Search Results for
"learning"

Many universities around the world were forced to lock down and students had to continue their learning in online environments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers thus had to adopt effective and appropriate online teaching pedagogy integrated with related educational technologies to help their students achieve satisfactory learning outcomes in these courses. In addition, the world-wide problems of high failure level and dropout rates in programming courses challenge both teachers and students. Aiming to develop students’ practical programming skills, commitment to learning, and reduce learning disengagement, the researchers behind this study adopted two teaching approaches, integrating online partial pair programming (PPP) and socially shared metacognitive regulation (SSMR), to explore their effects on students’ learning performance in an online programming course. A quasi-experiment was implemented to explore the effects of online PPP and SSMR. The participants comprised three classes of students, all from non-information or non-computer departments taking a compulsory course titled ‘Programming Design’. The experimental groups included the first class (G1) simultaneously receiving the online PPP and SSMR intervention and the second class (G2) receiving only the online SSMR intervention. The third class (G3) received a traditional teaching method (non-PPP and non-SSMR) delivered online and served as the control group. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Experimental results show that the SSMR group (G2) demonstrated significantly better development of programming skills and commitment to learning than the control group (G3). However, the expected effects of online PPP on improving students’ learning were not found. The implications of designing pedagogies with PPP and SSMR in an online programming course for decision-makers in governments and universities, researchers, and teachers implementing online courses, particularly programming courses, are provided and discussed. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.

In contemporary times, possessing digital competence encompasses not only access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and their utilization, but also the acquisition of suitable knowledge and skills related to them. When it comes to the digital competencies of educators, studies in this field regularly report on the available professional development opportunities, but less attention is given to the educators’ personal attitudes. In our viewpoint, the success of the digital competence development process greatly hinges on realistic and effective teacher self-reflection. Within this framework, digital competence could become an essential component of teacher self-evaluation and emerge as a genuine demand within the predominantly supply-driven professional development market. Based on this observation, we determined to approach 400 instructors teaching at agricultural vocational schools and encourage them to thoughtfully contemplate their own skills and attitudes through our questionnaire. The objective of this exploratory research was to examine the current state of digital competence and future development possibilities among educators, specifically within the context of agricultural education. Moreover, it aimed to identify the actual needs of teachers. The research findings indicate that teachers engaged in Hungarian agricultural vocational education expressed a more positive view of their digital competence than anticipated. Concurrently, infrastructure gaps and developmental directions came to light. Among the novel findings of our research is the fact that real self-reflection is an essential attribute of the teaching career and plays an important role in the development of competences. In this context, a key finding of the research is that respondents strongly expressed their need for subject-specific and didactically-based, thematic and free workshops/courses to learn about the functioning of new ICT tools and platforms and their classroom applications. © The Author(s) 2024.

To support a complex health system, students are expected to be competent leaders as well as competent clinicians. Intentional student leadership development is needed in health professional education programs. Student-led experiences such as student-run clinics and interprofessional training wards, are practice-based learning opportunities where learners provide leadership to clinical services and/or address a gap in the system. Given the absence of leadership definitions and concepts, this scoping review explored how student leadership is conceptualized and developed in student-led experiences. The review was conducted in accordance with best practices in scoping review methodology within the scope of relevant practice-based student-led experiences for health professional students. The research team screened 4659 abstracts, identified 315 articles for full-text review and selected 75 articles for data extraction and analysis. A thematic analysis produced themes related to leadership concepts/theories/models, objectives, facilitation/supervision, assessment and evaluation of curriculum. While responding to system gaps within health professional care, student-led experiences need to align explicit leadership theory/concepts/models with curricular objectives, pedagogy, and assessments to support health professional education. To support future student-led experiences, authors mapped five leadership student role profiles that were associated with student-led models and could be constructively aligned with theory and concepts. In addition to leveraging a student workforce to address system needs, student-led experiences must also be a force for learning through a reciprocal model of leadership and service to develop future health professionals and leaders. © The Author(s) 2024.

This investigation sought to examine the connections between learning motivation (LM) and learning satisfaction (LS) among college art majors in online courses (OC) during the COVID-19 epidemic. The objectives included examining students' motivation and satisfaction levels, analyzing the challenges of OCs, and proposing directions for future development. The study sought to provide insights into OC teaching in Chinese universities. A quantitative analysis approach was employed, involving 331 students from art universities in China. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 23.0 software, employing regression analysis, one-way analysis of variance, independent sample t tests, descriptive analysis, and Pearson correlation. The findings of results of the trial showed a noteworthy benefit of LM on LS, consistent with previous research. Furthermore, the study identified the mediating role of the learning effect between LM and satisfaction, an aspect that has received limited attention in prior studies. Based on the study's results, practical recommendations were provided for teaching and learning methods in OCs for art students of different majors. These suggestions aimed to help students in the arts mobilize positive emotions and enhance motivation during online learning, ultimately increasing their overall LS. © De La Salle University 2024.

The research investigates the impact of smart learning technologies (SLTs) on students’ critical thinking (CT). It pays special attention to the increased digitalisation of education and the need to develop key cognitive skills in students in the era of globalisation. The research examines the role of SLTs in the development of CT skills in university students. The sample involved 318 participants from three universities in Beijing. The scholars selected a quasi-experimental design and divided students into an experimental group using SLTs and a control group following the traditional teaching approach. The CT skills of the participants were assessed using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Assessment (WGCTA). The assessment took place before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the research interventions. The experimental group revealed a significant improvement in the post-test compared to the pre-test, with the mean score increasing from 30.35 to 32.82. In contrast, the control group had a decrease in the scores, with the mean score decreasing from 30.94 to 29.96. These changes highlight the positive impact of SLTs on the development of CT skills in students. The research used statistical analysis, including paired t-tests and t-tests for independent samples, to assess the significance of these changes. A paired t-test for the experimental group revealed a mean difference of -2.47 between pre- and post-test scores, with a two-sided p-value of 0.000, indicating the statistically significant positive change. For the control group, a paired t-test showed a mean difference of -0.98 with a two-sided p-value of 0.000, indicating a statistically significant reduction. T-tests for independent samples allowed for comparing the post-test results of both groups and confirmed the findings. The test revealed a significant difference in post-test scores with a p-value of 0.008 and proved the effectiveness of SLTs in CT development in contrast to traditional methods. The research demonstrates the benefits of using SLTs for CT development among university students. The results suggest that integrating technology into educational programmes can be an effective strategy for developing core cognitive skills in students and eliminating the challenges of the digital age. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.

This study examines the effectiveness of ICT training programmes for academics at selected universities in Africa, specifically in Cameroon, Nigeria, and South Africa. Using a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with five ICT trainers and three trainees to better understand their experiences. The findings highlight both the challenges and the strengths that could be used to improve ICT training and make it more effective and relevant to the participants. Four key themes emerge from our analysis: course objectives and content, teaching strategies, implementation challenges, and expectations/impact of the courses. The objectives of the courses vary considerably—some focus on the practical application of ICT, while others aim to improve the participants’ understanding of ICT systems. Teaching methods also differ, ranging from more traditional teaching approaches to collaborative, project-oriented methods. However, we identify significant challenges, particularly poor internet connectivity and a lack of sufficient technological resources, which affect the learning process. In addition, there is often a divergence between trainer expectations and trainee perceptions of the impact of these courses on their professional development. This study aims to contribute to the definition of strategies to improve the effectiveness of ICT training, in the African context, including Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa. © The Author(s) 2024.

Digital transformation has become pivotal for enhancing efficiency and sustainable development in animal husbandry. However, this presents challenges to higher education in animal science, necessitating substantial modifications in education and training to ensure that students acquire the competences required to adapt to this digital transformation. Although previous research has called for curriculum updates, such as incorporating digital technologies learning, empirical support has been lacking. Specifically, the updates to the objectives, content, activities, and assessments of the animal science curriculum lack direction due to a limited understanding of the current status of students and their needs and expectations. This study, therefore, used a mixed-methods survey, focusing on assessing three aspects: digital self-efficacy, technological literacy, and students’ perspectives on digital transformation and curriculum updates. It involved animal science students from two agricultural universities in China and received 267 valid responses. Data analysis included descriptive analysis and thematic analysis. This study revealed that animal science students showed lower confidence in digital content creation, safety practices, and problem-solving, and had a limited understanding of digital technologies in animal husbandry. However, they were aware of the trend toward digital transformation and recognized the inadequacy of their current knowledge and skills. Students also expressed enthusiasm for integrating digital technologies into animal husbandry production and strongly advocated for incorporating digital elements into their curriculum content. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence for the necessity, urgency, and direction of integrating digital technology learning into animal science curricula. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.

Project-based learning, with its emphasis on ‘learning by doing’, is the dominant teaching method in industrial design. Learners are supposed to be motivated to tackle complex problems such as those in the dynamic field of sustainability. However, it is still unclear how the process of increasing motivation within projects can be systematically targeted for specific sustainability challenges and directed towards potential later pro-environmental behavior. The project-based learning method presented in this paper, framed by a normative decision-making model, aims to intrinsically motivate industrial design students to engage in the exemplary circular economy field of metal recycling and at the same time promote necessary professional competencies on the metal, alloy, product and system level. It is demonstrated which specific intervention measures can be suitable to achieve this goal and how they can be methodically employed. Preliminary quantitative evaluation results indicate that the project-based learning method can indeed strongly motivate the target group. • Connection to a normative decision-making model from social psychology for the domain of environmental protection as a conceptual framework • Consideration of intervention measures at various levels (metal, alloy, product, system) • Use of generative toolkits to translate the acquired knowledge into practical application during design tasks © 2024

Technology is a critical element of the human perspective on learning. Good teaching with technology requires understanding the mutually reinforcing relationships between content, pedagogy, and technology to develop proper context-specific strategies and representations. TPACK is one of the most researched topics that discusses the interaction and combination of teacher knowledge in the domains of technology, pedagogy, and content. Overtime, TPACK has raised criticism regarding the many areas that had not been explored and the need to reconceptualize the framework. There have been many further developments in the form of modifications to the TPACK model, which have produced various measurement instruments. This research uses a systematic literature review (SLR) method to explore multiple modifications to the TPACK framework and the integration of related fields. The review was carried out on published papers from 2008 to 2023 utilizing the Scopus database. The analysis in the research was carried out through 3 stages: planning, conducting, and reporting. Planning including identify SLR needs, determine the focus of the question, and Develop Review Rules. Furthermore, in conducting, researcher excluding articles that didn’t mention TPACK Development Framework. Last stage is reporting including analyze the main article by creating a review table and answer the Research Question. There were 18 core articles filtered from a total of 1,295 articles. The findings from the thematic analysis identified five areas of study that were integrated with modifications to the TPACK framework, including Knowledge, Competency, Tools, Practice, and Attitude. Finally, exploration was also carried out to see gaps and research potential for future studies in each field. © 2025, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.

Introduction: While occupational health and safety (OHS) education is important for all new workers, it appears critical for youth in dual vocational training programs. To develop prevention tools adapted to their situation, the first stage of an action-research study was to question their perceptions and experiences of OHS. Objective: This study examines the perceptions of OHS among young students with disabilities enrolled in the Work-Oriented Training Path (WOTP) in Québec. Method: A mixed-methods study based on questionnaires given to 131 (38 women, 93 men) WOTP students and Ministry documents. Descriptive and comparative quantitative analyses were conducted with a qualitative analysis of open-ended questions and documents. A gender-sensitive analysis was carried out since it is a recognized influencing factor to consider in OHS. Results: Men and women worked in different environments (p = 0.002). Men seem to be more aware of the presence of hazards (yes = 79.6 %) than women (yes = 50 %) (p = 0.001), and collectively named 15 risk categories, compared to 9 for women. A modest proportion of men (yes = 44.1 %) and women (yes = 31.6 %) reported having received OHS training in their traineeship. Men had a slightly less marked interest in OHS (p = 0.047). A large proportion of students reported having experienced an occupational injury (43.5 %). Conclusions: Targeted interventions are needed to ensure safe learning environments and equitable OHS training for youth with disabilities. Women might be confronted with unrecognized or invisible hazards, and all could benefit from a training that addresses those. © 2025 The Author(s)