Search Results for
"learning"

Aiming at the existing problems in practical teaching in higher education, we construct an intelligent teaching recommendation model for a higher education practical discussion course based on naive Bayes machine learning and an improved k-NN data mining algorithm. Firstly, we establish the naive Bayes machine learning algorithm to achieve accurate classification of the students in the class and then implement student grouping based on this accurate classification. Then, relying on the student grouping, we use the matching features between the students’ interest vector and the practical topic vector to construct an intelligent teaching recommendation model based on an improved k-NN data mining algorithm, in which the optimal complete binary encoding tree for the discussion topic is modeled. Based on the encoding tree model, an improved k-NN algorithm recommendation model is established to match the student group interests and recommend discussion topics. The experimental results prove that our proposed recommendation algorithm (PRA) can accurately recommend discussion topics for different student groups, match the interests of each group to the greatest extent, and improve the students’ enthusiasm for participating in practical discussions. As for the control groups of the user-based collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm (UCFA) and the item-based collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm (ICFA), under the experimental conditions of the single dataset and multiple datasets, the PRA has higher accuracy, recall rate, precision, and F1 value than the UCFA and ICFA and has better recommendation performance and robustness. © 2025 by the authors.

Integrating bioinspired design and additive manufacturing into engineering education fosters innovation to meet the growing demand for accessible, personalized assistive technologies. This paper presents the outcomes of an international course, “3D Prosthetics and Orthotics”, offered to undergraduate students in the Biomimetic program at Westfälische Hochschule (Germany), in collaboration with the 3D Orthotics and Prosthetics Laboratory at the Federal University of São Paulo—UNIFESP (Brazil). The course combined theoretical and hands-on modules covering digital modeling (CAD), simulation (CAE), and fabrication (CAM), enabling students to develop bioinspired assistive devices through a Project-based learning approach. Working in interdisciplinary teams, students addressed real-world rehabilitation challenges by translating biological mechanisms into engineered solutions using additive manufacturing. Resulting prototypes included a hand prosthesis based on the Fin Ray effect, a modular finger prosthesis inspired by tendon–muscle antagonism, and a cervical orthosis designed based on stingray morphology. Each device was digitally modeled, mechanically analyzed, and physically fabricated using open-source and low-cost methods. This initiative illustrates how biomimetic mechanisms and design can be integrated into education to generate functional outcomes and socially impactful health technologies. Grounded in the Mao3D open-source methodology, this experience demonstrates the value of combining nature-inspired principles, digital fabrication, Design Thinking, and international collaboration to advance inclusive, low-cost innovations in assistive technology. © 2025 by the authors.

Entrepreneurial Competence (EC) is increasingly recognized as essential to foster innovation and enhance educational quality. This study explores how education professionals perceive and develop the EC within educational centres, using a qualitative approach through structured interviews with education professionals. The findings highlight the need for a more explicit and systematic development of the EC, emphasizing continuous teacher training in entrepreneurial approaches. While digital and paper-based resources support the EC, educators stress the importance of active and practical methodologies such as Project-Based learning and learning by Doing. Limited collaboration among educators is identified as a barrier to effectively foster EC. Moreover, the lack of strategic planning within educational institutions remains an obstacle. This study underscores the importance of introducing structured and innovative pedagogical approaches to ensure that students cultivate the skills necessary to navigate an evolving and uncertain future. © 2025 by the authors.

Project-Based learning (PBL) is a recommended method in vocational education, particularly for implementing the Profil Pelajar Pancasila (P3). However, learning that emphasizes character values aligned with the "Budaya Luhur Ajaran Tamansiswa" remains limited, and there has been a decline in soft skills among vocational graduates in the 21st century. This study explores the perceptions of educational and cultural practitioners and vocational teachers in implementing P3 using the PBL approach in Tamansiswa, Indonesia. A total of 12 key informants were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Data from observations, interviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were thematically analyzed using Nvivo 12 Plus software. The findings revealed three themes: planning, implementation, and evaluation. The PBL stages included problem analysis, project planning, coordination of execution, product creation and its progress, and evaluation of results while ensuring student engagement in Ngerti, Ngrasa, Ngalakoni. Vocational learning emphasizes the balance of intellectual, emotional, creative, and physical development, reflected in the pillars of character to shape individuals who are independent, competitive in the workplace, and adaptive in modern society. © 2025, Hipatia Editorial. All rights reserved.

This study examines how different teaching methods influence vocational teachers’ perceived competence within Chinese vocational education. It focuses on instructional approaches including lecture-based instruction, project-based learning, simulation exercises, case-based learning, and experiential learning. The study also explores the mediating effects of teacher motivation and engagement in the relationship between teaching methods and teacher competence. A quantitative research design was employed, involving 275 vocational teachers in China who completed a structured questionnaire assessing perceptions of teaching methods, motivation, engagement, and competence. Regression and mediation analyses were conducted to analyze the data, guided by Self-Determination Theory and the job demands-resources model. Findings indicate that the use of diverse teaching methods positively and significantly impacts vocational teacher competence. Furthermore, both teacher motivation and engagement act as significant mediators in this relationship, with intrinsic motivation and high engagement enhancing the positive effects of varied instructional strategies on perceived competence. This study contributes to the existing literature by addressing a notable gap regarding the impact of teaching methods on teacher competence in the vocational education context of China. Its emphasis on the mediating roles of motivation and engagement offers new insights into the psychological and affective mechanisms that underpin vocational teacher effectiveness. The results have practical implications for educational policy, curriculum design, and professional development initiatives aimed at promoting teacher competence, thereby supporting the advancement of vocational education systems. © 2025, Duzce University, Faculty of Education. All rights reserved.

Contemporary work confronts researchers and educators with a range of challenges, including those posed by complex environments in which workers grapple with uncertainty in high-stakes situations. A different challenge lies in the assumptions brought to learning design and facilitation, assumptions which together constitute a 'paradigm' concerning how to approach these tasks. Without a paradigm, designers and practitioners may exercise an incoherent practice; but if the paradigm is in some way problematic, then the practice may be compromised. In this article, we focus on work in complex environments, problematizing a particular paradigm - the 'pre-specification' approach - that is often brought to bear on it. The key to this paradigm is that work can be analysed and represented such that it can be specified in advance as a reference point for educational endeavours. We problematize key epistemological and ontological assumptions of this paradigm. Hermeneutics draws attention to the limits of these assumptions regarding what we can understand and represent about work, while complexity theory allows us to recognize ontological features of work that make pre-specification difficult or untenable. We conclude that in complex work, representation-making needs to be a distributed activity rather than a specialty, and it occurs at multiple points on the learning continuum rather that solely at the beginning. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.

Purpose of the study: This study aims to analyze the relationship between the use of E-Knows-based learning Management System (LMS) and improving the quality of learning, using a quantitative approach through surveys and structured interviews. Methodology: The research used a mixed method with an explanatory type. The research sample was teachers and junior high school students in Kurdistan. The sampling technique used purposive sampling, the research instrument used questionnaires and interviews with descriptive and inferential statistical data analysis. Main Findings: The results showed that the majority of students (45%) used E-Knows every day, and this was positively correlated with increased student engagement (average score 4.3/5), effectiveness of material delivery (4.1/5), and academic achievement (3.9/5). Regression analysis produced a coefficient of 0.62 with a significance value of p = 0.000, indicating that an increase in one unit of E-Knows use will significantly increase the quality of learning by 0.62 units. Novelty/Originality of this study: A key novelty of this research lies in its focus on real-time student progress tracking and interactive discussion forums, which significantly contribute to active learning. These findings highlight the potential of E-Knows LMS to optimize digital learning environments. © 2025, Cahaya Ilmu Cendekia Publisher. All rights reserved.

The education paradigm oriented towards key competence development has shaped national curricula across the world, including Serbia. In line with this trend, the academic year of 2020/21 saw the introduction of the Economics and Business elective into grammar schools. Considering that every educational change requires monitoring and evaluation to provide decision-makers with information based on research data, this paper presents the findings of a qualitative study conducted as part of a larger mixed-methods evaluative research project. The study aimed to provide a deeper insight into teachers’ opinions and experiences regarding certain characteristics of this elective program and its implementation in the third and fourth grades of grammar school in Serbia. It encompassed three semi-structured group interviews involving 19 teachers (55.6%) who taught this elective (six to eight respondents per group). A five-phase inductive-deductive qualitative analysis was conducted. Based on teachers’ narratives, three themes were identified pertaining to experience with implementing the Economics and Business elective: 1) Program Content Contributes to the Youth’s Quality of Life and Education; 2) Program Implementation is Dynamic, Comprehensive, and Supportive of Teacher Autonomy; 3) Challenges in Program Preparation and Implementation. Teachers recognized the contents encompassed by the Economics and Business elective as relevant to grammar school students’ education. Inquiry- and project-based learning constituted a didactic-methodical solution that afforded teachers greater organizational freedom and autonomy while simultaneously motivating students to be more engaged in class. The observed challenges and difficulties in implementing the program were mostly organizational. The paper features recommendations for further program improvement. © 2025 Institute for Educational Research. All rights reserved.

This research critically analyzed the application of Self-Determined learning Model of Instruction within the contexts of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in Higher Education. In the current age characterized by globalization and digital transformation, students are not only expected to be competent linguistically but they also need to develop some other important skills such as self-directed, adaptability, and critical thinking skill to face the global competitions at workplaces. The theory of heutagogy, or self-directed learning, has been introduced a pedagogical foundation which strengthens students to be more self-reliant, reflective, and possess lifelong attitudes and characters. This study applied qualitative and critical analysis in exploring the implementation of self-determined learning models in ESP classrooms at the university level. Moreover, this research additionally explored the approaches and challenges encountered by the lecturers during the implementation of the models. The results showed that the implementation of the self-determined learning framework in the ESP learning environment can increase students’ interest and enthusiasm, and significantly encourage their active engagement in learning activities. This model not only strengthens the mastery of English material relevant to specific purposes but also facilitates the development of soft skills that are highly needed in the future world of work. Furthermore, the use of this self-directed learning model aligns with the real-world competency needs that students must possess for their professional careers. ESP lecturers need to incorporate the principles of the self-determined learning approach (heutagogy) into their learning strategies, curriculum, and assessment methods as an effort to prepare students to become independent learners in facing global challenges and a constantly changing work environment. © (c) 2026 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

From the contradiction between the difficulty of employment in enterprises and the difficulty of employment in college students, we can see that the strategies of cultivating talents in colleges and universities are biased. This research combines the talent cultivation mode of colleges and universities with the current situation of social development, constructs a comprehensive quality assessment system for students, and uses hierarchical analysis and expert opinions to determine the weight coefficients of each index. In response to the shortcomings of traditional mining algorithms, an improved APRIORI algorithm based on the bit-array matrix is proposed to improve the mining efficiency by introducing the duplicate terms of identification and variable records in data compression. The experimental results show that the improved algorithm can achieve fast convergence on different data sets. The minimum running time of BM Apriori algorithm in different nodes is 102s; under different supports, the average running time of BM Apriori algorithm is 1.49s, and the efficiency is improved by 81.4%. BM Apriori algorithm is used for data mining, and the association rules between courses and students' grades obtained show that students' grades are prone to decline during the freshman to sophomore years. Schools should focus on cultivating students' good learning habits, cultivating excellent talents, and promoting the sustainable development of society. © 2025 World Scientific Publishing Co.