Linking the submicroscopic and symbolic level in physical chemistry: how voluntary simulation-based learning activities foster first-year university students’ conceptual understanding

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1132-1147
Author(s):  
Stefanie Schwedler ◽  
Marvin Kaldewey
Keyword(s):  
Physical Chemistry ◽  
University Students ◽  
Mental Models ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Scientific Concept ◽  
First Year ◽  
Tertiary Teaching ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
At Home

Research in the past decades repeatedly revealed university students’ struggles to properly understand physical chemistry concepts. In contrast to school, tertiary teaching relies heavily on the symbolic level, mainly applying abstract representations such as equations and diagrams. To follow the lessons and generate conceptual understanding, students need to connect those representations with macroscopic and submicroscopic aspects of the scientific concept depicted. For German first-year chemistry students, this increase in abstraction in a major subject of study contributes to excessive demand and demotivation (especially during out-of-class learning) and increases the risk of early dropouts. We designed a simulation-based learning environment (BIRC: Bridging Imagination and Representation in Chemistry) to suit the needs of first-year students and support them when learning physical chemistry at home. Our approach, featuring molecular dynamics simulations, requires students to assess their own mental models on the submicroscopic level and connect them to equations and diagrams on the symbolic level. Prior studies did already highlight the potential of individual BIRC learning units to foster conceptual understanding on specific topics. In this paper, we investigate if and how students of a broader sample use these learning activities as voluntary supplement beside regular coursework. During the term, we used think-aloud protocols, interviews and eight online questionnaires to analyse students’ mental and emotional interaction while working on BIRC, assessing whether students perceived BIRC as a suitable, enjoyable and supportive resource to enhance learning. Via two paper & pencil achievement tests we examined students’ retention concerning submicroscopic mental models and their ability to connect these mental models with symbolic representations 5–10 weeks later. Our findings indicate a cognitively engaging, comparably enjoyable learning process, which strengthens conceptual understanding and – despite the necessary time and effort – induces a broad number of students to voluntarily work on several units at home.

scholarly journals Content and Language Integrated Learning Methodology in Optional Humanities Courses for First-Year University Students: A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Oleg Tarnopolsky ◽  
Marina Kabanova
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Cooperative Interaction ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Clear Cut

The article analyzes using Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) for teaching one of the optional humanities disciplines to Ukrainian university students of different majors. The discipline discussed in the article as an example of using CLIL methodology is “The Fundamentals of Psychology and Pedagogy” and it is in the list of optional humanities subjects for the first-year students of Alfred Nobel University in Dnipro, Ukraine. However, unlike the other optional humanities disciplines, the methodology underlying this course is based on teaching the subject in English, instead of Ukrainian, following the CLIL approach widely used in the European education but still little known in Ukraine. The purpose of the paper is to expose and analyze the original methodology developed that conditioned the specific structure of the relevant course, and the specific learning activities used in it. The essence of the developed CLIL theory-based methodology and its practical application are manifested through learning activities that include students’ mini-lectures/workshop-type presentations, brainstorming, case-studies, discussions, and a learning project with its results summarized in students’ essays, abstracts, and summaries written in English. The students collect the information required for completing their tasks not only from the teacher’s lectures and the recommended literature but also (and mostly) by way of doing extensive Internet-search on psychological and pedagogical sites in English. All this makes CLIL in the case under discussion experiential-interactive (through personal experience in extra-linguistic subject-related activities gained in interaction with other students), blended (with the organic combination of traditional in-class learning and out-of-class online information search), autonomous (students’ autonomous learning activities-centered), and cooperative (with those activities being done in students’ cooperative interaction). As the result, students mostly self-construct their knowledge of the discipline by way of using the target language as the tool for such self-construction. This makes the elaborated course a clear-cut case of constructivism in CLIL pedagogy. Subject Classification Numbers: PACS 01.40.-d (Education)

scholarly journals FIRST YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES (A Preliminary Research)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syahrial Syahrial ◽  
Sri Winarni
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
First Year ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Chemical Changes ◽  
Chemistry Teachers ◽  
Science And Education ◽  
First Year University ◽  
Physical And Chemical

The purpose of this study is to identify first year university students' understanding of the concepts of physical and chemical changes. This study involved 43 students from the 2019 batch of the Chemical Education Study Program (PSPK) of the Faculty of Science and Education (FKIP) of the Syiah Kuala University (USK) which was dominated by women (only 2 men). According to the objectives, the study used a survey method and used an instrument in the form of a questionnaire containing 15 statements. Participants were asked to provide responses via google form by choosing true or false for each statement item on the questionnaire. The results of the analysis show that the understanding of the majority of students is quite good for macroscopic markers or indicators and low for sub-microscopic markers or indicators. Therefore, chemistry teachers need to use molecular (sub-microscopic) images when teaching materials or topics of physical and chemical changes.

scholarly journals Effect of living arrangement on anthropometric traits in first-year university students from Canada: The GENEiUS study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241744
Author(s):  
Tanmay Sharma ◽  
Christine Langlois ◽  
Rita E. Morassut ◽  
David Meyre
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
University Students ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Living Arrangement ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
First Year ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
First Year University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Background The transition to university often involves a change in living arrangement for many first-year students. While weight gain during first year of university has been well documented, Canadian literature on the impact of living arrangement within this context is limited. The objective of this investigation was to explore the effect of living arrangement on anthropometric traits in first-year university students from Ontario, Canada. Methods 244 first-year undergraduate students were followed longitudinally with data collected early in the academic year and towards the end of the year. Anthropometric parameters including weight, waist and hip circumference, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were examined. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for pairwise comparison of traits from the beginning to end the year in the absence of adjustments. Additionally, linear regression models with covariate adjustments were used to investigate effect of the type of living arrangement (i.e. on-campus, off-campus, or family home) on the aforementioned traits. Results In the overall sample, a significant weight increase of 1.55kg (95% CI: 1.24–1.86) was observed over the school year (p<0.001), which was also accompanied by significant gains in BMI, and waist and hip circumferences (p<0.001). At baseline, no significant differences were found between people living on-campus, off-campus, and at home with family. Stratified analysis of change by type of living arrangement indicated significant gains across all traits among students living on-campus (p<0.05), and significant gains in weight and BMI among students living at home with family. Additionally, a comparison between living arrangements revealed that students living on campus experienced significantly larger gains in weight and BMI compared to students living off-campus (p<0.05). Conclusion Our findings indicate that living arrangement is associated with different weight gain trajectories in first-year university students.

scholarly journals How a multilingual project can foster and enhance international mobility

2020 ◽  
pp. 127-139
Author(s):  
Lisa Griggio ◽  
Sara Pittarello
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
International Mobility ◽  
Internationalisation At Home ◽  
One To One ◽  
One And Many ◽  
At Home

This case study refers to the eTandem pre-mobility project coordinated by the Padova University Language Centre running twice a year since 2015 for approximately eight weeks. The project matches up local university students with incoming international students, thus boosting integration between the two groups and increasing internationalisation at home. One-to-one and many-to-many interactions are organised, the latter with the support of trained facilitators, who launch asynchronous (in an online multilingual community) and synchronous, intercultural, theme-based learning activities to be discussed every week. Students’ linguistic, intercultural, and digital competences, as well as autonomy, are enhanced throughout the project, making them better prepared for their mobility.

THE INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY OF THE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES: BETWEEN TOEFL AND TOEIC

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Besin Gaspar ◽  
Yenny Hartanto
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Job Applicants ◽  
First Year ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Recruitment Process ◽  
New Employees ◽  
The University ◽  
Higher Institutions

Recently the university students are required by their institutions to have the TOEFL score in the fisrt year or in the last year of their study before graduation. Some other higher institutions require their students to submit TOEIC, not TOEFL, before graduation. Companies, in the recruitment process, require the applicants to submit TOEFL score to show their level of English proficiency. The first question is which one is more appropriate for job applicants in the compay: TOEFL  or TOEIC. Another question for university students before graduation is whether to have TOEFL  in the first year or in the last year before graduation. This article aims at answering the two questions raised. The first part will give an overview of various versions of TOEFL  and  TOEIC  and the second part proposes the appropriate English proficiency test  for the recruitment process for new employees and for the university graduates, that is, TOEIC for the company  and TOEFL  for universities  and  colleges. 

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