ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Shaping the First-Year Experience: Assessment of the Vision Planning Seminar at Nagoya University of Commerce and Business in Japan
Author: Ito, Hiroshi
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Freshmen,Student Experience,Strategic Planning,First Year Seminars,Academic Persistence,Skill Development,Basic Skills,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Graduation Rate,Interviews,Student Surveys,Student Attitudes,Developmental Studies Programs,Case Studies

Learning assessments of the First-Year Experience (FYE) at universities have drawn increasing attention. Despite its current popularity, few pieces of literature on the FYE learning assessment exist in Japan. To present a case of FYE in the context of Japan, this paper examines the FYE course called the Vision Planning Seminar (VPS) at the Nagoya University of Commerce and Business (NUCB). The university created a unique FYE called the Vision Planning Seminar for Industrial Needs (VPSIN) in an attempt to reduce students' attrition and develop their generic skills, which also serve to develop employability. This case study examines whether VPSIN, as compared to other VPS courses, helps students stay in university, acquire generic skills, and envision their professional futures compared to other VPS courses. Findings show that whereas VPSIN possibly helps improve retention and some generic skills such as presentation skills and communication skills, the program does not seem to help improve other generic skills such as critical thinking and problem solving skills and develop future career perspectives. The author suggests that the VPSIN curriculum be redesigned to more directly focus on helping students with vision planning. It is also recommended that longitudinal studies be conducted in the future to examine how VPSIN has helped students improve specific generic skills.
Governance and Higher Education in Pakistan: What Roles Do Boards of Governors Play in Ensuring the Academic Quality Maintenance in Public Universities versus Private Universities in Pakistan?
Author: Usman, Sidra
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Governance,Higher Education,Governing Boards,Administrator Role,Educational Quality,Public Colleges,Private Colleges,Universities,Quality Assurance,Comparative Analysis,Efficiency,Developed Nations,Power Structure,Qualitative Research,Interviews,Questionnaires

There are major structural issues in the higher education system in Pakistan leading to poor governance of institutions and questionable quality of education. This paper looks at the differences in the role of boards of governors in maintaining quality of education in both the public and the private sector universities in Pakistan. After having conducted qualitative research by interviewing selected academics and by secondary research, the problems in the governance of higher education in the country were identified. Governance in higher education is then analyzed in terms of the Boards of Governors of universities and their role and the overall management and organizational structure of the higher education institutions in both sectors. This paper further explores the role of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan as a regulator of higher education in the country and its policies regarding quality assurance. This discussion helps in identifying the differences that are present in the governance structures of universities in both sectors. The result has been that the private sector boards portray a more efficient system compared to the public sector boards that lack autonomy and are under strong political influence. The recommendations that have been made require for a change in the organizational structures of boards in the public sector and increased checks by the HEC to promote good governance and quality assurance in universities in the country.
An Alternative Approach for Designing and Teaching Communication Skills to University of Technology Students
Author: Pineteh, Ernest A.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Communication Skills,Higher Education,Technical Education,Educational Strategies,Undergraduate Students,Interviews,Thinking Skills,Curriculum Development,Teaching Methods,Critical Thinking,Creative Thinking,Innovation,Problem Solving,Qualitative Research

This article examines the contents and teaching strategies of communication skills courses at a South African higher institution: Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). It seeks to understand why the courses have not been very responsive to increasing academic and professional challenges undergraduate students experience at this university. Also, it proposes alternative contents and methods of teaching that can ensure that these courses remain relevant to the diversity of vocational diploma programmes offered by the university. The article is written against the backdrop of conceptions of &quot;unpreparedness&quot; and &quot;disadvantage&quot; repeatedly used by academics of this institution to justify the poor academic performance of students. The article draws on data gleaned from sustained one-on-one interviews with fifteen students and four communication skills lecturers as well as on course reflections with 1st year students collected during one academic year. This empirical data revealed that Communication courses provide a unique space for the development of generic cognitive skills which are critical for academic development and which can put graduates at a competitive advantage in the workplace. However it argues that for these courses to provide students with lifelong academic and professional skills, existing curricula and teaching approaches should be revised. This is because the current delivery methods are seemingly very pedantic, less stimulating and do not promote higher-order thinking in students. This piece therefore recommends a model, which focuses on the development of metacognitive skills such as critical thinking, creative and innovative thinking as well as problem solving.
&quot;What Do I Do Here?&quot;: Higher Order Learning Effects of Enhancing Task Instructions
Author: Chamberlain, Susanna
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intervention,Comprehension,Evaluation Methods,Learning Processes,Online Courses,Instruction,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Group Discussion,Integrated Learning Systems,Coding,College Freshmen,Content Analysis,Foreign Countries

This paper reports the findings of a one-year research project focused on a series of structured interventions aimed at enhancing task instruction to develop students' understanding of higher assessment practices, and encouraging higher order learning. It describes the nature and iterations of the interventions, made into a large-enrolment online first-year foundational academic skills unit, and analyses the effects of these interventions. The conclusions drawn are that student comprehension of assessment practices can be improved significantly through the expansion and explication of task instructions, and that these improvements may be transferable to other large, first year and online teaching contexts.
The Effects of Cooperative Learning on the Academic Achievement and Knowledge Retention
Author: Tran, Van Dat
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Cooperative Learning,Academic Achievement,Retention (Psychology),College Students,Cognitive Style,Instructional Effectiveness,Educational Experiments,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Achievement Gains,Scores,Teaching Methods,Pretests Posttests,Statistical Analysis

This experimental study investigated the effects of cooperative learning on the achievement and knowledge retention of 110 first-year primary education students toward the psychology subject over the eight weeks of instruction at An Giang University. These tertiary students were divided into two matched groups of 55 to be taught by the same lecturer. In the experimental group, cooperative learning was employed, while in the control group, lecture-based teaching was used. The results showed that after approximately 8 weeks students who were instructed using cooperative learning achieved significantly higher scores on the achievement and knowledge retention posttests than did students who were instructed using lecture-based teaching. The study supports the effectiveness of cooperative learning in Vietnamese higher education.
Fostering Multimedia Learning with Collaborative Concept Mapping: The Effect of Cognitive Aid on Performance and on Collaboration
Author: Acuña, Santiago Roger
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Multimedia Instruction,Cooperative Learning,Concept Mapping,College Students,Intervention,Instructional Design,Prompting,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires

This paper analyzes the use of collaborative concept maps in multimedia learning tasks. Specifically, the effect of a cognitive aid (providing students a list of main concepts to generate a concept map) on the performance of collaborative concept mapping and on the level of collaboration in this task is discussed. The study was carried out with 57 university students, grouped into 19 triads, assigned to one of two conditions: with and without the support of a list of key concepts. It was found that the first condition promoted higher quality concept maps; however, the cognitive aid did not have significant effect on the levels of collaboration perceived by the team members. In the discussion and conclusions, the implications of these results for the design and implementation of collaborative interventions based on the use of technological tools and concept mapping are pointed out.
Investigating Factors Affecting Science Teachers' Performance and Satisfaction toward Their Teaching Process at Najran University for Girls' Science Colleges
Author: Alshehry, Amel Thafer
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Faculty,Science Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Instructional Effectiveness,Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance,Job Satisfaction,Semi Structured Interviews,Teaching Methods,Feedback (Response),Science Instruction,College Science,Educational Planning,Lesson Plans,Curriculum Development,Decision Making,Professional Development,Qualitative Research

In Saudi educational system, many factors have led to a various need for teaching qualifications in higher educational institutions. One main aim of this study was to determine the perception of college teachers on how to assess the effectiveness of the teaching process and what most students consider when evaluating their teachers. Further, it aimed to investigate the problems that academic teachers face in providing well-planned and effective services. To determine teachers' perspectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 teachers selected at random from science departments at Najran University. It focused on several areas of teaching methods, such as curriculum programming, syllabus coverage of classes, teachers, and methods of effective teaching. Evaluation and student feedback was recorded. The collected data were analyzed through a list of key issues, concerns and themes to be discussed by the set of participants. The results revealed that teachers had some difficulties in addressing practical problems with implementing the current curriculum, using sufficient supplementation for teaching methods, and understanding validation of the evaluation process presented by students on the teachers' achievements. Based on these findings, it is crucial to take teachers' points of view into consideration in the development of the curriculum process, the exam system, resources, facilities and the evaluation system. Teacher involvement will create ownership and allow them to have an active role in teaching students with more devotion and commitment to evaluation. This will lead to significant improvement in teaching methods of science at all college levels.
The Academic Achievement of Elite Athletes at an Australian University: Debunking the Dumb Jock Syndrome
Author: Georgakis, Steve
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Athletics,Athletes,Undergraduate Students,Academic Achievement,Misconceptions,Stereotypes,High Achievement,Educational Attainment,Mixed Methods Research,Data Analysis,Scores,Scholarships,Semi Structured Interviews

Elite athletes and their academic achievement in higher education have long been subject to considerable debate within North American scholarship. This interest proliferated especially after the release of the Knight Report (2001), which, amongst other findings, revealed a clear negative link between elite athletes and their academic achievement. While sport has always had a long and prominent presence in Australian higher education, both sport and education scholars have given very little attention to this area. To rectify this neglect, this study investigates the academic achievement of elite athletes (N = 313) at an Australian university and compares their results to the general student population in the 2012 academic year. Using both qualitative interviews (n = 20) and quantitative secondary data analysis, the findings suggest that despite heavy sporting commitments and necessarily demanding training timetables, the sampled elite athletes performed at levels equal to, or superior to, their peers. In particular they show a lower failure rate. These findings are discussed in relation to student abilities, education program management and the challenges faced in terms of elite athlete stereotyping.
A Proposed Model for Authenticating Knowledge Transfer in Online Discussion Forums
Author: Tucker, Jan P.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Mediated Communication,Discussion Groups,Transfer of Training,Knowledge Management,Models,Graduate Students,Peer Relationship,Teacher Student Relationship,Communication (Thought Transfer),Questioning Techniques,Prompting,Electronic Learning,Trust (Psychology),Reputation,Creativity,Innovation,Prior Learning,Knowledge Level,Instructional Design,Assignments,Qualitative Research,Observation

Discussion forums are often utilized in the online classroom to build a sense of community, encourage collaboration and exchange, and measure time on task. A review of the literature revealed that there is little research that examines the role of the online discussion forum as a mechanism for knowledge transfer. Researchers reviewed 21 course sections of a graduate organizational behavior course in an effort to determine if knowledge transfer occurred in the discussion forums. Student and faculty responses in the discussion forum were analyzed using NVivo10. The authors conclude that there is evidence to support authentic knowledge transfer in the online discussion forums on a student-to-student basis but not from faculty to student. This paper discusses the results of the study and proposes a model to evaluate and authenticate discussion question prompts as knowledge transfer agents. The proposed model provides a mechanism which focuses on the enablers of trust/reputation, creativity/innovation, expression of existing knowledge, real world application, and knowledge stewardship in the discussion forums in an effort to promote knowledge transfer. This model may be beneficial to instructional designers, subject matter experts and faculty when designing and delivering online discussion assignments.
Graduate Students' Perceptions of Written Feedback at a Private University in Pakistan
Author: Ghazal, Lubna
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Graduate Students,Student Attitudes,Student Evaluation,Feedback (Response),Private Colleges,Student Reaction,Educational Quality,Assignments,Interviews,Content Analysis,Instructional Effectiveness,Written Language,Qualitative Research

Excellence in academic performance at the graduate level requires good command of writing skills. Teachers' written feedback can help students to develop their writing skills. However, several personal and contextual factors may influence feedback processes and its utilization by students. Therefore, understanding these factors is essential to improve the practice of written feedback. This study aimed to appraise the quality of written feedback in the graduate programmes and to ascertain students' perceptions about it at a private university in Pakistan. A purposive sample of 15 participants comprised the study. The data were collected through in-depth students' interviews and the teachers' written comments on students' assignments. Data were coded and categorized to assess the pattern of similarities and dissimilarities. The analysis of comments on students' assignments indicated that the amount of feedback varied greatly. Although some feedback focused on form and style, most comments focused on the content. Moreover, the tone of comments lacked a balance of praise, criticism and suggestions. The data from students' interviews were categorized as: variations in experiences, functions of written feedback, effectiveness of feedback and utilization of feedback. With some exceptions students' perceptions about the quality feedback corroborated with the teachers' comment analysis. The study highlights several factors that impact the receptivity and utilization of feedback by students. Therefore, teachers need to be aware and trained to enhance the quality of their feedback.
The Irony of Ethics: (De)coding the Lived Experience of Women and Minority Faculty
Author: Reybold, L. Earle
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Women Faculty,Ethics,Females,Minority Group Teachers,Qualitative Research,Meta Analysis,Professional Identity,Epistemology,Interviews,Doctoral Programs,Graduate Students,College Faculty,Coding,Comparative Analysis,Longitudinal Studies,Grounded Theory,African Americans,Whites,Hispanic Americans,Work Environment,Rewards

What does it mean to &quot;be&quot; an ethical faculty member? A number of scholars point to legal and moral issues, aligning ethics with professional codes and regulated by institutional policy. From this perspective, being ethical is a matter of knowing and following the professional rules--the goal is to avoid certain actions. On the other hand, others question this objectivist approach and position faculty ethics as an experience, a fusion of personal and professional histories that include disciplinary training, socialization to the profession, and--especially--the specter of faculty rewards such as tenure and promotion. This article explores these competing perspectives in a qualitative meta-synthesis of data collected across studies of faculty identity, professional epistemology, and academic ethics. This analysis concentrates on 116 interviews with women and minority doctoral students and faculty members conducted between 1999 and 2012, a subset of more than 200 interviews I conducted during this timeframe. All interviews were initially coded using constant comparative analysis. For the meta-synthesis, I chose to apply an elaborative coding technique that juxtaposes data with the ethics literature related to &quot;chilly and alienating climates,&quot; &quot;cultural taxation,&quot; and the &quot;snare of faculty rewards&quot; in higher education. This (re)analysis allowed me engage in a formal dialogue between local theory and scholarship, resulting in six sub-themes: &quot;real&quot;izing, acting out/in, toiling, serving, aligning, and diverging.
Nigerian Physiotherapy Clinical Students' Perception of Their Learning Environment Measured by the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure Inventory
Author: Odole, Adesola C.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Environment,Undergraduate Students,Physical Therapy,Student Attitudes,Measures (Individuals),Questionnaires,Clinical Experience,College Faculty,Positive Attitudes,Statistical Analysis,Student Surveys,Likert Scales

The identification of the learning environment and the understanding of how students learn will help teacher to facilitate learning and plan a curriculum to achieve the learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate physiotherapy clinical students' perception of University of Ibadan's learning environment. Using the quantitative research approach, a cross-sectional survey design was used in this study with data collected through the completion of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire by 54 consenting undergraduate physiotherapy clinical students in the University of Ibadan who have had clinical education for at least one semester. The mean 131/200 indicated that the physiotherapy clinical students' perceptions of their learning environment were &quot;more positive than negative&quot;. Use of score descriptors for the subscale scores for the DREEM indicated that students' perception of learning was positive, and their perceptions of the teachers were that they were &quot;moving in the right direction&quot;. Their academic self-perception was positive, as was their perception of the atmosphere. The students' social self-perception was &quot;not too bad&quot;. Only six out of the 50 items were reported to have mean scores of less than 2.00, this implies that the items should be examined more closely, as they indicate problem areas. This study has provided useful information on student perceptions of their learning environment by using the DREEM inventory. The overall DREEM mean score indicating that the perceptions of the clinical physiotherapy students of their learning environment were &quot;more positive than negative&quot;.
Greek Educational Policy: From the Collaborative Model of the School Counselor Institution of the A. Papandreou's (1981) Educational Policy towards the Model of Superintendence and Supervision of the Period 2008-2013
Author: Evaggelia, Kalerante
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Policy,Foreign Countries,Educational Legislation,School Counselors,Teacher Evaluation,Faculty Development,Educational Change,Comparative Education,Economic Climate,Financial Exigency,Economic Development,Superintendents,Cooperation,Teacher Supervision

The present paper is concerned about the Greek educational policy throughout 2008-2013, which is related to teachers' evaluation and their teaching work, in comparison to the one implemented in 1981. The investigation is focused on Primary and Secondary Education in which the policy of intentions as well as legislation are concentrated on a form of evaluation in successive levels. In this respect, the dysfunctions or discords of the educational system, which theoretically impede or make difficult the effective educational work performance, are interpreted under different terms. The issue of evaluating teachers is of special interest because Papandreou's educational policy, which was implemented in 1981, was conducive to abolishing any form of educators' control and superintendence. This way emphasis was placed on a policy by which the teacher was supposed to co-operate with school counselors, namely advisors who collaborated with teachers, working independently within the educational environment. Since 2008, emphasis has been placed on the teaching work superintendence by school counselors being the ones to determine the teachers' professional evolution, through an institutionalization of supervision and control procedures. This aspect is also incorporated in the education reform model aiming at its alignment with the European evaluation model.