Innovative Higher Education最新文献

Given the still existing restrictions of COVID-19, blended learning is undoubtedly becoming a better-fitting strategy for higher education institutions in underprivileged countries. Acknowledging the current changes in higher education, this study aims to investigate the elements that influence students' satisfaction and their future preferences regarding blended learning in Algeria. A total of 782 questionnaires were collected from different Algerian universities. A structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship among the latent variables of the proposed theoretical model. Moreover, an unsupervised sentiment analysis approach was applied to analyze the qualitative data received in the form of feedback from the participants. The results show that students' perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of blended learning had a significant positive impact on their satisfaction. Similarly, satisfaction had a positive influence on students' future preferences regarding blended learning. In turn, students' perceived ease of use and usefulness had an indirect effect on their future preferences, mediated by satisfaction. Additionally, qualitative data echoed students' eagerness to adopt more advanced learning technologies and what obstacles currently stand in their way. The contribution of this study is to reflect the current situation of blended learning adoption in developing countries and to support future curriculum planning and development. It can also help teachers, students, and policymakers to make better decisions and recommendations for an improved and more sustainable learning and teaching environment in the future.

Emerging data suggests the COVID-19 crisis exacerbated preexisting, long-documented gender inequities among U.S. faculty in higher education. During the initial Spring 2020 'lockdown' in the U.S., 80 students conveyed their experiences with faculty across 362 courses. We evaluated whether students' reports of faculty supportiveness, accommodations granted, and pandemic-impacted, anticipated grade outcomes differed according to faculty gender via mixed linear models (data on 362 courses were nested within 80 student reporters). Students perceived their women instructors as more supportive, accommodating, and anticipated lesser course grade decreases across the semester than in courses taught by men. Accordingly, we interpret that amidst the 'lockdown' crisis, women faculty earned higher perceived supportiveness and positive student outcomes than their male counterparts. Further, the data likely reflects women faculty's greater conscription into demonstrated care work, despite the coding of such labor as "feminine," thereby rendering such work devalued. To reframe, to the degree that students expect more 'intensive pedagogies,' which invites faculty and administrators to gender disparate demands, such pressures likely translate to 'hidden service' burdens, and correspondingly, less time for career-advancing activities (such as research). Broader implications are discussed, alongside women faculty's documented experiences of acceleration in career and work/family pressures in pandemic-times, which combine to exacerbate long-standing, yet now-amplified penalties, potentially driving a widening, gendered chasm in academic career outcomes. We conclude by offering constructive suggestions to mitigate any discriminatory impacts imposed by students' gendered assessment inputs and expectations.

Despite originating in the tech industry, hackathons have now been adopted in a variety of domains. However, little is known about the status of hackathon literature within educational research. As the number of studies grows, it is essential to develop an understanding of the current state and identify prevalent topics and trends shaping the literature. Toward this goal, this study conducted a bibliometric analysis and scoping review on hackathon research in the field of education. A total of 249 documents written by 1,309 authors and published in 180 unique sources for the period 2014-2022 were identified. Collectively, the dataset amassed 1,312 citations with an average of 6.69 citations per document. The most prevalent subject areas were computer science, social sciences, engineering, medicine, and business. Word frequency analysis showed that "innovation" was the most occurring word, which represents the fundamental objective of hackathon events. The most influential work was the analysis of hackathons as an informal learning platform. Engineering education was the most trending topic while healthcare is an emerging research cluster. Overall, this study provides a better understanding of the hackathon literature and its research landscape in an educational setting.

Creating sustained, transformative change within and across organizations is challenging, particularly when those undertaking change act as individuals. COMmunities of Practice (CoPs) are organically created collaborations among like-minded participants, working toward a common set of goals (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2014). CoPs offer an avenue for members to connect individuals across various boundaries. In this paper, we investigate the ways in which regional CoP leaders experience value participating in their community, using the Communities for Mathematics Inquiry in Teaching (COMMIT) Network as our unit of study. The COMMIT Network is a grant funded project aimed at engaging mathematics faculty at institutions of higher education in regional CoPs around teaching with inquiry. In this study we examine the experiences of CoP leaders nested within this network setting. We interviewed 19 leaders from eight United States regions to understand their perceptions of individual and collective value participating in the regional CoP and COMMIT Network structures. We framed our study on Wenger et al. (2011). Promoting and assessing value creation in communities and networks: A conceptual framework. Open University of the Netherlands.) Value Framework. Our findings show that leaders found Immediate Value as individuals participating in a collaborative, supportive CoP environment and they found Realized Value in terms of the impact their CoP could make on instructional practices, both in their region and the network. An unexpected finding examines how future opportunities for value creation may influence long-term sustainability and transformation of college mathematics instruction. We provide implications for the ways that regional CoPs, along with CoP networks, can provide value for members through such communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic-related social distancing practices that colleges implemented in Spring 2020 disrupted the typical mechanisms of propinquity (physical proximity) and homophily (shared characteristics) that physical institutions rely on to help students build and maintain relationships critical to learning and wellbeing. To explore how social distancing shaped students' academic and social networks and associated educational outcomes, we conceptualized it as a "network shock" and collected unique ego network data in April 2020. For participating students, maintaining interactions with the same set of individuals before and after social distancing was related to more positive outcomes across a range of self-reported wellbeing and learning indicators. On average, students experienced a loss of frequent academic contacts, while they maintained or replaced social interactions in their interpersonal networks after social distancing. Our investigation of the ways students experienced changes in their social and academic networks after a loss of physical proximity points to the role of interpersonal interaction network continuity for fostering wellbeing and learning in times of disruption, as well as the potential need for support in maintaining or rebuilding academic networks.