Distance Learning Approach in Interprofessional Higher Education

Literature seeks to provide a new methodological education approach in health professions, but none consider evaluate student’s ideal preferences. The aim of this study is to understand what the preferences of distance learning in higher education are. The study has assessed online resources, the primary objective was to provide information about the types of teaching tools. The secondary objective was to integrate technological advances in the Medical School of Speech Therapy. The outcomes have been further discussed under measurements of an observational protocol, testing the effectiveness of these resources on the qualifications of undergraduate Orthodontics students at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Summarizing the preferences, an online form was applied in Brazilian Institutions. Based on the 533 evaluations, a distance learning platform was developed to assist the daily study process, containing educational videos, a discussion forum, questionnaires for the increased learning activity, and individual feedback reports. Overall, 88 undergraduate Speech Therapy students at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro were recruited, eventually, 34 fully participated. They were randomly allocated into two groups to perform a face-to-face test: (A) without and (B) with access to the platform. The data were analyzed using the t-test, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact test. The parameter of educational videos had the highest frequency of all responses. After the interactive experience of a platform, group B had a higher average (6.45) beyond group A (5.44). At the end of the research, it was possible to state that the distance learning approach was effective as a method to enhance teaching and gain technological knowledge.

Defining Pedagogical Differentiation in Higher Education

The purpose of this paper is, through content analysis of 19 publications in the Greek and international literature in scientific texts, books, journal articles, and conferences, to investigate the conceptual content of pedagogical differentiation in higher education, as it emerges from the descriptions and discussion of authors, researchers, and experts. From the analysis, twelve dimensions or characteristics of pedagogical differentiation emerged that presented the highest frequency of occurrence in four broad categories. These are a. modification of the supportive learning context, meeting the needs of learners, and continuous improvement of the learning for all the learners who joined the category entitled "processes", b. student-centered teaching and learning, flexible learning context / flexible grouping and the possibility of learning option / multiple options as dimensions of a more general category called "context", c. the success and active participation of the learner in his learning, the development of life skills as well as the development of procedural knowledge skills that were included in the category called "learning outcomes" and d. the modification of "learning" products, the alternative / modern forms of assessment and the continuous assessment that were dimensions of the category "assessment". The results of the research show that the dimension with the highest frequency is a modification of the supportive learning context and follows in order of frequency of occurrence, the modification of learning "products" and meeting the needs of learners. Finally, the dimensions with the lowest frequency of occurrence include the continuous assessment and the development of procedural knowledge skills.

Infrastructure and Teaching: University Students' Impressions on Completion of Their Internship in Greek Public Schools

This paper focuses on exploring the perceptions expressed by students at the University of Ioannina, Greece, after the completion of their graduate education practice in State Secondary schools in the city of Ioannina. More specifically, it provides insight into the impact the school logistics infrastructure had on the teaching process and its valorization by the educators. The results of the research demonstrate that, except for the Model Experimental Schools, the State Secondary Schools are lacking not only in necessary technological equipment but also in special teaching classrooms, which, in turn, entails the teachers’ inability to valorize technological means and upgrade the teaching process applying student-centered, experiential didactic techniques.

The Impact of Gamified Instruction on Students’ Learning Outcomes: Systematic Review of Experimental Studies

This systematic review critically explores the intervention design and findings of the experimental studies that were published between January 2012-December 2020 in a number of digital libraries and databases and had the effect of a gamified instruction on students’ learning outcomes in their focus, with the aim of identifying what constitutes success or the lack thereof in the given context. The found effect(s) of gamified instruction on students’ learning engagement and achievement are discussed in relation to the a) intervention design, its flaws and their potential impact on reported outcomes and b) prevalent practice in gamification research. The discussion is structured around data collection sources, sample size, and intervention duration, but also the characteristics of learning technology, learning approach, course content, type of games and game elements. This study proposes a list of categories to be included in the description of a study context so that it is possible to a) systematically organise research findings, b) filter the variety of findings via means of replication studies. c) recognise the variant effect on different sub-populations, and d) suggest the way forward when designing and implementing gamified instruction within specific conditions. Furthermore, the study highlights the necessity of approaching the topic through a mixed-method approach involving a more intensive tracking schedule with new assessment instruments and a larger number of participants that are longitudinal or at least of a longer duration in order to obtain more comprehensive findings.

Adopting a New Marking and Reporting System (MaRS) at Faculty Level: A Survey of Lecturers’ Level of Readiness and Acceptance

At the end of each semester, academic and administrative staff of a faculty have to analyse students’ results for a myriad of factors such as calculating performance of students and lecturers, and for the university’s senate confirmation. Unfortunately, many relevant personnel at the faculty level lack the clearance to access students’ results directly. To circumvent this issue, individual lecturers were required to print out and submit hardcopies of students’ results and channel the data to relevant personnel. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and lecturers were unable to submit the hardcopies, the faculty had to find an alternative. The introduction of the Marking and Reporting System (MaRS) marks a change from manual hardcopy submission of results following travel restrictions necessitated by the Malaysian government during the Covid-19 pandemic. As with any technological shift and innovation, the level of readiness and acceptance of academic and administrative staff at a faculty must be examined. This paper uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1986; Davis, Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1989) to determine the level of readiness and investigate the level of acceptance among academic and administrative staff in using MaRS via a questionnaire. The findings suggest that with adequate guidance and assistance, the respondents were positive towards using MaRS as the system offers advantages to them such as being cost effective, environmentally friendly, and more convenient in recording students' results. In short, the respondents are ready and willing to use MaRS to manage students’ results despite facing some difficulties in handling the system, because positively overcoming challenges will yield positive outcomes.

Developing a Taxonomy of Informal Learning Space

The move from traditional teaching-centred approach to student-centred approach has resulted in more student collaboration outside classroom, contributing to the growing importance of information learning space (ILS). Review of recent literature suggests the ILS research agenda is at an initial stage of development, without convergence in research methods and lacks theoretical underpinning. Research studies were conducted on a piece meal basis, lacking comparability and generalization. Using a mixed-method approach, this study contributes to ILS knowledge by introducing a qualitative methodology based on concept mapping and sorting for idea generation; to develop a taxonomy of four user-generated ILS types from a portfolio of 38 ILS sites on campus. This is followed by quantitative validation using seven ILS sites to evaluate satisfaction and usage behaviour. Drawing from middle range theory and the ILS taxonomy, practical design principles are proposed based on functionalities and features for the four ILS types. The learnings can be shared with designers, policy makers and different institutions to facilitate knowledge transfer, which contributes to generalization of learnings and theory building.

EFL Teaching and Learning in the Rural Areas of Bangladesh: Addressing Obstacles to Teaching L2

English as a language is an essential tool in the negotiation of power and relationship at the interpersonal, social and the global level as well. The importance of learning English has increased significantly as a useful communication tool in the age of globalization. In the existing scenario, English language learning and teaching in the rural areas of Bangladesh has become a prime concern. This study aims to present the current English language education policy, language learning and teaching obstacles pertaining to the poorly equipped classroom, lack of trained language teachers, and inadequate use of technology and non-availability of learning materials in Bangladesh. To analyze and to find the solution to the language teaching and learning obstacles, the researcher employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The research was carried out in ten rural colleges far from the capital city Dhaka. The population of this study was higher secondary level students in the academic year 2019-2020. The number of populations was 25 students from intermediate class and 10 teachers from same school and colleges, and data were collected through a questionnaire. The findings show that though CLT based English language curriculum has been operating at the higher secondary level in Bangladesh, most of the teachers are not familiar with CLT guidelines and CLT related activities. Besides this, there are some crucial factors which demand great attention to change the current scenario. As a result, there are inconsistencies between the stated objectives of Teaching English and the actual teaching techniques.

Perception and Expectation of Elective Japanese Language Learners in Malaysian Higher Education Institution: A Case Study

Japanese language course registered as either compulsory elective or free elective foreign language course at University Putra Malaysia (UPM). The Japanese language is the most popular among 11 foreign language courses offered for foreign language students who wish to take global languages proficiency courses. However, their achievements in the course are inadequate as most of them are incompetent in communication skills upon completion of the course. Therefore, this article aims to identify the perception of Japanese language students in UPM to enhance their understanding of the issue. This quantitative research applies questionnaires and random purposive sampling techniques as instruments for collecting data. The sampling consists of 84 students who had enrolled in Basic Japanese level 1course. The findings show there are significant factors attribute to students’ preference for learning the Basic Japanese language. The result of the study also indicated the Kana writing and numbers are easier to acquire compared to vocabulary, sentences, grammar, and particles in the Basic Japanese 1 course. The study also revealed that mastering vocabulary plays a vital role in speaking, reading, and writing well in the Japanese language. Therefore, this study suggests that the instructor should include more engaging activities, teaching aids, and tools in the classroom to make the teaching and learning process more conducive and friendly for the students to excel in this course.

University Student Core Competencies – China’s Experience

Recent years have witnessed China’s great efforts in promoting student core competencies with the purpose of raising the quality of university graduates. To remain competitive in the global economy, the education system in China is expected to supply highly qualified and highly talented university graduates to the labor market. The present study is designed to investigate university student development of core competencies in China. The purpose of this study is to provide a basic profile of where university students are standing in the development of core competencies. Findings of the research are discussed. Information and insights gleaned through this study are helpful in developing strategies in cultivating university student core competencies to meet challenges of 21st century.

The Effectiveness of Augmented Reality for English (AR4E) in Vocabulary Learning among Primary 2 Pupils

This paper presents and discusses a part of an action research conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Augmented Reality for English (AR4E) in vocabulary learning among Primary 2 pupils as indicated in the results of the pre-test, post-test and observation checklist. An action research was employed. However, this paper reports on the pre-test, post-test and observation checklist conducted in the observation, evaluation and reflection stages only. Purposive sampling was employed as the participants were of the same proficiency level in which it was carried out with 14 below average Primary 2 pupils in SKTEN. Two data collection instruments which were pre-test, post-test and observation checklist were analysed statistically and thematically. The pre-test and post-test were analysed using SPSS Version 25 and it showed a higher mean score in the post-test and this is supported by the findings obtained through the given themes of observation. The results reflected that the implementation of AR4E has shown a significant improvement in learner’s vocabulary learning. In addition, the findings have also raised the concern regarding the impact of AR4E in encouraging fun learning, collaborative learning and providing the learners with new language learning experience. Accordingly, the use of AR4E is recommended in vocabulary teaching and learning for English. Finally, the researcher suggests future research can be carried out taking into account differentiated learning tasks in AR4E, larger target users and different language skills to be integrated in AR4E.