Work in Progress: Is Engineering For Me? A Qualitative Case Study of First-Year Students

Author(s):  
Tori Bailey ◽  
Sheri Sheppard
2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle C. Ellis

Often the frontline campus representatives who interact with undecided students, academic advisors receive the opportunity to offer academic support and guidance during the academic journey, which especially benefits first-year students trying to navigate this new and challenging endeavor. As a result of their unique position, advisors have the potential to influence both students' academic experience and satisfaction with the institution. This qualitative case study focuses on the advising experiences of first-year students who were undecided in their majors while attending a high-research-activity institution. Through individual interviews, participants articulately revealed how they made meaning of academic advising.


Author(s):  
David Roy Anderson ◽  
Sarah Blissett ◽  
Patricia O’Sullivan ◽  
Atif Qasim

Abstract Background Trainees learn transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) interpretation through independently completing and reviewing selected portions of the study with experts. The diagnostic accuracy of novice TTE interpretation is known to be low and schema for reading TTEs systematically are lacking. The purpose of our study is to identify techniques experts use while reading TTEs which could be used to more effectively teach novice readers. Methods We performed a prospective qualitative case study to observe how experts and trainees interpret TTEs in an academic institution using a concurrent think aloud (CTA) method. Three TTEs of intermediate complexity were given to 3 advanced imaging fellows, 3 first year fellows and 3 expert TTE readers Participants filled out a report while reading and described aloud their thought processes. Sessions were video and audiotaped for analysis. Results Experts and advanced fellows used specific techniques that novices did not including: previewing studies, reviewing multiple images simultaneously, having flexibility in image review order and disease coding, and saving hardest elements to code for the end. Direct observation of TTE reading informed trainee inefficiencies and was a well-received educational tool. Conclusions In this single centered study we identified several unique approaches experts use to interpret TTEs which may be teachable to novices. Although limited in generalizability the findings of this study suggests that a more systematic approach to TTE interpretation, using techniques found in experts, might be of significant value for trainees. Further study is needed to evaluate teaching practices at other institutions and to assess whether implementation of these techniques by novices improves can improve their diagnostic accuracy and efficiency of reading at an earlier stage in their training.


Author(s):  
Agung Wicaksono

<p>Communication strategy is the way to help the speakers when facing difficulties in communication using English as a second language. This case study, at the first year students of English Department, aims to know the most frequent students’ strategies to communicate in speaking activity in speaking class. It is  found that thirteen communication strategies were used by the students in speaking English class, but not all of the communication strategies were used in every conversation, but only certain communication strategy was used. It depends on  the materials difficulties. Furhermore, the most frequent  communication strategies is stalling or time gaining strategy. As they need some time to think and then continue talking after they find the right words they need to communicate. This findings is in line with the propossed theory stated that communication strategy is defined as a systematic technique employed by a speaker to express his or her meaning when facing certain difficulties in communication.</p>


Author(s):  
Heather Coffey ◽  
Susan B. Harden ◽  
Erik Jon Byker ◽  
Amy J. Good ◽  
Larry B. Fisher

Using case study method, this project examines the perceptions and practices related to development of self and cultural awareness among a cohort of 104 (n=104) first-year students, all aspiring to become future teachers. Over the course of one academic semester, first year students who planned to enter the teacher education program participated in readings, activities, assignments, field based observations, and discussions developed to facilitate self and cultural awareness. The findings from analyses of these artifacts indicate that pre-service teachers began to demonstrate deeper awareness of how personal opinions and biases influenced their interactions with others and the types of characteristics related to appreciating diversity (Akiba, 2011) in urban classrooms. This study has implications for engaging first year students in early field-based clinical experiences in order to develop self and cultural awareness in preparation for teaching.


Author(s):  
Melissa L. Johnson ◽  
Laura Pasquini ◽  
Michelle R. Rodems

This case study, an honors first year seminar from the University of Florida, USA, demonstrates the benefits and challenges of these developments in education. The case expands the definition of formal, informal, and online learning communities in the context of a first year seminar.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
c ����� ◽  
Alexander Rylov ◽  
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Larisa Konnova

Experts in the field of economics should satisfy special requirements in a growing economy, such as fluency in mathematical tools and mathematical modeling. It can be attained through the professionally-oriented planned purposeful education program. The ability to deal with economic problems of specific situations (cases) becomes graduates&#180; important quality. The authors have attempted to start teaching the solving of economic cases in the first year University of Economics as part of the basic mathematical disciplines&#180; course. A comparative analysis of two modern educational technologies (the project method and the method of case-study) presented in this article allowed the authors to conclude that project technology can be used for initial training for case solving. The article describes �Mathematical models in solving economic problems�, the case-project competition between first-year students of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. Themes related to mathematical analysis&#180; economic applications were used during the competition.


Author(s):  
Sasilak Rodphotong

The attempts of the present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of collaborative learning to enhance English communicative competence and evaluating students’ satisfaction towards the instruction. The participants in this study were 1,471 the first-year students enrolled in the first semester, 2017 academic year. The students’ English proficiency according to the CEFR was A1. The instruments used were lesson plans, pre-test and post-test and satisfaction questionnaire. The lessons were comprised of various collaborative learning activities emphasizing at the following topics: self-introduction, school schedule, telling time, asking and giving information, food, leisure, describing people, describing things and giving direction. The period of experiment was 20 hours. The independent sample t-test was calculated to find the differences. The findings revealed that there were statistically significant differences at the level of .01 after teaching with collaborative learning. This indicated that the students’ communicative competence significantly improved. Besides, the satisfaction questionnaire was distributed at the end of the instruction and the results indicated that the students had a positive satisfaction towards the instruction.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelvin Mukolo Kayombo ◽  
Steve Carter

This study was the second phase of a larger research project that was designed to identify and measure a higher education institution’s brand in Zambia in order to ascertain areas for strengthening the brand’s competitive position. The objectives of this conjoint study were twofold: firstly, to identify the current position of the ZCAS brand as a case study and secondly, to establish the current position of the ZCAS brand relative to its higher education (HE) competitors in Zambia. This quantitative study involved administering a conjoint questionnaire to 110 first year students in ZCAS and 280 first year students in seven universities in the country. The 19 branding elements identified in the initial qualitative stage of the project were aggregated into five principal branding factors using Atlas.ti’s co-occurrence tools to facilitate this conjoint study. These five principal branding attributes are teaching quality, fees, course availability, learning environment and employability. The study revealed that ZCAS has a fairly strong brand position in the Zambian HE sector because the most important elements in its brand model, i.e. course availability, teaching quality and facilities are also the premier brand dimensions in the market. The study also revealed that ZCAS needs to reposition itself away from the competition in order to occupy a more favorable position in the minds of its prospective and existing customers. Accordingly, the study recommends that ZCAS increases its course offerings and collaborates with universities in the region. ZCAS should also consider setting up a quality assurance unit to foster quality in the institution. This study adds to the increasing body of knowledge on HE branding, particularly in developing countries, by developing and then testing a brand orientation model for the Zambian HE market.


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