ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Teaching Field Data Crowdsourcing Using a GPS-Enabled Cellphone Application: Soil Erosion by Water as a Case Study
Author: Mikhailova, Elena A.
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Sciences,Telecommunications,Handheld Devices,Geographic Information Systems,Data Collection,Laboratory Experiments,Online Courses,Introductory Courses,Teaching Methods,Open Educational Resources,Familiarity,Computer Assisted Testing,Science Instruction,Student Attitudes,Learning Experience,Multimedia Instruction,Criticism,Undergraduate Students,Information Technology,Water,Case Studies

Crowdsourcing is an important tool for collecting spatio-temporal data, which has various applications in education. The objectives of this study were to develop and test a laboratory exercise on soil erosion by water and field data crowdsourcing in an online introductory soil science course (FNR 2040: Soil Information Systems) at Clemson University. Students from different STEM disciplines (wildlife biology, forestry, and environmental and natural resources) participated in the study in the fall of 2021. They completed a sequence of self-contained digital teaching modules or reusable learning objects (RLOs), which are often used in online learning. The exercise included a field exercise and learning module to teach students about different types of water-based soil erosion as well as field data collection and crowdsourcing tools. As a result of this exercise, student familiarity with crowdsourcing was effectively increased, as shown by the post-assessment survey with a +31.2% increase in the &quot;moderately familiar&quot; category and a +28.3% increase in the &quot;extremely familiar&quot; category. The online quiz contained ten questions and was taken by 56 students with an average score of 9.5 (out of 10). A post-assessment survey found that most of the students indicated that the laboratory was an effective learning experience about field data crowdsourcing using a GPS-enabled cellphone application. Detailed students' comments indicated enjoyment of learning (e.g., data collection, learning about different technologies), the value of multimedia (e.g., ArcGIS Survey123, cellphone), the flexibility of learning (e.g., field work), the content applicability (e.g., actual field examples of erosion by water), and criticism (e.g., technical issues). A word cloud derived from students' comments about their laboratory exercise experience indicated the most frequent words used by students, such as &quot;erosion&quot;, &quot;enjoyed&quot;, and &quot;different&quot;, among others. Incorporating a learning module and field exercise using modern data collection technology into an undergraduate soil science education course enabled students to understand the value and methods for leveraging cellphone-based field collection methods to crowdsource data for environmental assessment. Practical recommendations for planning and executing future crowdsourcing exercises were developed using the current study as an example.
Student Retention and Success in an RN-BSN Program: Determining Variables and Methods
Author: Tolouian, Audrey
Date: 2022-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Holding Power,Nursing Education,Bachelors Degrees,College Students,Online Courses,Nurses,Distance Education,Student Attitudes,Barriers

Background: The Online Registered Nurse to Baccalaureate Science in Nursing (RN- BSN) Program has a retention rate of close to 97.5% (UTEP, 2020). Attrition rates in nursing programs are high. The National League for Nursing (NLN) last reported a 25 % attrition rate which may double for minority students in four-year nursing programs (NLN, 2014; Elkin, 2019). As online courses in colleges and universities are growing and are predicted to become mainstream by 2025, it is essential to identify factors contributing to our retention rates. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has made it part of its 2021-2022 policy priorities to increase access to nursing programs (AACN, 2021). Objective: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the factors affecting nursing student retention. The information was used to make changes to the existing online programs in our school and better support our students. The research question was &quot;What factors do students identify that influenced their RN to BSN program retention?&quot; Methodology: The participants were chosen using a convenience sampling technique. The university was a public institution located in a border town. Three types of questions were asked: (1) general demographic information, (2) nursing career, and (3) program requirements for the RNBSN. Results: A total of 33 participants completed the RN-BSN retention program study. The findings indicated that several general factors contribute to retention and student success, including student support services, mandatory orientation programs for students and faculty, credit student success courses, remedial academic ability programs (which discuss support services, particularly computer tech support), and recognizing the importance of diversity in the classroom and at work. Conclusion: Examining the characteristics of distance education students, as well as their distinct abilities and needs, may assist schools in improving student retention. Reconsidering the characteristics and unique features of distance learning students may help schools retain students with a variety of needs, such as access to scholarships, loans, and financial incentives to continue their education.
Teaching Staff and Student Perceptions of Staff Support for Student Mental Health: A University Case Study
Author: Payne, Helen
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Mental Health,College Faculty,Teacher Student Relationship,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Social Support Groups,Educational Needs,Multiple Literacies,Teacher Role,Tutors

Background: There are significant concerns for student mental health in higher education. New factors affect student mental health, and campus counselling services are overwhelmed. Struggling students turn to ideally placed familiar teaching staff for support. This qualitative study, conducted in an East of England university, aimed to explore student and staff perceptions of support offered by teaching staff to students grappling with their mental health. It is unique, combining both staff and student perceptions, many of which overlapped. Methods: A thematic analysis was conducted of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a small number of self-selecting staff/students. Findings (results): Staff felt inadequate in several aspects, and students agreed to give useful suggestions for their preferred support. Conclusions: It was cautiously established that staff training in mental health literacy (knowledge, skills, attributes, and understanding) was required. Specific training was recommended in pastoral care for personal tutors and for staff pedagogy on health professional programmes. Finally, teaching staff needed support when supporting students with poor mental health. Such training and support can be integrated into a preventative, university-wide, holistic policy for student mental health commensurate with the University Mental Health Charter. Embedding such supportive practice into the curriculum is preferable to add-on services and/or interventions.
Models as Epistemic Artifacts for Scientific Reasoning in Science Education Research
Author: Rost, Marvin
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematical Models,Mathematical Logic,Science Process Skills,Science Education,Epistemology,Educational Research,Scientific Research

Models are at the core of scientific reasoning and science education. They are especially crucial in scientific and educational contexts where the primary objects of study are unobservables. While empirical science education researchers apply philosophical arguments in their discussions of models and modeling, we in turn look at exemplary empirical studies through the lense of philosophy of science. The studied cases tend to identify modeling with representation, while simultaneously approaching models as tools. We argue that such a dual approach is inconsistent, and suggest considering models as epistemic artifacts instead. The artifactual approach offers many epistemic benefits. The access to unobservable target systems becomes less mysterious when models are not approached as more or less accurate representations, but rather as tools constructed to answer theoretical and empirical questions. Such a question-oriented approach contributes to a more consistent theoretical understanding of modeling and interpretation of the results of empirical research.
Comparison of In-Person and Virtual Labs/Tutorials for Engineering Students Using Blended Learning Principles
Author: Schnieder, Maren
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: In Person Learning,Electronic Learning,Laboratories,Learner Engagement,Academic Achievement,Laboratory Experiments,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Engineering Education,Foreign Countries,College Students

The paper compares the effectiveness of in-person and virtual engineering laboratory sessions. The in-person and virtual laboratory sessions reported here comprise six experiments combined with short tutorials. The virtual lab combined enquiry-based learning and gamification principles. The integration of the virtual labs with in-person teaching created a blended learning environment. The effectiveness of this approach was assessed based on: (1) the student feedback (i.e., a questionnaire with open-ended questions and Likert scale feedback); (2) the students' engagement with the virtual lab; and (3) the impact on the academic performance (i.e., class test results). The students reported greater confidence in the understanding of theory in the virtual lab than the in-person lab. This is interesting given that the instruction for the virtual lab and the in-person lab of one experiment is identical (i.e., same instructor, same enquiry-based learning techniques, and same explanations). The students also appreciated the ability to complete the virtual lab anytime, anywhere, for as long as they needed, and highlighted the benefits of the interactivity. The median class test scores of the students who completed some or all the virtual lab experiments was higher than those who did not (83-89% vs. 67%).
Fostering Teamwork through Design Thinking: Evidence from a Multi-Actor Perspective
Author: Guaman-Quintanilla, Sharon
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teamwork,Design,Thinking Skills,Teaching Methods,Higher Education,Intervention,Undergraduate Students,Facilitators (Individuals),Comparative Analysis,Skill Development,Scoring Rubrics,Interdisciplinary Approach,Problem Solving,Peer Evaluation,Gender Differences,Cooperative Learning,Foreign Countries

This study examines the effects of a design thinking intervention on first-year students' teamwork skills from a multi-actor perspective. A design thinking course was evaluated throughout a semester. Six-hundred-and-forty university students participated, guided by twenty-six facilitators. The students received in-class training and worked in multi-disciplinary teams to develop a solution for a real-life problem. In this quasi-experimental study, data were collected twice: in the middle (t1), and at the end (t2) of the course. Each time, students were rated by their teammates, themselves, and the course facilitator, using a rubric to map teamwork skills. The results show a significant improvement in teamwork skills, as consistently observed in the three ratings. The results also show a significant effect of sex on the improvement over time. Female students showed more considerable progress than male students. This study addresses researchers' demands regarding the lack of robust evidence to assess the impact of design thinking in higher education settings. Furthermore, building on the data from a large sample size and an intervention designed in a replicable way, this study contributes to the available empirical evidence that helps one to adopt and implement design thinking in universities to develop essential skills, such as teamwork.
Teachers&apos; Global Perceptions and Views, Practices and Needs in Multicultural Settings
Author: Karanikola, Zoe
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Global Approach,Cultural Pluralism,Foreign Countries,Cultural Awareness,Competence,Elementary School Teachers

Multiculturalism and globalization are common traits of western societies, and affect the way people interact and communicate. In such a context, this study comes to investigate teachers' perceptions, practices and needs towards global and intercultural competences. This study was designed and implemented in order to shed light on major issues which are associated with the context of global competences as an umbrella term, which arose during the researchers' participation at an Erasmus plus European project. The research took place at the region of Attica and thirteen teachers (N = 13) of reception classes--Zones of Educational Priority (ZEP)--participated in the interview. A qualitative case study followed, focusing on a specific geographic region, and the semi-structured interview tool was used. The findings of the research indicate that educators do not feel certain about the differences between global and intercultural competences. However, they consider that these competences are of great importance and they recognize the contribution of schools to their development. Regarding their practices, they mostly refer to the dialogue and discussion techniques, the role playing, and the project-based teaching. Finally, participants consider that they are not sufficiently prepared to teach global and intercultural competences. Thus, participation in relevant training programs is important.
Creativity in Higher Education: A Qualitative Analysis of Experts&apos; Views in Three Disciplines
Author: Georgiou, Helen
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Creativity,Higher Education,Scientists,Historians,Poets,Physics,History,Poetry,Intellectual Disciplines,Creative Thinking,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Foreign Countries

Creativity has been identified as an increasingly important graduate attribute for employment in the 21st century. As sites of significant development of disciplinary specialization, universities seem to be the natural place for creativity to be fostered. However, there remain contestations and ambiguities in the ways creativity is theorized, and this translates to difficulties in operationalization, particularly in the higher education context, which attracts significantly less research than the school setting. Here, we report on interviews with physicists, historians, and poets, as both educators and producers of knowledge that progresses their disciplines, to provide elaborations on the nature of creativity. We draw on sociological theory to elucidate the characteristics of creativity as expressed by experts in particular disciplinary fields. We find that whilst perceptions appear common across the disciplines, on further analysis, they tend instead to encapsulate discrete attributes. Further, there are some qualities of creativity that are uniquely emphasized by participants in specific disciplinary fields. We argue that theorizing both the discipline and the nature of creativity together is important in order to understand how creativity might more fruitfully be discussed and fostered in higher education.
Construction of Questionnaire-Scale USOTIC &quot;Social Networks in Primary and Secondary School Students: Use and Digital Coexistence&quot;
Author: López Berlanga, María Carmen
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students,Test Construction,Test Validity,Foreign Countries,Questionnaires,Internet,Social Networks

In the present work, the construction process, namely the design, elaboration and validation of a questionnaire-scale is described to evaluate the attitudes and interactions in the way of living in the digital world of social networks in primary and secondary students. The current aim was to analyse the means, uses and risks, as well as the sources of training and advice those students have to interact with the diverse range of devices with an internet connection that provide access to social networks. The participating sample for validation was 1073 students from the Primary and Secondary Education stages of centres with organic dependency: Private, concerted and public. The obtained results express the satisfactory metric quality of the questionnaire, thus presenting a theoretically based and operationally defined instrument, considering four relevant dimensions: Special, environmental, perceptual and motivational.
Academic Adjustment in the UK University: A Case of Chinese Students&apos; Direct-Entry as International Students
Author: Li, Li
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Adjustment (to Environment),Foreign Countries,College Students,Foreign Students,Coping,Business Administration Education,Banking,Finance Occupations,Barriers

This case study examines the academic adjustment of five direct-entry Chinese students at a UK university. Specifically, it investigates two questions: 1) What kind of academic challenges are faced by Chinese direct entrants enrolled in a banking and finance programme at a UK university? and 2) What are the external resources and personal coping strategies that participants perceive to be effective in counteracting these challenges? The findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews fall under two broad domains: 1) the academic challenges; and 2) the coping strategies. The academic obstacles as experienced by participants include English language issues, content knowledge of the subject, course delivery pace, and time management. The perceived effective strategies that help to overcome the challenges include: making use of pre-sessional programmes, taking advantage of tutorials and professors' weekly office hours, taking an active part in learning and figuring out the best learning approach, and seeking help proactively. This research has implications for educators and students who are involved or interested in similar programmes.
A Quantitative Study of Undergraduate Students&apos; Anxiety
Author: Tang, Liqin
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Anxiety,Grade Point Average,Majors (Students),Instructional Program Divisions,Foreign Students,Test Anxiety,Predictor Variables

The main purpose of this quantitative study was to explore undergraduates' anxiety level, as well as the correlation and differences among such variables as the sources of anxiety, students' GPAs, grade levels, and majors. The research results indicated that undergraduates at a flagship university in the northwest, United States, were moderately anxious. There was no statistically significant difference in anxiety level and GPAs between domestic and international students. There was no statistically significant correlation between the anxiety and GPA concerning grade levels. Based on sources of anxiety and grade levels, undergraduates suffered exam anxiety most, and presentation anxiety came second. Freshmen' anxiety level related to all sources was highest. Seniors were least anxious. There were statistically significant differences in the anxiety level related to specific sources regarding grade levels, except for presentation source of anxiety. Built on anxiety sources and majors, Human Services students had the highest level of anxiety. The least anxious was Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources students. The study concluded that higher education institutions should implement effective policies, procedures and practices to mitigate students' anxiety level and thus improve their mental health and well-being.
A Survey of Estonian Video Game Industry Needs
Author: Tunnel, Raimond-Hendrik
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Video Games,Higher Education,Industry,Labor Needs,Programming,Employment Qualifications,College Graduates,Computer Software,Job Skills

Designing a video game design and development curriculum in higher education is a challenging task. Information about the needs of the respective industry certainly helps. In this paper, we have surveyed Estonian video game development companies to determine their current needs when it comes to knowledge areas, software tools, languages, abilities, and contextual fluencies. The survey is based on a similar survey conducted a decade ago and this paper compares the current results with those found earlier. Compared to the prior survey, we have found significant differences in the rated importance of knowledge in optimization, version control technologies, the C, C++, and C# programming languages, and the time management ability for video game development companies looking to hire university graduates. We have also extended the previous survey to include a contemporary selection of game design and development tools. Based on that, we have determined a strong need for graduates with skills specifically in Unity and Unreal Engine game engines, Photoshop raster image editing software, and Git version control software. While most of our results are largely consistent with the previous research, our added survey items like visual languages and game engines bring the results to the modern context. This allows curriculum designers and managers to see the differences regarding the landscape of industry needs for their graduates and thus make more informed decisions in their work.
Challenges Faced by Classroom Teachers in Distance Learning for Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity during COVID-19 Pandemic
Author: Khusheim, Salwa Mostafa
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Barriers,Distance Education,Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,Teacher Student Relationship,Teaching Methods,Teacher Attitudes,COVID-19,Pandemics,Teacher Characteristics,Teaching Experience,Age Differences,Teacher Qualifications,Online Courses,Foreign Countries

Remote and virtual classrooms could negatively affect the academics of students, especially in case of a child suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of the present study was to understand the obstacles and differences between the teachers regarding their use of teaching methods, tasks and assignments, tests and evaluation methods and communication between teacher and parents of students with ADHD, during distance learning in COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through a questionnaire which was reviewed by some experts in the field of this study from several KSA universities. The result showed that there were statistically significant differences among responses of classroom teachers regarding all the dimensions. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences between participants in their opinion toward all dimensions according to their specialization and years of experience which was not in the case of age and academic qualifications of the participants. Thus, it was concluded that teachers were willing to co-operate with the students having ADHD during online classes, but they face difficulties in handling them as ADHD students lacks concentration and can be distracted easily.