Relationship of Student Undergraduate Achievement and Personality Characteristics in a Total Web-Based Environment: An Empirical Study

Web‐based education is a popular format for the delivery of college courses. Research has shown that it may not be the best form of education for all students. Today, many students (and student advisors) face a choice in course delivery format (i.e., Web‐based or more traditional classroom courses). This research study examines the relationship between student personality characteristics and their achievement scores as a means of identifying predictors of academic success in an undergraduate business program using Web‐based education. The results of the study show that four basic personality characteristics are highly correlated to student achievement in Web‐based courses. Use of these personality characteristics as variables in a regression model is shown to be a highly accurate predictive tool to aid students in the decision as to whether to take a particular Web‐based course format or a more traditional classroom course.     

国外高等教育服务质量SERVQUAL模型研究及其启示

高等教育具有无形性,异质性,不可分离性,多变性,不可贮存性,及顾客(学生)参与服务过程等服务产业的所有特征。然而与其他服务产业相比,高等教育服务质量的研究相对被忽视。本文对国外学者利用SERVQUAL模型研究高等教育服务质量进行文献综述,同时认为,国外学者的研究有如下几个特点。第一,认为高等教育服务是高等教育的基本产出之一,学生是高等教育中最重要的利益相关者;第二,PZB的服务质量差距分析模型是高等教育SERVQUAL测量的理论基础,高等教育服务质量、学生满意度和学生行为倾向之间存在相关关系;第三,SERVQUAL方法适用于各个类型、层次的高等教育服务质量测量,但必须对其维度及其指标进行修正;第四,SERVQUAL测评是院校研究的一种手段,可以提高大学在市场中的竞争力。     

Bridging the gap: an alternative tool for course evaluation

The increasing perception of students as customers of services puts a stronger focus on improving the quality of the student experience. Satisfaction with aspects of service, such as access, flexibility and fitness for purpose can be assessed through student feedback questionnaires. The results of these surveys may not immediately suggest strategies for making improvement. How to bridge any gaps between what students look for and what they experience requires knowledge of student expectations and experiences separately. This paper describes an alternative evaluation tool, QUEST, based on a service template approach and explains how it has been used for evaluating the level of student satisfaction with HE distance education courses. QUEST is web‐based and produces a measure of satisfaction for a range of service quality aspect of the course provision. The results can be interrogated at several layers of detail to produce a clear picture of where issues arise and to identify how they might be addressed. The paper describes how these outputs from an evaluation might be interpreted to suggest strategies for improving the fit between what students look for from a particular course of study and what they experience.     

Reflectors as online extraverts?

Increasingly, online learning is perceived as an effective method of instruction. Much recent educational research has focused on examining the purposes and situations for which online education is best suited. In this paper, students enrolled in two online courses are compared with their peers enrolled in equivalent classroom‐based courses to investigate aspects of the relationship between learning style and mode of delivery. Student satisfaction measures are taken from participants in both modes of delivery and compared with student learning style. Feedback from the ‘Reflector’ learning style demonstrates higher satisfaction levels with the online mode of delivery compared with their matched counterparts following equivalent classroom‐based courses. Therefore, whilst ‘Reflectors’ might be regarded as Introverts in the traditional classroom setting, the additional time for reflection offered by online delivery makes this group more likely to contribute to online discussion, report higher satisfaction levels and generally behave more like online Extraverts.     

Bias in student evaluations: Are my peers out to get me?

The use of peer evaluations to evaluate performance is commonplace, especially in higher education. Yet, researchers and educators have long expressed concerns about the accuracy of such ratings. While research has found student peer evaluations to be consistent with instructor evaluations, rater bias is inherent in all evaluations, and students are not exempt from this. This study examines task completion and identity threat to determine if experience and identity play a role in shaping student peer evaluations. A sample of MBA students evaluated their peers before and after completing a course presentation. Results showed that students’ peer evaluations were significantly “lower” or more critical after having completed the presentation themselves. This study illuminates the importance of experience and training in the implementation of performance evaluations.     

Flipped classroom instruction for inclusive learning

The flipped classroom is a teaching methodology that has gained recognition in primary, secondary and higher education settings. The flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods, delivering lecture instruction outside class, and devoting class time to problem solving, with the teacher's role becoming that of a learning coach and facilitator. This methodology provides an avenue for more hands‐on and student‐driven learning during class time. The benefits of a flipped classroom include increased student motivation, differentiating instruction, self‐pacing lessons and mastery learning, increased collaboration and instant feedback for formative assessment. Although limited research has been conducted regarding students with learning difficulties in inclusive settings using a flipped learning model, initial research indicates flipping a classroom can be beneficial. Information is provided on inclusive practices from numerous countries that are beneficial to students with learning difficulties, as well as strategies and resources for individuals who may want to implement a flipped classroom.     

Outside the Comfort Zone of the Classroom

What comes to mind when the word learning is mentioned? Is it a classroom full of students and a teacher dictating notes as the students struggle emphatically to write down every word that is said? Is it a picture of a student in the library with a stack of books piled on a desk, trying to read them all? These examples of learning may fit the traditional definition but this paper expands learning to include service. This paper describes a non‐traditional style of learning that takes the student “out of the comfort zone of the classroom” into the community and explains how this experience has an impact on the students’ education as well as their lives. The authors of this paper hope to influence its readers to re‐think the definition of learning by understanding the importance of service.     

Perceived autonomy support,intrinsic motivation,and student ratings of instruction

Motivation theory suggests that autonomy supportiveness in instruction often leads to many positive outcomes in the classroom, such as higher levels of intrinsic motivation and engagement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived autonomy support and course-related intrinsic motivation in college classrooms positively predict student ratings of instruction. Data were collected from 47 undergraduate education courses and 914 students. Consistent with expectations, the results indicated that both intrinsic motivation and autonomy support were positively associated with multiple dimensions of student ratings of instruction. Results also showed that intrinsic motivation moderated the association between autonomy support and instructional ratings—the higher intrinsic motivation, the less predictive autonomy support, and the lower intrinsic motivation, the more predictive autonomy support. These results suggest that incorporating classroom activities that engender autonomy support may lead to improved student perceptions of classroom instruction and may also enhance both student motivation and learning.     

Factors determining e‐learning service quality

e‐Learning courses are fast becoming common‐place, yet the success of these online courses varies considerably. Since limited research addresses the issue of e‐learning quality (ELQ) of service in higher education environments, there is an increasing need to effectively assess ELQ. In this paper, we argue that to obtain a satisfactory e‐learning student experience, we must offer more than access to learning material. The research proposes an extended SERVQUAL model, the ELQ model, which in addition to key service constructs, facilitates consideration of both information and system quality factors. Exploratory Factor Analysis is conducted to investigate the reliability and validity of the measurement model, and multiple regression analysis is used to test the research model. Data analysis reveals that Assurance, Responsiveness, Tangibility, Course Website and Learning Content have a positive correlation with the perception of ELQ. e‐Learning students value a stable, and easy to use e‐learning environment, yet do not perceive empathy and reliability as significant to student perception of ELQ.     

研究生教育服务质量管理的实证研究：基于SERVQUAL模型

SERVQUAL是一种面向顾客的问卷式服务质量评估工具。本文将此工具应用于研究生教育服务质量的管理。通过相关分析显示,研究生对教育服务质量的评价会影响到其未来的行为选择,二者间存在显著的负相关关系。研究生对于教育服务的期望与感知之间存在非常显著的差异。在因素上,研究生对“导师教导”的期望最高,而对“医疗服务”的感知最低。根据研究生教育服务期望和感知分数绘制的IPA图,可与SERVQUAI。相辅相成,相得益彰,为大学管理者改进教育服务质量提供重要参考。     

‘Non-traditional’ and ‘traditional’ students at a regional Finnish University: demanding customers and school pupils in need of support

ABSTRACT

This article explores university students’ constructions of the ideal student at present-day university, that emphasises student-as-consumer culture and employability rather than education as a virtue in itself. The research is based on thematic narrative accounts (n = 67) generated in a generalist field in one regional Finnish university. We apply a narrative-discursive approach to analyse how ‘traditional’ young students (n = 34) and ‘non-traditional’ mature students (n = 33) position themselves in relation to the ideal good student in a present-day university and in relation to their university studies. Moreover, we examine some of the consequences of such positionings for the students themselves. Our analysis indicates that the present-day university student is constructed in line with the ideal student of the neoliberal order and student-as-consumer culture. However, whereas mature students positioned themselves as customers and were comfortable with the demands of today’s university for self-directedness and self-responsibility, younger students positioned themselves as ‘school pupils’ and were critical about being left on their own without adequate support. The study suggests that the terms ‘traditional’ and ‘non-traditional’ make differences related to age and different kinds of student positionings visible and, thus, also possible to reconstruct the ideals and normalities of the present-day neoliberal university.     

Change in Student Perceptions of Course and Instructor Following Curriculum Change

Ongoing curriculum change in higher education is essential to enhance student learning and better prepare them for the job‐market. However, research shows that faculty are reluctant to implement such changes because students generally react adversely thereby negating any potential benefits, and moreover, sanction faculty through lower evaluations and future enrollment. Yet, understanding of the effect of curriculum changes on students’ course and instructor perceptions is limited. In this article we attempt to fill this gap. Drawing on two empirical findings—students’ motivation to attend college becoming increasingly extrinsic since the 1960s and their inability to recognize, ex ante, the value‐added by a curriculum change—and the norm life‐cycle theory, we argue that any effort‐increasing or grade‐threatening change is viewed as non‐normative and will lead to an adverse student reaction. However, this adverse reaction will dissipate over time once a critical mass of students is convinced of the merits of the new curriculum. We find support for our hypotheses by analyzing change in student perceptions following curriculum changes at a U.S. University. In addition, we also find that once the adverse reaction dissipates, students’ perceptions of the new curriculum become more positive than the old curriculum, only to be reversed once the revised curriculum is accepted as the new norm.     

“慕课”在辅导员学生管理工作中的应用

高校辅导员应该深刻把握“幕课”的特点和优势,善于在学生管理工作中借鉴慕课模式,通过优质资源的挖掘和整合来增强大学生思想政治教育工作和学生服务工作的成效性,帮助学生获得充分发展,从而推动学生管理工作的改革和促进高等教育事业的科学发展。     

A Comparison of Online,Video Synchronous,and Traditional Learning Modes for an Introductory Undergraduate Physics Course

While the equivalence between online and traditional classrooms has been well-researched, very little of this includes college-level introductory Physics. Only one study explored Physics at the whole-class level rather than specific course components such as a single lab or a homework platform. In this work, we compared the failure rate, grade distribution, and withdrawal rates in an introductory undergraduate Physics course across several learning modes including traditional face-to-face instruction, synchronous video instruction, and online classes. Statistically significant differences were found for student failure rates, grade distribution, and withdrawal rates but yielded small effect sizes. Post-hoc pair-wise test was run to determine differences between learning modes. Online students had a significantly lower failure rate than students who took the class via synchronous video classroom. While statistically significant differences were found for grade distributions, the pair-wise comparison yielded no statistically significance differences between learning modes when using the more conservative Bonferroni correction in post-hoc testing. Finally, in this study, student withdrawal rates were lowest for students who took the class in person (in-person classroom and synchronous video classroom) than online. Students that persist in an online introductory Physics class are more likely to achieve an A than in other modes. However, the withdrawal rate is higher from online Physics courses. Further research is warranted to better understand the reasons for higher withdrawal rates in online courses. Finding the root cause to help eliminate differences in student performance across learning modes should remain a high priority for education researchers and the education community as a whole.     

The Use of Student Consulting Projects as an Active Learning Pedagogy: A Case Study in a Production/Operations Management Course

Active learning has attracted considerable attention in higher education in response to concerns about how and what students are learning. There are many different forms of active learning, yet most of them are classroom based. We propose an alternative to active learning in the classroom through active learning outside of the classroom in the form of student consulting projects. While the literature on student consulting has largely focused on projects to assist small business owners, this research demonstrates the potential for using student-consulting projects in the Production/Operations Management course. We use a case study to describe the use of a student-consulting project as an alternative to the other types of active learning described in the Operations Management education literature.     

'Blended' education and the transformation of teachers: a long-term case study in postgraduate UK Higher Education

This paper discusses the role of blended learning in teacher education on a Master's programme at Manchester University. Blended learning is the bringing together of traditional physical classes with elements of virtual education. The paper focuses on one particular module of the degree and attempts to capture students’ experiences of using a number of online tools. As our students are primarily in‐service teachers, this experience is particularly relevant and equips them to make use of educational technology in the language classroom. Some comparisons are also made with a cohort of teachers studying the programme at a distance. The paper explores a range of issues that currently feature in the adult education literature, namely, deep and surface learning, communities of practice, and the importance of educational dialogue. The paper illustrates how important the blended nature of this module is for the teachers to get a balanced programme that upgrades skills and knowledge, but which also enables them to reflect on past and future practice. A transformative education scale is used to show that teachers can be transformed. The paper is a case study that makes use of data that explore the student perspective on a series of research questions.     

高职学生教育服务满意度的实证研究

高职教育服务是高职院校向学生顾客提供的一种服务,以461名温州4所高职院校在校学生为对象进行的调查表明,高职学生对高职教育服务的满意度有待提高,其中,不同年级、生源类型不同、学校性质不同的学生满意度存在显著差异,而性别、生源所在地、专业类别不同的学生满意度没有存在显著差异。     

Professional movements,local appropriations,and the limits of educational critique: the cultural production of mixed messages at an urban middle school

Although critical ethnographers have explored in some depth the ways that social critique informs how youth assess their schooling experiences, the implications of social critique by educators themselves have been of much less interest. Yet, numerous professional educational movements have been wrought from social critique or, at the very least, from critique of school practices that fail to contribute to more equitable social outcomes. Featuring one middle‐school classroom contextualized by such movements in the field of education, this article presents an analysis of student appropriations of the messages embedded in a year‐long community service‐learning project. The project engaged students in democratic action framed by the question: Do our voices count? It is argued that while students embraced a newfound political agency through this work, the lack of opportunity to question individualism, the structural dimensions of urban poverty and their own relative privilege in the school ultimately produced social divisions rather than social critique.