An evaluative case study of the dilemmas experienced in designing a self‐assessment strategy for Community Nursing students

The Dearing Report’s (1997 Dearing, R. 1997. Higher education in the learning society: report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. (Chair) [Google Scholar]) radical proposals challenged lecturers in higher education to develop innovative assessment strategies. This paper explores the dilemmas experienced by one teaching team in designing and implementing a student self‐assessment strategy within a community nursing degree programme. The paper reviews the impact on students’ sense of autonomy and critical thinking skills. In addition, it considers, in depth, the risks associated with developing and implementing a strategy involving self‐assessment. Drawing on a range of sources it examines the drivers for the initiative, the response from the range of stakeholders involved and the impact on the student experience. The academic team found that developing such a creative initiative is time consuming, provokes anxiety and requires extensive negotiation and collaboration between academic and practice colleagues. However, the adoption of a self‐assessment initiative has a significant effect on students’ critical thinking skills and warrants the effort.     

Preliminary evidence of a relationship between the use of online learning and academic performance in a South African first-year university accounting course

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between the use of online learning resources and academic performance in an Accounting 1 course conducted at a South African Higher Education Institution. The study employed a quantitative analysis over three academic years comparing the collection of end of year marks and the time spent online. The results provide preliminary empirical evidence to show that students who spent more time online significantly improved their course mark. Although much accounting-based educational research exists on the use of computers, there is a dearth of research testing any relationship between the use of online learning material and performance, and particularly in accounting education. While the results are preliminary and have some limitations, they are useful to students, teaching instructors and administrators, and provide a platform for future research into the value of using online learning in accounting.     

Cognitive-motivational variables of beginner university students in the first year of adaptation to the European Higher Education Area / Variables cognitivo-motivacionales del alumnado de nuevo ingreso en el primer año de adaptación al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior

Abstract

Within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) the student is the main protagonist of the learning process. This means that teachers must be aware of the cognitive-motivational aspects that influence their learning. This study analyses the academic goals, learning strategies and levels of academic engagement shown by university students in their first year of adaptation to the European Higher Education Area, as well as the relationship between these variables. The results indicate that most students are averagely oriented towards learning goals and highly oriented towards achievement goals, regularly use a wide variety of learning strategies, and show average levels of academic engagement. The correlations between some of these variables are positive and significant. Further research needs to be carried out to understand the role played by different variables in constructing quality autonomous learning processes, not only in relation to students, as in the case of this study, but also in relation to teachers, tasks, contexts, and academic institutions, as well as the different interactions between them.     

The Influences of Faculty on Undergraduate Student Participation in Research and Creative Activities

Using data collected from surveys of college juniors and seniors and faculty members in related academic departments, this study examined whether faculty teaching and research orientations, as well as faculty external funding, had any impact on undergraduate student participation in research and creative activities. The results of the study indicated that faculty research orientation and external funding were indeed positively related to student participation in research activities. However, faculty members’ teaching orientation was not significant. Further analyses indicated that faculty teaching and research orientations had different impacts on a range of research and creative activities by undergraduate students. The findings from this study provide insight on ways of improving college teaching and learning as well as informing the development of institutional academic policies related to faculty and undergraduate education. Shouping Hu is Associate Professor of Higher Education at Florida State University. He received his M.S. degree in Economics and Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University. His research and scholarship focus on college access and success, student engagement, and higher education policy. Kathyrine Scheuch is the Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation in the Division of Community Colleges, Florida Department of Education. She received her Ed.D. in Higher Education from Florida State University. Her research interests include undergraduate research activities and minority student issues. Joy Gaston Gayles is Associate Professor of Higher Education at North Carolina State University. She received her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Ohio State University. Her research interests include the college student experience and its impact on student development and learning.     

英国高等教育独立审查员制度的立法与实施

目前,学生与大学机构之间的纠纷引起了各国的广泛关注,英国独创了高等教育独立审查员制度,首次将学生投诉处理纳入全国统一的程序标准,并以法定形式任命专门的、独立的机构代为执行,采用低成本的方式,达到快速、公正解决大学纠纷问题,既保障了学生权利,同时避免了高等教育领域较多法律途径解决纠纷。     

In search of the feeling of ‘belonging’ in higher education: undergraduate students transition into higher education

ABSTRACT

Previous research that evaluated first year students’ transition into university found that the values of ‘being, belonging and becoming’ were important in particular within the first few months and within the first year of university. From our previous work, we reported that three things matter to students: the academic staff they work with, the nature of their academic study and the feeling of belonging. This paper provides a further illumination to our work by reporting on the qualitative data collected in the same study. The study included 530 students from five cohorts over a five-year period. As part of the Student Experience Evaluation instrument, open-ended questions probed students about their early experiences of belonging and transition into university. This original research uses rich data to illuminate the scales and items from previous quantitative data analysis to explore ‘belonging’, triangulated with research from the field. This paper is timely due to increased emphasis placed on learning and teaching with the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework. Student satisfaction is not a simplistic measure and this study articulates the complexity of student belonging in Higher Education.     

Invisible Statues of Colonisation: Regulatory Curriculum Requirements in South African Higher Education

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, the South African higher education (HE) system has become increasingly regularised. All programmes offered at South African public universities have to be registered and accredited by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET); the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) under the auspices of the Council on Higher Education (CHE); as well as the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). Such accreditation, registration and quality assurance is subject to a growing series of stringent regulatory frameworks that must be adhered to, chief amongst which are the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF) and the Classification of Educational Subject Matter (CESM) manual and the later Addendum. Increased calls from both students and government for curriculum transformation and the decolonisation of HE require a critical review of the regulatory regime as one of the barriers to curriculum transformation at South African universities. The aim of this article is to present a conceptual analysis of the CESM and its regulatory context within a decolonial framework in order to show that the regulatory requirements for curricula have created a rigid and colonised conception of what universities may and may not teach. The CESM categories and their concomitant requirements have become the so-called invisible statues of colonisation based on narrow and morally decadent Western conceptions of academic disciplines in current university curricula.     

Preliminary evidence of a relationship between the use of online learning and academic performance in a South African first-year university accounting course

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the use of online learning resources and academic performance in an Accounting 1 course conducted at a South African Higher Education Institution. The study employed a quantitative analysis over three academic years comparing the collection of end of year marks and the time spent online. The results provide preliminary empirical evidence to show that students who spent more time online significantly improved their course mark. Although much accounting-based educational research exists on the use of computers, there is a dearth of research testing any relationship between the use of online learning material and performance. While the results are preliminary and have some limitations, they are useful to students, teaching instructors and administrators, and provide a platform for future research into the value of using online learning in accounting.     

Impact of a pre-college outreach programme on the academic achievements of higher education students: a case study of Chile

ABSTRACT

This research evaluated the impact on students’ academic achievements of a pre-college outreach programme implemented by a Chilean higher education institution. This programme benefits students in their last year of secondary education so they can better adapt to post-secondary education. Specifically, we assessed whether freshmen enrolled in 2017 in the institution that implemented this initiative and who attended this programme during 2016 as secondary school students performed better than students at this same institution but who did not take part in this scheme. A quasi-experimental design was applied using the method propensity score matching. The results showed that students who participated in this outreach programme had better average grades and attendance levels than those who did not take part in this initiative. In addition, it was found that this programme does not have a significant impact on student retention rates.     

From Pilot Project to Strategic Development: Scaling up staff support in the use of ICT for teaching and learning

The UHI Millennium Institute (UHI) comprises an academic partnership of 13 further education colleges and research institutes in northern Scotland. In order to sustain accessible learning provision at Higher Education level across the Highlands and Islands, the UHI academic partners have to develop ways of collaboratively developing and facilitating courses using electronic communication. A key factor for the successful develop ment of new ways of working and teaching is the implementation of effective staff support. Current research often focuses on issues surrounding staff development programmes on a small scale and neglects problems associated with scaling up these programmes. This study aims to address these issues by examining the creation of a peer support scheme, its evaluation and subsequent expansion. It will be of interest to staff developers and managers wishing to implement strategic institutional policy.     

Creative Approaches to Raising Achievement of Adult Learners in English Further Education

abstract

The IMPEL2 Project is a JISC‐funded eLib Project based at the University of Northumbria at Newcastle. It has been engaged in a 2‐year (1996‐98) investigation of organisational and cultural change in the increasingly electronic environment in UK Higher Education HE. The selection of Case Study sites was purposive; some had participated in the previous IMPEL1 study. A qualitative methodology, using analysis of documentation, semi‐structured interviews and questionnaires, has been used to examine complex and sometimes sensitive issues.

Through Case Studies at 24 Universities and HE Colleges and over 300 interviews, with a range of academic staff, library and information services staff and computer services staff, the Project team has gained insights into the impacts of electronic information provision on academic and student users, the impacts of resource based learning and training, and considered the implications for the training and development of library staff.

This article gives some of the findings of the IMPEL2 Project on supporting students in resource based learning. It considers why it is beneficial to support students and highlights the recent changes in HE which make academic support of students vital to their success.

The article outlines the evidence of the IMPEL2 Project which suggests that certain kinds of support are needed including the provision of appropriate resources, access to these resources, the teaching of skills to students and the provision of on‐going advice, guidance and support. Finally the implications for academic staff are considered.     

North West Cross Institutional Action Learning developing women's leadership

ABSTRACT

Human resource development professionals in Higher Education are continually striving to develop efficient interventions to increase the capabilities of their leaders. As a result of evaluating feedback from an action learning (AL) programme designed and delivered in North West Higher Education Institutions in the UK for women in senior academic and professional service roles, we are able to share how AL can be utilised to transcend and supplement traditional leadership training. The article discusses the approach taken to support participants to develop vital leadership behaviours through the acquisition of critical questioning and reflective habits whilst developing strong supportive cross-institutional relationships with other higher education leaders.     

Characterising the different blogging behaviours of students on an online distance learning course

Since the early years of the twenty‐first century there has been an increasing interest in using Web 2.0 technologies to support learning in Higher Education. However, previous research suggests that the integration of blogging into courses can be difficult and cites problems with issues such as student compliance. We adopt a learner‐centred perspective and explore students’ (rather than their educators’) understanding of how blogs and blogging can support distance learning in Higher Education. We report on a study of UK Open University (OU) students on an online distance learning Masters course, that has enabled us to determine the issues that are important to these bloggers, and we describe five ways in which they appropriated blogging to suit their individual needs. We discuss the importance of making blogging activities flexible so that students can blog to meet their own needs whilst still attending to the requirements of their course.     

Inclusive Learning: the Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the postschool education of those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities,in England, 1996

ABSTRACT

The Report, Inclusive Learning (1996), is the result of a three‐year enquiry into the educational needs of and provision for adults with disabilities and/or learning difficulties in England. It arose from the requirement of an Act of Parliament, in 1992, that the new national funding council for further education should ‘have regard’ for such students in all its work of funding, development and evaluation. The Committee commissioned some fundamental research into the nature and extent of provision, the actual and potential demand for further education and the current requirements of law, and also reviewed existing academic research (chiefly in English‐speaking countries). It took extensive evidence in many modes and, in particular, created a series of workshops in which the students and their advocates could speak for themselves. The outcome was the main Report and summary, together with six supplementary publications. The core of the Report is the notion of ‘inclusive learning’, which places the responsibility for providing appropriate education with the teachers, the managers and the system (ultimately, with society), rather than problematizing the student as one with a deficit. A good education system is not merely about offering access to what is available, but also the making of what needs to be available accessible: the moulding of opportunity. Thus the Report concentrates on a theory of learning and its educational consequences. It represents another step towards embracing students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities unequivocally within the general approach to learning appropriate for all students. This article summarizes the main lines of analysis and argument in the Report and its framework of recommendations to the Further Education Funding Council, teachers, managers, voluntary organizations and to the government.     

Peer‐assisted Student Support at the University of Glamorgan: innovating the learning process?

This article analyses the overall performance of the Peer‐Assisted Student Support (PASS) Scheme in the Business School at the University of Glamorgan. Observations were made over a seven‐week period to measure the effectiveness of the scheme in terms of enhancing the student learning process. Weekly attendance was measured to establish patterns of demand in terms of age, gender and mentored subject area. Further quantitative and qualitative research was undertaken to provide an insight into the perceived benefits of the scheme in relation to student social development and academic performance. The empirical findings of this article show that PASS attendance is female dominated. Moreover, the research suggests that contrary to previous research, the majority of benefactors reside in the under‐21 age group. The findings also highlight that academic and laboratory‐based subjects are a considerable strain on PASS resources and more significantly superior academic performance is positively correlated with regular PASS attendance.     

The impact of intensive ‘value for money’ performance auditing in educational systems

The starting point for this article is the authors' ongoing collaborative enquiry into professional practice, which primarily aims to improve and develop our roles in Staff and Educational Development in Higher Education (HE). Part of this action research cycle includes an empirical study carried out in the authors' institution to find out how academic colleagues view their work practices. They identify the major difficulties faced in supporting the professional development of these staff and argue that to be effective within a culture that encourages individualism, and that is driven by a disciplinary-research agenda, those who have responsibility for academic professional development should promote the idea of teachers as researchers. They argue that a research approach to development, centred on individual practice and learning, should be considered by those who engage in professional learning. Beyond these issues, the study also provides a snapshot of academic values in a research-led Higher Education Institution in Britain in the late 1990s.     

Refugees and online education: student perspectives on need and support in the context of (online) higher education

ABSTRACT

Online education and in particular Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are often regarded as a way to solve global educational challenges. In this article, we highlight the students’ uptake of such a ‘digital solution’. Presenting initial findings from a research project in Germany, we situate our investigation in the specific context of digital educational offers for refugees, using Kiron Open Higher Education as an example. Kiron has designed an innovative academic model, with MOOCs at its core, to ease refugees’ access into higher education. Drawing from student data of 1375 Kiron students we look at students’ actual usage of the offer and the accompanying support services as well as the difficulties refugee students face while navigating online higher education. Results show, amongst others, rather low completion rates in the online courses and point to a much more nuanced picture of how students make use of the offer – putting online education as an easy, straightforward formula to the integration of disadvantaged students into question.     

Learning approaches and lecture attendance of medical students

There are arguably many factors that affect the way a student learns. A recent report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and the Higher Education Academy (HEA) on student academic experience in the UK states that class size is an important factor in the quality of the student experience and that smaller class sizes provide greater educational benefit than the delivery of lectures. This article assesses research related to lectures, lecture attendance of medical students and their learning approaches in higher education outside the clinical setting. A questionnaire and focus groups were employed to gather quantitative and qualitative data. The results show that students value lectures in the curriculum alongside other teaching and learning methods.     

Supporting teachers' professional development in a developing country through practice-based inquiry and distance learning: some key issues

Abstract

This article highlights seven issues the authors encountered when they took on a very difficult task, namely of seeking, through ‘low tech’ print-based distance learning materials, to promote the professional development of experienced but untrained teachers in Namibia. The authors attempt to do this through the advocacy of an action research approach. There has been no tradition of action research in Namibia, indeed those within the country who promote this approach (the Minister of Higher Education) prefer the term Practice-based Inquiry. Moreover, the support systems that can normally be called into service in a developed country to support teachers in a distance learning initiative of this nature are virtually absent ‘on the ground’ in Namibia. The central question is can untrained teachers, themselves with a rudimentary formal education, be encouraged through a distance learning mode, to develop professionally by critically reflecting system strongly advocates ‘social reconstruction’?     

再议高校双语教学中存在的问题与建议

双语教学是高校质量工程的重要组成。近几年高校教学探索中存在三个主要问题：学生第二语言的现有水平不足以进行有效的双语学习,影响学生对学科知识的掌握;学生在双语课程学习中的无助心理导致其自我效能感的缺失;学校管理层不重视双语师资的培训,双语课程的开设缺乏连贯性与合理规划。针对以上问题,高校双语课程应该实行学生选课制、开设双语课程群以及对双语学生进行科学的学业评价。