Students’ perceptions of team learning across teaching frameworks and settings

The benefits of team learning include increased achievement, increased motivation, and greater retention of concepts learned. While team learning has been implemented since the early 20th century, instructors in higher education settings may still experience challenges managing implementation, such as unmotivated students and a lack of accountability among group members. One team learning pedagogy is team-based learning (TBL), a structured course design that combines individual preparation with collaborative problem-solving. Given the benefits of TBL in face-to-face settings, including student learning and improved attitudes, educators have also adapted TBL to online settings. This embedded mixed-method study examined students’ perceptions of TBL in face-to-face and online teacher education courses. We found that students in TBL courses, regardless of delivery method, reported positive perceptions of TBL, and commonly identified the course structure and teams as the most effective aspects of the course.

Supporting interdisciplinary collaborative concept mapping with individual preparation phase

Concept mapping facilitates the externalisation and internalisation of knowledge by individuals during collaborative knowledge construction. However, not much is known about the individual and collaborative learning processes during collaborative concept mapping (CCM) in interdisciplinary knowledge construction. Premised on literature on collaboration scripts to scaffold the collaboration process, this study investigates the effect of an individual preparation phase prior to collaborative work on the epistemic and social processes of knowledge co-construction, as well as the degree of interdisciplinary knowledge integration in collaborative concept mapping. A total of N = 42 third year university students were put into one of the two experimental conditions: with individual preparation phase (WIP) and without individual preparation phase (WOIP). Students worked on a collaborative assignment to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge in collaborative concept mapping. Data for analysis was derived from audio recordings of the collaborative discourse in both experimental conditions. Chi-square test was conducted to investigate if there were significant differences between the effects of WIP and WOIP on the epistemological and social dimension. Findings showed that groups in the WIP condition showed significantly more verification, clarification and positioning statements in the epistemic dimension and also significantly more integration-oriented and conflict-oriented consensus building in the social dimension as compared to groups in the WOIP condition. On the degree of interdisciplinary knowledge integration, independent sample t-tests showed that there was no significant difference for concepts, domains and cross-links between the two experimental conditions. However, there was significant difference in types of cross-links for the CCMs in the WIP condition.

Potentials and limitations of individualisation of specialist training in a teacher training college

The purpose of the article is to present a number of research results on identifying and evaluating the potentials and limitations of individualisation of training of specialists in the field of "Preschool education" in the pedagogic college. The importance of the identified environmental potentials of individualisation of training of specialists at the levels of saturation of the medium events; the ability to ensure compliance with the pedagogic support of students’ interests in learning activities, pedagogic practices, subject activity, communication, self-knowledge; the system of organising longitudinal practice on the basis of pre-school educational organisations; the presence of a structural division of additional education in the college; the possibility of tutor support; the priority of pedagogic means for developing the student's personality. The author analyses individual projects, educational research, methods of reflexive analysis, and individual preparation of students for participation in Worldskills Russia Championships as the potential for individualisation of future specialist training. The collective self-assessment of the conducted innovative activity actualised the stable motivation of students and the interest of pedagogues in experimental activities as additional opportunities for individualisation of specialist training.

Influence of inulin and oligofructose on the sensory properties and antioxidant activity of apple jelly

The objective of this study was to analyse the influence of inulin with different degrees of polymerization (DP values) and oligofructose preparation on the sensory properties and antioxidant activity of apple jelly. It has been determined that both the addition of inulin (independently of DP) as well as oligofructose significantly modifies colour and sensory properties and influence antioxidant activity of apple jelly. It has been observed that the manner in which water is bound by the applied preparations may have a significant impact on the analysed properties of jelly. In terms of taste, the highest scores were awarded to the desserts with addition of long-chain inulin and in terms of the overall sensory evaluation those with addition of preparation with medium length chain. The variability of the sensory properties depended on the type and level of the additive, and this impact varied between individual preparation types. The conducted study has enabled the conclusion that inulin may pose an attractive ingredient of desserts with health-promoting properties.

Multidisciplinary health care in cases of childhood suicidal ideation: operational and organizational limits

ABSTRACT Objective: to know the health care process performed by the multidisciplinary team in cases of suicidal ideation for children and adolescents in Primary and Secondary Care. Methods: a descriptive study with a qualitative approach carried out with 12 professionals from ESFs, EACS and CAPS II in the city of Santarém. The software IRAMUTEQ 0.7 alpha 2 was used to build the similarity tree and analyze speech content. Results: the word “no” is present prominently in the interviewees’ speeches about experiences and strategies for coping with suicide, revealing an absence of individual preparation and structure in the segments of SUS Primary and Secondary Care. Final considerations: health team assistance finds operational and organizational limits during the implantation of intervention strategies and coping with the factors that trigger child and youth suicide. It is important to make specific resources feasible, to organize reference protocols and support programs for patients and families.

The use of programmable preparations in studying the anatomy of domestic animals

It is grounded theoretical and methodological means of use of natural and programmable visual aids when studying the anatomy of domestic animals, in particular the organization of individual work of students in modern conditions and its place in the educational system of modern higher educational institution. The question concerning the methodological ensuring of the individual preparation of students was elucidated in conditions of credit system education and ways to solve it on an example of one of the normative discipline of curriculum of preparation the Master of veterinary medicine – anatomy of domestic animals. It is presented the educational and methodical developments on the organization of independent preparation of students on anatomy of domestic animals, including the use of colored programmable tables painted and electrified natural bone drugs of domestic animals: skulls, stands-training equipment of limbs bones, including scapula, shoulder, hip and other bones. By the originality of electrified colored preparation of the sagittal sawing of cow skeleton is that it is possible to study the structure of the various parts of the skull, spine, extremities at the same time features in the structure of the bones of these departments. In order to study the sections “osteology” and “syndesmology” and control interrogation of students at the department, are widely used also programmable stands – simulator of bones and joints of thoracic and pelvic limbs. The value of these stands – simulators is because it's natural anatomical preparations. These simulators are especially useful for students, to give them the opportunity to study and define all the details of the structure of bones and joints of the extremities of 4 species in no time. Next to osteological preparations were produced and implemented in the educational process the programmable training of the limb muscles, dry painted programmable preparations of the internal organs. These preparations make it possible to students to see life-size and topography of the internal organs, different colors and aggravate students' attention to certain parts of bodies. Attached to these drugs booklets with the label to them in Latin and Ukrainian languages enable students to learn the material on their own and to conduct self-control. So at the Department of Anatomy are widely used the programmable and electrified preparations of bone joints, muscles, natural dry painted preparations of internal organs for learning, self-training and knowledge control of students.

A Quantitative Framework for the Analysis of Two-Stage Exams

Two-stage exams have gained traction in education as a means of creating collaborative active-learning experiences in the classroom in a manner that advances learning, positively increases student engagement, and reduces test anxiety. Published analyses have focused almost exclusively on the increase in student scores from the first individual stage to the second collaboration stage and have shown clear positive effects on gains in student scores. Missing from these analyses is a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of individual preparation, the characteristics of questions, and small group composition on the outcomes two-stage exams. I developed a simple quantitative framework that provides a flexible approach for estimating and evaluating the effects of individuals, questions, and groups on student performance. Additionally, the framework yields statistics appropriate for making inferences about productive collaboration, consensus-building, and counter-productive interaction that happens within small groups. Analyses of 12 exams across two courses and 2 years using the quantitative framework revealed considerable variation for all three of these effects within and among exams. Overall, the results highlight the value of quantitative estimation of two-stage exams for gaining perspective on the effects of individuals, questions, and groups on student performance, and facilitates data-driven revision of assessments, curricula, and teaching strategies towards achieving gains in students' collaborative skills.