ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Relation between Multi-Cultural Group Work and the Integration of Home and International Students
Author: Sedghi, Gita
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Students,Teamwork,Cultural Differences,Student Characteristics,Cultural Awareness,Intergroup Relations,Chemistry,Geography Instruction,Student Attitudes,Undergraduate Students,Peer Relationship,Educational Benefits,Cultural Pluralism,Group Dynamics,Assignments,Teaching Methods,Social Integration,Foreign Countries

Group working skills are essential attributes for graduates in higher education, and are highly valued by prospective employers of home and international students. With increasing numbers of international students, with different social, cultural, and academic backgrounds, there is an opportunity to evaluate the students' perceptions of, and the potential benefits for, student integration in multi-cultural group work. The research measured students' attitudes towards multicultural group activities compared with different aspects of group work in general. The opinions of students in two departments, Chemistry and Geography &amp; Planning, towards multi-cultural group work were generally positive, although international students had a better perception of the benefits, and were more likely to selfassign themselves to mixed groups, than home students. International students found the cognitive benefits of culturally mixed groups, and their effect on enhancing integration, more favourable than home students. Conversely, home students have a better overall perception of the benefits of the emotional aspects of the group work, how they will manage the assignment, the development of interpersonal skills, and group assessment than international students. In general, the results imply that tutors should deliberately assign students to multi-culturally mixed groups to encourage integration, and that the academic tasks for the assignments should be developed sensitively to encourage engagement with both cohorts of students.
Student Perceptions of Quality in Higher Education: Effect of Year of Study, Gender and Ethnicity
Author: Dicker, R.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Attitudes,Educational Quality,Higher Education,Gender Differences,Ethnicity,Expectation,Learner Engagement,Teaching Methods,Learning Processes,Teacher Student Relationship,College Faculty,Academic Support Services,Rating Scales,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Educational Attitudes,Feedback (Response)

Student expectations with regard to what comprises quality in higher education can impact upon their learning, engagement and overall satisfaction. Perceptions of quality are not always clearly articulated and may vary by gender, ethnicity and year of study. In this study, undergraduate students completed a questionnaire indicating whether they agreed, disagreed or were unsure about 15 statements related to quality in higher education. A total of 340 students across four year groups participated (Levels 3-6), with more female than male participants and a range of ethnicities represented. There was broad unanimity in the recognition of the importance of both teaching and learning and relationships with academic staff in defining quality. Overall, there were low levels of satisfaction with the amount of contact with academic staff and uncertainty about whether students thought they were getting a high quality education. Some differences in relation to support services were seen in different ethnic groups, and more males than females were satisfied with support services although this varied by year group, and student numbers were small. These results suggest the importance of clearly articulating what is available in terms of support (academic, pastoral, study and health) to all students. The teaching and learning experience, and relationships with academic staff are clearly important and given the uncertainty about overall perceptions of quality, these aspects need to be highlighted to students so that they understand the value of what they are receiving.
Research Support-Oriented MATLAB Learning: Tackling Difficult Concepts and Promoting Personalised Learning
Author: Yang, Chunhua
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Software,Graduate Students,Skill Development,Programming,Teaching Methods,College Faculty,Teacher Attitudes,Student Attitudes,Difficulty Level,Correlation,Tests,Grades (Scholastic),Concept Formation,Comparative Analysis,Computer Science Education,Research Skills

This study investigated the acquisition of MATLAB programming skills by postgraduate students, and whether this learning was improved by research support-oriented teaching. Questionnaire surveys were given to academic staff asking about what they considered the most important knowledge and skills in programming to be. Questionnaire surveys were also given to students asking about what programming concepts they found the most difficult and confusing to understand. The intersection between what knowledge and skills in programming the researchers deemed the most important, and what areas in programming students had most difficulty with, was carefully addressed in subsequent teaching in a module teaching the essentials of programming to postgraduate students. Student learning performance, as measured by examination marks on the module, before and after the intersection concepts were emphasised was compared. The student learning performance improvement, together with interviews to students about their perceptions about programming, suggests that teaching oriented to research support is effective at increasing student understanding of programming in MATLAB.
Peer Knowledge Sharing outside the Undergraduate STEM Classroom
Author: Gess, Ashley H.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Peer Relationship,Sharing Behavior,STEM Education,Community Colleges,Two Year College Students,Self Efficacy,Course Content,Young Adults,Synchronous Communication,Familiarity,Discussion,Knowledge Level,Relevance (Education),Student Attitudes

Student interest is associated with persistence in STEM courses of study (Maltese, Melki, &amp; Wiebke, 2014). If peers decide, of their own accord, to discuss knowledge among each other outside of the classroom context, the behavior is indicative of deepening interest in the information being shared (Renninger &amp; Hidi, 2002). Understanding outside classroom knowledge sharing behaviors among peers involved in a STEM course may help educators construct learning contexts that promote interest and persistence in STEM subjects. To that end, this study examined two important research questions: (1) what are the key factors that influence peer to peer knowledge sharing outside the classroom? and (2) what are the methods the student use to share content knowledge? In order to explore these questions, a qualitative study was designed to explore knowledge sharing between peers outside the classroom. A semi-structured interview protocol with eight students from a Mid-Atlantic community college was conducted to explore students' perceptions of knowledge sharing between peers. Data were coded and analyzed by a group of researchers and themes were identified and theoretical and practical implications of the study were recorded. Several key facilitators of knowledge sharing were identified: self-efficacy, interpersonal relationships, interpersonal similarity and media richness. Implications for teachers are presented. Limitations and future research are included in the end of the study.
Measuring the Impact of Context and Problem Based Learning Approaches on Students&apos; Perceived Levels of Importance of Transferable &amp; Workplace Skills
Author: Williams, Dylan P.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Problem Based Learning,Student Attitudes,Transfer of Training,Job Skills,College Freshmen,Chemistry,Teamwork,Public Speaking,Educational Benefits,Foreign Countries,Problem Solving,Numeracy,Computation,Active Learning,Science Experiments

Year-one chemistry students at two different institutions were asked to rate the importance of a series of discipline-specific, transferable and laboratory skills by responding to a series of Likert-type questions. The students at both institutions had studied similar curricula but had different levels of experience of the Context and Problem Based Learning (C/PBL) approach. Analysis of the responses to the questionnaire was conducted by determining the &quot;Level of Importance&quot; (reported as the percentage of students at each Institution rating each skills as &quot;Important&quot; or &quot;Very Important&quot;). Both cohorts assigned a very similar level of importance to all disciplinespecific and laboratory skills (i.e. under 10% difference). There were larger (&gt;15%) differences between responses from the two institutions to statements on two transferable skills: Team-working Skills and Oral Presentation Skills, the cohort with exposure to C/PBL giving the higher level of importance in each case. This study has revealed some potentially important differences in the perceived level of importance chemistry students place on the development of oral presentation and team-working skills which may be related to the use of C/PBL in the early stages of degree programmes. The study has also shown that the level of importance students assign certain transferable skills (such as Problem Solving Skills) may be independent of exposure to C/PBL.
Increasing Student Engagement in Pharmacy Law
Author: Micallef, R.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,Pharmaceutical Education,Legal Education (Professions),Social Media,College Students,Student Attitudes,Knowledge Level,Instructional Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Active Learning,Technology Uses in Education

To enhance student engagement and learning, the use of a social medial platform, Snapchat, was introduced into a cohort of second year pharmacy students (n=160). This study aims to evaluate student perception of this intervention which was used in a pharmacy law module. Participation in the intervention was voluntary. An evaluation survey was designed to understand usage of the Snapchat tool through tick box responses and comment boxes. The survey was given out and collected at the end of a lecture. The response rate was 55.6%. Of those with an active Snapchat account, 90% (n=63/69) had joined our pharmacy law Snapchat account. When asked whether Snapchat supported revision, 91.9% (n=57/62) agreed whilst 81.0% (n=51/63) reported that the snapchat account had increased their knowledge in relation to pharmacy law and 93.8% (n=60/64) would recommend this learning tool to their peers.
Incorporating Entrepreneurship Skills into Chemistry and Related Curriculums
Author: Ghatora, Baljit
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Entrepreneurship,Teaching Methods,Chemistry,Risk,Creative Thinking,Science Instruction,Grants,Course Content,Pharmaceutical Education,College Seniors,Assignments,Student Attitudes,Educational Improvement,Science Curriculum,Universities,Education Work Relationship,Job Skills,Work Experience,Teamwork,Interdisciplinary Approach,Grading,Skill Development,Foreign Countries

With the ever increasing pace of change in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, universities need to be more aware of the skill set that employers are seeking in graduates. These skills often include risk taking, creative thinking and entrepreneurship; skills that are not naturally associated with chemistry-related curriculums. This research focusses on the authors' experiences of applying for strategic grants which underpin the dissemination of such skills, and explores how these were used as the basis for creating specific learning content for final year students. Students' experiences after completing assignments were gathered through an online survey and subsequent analysis identified areas for improvement in chemistry curriculums.
Connecting Undergraduate Students as Partners in Computer Science Teaching and Research
Author: Brayshaw, Mike
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Undergraduate Students,Computer Science Education,Foreign Countries,Student Research,Learner Engagement,Active Learning,Inquiry,Online Courses,Blended Learning,Internship Programs,Game Based Learning,Social Media,Partnerships in Education,Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Connecting undergraduate students as partners can lead to the enhancement of the undergraduate experience and allow students to see the different sides of the university. Such holistic perspectives may better inform academic career choices and postgraduate study. Furthermore, student involvement in course development has many potential benefits. This paper outlines a framework for connecting research and teaching within Computer Science--though this is applicable across other disciplines. Three case studies are considered to illustrate the approach. The first case study involves students in their honours' stage (level 6, typically 3rd year) project, the second an undergraduate intern between stages 5 and 6, and finally, a MSc (level 7) project. All three case studies have actively involved students in core parts of the University's teaching and research activities, producing usable software systems to support these efforts. We consider this as a continuing engagement process to enhance the undergraduate learning experience within Computer Science.
Making the Most of the University Campus for Teaching Ecology
Author: Bacon, Karen L.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ecology,Science Instruction,College Science,Campuses,Undergraduate Students,College Freshmen,Urban Environment,Learning Activities,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Urban Universities,Outdoor Education

University campuses provide an accessible, cheap and useful means of teaching ecology to undergraduate students. We describe a short campus-based activity that was trialed in the 2015- 16 academic year to engage first year physical geography students with both ecology and urban ecology. Students undertook a 40-minute investigation of the campus to identify niches and ecosystems and were asked to relate their findings to previous lecture material. Overall, the activity was enjoyed by students and considered useful by both students and staff in supporting students' engagement with ecology.
&quot;Broadening Horizons&quot; Optional Modules in the Nottingham MPharm Degree
Author: Chan, S. L. F.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Pharmaceutical Education,Masters Programs,Foreign Countries,Elective Courses,Graduate Students,Student Attitudes,Course Selection (Students),Academic Achievement

In Year 3 of the MPharm degree at the University of Nottingham, many of the students undertake 20-credits of &quot;broadening horizons&quot; optional modules, chosen from a wide and diverse range from across the university. This study presents student views regarding their module choices and on their performances with such diverse module choices of varied levels. Follow-up surveys and focus group discussions with alumni will determine the contribution of this breadth to a student's education, in providing them with a different perspective on life, to their chosen profession and future career paths.
The Opportunities and Challenges for Employability-Related Support in STEM Degrees
Author: O'Leary, Simon
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Employment Qualifications,STEM Education,Higher Education,Academic Degrees,Undergraduate Study,College Graduates,Teaching Methods,Course Content,Employers,Social Studies,Humanities

This research explores the opportunities and challenges for incorporating employability-related support into STEM (Sciences; Technology; Engineering; Mathematics) degree programmes, based in part on recent research (O'Leary, 2016a) outlining that significant variations in employability-related support exist across the STEM disciplines. These issues were highlighted at a recent conference on STEM pedagogy (O'Leary, 2016b) and this paper explores them in more depth. While O'Leary (2016a) finds that Engineering and Sciences are performing relatively well on employability-support matters, in comparison with Social Sciences and Humanities, there is still room for improvement across STEM programmes. The research suggest that students' employability can be enhanced through a combination of the content of the curriculum and the development of key student capabilities and characteristics. To achieve this, it is necessary to address several issues: the development of academic staff, the use of external speakers, the provision of business and management expertise, cross-disciplinary approaches and the integration of professional services into the curriculum. In addition, the most effective gains from a cross-Faculty viewpoint may exist in what may seem unlikely liaisons; for effective employability-related support, the Sciences and Humanities think along the same lines, while Social Sciences &amp; Engineering think along another line. Therefore, improvements to the provision of such support may be better achieved by such non-traditional cross-Faculty partnerships. An approach based on the &quot;3E's&quot; is suggested: Enhanced Learning &amp; Teaching; Employer-engagement; and Embedding into the Curriculum.
Supporting Student Transitions to Placement and Work: Developing a New Self-Identity
Author: Webster, Gemma
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Job Placement,Employment Services,Professional Identity,Self Concept,Work Experience,Work Experience Programs,Value Added Models

Moves towards the marketisation of higher education together with concerns over the challenges of graduate employment have led to an increased prioritisation of students undertaking relevant work experience while they study. Recognising a strong student demand for placements, universities are establishing employability initiatives including those designed to increase the availability of quality paid placements for students. To complement this activity, industry, sectorspecific, regional placement projects such as e-Placement Scotland, take an employer-led approach to maximise opportunities for students across a number of universities. In spite of these initiatives, not every student will successfully obtain a placement, and so ePlacement Scotland aims to 'add value' for students in various other ways. Interventions such as industry tech talks and speed networking sessions have been deployed to develop awareness of the employment landscape and encourage students to start thinking about their self-identification, easing their transition into the workplace. Adopting the lens of identity theory, this study explores student and professional identity in order to recognise the transition from student to graduate, and to consider the role of placement and other value-adding activities in that transition. The study found that, while the incidence of students self-identifying as professionals increases in later years of their courses, placement preparation interventions did not themselves have an observable effect. These findings challenge the project assumption that placement preparation activities can offer students valuable insights that can help them identify with their profession.
An Evaluation of a STEM Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme: Student-Perceived Learning Gains
Author: Williams, Neil
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: STEM Education,Summer Programs,Undergraduate Study,Student Research,Internship Programs,Student Attitudes,Program Effectiveness,Time Management,Foreign Countries

The organisation of a STEM-wide summer undergraduate research internship scheme to ensure equal opportunities for all students is reported. Student engagement in the internship programme is much greater in the Biological, Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences (142 applications in 2016) than in Engineering and Computing (30 applications in 2016). To evaluate the impact of the scheme, previous interns were surveyed about their perceived learning gains from doing an internship. Twenty three responses were received from 46 previous interns. The greatest gains were reported for key skills such as: project and time management and working independently. Though the number of responses was small, engineering interns reported lower perceived learning gains than science interns. The survey indicated that perceived gains in key skills such as oral presentation and scientific writing were not rated very highly. In addition, more oral presentation and writing a final report were rated amongst the lowest for changes that might improve the learning gain from doing an internship.
Chemistry Student Perceptions of Transferable &amp; Workplace Skills Development
Author: Williams, Dylan P.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Chemistry,Student Attitudes,Transfer of Training,Employment Potential,Skill Development,Science Education,Job Skills,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Problem Based Learning,Teamwork,Time Management,Communication Skills

The perceptions of transferable and workplace skills development of year one and two chemistry undergraduate students at the University of Leicester were measured using two questionnaires. This group of students is taught by a variety of approaches including Problem and Context Based Learning (C/PBL). Over 60% of respondents agreed that all discipline specific and transferable skills included in the first questionnaire were important skills for chemistry graduates to have. The perceived importance of most discipline specific skills does not vary between year groups, but there are small increases in perceived importance for most transferable skills. In a separate questionnaire, first year students were asked to rate their skills development following a series of Context and Problem Based Learning (C/PBL) activities. &quot;Problem solving&quot;, &quot;time management&quot;, &quot;working in a team&quot; and &quot;oral communication&quot; were the most developed skills based on student responses. This element of the study also provided evidence to suggest that students believe that the &quot;real-world&quot;, authentic nature of C/PBL problems may be an important factor in determining the extent of skills development.
Understanding How Students Manage Their Employability
Author: Divan, Aysha
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Employment Potential,Student Experience,Graduate Students,Undergraduate Students,Study Abroad,Professional Development,Work Experience Programs,Student Attitudes,Skill Development,Self Esteem,Occupational Aspiration,Foreign Countries

In this study we explored the process by which students manage their employability, the skills and attributes gained by students as a consequence of undertaking a particular activity and how their experiences influence how they subsequently manage their employability. Quantitative and qualitative data were collated from five separate groups of students. Each student cohort had completed one of the following activities: a credit-weighted optional professional development module (PDM), an industrial placement year (IPY) or a study year abroad (SYA). The fourth student cohort was in the final stages of completing an integrated Master's degree (MBiol). The final student group was the control group who had undertaken none of these four activities and were in the final stages of their three-year undergraduate degree. On the whole, students who have undertaken an activity were very positive about their experience. We found that students had very clear reasons for engaging in a particular activity and, in many cases, related to enhancing their employment prospects. Those engaged in any activity report more focused career plans (in the case of the MBiol, IPY and SYA groups) and, in the case of the PDM group, high levels of self-awareness and understanding of employer requirements. We found students in the control group to be the most uncertain of their future career plans. The reasons for not engaging in the employability initiatives described here and lack of career planning amongst the control group require further investigation.