ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Does Group Assessment Impact BME Attainment?
Author: Hill, Natasha
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Minority Group Students,Ethnic Groups,Blacks,Inclusion,Achievement Gap,Performance Factors,Student Attitudes,White Students,Teamwork,Biological Sciences,Selection,Justice,College Students,Evaluation Methods,Mathematics Achievement

Assessment of student learning is fundamental in Higher Education (HE) reflecting academic standards and impacting on student satisfaction, position in league tables and graduate employment. Nonetheless, there is a BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) attainment gap, the difference in the proportion of BME and White students who attain a first class or 2.1 honours degree (even when controlled for prior attainment and entry profile), which is persistent across the HE sector. As assessment strategies play an essential role in determining degree attainment, we have reviewed the role of group assessment and whether this form of assessment specifically impacts on the BME attainment gap. Overall, this study provided evidence that assessed group work does not adversely impact BME students. In addition, the performance in BME/non-BME/mixed groups did not suggest any consistent difference, suggesting that the demographic composition of groups does not affect BME performance. Therefore, group work would appear to be an inclusive form of assessment that does not appear to lead or contribute to exacerbating the BME attainment gap.
Public Health Teaching in Practice, Peer Learning and Partnership Working: The Cook School Project
Author: Al-Saedi, A.
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Public Health,Health Education,Peer Teaching,Partnerships in Education,Authentic Learning,Employment Potential,Student Motivation,Undergraduate Students,Nutrition,Eating Habits,Extracurricular Activities,Skill Development,Cooking Instruction,Student Volunteers,Young Adults,Foreign Countries

Authentic learning opportunities replicating working environments will enhance learners' employability and intrinsic motivation. Within most undergraduate curricula, opportunities for students to experience hands-on learning opportunities which mimic public health practice are limited. A pilot university cook and eat programme (the Cook School) was developed based upon community cook and eat programmes. The aim was to enable trained undergraduate Nutrition students to facilitate healthy eating activities to their peers, as a voluntary co-curricular activity. Two cook and eat programmes, each of five weeks duration, were offered to undergraduate students (12 participants per programme). Cooking was delivered by trained chefs and the healthy eating components were facilitated by trained undergraduate Nutrition students. Participants did not know beforehand that sessions would include nutrition information &amp; activities in addition to cooking. Facilitators identified 'employability' as a key driver for their participation in this project. Their post-course evaluations suggested that key employability skills like team work, time management, communication and organisation were enhanced by involvement in the Cook School. Participants suggested that attending Cook School improved their knowledge of healthy eating. Whether this translates into improved diets long term is currently unknown. This pilot project offered undergraduate Nutrition students a unique opportunity to gain key employability skills within an authentic learning environment, working in partnership with their peers.
Student at Risk: Identification and Remedial Action System for Improving Retention on Computer Science Programmes
Author: Green, Stewart
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: At Risk Students,Identification,School Holding Power,Computer Science Education,Foreign Countries,Attendance,Progress Monitoring,Academic Support Services,Peer Teaching,Tutoring,Undergraduate Students,Academic Persistence,Program Effectiveness,Remedial Instruction

Retention has been a serious problem for computing programmes in the Computer Science and Creative Technology Department (CSCT) at the University of the West of England (UWE): for example in 2013-14 the BSc (Hons) Computer Science programme lost 18% of its year-one intake. Addressing this, CSCT developed a three-pronged strategy comprising retention research, the monitoring of module performance and the development of a student-at-risk-identification-and-remedialaction-system (SRIRAS). The last initiative was prioritised in 2015-16. An intern team was recruited to run a system to monitor student attendance and academic performance across seven CSCT programmes, identify those students most at risk and then, with the collaboration of programme leaders and yeartutors, help them. Help included phone calls, email warnings, and face-to-face meetings. The latter led to problem identification, advice on non-academic problems, encouragement to attend more lectures, tutorials and peer assisted learning (PAL) sessions, encouragement to engage with module staff, setting up special PAL sessions, and advice to attend catch-up programming sessions. Results indicated that many of those most at risk are struggling with non-academic concerns such as starting the programme late due to a visa problem, or not being able to attend due to a grant not arriving. Results also indicate that some students seem to be being &quot;saved&quot; while others do not. But overall, they indicate that the introduction of the retention system was mixed.
Embedding Outreach into the Undergraduate Science Curriculum -- Everyone&apos;s a Winner
Author: Aspinall, Helen C.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Outreach Programs,College Science,Curriculum Development,Skill Development,College School Cooperation,Foreign Countries,Chemistry,Undergraduate Students,Student Experience,Elementary Schools,Teamwork,Communication Skills,Time Management,Employment Potential,Program Effectiveness

This article summarizes the authors' experience of developing and delivering undergraduate modules in Science Communication. The modules address two needs: resourcing science outreach activities for children in Years 5-7, and developing transferable skills (oral and written communication, team working, time management) to enhance student employability and engagement.
Encouraging Independent Thought and Learning in First Year Practical Classes
Author: Cranwell, P. B.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Students,Independent Study,Thinking Skills,Science Education,Chemistry,Introductory Courses,Science Experiments,Science Process Skills

The transition from A-level to degree-level practical classes then to a research project, hence from dependent learner to independent researcher, is a hurdle that all students face when studying for a chemistry degree. This can be daunting so any innovations that aid this transition are of great value. At the University of Reading, the first year practical course has been redesigned to facilitate this transition by embedding independent thought and experimentation across all chemistry disciplines (introductory, organic, inorganic and physical). Examples of experiments that provide opportunities for independent student investigation, along with student perceptions of the experiments of the course, are given. Using this model for practical-class delivery, student engagement, confidence, independence and ultimately preparedness for year 2 were improved.
Where Am I Now and Where Do I Want to Be? Developing Awareness of Graduate Attributes in Pre-Honours Students
Author: Swingler, Maxine V.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Extracurricular Activities,Honors Curriculum,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Student Development,Reflection,Psychology,Social Networks,Interviews,Self Efficacy,Employment Potential,Transfer of Training,Earth Science,Career Guidance

There is increasing emphasis on the importance of making Graduate Attributes (GAs) explicit to students as part of their degree programme and the role of students themselves in proactively developing GAs. The aim of the present project was to encourage students to actively develop and reflect upon curricular and extra-curricular attributes at an earlier stage in their degree programme. To this end we developed and evaluated shortself-reflection exercises in second year (prehonours) psychology practical classes which asked students to reflect on their curricular and extra-curricular activities and on how the practical skills gained from these activities are linked to graduate attributes. Activities were followed by careers workshops focused on gaining confidence in communicating graduate attributes in an interview context, and the benefits of engaging with professional networking sites. We evaluated the impact of these activities on: 1) students' levels of selfefficacy in specific GAs before and after the inclass exercises; 2) students' confidence in presenting their GAs in an interview situation; 3) student awareness of professional networking sites. The activities resulted in increased self- efficacy ratings after the GAS reflection, increased confidence in presenting their GAs after the careers workshops, and an increased awareness of professional networking sites. The effectiveness of these activities as a method to increase student engagement in developing their GAs will be discussed in the wider context of embedding GAs and employability in pre-honours programmes across STEM disciplines.
Maths Advice and Revision for Chemistry (MARC)
Author: Paschke, Beth
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics,Science Instruction,Interdisciplinary Approach,College Students,College Science,Mathematics Education,Chemistry,Foreign Countries,Program Effectiveness

It has been recognised for some time by Science and Engineering departments that students are entering Higher Education illequipped in terms of their mathematical skills, despite having in many cases, attained good grades at Higher/A level (The Engineering Council 2000; Fry, Ketteridge &amp; Marshall 1999; Score Education 2009). In an attempt, therefore, to ensure that all students progressing on to Chemistry degrees are equally prepared (in terms of ability and confidence) to attempt the more mathematical aspects of our courses, the School of Chemistry has over recent years been sequentially introducing mathematics support into the curriculum.As part of the School's ongoing mathematical support provision, the aim of this project was two-fold: 1) to assess the popularity and effectiveness of tailored maths support sessions and 2) in relation to the teaching of mathematical concepts to science students, collate examples of existing appropriate open educational resources to provide additional support to facilitate student learning such as RSC Discover Maths for Chemistry and Math Centre (Royal Society of Chemistry; MathCentre 2016). A pilot project has been carried out during the academic year 2015-2016, where support sessions were delivered in tutorial format by the Maths Adviser. Although the sessions were open to all 3rd year students studying on chemistry degree programmes, the expectation was that they would mainly be attended by students with little formal mathematics training and those who are less confident about their abilities.
Feedback for Future Learning: Delivering Enhancements and Evidencing Impacts on the Student Learning Experience
Author: Gartland, Kevan M. A.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Learner Engagement,Reflection,Learning Experience,Foreign Countries,STEM Education,Student Satisfaction,College Students,Workshops,Teacher Student Relationship

Enhancing the student learning experience through the provision of improved student feedback is both challenging and complex. 'Feedback for Future Learning' was a Glasgow Caledonian University(GCU)-wide project intended to enhance feedback practices from both the student and staff perspectives; to ensure greater awareness of, and reflection upon, feedback by students; and to encourage greater use of feedback to inform future student learning. The design, implementation and evaluation of approaches to 'Feedback for Future Learning' are described with an emphasis on STEM disciplines. The conceptualisation, design and implementation of a range of student feedback tools and approaches aimed to develop understanding of learning processes, reinforce learning and improve performance. This was achieved through collaboration with the GCU Students' Association and the establishment of the University Feedback Enhancement Group. A series of generic and bespoke seminars, workshops, individual programme interventions and competitions were used to enhance comprehension of the perception, experience and use of formative and summative assessment feedback by students. Providing opportunities for reflection and evaluation together with qualitative and quantitative metrics have demonstrated 93% satisfaction with student feedback enhancement workshops, a trebling of engagement with memorable feedback survey initiatives and an increase by 9% in satisfaction with assessment and feedback in the National Student Survey. A rise by 16% in student satisfaction with the promptness of feedback, an improvement by 14% in satisfaction with the detailed comments received and an increase by 8% in satisfaction with the helpfulness of comments received were achieved. The lessons learned inform the continuing and sustainable enhancement of the student learning experience for STEM students and the wider University community.
Understanding Student Motivations and Career Aspirations so That We Can Effectively Support Our Graduates
Author: Page, Nigel
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Motivation,Occupational Aspiration,Employment Potential,Biological Sciences,Chemistry,Pharmaceutical Education,Minority Group Students,Blacks,Student Educational Objectives,Educational Attainment,Undergraduate Students,Foreign Countries,Gender Differences,White Students,Ethnicity,Salaries,Education Work Relationship

With graduate employability existing at the heart of the Higher Education (HE) agenda, we review student motivators, and the aspirations of life science, pharmacy and chemistry students for entering into HE. We evaluate this particularly in reference to Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students, as their career aspirations and motivators for studying may play an important role in determining degree attainment and consequent graduate opportunities.
BYOD Strategies in Higher Education: Current Knowledge, Students&apos; Perspectives, and Challenges
Author: Siani, Alessandro
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Handheld Devices,Telecommunications,Higher Education,Program Effectiveness,Ownership,Access to Computers,Laptop Computers,Formative Evaluation,College Students,College Science,Foreign Countries,Student Attitudes

Over the last decade, the use of mobile computing devices has become an integral part of virtually every aspect of our personal and professional life, and education is no exception to this paradigm. The expression &quot;Bring Your Own Device&quot; ('BYOD') has gained widespread use and is currently defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as &quot;the policy or practice of allowing employees, customers, etc., to connect to an organization's network using their own smartphones, computers, etc. While there are governmental guidelines regulating the use of BYOD strategies in work environments in the public sector, a consistent framework has yet to be put in place to standardise their use as education tools in schools and universities. A plethora of arguments has been raised both in favour of and against the educational use of electronic devices in what appears to be a yet unsolved debate. This paper seeks to focus on the critical evaluation of the current knowledge on the implementation of BYOD strategies in higher education (HE), highlighting potential caveats arising from their use with specific regards to the issue of digital divide within the learning group. The first part of the paper explores and discusses relevant recent literature and offers some key views on the effectiveness and limitations of the use of BYOD strategies. The second part outlines the results of a recent case study giving a practical account of the implementation of BYOD-based formative assessment in higher education.
Exploring Participation in Co-Curricular Activities among Undergraduate Students
Author: Mulrooney, H.M.
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Participation,Undergraduate Students,Extracurricular Activities,Employment Potential,Learning Motivation,Measures (Individuals),Questionnaires,Learning Strategies,Self Efficacy,Foreign Countries,Nutrition Instruction,Young Adults,Bachelors Degrees,Exercise,Athletics

Co-curricular activities offer an opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate employability skills. Not all students take advantage of activities on offer, while others undertake multiple activities. In this study, second and third year students from two related undergraduate degree courses who had and had not taken up co-curricular activities identified their reasons for participating or not, and completed two questionnaires exploring their motivation (Academic Motivation Scale, AMS and Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, MSLQ). First year students identified which activities they would be interested in participating in in future years, and why. Clear differences in participation between the two degree courses were seen, with significantly higher levels of intrinsic motivation among students who participated. Among those who did participate compared with those who did not, significant differences in different types of motivation were seen. Self-efficacy was also significantly higher in those who did, compared with those who did not, participate, although whether this is a cause or a consequence of participation is unclear. First year students indicated interest in a range of co-curricular activities, for personal as well as academic reasons. Further work is needed to ensure that all students understand the relevance and importance of co-curricular activities.
Games, Learning and Engagement: What Teachers Might Learn from Games Designers
Author: Grey, Simon
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Games,Learner Engagement,Design,Learning Experience,Learning Motivation,Self Determination,Personal Autonomy,Competence,Play

This paper explores the role of games in learning. Beginning with some carefully selected definitions of games, comparisons are drawn between the fields of games design and of learning and teaching, highlighting a parallel between games as designed experiences, and teaching as designed learning experiences. Games are seen as being highly engaging, which has led to a rise in the fields of Game Based Learning and Gamification. Ultimately when designing games, game based learning, gamified experiences or learning experiences engagement is a key factor. This leads to the study of human psychology and motivation including concepts of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation (Pink, 2011), self-determination theory (Rigby &amp; Ryan, 2010) and flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
Flexible Learning in Computer Science
Author: Gordon, Neil Andrew
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Science Education,STEM Education,Computer Assisted Instruction,Electronic Learning,Teaching Methods,Higher Education,Foreign Countries,Educational Benefits,Technology Uses in Education

This paper outlines the concept of Flexible Pedagogy and how it can assist in addressing some of the issues facing STEM disciplines in general, and Computer Science in particular. The paper considers what flexible pedagogy is and how technologies developed by Computer Science can enable flexibility. It then describes some of the issues facing STEM education, with a particular focus on Computer Science education in Higher Education. Finally, it considers how flexible approaches to teaching and learning are particularly pertinent to the issues faced in Computer Science and future opportunities.
Perspectives on Motivation and Engagement in an Extracurricular Project
Author: Bell, J.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Student Motivation,Learner Engagement,Extracurricular Activities,Employment Potential,Nutrition Instruction,Undergraduate Students,Public Health,Student Projects,Retailing,Food,Eating Habits,Measures (Individuals),Learning Strategies,Questionnaires,Partnerships in Education

To enhance employability opportunities, a range of co-curricular opportunities are offered to Nutrition students at Kingston University. Student uptake of these opportunities tends to be limited to a small group of highly motivated students. Using an unpaid public health project undertaken as a staff-student partnership as a case study, both the processes involved in the project and the motivation of staff and student partners are explored. Understanding what elements of motivation were involved may help to pinpoint aspects of co-curricular work to focus upon in order to increase student uptake, thus potentially enhancing graduate employability.
Nutrition Tea Club; Engaging Students in Reading Scientific Papers
Author: Cameron, E.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Undergraduate Students,Clubs,Informal Education,Scientific Research,Scientific and Technical Information,Student Attitudes,Cooperative Learning,Learner Engagement,Discussion Groups

Many students do not engage with reading the scientific literature, which is a core skill in undergraduate students. The learning environment has an important impact upon learning. It was postulated that taking reading out of the formal learning environment might impact upon students' willingness to engage with the literature, and confidence in doing so. A staff-student research partnership initiative funded by Kingston University allowed this hypothesis to be tested. Three Tea Club sessions, informal drop-in reading sessions were offered in a student-owned space within the Students' Union. Refreshments were supplied, aiming for a 'coffee house' feel. Although the numbers of students who engaged with the Tea Club were small, evaluations were positive. In particular students valued the opportunity for peer learning. However the chosen environment was too noisy. Future sessions will be offered within a different, less noisy environment with facilities for refreshments, and will be offered throughout the academic year to facilitate student engagement.
Writing a Chemistry Education Research Article: Stepping Stone or Stumbling Block?
Author: Fergus, Suzanne
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Chemistry,Science Education,Writing for Publication,Journal Articles,Educational Research,Teaching Methods,Lecture Method,Science Laboratories

The author was invited to write this opinion piece following a presentation at the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) conference on Methods in Education Chemistry Research related to translating creative teaching ideas and innovations into chemistry education research outputs. With a keen interest in learning and teaching and a solid training in organic chemistry research, her choice to combine them both and engage in chemistry education research (CER), seeking the empirical evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness (or not) of classroom or laboratory activities, would seem obvious. In this article, the author will outline the common pitfalls to avoid in CER, the first step in planning high quality CER and hopefully offer some reassurances that, although the transition to CER may feel like starting again within a new research discipline, it does not need to be daunting. Although her experience is in CER most of what she writes for this article will be applicable across the disciplines in higher education.