scholarly journals Exit velocity: is there truth in the commonly-held belief that grades for undergraduate students tend to improve from Year 2 to Year 3? A case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Betteney
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Exit Velocity ◽  
Degree Programme

This case study makes analysis of final-year Progression and Award Board data of a professional undergraduate degree programme taken from three annual cohorts (2010-11 to 2012-13). The analysis shows that for each cohort there was a degree of exit velocity for those students achieving a lower second class degree or better, with the more able students achieving most progress in grade improvement from Year 2 to Year 3. However, for those students who achieved only a third class degree, there was consistent grade regression from Year 2.

scholarly journals Doing it differently

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Byrom ◽  
Verity Aiken
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Career Aspirations ◽  
Student Perspectives ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Degree Programme ◽  
Degree Structure

Purpose – Work-based learning (WBL) is increasingly viewed as important in students’ higher education (HE) experiences. Drawing from the process of revalidating a Joint Honours in Education (JHE) programme, the purpose of this paper is to highlight challenges involved in ensuring a meaningful placement experience for students that is fully embedded within their course. Primary challenges included the disparate number of subject strand combinations and concomitant career aspirations, wider university requisites on developing Graduate Attributes and student expectations of their placement opportunities. In broadening the scope and number of placement opportunities, the authors simultaneously increased the partnership links with employers to attract increased student buy-in to the opportunities available to them. Design/methodology/approach – This case study utilizes staff reflections, stakeholder contributions and student evaluations to illuminate the process involved in revalidating a JHE programme to incorporate increased placement opportunities. A particular focus is placed on consideration of the tensions inherent within WBL opportunities and the ways in which such experiences can be successfully embedded within a HE degree programme. Whilst the authors are able to report on successful integration of placement opportunities in Year 1, the authors utilize student perspectives to gain understanding of the importance, or otherwise, they place on placements through the duration of their degree. Findings – Whilst placements are widely accepted as a positive feature of HE, inherent tensions emerged from some students who questioned the value and purpose of placements and time away from university. Conversely, employers saw placement and particularly the assessment of students whilst on placement as critical in students’ development into professional workers. The inclusion of placements in HE is therefore problematic, particularly in light of increased tuition fees. This case study, however, suggests that meaningful and disparate placement opportunities can be successfully embedded within each year of an HE degree programme and can be viewed as enhancing the student academic experience. Research limitations/implications – The paper is located within a body of research that focuses positively on placement/WBL opportunities for undergraduate students, but does raise some emerging tensions linked to the marketization of HE and resulting student perspectives on “value”. Although generic themes can be applied to curriculum design elsewhere, outcomes may be different and linked to differing institutional habituses that influence practice. In addition, this paper reports solely on a single case that has developed a degree course to support the unique needs of its students within a particular context. Practical implications – The WBL model presented here facilitates student empowerment in tailoring their degree to their interests and career aspirations. It requires effective internal and external partnerships to inform curriculum design and the organization of placements. This paper will therefore be of interest to HE practitioners who are faced with the challenges of providing a broad range of placement opportunities for large and diverse groups of students with differing career aspirations. In addition, it will also be attractive to employers that have strong links with universities and are in the position to influence curriculum design. Social implications – The focus on employability and the development of key generic skills is interconnected with structures influencing social mobility. The range of students entering HE and the concomitant expectations on their degree to have “value” in the employment “market” on graduation is becoming increasingly important – particularly for students categorized as widening participation. Offering increased opportunities for placements and linking assessment to work-based competencies can therefore be viewed as an integral part of HE's responsibilities to students. Originality/value – This case study highlights the versatility of WBL that on one hand, requires the academy to embrace alternatives ways of learning, but on the other hand, creates new and innovative ways of engaging students. In addition and critically, it illuminates an approach to embedding WBL into an overarching degree structure that enables students to tailor their degree to their interests and career aspirations.

Formation of Universal Competencies of Undergraduate Students of Pedagogical Directions

2021 ◽  
pp. 50-56
Author(s):  
O. Minina
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Interaction ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Leadership Communication ◽  
Master Degree ◽  
Training Materials ◽  
Teachers Training

The aim of the research was to develop and implement a teachers training master degree program with active integration of soft skills at all the stages to form students’ system and critical thinking, project management skills, teamwork and leadership, communication and cross-cultural interaction skills. To solve these problems, the program included specialized practice-orientated courses based on the principles of pedagogical ergonomics and the latest technologies (ball-rating system, workshop, case study, “agile” principle, pedagogical situations’ modeling and others). The research resulted is a unique, effective and validated program and a set of training materials to develop universal competencies of master degree students.

scholarly journals Motivation and Autonomy in Learning English as Foreign Language: A Case Study of Ecuadorian College Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Cevallos Bravo ◽  
Eder A. Intriago ◽  
Jhonny Villafuerte Holguin ◽  
Gustavo Molina Garzon ◽  
Luis Ortega Arcia
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Attitudes ◽  
Correct Pronunciation ◽  
Different Levels

This quantitative research aims to examine how different levels of motivation relate to frequency of occurrence of autonomous language learning activities undertaken by undergraduate students. Eight hundred and sixty-two college students from 10 vocational training programs of a public university located in Ecuador, South America, participated in this study. Spratt’s questionnaire that regards ‘autonomy and motivation’ as a cyclical interaction in the language learning process, was updated by the researchers, adding digital education elements. The data were analyzed using the program SPSS v24.0.0 The results showed that there was a significant relationship between: the language learning stimulation generated by professors and the participants’ learning attitudes. In addition, it was determined that the most frequent language practices in which the participants showed greatest autonomy were: listening to songs in English language, worrying about the correct pronunciation, and noting down interesting words or expressions in English.

On Translating Prepositions from English into Indonesian: A Case Study of Indonesian EFL Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Sependi Napitupulu
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Phrasal Verbs ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Correct Translation

This study attempts to investigate errors in translating prepositions from English into Indonesian language by Undergraduate students at the Methodist University Indonesia, Medan. A total of 20 students in the Department of English Literature, Faculty of English Letters were involved in this study. Forty sentences containing English prepositions were translated by the students. The translations were then compared with the Indonesian equivalence in order to find out the quality of their translation. In order to measure the quality of preposition translation, three categories were referred to, namely: correct translation, correct with revision translation, and incorrect translation. Having analyzed the data, it revealed that most of the students failed to translate complex prepositions such as phrasal verbs. However, most students successfully translated simple prepositions such as noun prepositions and adjective prepositions. From 100% correct translation expected of students, only 44.37% of the total correct translation of prepositions committed by students. While correct with revision, from 100% correct translation with revision expected of students, only 41.75% of the total correct translation that need revision is produced by students. In the meantime, 13.75% of the total incorrect translation is produced by students. It was concluded that students tend to face problems in translating prepositional verbs as they are rarely used by and unfamiliar to students.   

Perceptions of Undergraduate Students on Social Media for Learning: A Case Study of University of Ibadan

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olubunmi Michael Odewumi ◽  
Foluke B. Bamigboye ◽  
Olushola F. Olawuyi ◽  
Oluwatosin O. Bamigboye
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
University Of Ibadan

scholarly journals Teaching Process Skills to Pre-Engineers using Situated Learning – A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Pamela A. Maher ◽  
Janelle M. Bailey ◽  
Allan M. Tucka
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Physics Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Two Year College ◽  
Before And After ◽  
K 12

In this case study, undergraduate students presented physics concepts to patrons at a planetarium. This created an early opportunity for these pre-professionals to practice the process skill of oral communication to a lay audience. The case study resulted from working with students participating in a grant called the da Vinci project. It reports on a situated experience pre-engineering and calculus-based physics students had working with their professor to create a brochure and present a physics concept to patrons visiting a public planetarium. Working closely with their professor, students were able to use this required professional skill in a real world (situated) context. This opportunity helped bridge the gap between these pre-professionals’ experiences in training and in their careers in STEM fields. Thirty students attending a two-year college in the Southwestern US self-selected to participate in the project. Each student participant built a kit-based model of a machine, designed an informational flyer aligned to state K-12 physical science standards, and presented informally to the public visiting a planetarium. Data were collected from the students via written reflections before and after the presentation and from email correspondence with their professor. Qualitative analyses of these reflections assessed the students’ progress toward a finished presentation. Results suggest that obstacles to public speaking fluency come from the fear of making mistakes or giving out misinformation. Opportunities to engage in informal public speaking helped overcome these obstacles. Students demonstrated increased confidence in their ability to share their knowledge with the public after undergoing guided informal speaking practice. The opportunity for students to practice public speaking during their undergraduate training can increase confidence and better prepare them for a career.

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