A Qualitative Exploratory Study of the Effects of Simulation on Nursing Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Using English for Professional Purposes

Background The health sector has become more international than ever because of patients’ increased mobility and access to healthcare services. As a result, the ability to communicate in English has become critical for nursing students in countries where English is used as a foreign language. Aim This study aimed to highlight and understand the experiences of nursing students regarding the effect of simulation-based learning on their self-efficacy beliefs for using English for professional purposes. Methods The study was conducted with 28 third-year university nursing students enrolled in a required English course and participating in two nursing simulations conducted in English. Focus groups were conducted using semi-structured interview questions to elicit and understand the self-efficacy beliefs of nursing students for using English for professional purposes. The collected data were analyzed by using content analysis. Results The result of the study emerged under three themes: carrying out nursing duties by using professional discourse, building professional relationships with patients, and maintaining spontaneous conversations with patients. The overall results showed that while the students’ self-efficacy beliefs increased for performing standard nursing duties and establishing rapport with patients, no increase was observed in their self-efficacy beliefs for holding a prolonged conversation with the patient. Conclusion This study’s findings have implications for nursing programs in which English proficiency is considered an important program outcome for nurses who may be expected to work in both their own language and English.

Effectual Physiotherapy Treatment in a 16 Year Old Case of Atrial Septal Defect- A Single Case Study

Background: Paediatric cardiac surgeries have an immense survival rate and rehabilitation plays a major role in such cases. Many patients are diagnosed with septal defects or valve defects at birth which come sunder cardiac surgeries. Case Presentation: This is a case of 16 year old boy who had atrial septal defect and underwent atrial septal defect closure. Investigations: 2D echocardiography revealed atrial septal defect. Management: Physiotherapy intervention included patient education, breathing retraining, airway clearance techniques, positioning, and psychological support and mobility program. Outcome measures have shown enhancement in functional independence and performance of activities of daily living. Conclusion: The evidence from this study suggest that paediatric cardiac rehabilitation found to play a pivotal role in managing a patient who had atrial septal defect.

Process-Outcome Relationships and Solution-Based Goal-Setting Interventions With Grandparent Caregivers

The present study examines the impact of change processes on outcomes in a solution-based thinking and goal-setting intervention for grandparents raising their grandchildren. We found that across the 6 program sessions there was stability and/or increases in the salience of hypothesized change processes, i.e., hopefulness about the future, solution-based thinking, positive thoughts about one's grandchild, multiple indicators of decisional personal goal-setting regarding one's own well-being and grandchild relationship quality. Indicators of change processes were for the most part, related to both post-program outcomes as well as to pre-post program outcome difference scores. Regression analyses suggested that change processes in many cases partially mediated pre-post primary program outcome scores. These data suggest that how grandmother caregivers think about themselves and their grandchildren and their approach to setting personal goals are key change processes explaining the impact of a solution-based, goal-setting intervention on them.

Sustainable Program Assessment Practices: A Review of the ABET and NCAAA Computer Information Systems Accreditation Process

Program outcome assessment is a complex process that demands careful planning and resources in order to accurately assess higher-order thinking skills. A well-defined assessment approach provides detailed insights into program weaknesses and leads to continuous improvement. Whereas a poor assessment approach does not reflect the underlying weaknesses and may result in a useless effort. Furthermore, each accreditation body may have a different recommended outcome measurement approach. As a result, academic institutions may make adhoc choices just to satisfy accreditation requirements rather than designing a sustainable measurement approach. On the other hand, the magnitude of huge tasks for satisfying multiple accreditation bodies results in fatigue and mental stress for academic staff. ABET is a well-known international program accreditation body, and NCAAA is a local accreditation body for academic programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this paper, we have documented that how a sustainable outcome measurement mechanism can be designed to satisfy both ABET and NCAAA requirements. The core contribution of this paper is relevant specifically for academic programs in the Kingdom striving to meet both ABET and NCAAA requirements and is also relevant for all education programs to design an appropriate program assessment approach to ensure a sustainable process to foster better learning among students.

On assessment and evaluation of teaching computer networks to electrical engineering students by the aid of a lab course

In the era of Internet-of-everything, learning the principles of data communications and networking is inevitable for many electrical engineering disciplines. The paper addresses the effectiveness of teaching the fundamentals of data communications and networking using a dedicated lab course as a co-requisite to a classic lecture-based course. In the introduced lab course, the students are asked to do a variety of tasks using real hardware and a network simulator. The paper introduces quantitative measures of an outcome-based learning approach applied to both courses. Based on students’ achievements, the role of the lab course in the attainment of both the course learning outcomes and the electrical engineering program learning outcomes is measured in comparison with the case where the lab course is not taken. Our findings reveal a general enhancement trend in the attainment of the course and program learning outcomes with a significant increase in the program outcome related to solving engineering problems. Also, a slight increase is noticed in meeting the lab course outcomes for the students who attended the lab with the course in the same semester, which indicates an improvement in gaining practical knowledge.

New Paradigm of Outcome-Based Education – A Higher Education Boon

Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is a vibrant model and considered as a giant leap forward to improve higher education and assists all graduates contend with their global counterparts. It is a student-centered tutoring conception that focuses on measuring student performance through outcomes. The Higher Education Institutions should frame appropriate course outcome, program outcome and these outcome should correlate with institutional objectives. But the actual success lies in the effective implementation and rigid accreditation process to ensure the quality of education. Hence, it is imperative to analyze the strength, weakness of the model and practical difficulties in case of implementation. This study reveals basic concepts, Implementation Strategies and OBE Practices and standards. The OBE-Steering Committee in each HEI offers ideas to frame Newfangled Curriculum with finest outcome and effective teaching methods with ICT tools and evaluation pattern based on blooms taxonomy.

Employability Forecast Among Construction Management from The Employer’s Perspective in Malaysia Construction Industry

The tertiary education institutions in Malaysia are facing increasing demands from employers and stakeholders to ensure the graduates to be equipped with relevant skillset needed to secure a placement in the industry. The question arises, what are the skillsets required by employers contribute to the research gap which led to a comprehensive understanding on the expectation of employers towards the graduate’s employability. This study determined the employers' perspective skills by referring to five (5) field of employment consist of Developer, Contractor, Consultant, Supplier and Entrepreneur which consume of 57 (38%) respondents from 150 questionnaires distributed both on-site and on-line survey using random sampling technique. The content was referred on the program offered by Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using six (6) main categories of courses on hard skill to achieve the objective one and seven (7) soft skills to accomplish objective two. The finding indicates Project Management, Measurement and Estimating and Legal Study knowledge of hard skill critically required, whilst, interpersonal and communication soft skill is crucially needed. Those skills reveal as the fundamental knowledge in handling a construction works. In summary, this study able to facilitate the gap between graduates’ skills and employers’ expectation by providing a sufficient guidance platform referring to the respective field of employment as well as provides a significance implication to the educational institutions to align the program outcome toward the needs of the industry.Keywords: employability, forecast, graduates, employer