Undergraduate Student Participation in an Evaluation of a Police Program: A High-Impact Practice

High-impact educational practices are increasingly being recognized as powerful teaching strategies that can positively impact both student and faculty experiences in the classroom. Student persistence in college is correlated to campus integration, and one way this can be successfully facilitated is through student–faculty research partnerships. This paper documents the process of one faculty research team integrating four undergraduate students into an ongoing research project, for which students received course credit. There were many benefits of this collaboration to both student and faculty participants, but there were also many opportunities to better streamline the project and to potentially create an institutional template for replication of this process so that other faculty members can learn from this experience and more easily successfully integrate students into their own research.     

Choices of destination for transnational higher education: “pull” factors in an Asia Pacific market

Traditional assumptions favouring native English language countries in transnational higher education (TNHE) overlook experiences of international students in new emerging Asian education hubs. Specifically, there has been limited research relating to international students’ choice for studying in Malaysia. Drawing from the “push-pull” model of factors influencing the movement of international student destination choice, this study identifies determinants of student destination decision for TNHE. While acknowledging perceived qualities and values of individual institutions as important criteria, findings from interviews with students that are currently enrolled at international branch campuses also indicated key influences driven by “pull” factors of country image – attractive features of Malaysia, i.e. comparatively low cost of living, low tuition fees, safe country for living, stable government, modern amenities, proximity in culture and religion and freedom from discrimination – as focal motives in their choice decision. These findings provide implications for policy-makers to deploy their educational resources as well as develop effective promotional and marketing strategies in promoting the local reputation and amenities in order to attract more international students.     

Koranic education and militant Islam in Nigeria

In this article the author outlines and discusses the influence of Koranic schools, and their students (almagiri) on the rise of fundamentalism and the spreading of militant Islam in Northern Nigeria.The author contends that while Islamic fundamentalism is the banner of both the Western-oriented Muslims and traditional Nigerian Muslims, it differs in expression in Northern Nigeria. The article shows that these differences result from the influence of the Koranic schools on the traditional teachers (ulama) and their students on the one hand, and Western universities, Wahhabi Arabs, and Western-oriented teachers and their students on the other.The origins of the Koranic school curriculum in Nigeria, the training of traditional Muslim teachers, and the lifestyle of the students are discussed. The author shows how certain socialization patterns found in the Koranic schools and almagiri system seem congruent with the political attitudes and values stressed by spokesmen of militant Islamic sects in Northern Nigeria.

---

Zusammenfassung Eine militante islamische Bewegung breitet sich in Norden Nigerias aus. In dem nachfolgenden Artikel umreißt und bespricht der Verfasser den Einfluß der Koranschulen und ihrer Schüler (almagiri) auf den wachsenden Fundamentalismus im Norden Nigerias.Der Verfasser weist nach, daß während der islamische Fundamentalismus als Sammelbecken sowohl für die westlich orientierten als auch für die traditionellen nigerianischen Moslems dient, sich der islamische Fundamentalismus im Norden anders äußert. Der unterschiedliche Einfluß von Koranschulen auf die traditionellen Gelehrten (ulama) und ihre Schüler einerseits sowie auf westliche Universitäten, Wahhabi Araber und westlich orientierteulama andererseits, steht im Mittelpunkt des Beitrags.Der Leser wird über den Ursprung des Curriculums der Koranschulen in Nigeria, über die Ausbildung traditioneller Moslem-Lehrer und über den Lebensstil deralmagiri informiert. Der Verfasser beschreibt wie bestimmte Sozialisationsmuster an Koranschulen und imalmagiri-System mit den von den Sprechern der militanten islamischen Sekten im Norden Nigerias betonten politischen Haltungen und Werten übereinzustimmen scheinen.

---

Résumé L'Islam militant est en train de se propager dans le nord du Nigeria. Dans cet article, l'auteur se propose de mettre en évidence et d'analyser l'influence des écoles coraniques et de leurs étudiants (almagiri) sur la montée du fondamentalisme dans le nord du Nigeria.L'auteur montre que si le fondamentalisme islamique est la bannière des musulmans d'orientation occidentale et des musulmans nigérians traditionnels, il diffère, en revanche, par sa forme d'expression dans cette région du Nigeria. Cet article révèle que ces différences proviennent de l'influence exercée par les écoles coraniques sur lesulama traditionnelles et leur étudiants d'une part, et sur les universités occidentales, lesWahhabi arabes et lesulama d'orientation occidentale et leurs étudiants d'autre part.Cet article apporte des informations au lecteur sur l'origine du programme d'études de l'école coranique au Nigeria, la formation des enseignants musulmans traditionnels et le style de vie desalmagiri. L'auteur montrera d'une manière générale comment certains modèles de socialisation rencontrés dans les écoles coraniques et le systèmealmagiri semblent être conformes aux attitudes et aux valeurs politiques prônées par les porte-parole des sectes islamiques militantes résident dans le nord du Nigeria.

     

YouTube: An emerging tool in anatomy education

The use of online social networks in medical education can remodel and enhance anatomy teaching and learning; one such network is the video-sharing site YouTube. Limited research in the literature exists on the use of YouTube as a platform for anatomy education. The aim of this study is to assess student's perceptions and patterns of usage of this resource, as well as the effectiveness of YouTube videos within a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. The study was conducted on 91 second-year medical students for whom video links were suggested throughout the academic year. In addition, the Human Anatomy Education (HAE) Channel was launched on YouTube to support classroom teaching with videos that emphasized applied aspects of anatomy. The results demonstrated that 98% of the students used YouTube as an online information resource, albeit in different frequencies. Out of the 86% who have been to the HAE Channel, 92% agreed/strongly agreed that the channel helped them learn anatomy. The study also reports the popularity of and awareness about using YouTube as a social network as well as in learning. Based on these findings, YouTube can be considered as an effective tool to enhance anatomy instruction if the videos are scrutinized, diversified, and aimed toward course objectives. Faculty of average computer literacy should be enabled to produce videos on their own YouTube channels to support independent learning and integration in a PBL curriculum. The methods described for capturing and editing the videos can be used as a prototype.