medical Education Research Group (eMERG) as part of a novel undergraduate surgical masterclass, which aimed to train undergraduate students on basic research methodology, as well as to motivate them to pursue a clinical and academic career in surgical specialties.Methods: eMERG consists of an international structured network of senior academics, consultant-level clinicians, senior and junior trainees who support undergraduate trainees. Students are selected from a competitive pool of applicants. Several small prospective studies in skills-based education, as well as systematic reviews on similar topics, have run under the umbrella of this framework, in the form of scholarship awards. Structured feedback questionnaires were distributed to evaluate the experience of the first three years.Results12 students have participated in this pilot initiative. 11 manuscripts have been submitted for publication and 8 were accepted following peer-review in MEDLINE-indexed journals. Delegates perceived this experience as an excellent training opportunity which improved their research productivity. Delegates also stated engagement in research developed interest in the relevant surgical speciality, impacting their career aspirations.ConclusionseMERG is one of the first reported European educational research networks for undergraduates. Research outcomes and students' perceptions conclude that eMERG enhances engagement with research methodology and motivation towards a career in surgery.

UniCraft: Exploring the impact of asynchronous multiplayer game elements in gamification

Abstract This paper describes the development and evaluation of UniCraft: a gamified mobile app designed to increase the engagement of undergraduate students with the content and delivery of their course. Gamification projects rely on extrinsic motivators to encourage participants to engage, such as compulsory participation or real-world rewards. UniCraft incorporates an asynchronous multiplayer Battle Game that uses constructive competition to motivate students, without using motivational levers that may reduce intrinsic motivation. The novel Battle Game employed by UniCraft employs Player vs Environment (Shafer, 2012) and Player Matching ( Jennings, 2014 ) to ensure students work together in similarly ranked small groups as a team against a shared enemy. A study was undertaken which examined students' long-term engagement with UniCraft within the context of a 12-week long undergraduate programming course. The app was initially provided with the battle feature disabled, so that the effect on motivation and engagement could be studied when it was introduced during the intervention. Detailed interaction data recorded by the app was augmented by semi-structured interviews in order to provide a richer perspective on its effect at an individual and group level. The interaction data revealed convincing evidence for the increased motivational power of the battle feature, and this was supported by the interview data. Although no direct negative effects of competition were observed, interviews revealed that cheating was prevalent and this could in turn have unintended negative side-effects on motivation. Full results are presented and case studies are described for three of the participants, giving an insight into the different styles of interaction and motivation experienced by students in this study.

Applying the Motivation, Opportunity, Ability (MOA) Model, and Self-Efficacy (S-E) to Better Understand Student Engagement on Undergraduate Event Management Programs

Considering the motivation, opportunity, ability (MOA) model and the self-efficacy (S-E) component of the social cognitive theory (SCT), this article aims to examine through a series of four research questions whether such models can help to determine how students engage with their program of study. Furthermore, the article will determine factors that influence student engagement in event management (EM) degree programs and seek to understand how EM students engage with their reading and interact within classroom-based environments. In doing so, the article will contribute to the existing debates on inclusive teaching and learning in higher education (HE), and provide a link towards creating more professional and employable graduates. Self-efficacy refers to beliefs in one's capabilities to learn or perform at designated levels. Much research has demonstrated that self-efficacy influences academic motivation, learning, and achievement; particularly within science, technology, English, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. With this in mind, this research aims to investigate the frame conditions mentioned that surround both self and group efficacy and seeks to reveal whether the above models can be used to better understand the engagement and subsequent performance of undergraduate EM students. This analysis will enable academics to better understand the role of MOA and S-E, how these develop over a program of study, and thereby provide a boost to student self-efficacy. By doing so, the best possible educational experience and results in higher education can be achieved.

CRISPR-Cas Technology In and Out of the Classroom.

Student-centered practices, including student-focused research opportunities, enhance biology education and comprehension. One way to support student interest is through research opportunities in faculty laboratories. However, alternatives to traditional research apprenticeships are important for the inclusion of more undergraduate students in CRISPR-Cas–based research. Student interest in CRISPR-Cas technologies serves as a timely focal point for deepening undergraduate student engagement in biology courses. In this article, we describe some of the ongoing efforts to bring CRISPR-Cas technology out of the classroom and into the teaching laboratory.

Assessing the Role of the Gene, Pebbled, in D. melanogaster ASP Invasive Behavior

The Drosophila Air Sac Primordia (ASP) can be used to study invasive behavior as it mimics tumor behavior when it invades into the Wing Imaginal Disc (WID) during larval development. A protein expressed in the ASP was found to be coded by the gene pebbled (peb). This study was conducted to see whether pebbled influences the invasive behavior of the ASP. Using Drosophila genetics and RNA interference, the pebbled gene was knocked down and less‐developed and less‐invaded ASP's were seen as the result. The data presented provides information on the possible role of pebbled in tumor invasion. The downregulation of pebbled also lead to a decrease in filopodia (actin projections protruding from the ASP) supporting the claim that there is a direct positive correlation between quantity of filopodia and the invasive capabilities of the ASP.Support or Funding Information KBRIN AREA and IDeA Grants funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health Grant # P20GM103436 WKU Biotechnology Center Gatton Academy Research Internship Grant (RIG) WKU Faculty Undergraduate Student Engagement (FUSE) Grant This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.