University Learning Experience Research Articles

Formative assessment in higher education: an exploratory study within programs for professionals in education

This study explores how prospective professionals in higher education can learn about and apply formative assessment methods relevant to their future educational workplaces. In the academic year 2022–23, 156 pre-service teachers, social workers, and heads of social services took part in a three-stage mixed-method study on university learning experiences involving formative assessment practices. They were exposed to self-, peer-, and group-assessment strategies. Data collected after each stage revealed participants’ perspectives on each method. Findings show that students who engaged in formative assessment comprehended assessment complexity and were motivated to use diverse assessment forms. Formative assessment proves effective for both evaluation and development, supporting higher education students in honing assessment competencies for future professional roles in educational and social sectors.

Didactic program in dietetics (DPD) students’ experiences with pandemic learning and expectations for their future education: a descriptive study through a systems lens

BackgroundThe systems approach has been used to evaluate higher education and explores inputs, transformation process, and outputs of a system that is also influenced by environmental factors such as COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many college students to different learning modes, changing their university experience. This study evaluated dietetics students’ education experiences and characteristics in the latter period (spring 2022) of the COVID-19 pandemic using the systems approach.MethodsResearchers developed and distributed an electronic survey to all 215 US-based Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) directors during March to May 2022 to forward to their students. Researchers calculated descriptive statistics for variables related to inputs, transformation process, and outputs in the systems approach.ResultsRespondents (n = 341) represented 51 DPDs in 31 states in the United States. Overall, DPD students (88.5%) were mostly or very satisfied with their choice of majoring in dietetics. Most (84.0%) planned to earn the RDN credential. Nearly half (46.9%) of DPD students were somewhat or extremely concerned about their readiness to continue their dietetics education path due to the pandemic-related learning conditions. Most students (43.6%) reported dissatisfaction with asynchronous remote instruction in laboratory courses. DPD students’ GPAs remained consistent within the range of 3.75-4.0 from Fall 2019 (43.2%) to Spring 2022 (44.5%). The most important expectations of professors moving forward were to communicate effectively (97.3%), employ cultural humility (93.8%), eliminate discrimination in the classroom (93.6%), provide lecture slides (89.7%), and be flexible and accommodating (88.7%).ConclusionsDPD students emerged from COVID-19 with new perspectives and expectations for their university learning experience. Future research should explore the perspectives of DI directors, preceptors, and employers of COVID-19 era DPD graduates.

사이버대학 학습경험 요소 도출을 위한 키워드 네트워크 분석

Objectives As a basic research for studying cyber university learning experience, this study aims to structurally identify the main elements and relationships that make up the learning experience by analyzing previous studies related to cyber university learners using the keyword network method.
 Methods Keyword network analysis was conducted on 75 keywords related to 'cyber university', 'distance uni-versity', and 'learning' published in domestic academic journals. The keyword network analysis focused on weight-ed connectivity, dominance centrality, proximity centrality, and mediation centrality, and the ego network analysis was conducted for the main keywords cyber university, cyber university learners, and online education.
 Results As a result of examining the overall network structure of cyber university + learner-related research, the keywords learning performance, sense of presence, self-direction, satisfaction, and academic continuation were analyzed as major keywords in the weighted connectivity section. As a result of ego network analysis targeting the top three keywords of weighted connectivity, power centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality: cyber university, cyber university learner, and online education, the cyber university ego network was analyzed in the order of learning performance, academic continuation, and sense of presence.
 Conclusions Cyber University is entering its maturity stage as it turns 20. The reality is that the patterns of cyber university learners have also diversified. Therefore, by understanding the diversity and context of various cyber university learners, it is necessary to be able to prescribe the learning difficulties they are experiencing. In addition, it was found that when studying cyber universities, the characteristics of online education and the changing digital environment must be kept in mind.

History of music, electromagnetism and the Sun: an innovative educational resource for pre-service primary school teachers

In general, science education programs for pre-service primary teachers encounter several challenges, including inadequate subject matter training and uninspiring lectures. This results in a disconnection between university learning and real-school experiences. To address these issues, an innovative science teaching course for primary school teachers is proposed. This course emphasizes interdisciplinarity, practical activities and didactical resources, with the ultimate goal of breaking the cycle of unmotivated and unskilled students by producing competent and enthusiastic science teachers. The course structure, implemented at the University of La Laguna, creatively blends experimental sciences, history, music, and maths through engaging methods and practical activities. The integration of simple demonstrations and interdisciplinary approaches has had a positive impact on the pre-service teachers. As a result, they are now better equipped to design innovative educational resources for future primary students and have gained confidence in their abilities to teach science.

“People are People”: Exploring Student-centred Design Thinking in the Co-creation of University Learning Experiences

This article explores the relationship between a co-created student project and people-centred design thinking. Through a critical reflective inquiry approach, we explore the broader challenges and implications of implementing people-centred design principles, as opposed to approach, in the context of Higher Education today. The article is guided by the experiences of two academic members of university staff and their engagement with an innovative student-centred project and pedagogical framework titled Thinking Inside the Box. The purpose of this intentionally critical self-reflection is to mobilise these experiences of student-centred design thinking to identify learner and professional opportunities, challenges to innovation and other touchpoints at the individual, tactical, operational and strategic levels.

Exploring the Ways in which Generation-Z Dental Students Learn and How this Could Impact Dental Foundation Training

This article explores the ways in which Generation-Z dental students learn currently, how this compares with previous generations, and how this may influence the ways in which future generations of dentists will practise. The opinions discussed are those of current fourth year dental students at the University of Sheffield, who delve into what their university learning experience has entailed so far, alongside sharing their feelings towards current methods of teaching. In this way, a student-centred insight is offered into the way Generation-Z students are learning dentistry, and how general dental practices (GDPs) may take account of this in dental foundation training (DFT).

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN TERTIARY EDUCATION CLASSROOMS : WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL?

Purpose - Collaborative learning has been increasingly recognized as an effective approach to promote students’ success in highereducation. To better understand the factors that contribute to successful collaborative learning, this study applied the Biggs’ presage-processproduct (3P) general model of learning to investigate the role of teaching quality, student-faculty interaction, and relatedness as presage factors, collaborative learning as process factor, and reflective and integrative learning and higher-order thinking as product factors. Methodology - A cross-sectional approach was applied in this study, which included 1,892 Malaysian undergraduates. The study usedthe Quality of University Learning Experience (QULEX) survey to measure various constructs. First, confirmatory factor analysis(CFA) was conducted to establish the psychometric properties of the instruments. Thereafter, structural equation modeling (SEM) wasemployed to evaluate the latent variables relationships. Findings - Based on the findings, collaborative learning fully mediated the prediction of student-faculty interaction, teachingquality, and relatedness on reflective and integrative learning and higher-order thinking. Significance - These findings suggest that collaborative learning with social components and effective teaching maximize students’ learning activities, and they should be fostered in academic institutions to improve students’ academic success. Implications for improving teaching and learning are also discussed in this paper.

Predicting Learners’ Agility and Readiness for Future Learning Ecosystem

Agility and future readiness are fundamental 21st-century skills that could guide university students globally to thriving and benefiting from a VUCA—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—world. The ability to respond flexibly, make informed decisions, and adapt to rapid change reflects future-readiness capabilities. However, little is known about the empirical role of the university curriculum, learning ecosystem, and learning experience as perceived by university students in developing these skills. Therefore, we analysed data collected from 209 Malaysian university students from 16 universities to assess whether these three pertinent factors impact the students’ learning agility and determine how well learning agility predicts learners’ future readiness. The present study empirically assessed a theoretical model using a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The analysis supported all the hypotheses proposed in this study, which implies that the extended model could effectively predict learners’ agility and future readiness. The results revealed that the university learning experience, ecosystem, and curriculum positively, directly, and significantly affected learning agility and future readiness. Furthermore, the findings showed that student agility significantly mediated the relationships between the student learning experience, university learning ecosystem, and curriculum and student future readiness. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of a future-ready education nurtured by a vibrant learning ecosystem that delivers lasting values and experiences for students and communities to appreciate the opportunities for a challenging yet exciting future offered by a VUCA environment. The established empirical model describing the empirical interplays between these correlates could, in turn, aid better evidence-based policy making in higher education.

Opening up New University Learning Experiences with Virtual Reality

Opening up New University Learning Experiences with Virtual Reality

University Learning Experience During Pandemic Disruption in Antasari State Islamic University Banjarmasin

The focus of this research reveals about the learning experience at one of the Islamic universities in Indonesia, namely UIN Antasari Banjarmasin. This type of research is qualitative with a phenomenological approach. The collection technique uses interviews, observation and documentation. Interviews were conducted with several lecturers and students to obtain data that can answer the problems of this research. Then we have interview data with in-depth evaluation and interpretation to understand how the learning experience, especially distance learning, and all the problems that arise and solutions are solved. The results showed that the learning experience experienced by students contained challenges and opportunities. The challenge was the sudden closure of face-to-face classes, so there was a lack of preparation in many ways. Meanwhile, the opportunity for academics and students to get used to self-study (an important part of higher education culture) since the lecture was closed, however, distance classes were opened. It is hoped that the results of this study can be useful for many parties, especially in making teaching decisions in universities.

Partners in learning: ‘An exploration of multi-cultural faculty and Emirati students' perspectives of university learning experiences’

Numerous articles have been published referring to differences in the way expatriate faculty members at universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their Emirati students perceive the customs and nature of teaching and learning. Faculty members and students come to class from two varying educational and often cultural backgrounds. As the UAE is a dynamic, young country that is rapidly changing with a diverse residency population, it is necessary to frequently research how Emirati students currently perceive effective classroom practices in order to best support their needs. A possible model to adopt and adapt is culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy. This qualitative study explores perspectives of learning held by local Emirati students and expatriate faculty members at a public university in the UAE. Ten Emirati students and ten faculty members describe their views through interviews. Findings centered around disconnection and misapprehension between faculty members and students in several regards: culture, motivation, concepts of teaching and learning and student needs. Recommendations include developing training on implementing culturally relevant pedagogy by showing faculty how to view teaching and learning through the lens of the student and check their own preconceived notions. It allows for students to have power over their own learning by implementing strategies relevant to their own cultural and background norms. Limitations and suggestions for future studies are also provided.

Academic expectations among university students and staff: addressing the role of psychological contracts and social norms

Student expectations of required workload, behaviour, resource use, role and relationship profoundly shape success in higher education and inform satisfaction with their learning experience. Teachers’ expectations of students’ behaviour can similarly affect the university learning experience and environment. When expectations between academic staff and students are not aligned, student satisfaction and staff morale are likely to suffer. This study sought to identify areas where the academic expectations of students and staff aligned or diverged and understand responses to any breaches of expectations. Here, we report on qualitative findings from a survey of 259 undergraduate students and 48 staff members and focus group interviews with 10 students and 15 staff members. Although their academic expectations aligned in most areas, students appeared to have broader conceptions of success at university than staff, and a stronger focus on the importance of personal relationships with staff and teaching quality. Academics expressed stronger injunctive norms about prioritisation of study and the importance of identifying as a student. These differences are likely to lead to tension between the two groups, particularly in areas of value for individuals. While clarifying expectations may improve alignment between the groups to some extent, the basis of these differences in individual priorities suggests that merely articulating expectations may not resolve the issue. We therefore argue for staff to adopt a co-creation approach to academic expectations and to ‘meet students halfway’ where possible.

Do higher education students really seek ‘value for money’?: Debunking the myth

Although students are increasingly cast as consumers wanting ‘value for money’, this study empirically investigated whether students actively seek value for money. In Study 1, 1,772 undergraduates at a mid-ranked English university were asked open-ended questions about what they had wanted from their university learning experience and how that had turned out. Hopes were coded as fulfilled or unfulfilled. Responses were searched for key words related to ‘value for money’. Less than 2 per cent of students referenced ‘value for money’. Those students were significantly more likely to have unfulfilled hopes. In Study 2, 185 first-year science students were asked open-ended questions about why they chose their subject and their programme, and what they had wanted from their learning experience in that programme. None referenced value for money. Students’ reasons for choosing their subjects and programmes were analysed. ‘Value for money’ does not do justice to students’ hopes for university or their programme.

International student mobility, multiculturalism training within the framework of the core contents of a degree programme. The mobility experience between the University of Siena and Al Akhawayn University (AUI)

The essay illustrates the results of a university learning experience aimed at verifying the ways in which to manage international student mobility, in order to achieve learning outcomes in the field of multicultural education and radicalization prevention. To obtain this result and to make the acquired learning transferable in the curriculum of the university of origin, we have verified the usefulness of choosing and setting the educational targets within a reference framework consisting of a system of core contents expressed on the basis of the professional knowledge fundamental for their job prospects. The educational actions that characterized the proposed mobility model and the respective components analysed in the essay (pre-mobility, mobility, post-mobility, assessment) are described according to the expected learning outcomes. The results of the experience are also accompanied by elements of evaluation of satisfaction and effectiveness starting from the statements by the students and a Moroccan teacher involved in the planning and implementation of the actions in situ. The mobility covered by the essay was implemented with Al Akhawayn University (AUI, Morocco) as part of the Forward project, and involved students of the Bachelor of Science of Education of the University of Siena

Refletindo sobre uma matriz filosófica que capaz de abarcar a epistemologia das Metodologias Ativas diante do Humanismo Digital

O presente estudo reflete sobre os fundamentos teórico – práticos que compõem as práticas educacionais no contexto de cibercultura diante as possibilidades cognitivas apresentadas pelo ciberespaço vivenciado no cotidiano educacional universitário. Dentre as questões pesquisadas estão o modo de ressignificar epistemologicamente as práticas educacionais em relação aos processos de aprendizagem, possibilitando o interrogar sobre: como projetar o agir pedagógico docente diante as possibilidades cognitivas do ciberespaço? Qual o papel docente em relação ao discente imerso na vivência cotidiana de cibercultura? Diante ao cenário contemporâneo emergente, de transformações liquidas, buscou-se aprofundar o sentido da cibercultura na perspectiva e sua relação com a prática docente. Posteriormente, estudar as práticas pedagógicas que enfatizam o potencial comunicativo do ciberespaço na construção cognitiva. A pesquisa reflete sobre as vivências de aprendizado universitárias e o sentido de uma internacionalidade pedagógica focada nas conexões entre cibercultura e ciberespaço. Quanto ao marco teórico das expressões “Cibercultura” e “Ciberespaço”, ambas são constituídas e revisitadas nas obras de Pierre Lévy. O estudo é bibliográfico e de caráter qualitativo, dialética e está vinculada a pesquisa de Doutoramento no PPGEDU da URI- Câmpus Frederico Westphalen, na Linha: Processos Educativos, Linguagens e Tecnologias.

Effects of Socioeconomic Status and University Learning Experiences on Male and Female Students’ Leadership Capacity in Vietnamese Higher Education

Effects of Socioeconomic Status and University Learning Experiences on Male and Female Students’ Leadership Capacity in Vietnamese Higher Education

Guanxi social-network ties: Predicting graduate employment with internship host-organisations in China

Globally internships are utilized to enhance the university learning experience and improve graduate employment. The expanding application of internships in the graduate recruitment and selection process has traditionally received less attention in the literature, and whilst this trend has crossed national borders, the transferability of this practice has largely been assumed rather than empirically substantiated. Hence, this study investigates how a culturally specific form of social-networking, namely guanxi, impacts on employment outcomes from internships, for graduates within the Chinese context. This study involved the collection of longitudinal data at two time intervals from intern-supervisor dyads (N=303), in order to determine the role of guanxi in predicting the conversion of an intern into an employee with their internship host-organisation. These findings highlight the role of cultural context in shaping and potentially undermining desired graduate employment outcomes from Work-Integrated Learning initiatives such as internships.

STRATEGIES FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS: AN EARLY INTERVENTION APPROACH FOR BUILDING METACOGNITIVE SKILLS IN FIRST-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Strategies for Academic Success is a co-curricular workshop for first-year undergraduates on metacognitive skills and learning strategies that aims to support students’ achievement of their learning goals. After multiple iterations, self-reported data has been collected, which allows us to examine and reflect on the learning strategies and habits that students have put into practice as a result of participating in the session, as well as whether the timing of session plays a role in determining the impacts of the content of study habits in students. In sum, we have found that certain strategies resonate more strongly with students based on whether they are entering university or have had at least one semester of university learning experience. Whereas there are broad applications for the strategies, knowing which strategies students gravitate toward relative to the student life cycle is useful for instructors and student success practitioners more generally.

Examining the relationship between brand equity dimensions and university brand equity

PurposeIn response to global competitive challenges, universities recently started developing better strategies for branding. Branding has been used as a differentiation strategy for higher education institutions. As the number of universities (public and private) has increased, so has the competition for students, the universities in Turkey have faced similar challenges. The main objective of this study is to investigate, from the students' perspective, the role of interactions of brand equity dimensions in creating a strong university brand.Design/methodology/approachCompiling from the literature, the study used a survey instrument to collect data at a comprehensive public university in Turkey. To assure representation of students across the campus, the sample included students at freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior and graduate levels from all major colleges.FindingsBased on 1,300 usable surveys from students across all colleges of a major state university, the PLS-SEM model revealed significant relationships among the brand equity dimensions of brand awareness, perceived quality, brand association, learning environment, emotional environment, brand trust, brand loyalty and university reputation. These brand dimensions collectively and/or individually influence the students' university learning experiences that may result in creating strong university brand equity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted at a government-owned university in Turkey capturing only students' perceptions. Future research could benefit from perceptions of other stakeholders like faculty, staff, alumni, and parents and testing the relationships for different types of universities. This study discusses the implications for developing university branding strategies.Originality/valueThe study empirically tests the validity and effects of the university brand equity dimensions with Turkish university students using structural equation modeling (SEM). It confirms that the measures of brand equity dimensions are also applicable in a different country.

Supporting more engaged learning: the case for the 3D printer - a position paper

Students are increasingly connected to an online world. As such, they expect their university learning experience to emulate their everyday online experiences. Until recently, however, traditional university teaching has tended to focus on 'knowledge transfer'. In order to reengage with students, many universities are providing online tools and courses. But, not all topics are suitable for online learning. Some topics still require hands-on experience - especially where the outcome is targeted to the manufacturing industry. The 3D printer is a teaching tool that benefits from both hands-on and online support. Moreover, it can be used to help reengage students disaffected by traditional teaching methods and as a tool for transitioning to more online teaching methods. This paper outlines how the 3D printer is being used in university classrooms to supplement online teaching which is career focussed.