An American Example of Islamic Chaplaincy Education for the European Context

Against the background of increasing political and academic interest in imam and chaplaincy training and education in Europe, this article argues that the value and purpose of such education remains situated in an alignment between educational provider, student-participants, and employer–stakeholder expectations. These expectations are primarily about Muslim students’ learning and development, requirements and standards of employers, and contributions to community and society, and only secondly, the educations aim at meeting political expectations. The article explores aspects of Hartford Seminary’s success with its programme and alignment of education content and environment with student expectations and the labour market demand. This is supported theoretically by the input–environment–outcome assessment model. The structural and contextually embedded criteria for excellence are discussed and problematised, pointing both to the marginalisation of other drivers of education development that are not market aligned and to strategies of embedding religious authority with chaplains in institutions rather than with imams in mosques. In conclusion, the article highlights the self-sustaining logics that drive educational development but also points to corroborating social, economic, and welfare reasons for quality imam and chaplaincy education.

IMPROVING THE STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE FROM THE EXPECTATION AND QUALITY OF LEARNING

<p class="JurnalASSETSABSTRAK"><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p>This research aims to measure expectations, gender, learning quality, and control variables on the performance of the undergraduate program of Accounting at Tangerang Municipality. The target population is 1,898 students, with 331 of them becoming the sample. The sampling technique was Disproportionate Random Sampling and used a Binary Probit Regression. The distribution of the questionnaires used a Google Form. The results showed that the expectations and quality of learning had a significant effect on improving performance. On the other hand, gender was insignificant. This study's findings contribute to universities always maintaining student expectations and the quality of learning so that graduates have good performance.</p><p class="JurnalASSETSABSTRAK"><strong><em>ABSTRAK</em></strong><em></em></p><p><em>Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji harapan, gender, kualitas pembelajaran, dan variabel kontrol terhadap kinerja mahasiswa program sarjana S-1 Akuntansi di Perguruan Tinggi Kota Tangerang. Populasi sebanyak 1.898 mahasiswa dan ukuran sampel sebanyak 331 sampel. Teknik sampling adalah </em>disproportionate random sampling<em> dan menggunakan analisis </em>binary probit regression<em>. Distribusi kuesioner menggunakan google form. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa harapan dan kualitas pembelajaran berpengaruh signifikan terhadap peningkatan kinerja mahasiswa, sebaliknya gender tidak signifikan. Temuan penelitian ini memberikan konstribusi kepada perguruan tinggi untuk selalu menjaga ekspektasi mahasiswa dan mutu pembelajaran agar para lulusannya memiliki kinerja yang baik.</em></p>

"I haven't had the fun that is portrayed": First-year student expectations and experiences of starting at university

Prospective students have both expectations and anxieties about what their imminent university experiences might entail. In this study, we compare first-year students' expectations with their experiences of being included and excluded while settling into university life. Our participants in this qualitative phenomenological research study were 322 first-year students. We use insights from social and pedagogic inclusion to critique Tinto's (1983) model of the transition of students from schooling to higher education settings. The findings indicate that participants experienced mastery of knowledge, procedures, and structures of the institution as a point of exclusion almost 8% more than they expected. The participants also experienced personal disposition and relationships to be a point of exclusion 24% less than they expected. We recommend that university orientation programmes place more focus on the academic expectations of university since this was an aspect on which participants did not focus much. In addition, these findings also have implications for how universities conceptualise and implement the move to online learning which is often viewed as the solution to increasing access to higher education.

Veterinary and Pharmacy Students’ Expectations Before and Experiences After Participating in an Interdisciplinary Access to Care Veterinary Clinic, WisCARES

This pilot survey study describes student expectations and experiences at WisCARES, a low-cost veterinary medical teaching clinic where students from multiple disciplines collaborate. We hypothesized that prior to the workday, students would describe different expectations of working in an interdisciplinary access to care clinic than what they ultimately experienced. We surveyed 62 students from the School of Veterinary Medicine (46) and pharmacy (16) who spent a clinic day at WisCARES. Before introductory rounds, students completed a short survey consisting of four open-ended questions about their learning expectations; at the end of the day, they reviewed their initial responses and added what they actually learned. Qualitative information was categorized and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Thirteen major themes emerged: diversity, confidence, communication, case lead/case management, financial experience, helping people, teamwork, technical skills, inter-professional experience, mentoring, non-specific positive regard, appreciation for resources, and rounds. Students reported improved confidence in managing and leading cases with specific positive outcomes in communicating with clients, particularly regarding leading financial conversations. Developing greater insight into diversity was a common theme expressed in students’ expectations but was less frequently noted as an end-of-day outcome. Veterinary students less frequently described the value of the inter-professional environment and collaboration, but this was a major theme noted among pharmacy students. Student feedback was positive overall. The current study is useful in identifying areas for improving collaborative instruction and access to care professional student learning opportunities.

What constitutes quality to students in higher education? An empirical investigation of course-level student expectations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and interpret the critical quality attributes of core educational services at the course level both with student and lecturer involvement. Significant differences between the viewpoints of these two directly involved stakeholder groups are also demonstrated to provide a better understanding of student expectations. Methodology Students of quality management courses were invited to collect those attributes that could have an impact on their perceived educational service quality. The compiled list of 23 characteristics has been formed on the basis of a four-point Likert scale-based questionnaire. With approximately 360 responses, thorough statistical analyses have been executed to investigate whether any significant differences could be detected between the quality attributes perceived by the different student segments. A group of lecturers has also been invited to fulfil the same questionnaire to compare their viewpoints with those of the students. Findings The results allow us to identify critical quality attributes which may be used in all platforms and interactions with students. The conclusions can be implemented on the course level to adjust the plan-do-check-act-based improvement of courses in which lecturers are directly interested. Originality As the new generation of students increasingly regard themselves as customers, they have become more aware of how they are taught and how they participate in the learning process. Institutionalizing this approach may contribute to the shaping of the organizational quality culture by emphasizing student focus and may result in the identification of best practices and standardization of processes at the course level.

University for Career Construction: Expectations and Realities

The aim of this study is to reveal how higher education affects university students' career building processes based on the opinions of students at a state university. In line with this aim, students' opinions regarding how they chose their departments/programs, to what extent their expectations from their departments were satisfied and how they thought university education would affect their future careers were asked. 79 students studying in four faculties of a state university in Ankara participated in the study. The study was designed as a phenomenological qualitative study in which the data were obtained through a written interview form. The data were then analyzed through directed content analysis technique. The findings indicated that most of the participants made their department choices after a short decision-making period (within a few months) before taking the university entrance exam. Therefore, department choice was found to be predominantly a haphazard and even accidental process. The participants reported that their expectations were not met due to the fact that their university courses were largely theory-based, their practice and internship opportunities were too limited, and the social activities and career opportunities offered by their university were insufficient. Some participants expected positive outcomes while some had negative ones. Based on these findings, higher education institutions are suggested to develop policies to ensure graduate employability by decreasing the mismatches between student expectations, labor market demands, and what they can offer their students.

Digital Literacy Skills for Family History Research

Objective – In this case study, an archivist and librarian teamed up to teach an introductory course on family history research for adult learners at their university’s lifelong learning centre. In response to students’ relative lack of digital skills, the instructors developed a new set of introductory skills that they believe are essential for genealogy research. Methods – Authors conducted pre- and post-course surveys to determine student expectations and the extent to which the course met those expectations. Authors coded one of these surveys. Results – Course assessment and class activities exposed the need for a set of digital skills that go beyond a literacy framework to assist family history researchers. After analyzing key themes found in pre- and post-course assessment, authors developed a new tool for genealogy instructors titled Introductory Digital Skills and Practices in Genealogy (IDSG). Conclusion – Archivist/librarian collaborations are an excellent way to cultivate needs-based teaching and outreach opportunities in our wider communities, particularly for adult learners. The Introductory Digital Skills and Practices in Genealogy tool is meant to inspire and assist other library professionals who want to teach family history research, serving as a reminder to centre teaching tangible digital skills as a focal point of instruction.

Choice of pharmacy, professional perceptions, and career plans of students in three Nigerian schools of pharmacy

Background: A progressive increase in the number of students admitted to study pharmacy in Nigeria has not been met with sufficient documented evidence of their preferences and motivations. Studies on this would aid in designing a programme that matches student expectations, whilst maintaining regulatory requirements. Aim: This study evaluated students’ preferences in wanting to study pharmacy, perceptions of the profession and career choice. Method: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among students of all study years across three Nigerian Schools of Pharmacy after obtaining approval from their managements. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The response rate of the study was 87.5%. Most students from the three universities reported a preference for pharmacy as their first choice of course: 733 (86.0%) for University of Nigeria (UNN), 66 (71.7%) for Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) and 48 (45.3%) for Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). The students’ mean perception of pharmacy was 77.6±13.5%. However, 69.1% (UNN), 64.1% (NAU) and 59.4% (ESUT) students preferred academic pharmacy to other practice areas in pharmacy. Conclusions: Pharmacy was the preferred course of choice for most students currently enrolled in the programme. The students had generally positive perceptions towards the profession.