scholarly journals Graduate Student Experiences: The Impact of a Mixed-Cohort Format

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kacy Kilner Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Student ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Connecting Activity Implementation Characteristics to Student Buy-In Toward and Utilization of Formative Assessments Within Undergraduate Biology Courses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen R. Brazeal ◽  
Tanya L. Brown ◽  
Brian A. Couch
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Formative Assessments ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Courses ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWhile formative assessments (FAs) can facilitate learning within undergraduate STEM courses, their impact likely depends on many factors, including how instructors implement them, whether students buy-in to them, and how students utilize them. FAs have many different implementation characteristics, including what kinds of questions are asked, whether questions are asked before or after covering the material in class, how feedback is provided, how students are graded, and other logistical considerations. We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews with students from eight undergraduate biology courses to explore how various implementation characteristics of in-class and out-of-class FAs can influence student perceptions and behaviors. We also interviewed course instructors to provide context for understanding student experiences. Using thematic analysis, we outlined various FA implementation characteristics, characterized the range of FA utilization behaviors reported by students, and identified emergent themes regarding the impact of certain implementation characteristics on student buy-in and utilization. Furthermore, we found that implementation characteristics have combined effects on student engagement and that students will tolerate a degree of “acceptable discomfort” with implementation features that contradict their learning preferences. These results can aid instructor reflection and guide future research on the complex connections between activity implementation and student engagement within STEM disciplines.

scholarly journals What Happens When Trained Graduate Student Instructors Switch to an Open Textbook? A Controlled Study of the Impact on Student Learning Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin E. Hardin ◽  
Bret Eschman ◽  
Elliot S. Spengler ◽  
J. Alex Grizzell ◽  
Anahvia Taiyib Moody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Graduate Student ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Instructor Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

Open educational resources (OER) are increasingly attractive options for reducing educational costs, yet controlled studies of their efficacy are lacking. The current study addressed many criticisms of past research by accounting for course and instructor characteristics in comparing objective student learning outcomes across multiple sections of General Psychology taught by trained graduate student instructors at a large research-intensive university. We found no evidence that use of the OER text impeded students' critical thinking compared to use of a traditional textbook, even after accounting for instructor characteristics. To the contrary, we found evidence of a slight increase in content knowledge when using an OER text. Importantly, this effect was driven by improvements from both our lowest-performing students and our highest-performing students. Moreover, student learning outcomes were not influenced by instructor experience, suggesting even novice instructors fared well with OER materials. Finally, students from traditionally underserved populations reported the lower cost of the book had a significantly higher impact on their decision to enroll in and remain enrolled in the course.

scholarly journals The university campus and a sense of belonging: what do students think?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilda Mary Mulrooney ◽  
Alison Faith Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
University Campus ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

The physical configuration of the university campus impacts upon student learning and experience, and can be used to signal institutional priorities. The extent to which campus, particularly in post 92 institutions, is designed as opposed to evolving as older buildings are repurposed or replaced is variable. Student experiences and perceptions of the campus physical space are also unclear. This study aimed to explore student perceptions using qualitative methods. Data were collected during 8 focus groups from 37 participants. The majority were young and female, with considerable ethnic diversity. Six major themes were identified, many of which did not directly relate to the physical space itself. Rather the impact upon students’ emotional experience and engagement with the institution was emphasised. ‘Belonging’ was the most common theme; indicating that the nature of the physical space on campus is not neutral, but can affect the extent to which students can form attachments with each other and academic staff. ‘Nature’ was the second most commonly mentioned theme. Green space has therapeutic potential in stress management, important given mental health concerns in young people including students. The ideal campus as described by participants would include green non-smoking spaces with an emphasis on health promotion. Opportunities to include nature on campus should be taken, and future proposals to design the campus should canvas student views.

scholarly journals Emotions, Play and Graduate Student Writing

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 103-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecile Badenhorst
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Student ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Research Writing ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Writing Anxiety ◽  
Graduate Research ◽  
Scholarly Identity ◽  
Critical Feedback

While playfulness is important to graduate writing to shift students into new ways of thinking about their research, a key obstacle to having fun is writing anxiety. Writing is emotional, and despite a growing field of research that attests to this, emotions are often not explicitly recognized as part of the graduate student writing journey. Many students experience writing anxiety, particularly when receiving feedback on dissertations or papers for publication. Feedback on writing-in-progress is crucial to meeting disciplinary expectations and developing a scholarly identity for the writer. Yet many students are unable to cope with the emotions generated by criticism of their writing. This paper presents pedagogical strategies—free-writing, negotiating negative internal dialogue, and using objects to externalize feelings—to help students navigate their emotions, while recognizing the broader discursive context within which graduate writing takes place. Reflections on the pedagogical strategies from nineteen Masters and PhD students attending a course, Graduate Research Writing, were used to illustrate student experiences over the semester. The pedagogical strategies helped students to recognize their emotions, to make decisions about their emotional reactions and to develop agency in the way they responded to critical feedback. By acknowledging the emotional nature of writing, students are more open to creativity, originality, and imagination.

scholarly journals Getting Past the Gateway: An Exploratory Case on Using Utilitarian Scientific Literacy to Support First-Year Students At-Risk of Leaving STEM

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Chambers ◽  
Salter ◽  
Muldrow
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Students At Risk ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
Literacy Course ◽  
The Impact

First-year students who enter college pursuing a STEM degree still face challenges persisting through the STEM pipeline (Chen, 2013; Leu, 2017). In this case study, researchers examine the impact of a utilitarian scientific literacy based academic intervention on retention of first-year students in STEM using a mixed methods approach. A sample (n = 116) of first-year students identified as at-risk of not persisting in STEM were enrolled in a for credit utilitarian scientific literacy course. Participants of the semester long course were then compared with a control group of first-year students identified as at-risk of persisting in STEM. A two-proportion z test was performed to assess the mean differences between students and participants of the course were given a survey to gauge student experiences. Quantitative results (φ 0.34, p < 0.05) indicate that the utilitarian scientific literacy course had a statistically significant impact on retention among first-year students at-risk of persisting in STEM. Moreover, qualitative data obtained from participant responses describe internal and external growth as positive outcomes associated with the intervention.

A case for early semester utilization of business simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Angolia ◽  
April Helene Reed
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Business Simulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Use ◽  
Management Students ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to encourage the use of simulations early in a semester, rather than as a course capstone activity, in an effort to utilize simulations as a foundational experience. The intent is to support teaching and learning, as opposed to using simulations as a capstone assignment or assessment tool.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive literature review synthesizing higher education business simulation effectivity and evaluation methods provides support for the analysis of 60 undergraduate supply chain management students and 96 surveys conducted over two years. The research question explores effectiveness based on the point of time during a semester a simulation was used.FindingsThe analysis of simulation effectiveness, based on the impact of course enjoyment and assistance with learning key course competencies, showed no significant differences for simulations used early in a semester or as an end-of-semester capstone event.Practical implicationsSimulations are effective tools regardless of when they are employed, but there may be significant benefits to using a simulation early in a semester by capitalizing on the tool’s inherent experiential learning functionality, active learning theory and the Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle. Early use of simulations provides common student experiences and creates a foundation for educators to develop a deeper understanding of course concepts. Additional instructor effort is needed to develop external, course specific student work to supplement and enhance the simulation experience. Early use also creates post-simulation debriefing benefits that may be precluded by the end-of-semester simulation events.Originality/valueEvidence suggests that simulations are primarily utilized as course capstone events and/or serve as comprehensive tools to integrate/assess a semester’s worth of conceptual learning. This work fills a gap in the research concerning time frames within a semester when simulations are traditionally employed, presenting a paradigm shift toward early utilization.

The Impact of the Use of Ceramics on OT and PT Graduate-Student Stress

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (4_Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 7311520405p1
Author(s):  
Jewell Dickson ◽  
Abigail Alvarez ◽  
Chelsea DeJesus ◽  
Naureen Jooma ◽  
Cindy LaPorte
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Student ◽  
Student Stress ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Graduate Student Stress
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