Pub Date : 2017-11-21DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2402
Chunhua Yang, David Smith
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. Keywords: Programming ; MATLAB ; Research support
{"title":"Research support-oriented MATLAB learning: tackling difficult concepts and promoting personalised learning","authors":"Chunhua Yang, David Smith","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2402","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2402","url":null,"abstract":"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. Keywords: Programming ; MATLAB ; Research support","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"132 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123106704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-11-15DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2361
Ashley Gess, Songze Li, Shihao Zhou, S. Doak
Student interest is associated with persistence in STEM courses of study (Maltese, Melki, & 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 & 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. Keywords: knowledge sharing, peer to peer, peer learning, knowledge transfer, content knowledge, college science teaching, community college
{"title":"Peer Knowledge Sharing Outside the Undergraduate STEM Classroom","authors":"Ashley Gess, Songze Li, Shihao Zhou, S. Doak","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2361","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2361","url":null,"abstract":"Student interest is associated with persistence in STEM courses of study (Maltese, Melki, & 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 & 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. Keywords: knowledge sharing, peer to peer, peer learning, knowledge transfer, content knowledge, college science teaching, community college","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"34 5","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133390366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-11-08DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2368
Janis MacCallum, S. Casey
The transition to the workplace can be challenging for new graduates. At Edinburgh Napier our approach is to work proactively with students to prepare them for the world of work. Staff within the School of Applied Sciences have partnered with both internal and external stakeholders to provide opportunities for students to gain experience and develop skills to support this transition. This led to the development of the Skills Passport project within the School and a strong focus on graduate employability. At the core of this is a Skills Evidence and Evaluation Record (SEER), modelled upon employer competency frameworks, and aiming to help students understand the professional development required by industry, assess gaps in their personal skills, and proactively engage with opportunities in order to tailor a plan for their own professional development needs. There are a number of key challenges with this approach: firstly, getting students to engage with these opportunities (see their value as integral to their personal development); secondly, ensuring a joined up approach (building links from year to year and across modules); and lastly, ensuring staff buy-in. Continued and appropriate support is required to ensure we can effectively support these issues and we encourage all stakeholders including staff, students and employers to reflect on the effectiveness of this approach. Here we present some data and reflections on how our approach has worked and where it needs further refinement into a flexible tool that will stand the test of time, continue to support students effectively and also meet the changing needs of industry . Keywords: Employability skills, flexibility, reflective practice, competency frameworks, professional planning
{"title":"Enhancing skills development and reflective practise in students during their programme of study","authors":"Janis MacCallum, S. Casey","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2368","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2368","url":null,"abstract":"The transition to the workplace can be challenging for new graduates. At Edinburgh Napier our approach is to work proactively with students to prepare them for the world of work. Staff within the School of Applied Sciences have partnered with both internal and external stakeholders to provide opportunities for students to gain experience and develop skills to support this transition. This led to the development of the Skills Passport project within the School and a strong focus on graduate employability. At the core of this is a Skills Evidence and Evaluation Record (SEER), modelled upon employer competency frameworks, and aiming to help students understand the professional development required by industry, assess gaps in their personal skills, and proactively engage with opportunities in order to tailor a plan for their own professional development needs. There are a number of key challenges with this approach: firstly, getting students to engage with these opportunities (see their value as integral to their personal development); secondly, ensuring a joined up approach (building links from year to year and across modules); and lastly, ensuring staff buy-in. Continued and appropriate support is required to ensure we can effectively support these issues and we encourage all stakeholders including staff, students and employers to reflect on the effectiveness of this approach. Here we present some data and reflections on how our approach has worked and where it needs further refinement into a flexible tool that will stand the test of time, continue to support students effectively and also meet the changing needs of industry . Keywords: Employability skills, flexibility, reflective practice, competency frameworks, professional planning","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122323287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-11-08DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2398
G. Grov, M. Hamdan, Smitha S Kumar, Manuel Maarek, Léon McGregor, Talal Shaikh, Joseph Brian Wells, Hind Zantout
Offering timely feedback on programming while encouraging learners to engage in critical evaluation of programs are the objectives of peer-testing. We report on a peer-testing experiment with students on distant campuses using a Web platform. The experiment shows the potential that peer-testing has to help students transition from passive learners to critical evaluators. Keywords: Computer science education, peer testing, peer feedback, software testing, student transitions
{"title":"Transition from Passive Learner to Critical Evaluator through Peer-Testing of Programming Artefacts","authors":"G. Grov, M. Hamdan, Smitha S Kumar, Manuel Maarek, Léon McGregor, Talal Shaikh, Joseph Brian Wells, Hind Zantout","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2398","url":null,"abstract":"Offering timely feedback on programming while encouraging learners to engage in critical evaluation of programs are the objectives of peer-testing. We report on a peer-testing experiment with students on distant campuses using a Web platform. The experiment shows the potential that peer-testing has to help students transition from passive learners to critical evaluators. Keywords: Computer science education, peer testing, peer feedback, software testing, student transitions","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"583 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125620839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-10-27DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2335
Baljit Ghatora, R. Strutt
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. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Chemical & Pharmaceutical industry, innovation
{"title":"Incorporating Entrepreneurship skills into Chemistry and Related Curriculums","authors":"Baljit Ghatora, R. Strutt","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2335","url":null,"abstract":"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. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Chemical & Pharmaceutical industry, innovation","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131982235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-10-27DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2367
D. Read, Stephen Barnes, Charles Harrison, Rachel Koramoah, Iveta Ivanova
Active learning is recognised as a crucial component of university courses in enhancing performance and retention. However, universities face numerous challenges in broadening the provision of active learning, including time constraints, and a lack of staff training and confidence to develop appropriate activities. This article outlines an approach taken at the University of Southampton to engage a team of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the process of developing, delivering, and evaluating active learning resources to support small-group teaching in chemistry on a Science Foundation Year programme. A team of four GTAs developed nine activities during the 2015/16 academic year, with evaluation supporting their enhancement for 2016/17. The article outlines the progress of this work over two academic years, providing evidence of a positive impact on students and teachers alike. Keywords: Active learning; peer-assisted learning; GTAs
{"title":"Utilising graduate teaching assistants to implement active learning at university level","authors":"D. Read, Stephen Barnes, Charles Harrison, Rachel Koramoah, Iveta Ivanova","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2367","url":null,"abstract":"Active learning is recognised as a crucial component of university courses in enhancing performance and retention. However, universities face numerous challenges in broadening the provision of active learning, including time constraints, and a lack of staff training and confidence to develop appropriate activities. This article outlines an approach taken at the University of Southampton to engage a team of graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the process of developing, delivering, and evaluating active learning resources to support small-group teaching in chemistry on a Science Foundation Year programme. A team of four GTAs developed nine activities during the 2015/16 academic year, with evaluation supporting their enhancement for 2016/17. The article outlines the progress of this work over two academic years, providing evidence of a positive impact on students and teachers alike. Keywords: Active learning; peer-assisted learning; GTAs","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126198211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-10-25DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2332
R. Dicker, M. García, A. Kelly, Parisa Modabber, A. O’Farrell, Adam Pond, Nicole Pond, H. Mulrooney
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. Keywords: quality, perceptions, relationships, feedback, teaching & learning
{"title":"Student perceptions of quality in higher education : effect of year of study, gender and ethnicity","authors":"R. Dicker, M. García, A. Kelly, Parisa Modabber, A. O’Farrell, Adam Pond, Nicole Pond, H. Mulrooney","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.2332","url":null,"abstract":"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. Keywords: quality, perceptions, relationships, feedback, teaching & learning","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133047473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-10-25DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.566
H. Mulrooney
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. Key words: co-curricular, real-life learning, employability skills
{"title":"Exploring participation in co-curricular activities among undergraduate students","authors":"H. Mulrooney","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.566","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.566","url":null,"abstract":"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. Key words: co-curricular, real-life learning, employability skills","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132517209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-09-12DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.857
Gita Sedghi, Elisabeth D. Rushworth
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 multi-cultural group activities compared with different aspects of group work in general. The opinions of students in two departments, Chemistry and Geography & Planning, towards multi-cultural group work were generally positive, although international students had a better perception of the benefits, and were more likely to self-assign 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. Keywords: Internationalisation; Integration; Group work; Home; international
{"title":"The relation between multi-cultural group work and the integration of home and international students","authors":"Gita Sedghi, Elisabeth D. Rushworth","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.857","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.857","url":null,"abstract":"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 multi-cultural group activities compared with different aspects of group work in general. The opinions of students in two departments, Chemistry and Geography & Planning, towards multi-cultural group work were generally positive, although international students had a better perception of the benefits, and were more likely to self-assign 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. Keywords: Internationalisation; Integration; Group work; Home; international","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115602247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-09-07DOI: 10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.851
Dylan P. Williams, S. L. Hin
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 “Level of Importance” (reported as the percentage of students at each Institution rating each skills as “Important” or “Very Important”). Both cohorts assigned a very similar level of importance to all discipline-specific and laboratory skills (i.e. under 10% difference). There were larger (>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. Keywords: CBL; PBL; Transferable Skills; Workplace Skills; Active Learning; Chemistry
{"title":"Measuring the Impact of Context and Problem Based Learning Approaches on Students’ Perceived Levels of Importance of Transferable & Workplace Skills","authors":"Dylan P. Williams, S. L. Hin","doi":"10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.851","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.29311/NDTPS.V0I12.851","url":null,"abstract":"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 “Level of Importance” (reported as the percentage of students at each Institution rating each skills as “Important” or “Very Important”). Both cohorts assigned a very similar level of importance to all discipline-specific and laboratory skills (i.e. under 10% difference). There were larger (>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. Keywords: CBL; PBL; Transferable Skills; Workplace Skills; Active Learning; Chemistry","PeriodicalId":174795,"journal":{"name":"New directions in the teaching of physical sciences","volume":"59 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114895762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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