Developing Skills in Years 11 and 12 Secondary School Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Anthony; Wright, Sarah

2013-01-01

This paper explores different approaches for developing skills in economics in schools. It considers the different preferred learning styles of students through the VARK method and applies a contextual learning approach to engage students and develop skills. The key skills that are considered are literacy, numeracy, information and communication…

Midwifery students' experiences of simulation- and skills training.

PubMed

Lendahls, Lena; Oscarsson, Marie G

2017-03-01

In Sweden, simulation- and skills training are implemented in midwifery education in order to prepare students for clinical practice. Research regarding the use of both low to high levels of fidelity in simulation in midwifery programme is limited. The aim of this study was to explore midwifery students' experiences of simulation- and skills training. Midwifery students (n=61), at advanced level, were interviewed in 13 group interviews from 2011 to 2105. A semi-structured interview guide was used, and data were analysed by content analysis. The results are presented in four main categories: develops hands on skills and communication, power of collaborative learning, highly valued learning environment and facilitates clinical practice. The majority of students felt that the simulation- and skills training were necessary to become familiar with hands on skills. Having repetitive practices in a safe and secure environment was viewed as important, and students highly valued that mistakes could be made without fear of comprising patient safety. Student's collaboration, reflections and critical thinking increased learning ability. Simulation- and skills training created links between theory and practice, and the lecturer had an important role in providing instructions and feedback. Students felt prepared and confident before their clinical practice, and simulation- and skills training increased safety for all involved, resulting in students being more confident, as patients in clinical practice became less exposed. Furthermore, mentors were satisfied with students' basic skills. Simulation- and skills training support the development of midwifery skills. It creates links between theory and practice, which facilitates students' learning ability. Training needs to include reflections and critical thinking in order to develop their learning. The lecturer has an important role in encouraging time for reflections and creating safe environment during the skills and simulation training. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing pharmacy student communication skills through role-playing and active learning.

PubMed

Luiz Adrian, Julie Ann; Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

2015-04-25

To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger's Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers.

Leadership Development Through Peer-Facilitated Simulation in Nursing Education.

PubMed

Brown, Karen M; Rode, Jennifer L

2018-01-01

Baccalaureate nursing graduates must possess leadership skills, yet few opportunities exist to cultivate leadership abilities in a clinical environment. Peer-facilitated learning may increase the leadership skills of competence, self-confidence, self-reflection, and role modeling. Facilitating human patient simulation provides opportunities to develop leadership skills. With faculty supervision, senior baccalaureate students led small-group simulation experiences with sophomore and junior peers and then conducted subsequent debriefings. Quantitative and qualitative descriptive data allowed evaluation of students' satisfaction with this teaching innovation and whether the experience affected students' desire to take on leadership roles. Students expressed satisfaction with the peer-facilitated simulation experience and confidence in mastering the content while developing necessary skills for practice. Peer-facilitated simulation provides an opportunity for leadership development and learning. Study results can inform the development of nursing curricula to best develop the leadership skills of nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(1):53-57.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

A pharmacy course on leadership and leading change.

PubMed

Sorensen, Todd D; Traynor, Andrew P; Janke, Kristin K

2009-04-07

To develop and implement a course that develops pharmacy students' leadership skills and encourages them to become leaders within the profession. A leadership course series was offered to pharmacy students on 2 campuses. The series incorporated didactic, experiential, and self-directed learning activities, and focused on developing core leadership skills, self-awareness, and awareness of the process for leading change. Students reported increased knowledge and confidence in their ability to initiate and lead efforts for change. The learning activities students' valued most were the StrengthsFinder assessment (67% of students rated "very useful") and a Leadership Networking Partners (LNP) program (83% of students rated "very useful"). Teaching leadership skills poses a significant challenge in curriculum development and requires multifaceted course design elements that resonate with students and engage the practice community. Addressing these requirements results in a high level of student engagement and a desire to continue the development of leadership skills.

Improving Students' Understanding and Explanation Skills through the Use of a Knowledge Building Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamel, Christine; Turcotte, Sandrine; Laferriere, Therese; Bisson, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Education research has shown the importance of helping students develop comprehension skills. Explanation-seeking rather than fact-seeking pedagogies have been shown to warrant deeper student understanding. This study investigates the use of Knowledge Forum (KF) in K-6 classrooms (n = 251) to develop students' explanation skills. To this end, we…

Students' Perceptions of Life Skill Development in Project-Based Learning Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Kimberly; Wurdinger, Scott

2016-01-01

This research aimed to examine students' perceptions of their life skills while attending project-based learning (PBL) schools. The study focused on three questions including: (1) What are students' perceptions of their development of life skills in project-based learning schools?; (2) In what ways, if any, do students perceive an increase in…

Personal Skills Development of Co-operative Education Students in Two Secondary Schools in the City of New York.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaughnessy, Patricia

1986-01-01

Looked at co-op and non co-op students in a semestered school to examine the effect of a compressed program on development of students' personal, career and life skills. Findings suggest that co-op students develop a feeling of self-worth and learn skills and attitudes that "will lead to satisfaction and productivity in the world of…

Nurturing Soft Skills Among High School Students Through Space Weather Competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Mardina; Abd Majid, Rosadah; Bais, Badariah; Syaidah Bahri, Nor

2016-07-01

Soft skills fulfill an important role in shaping an individual's personality. It is of high importance for every student to acquire adequate skills beyond academic or technical knowledge. The objective of this project was to foster students' enthusiasm in space science and develop their soft skills such as; interpersonal communication, critical thinking and problem-solving, team work, lifelong learning and information management, and leadership skills. This is a qualitative study and the data was collected via group interviews. Soft skills development among high school students were nurtured through space weather competition in solar flare detection. High school students (16 to 17 years old) were guided by mentors consisting of science teachers to carry out this project based on a module developed by UKM's researchers. Students had to acquire knowledge on antenna development and construct the antenna with recyclable materials. They had to capture graphs and identify peaks that indicate solar flare. Their findings were compared to satellite data for verification. They also presented their work and their findings to the panel of judges. After observation, it can be seen that students' soft skills and interest in learning space science had become more positive after being involved in this project.

How Do Primary School Students Acquire the Skill of Making Hypothesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darus, Faridah Binti; Saat, Rohaida Mohd

2014-01-01

Science education in Malaysia emphasizes three components: namely knowledge, scientific skills which include science process skills and manipulative skills; scientific attitudes; and noble values. The science process skills are important in enhancing students' cognitive development and also to facilitate students' active participation during the…

The Attitude of the College Students to Entrepreneurial Skills Development in the Subject E-Commerce

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beránek, Ladislav

2015-01-01

One of the main goals of many educational courses at various colleges, especially those which focus on applied economics and management, is the development of students' entrepreneurship skills. It is usually accomplished through various project-oriented tasks. The development of the students' entrepreneurship skills is also the primary objective…

An Approach to Develop Physics Student Teachers' Skills of Using Instructional Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devecioglu, Yasemin; Akdeniz, Ali Riza

2008-01-01

It is very important to develop student teachers' skills and knowledge during the pre-service teacher education process. In this study, the effectiveness of the approach in which student teachers' gained the skills of developing and using Teacher Guided Materials (TGMs) based on integration of technology on physics education in Special Teaching…

The Writing Journey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Kelly

2017-01-01

Kelly Gallagher writes that "wide swaths of students are not developing their writing skills--skills we know to be foundational to their literate lives." In this article, he explains how school districts can go about developing students' writing skills in all content-area classrooms. He highlights five reasons why students should write…

Developing seventh grade students' systems thinking skills in the context of the human circulatory system.

PubMed

Raved, Lena; Yarden, Anat

2014-01-01

Developing systems thinking skills in school can provide useful tools to deal with a vast amount of medical and health information that may help learners in decision making in their future lives as citizen. Thus, there is a need to develop effective tools that will allow learners to analyze biological systems and organize their knowledge. Here, we examine junior high school students' systems thinking skills in the context of the human circulatory system. A model was formulated for developing teaching and learning materials and for characterizing students' systems thinking skills. Specifically, we asked whether seventh grade students, who studied about the human circulatory system, acquired systems thinking skills, and what are the characteristics of those skills? Concept maps were used to characterize students' systems thinking components and examine possible changes in the students' knowledge structure. These maps were composed by the students before and following the learning process. The study findings indicate a significant improvement in the students' ability to recognize the system components and the processes that occur within the system, as well as the relationships between different levels of organization of the system, following the learning process. Thus, following learning students were able to organize the systems' components and its processes within a framework of relationships, namely the students' systems thinking skills were improved in the course of learning using the teaching and learning materials.

Is adolescence a critical period for learning formal thinking skills? A case study investigating the development of formal thinking skills in a short-term inquiry-based intervention program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towne, Forrest S.

Current domestic and international comparative studies of student achievement in science are demonstrating that the U.S. needs to improve science education if it wants to remain competitive in the global economy. One of the causes of the poor performance of U.S. science education is the lack of students who have developed the formal thinking skills that are necessary to obtain scientific literacy. Previous studies have demonstrated that formal thinking skills can be taught to adolescents, however only 25% of incoming college freshman have these necessary skills. There is some evidence that adolescence (girls aged 11-13, boys aged 12-14) is a critical period where students must learn formal thinking skills, similar to the critical period that exists for young children learning languages. It is not known whether it is more difficult for students to learn formal thinking skills either prior to or following adolescence. The purpose of this quantitative case study is to determine whether adolescence is a critical period for students to learn formal thinking skills. The study also investigates whether a formal thinking skills focused program can improve students' intelligence. In this study 32 students who had not developed any formal thinking skills, ranging in age from 10-16, underwent an intensive four-week, inquiry-based, formal thinking skill intervention program that focused on two formal thinking skills: (1) the ability to control and exclude variables; and (2) the ability to manipulate ratios and proportionalities. The students undergoing the training were matched with control students by age, gender, formal thinking skill ability, and intelligence. The control group attended their traditional science course during the intervention periods. The results of the study showed that the intervention program was successful in developing students' formal thinking skills. The pre-adolescents (males, age 10-11, females, age 10) were unable to learn formal thinking skills. The data indicated that there is not a significant difference between adolescents and post-adolescents (up to 16-years-old) ability to learn formal thinking skills. Both groups (adolescent and post-adolescent) showed improvement in their formal thinking skill ability after the intervention. The intervention also demonstrated evidence of improving students' intelligence scores.

Employment Preparation and Life Skill Development Initiatives for High School Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swank, Jacqueline M.; Huber, Peter

2013-01-01

Employment preparation and life skill development are crucial in assisting students identified as having emotional and behavioral disabilities with successfully transitioning to adulthood following high school. This article outlines four initiatives that a school counselor developed with other school personnel to promote work skills, life skills,…

Development and Assessment of Modules to Integrate Quantitative Skills in Introductory Biology Courses

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Kathleen; Leupen, Sarah; Dowell, Kathy; Kephart, Kerrie; Leips, Jeff

2016-01-01

Redesigning undergraduate biology courses to integrate quantitative reasoning and skill development is critical to prepare students for careers in modern medicine and scientific research. In this paper, we report on the development, implementation, and assessment of stand-alone modules that integrate quantitative reasoning into introductory biology courses. Modules are designed to improve skills in quantitative numeracy, interpreting data sets using visual tools, and making inferences about biological phenomena using mathematical/statistical models. We also examine demographic/background data that predict student improvement in these skills through exposure to these modules. We carried out pre/postassessment tests across four semesters and used student interviews in one semester to examine how students at different levels approached quantitative problems. We found that students improved in all skills in most semesters, although there was variation in the degree of improvement among skills from semester to semester. One demographic variable, transfer status, stood out as a major predictor of the degree to which students improved (transfer students achieved much lower gains every semester, despite the fact that pretest scores in each focus area were similar between transfer and nontransfer students). We propose that increased exposure to quantitative skill development in biology courses is effective at building competency in quantitative reasoning. PMID:27146161

Pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst clinical dental students.

PubMed

Abu Kasim, N H; Abu Kassim, N L; Razak, A A A; Abdullah, H; Bindal, P; Che' Abdul Aziz, Z A; Sulaiman, E; Farook, M S; Gonzalez, M A G; Thong, Y L; Ahmad, N A; Naimie, Z; Abdullah, M; Lui, J L; Abdul Aziz, A

2014-02-01

Training dentists today is challenging as they are expected to provide a wide range of dental care. In the provision of good dental care, soft skills are equally important as clinical skills. Therefore in dental education the development of soft skills are of prime concern. This study sought to identify the development of soft skills when dental students are paired in their clinical training. In this perception study, four open-ended items were used to elicit students' feedback on the appropriateness of using clinical pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills. The most frequently cited soft skills were teamwork (70%) and communication (25%) skills. However, both negative and positive behaviours were reported. As for critical thinking and problem solving skills, more positive behaviours were reported for abilities such as to explain, analyze, find ideas and alternative solutions, and make decisions. Leadership among peers was not evident as leading without legitimate authority could be a hindrance to its development. If clinical pairing is to be used as an effective instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst students, clear guidelines need to be developed to prepare students to work in a dental team and the use of appropriate assessment tools can facilitate the development of these soft skills. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development of biology student worksheets to facilitate science process skills of student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahayu, Y. S.; Pratiwi, R.; Indana, S.

2018-01-01

This research aims to describe development of Biology student worksheets to facilitate science process skills of student, at the same time to facilitate thinking skills of students in senior high school are equipped with Assesment Sheets. The worksheets development refers to cycle which includes phase analysis (analysis), planning (planning), design (design), development (development), implementation (implementation), evaluation and revision (evaluation and revision). Phase evaluation and revision is an ongoing activity conducted in each phase of the development cycle. That is, after the evaluation of the results of these activities and make revisions at any phase, then continue to the next phase. Based on the test results for grade X, XI, and XII in St. Agnes Surabaya high school, obtained some important findings. The findings are as follows. (1) Developed biology student worksheets could be used to facilitate thinking ability of students in particular skills integrated process that includes components to formulate the problem, formulate hypotheses, determine the study variables, formulate an operational definition of variables, determine the steps in the research, planning data tables, organizing Data in the form of tables/charts, drawing conclusions, (2) Developed biology student worksheets could also facilitate the development of social interaction of students such as working together, listening/respect the opinions of others, assembling equipment and materials, discuss and share information and facilitate the upgrading of skills hands-on student activity. (3) Developed biology worksheets basically could be implemented with the guidance of the teacher step by step, especially for students who have never used a similar worksheet. Guidance at the beginning of this need, especially for worksheets that require special skills or understanding of specific concepts as a prerequisite, such as using a microscope, determine the heart rate, understand the mechanism of specific indicators.

Using Blended Learning in Developing Student Teachers Teaching Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isman, Aytekin; Abanmy, Fahad AbdulAziz; Hussein, Hisham Barakat; Al Saadany, Mohammed Abdelrahman

2012-01-01

The research aims to determine the effectiveness of using blended learning Approach in developing student teachers teaching skills, and defining teaching skills that confront students of teachers college at King Saud University need it. The research uses the Quasi- Experimental approach, with four experimental groups (Mathematics (21)--Science…

Utilizing Science Outreach to Foster Professional Skills Development in University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eng, Edward; Febria, Catherine

2011-01-01

Students seek unique experiences to obtain and enhance professional development skills and to prepare for future careers. Through the Let's Talk Science Partnership Program (LTSPP), a voluntary science outreach program at University of Toronto Scarborough, students are given the opportunity to continually improve on skills which include: the…

Metabolic Pathways Visualization Skills Development by Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

dos Santos, Vanessa J. S. V.; Galembeck, Eduardo

2015-01-01

We have developed a metabolic pathways visualization skill test (MPVST) to gain greater insight into our students' abilities to comprehend the visual information presented in metabolic pathways diagrams. The test is able to discriminate students' visualization ability with respect to six specific visualization skills that we identified as key to…

'Students-as-partners' scheme enhances postgraduate students' employability skills while addressing gaps in bioinformatics education.

PubMed

Mello, Luciane V; Tregilgas, Luke; Cowley, Gwen; Gupta, Anshul; Makki, Fatima; Jhutty, Anjeet; Shanmugasundram, Achchuthan

2017-01-01

Teaching bioinformatics is a longstanding challenge for educators who need to demonstrate to students how skills developed in the classroom may be applied to real world research. This study employed an action research methodology which utilised student-staff partnership and peer-learning. It was centred on the experiences of peer-facilitators, students who had previously taken a postgraduate bioinformatics module, and had applied knowledge and skills gained from it to their own research. It aimed to demonstrate to peer-receivers, current students, how bioinformatics could be used in their own research while developing peer-facilitators' teaching and mentoring skills. This student-centred approach was well received by the peer-receivers, who claimed to have gained improved understanding of bioinformatics and its relevance to research. Equally, peer-facilitators also developed a better understanding of the subject and appreciated that the activity was a rare and invaluable opportunity to develop their teaching and mentoring skills, enhancing their employability.

The Effects of the System of Least Prompts on Teaching Comprehension Skills during a Shared Story to Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mims, Pamela Joanne

2009-01-01

The development of literacy skills is a crucial skill that all students are entitled to develop (Browder, Gibbs, Ahlgrim-Delzell, Courtade, Mraz, Flowers, in press). Currently limited research has been conducted on the acquisition of early literacy skills for students with significant disabilities (Browder, Mims, Spooner, Ahlgrim-Delzell, & Lee,…

Development and Application of a Scoring Rubric for Evaluating Students' Experimental Skills in Organic Chemistry: An Instructional Guide for Teaching Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hui-Jung; She, Jui-Lin; Chou, Chin-Cheng; Tsai, Yeun-Min; Chiu, Mei-Hung

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a scoring rubric to assess students' manipulation skills and identify students' learning difficulties in conducting organic chemistry experiments. In constructing the scoring rubric, we first analyzed the skills needed in the experiment, then divided the skills into subskills, and finally…

How Does the Degree of Guidance Support Students' Metacognitive and Problem Solving Skills in Educational Robotics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atmatzidou, Soumela; Demetriadis, Stavros; Nika, Panagiota

2018-01-01

Educational robotics (ER) is an innovative learning tool that offers students opportunities to develop higher-order thinking skills. This study investigates the development of students' metacognitive (MC) and problem-solving (PS) skills in the context of ER activities, implementing different modes of guidance in two student groups (11-12 years…

The Development of an Instructional Design Model on Facebook Based Collaborative Learning to Enhance EFL Students' Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linh, Nguyen Duy; Suppasetseree, Suksan

2016-01-01

Writing is one of the essential skills that EFL students, specifically in Thailand, need to achieve while their learning English during tertiary education. However, Thai EFL students have few chances to practice writing skills while learning. This study was conducted to develop an instructional design model for assisting students in learning…

A Systems Approach to Scaffold Communication Skills Development

PubMed Central

Er, Nelson L.

2008-01-01

Objectives To implement a communication skills development (CSD) system and evaluate its effectiveness in a clinical communications course. Design Students conducted baseline interviews and wrote SOAP notes, and based on faculty, patient, self- and peer assessments, set goals for improvement of their communication skills. Students participated in various activities to scaffold their learning, several of which took place in a web-based environment to enhance access and function for both students and faculty members. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed. Assessment Students' communication skills improved as evidenced by assessment scores. Student and faculty comments offered additional evidence of the effectiveness of standardized patient interviews, learning strategies, and assessment methods. Conclusion The CSD system effectively integrated various types of learning activities and feedback processes. The use of scaffolding strategies appeared to enhance the development of students' communication skills. PMID:18483601

Developing Entrepreneurial Skills in Pharmacy Students

PubMed Central

Hanna, Lezley-Anne; Haughey, Sharon; Hughes, Carmel

2015-01-01

Objective. To create, implement, and evaluate a workshop that teaches undergraduate pharmacy students about entrepreneurship. Design. Workshops with 3 hours of contact time and 2 hours of self-study time were developed for final-year students. Faculty members and students evaluated peer assessment, peer development, communication, critical evaluation, creative thinking, problem solving, and numeracy skills, as well as topic understanding. Student evaluation of the workshops was done primarily via a self-administered, 9-item questionnaire. Assessment. One hundred thirty-four students completed the workshops. The mean score was 50.9 out of 65. Scores ranged from 45.9 to 54.1. The questionnaire had a 100% response rate. Many students agreed that workshops about entrepreneurship were a useful teaching method and that key skills were fostered. Conclusion. Workshops effectively delivered course content about entrepreneurship and helped develop relevant skills. This work suggests students value instruction on entrepreneurship. PMID:27168619

Developing Entrepreneurial Skills in Pharmacy Students.

PubMed

Laverty, Garry; Hanna, Lezley-Anne; Haughey, Sharon; Hughes, Carmel

2015-09-25

Objective. To create, implement, and evaluate a workshop that teaches undergraduate pharmacy students about entrepreneurship. Design. Workshops with 3 hours of contact time and 2 hours of self-study time were developed for final-year students. Faculty members and students evaluated peer assessment, peer development, communication, critical evaluation, creative thinking, problem solving, and numeracy skills, as well as topic understanding. Student evaluation of the workshops was done primarily via a self-administered, 9-item questionnaire. Assessment. One hundred thirty-four students completed the workshops. The mean score was 50.9 out of 65. Scores ranged from 45.9 to 54.1. The questionnaire had a 100% response rate. Many students agreed that workshops about entrepreneurship were a useful teaching method and that key skills were fostered. Conclusion. Workshops effectively delivered course content about entrepreneurship and helped develop relevant skills. This work suggests students value instruction on entrepreneurship.

Student Perceptions of Communication Skills in Undergraduate Science at an Australian Research-Intensive University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercer-Mapstone, Lucy D.; Matthews, Kelly E.

2017-01-01

Higher education institutions globally are acknowledging the need to teach communication skills. This study used the Science Student Skills Inventory to gain insight into how science students perceive the development of communication skills across the degree programme. Responses were obtained from 635 undergraduate students enrolled in a Bachelor…

A Robotic Therapy Case Study: Developing Joint Attention Skills with a Student on the Autism Spectrum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charron, Nancy; Lewis, Lundy; Craig, Michael

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe a possible methodology for developing joint attention skills in students with autism spectrum disorder. Co-robot therapy with the humanoid robot NAO was used to foster a student's joint attention skill development; 20-min sessions conducted once weekly during the school year were video recorded and…

Developing Pharmacy Student Communication Skills through Role-Playing and Active Learning

PubMed Central

Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

2015-01-01

Objective. To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Design. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger’s Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Assessment. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Conclusion. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers. PMID:25995519

Generic learning skills in academically-at-risk medical students: a development programme bridges the gap.

PubMed

Burch, Vanessa C; Sikakana, Cynthia N T; Gunston, Geney D; Shamley, Delva R; Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah

2013-08-01

Widening access to medical students from diverse educational backgrounds is a global educational mandate. The impact, on students' generic learning skills profiles, of development programmes designed for students at risk of attrition is unknown. This study investigated the impact of a 12-month Intervention Programme (IP) on the generic learning skills profile of academically-at-risk students who, after failing at the end of the first semester, completed the IP before entering the second semester of a conventional medical training programme. This prospective study surveyed medical students admitted in 2009 and 2010, on entry and on completion of first year, on their reported practice and confidence in information handling, managing own learning, technical and numeracy, computer, organisational and presentation skills. Of 414 first year students, 80 (19%) entered the IP. Levels of practice and confidence for five of the six skills categories were significantly poorer at entry for IP students compared to conventional stream students. In four categories these differences were no longer statistically significant after students had completed the IP; 62 IP students (77.5%) progressed to second year. A 12-month development programme, the IP, effectively addressed generic learning skills deficiencies present in academically-at-risk students entering medical school.

Enhancement of Students' Independent Learning through Their Critical Thinking Skills Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopzhassarova, Umit; Akbayeva, Gulden; Eskazinova, Zhanar; Belgibayeva, Gulbarshyn; Tazhikeyeva, Akerke

2016-01-01

The article focuses on the problem of developing students' critical thinking skills, which help them become independent learners. Analysis of research works of educators and scholars enable the authors to reveal qualities, necessary for students to enhance their critical thinking skills and become independent learners. Different points of view on…

Using Self-Regulated Strategy Development for Persuasive Writing to Increase the Writing and Self-Efficacy Skills of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Health Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ennis, Robin Parks; Jolivette, Kristine

2014-01-01

The Common Core State Standards Initiative includes an emphasis on teaching writing and related skills in all subject areas. This study sought to improve the persuasive writing skills and self-efficacy skills of students with emotional and behavioral disorders by implementing self-regulated strategy development with pairs of students in a high…

Learning outcomes with visual thinking strategies in nursing education.

PubMed

Moorman, Margaret; Hensel, Desiree; Decker, Kim A; Busby, Katie

2017-04-01

There is a need to develop innovative strategies that cultivate broad cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal skills in nursing curricula. The purpose of this project was to explore transferable skills students gained from Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 55 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in an entry level healthy population course. The students participated in a 1h VTS session led by a trained facilitator. Data came from the group's written responses to a question about how they would use skills learned from VTS in caring for patients and in their nursing practice. Content analysis showed students perceived gaining observational, cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills from the VTS session. VTS is a unique teaching strategy that holds the potential to help nursing students develop a broad range of skills. Studies are needed on optimal exposure needed to develop observational, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. Research is also needed on how skills gained in VTS translate to practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An innovative approach to developing the reflective skills of medical students

PubMed Central

Henderson, Penny; Johnson, Martin H

2002-01-01

Background Development of the reflective skills of medical students is an acknowledged objective of medical education. Description Description of an educational exercise which uses an email-based process for developing the reflective skills of undergraduate medical students. Student quotations illustrate learning outcomes qualitatively. Discussion The process described is immediate, direct, linked to learning objectives, enables rapid responses to be given to the students individually, and is followed by group sharing of learning. It provides a rigorous and robust feedback loop for students. It is relatively economic for teachers and incidentally benefits curriculum design and evolution. The approach supports development of a reflective approach to learning. PMID:12003640

A Pharmacy Course on Leadership and Leading Change

PubMed Central

Traynor, Andrew P.; Janke, Kristin K.

2009-01-01

Objective To develop and implement a course that develops pharmacy students' leadership skills and encourages them to become leaders within the profession. Design A leadership course series was offered to pharmacy students on 2 campuses. The series incorporated didactic, experiential, and self-directed learning activities, and focused on developing core leadership skills, self-awareness, and awareness of the process for leading change. Assessment Students reported increased knowledge and confidence in their ability to initiate and lead efforts for change. The learning activities students' valued most were the StrengthsFinder assessment (67% of students rated “very useful”) and a Leadership Networking Partners (LNP) program (83% of students rated “very useful”). Conclusion Teaching leadership skills poses a significant challenge in curriculum development and requires multifaceted course design elements that resonate with students and engage the practice community. Addressing these requirements results in a high level of student engagement and a desire to continue the development of leadership skills. PMID:19513161

Assessment of collaborative problem solving skills in Undergraduate Medical Students at Ziauddin College of Medicine, Karachi

PubMed Central

Mughal, Arsalan Manzoor; Shaikh, Sirajul Haque

2018-01-01

Objective: Collaborative Problem Solving Empirical Progressions from the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) framework were used to determine the level of collaborative problem solving skills (CPS) in first, second and third year MBBS students at Ziauddin College of Medicine during Problem-Based Learning (PBL) sessions. Variations based on gender and roles were studied. Methods: It is an analytical comparative cross-sectional study in which seven PBL groups were selected per year by non-probability convenient sampling. Data was collected using the Collaborative Problem Solving Five Strands Empirical Progressions by the primary investigator through observation of the students during PBL sessions. Duration of study was six months. Results: We found that in our students, development of social dimension skills is facilitated to a greater extent than the development of cognitive dimension skills through the process of PBL. These skills are generally better developed in the leader compared to the scribe and members in a group. They are also more developed in females compared to males. Modification in them is also observed as the year's progress. Conclusion: Although PBLs facilitate development of CPS skills' progression however in our curriculum, PBLs mainly focus on social skills development and have less emphasis on cognitive skill development. Thus, hybrid instructional strategies with components from TBL and mentorship are recommended for better development of CPS skills. PMID:29643904

Assessment of collaborative problem solving skills in Undergraduate Medical Students at Ziauddin College of Medicine, Karachi.

PubMed

Mughal, Arsalan Manzoor; Shaikh, Sirajul Haque

2018-01-01

Collaborative Problem Solving Empirical Progressions from the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) framework were used to determine the level of collaborative problem solving skills (CPS) in first, second and third year MBBS students at Ziauddin College of Medicine during Problem-Based Learning (PBL) sessions. Variations based on gender and roles were studied. It is an analytical comparative cross-sectional study in which seven PBL groups were selected per year by non-probability convenient sampling. Data was collected using the Collaborative Problem Solving Five Strands Empirical Progressions by the primary investigator through observation of the students during PBL sessions. Duration of study was six months. We found that in our students, development of social dimension skills is facilitated to a greater extent than the development of cognitive dimension skills through the process of PBL. These skills are generally better developed in the leader compared to the scribe and members in a group. They are also more developed in females compared to males. Modification in them is also observed as the year's progress. Although PBLs facilitate development of CPS skills' progression however in our curriculum, PBLs mainly focus on social skills development and have less emphasis on cognitive skill development. Thus, hybrid instructional strategies with components from TBL and mentorship are recommended for better development of CPS skills.

The perceived impact of the group practice model on enhancing interpersonal skills of predoctoral dental students

PubMed Central

Errante, Margaret R; Gill, Gurjinder S; Rodriguez, Tobias E

2018-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess if a clinical group practice model has an impact on enhancing the interpersonal skills of predoctoral dental students, what factors may influence the development of these skills, and what, if any, are innovative and technological solutions that can potentially influence interpersonal skills in predoctoral dental students. Methods This study surveyed the faculty responsible for teaching the dental students in a recently developed group practice model. Out of 18 eligible group practice leaders at one US dental school, 17 respondents (94.4%) completed the survey. In addition, this study asked the faculty to provide qualitative response and recommendations to improve interpersonal skills. Based on the feedback, a focus group was conducted to explore opportunities to further enhance the skills. Results The results of the study suggest that the group practice model has a positive and distinct impact on the development of overall interpersonal skills for students. Further research suggests that the greatest impacted areas of personal development are critical thinking skills and teamwork. However, as a way to make the model more effectual, most faculty suggested the need for additional time, for both students and faculty. To some extent, using technology and innovative teaching pedagogies could potentially address the challenge of limited time. Conclusion Based on the results of the survey, one may conclude that with adequate design and conditions, the group practice model can have a positive effect on the interpersonal skills of its students. PMID:29720884

The perceived impact of the group practice model on enhancing interpersonal skills of predoctoral dental students.

PubMed

Errante, Margaret R; Gill, Gurjinder S; Rodriguez, Tobias E

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess if a clinical group practice model has an impact on enhancing the interpersonal skills of predoctoral dental students, what factors may influence the development of these skills, and what, if any, are innovative and technological solutions that can potentially influence interpersonal skills in predoctoral dental students. This study surveyed the faculty responsible for teaching the dental students in a recently developed group practice model. Out of 18 eligible group practice leaders at one US dental school, 17 respondents (94.4%) completed the survey. In addition, this study asked the faculty to provide qualitative response and recommendations to improve interpersonal skills. Based on the feedback, a focus group was conducted to explore opportunities to further enhance the skills. The results of the study suggest that the group practice model has a positive and distinct impact on the development of overall interpersonal skills for students. Further research suggests that the greatest impacted areas of personal development are critical thinking skills and teamwork. However, as a way to make the model more effectual, most faculty suggested the need for additional time, for both students and faculty. To some extent, using technology and innovative teaching pedagogies could potentially address the challenge of limited time. Based on the results of the survey, one may conclude that with adequate design and conditions, the group practice model can have a positive effect on the interpersonal skills of its students.

Developing Engineering and Science Process Skills Using Design Software in an Elementary Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fusco, Christopher

This paper examines the development of process skills through an engineering design approach to instruction in an elementary lesson that combines Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The study took place with 25 fifth graders in a public, suburban school district. Students worked in groups of five to design and construct model bridges based on research involving bridge building design software. The assessment was framed around individual student success as well as overall group processing skills. These skills were assessed through an engineering design packet rubric (student work), student surveys of learning gains, observation field notes, and pre- and post-assessment data. The results indicate that students can successfully utilize design software to inform constructions of model bridges, develop science process skills through problem based learning, and understand academic concepts through a design project. The final result of this study shows that design engineering is effective for developing cooperative learning skills. The study suggests that an engineering program offered as an elective or as part of the mandatory curriculum could be beneficial for developing students' critical thinking, inter- and intra-personal skills, along with an increased their understanding and awareness for scientific phenomena. In conclusion, combining a design approach to instruction with STEM can increase efficiency in these areas, generate meaningful learning, and influence student attitudes throughout their education.

'TeamUP': An approach to developing teamwork skills in undergraduate midwifery students.

PubMed

Hastie, Carolyn Ruth

2018-03-01

to develop an effective model to enable educators to teach, develop and assess the development of midwifery students' teamwork skills DESIGN: an action research project involving participant interviews and academic feedback. a regional university PARTICIPANTS: midwifery students (n = 21) and new graduate midwives (n = 20) INTERVENTIONS: a whole of course program using a rubric, with five teamwork domains and behavioural descriptors, to provide a framework for teaching and assessment. Students self and peer assess. Lectures, tutorials and eight different groupwork assignments of increasing difficulty, spread over the three years of the undergraduate degree are incorporated into the TeamUP model. the assignments provide students with the opportunity to practice and develop their teamwork skills in a safe, supported environment. the social, emotional and practical behaviours required for effective teamwork can be taught and developed in undergraduate health students. students require a clear overview of the TeamUP model at the beginning of the degree. They need to be informed of the skills and behaviours that the TeamUP model is designed to help develop and why they are important. The success of the model depends upon the educator's commitment to supporting students to learn teamwork skills. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What do medical students understand by research and research skills? Identifying research opportunities within undergraduate projects.

PubMed

Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah; Drewery, Sarah; Elton, Sarah; Emmerson, Catherine; Marshall, Michelle; Smith, John A; Stark, Patsy; Whittle, Sue

2010-01-01

Undergraduate research exposure leads to increased recruitment into academic medicine, enhanced employability and improved postgraduate research productivity. Uptake of undergraduate research opportunities is reported to be disappointing, and little is known about how students perceive research. To investigate opportunities for undergraduate participation in research, recognition of such opportunities, and associated skills development. A mixed method approach, incorporating student focus and study groups, and documentary analysis at five UK medical schools. Undergraduates recognised the benefits of acquiring research skills, but identified practical difficulties and disadvantages of participating. Analysis of 905 projects in four main research skill areas - (1) research methods; (2) information gathering; (3) critical analysis and review; (4) data processing - indicated 52% of projects provided opportunities for students to develop one or more skills, only 13% offered development in all areas. In 17%, project descriptions provided insufficient information to determine opportunities. Supplied with information from a representative sample of projects (n = 80), there was little consensus in identifying skills among students or between students and researchers. Consensus improved dramatically following guidance on how to identify skills. Undergraduates recognise the benefits of research experience but need a realistic understanding of the research process. Opportunities for research skill development may not be obvious. Undergraduates require training to recognise the skills required for research and enhanced transparency in potential project outcomes.

The Effectiveness of Geography Student Worksheet to Develop Learning Experiences for High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utami, Wiwik Sri; Sumarmi; Ruja, I. Nyoman; Utaya, Sugeng

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of geography student worksheet in developing high school students' learning experiences. The student worksheet was planned to gain opportunity to develop creative and geography skills. The effectiveness is assessed from the contribution of the worksheets in improving the skills of…

Improving Narrative Writing Skills, Composition Skills, and Related Attitudes among Second Grade Students by Integrating Word Processing, Graphic Organizers, and Art into a Process Approach to Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallick-Jackson, Sheryl A.

A practicum program was developed and implemented to improve narrative writing skills, composition skills, and related attitudes among the targeted second grade students. Objectives for the program were for: 75% of the students to increase their narrative writing skills by at least one proficiency level; 75% of the students to increase their…

Developing students' time management skills in clinical settings: practical considerations for busy nursing staff.

PubMed

Cleary, Michelle; Horsfall, Jan

2011-06-01

In clinical settings, nursing staff often find themselves responsible for students who have varying time management skills. Nurses need to respond sensitively and appropriately, and to teach nursing students how to prioritize and better allocate time. This is important not only for developing students' clinical skills but also for shaping their perceptions about the quality of the placement and their willingness to consider it as a potential work specialty. In this column, some simple, practical strategies that nurses can use to assist students with improving their time management skills are identified. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Use of Simulated Psychosocial Role-Playing to Enhance Nursing Students' Development of Soft Skills.

PubMed

Liebrecht, Christina; Montenery, Susan

2016-08-01

Effective communication and interaction enable nurses to develop caring, empathetic, and respectful relationships with patients and families. However, most nurses feel a lack of preparation in the "soft" skills of communication, professionalism, and leadership. Nurse managers are seeking graduates with strong emotional quotient characteristics such as self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills. Assisting nursing students to develop these intangible, high-level skills presents an ongoing challenge to nurse educators. This creative teaching learning strategy examines the use of psychosocial role-playing skits to enhance nursing student development of the soft skills of nursing. In this strategy, senior level nursing students work in small groups to develop and present realistic 3- to 5-minute skits based on common nurse-patient, nurse-family, or nurse-health care team interactions that incorporate the concepts of therapeutic communication, interpersonal interaction, empathy, active listening, teamwork, delegation, and/or professionalism, followed by a debriefing session. Student feedback suggests that confidence and competence related to the skills of therapeutic communication, interpersonal interaction, empathy, active listening, teamwork, delegation, and professionalism may improve by incorporating soft skill psychosocial role-playing into a nursing education course of study.

An investigation to find strategies to improve student nurses' maths skills.

PubMed

Wright, Kerri

Being able to perform drug calculations accurately is an essential skill for nurses. Many studies, however, have demonstrated that nurses need to improve this area of their practice and in particular their mathematical skills. Several strategies have been implemented to develop the drug calculation skills of nurses, with mixed success. This article reports on a study that was carried out to investigate whether strategies implemented within a second-year pre-registration course were perceived by students to be helpful in improving their mathematical skills for drug calculations. The results demonstrated that students felt their mathematics and confidence improved as a result of these strategies. The students' evaluation of the learning strategy that they found most helpful in learning drug calculation gave a mixed result, indicating that students have differing learning styles and needs. The study also indicates that student nurses were able to integrate the mathematical skills into their nursing practice by having different strategies that allowed them to develop conceptual, mathematical and practical skills concurrently. The study recommends the implementation of integrated strategies to address drug calculation skills in student nurses, although further research is still required.

Development and validation of a new assessment tool for suturing skills in medical students.

PubMed

Sundhagen, Henriette Pisani; Almeland, Stian Kreken; Hansson, Emma

2018-01-01

In recent years, emphasis has been put on that medical student should demonstrate pre-practice/pre-registration core procedural skills to ensure patient safety. Nonetheless, the formal teaching and training of basic suturing skills to medical students have received relatively little attention and there is no standard for what should be tested and how. The aim of this study was to develop and validate, using scientific methods, a tool for assessment of medical students' suturing skills, measuring both micro- and macrosurgical qualities. A tool was constructed and content, construct, concurrent validity, and inter-rater, inter-item, inter-test reliability were tested. Three groups were included: students with no training in suturing skills, students who have had training, plastic surgery. The results show promising reliability and validity when assessing novice medical students' suturing skills. Further studies are needed on implementation of the instrument. Moreover, how the instrument can be used to give formative feedback, evaluate if a required standard is met and for curriculum development needs further investigation.Level of Evidence: Not ratable.

Does the inclusion of 'professional development' teaching improve medical students' communication skills?

PubMed

Joekes, Katherine; Noble, Lorraine M; Kubacki, Angela M; Potts, Henry W W; Lloyd, Margaret

2011-06-27

This study investigated whether the introduction of professional development teaching in the first two years of a medical course improved students' observed communication skills with simulated patients. Students' observed communication skills were related to patient-centred attitudes, confidence in communicating with patients and performance in later clinical examinations. Eighty-two medical students from two consecutive cohorts at a UK medical school completed two videoed consultations with a simulated patient: one at the beginning of year 1 and one at the end of year 2. Group 1 (n = 35) received a traditional pre-clinical curriculum. Group 2 (n = 47) received a curriculum that included communication skills training integrated into a 'professional development' vertical module. Videoed consultations were rated using the Evans Interview Rating Scale by communication skills tutors. A subset of 27% were double-coded. Inter-rater reliability is reported. Students who had received the professional development teaching achieved higher ratings for use of silence, not interrupting the patient, and keeping the discussion relevant compared to students receiving the traditional curriculum. Patient-centred attitudes were not related to observed communication. Students who were less nervous and felt they knew how to listen were rated as better communicators. Students receiving the traditional curriculum and who had been rated as better communicators when they entered medical school performed less well in the final year clinical examination. Students receiving the professional development training showed significant improvements in certain communication skills, but students in both cohorts improved over time. The lack of a relationship between observed communication skills and patient-centred attitudes may be a reflection of students' inexperience in working with patients, resulting in 'patient-centredness' being an abstract concept. Students in the early years of their medical course may benefit from further opportunities to practise basic communication skills on a one-to-one basis with patients.

Does the inclusion of 'professional development' teaching improve medical students' communication skills?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background This study investigated whether the introduction of professional development teaching in the first two years of a medical course improved students' observed communication skills with simulated patients. Students' observed communication skills were related to patient-centred attitudes, confidence in communicating with patients and performance in later clinical examinations. Methods Eighty-two medical students from two consecutive cohorts at a UK medical school completed two videoed consultations with a simulated patient: one at the beginning of year 1 and one at the end of year 2. Group 1 (n = 35) received a traditional pre-clinical curriculum. Group 2 (n = 47) received a curriculum that included communication skills training integrated into a 'professional development' vertical module. Videoed consultations were rated using the Evans Interview Rating Scale by communication skills tutors. A subset of 27% were double-coded. Inter-rater reliability is reported. Results Students who had received the professional development teaching achieved higher ratings for use of silence, not interrupting the patient, and keeping the discussion relevant compared to students receiving the traditional curriculum. Patient-centred attitudes were not related to observed communication. Students who were less nervous and felt they knew how to listen were rated as better communicators. Students receiving the traditional curriculum and who had been rated as better communicators when they entered medical school performed less well in the final year clinical examination. Conclusions Students receiving the professional development training showed significant improvements in certain communication skills, but students in both cohorts improved over time. The lack of a relationship between observed communication skills and patient-centred attitudes may be a reflection of students' inexperience in working with patients, resulting in 'patient-centredness' being an abstract concept. Students in the early years of their medical course may benefit from further opportunities to practise basic communication skills on a one-to-one basis with patients. PMID:21708000

Defining and Assessing Team Skills of Business and Accountancy Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alghalith, Nabil; Blum, Michael; Medlock, Amanda; Weber, Sandy

2004-01-01

The objectives of the project are (1) to define the skills necessary for students to work effectively with others to achieve common goals, and (2) to develop an assessment instrument to measure student progress toward achieving these skills. The defined skill set will form a basis for common expectations related to team skills that will be shared…

Constructive Alignment and the Research Skills Development Framework: Using Theory to Practically Align Graduate Attributes, Learning Experiences, and Assessment Tasks in Undergraduate Midwifery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pretorius, Lynette; Bailey, Carolyn; Miles, Maureen

2013-01-01

Midwifery educators have to provide students with stimulating curricula that teach academic and vocational content, as well as transferable skills. The Research Skills Development (RSD) framework provides a conceptual model that allows educators to explicitly scaffold the development of their students' research skills. This paper aims to…

Developing Collaboration Skills in Team Undergraduate Research Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sturner, Kelly K.; Bishop, Pamela; Lenhart, Suzanne M.

2017-01-01

Interdisciplinary undergraduate research experiences often require students to work in teams with other students and researchers from different disciplines, creating a need for development of new skills in interdisciplinary collaboration. In this paper, we describe our unique efforts to mentor participants in developing these skills during our…

Promoting 21st Century Skills in the Classroom through the Use of Authentic Student Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klug, S. L.; Swann, J. L.; Manfredi, L.; Christensen, P. R.

2012-12-01

Preparing students for the workforce starts well before they start college. The Mars Student Imaging Project has incorporated 21st Century Skills into their project to help the students practice and sharpen these skills. Professional development for the educational facilitators helps the teachers become familiar with these skills. By augmenting the authentic research project with these 21st Century Skills, the students are able to achieve a higher level experience that mirrors the real-world workforce.

Undergraduate basic surgical skills education: impact on attitudes to a career in surgery and surgical skills acquisition.

PubMed

McAnena, P F; O'Halloran, N; Moloney, B M; Courtney, D; Waldron, R M; Flaherty, G; Kerin, M J

2018-05-01

Basic surgical skills modules in medical education are effective in teaching skills and increasing confidence among students approaching surgery. However, these modules are not delivered universally and their effect on the professional development of graduates has not been established. We aimed to assess the impact of a 10-week basic surgical skills module on attitudes and technical skills of first year medical students compared to interns. Eighteen students participated and were assessed using a 4-part questionnaire. Technical skills were assessed by observing students perform a basic interrupted suture, using the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) tool. Fourteen interns were recruited. Students were more confident in surgical scrubbing (mean score 4.0 vs. 2.86, p = 0.001), and performing a basic suture (4.05 vs. 1.93, p = 0.000), more enthusiastic about assisting with an operation (4.5 vs. 3.0, p = 0.001) and more likely to consider a career in surgery (4.16 vs. 2.28, p = 0.000). Technical skills were greater in the student group (mean score 30.8 vs. 19.6, p = 0.001). Five interns had taken part in surgical skills modules as undergraduates. Their technical skills were significantly higher compared to interns who had not (n = 9) (28.8 vs. 14.5, p = 0.006), and they were more likely to consider a career in surgery (3.6 vs. 1.5, p = 0.036). The introduction of surgical skills teaching to the undergraduate medical curriculum has a positive impact on students' attitudes towards surgery and accelerates basic technical skills development. Consideration should be given to development of a standardised undergraduate core curriculum in basic surgical skills teaching.

Using Facebook to enhance commencing student confidence in clinical skill development: A phenomenological hermeneutic study.

PubMed

Watson, Bernadette; Cooke, Marie; Walker, Rachel

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore commencing nursing students' experience of Facebook as an adjunct to on-campus course delivery to determine its impact as a learning strategy for improving confidence in clinical skill development. Approaches supporting nursing students in the development of clinical skills have relied on 'real-life' clinical placements and simulated on-campus clinical laboratories. However students continue to report a lack of confidence in their clinical skills for practice. Social networking sites including Facebook are being used as a learning strategy to stimulate active and collaborative learning approaches. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to provide an understanding of the experience of confidence in clinical skills development for nursing students. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with commencing students about their experience as learners using Facebook and their perceptions of the impact on their clinical skill development. Ten first-year student nurses at one university in south-east Queensland, Australia. Four themes emerged from the data including: 'We're all in this together'; 'I can do this'; 'This is about my future goals and success'; and, 'Real time is not fast enough!'. These themes provide new meaningful insights demonstrating students' sense of confidence in clinical skills was increased through engagement with a dedicated Facebook page. The findings of this study have relevance to academics in the design of learning strategies for clinical courses to further support student confidence and engagement through peer collaboration and active learning processes. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using a Brand Revitalization Project to Develop Students' Analytical and Creativity Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geissler, Gary L.

2015-01-01

The skillset that students acquire during college is not always well-aligned and/or well-developed relative to the skills needed to be successful in the business world. Employers have complained for many years that graduating students often lack adequate critical thinking and communication skills, in particular. In the marketing field (and other…

Development of Student Inquiry Skills: A Constructivist Approach in a Computerized Classroom Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maor, Dorit

A study investigated the extent to which students' inquiry skills can be facilitated through the use of a computerized science database (Birds of the Antarctica) and specially designed curriculum materials. Much attention was given in the program to developing both students' inquiry skills and their subject-matter knowledge. Grade 11 and 12…

Computer-Managed Instruction: Development and Evaluation of Student Skill Modules to Reduce Training Time.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCombs, Barbara L.; And Others

The Computer Managed Instruction (CMI) Student Skills Project was developed and evaluated within the context of the Air Force Advanced Instructional System (AIS), with student study skill modules designed as short packages to be assigned near the beginning of any military technical training course; strategies or procedures included were expected…

Guiding Students to Develop an Understanding of Scientific Inquiry: A Science Skills Approach to Instruction and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Elisa M.

2014-01-01

New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific…

Positive Teacher and Peer Relations Combine to Predict Primary School Students' Academic Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiuru, Noona; Aunola, Kaisa; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Pakarinen, Eija; Poskiparta, Elisa; Ahonen, Timo; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2015-01-01

This study examined cross-lagged associations between positive teacher and peer relations and academic skill development. Reading and math skills were tested among 625 students in kindergarten and Grade 4. Teacher reports of positive affect toward each student and classmate reports of peer acceptance were gathered in Grades 1-3. The results…

Critical Learning Skills for Business Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jance, Marsha; Morgan, Anita

2013-01-01

A survey addressing critical skills for business students was developed and disseminated. Sixteen critical skills (such as critical thinking and time management) were identified as skills that need to be acquired in order for business students to be successful in their advanced courses and careers. The survey was disseminated and taken by several…

How Does the Degree of Guidance Support Students' Metacognitive and Problem Solving Skills in Educational Robotics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atmatzidou, Soumela; Demetriadis, Stavros; Nika, Panagiota

2018-02-01

Educational robotics (ER) is an innovative learning tool that offers students opportunities to develop higher-order thinking skills. This study investigates the development of students' metacognitive (MC) and problem-solving (PS) skills in the context of ER activities, implementing different modes of guidance in two student groups (11-12 years old, N1 = 30, and 15-16 years old, N2 = 22). The students of each age group were involved in an 18-h group-based activity after being randomly distributed in two conditions: "minimal" (with minimal MC and PS guidance) and "strong" (with strong MC and PS guidance). Evaluations were based on the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory measuring students' metacognitive awareness and on a think-aloud protocol asking students to describe the process they would follow to solve a certain robot-programming task. The results suggest that (a) strong guidance in solving problems can have a positive impact on students' MC and PS skills and (b) students reach eventually the same level of MC and PS skills development independently of their age and gender.

Quantitative Skills as a Graduate Learning Outcome of University Science Degree Programmes: Student Performance Explored through the "Planned-Enacted-Experienced" Curriculum Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Adams, Peter; Goos, Merrilyn

2016-01-01

Application of mathematical and statistical thinking and reasoning, typically referred to as quantitative skills, is essential for university bioscience students. First, this study developed an assessment task intended to gauge graduating students' quantitative skills. The Quantitative Skills Assessment of Science Students (QSASS) was the result,…

The Effects of Three Styles of Teaching on the Psychomotor Performance and Social Skill Development of Fifth Grade Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberger, Michael; And Others

1982-01-01

The effectiveness of three teaching styles in promoting motor skill acquisition and social skill development were examined in 96 fifth-grade students. Styles B, C, and E from Mosston's "Spectrum of Teaching Styles" appeared to be beneficial in helping students learn motor skills. (CJ)

Developing Communication Management Skills: Integrated Assessment and Reflection in an Experiential Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cyphert, Dale; Dodge, Elena Nefedova; Duclos (Wilson), Leslie K.

2016-01-01

The value of experiential learning is widely acknowledged, especially for the development of communication skills, but students are not always aware of their own learning. While we can observe students practicing targeted skills during the experiential activity, the experience can also color their explicit understanding of those skills. Transfer…

Developing Professional Skills in Undergraduate Engineering Students through Cocurricular Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Dara R.; Bagiati, Aikaterini; Sarma, Sanjay

2017-01-01

As nations have sought to keep pace with rapid technological innovation, governments have renewed their focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with emphasis on developing both technical and non-technical skills in STEM students. This article examines which engineering-relevant skills may be developed by…

Developing Accounting Students' Listening Skills: Barriers, Opportunities and an Integrated Stakeholder Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Gerard; Lightbody, Margaret; Whait, Rob

2013-01-01

Accountants and employers of accounting graduates consider listening to be among the most important communication skills that graduates possess. However, accounting education practices that develop students' listening skills are uncommon. Further, in the case of listening development, the current approach of prescribing that educators do more to…

Developing 21st century skills through the use of student personal learning networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Robert D.

This research was conducted to study the development of 21st century communication, collaboration, and digital literacy skills of students at the high school level through the use of online social network tools. The importance of this study was based on evidence high school and college students are not graduating with the requisite skills of communication, collaboration, and digital literacy skills yet employers see these skills important to the success of their employees. The challenge addressed through this study was how high schools can integrate social network tools into traditional learning environments to foster the development of these 21st century skills. A qualitative research study was completed through the use of case study. One high school class in a suburban high performing town in Connecticut was selected as the research site and the sample population of eleven student participants engaged in two sets of interviews and learned through the use social network tools for one semester of the school year. The primary social network tools used were Facebook, Diigo, Google Sites, Google Docs, and Twitter. The data collected and analyzed partially supported the transfer of the theory of connectivism at the high school level. The students actively engaged in collaborative learning and research. Key results indicated a heightened engagement in learning, the development of collaborative learning and research skills, and a greater understanding of how to use social network tools for effective public communication. The use of social network tools with high school students was a positive experience that led to an increased awareness of the students as to the benefits social network tools have as a learning tool. The data supported the continued use of social network tools to develop 21st century communication, collaboration, and digital literacy skills. Future research in this area may explore emerging social network tools as well as the long term impact these tools have on the development of lifelong learning skills and quantitative data linked to student learning.

FACTOR ANALYSIS OF A SOCIAL SKILLS SCALE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

PubMed

Wang, H-Y; Lin, C-K

2015-10-01

The objective of this study was to develop a social skills scale for high school students in Taiwan. This study adopted stratified random sampling. A total of 1,729 high school students were included. The students ranged in age from 16 to 18 years. A Social Skills Scale was developed for this study and was designed for classroom teachers to fill out. The test-retest reliability of this scale was tested by Pearson's correlation coefficient. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine construct validity. The Social Skills Scale had good overall test-retest reliability of .92, and the internal consistency of the five subscales was above .90. The results of the factor analysis showed that the Social Skills Scale covered the five domains of classroom learning skills, communication skills, individual initiative skills, interaction skills, and job-related social skills, and the five factors explained 68.34% of the variance. Thus, the Social Skills Scale had good reliability and validity and would be applicable to and could be promoted for use in schools.

A set of vertically integrated inquiry-based practical curricula that develop scientific thinking skills for large cohorts of undergraduate students.

PubMed

Zimbardi, Kirsten; Bugarcic, Andrea; Colthorpe, Kay; Good, Jonathan P; Lluka, Lesley J

2013-12-01

Science graduates require critical thinking skills to deal with the complex problems they will face in their 21st century workplaces. Inquiry-based curricula can provide students with the opportunities to develop such critical thinking skills; however, evidence suggests that an inappropriate level of autonomy provided to underprepared students may not only be daunting to students but also detrimental to their learning. After a major review of the Bachelor of Science, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a series of three vertically integrated courses with inquiry-style laboratory practicals for early-stage undergraduate students in biomedical science. These practical curricula were designed so that students would work with increasing autonomy and ownership of their research projects to develop increasingly advanced scientific thinking and communication skills. Students undertaking the first iteration of these three vertically integrated courses reported learning gains in course content as well as skills in scientific writing, hypothesis construction, experimental design, data analysis, and interpreting results. Students also demonstrated increasing skills in both hypothesis formulation and communication of findings as a result of participating in the inquiry-based curricula and completing the associated practical assessment tasks. Here, we report the specific aspects of the curricula that students reported as having the greatest impact on their learning and the particular elements of hypothesis formulation and communication of findings that were more challenging for students to master. These findings provide important implications for science educators concerned with designing curricula to promote scientific thinking and communication skills alongside content acquisition.

A Tool to Teach Communication Skills to Pharmacy Students

PubMed Central

2008-01-01

Objective To develop a tool to teach pharmacy students assertive communication skills to use when talking with physicians over the telephone. Design As an assignment for their Communication Skills and Counseling course, students were asked to write a script involving a patient care issue or problem covering 3 different communication styles that could be used when contacting a prescriber by telephone: passive, aggressive, and assertive. Students worked in groups to write and act out the scripts for the class. Assessment Eight scripts were developed by students and rated by peers and faculty members. The script that received the highest ratings was used in the development of a multimedia educational CD. Conclusion The development of hypothetical scripts describing a drug therapy problem and illustrating the types of interactions between physicians and pharmacists while discussing the problem allowed pharmacy students to explore different communication techniques and improve their communication skills. PMID:18698394

Online Professional Skills Workshops: Perspectives from Distance Education Graduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauvreau, Sarah; Hurst, Deborah; Cleveland-Innes, Martha; Hawranik, Pamela

2016-01-01

While many online graduate students are gaining academic and scholarly knowledge, the opportunities for students to develop and hone professional skills essential for the workplace are lacking. Given the virtual environment of distance learning, graduate students are often expected to glean professional skills such as analytical thinking,…

Visual Productions and Student Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bazeli, Marilyn

When students become actively involved in technology productions they develop learning skills, communication skills, and visual analysis skills, all of which are applied to real-life learning within the classroom curriculum. Students participate in all stages of the production projects, which proves to be motivating for the students and allows the…

Faculty Mentors', Graduate Students', and Performance-Based Assessments of Students' Research Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldon, David F.; Maher, Michelle A.; Hurst, Melissa; Timmerman, Briana

2015-01-01

Faculty mentorship is thought to be a linchpin of graduate education in STEM disciplines. This mixed-method study investigates agreement between student mentees' and their faculty mentors' perceptions of the students' developing research knowledge and skills in STEM. We also compare both assessments against independent ratings of the students'…

Students' Voices: A Report of the Student View of Dyslexia Study Skills Tuition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirwan, Bernadette; Leather, Carol

2011-01-01

This article reports research using case studies of 22 university students receiving study skills development funded by the Disabled Student's Allowance at an independent dyslexia consultancy. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. The students identify the primary benefits of the tuition as: developing an understanding of dyslexia…

Developing Thinking Skills within the Context of the Existing Secondary Curriculum: The Case of Economics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Paul

Topics and issues which are central features of current secondary school economics curricula can be used to develop two aspects of students' thinking skills: (1) the development of problem-solving skills, and (2) the recognition of logical fallacies. The efficacy of economics instruction as a vehicle for developing student problem-solving skills…

Students' Perception of Self-Efficacy Following Medicinal Chemistry Skills Laboratory Exercises.

PubMed

Alsharif, Naser Z; Roche, Victoria F; Qi, Yongyue

2016-06-25

Objective. To analyze student perceptions of self-efficacy in meeting medicinal chemistry course related educational outcomes and skills following a medicinal chemistry skills laboratory. Methods. Four activities were implemented in a pharmacy skills laboratory (PSL) for second-year pharmacy students. Students (n=121) worked individually on exercises for three of the four activities. Pre/post-laboratory surveys on self-efficacy were administered. The McNemar test was performed to evaluate students' self-efficacy above 70% related to course outcomes before and after the exercises in each activity. An independent t test was conducted to compare the mean of students' responses on meeting course outcomes based on the 70% anchor for the perspective confidence on meeting course outcomes. Results. The post-PSL scores on all self-efficacy questions improved. The majority of students reported skill development in all exercises. Students and clinical faculty qualitative responses indicated they felt exercises were effective. Conclusion. A PSL can serve as a valuable opportunity to address course related educational outcomes and specific skill development and can help students assess their self-efficacy in meeting them.

An approach to developing independent learning and non-technical skills amongst final year mining engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knobbs, C. G.; Grayson, D. J.

2012-06-01

There is mounting evidence to show that engineers need more than technical skills to succeed in industry. This paper describes a curriculum innovation in which so-called 'soft' skills, specifically inter-personal and intra-personal skills, were integrated into a final year mining engineering course. The instructional approach was designed to promote independent learning and to develop non-technical skills, essential for students on the threshold of becoming practising engineers. Three psychometric tests were administered at the beginning of the course to make students aware of their own and their classmates' characteristics. Substantial prescribed reading assignments preceded weekly group discussions. Several projects during the course required team work skills and application of content knowledge to real-world contexts. Results obtained from students' reflection papers, assignments related to 'soft' skills and end of course evaluations suggest that students' appreciation of the need for these skills, as well as their own perceived competence, increased during the course. Their ability to function as independent learners also increased.

Development and evaluation of a learner-centered educational summer camp program on soft skills for baccalaureate nursing students.

PubMed

Lau, Ying; Wang, Wenru

2014-01-01

The objectives were to develop a learner-centered educational camp program for nursing students and to evaluate 4 areas of soft skills, communication ability, clinical interaction, interpersonal relationships, and social problem solving, before and after the program. The results showed that the summer camp program was effective in improving nursing students' soft skills.

Use of Exam Wrappers to Enhance Students' Metacognitive Skills in a Large Introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gezer-Templeton, P. Gizem; Mayhew, Emily J.; Korte, Debra S.; Schmidt, Shelly J.

2017-01-01

Research shows that students struggle to develop higher order thinking skills and effective study strategies during the transition from high school to college. Therefore, in addition to teaching course content, effective instructors should assist students in developing metacognitive skills, that is, the practice of thinking about their thinking.…

Generalizability Theory Research on Developing a Scoring Rubric to Assess Primary School Students' Problem Posing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cankoy, Osman; Özder, Hasan

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to develop a scoring rubric to assess primary school students' problem posing skills. The rubric including five dimensions namely solvability, reasonability, mathematical structure, context and language was used. The raters scored the students' problem posing skills both with and without the scoring rubric to test the…

Development of a WebQuest as instructional material in teaching biodiversity for grade 8 learners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genovia, Jerson A.; Eslit, April Rose C.; Tamse, Agnes Lera G.; Barquilla, Manuel B.

2018-01-01

WebQuest is an inquiry-based learning activity that allows students to learn the lesson using the information provided in the internet resources. The study aimed to develop and implement the WebQuest on Biodiversity. Primarily, this research determines the students' performances in the achievement test after WebQuest was implemented to them. Secondly, it is also to investigate on their attitudes towards Biology before and after the activity as well as the level of development of their 21st Century Skills. This research utilized Quasi-experimental Non-randomized One Group Pretest/Posttest Design. The developed WebQuest that is based from the K-12 curriculum competencies were evaluated by selected experts in the Content (2), Pedagogy (2) and ICT (2) to assess the said activity in terms of content, pedagogy and ICT effects. It was then implemented in an intact group of grade 8 students. Findings revealed that the developed WebQuest was rated "Excellent" for Content, Pedagogy and TCT effects. After utilizing the WebQuest activity on Biodiversity, students acquired more knowledge on the topic shows by the mean difference of 2.42, which is highly significant based on t-test result. The overall students' attitude towards Biology as a subject changed positively after they did the activity due to novelty effects and the WebQuest itself with the mean difference of 0.46. Moreover, results shows that the students can developed 21st century skills considering that the Likert scale survey was given only to the students after the activity. Based on the result, 97% of total responses favored to have developed Critical Thinking skills, 98% on Collaboration skills, 97% on Creativity and Innovative skills, 94% on Communication skills, 97% on Self-Decision skills, and 97% on ICT skills. The concentration of percentage of responses differed in two classes because Class A was composed of highlyselected students who underwent an entrance examination upon admission in school and Class B, a highly-generalized students whom have not taken an entrance examination. Respondents in Class A developed those skills mostly in ModerateHigh compared to Class B which developed those skills in Moderate -Slightly High level. In addition, students perceived the said activity as favorable based on the result in the self-assessment procedure. The WebQuest activity also helped them develop their creativity in coming up with the expected learning outputs. Despite the limited supply of personal computer, most of the respondents performed well in the written report, slides and video presentations which majority of the groups' outputs were rated as "Very good". This study recommends that each learner should be provided with personal computer while learning through WebQuest. The administration of pretest in the evaluation for 21st Century skills development so that a higher attitude difference towards Biology will be manifested and to compare the changes of skills development among learners before and after the activity.

Student Perceptions of the Importance of Employability Skill Provision in Business Undergraduate Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Denise

2013-01-01

Studies examining student perceptions of employability skill development in business undergraduate programs are limited. Assurance of student buy-in is important to ensure learners engage with skill provision; to enable them to articulate their capabilities to potential employers; and to facilitate the transfer of acquired skills. The author…

The Influence of Undergraduate Science Curriculum Reform on Students' Perceptions of Their Quantitative Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Adams, Peter; Goos, Merrilyn

2015-01-01

In this study, the Science Student Skills Inventory was used to gain understanding of student perceptions about their quantitative skills and compare perceptions of cohorts graduating before and after the implementation of a new science curriculum intent on developing quantitative skills. The study involved 600 responses from final-year…

Online course design for teaching critical thinking.

PubMed

Schaber, Patricia; Shanedling, Janet

2012-01-01

Teaching critical thinking (CT) skills, a goal in higher education, is seldom considered in the primary design of either classroom or online courses, and is even less frequently measured in student learning. In health professional education, CT along with clinical reasoning skills is essential for the development of clinical practitioners. This study, measuring CT skill development in an online theory course, supports using a cyclical course design to build higher level processes in student thinking. Eighty-six Masters of Occupational Therapy students in four sections of an occupation-based theory course were evaluated on elements in the Paul and Elder CT Model throughout the course and surveyed for their perceptions in their ability to think critically at course completion. Results of this study demonstrated that the online theory course design contributed to improving critical thinking skills and student's perceived CT skill development as applicable to their future professional practice. In a focus group, eight students identified four effective course design features that contributed to their CT skill development: highly structured learning, timely feedback from instructor, repetition of assignments, and active engagement with the material.

Surfing or drowning? Student nurses' Internet skills.

PubMed

Bond, Carol S

2004-04-01

The ability to use the Internet is an essential skill for nursing students, both to support their studies, especially as nursing students spend a lot of their time in placements away from the university campus, and to support their development of skills in using what is becoming an increasingly essential tool for professionals. A study at Bournemouth University, England, found that new student nurses had poor Internet skills and were not frequent users prior to starting the course. No link was found between the students' ages and their Internet use or skills. A clear link was however found between ability and frequency of use, except in relationship to the students' ability to conduct an effective search. Almost half of the respondents said that they find far too much irrelevant information when searching for information on the Internet. Given the importance of Information and Technology skills to nurses, both as lifelong learners and as competent practitioners and to nursing students throughout their pre-registration education, the inclusion of a programme to ensure that they develop these skills during their pre-registration education is essential.

Developing thinking skill system for modelling creative thinking and critical thinking of vocational high school student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewanto, W. K.; Agustianto, K.; Sari, B. E.

2018-01-01

Vocational students must have practical skills in accordance with the purpose of vocational school that creating the skilled graduates according to their field. Graduates of vocational education are required not just as users, but be able to create. Thus requiring critical and creative thinking skills to assist students in generating ideas, analyzing and creating a product of value. Based on this, then this research aims to develop a system to know the level of ability to think critically and creative students, that resulted students can do self-reflection in improving the ability to think critically and creatively as a supporter of practical ability. The system testing using Naïve Bayes Correlation shown an average accuracy of 93.617% in assessing the students’ critical and creative thinking ability. By using modeling with this system will be known level of students’ critical and creative thinking ability, then the output of the system is used to determine the type of innovation in the learning process to improve the critical and creative thinking skills to support the practical skills of students as skilled vocational students.

Medical and psychology students' self-assessed communication skills: A pilot study.

PubMed

Tiuraniemi, Juhani; Läärä, Riitta; Kyrö, Tuuli; Lindeman, Sari

2011-05-01

The purpose of this study was to describe how psychology and medical students assess their own competency and skills before and after training, in which role-play was used to teach interpersonal and communication skills. Interpersonal and communication skills were assessed with a semi-structured questionnaire before and after the training. The students of both medicine and psychology estimated their skill levels to be higher after the course. The psychology students estimated their skills for communication, motivating interviewing, empathy and reflection, and change orientation to be better at the end of the course. Medical students estimated their communication skills, motivating interviewing skills, and change orientation skills to be better at the end of the course. Even a short period of training in interpersonal and communication skills can positively affect the self-assessed skills of the medical students. In the future, it would be worthwhile to pay attention to reflective teaching practices in the training of both medical and psychology students. The cognitive and emotional components of these practices help students to develop their own communication skills. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Positive teacher and peer relations combine to predict primary school students' academic skill development.

PubMed

Kiuru, Noona; Aunola, Kaisa; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Pakarinen, Eija; Poskiparta, Elisa; Ahonen, Timo; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2015-04-01

This study examined cross-lagged associations between positive teacher and peer relations and academic skill development. Reading and math skills were tested among 625 students in kindergarten and Grade 4. Teacher reports of positive affect toward each student and classmate reports of peer acceptance were gathered in Grades 1-3. The results showed, first, that positive teacher affect toward the student and peer acceptance were reciprocally associated: Positive teacher affect predicted higher peer acceptance, and higher peer acceptance predicted a higher level of positive teacher affect. Second, the effect of positive teacher affect on academic skill development was partly mediated via peer acceptance, while the effect of early academic skills on peer acceptance was partly mediated via positive teacher affect. The results suggest that a warm and supportive teacher can increase a student's peer acceptance, which, in turn, is positively associated with learning outcomes. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The Development of a Comprehensive Student Basic Skills Assessment Program at St. Louis Community College's Florissant Valley Campus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Mel

A comprehensive student basic skills assessment program was developed at St. Louis Community College (SLCC) at Florissant Valley to appraise student readiness to take courses, gather information for counseling and advising, diagnose student problems, and evaluate program efficiency and effectiveness. The steps taken in developing the program were:…

Gender, Math Confidence, and Grit: Relationships with Quantitative Skills and Performance in an Undergraduate Biology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flanagan, K. M.; Einarson, J.

2017-01-01

In a world filled with big data, mathematical models, and statistics, the development of strong quantitative skills is becoming increasingly critical for modern biologists. Teachers in this field must understand how students acquire quantitative skills and explore barriers experienced by students when developing these skills. In this study, we…

Students' Perspective on Web 2.0-Enhanced Telecollaboration as Added Value in Translator Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marczak, Mariusz

2016-01-01

The development of soft skills, which are the most critical skills in the global job market (Abbas & Hum, 2013), is an essential goal of contemporary translator education (Mathias, 2013). A solution that permits students to simultaneously develop translation skills and soft skills is telecollaboration (Dooly & O'Dowd, 2012), i.e. the use…

Examining the Professional Development Experiences and Non-Technical Skills Desired for Geoscience Employment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houlton, H. R.; Ricci, J.; Wilson, C. E.; Keane, C.

2014-12-01

Professional development experiences, such as internships, research presentations and professional network building, are becoming increasingly important to enhance students' employability post-graduation. The practical, non-technical skills that are important for succeeding during these professional development experiences, such as public speaking, project management, ethical practices and writing, transition well and are imperative to the workplace. Thereby, graduates who have honed these skills are more competitive candidates for geoscience employment. Fortunately, the geoscience community recognizes the importance of these professional development opportunities and the skills required to successfully complete them, and are giving students the chance to practice non-technical skills while they are still enrolled in academic programs. The American Geosciences Institute has collected data regarding students' professional development experiences, including the preparation they receive in the corresponding non-technical skills. This talk will discuss the findings of two of AGI's survey efforts - the Geoscience Student Exit Survey and the Geoscience Careers Master's Preparation Survey (NSF: 1202707). Specifically, data highlighting the role played by internships, career opportunities and the complimentary non-technical skills will be discussed. As a practical guide, events informed by this research, such as AGI's professional development opportunities, networking luncheons and internships, will also be included.

An exploration of student nurses' thoughts and experiences of using a video-recording to assess their performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during a mock objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

PubMed

Paul, Fiona

2010-09-01

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an essential skill taught within undergraduate nursing programmes. At the author's institution, students must pass the CPR objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) before progressing to second year. However, some students have difficulties developing competence in CPR and evidence suggests that resuscitation skills may only be retained for several months. This has implications for practice as nurses are required to be competent in CPR. Therefore, further opportunities for students to develop these skills are necessary. An action research project was conducted with six students who were assessed by an examiner at a video-recorded mock OSCE. Students self-assessed their skills using the video and a checklist. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to compare checklist scores, and explore students' thoughts and experiences of the OSCE. The findings indicate that students may need to repeat this exercise by comparing their previous and current performances to develop both their self-assessment and CPR skills. Although there were some differences between the examiner's and student's checklist scores, all students reported the benefits of participating in this project, e.g. discussion and identification of knowledge and skills deficits, thus emphasising the benefits of formative assessments to prepare students for summative assessments and ultimately clinical practice. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reader's Response: Response to K. Hornsby's "Developing and Assessing Undergraduate Students' Moral Reasoning Skills"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, Carla

2008-01-01

In this brief response, Carla Payne comments on Karen Hornsby's "Developing and Assessing Undergraduate Students' Moral Reasoning Skills" (EJ1137006). Payne agrees with Hornsby's statement that the development of "moral reasoning skills" is a very desirable outcome for an ethics course, yet takes issue with Hornsby not sticking…

Probing EFL Students' Language Skill Development in Tertiary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Hong

2008-01-01

Research in second or foreign language learning indicates that for adult learners, the improvement of one language skill facilitates the development of other skills. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations among Chinese EFL students' reading, writing, and listening development by examining their test scores on the College…

‘Students-as-partners’ scheme enhances postgraduate students’ employability skills while addressing gaps in bioinformatics education

PubMed Central

Mello, Luciane V.; Tregilgas, Luke; Cowley, Gwen; Gupta, Anshul; Makki, Fatima; Jhutty, Anjeet; Shanmugasundram, Achchuthan

2017-01-01

Abstract Teaching bioinformatics is a longstanding challenge for educators who need to demonstrate to students how skills developed in the classroom may be applied to real world research. This study employed an action research methodology which utilised student–staff partnership and peer-learning. It was centred on the experiences of peer-facilitators, students who had previously taken a postgraduate bioinformatics module, and had applied knowledge and skills gained from it to their own research. It aimed to demonstrate to peer-receivers, current students, how bioinformatics could be used in their own research while developing peer-facilitators’ teaching and mentoring skills. This student-centred approach was well received by the peer-receivers, who claimed to have gained improved understanding of bioinformatics and its relevance to research. Equally, peer-facilitators also developed a better understanding of the subject and appreciated that the activity was a rare and invaluable opportunity to develop their teaching and mentoring skills, enhancing their employability. PMID:29098185

Formula student as part of a mechanical engineering curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Huw Charles

2013-10-01

Formula Student (FS) is a multi-university student design competition managed by the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Students are required to demonstrate and prove their creativity and engineering skills through the design, manufacture and financing of a small formula style race car. This paper seeks to explore the educational value that derives from the FS activity through a series of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. Through the analysis of the interview data, it was found that the FS activity supported development of student skills and competencies in the following areas: use of engineering knowledge to support the application of existing and emerging technology; application of theoretical and practical knowledge to the solution of engineering problems; development of technical and commercial management skills; development of effective interpersonal skills, including communication skills; and demonstration of personal commitment to professional development. In addition, a number of areas for implementing 'good practise' have been identified. The information herein supports educators in their responsibility to help meet the needs of the engineering industry for high quality graduates.

Clinical skills development in student-run free clinic volunteers: a multi-trait, multi-measure study.

PubMed

Nakamura, Mio; Altshuler, David; Chadwell, Margit; Binienda, Juliann

2014-12-12

At Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU SOM), the Robert R. Frank Student Run Free Clinic (SRFC) is one place preclinical students can gain clinical experience. There have been no published studies to date measuring the impact of student-run free clinic (SRFC) volunteerism on clinical skills development in preclinical medical students. Surveys were given to first year medical students at WSU SOM at the beginning and end of Year 1 to assess perception of clinical skills, including self-confidence, self-reflection, and professionalism. Scores of the Year 1 Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) were compared between SRFC volunteers and non-volunteers. There were a total of 206 (68.2%) and 80 (26.5%) survey responses at the beginning and end of Year 1, respectively. Of the 80 students, 31 (38.7%) volunteered at SRFC during Year 1. Statistically significant differences were found between time points in self-confidence (p < 0.001) in both groups. When looking at self-confidence in skills pertaining to SRFC, the difference between groups was statistically significant (p = 0.032) at both time points. A total of 302 students participated in the Year 1 OSCE, 27 (9%) of which were SRFC volunteers. No statistically significant differences were found between groups for mean score (p = 0.888) and established level of rapport (p = 0.394). While this study indicated no significant differences in clinical skills in students who volunteer at the SRFC, it is a first step in attempting to measure clinical skill development outside of the structured medical school setting. The findings lend themselves to development of research designs, clinical surveys, and future studies to measure the impact of clinical volunteer opportunities on clinical skills development in future physicians.

The impact of sub-skills and item content on students' skills with regard to the control-of-variables strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwichow, Martin; Christoph, Simon; Boone, William J.; Härtig, Hendrik

2016-01-01

The so-called control-of-variables strategy (CVS) incorporates the important scientific reasoning skills of designing controlled experiments and interpreting experimental outcomes. As CVS is a prominent component of science standards appropriate assessment instruments are required to measure these scientific reasoning skills and to evaluate the impact of instruction on CVS development. A detailed review of existing CVS instruments suggests that they utilize different, and only a few of the four, critical CVS sub-skills in the item development. This study presents a new CVS assessment instrument (CVS Inventory, CVSI) and investigates the validity of student measures derived from this instrument utilizing Rasch analyses. The results indicate that the CVSI produces reliable and valid student measures with regard to CVS. Furthermore, the results show that the item difficulty depends on the CVS sub-skills utilized in item development, but not on the item content. Accordingly, previous instruments that are restricted to a few CVS sub-skills tend to over- or underestimate students' CVS skills. In addition, these results indicate that students are able to use CVS as a domain general strategy in multiple content areas. Consequences for science instruction and assessment are discussed.

Plan Your Future! Career Management Skills for Students of Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randall, Laurence

2016-01-01

At the University of Westminster, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures has developed a student employability and work-integrated learning project, "Career Management Skills" (CMS), for undergraduate language students. The main objective was to develop a comprehensive employability strategy for all students on all undergraduate…

Video-recorded simulated patient interactions: can they help develop clinical and communication skills in today's learning environment?

PubMed

Seif, Gretchen A; Brown, Debora

2013-01-01

It is difficult to provide real-world learning experiences for students to master clinical and communication skills. The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel instructional method using self- and peer-assessment, reflection, and technology to help students develop effective interpersonal and clinical skills. The teaching method is described by the constructivist learning theory and incorporates the use of educational technology. The learning activities were incorporated into the pre-clinical didactic curriculum. The students participated in two video-recording assignments and performed self-assessments on each and had a peer-assessment on the second video-recording. The learning activity was evaluated through the self- and peer-assessments and an instructor-designed survey. This evaluation identified several themes related to the assignment, student performance, clinical behaviors and establishing rapport. Overall the students perceived that the learning activities assisted in the development of clinical and communication skills prior to direct patient care. The use of video recordings of a simulated history and examination is a unique learning activity for preclinical PT students in the development of clinical and communication skills.

Critical Thinking Skills of U.S. Air Force Senior and Intermediate Developmental Education Students

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-16

SAASS), and Air War College (AWC). T-tests indicated no statistically significant difference in the CT skills of the sample of ACSC and AWC students...hypothesis that there was no statistically significant difference in the CT skills of IDE and SDE students. SAASS, as a more selective advanced studies...potential to develop CT skills, concluding, “students in the experimental group performed at a statistically significantly higher level than students in

A student-led process to enhance the learning and teaching of teamwork skills in medicine.

PubMed

Balasooriya, Chinthaka; Olupeliyawa, Asela; Iqbal, Maha; Lawley, Claire; Cohn, Amanda; Ma, David; Luu, Queenie

2013-01-01

The development of teamwork skills is a critical aspect of modern medical education. This paper reports on a project that aimed to identify student perceptions of teamwork-focused learning activities and generate student recommendations for the development of effective educational strategies. The project utilized a unique method, which drew on the skills of student research assistants (RAs) to explore the views of their peers. Using structured interview guides, the RAs interviewed their colleagues to clarify their perceptions of the effectiveness of current methods of teamwork teaching and to explore ideas for more effective methods. The RAs shared their deidentified findings with each other, identified preliminary themes, and developed a number of recommendations which were finalized through consultation with faculty. The key themes that emerged focused on the need to clarify the relevance of teamwork skills to clinical practice, reward individual contributions to group process, facilitate feedback and reflection on teamwork skills, and systematically utilize clinical experiences to support experiential learning of teamwork. Based on these findings, a number of recommendations for stage appropriate teamwork learning and assessment activities were developed. Key among these were recommendations to set up a peer-mentoring system for students, suggestions for more authentic teamwork assessment methods, and strategies to utilize the clinical learning environment in developing teamwork skills. The student-led research process enabled identification of issues that may not have been otherwise revealed by students, facilitated a better understanding of teamwork teaching and developed ownership of the curriculum among students. The project enabled the development of recommendations for designing learning, teaching, and assessment methods that were likely to be more effective from a student perspective.

Computer Game Development as a Literacy Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owston, Ron; Wideman, Herb; Ronda, Natalia Sinitskaya; Brown, Christine

2009-01-01

This study examined computer game development as a pedagogical activity to motivate and engage students in curriculum-related literacy activities. We hypothesized that as a consequence, students would improve their traditional reading and writing skills as well as develop new digital literacy skills. Eighteen classes of grade 4 students were…

Educational Intervention and the Development of Young Art Students' Talent and Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rostan, Susan M.

2005-01-01

This study focuses on behavior associated with young art students' developing artistic talent ("skills and art-making behavior") and creativity ("personal expressions of visual information"). The study examines the role of personal expertise in a student's development of problem finding, domain-specific technical skill,…

Lessons from medical students' perceptions of learning reflective skills: a multi-institutional study.

PubMed

Vivekananda-Schmidt, Pirashanthie; Marshall, Michelle; Stark, Patsy; McKendree, Jean; Sandars, John; Smithson, Sarah

2011-01-01

A core competency during undergraduate medical training is the development of reflective learning. The current literature is limited to demonstrating how reflective learning has been implemented or the approaches to its development. There is a lack of insight into students' perceptions of reflection and the factors that support development of reflective practice. Bridging this gap may provide insight into how reflective learning within the curriculum can be better developed to increase engagement from learners. Eight focus group interviews with second year students from four UK medical schools were held. Results were thematically analysed. Students have a high level of understanding of the purpose of reflection in practice but they perceive that there is a tension between public and private reflections. Assessment of the reflective process was perceived to be useful for developing reflective skills but grading of their reflective writing was not considered to be useful. Staff who champion the development of reflective skills and mentor students were perceived to play key roles in aiding the development of reflective skills. Appropriate experiences were seen to be a key part of developing reflective skills. These findings highlight potential ways to revise and improve engagement with the reflective learning components of undergraduate courses.

Fostering Spatial Skill Acquisition by General Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlisle, Deborah; Tyson, Julian; Nieswandt, Martina

2015-01-01

The study of chemistry requires the understanding and use of spatial relationships, which can be challenging for many students. Prior research has shown that there is a need to develop students' spatial reasoning skills. To that end, this study implemented guided activities designed to strengthen students' spatial skills, with the aim of improving…

Geography literacy can develop Geography skills for high school students: is it true?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, W. S.; Zain, I. M.; Sumarmi

2018-01-01

The most important issue related to education in Indonesia is the low quality of student learning and competence. The basic thing that is important to be studied is the demands of 21st-century skills that are difficult to fulfil with the low competence of student learning. Low competence of student learning demonstrated by low capacity of scientific literacy includes geography literacy. Geography skills of Indonesian students are also low. It is shown from the students’ ability to use maps to describe and to analyze is low. The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the literacy skills of geography to develop geography skills of high school students in Surabaya. Written and performance tests were given to the sample of 29 high school students. The results of the tests we analyzed based on Geography literacy and its correlation to Geography skills in terms of the ability to use the media, map, and analyze the phenomenon of the geosphere. The results showed that the students who have low literacy geography have difficulty in using map.

"Become a Reporter", the Four Skills News Project: Applying and Practising Language Skills Using Digital Tools for Level C1/C2 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magedera-Hofhansl, Hanna

2016-01-01

The Four Skills News Project is an example of communicative language learning, developed for final year German students at the University of Liverpool. It focuses on how students use and practise their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills via the creative use of news reports and digital technology. Each student creates an avatar using…

The Development of English Language Teaching Skills for Graduate Students through the Process of Learning by Doing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Likitrattanaporn, Wannakarn

2017-01-01

The purposes of this investigation were (1) to examine the findings of effectiveness of the process of learning-by-doing; (2) to develop students' skill of designing English teaching materials and teaching English language; and (3) to determine an efficient format of learning-by-doing used for training student-teachers in the skill of teaching…

A Classroom Research Skills Development Emphasizing Data Analysis and Result of SSRU Students by RBL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waree, Chaiwat

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study is the learning using research as a base. To strengthen the skills of classroom research Emphasizing Data Analysis and Result and to study the development of research skills in the class Emphasizing Data Analysis and Result of SSRU' Students by learning using research base. The target group are students in the 2nd semester…

Online Learning Communities: Enhancing the Acquisition of Information Skills by Undergraduate Students of the University of Puerto Rico at Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dominguez Flores, Noraida

2010-01-01

Despite the efforts that have been made to develop the information skills of undergraduate students, there are still limitations that one shot sessions of face-to-face library instruction or online tutorials present when they are the only options used to develop specific information skills in students. The purpose of this study was to investigate…

Teaching Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Service (ALSCS) to medical students.

PubMed

Goldstein, Adam O; Calleson, Diane; Bearman, Rachel; Steiner, Beat D; Frasier, Pamela Y; Slatt, Lisa

2009-06-01

Inadequate access to health care, lack of health insurance, and significant health disparities reflect crises in health care affecting all of society. Training U.S. physicians to possess not only clinical expertise but also sufficient leadership skills is essential to solve these problems and to effectively improve health care systems. Few models in the undergraduate medical curriculum exist for teaching students how to combine needed leadership competencies with actual service opportunities.The Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Service (ALSCS) selective developed in response to the shortage of leadership models and leadership training for medical students. The ALSCS selective is designed specifically to increase students' leadership skills, with an emphasis on community service. The selective integrates classroom-based learning, hands-on application of learned skills, and service learning. More than 60 medical students have participated in the selective since inception. Short-term outcomes demonstrate an increase in students' self-efficacy around multiple dimensions of leadership skills (e.g., fundraising, networking, motivating others). Students have also successfully completed more than a dozen leadership and community service projects. The selective offers an innovative model of a leadership-skills-based course that can have a positive impact on leadership skill development among medical school students and that can be incorporated into the medical school curriculum.

Developing Research-Ready Skills: Preparing Early Academic Students for Participation in Research Experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charlevoix, D. J.; Morris, A. R.

2015-12-01

Engaging lower-division undergraduates in research experiences is a key but challenging aspect of guiding talented students into the geoscience research pipeline. UNAVCO conducted a summer internship program to prepare first and second year college students for participation in authentic, scientific research. Many students in their first two years of academic studies do not have the science content knowledge or sufficient math skills to conduct independent research. Students from groups historically underrepresented in the geosciences may face additional challenges in that they often have a less robust support structure to help them navigate the university environment and may be less aware of professional opportunities in the geosciences.UNAVCO, manager of NSF's geodetic facility, hosted four students during summer 2015 internship experience aimed to help them develop skills that will prepare them for research internships and skills that will help them advance professionally. Students spent eight weeks working with UNAVCO technical staff learning how to use equipment, prepare instrumentation for field campaigns, among other technical skills. Interns also participated in a suite of professional development activities including communications workshops, skills seminars, career circles, geology-focused field trips, and informal interactions with research interns and graduate student interns at UNAVCO. This presentation will outline the successes and challenges of engaging students early in their academic careers and outline the unique role such experiences can have in students' academic careers.

Enhancing Thinking Skills with School-University Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McInerney, William D.; Kolter, Gerald E.

1988-01-01

Describes a collaborative Purdue University and Twin Lakes School Corporation (Indiana) project to specify and demonstrate research-based instructional models facilitating the development of students' higher thinking skills. The project has developed a special site where student teachers can observe and practice teaching these skills. Includes 10…

Bockron as a Medium of Learning in The Process of Inquiry based Learning to Improve Science Process Skills of Junior High School Students in Growth and Development Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayasari, D.

2017-02-01

Investigative research on Influence of bockron as a medium of learning in process of inquiry-based learning to the development of science process skills on the concept of growth and development. This research was done in an effort to follow up underdeveloped skills of observing, communicating andconclude on students. This research was conducted using classroom action research (PTK), which consisted of 3 cycles. Cycle 1 students observe differences in growth and development, cycle 2 students measure the growth rate, cycle 3 students observe factors that influence growth and development, In these three cycles is used as a planting medium bocron (bottles and dacron). It involves 8th grade junior high-school students of 14-15 years old as research subjects in six meetings. Indicators of process skill include observation, communication, interpretation and inference. Data is collected through students’ work sheets, written tests and observation. Processing of the data to see N-Gain used Microsoft Excel 2007, and the results showed that an increase in science process skills with a value of medium N-Gain (0,63). Bokron learning medium easily and cheaply obtainable around the students, particularly those in urban areas is quite difficult to get land to be used as aplanting medium. In addition to observation of growth and development, bokron media can also be used to observe the motion in plants. The use bokron as a learning medium can train and develop science process skills, attitude and scientific method also gives students concrete experience of the process of growth and development in plants.

Embedding Volunteer Activity into Paramedic Education.

PubMed

Ross, Linda; Kabidi, Sophia

2017-01-01

Paramedics require a wide range of skills that are beyond clinical or technical skills in order to meet the demands of the role and provide quality and compassionate care to patients. Non-technical or "soft" skills and attributes are generally challenging to teach and develop in the classroom setting. Volunteerism provides an opportunity for students to gain exposure to different communities and develop interpersonal skills. This cross-sectional study used one-on-one interviews with 12 third-year Bachelor of Emergency Health (Paramedic) students from Monash University, Australia, who completed a community volunteering program. Results suggest that paramedic students see volunteering as a highly valuable means of developing a number of skills crucial to their future roles and paramedic practice. Volunteering also provided students with an opportunity to learn about themselves and the broader community, develop confidence, and improve overall job-readiness and employability. This study demonstrates that embedding volunteering into paramedic education is an effective way to develop the broad range of paramedic attributes required for the role. These experiences allow students to make the important transition to a job-ready graduate paramedic who can provide holistic patient-centred care.

Implementing a skillslab training program in a developing country.

PubMed

Tran, Trung Quang; Scherpbier, Albert; van Dalen, Jan; van Do, Dung; Wright, E Pamela

2014-01-01

Eight skills laboratories (skillslabs) were established by consensus of Vietnamese medical universities, with international support. A national list of basic skills needed for medical practice and suitable for skillslab training was developed; models, medical and teaching equipment were supplied; learning material was developed and core staff and teachers were trained. This study was designed to assess how closely eight schools in Vietnam came to implementing all recommended skills on list developed by educators of that country, and identify the facilitating factors and barriers to skillslab use within the country's largest school. Data were collected from reports from the eight skillslabs. Students and trainers from the largest university were surveyed for their perceptions of the quality of training on eight selected skills. Results of students' skill assessments were gathered, and focus group discussions with trainers were conducted. SPSS 16 was used to analyze the quantitative data and cluster analysis was used to test for differences. Only one medical school was able to train all 56 basic skills proposed by consensus among the eight Vietnamese medical universities. Deeper exploration within the largest school revealed that its skillslab training was successful for most skills, according to students' postprogram skills assessment and to students' and trainers' perceptions. However, through focus group discussions we learned that the quantity of training aids was perceived to be insufficient; some models/manikins were inappropriate for training; more consideration was needed in framing the expected requirements of students within each skill; too little time was allocated for the training of one of the eight skills investigated; and further curriculum development is needed to better integrate the skills training program into the broader curriculum. The fact that one medical school could teach all skills recommended for skillslab training demonstrates that all Vietnamese schools may be similarly able to teach the basic skills of the national consensus list. But as of now, it remains challenging for most schools in this developing country to fully implement a national skillslab training program.

Development of a patient-doctor communication skills model for medical students.

PubMed

Lee, Young Hee; Lee, Young-Mee

2010-09-01

Communication is a core clinical skill that can be taught and learned. The authors intended to develop a patient-doctor communication model for teaching and assessing undergraduate medical students in Korea. To develop a model, literature reviews and an iterative process of discussion between faculty members of a communication skills course for second year medical students were conducted. The authors extracted common communication skill competencies by comparing the Kalamazoo Consensus Statement, SEGUE framework communication skills, the Calgary Cambridge Observation Guides, and previous communication skills lists that have been used by the authors. The content validity, with regard to clinical importance and feasibility, was surveyed by both faculty physicians and students. The first version of the model consisted of 36 items under 7 categories: initiating the session (8 items), building a relationship (6), gathering information (8), understanding a patient's perspectives (4), sharing information (4), reaching an agreement (3), and closing the session (3). It was used as a guide for both students and teachers in an actual communication skills course. At the end of the course, student performance was assessed using two 7-minute standardized patient interviews with a 34-item checklist. This assessment tool was modified from the first version of the model to reflect the case specificity of the scenarios. A patient-doctor communication model, which can be taught to those with limited patient care experience, was finally developed. We recommended a patient-doctor communication skills model that can be used for teaching and evaluating preclinical and clinical students. Further studies are needed to verify its validity and reliability.

Limitation on the Development of Skills in Higher Education in Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tran, Thi Tuyet

2013-01-01

This study investigates the perceptions of higher education students, recent graduates and employers in Vietnam on the issue of skill development in the higher education system in Vietnam. Enhancing skill development is considered essential for students, not only to pursue their study, but also for their success later, at work and in life. The…

Perceptions of Science Graduating Students on Their Learning Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varsavsky, Cristina; Matthews, Kelly E.; Hodgson, Yvonne

2014-01-01

In this study, the Science Student Skills Inventory was used to gain understanding of student perceptions about their science skills set developed throughout their programme (scientific content knowledge, communication, scientific writing, teamwork, quantitative skills, and ethical thinking). The study involved 400 responses from undergraduate…

Accounting Students' Reflections on a Course to Enhance Their Interpersonal Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daff, Lyn

2013-01-01

Communication skills are critical for an accountant's workplace success; however accounting education research to date has mainly focused on the writing and presentation skills aspects of communication skills. Research on developing accounting students' interpersonal skills has received scant attention. This paper provides an example of how to…

Innovative cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator programs in schools: Results from the Student Program for Olympic Resuscitation Training in Schools (SPORTS) study.

PubMed

Vetter, Victoria L; Haley, Danielle M; Dugan, Noreen P; Iyer, V Ramesh; Shults, Justine

2016-07-01

Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rates are low. Our study objective was to encourage Philadelphia high school students to develop CPR/AED (automated external defibrillator) training programs and to assess their efficacy. The focus was on developing innovative ways to learn the skills of CPR/AED use, increasing willingness to respond in an emergency, and retention of effective psychomotor resuscitation skills. Health education classes in 15 Philadelphia School District high schools were selected, with one Control and one Study Class per school. Both completed CPR/AED pre- and post-tests to assess cognitive knowledge and psychomotor skills. After pre-tests, both were taught CPR skills and AED use by their health teacher. Study Classes developed innovative programs to learn, teach, and retain CPR/AED skills. The study culminated with Study Classes competing in multiple CPR/AED skills events at the CPR/AED Olympic event. Outcomes included post-tests, Mock Code, and presentation scores. All students' cognitive and psychomotor skills improved with standard classroom education (p<0.001). Competition with other schools at the CPR/AED Olympics and the development of their own student-directed education programs resulted in remarkable retention of psychomotor skill scores in the Study Class (88%) vs the Control Class (79%) (p<0.001). Olympic participants averaged 93.1% on the Mock Code with 10 of 12 schools ≥94%. Students who developed creative and novel methods of teaching and learning resuscitation skills showed outstanding application of these skills in a Mock Code with remarkable psychomotor skill retention, potentially empowering a new generation of effectively trained CPR bystanders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decay and Renewal. Student Edition. Cornell Scientific Inquiry Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trautmann, Nancy M.; Krasny, Marianne E.; Carlsen, William S.; Cunningham, Christine M.; Canning, Harry; Carroll, Patricia; Johnson, Mark; Khandar, Alpa; Olynciw, Elaina; Kottler, Bennett; Penningroth, Stephen; Welman, Adam

This student guide is part of the Environmental Inquiry (EI) curriculum series developed at Cornell University to enable high school students to conduct authentic environmental science research. The goals of EI are for students to: (1) develop research skills; (2) use their newly acquired skills to conduct research projects of their own design,…

Improving Communication Skills of Pharmacy Students Through Effective Precepting

PubMed Central

McDonough, Randy P.; Bennett, Marialice S.

2006-01-01

Pharmacy students should be given opportunities to learn and practice interpersonal communication skills during their community advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). Preceptors have the responsibility of setting the stage for the pharmacy students during their initial encounter. During this orientation to the site, students should become familiar with the history of the practice, the types of services provided, and the staff members. Once the orientation is completed, preceptors can develop strategies for incorporating the students into the practice's patient care activities. Students should participate in patient counseling, interviewing, and educational sessions. Also, students should participate in collaborative work with other health care providers. To ensure the development of communication skills in pharmacy students, preceptors can incorporate the teaching process “see one, do one, teach one” into their teaching activities. By following these strategies, preceptors can effectively and positively impact the communication skills of their students. PMID:17136179

Developing 21st Century Process Skills through Project Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoo, Jeong-Ju; MacDonald, Nora M.

2014-01-01

The goal of this paper is to illustrate how the promotion of 21st Century process skills can be used to enhance student learning and workplace skill development: thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, leadership, and management. As an illustrative case, fashion merchandising and design students conducted research for a…

Development of Open-Ended Problems for Measuring The Higher-Order-Thinking-Skills of High School Students on Global Warming Phenomenon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fianti; Najwa, F. L.; Linuwih, S.

2017-04-01

Higher-order-thinking-skills can not be developed directly, except by training which is employing open-ended problems for measuring and developing critics, creativeness, and problem-solving thinking-skills of students. This study is a research and development producing open-ended problems. The purpose of this study is to measure the properness and effectiveness of the developed product and to observe the profile of higher-order-thinking-skills of students on global warming phenomenon. The result of properness test of open-ended problems according to the experts is 92,59% on the first stage and 97,53% on the second stage, so we can assume that the product isvery proper. The result of effectiveness test shows the coefficient of correlation between student’s midterm test scores and open-ended questions is 0,634 which is in the category of strong. Higher-order-thinking-skills of SMA Negeri 1 Salatiga students is in the category of good with the average achievement scores 61,28.

Cognitive Apprenticeship and the Supervision of Science and Engineering Research Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maher, Michelle A.; Gilmore, Joanna A.; Feldon, David F.; Davis, Telesia E.

2013-01-01

We explore and critically reflect on the research development of eight science or engineering doctoral students serving as research assistants over the course of an academic year. We use a cognitive apprenticeship framework, assumed to explain doctoral students' skill development, to interpret narratives of skill development for students and their…

Can Clinical Skills Be Taught Online? Comparing Skill Development between Online and F2F Students Using a Blinded Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilke, Dina J.; King, Erin; Ashmore, Margaret; Stanley, Craig

2016-01-01

This study compared the development of clinical assessment and intervention skills between students enrolled in a face-to-face (F2F) or an asynchronous online clinical social work class. All students from three semesters of F2F (n = 74) and online (n = 78) sections of an MSW clinical class taught by the same instructor were included. Two…

A Study To Identify the Appropriate Vocational Education Related Competencies Needed for Graduation by Handicapped Students. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Texas Univ., Denton.

A project developed competency profiles identifying entry-level skills and employability skills to be acquired by handicapped students before graduation. Research literature was reviewed to identify generalizable skills, employability skills, self-help skills, and job skills. Feedback was obtained from practitioners in the field regarding rating…

The relationship between ego-state and communication skills in medical students.

PubMed

Hur, Yera; Cho, A-Ra

2014-03-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ego-states and communication skills in medical students. A total of 109 medical school students participated in this study, which used the communication skills self-test papers and the Egogram checklist. The data were analyzed by frequency analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis. Ego-state was related to communication skills. In particular, adapted child ego-state was negatively associated with each sphere of communication skills. Our results suggested that ego-state types should be considered in developing a communication skills education program for medical students.

Enhancing Students' Speaking Skills through Peer Team Teaching: A Student Centered Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vani, V. Vijaya

2016-01-01

The present paper attempts to establish that peer team teaching of a prescribed English lesson of 1st year B.Tech course by the students will provide more opportunities to enhance their public speaking skills. This kind of classroom activity will also help them to develop their vocabulary, reading skills, team working skills, etc. It is assumed…

The Use of Geospatial Technologies Instruction within a Student/Teacher/Scientist Partnership: Increasing Students' Geospatial Skills and Atmospheric Concept Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedley, Mikell Lynne; Templin, Mark A.; Czaljkowski, Kevin; Czerniak, Charlene

2013-01-01

Many 21st century careers rely on geospatial skills; yet, curricula and professional development lag behind in incorporating these skills. As a result, many teachers have limited experience or preparation for teaching geospatial skills. One strategy for overcoming such problems is the creation of a student/teacher/scientist (STS) partnership…

Developing Oral Case Presentation Skills: Peer and Self-Evaluations as Instructional Tools.

PubMed

Williams, Dustyn E; Surakanti, Shravani

2016-01-01

Oral case presentation is an essential skill in clinical practice that is decidedly varied and understudied in teaching curricula. We developed a curriculum to improve oral case presentation skills in medical students. As part of an internal medicine clerkship, students receive instruction in the elements of a good oral case presentation and then present a real-world case in front of a video camera. Each student self-evaluates his/her presentation and receives evaluations from his/her peers. We expect peer and self-evaluation to be meaningful tools for developing skills in oral presentation. We hope to not only improve the quality of oral case presentations by students but also to reduce the time burden on faculty.

Development of technical skills in Electrical Power Engineering students: A case study of Power Electronics as a Key Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, I. S.; Azlee Hamid, Fazrena

2017-08-01

Technical skills are one of the attributes, an engineering student must attain by the time of graduation, as per recommended by Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC). This paper describes the development of technical skills, Programme Outcome (PO) number 5, in students taking the Bachelor of Electrical Power Engineering (BEPE) programme in Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). Seven courses are identified to address the technical skills development. The course outcomes (CO) of the courses are designed to instill the relevant technical skills with suitable laboratory activities. Formative and summative assessments are carried out to gauge students’ acquisition of the skills. Finally, to measure the attainment of the technical skills, key course concept is used. The concept has been implemented since 2013, focusing on improvement of the programme instead of the cohort. From the PO attainment analysis method, three different levels of PO attainment can be calculated: from the programme level, down to the course and student levels. In this paper, the attainment of the courses mapped to PO5 is measured. It is shown that Power Electronics course, which is the key course for PO5, has a strong attainment at above 90%. PO5 of other six courses are also achieved. As a conclusion, by embracing outcome-based education (OBE), the BEPE programme has a sound method to develop technical psychomotor skills in the degree students.

Self-Regulated Strategy Development. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2017

2017-01-01

"Self-Regulated Strategy Development" ("SRSD") is an intervention designed to improve students' academic skills through a six-step process that teaches students specific academic strategies and self-regulation skills. The practice is especially appropriate for students with learning disabilities, the focal population of the…

Speaking Activities for the Advanced College-Bound Student.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Don

Three activities for developing speaking skills of advanced English as second language students are presented. Impromptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking, and debate activities are designed to train students to organize concepts, develop spontaneous oral skills, and enhance confidence and clarity of thought. Impromptu speaking develops…

Teaching pediatric communication skills to medical students.

PubMed

Frost, Katherine A; Metcalf, Elizabeth P; Brooks, Rachel; Kinnersley, Paul; Greenwood, Stephen R; Powell, Colin Ve

2015-01-01

Delivering effective clinical pediatric communication skills training to undergraduate medical students is a distinct and important challenge. Pediatric-specific communication skills teaching is complex and under-researched. We report on the development of a scenario-based pediatric clinical communication skills program as well as students' assessment of this module. We designed a pediatric clinical communication skills program and delivered it five times during one academic year via small-group teaching. Students were asked to score the workshop in eight domains (learning objectives, complexity, interest, competencies, confidence, tutors, feedback, and discussion) using 5-point Likert scales, along with free text comments that were grouped and analyzed thematically, identifying both the strengths of the workshop and changes suggested to improve future delivery. Two hundred and twenty-one of 275 (80%) student feedback forms were returned. Ninety-six percent of students' comments were positive or very positive, highlighting themes such as the timing of teaching, relevance, group sizes, and the use of actors, tutors, and clinical scenarios. Scenario-based teaching of clinical communication skills is positively received by students. Studies need to demonstrate an impact on practice, performance, development, and sustainability of communications training.

Utilizing visual art to enhance the clinical observation skills of medical students.

PubMed

Jasani, Sona K; Saks, Norma S

2013-07-01

Clinical observation is fundamental in practicing medicine, but these skills are rarely taught. Currently no evidence-based exercises/courses exist for medical student training in observation skills. The goal was to develop and teach a visual arts-based exercise for medical students, and to evaluate its usefulness in enhancing observation skills in clinical diagnosis. A pre- and posttest and evaluation survey were developed for a three-hour exercise presented to medical students just before starting clerkships. Students were provided with questions to guide discussion of both representational and non-representational works of art. Quantitative analysis revealed that the mean number of observations between pre- and posttests was not significantly different (n=70: 8.63 vs. 9.13, p=0.22). Qualitative analysis of written responses identified four themes: (1) use of subjective terminology, (2) scope of interpretations, (3) speculative thinking, and (4) use of visual analogies. Evaluative comments indicated that students felt the exercise enhanced both mindfulness and skills. Using visual art images with guided questions can train medical students in observation skills. This exercise can be replicated without specially trained personnel or art museum partnerships.

How volunteering helps students to develop soft skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khasanzyanova, Albina

2017-06-01

It is widely recognised that tertiary education does not provide all of the knowledge and skills required to succeed in modern societies. Personal and interpersonal skills - so-called "soft skills" - are also needed to complement professional skills and expertise, and become an essential part of an individual's personality. One way of acquiring soft skills is volunteering with associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This paper discusses the involvement of French third-level students in voluntary activities and the skills they acquire as a result. The author presents the findings of a study involving a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Results show that many students develop skills linked to their future professional career, that they reflect on this consciously and feel enriched by the experience. The author argues that "non-professional" activities like volunteering can be actively incorporated into students' learning process, making their overall experience of higher education more active, enjoyable and relevant. Learning through action was found to be the most important factor in the acquisition of soft skills. This article aims to contribute to research on the educational dimension of volunteering, demonstrating that it benefits both personal and professional development.

The theory-practice relationship: reflective skills and theoretical knowledge as key factors in bridging the gap between theory and practice in initial nursing education.

PubMed

Hatlevik, Ida Katrine Riksaasen

2012-04-01

This paper is a report of a correlational study of the relations of nursing students' acquired reflective skills, practical skills and theoretical knowledge on their perception of coherence between theory and practice. Reflection is considered a key factor in bridging the gap between theory and practice. However, it is not evident whether reflective skills are primarily generic in nature or whether they develop from a theoretical knowledge base or the acquisition of practical skills. This study is a secondary analysis of existing data. The data are part of a student survey that was conducted among third-year nursing students in Norway during the spring of 2007. A total of 446 nursing students participated in this study and the response rate was 71%. Structural equation modelling analyses were performed. The results indicate that students' perception of coherence between theory and practice during initial nursing education is directly influenced by reflective skills and theoretical knowledge. The results also reveal that reflective skills have mediating effects and that practical skills have a fully mediated and theoretical knowledge a partially mediated influence on students' perception of coherence. The findings imply that helping students perceive coherence between theory and practice in nursing education, developing students' reflective skills and strengthening the theoretical components of the initial nursing education programme might be beneficial. The results suggest that reflective thinking is not merely a generic skill but rather a skill that depends on the acquisition of relevant professional knowledge and experience. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Teaching information literacy skills to sophomore-level biology majors.

PubMed

Thompson, Leigh; Blankinship, Lisa Ann

2015-05-01

Many undergraduate students lack a sound understanding of information literacy. The skills that comprise information literacy are particularly important when combined with scientific writing for biology majors as they are the foundation skills necessary to complete upper-division biology course assignments, better train students for research projects, and prepare students for graduate and professional education. To help undergraduate biology students develop and practice information literacy and scientific writing skills, a series of three one-hour hands-on library sessions, discussions, and homework assignments were developed for Biological Literature, a one-credit, one-hour-per-week, required sophomore-level course. The embedded course librarian developed a learning exercise that reviewed how to conduct database and web searches, the difference between primary and secondary sources, source credibility, and how to access articles through the university's databases. Students used the skills gained in the library training sessions for later writing assignments including a formal lab report and annotated bibliography. By focusing on improving information literacy skills as well as providing practice in scientific writing, Biological Literature students are better able to meet the rigors of upper-division biology courses and communicate research findings in a more professional manner.

Teaching Information Literacy Skills to Sophomore-Level Biology Majors

PubMed Central

Thompson, Leigh; Blankinship, Lisa Ann

2015-01-01

Many undergraduate students lack a sound understanding of information literacy. The skills that comprise information literacy are particularly important when combined with scientific writing for biology majors as they are the foundation skills necessary to complete upper-division biology course assignments, better train students for research projects, and prepare students for graduate and professional education. To help undergraduate biology students develop and practice information literacy and scientific writing skills, a series of three one-hour hands-on library sessions, discussions, and homework assignments were developed for Biological Literature, a one-credit, one-hour-per-week, required sophomore-level course. The embedded course librarian developed a learning exercise that reviewed how to conduct database and web searches, the difference between primary and secondary sources, source credibility, and how to access articles through the university’s databases. Students used the skills gained in the library training sessions for later writing assignments including a formal lab report and annotated bibliography. By focusing on improving information literacy skills as well as providing practice in scientific writing, Biological Literature students are better able to meet the rigors of upper-division biology courses and communicate research findings in a more professional manner. PMID:25949754

Faculty Development for Fostering Clinical Reasoning Skills in Early Medical Students Using a Modified Bayesian Approach.

PubMed

Addy, Tracie Marcella; Hafler, Janet; Galerneau, France

2016-01-01

Clinical reasoning is a necessary skill for medical students to acquire in the course of their education, and there is evidence that they can start this process at the undergraduate level. However, physician educators who are experts in their given fields may have difficulty conveying their complex thought processes to students. Providing faculty development that equips educators with tools to teach clinical reasoning may support skill development in early medical students. We provided faculty development on a modified Bayesian method of teaching clinical reasoning to clinician educators who facilitated small-group, case-based workshops with 2nd-year medical students. We interviewed them before and after the module regarding their perceptions on teaching clinical reasoning. We solicited feedback from the students about the effectiveness of the method in developing their clinical reasoning skills. We carried out this project during an institutional curriculum rebuild where clinical reasoning was a defined goal. At the time of the intervention, there was also increased involvement of the Teaching and Learning Center in elevating the status of teaching and learning. There was high overall satisfaction with the faculty development program. Both the faculty and the students described the modified Bayesian approach as effective in fostering the development of clinical reasoning skills. Through this work, we learned how to form a beneficial partnership between a clinician educator and Teaching and Learning Center to promote faculty development on a clinical reasoning teaching method for early medical students. We uncovered challenges faced by both faculty and early learners in this study. We observed that our faculty chose to utilize the method of teaching clinical reasoning in a variety of manners in the classroom. Despite obstacles and differing approaches utilized, we believe that this model can be emulated at other institutions to foster the development of clinical reasoning skills in preclerkship students.

Medical students as EMTs: skill building, confidence and professional formation.

PubMed

Kwiatkowski, Thomas; Rennie, William; Fornari, Alice; Akbar, Salaahuddin

2014-01-01

The first course of the medical curriculum at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, From the Person to the Professional: Challenges, Privileges and Responsibilities, provides an innovative early clinical immersion. The course content specific to the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) curriculum was developed using the New York State Emergency Medical Technician curriculum. Students gain early legitimate clinical experience and practice clinical skills as team members in the pre-hospital environment. We hypothesized this novel curriculum would increase students' confidence in their ability to perform patient care skills and enhance students' comfort with team-building skills early in their training. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from first-year medical students (n=97) through a survey developed to assess students' confidence in patient care and team-building skills. The survey was completed prior to medical school, during the final week of the course, and at the end of their first year. A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare self-ratings on 12 patient care and 12 team-building skills before and after the course, and a theme analysis was conducted to examine open-ended responses. Following the course, student confidence in patient care skills showed a significant increase from baseline (p<0.05) for all identified skills. Student confidence in team-building skills showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in 4 of the 12 identified skills. By the end of the first year, 84% of the first-year students reported the EMT curriculum had 'some impact' to 'great impact' on their patient care skills, while 72% reported the EMT curriculum had 'some impact' to 'great impact' on their team-building skills. The incorporation of EMT training early in a medical school curriculum provides students with meaningful clinical experiences that increase their self-reported level of confidence in the performance of patient care skills early in their medical education.

Students interest in learning science through fieldwork activity encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills among UPSI pre-university students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamil, Siti Zaheera Muhamad; Khairuddin, Raja Farhana Raja

2017-05-01

Graduates with good critical thinking and problem solving (CTPS) skills are likely to boost their employability to live in 21st century. The demands of graduates to be equipped with CTPS skills have shifted our education system in focusing on these elements in all levels of education, from primary, the secondary, and up to the tertiary education, by fostering interesting teaching and learning activities such as fieldwork activity in science classes. Despite the importance of the CTPS skills, little is known about whether students' interests in teaching and learning activities, such as fieldwork activity, have any influence on the students CTPS skills. Therefore, in this investigation, firstly to examine students interests in learning science through fieldwork activity. Secondly, this study examined whether the students' interest in learning science through fieldwork activity have affect on how the students employ CTPS skills. About 100 Diploma of Science students in Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) were randomly chosen to participate in this study. All of the participants completed a survey on how they find the fieldwork activity implemented in their science classes and it relevents towards their CTPS skills development. From our findings, majority of the students (91%) find that fieldwork activity is interesting and helpful in increasing their interest in learning science (learning factor) and accommodate their learning process (utility). Results suggest that students' interest on the fieldwork activity in science classes does have some influence on the students development of CTPS skills. The findings could be used as an initial guideline by incorporating students' interest on other teaching and learning activities that being implemented in science classes in order to know the impacts of these learning activities in enhancing their CTPS skills.

Developing Critical Thinking of Middle School Students using Problem Based Learning 4 Core Areas (PBL4C) Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haridza, R.; E Irving, K.

2017-02-01

Traditional methods such as rote learning and memorization in teaching science create passive students in science classrooms. The impact of this continuous action for many decades is inactive learners who cannot develop higher order thinking skills. Based on the performance test, students’ critical thinking skill in Public Middle School 3 Pontianak was in low level although their achievement score were higher than school standards. The purpose of this study is to develop critical thinking skills of middle school students using Problem Based Learning 4 Core Areas (PBL4C). The design of this research is classroom action research with two cycles. Data has been collected using observation checklist, rating scale, self and peer assessment. Research findings reveal that students experience development from 11.11% to 88.45% in identifying the problem correctly, 37.03% to 76.92% for sub skills distinguish knowledge and opinion, 18.51% to 65.38% for sub skills providing possible solution, 22.22% to 69.23% for sub skills making decision, and 11.11% to 69.23% for sub skills identifying the impact of the implementation of their solution. In conclusion, the findings indicate that development of students’ critical thinking skills occurs when PBL4C model applied in science classroom. These findings suggest that teachers should act as facilitator in a classroom as well as should provide meaningful learning resources that can benefit students’ critical thinking skills. On the other hand, students should practice constantly to offer a sharp, accurate and appropriate solution.

Development of a Quality Improvement Curriculum in Physician Assistant Studies.

PubMed

Kindratt, Tiffany B; Orcutt, Venetia L

2017-06-01

The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a curriculum for physician assistant (PA) students addressing knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) toward quality improvement (QI). Students (N = 77) completed a pretest rating their KSA. A curriculum was developed to improve KSA among didactic and clinical students. Two department-wide QI projects were developed for student participation. Students completed a posttest after completing curriculum components and changes in KSA had been measured. Postcurriculum implementation, QI knowledge, and skills increased significantly in most areas. Large improvements were seen in knowledge of Plan, Do, Study, Act models and life cycles of QI projects (p < .0001). Seven students (20%) participated in department-wide projects. Our curriculum model (1) was effective at improving students' QI knowledge and skills; (2) allowed students to participate in community-based QI projects; and (3) can be used by other PA programs looking to enhance their QI curriculum.

The Influence of Typewriting on Selected Language Arts Skills and Motor Development of the Educable Mentally Handicapped, Volume II. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gladis, Sister Mary Paulette

The second of two volumes, the document contains the appendixes to a study which investigated the influence of typewriting on selected language arts skills and motor development of educable mentally retarded students. The academic achievement of such students in reading, vocabulary, spelling, and in motor skill development, after completing…

The Effectiveness of the Master Thinker Program in Developing Critical Thinking Skills of 11th Grade Students in Bahrain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alnabhan, Mousa; Alhamdan, Najat; Darwish, Ahmed

2014-01-01

The current study aimed at investigating the effect of the Master Thinker program on developing critical thinking skills of 11th grade students in Bahrain. Specifically, this research attempts to examine the hypothesis: Teaching the Master Thinker program will be significantly effective in developing critical thinking and its skills (inference,…

Teachers' Support in Using Computers for Developing Students' Listening and Speaking Skills in Pre-Sessional English Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zou, Bin

2013-01-01

Many computer-assisted language learning (CALL) studies have found that teacher direction can help learners develop language skills at their own pace on computers. However, many teachers still do not know how to provide support for students to use computers to reinforce the development of their language skills. Hence, more examples of CALL…

Urban Middle School Students, Twenty-First Century Skills, and STEM-ICT Careers: Selected Findings from a Front-End Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Jonathan D.; Renken, Maggie; Calandra, Brendan

2017-01-01

As part of the design and development of an informal learning environment meant to increase urban middle school students' interest in technology-focused STEM careers, and to support their twenty-first century skill development, researchers developed and administered the ICT/Twenty-First Century Skills Questionnaire. Both STEM-ICT professionals and…

Student Success Skills: A Structured Group Intervention for School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Linda; Brigman, Greg A.

2007-01-01

This article describes the Student Success Skills (SSS) small group intervention developed for school counselors targeting academic outcomes. The SSS program is based on extensive reviews of research about the skills students need to be successful. Studies supporting program effectiveness are briefly reviewed and show consistent patterns of…

Notetaking Skills Instruction for Development of Middle School Students' Notetaking Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilter, Ilhan

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of explicit instruction in notetaking skills on the notetaking performance of seventh-grade students at different reading ability levels. The students in the notetaking instruction condition (NTI) received classroom-based notetaking skills instruction (approximately 40 minutes) every week…

Undergraduate Sport Management Students' Perceptions of Leadership Skills through Service Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romsa, Bryan; Romsa, Katelyn; Lim, Jon; Wurdinger, Scott

2017-01-01

Researchers have discovered that service learning affects students' academic, personal, and social development. However, currently there is a gap in literature analyzing ways in which service learning affects students' perceived leadership skills. This study examined the effectiveness of service learning on the perceived leadership skills of 74…

Junior High School Students’ Understanding and Problem Solving Skills on the Topics of Line and Angles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irsal, I. L.; Jupri, A.; Prabawanto, S.

2017-09-01

Line and angles is important topics to learn to develop the geometry skills and also mathematics skills such as understanding and problem solving skills. But, the fact was given by Indonesian researcher show that Indonesian students’ understanding and problem solving skills still low in this topics. This fact be a background to investigate students’ understanding and problem solving skills in line and angles topics. To investigate these skills, this study used descriptive-qualitative approach. Individual written test (essay) and interview was used in this study. 72 students grade 8th from one of Junior High School in Lembang, worked the written test and 18 of them were interviewed. Based on result, almost of student were have a good instrumental understanding in line and angles topic in same area, but almost all student have a low instrumental understanding in line and angles topic in different area. Almost all student have a low relational understanding. Also, almost all student have a low problem solving skills especially in make and use strategy to solve the problem and looking back their answer. Based on result there is need a meaningfulness learning strategy, which can make students build their understanding and develop their problem solving skill independently.

Leadership training for postdoctoral dental students.

PubMed

Skoulas, Angelique; Kalenderian, Elsbeth

2012-09-01

Harvard School of Dental Medicine launched a course on leadership for its postdoctoral dental students in 2010 in order to introduce them to the art of leadership and the latest theories and principles regarding becoming a leader. Nine four-hour modules over a period of six months took the students on a journey of leadership self-exploration by building awareness of their capacity in core leadership skills; providing them with tools and frameworks for developing effective leadership skills; encouraging the immediate practice of core skills; creating space for honest reflection; and providing inspiration with guest lectures. A constant toggle between the present and their future as leaders was built into the course. In the student evaluations, the course received an overall rating of 4.71 (5=excellent), and the students reported an enhanced interest in all topic areas. They reported that the ability to build trust with others was the most beneficial skill for a dentist, while viewing advocacy skills as the least beneficial. All the students indicated an intention to continue developing their leadership skills. Through the course, the students developed an understanding of their leadership strengths and limitations through case studies, role-play, and self-reflection, as well as gaining an understanding of team dynamics and cultural perceptions in the context of dentistry.

Quantitative skills as a graduate learning outcome of university science degree programmes: student performance explored through theplanned-enacted-experiencedcurriculum model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, Kelly E.; Adams, Peter; Goos, Merrilyn

2016-07-01

Application of mathematical and statistical thinking and reasoning, typically referred to as quantitative skills, is essential for university bioscience students. First, this study developed an assessment task intended to gauge graduating students' quantitative skills. The Quantitative Skills Assessment of Science Students (QSASS) was the result, which examined 10 mathematical and statistical sub-topics. Second, the study established an evidential baseline of students' quantitative skills performance and confidence levels by piloting the QSASS with 187 final-year biosciences students at a research-intensive university. The study is framed within the planned-enacted-experienced curriculum model and contributes to science reform efforts focused on enhancing the quantitative skills of university graduates, particularly in the biosciences. The results found, on average, weak performance and low confidence on the QSASS, suggesting divergence between academics' intentions and students' experiences of learning quantitative skills. Implications for curriculum design and future studies are discussed.

The Power of Student Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKibben, Stephen

2004-01-01

The schools would benefit more from the perspective and idealism of students, if they become leaders in an educational community. The two crucial skills that enable students to develop the attitudes necessary for becoming leaders in a school community are, encouraging the development of listening and consensus building skills.

The Impact of Instructor's Group Management Strategies on Students' Attitudes to Group Work and Generic Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Natoli, Riccardo; Jackling, Beverley; Seelanatha, Lalith

2014-01-01

This paper examines the influence of two distinct group work management strategies on finance students' attitudes towards group work and their perceptions of generic skill development. Using quantitative and qualitative data, comparisons are made between students who experienced a supportive group work environment and students who experienced an…

Developing Information Skills Test for Malaysian Youth Students Using Rasch Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karim, Aidah Abdul; Shah, Parilah M.; Din, Rosseni; Ahmad, Mazalah; Lubis, Maimun Aqhsa

2014-01-01

This study explored the psychometric properties of a locally developed information skills test for youth students in Malaysia using Rasch analysis. The test was a combination of 24 structured and multiple choice items with a 4-point grading scale. The test was administered to 72 technical college students and 139 secondary school students. The…

Developing Employability Skills via Extra-Curricular Activities in Vietnamese Universities: Student Engagement and Inhibitors of Their Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tran, Le Huu Nghia

2017-01-01

This article reports a study that investigated student engagement and inhibitors of their engagement with developing employability skills via extra-curricular activities in Vietnamese universities. Content analysis of 18 interviews with students and statistical analysis of 423 students' responses to a paper-based survey showed that despite a…

A Gamification Experience to Improve Engineering Students' Performance through Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sánchez-Carmona, Adrián; Robles, Sergi; Pons, Jordi

2017-01-01

The students' lack of motivation is a usual problem. The students value more the obtention of the degree than the developing of competences and skills. In order to fight this, we developed a gamification's experience based on merits and leaderboards. The merits are linked to the attainment of skills and competences that students usually do not…

The development of a rubric for peer assessment of individual teamwork skills in undergraduate midwifery students.

PubMed

Hastie, Carolyn; Fahy, Kathleen; Parratt, Jenny

2014-09-01

Poor teamwork is cited as one of the major root causes of adverse events in healthcare. Bullying, resulting in illness for staff, is an expression of poor teamwork skills. Despite this knowledge, poor teamwork persists in healthcare and teamwork skills are rarely the focus of teaching and assessment in undergraduate health courses. To develop and implement an assessment tool for use in facilitating midwifery students' learning of teamwork skills. This paper describes how the TeamUP rubric tool was developed. A review of the literature found no research reports on how to teach and assess health students' teamwork skills in standing teams. The literature, however, gives guidance about how university educators should evaluate individual students using peer assessment. The developmental processes of the rubric were grounded in the theoretical literature and feminist collaborative conversations. The rubric incorporates five domains of teamwork skills: Fostering a Team Climate; Project Planning; Facilitating Teams; Managing Conflict and Quality Individual Contribution. The process and outcomes of student and academic content validation are described. The TeamUP rubric is useful for articulating, teaching and assessing teamwork skills for health professional students. The TeamUP rubric is a robust, theoretically grounded model that defines and details effective teamwork skills and related behaviours. If these skills are mastered, we predict that graduates will be more effective in teams. Our assumption is that graduates, empowered by having these skills, are more likely to manage conflict effectively and less likely to engage in bullying behaviours. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing Health Literacy Knowledge and Skills Through Case-Based Learning

PubMed Central

Lopez, Tina

2014-01-01

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of case-based learning to teach pharmacy students health literacy concepts and skills in managing patients with limited health literacy. Design. A health literacy patient case was developed and incorporated into a case-based learning laboratory. The case involved a patient with limited health literacy and required students to evaluate and formulate a care plan. Assessment. A comparison of pretest and posttest scores demonstrated that students gained health literacy knowledge and skills through completion of the patient case. Students believed that the case-based exercise was successful in meeting specific learning objectives for the course. Conclusions. Addition of a case-based learning was effective in teaching pharmacy students health literacy concepts and skills. PMID:24558285

Case Study: Use of Problem-Based Learning to Develop Students' Technical and Professional Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warnock, James N.; Mohammadi-Aragh, M. Jean

2016-01-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that has attracted attention for many biomedical engineering curricula. The aim of the current study was to address the research question, "Does PBL enable students to develop desirable professional engineering skills?" The desirable skills identified were communication, teamwork, problem…

A Case Study of Parental Perceptions of Literacy Skill Development for Severe Speech Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweat, Karen

2014-01-01

Students exhibiting speech deficits may not have the appropriate skills or support structures necessary to obtain adequate or acceptable literacy development as mixed results from past research have indicated that some students with speech impairments have the capacity to gain appropriate literacy skills. The purpose of the qualitative holistic…

Development of the Self-Directed Learning Skills Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayyildiz, Yildizay; Tarhan, Leman

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale for assessing high school students' self-directed learning skills. Based on a literature review and data obtained from similar instruments, all skills related to self-directed learning were identified. Next, an item pool was prepared and administered to 255 students from various…

Delegate, Collaborate, or Consult? A Capstone Simulation for Senior Nursing Students.

PubMed

Nowell, Lorelli S

2016-01-01

Clinical experiences are educational and fulfilling for both students and faculty; however, challenges arise in providing students with a variety of experiences where the leadership skills of prioritizing, collaborating, consulting, and delegating care can be developed. This article reports on a capstone simulation created to develop and sustain the prioritization, organization, and delegation skills of fourth year nursing students. Through the introduction of a multipatient simulation prior to graduation, nursing students will have a better understanding of the high-level leadership skills practicing registered nurses must possess in today's demanding health care environment.

The Impact of Learning with Laptops in 1:1 Classes on the Development of Learning Skills and Information Literacy among Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spektor-Levy, Ornit; Granot-Gilat, Yael

2012-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine the impact of a one-to-one program on the implementation of learning skills, information literacy, and the usage of computerized tools among students. These skills are part of the demands placed upon schools to develop 21st century competencies. Seventh and ninth grade students participated in this study…

The Effects of "Second Step" and Inclusion on Special Education Students' Social Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machado, Andrea Kathleen

2017-01-01

Many students lack social skills that hinder their success in school; students in special education are even more at risk. Social-emotional curricula have been developed to help build these social skills school-wide. Most research on the effects of social-emotional curricula has been conducted on general education students. The first purpose of…

Making Basic Math Skills Work for You in Marketing. Student Manual and Laboratory Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klewer, Edwin D.

This student manual and workbook is the second part of a mathematics series for use with high school students. The manual is to be used to apply the mathematics skills that students have learned in a first part called "Developing Basic Math Skills for Marketing." The manual presents conceptual instruction in mathematics in a competency based…

Higher Order Thinking Skills among Secondary School Students in Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saido, Gulistan Mohammed; Siraj, Saedah; Bin Nordin, Abu Bakar; Al Amedy, Omed Saadallah

2015-01-01

A central goal of science education is to help students to develop their higher order thinking skills to enable them to face the challenges of daily life. Enhancing students' higher order thinking skills is the main goal of the Kurdish Science Curriculum in the Iraqi-Kurdistan region. This study aimed at assessing 7th grade students' higher order…

Enhancing College Students' Life Skills through Project Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wurdinger, Scott; Qureshi, Mariam

2015-01-01

This study examined whether life skills could be developed in a Project Based Learning (PBL) course. The participants were students enrolled in a graduate level PBL course. The same 35-question survey was given to students at the beginning and end of the course, and students were asked to rank their life skills using a Likert scale. Additionally,…

Student and Tutor Perceptions of Learning and Teaching on a First-Year Study Skills Module in a University Computing Department

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coughlan, Jane; Swift, Stephen

2011-01-01

The level of student preparedness for university-level study has been widely debated. Effective study skills modules have been linked to supporting students' academic development during the transition phase. However, few studies have evaluated the learning experience on study skills modules from both a student and staff perspective. We surveyed…

The Effect of the Cherry Hill Study Skills Program on Eighth Grade Students' Reading Comprehension and Study Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

La Marca, Marilyn Tierney

A study was conducted to determine the effects of the "Cherry Hill Study Skills Program" on eighth grade students' reading comprehension and study skills. The "Cherry Hill Study Skills Program" is a process oriented course dealing with the sequential development of nine specific skills deemed essential to the retrieval and retention of information…

The Development of a Learning Gap between Students with Strong Prerequisite Skills and Students with Weak Prerequisite Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Nathan B.; de La Harpe, Kimberly; Kontur, Frederick

2016-01-01

This article investigates how mastery of prerequisite course material impacts student learning in follow-on courses. To measure the importance of prerequisite skills, we compare the exam scores of students with a GPA of 3.0 or better in their multidisciplinary prerequisite classes to the exam scores of students with a GPA of less than 3.0 in their…

Student Staff Partnership to Create an Interdisciplinary Science Skills Course in a Research Intensive University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolmer, Cherie; Sneddon, Peter; Curry, Gordon; Hill, Bob; Fehertavi, Szonja; Longbone, Charlotte; Wallace, Katherine

2016-01-01

This paper reflects upon the development of a multidisciplinary lesson plan aimed at developing science skills for Physics and Astronomy, Geographical and Earth Sciences, and Chemistry students at a research intensive Scottish university. The lesson plan was co-developed with a small group of staff and undergraduate students from these…

Physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their Bachelor studies.

PubMed

Kurunsaari, Merja; Piirainen, Arja; Tynjälä, Päivi

2015-05-01

Skills have recently received widespread attention in education policy documents and discussions. This article reports the results of research on Bachelor's degree physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their studies. The aim of the present study was to examine how beginning students understand skill, and the focus was on conceptions of skill in general rather than on any particular skills. The participants of the study were 35 physiotherapy students. The data were gathered within the first two weeks of their university studies. Specifically, requested essays written by the students were analyzed using the phenomenographic approach. The data-driven analysis yielded four descriptive categories which reflect the students' conceptions of skill: (1) Talents; (2) Skills requiring individual practice; (3) Skills requiring social practice; and (4) Competence requiring collaboration. The categories form a hierarchy. The differences between the categories are described along seven themes of variation. The themes were named: (1) Acquisition; (2) Emotions; (3) Motivation; (4) Reflection; (5) Evaluation; (6) Agency; and (7) Social Environment. This hierarchical system of categories sheds new light on students' understanding of the skill. The findings can be used as a basis for planning physiotherapy curricula, especially for designing skills education and training, and for supporting students along their educational path, especially in offering opportunities for students to reflect on their skill conceptions. Ultimately, physiotherapy students' awareness of different skill conceptions and developing their skills to advise and treat will benefit patients.

A combination of traditional learning and e-learning can be more effective on radiological interpretation skills in medical students: a pre- and post-intervention study.

PubMed

Salajegheh, Ali; Jahangiri, Alborz; Dolan-Evans, Elliot; Pakneshan, Sahar

2016-02-03

The ability to interpret an X-Ray is a vital skill for graduating medical students which guides clinicians towards accurate diagnosis and treatment of the patient. However, research has suggested that radiological interpretation skills are less than satisfactory in not only medical students, but also in residents and consultants. This study investigated the effectiveness of e-learning for the development of X-ray interpretation skills in pre-clinical medical students. Competencies in clinical X-Ray interpretation were assessed by comparison of pre- and post-intervention scores and one year follow up assessment, where the e-learning course was the 'intervention'. Our results demonstrate improved knowledge and skills in X-ray interpretation in students. Assessment of the post training students showed significantly higher scores than the scores of control group of students undertaking the same assessment at the same time. The development of the Internet and advances in multimedia technologies has paved the way for computer-assisted education. As more rural clinical schools are established the electronic delivery of radiology teaching through websites will become a necessity. The use of e-learning to deliver radiology tuition to medical students represents an exciting alternative and is an effective method of developing competency in radiological interpretation for medical students.

Walking the bridge: Nursing students' learning in clinical skill laboratories.

PubMed

Ewertsson, Mona; Allvin, Renée; Holmström, Inger K; Blomberg, Karin

2015-07-01

Despite an increasing focus on simulation as a learning strategy in nursing education, there is limited evidence on the transfer of simulated skills into clinical practice. Therefore it's important to increase knowledge of how clinical skills laboratories (CSL) can optimize students' learning for development of professional knowledge and skills, necessary for quality nursing practice and for patient safety. Thus, the aim was to describe nursing students' experiences of learning in the CSL as a preparation for their clinical practice. Interviews with 16 students were analysed with content analysis. An overall theme was identified - walking the bridge - in which the CSL formed a bridge between the university and clinical settings, allowing students to integrate theory and practice and develop a reflective stance. The theme was based on categories: conditions for learning, strategies for learning, tension between learning in the skills laboratory and clinical settings, and development of professional and personal competence. The CSL prepared the students for clinical practice, but a negative tension between learning in CSL and clinical settings was experienced. However, this tension may create reflection. This provides a new perspective that can be used as a pedagogical approach to create opportunities for students to develop their critical thinking. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Skill Development in the Psychology Major: What Do Undergraduate Students Expect?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaither, George A.; Butler, Darrell L.

2005-01-01

The present study examined undergraduate students' expectations for how well psychology majors develop 60 skills corresponding to five of the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Undergraduate Psychology Major Competencies (APA, 2002) suggested learning goals. This study also examined where students expect psychology majors to get…

Embedding Critical Thinking in IS Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Theda; Davis, Tim; Kazlauskas, Alanah

2007-01-01

It is important for students to develop critical thinking and other higher-order thinking skills during their tertiary studies. Along with the ability to think critically comes the need to develop students' meta-cognitive skills. These abilities work together to enable students to control, monitor, and regulate their own cognitive processes and…

Learning to See: Enhancing Student Learning through Videotaped Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakura, Elaine K.

2009-01-01

Feedback is crucial to developing skills, but meaningful feedback is difficult to provide. Classroom videotaping can provide effective feedback on student performance, but for video feedback to be most helpful, students must develop a type of "visual intelligence"--analytical skills that increase critical thinking and self-awareness. The author…

Jump-Starting Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy: The Entomologist Tool Kit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byington, Teresa A.; Kim, YaeBin

2017-01-01

Young children gain emergent literacy skills during the preschool years. Oral language development is enhanced as students engage in dialogue with teachers and peers. The use of topical vocabulary is linked to greater gains in students' vocabulary development. Students acquire emergent writing skills as they participate in spontaneous and guided…

Business as Usual? Not for These Middle-Grades Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Heather; Wiest, Lynda

2011-01-01

A perpetual dilemma of schooling is how to help students develop skills needed for everyday life, including the work world. Quantitative literacy, also called numeracy, involves an ability to apply essential mathematics skills to authentic or near-authentic tasks. Carefully planned classroom activities can help students develop these important…

Using a Collaborative Critiquing Technique to Develop Chemistry Students' Technical Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Jeremy M.

2013-01-01

The technique, termed "collaborative critiquing", was developed to teach fundamental technical writing skills to analytical chemistry students for the preparation of laboratory reports. This exercise, which can be completed prior to peer-review activities, is novel, highly interactive, and allows students to take responsibility for their…

Engaging Business Students in Quantitative Skills Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cronin, Anthony; Carroll, Paula

2015-01-01

In this paper the complex problems of developing quantitative and analytical skills in undergraduate first year, first semester business students are addressed. An action research project, detailing how first year business students perceive the relevance of data analysis and inferential statistics in light of the economic downturn and the…

Developing and Teaching Ethical Decision Making Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, John

1991-01-01

Student leaders and campus activities professionals can use a variety of techniques to help college students develop skill in ethical decision making, including teaching about the decision-making process, guiding students through decisions with a series of questions, playing ethics games, exploring assumptions, and best of all, role modeling. (MSE)

Variation in Study Patterns among College Students: A Review of Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lei, Simon A.

2015-01-01

An effective studying strategy requires developed personalized study skills to increase student success and retention at the college level. Within these personalized study skills, different students have developed different study habits and environments (study patterns). Yet, the study patterns of people who have achieved outstanding academic…

Evaluation of Medical Students' Attitudes and Performance of Basic Surgery Skills in a Training Program Using Fresh Human skin, Excised During Body Contouring Surgeries.

PubMed

Rothenberger, Jens; Seyed Jafari, Seyed Morteza; Schnabel, Kai P; Tschumi, Christian; Angermeier, Sarina; Shafighi, Maziar

2015-01-01

Learning surgical skills in the operating room may be a challenge for medical students. Therefore, more approaches using simulation to enable students to develop their practical skills are required. We hypothesized that (1) there would be a need for additional surgical training for medical students in the pre-final year, and (2) our basic surgery skills training program using fresh human skin would improve medical students' surgical skills. We conducted a preliminary survey of medical students to clarify the need for further training in basic surgery procedures. A new approach using simulation to teach surgical skills on human skin was set up. The procedural skills of 15 randomly selected students were assessed in the operating room before and after participation in the simulation, using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills. Furthermore, subjective assessment was performed based on students' self-evaluation. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 21 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). The study took place at the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital. A total of 186 pre-final-year medical students were enrolled into the preliminary survey; 15 randomly selected medical students participated in the basic surgical skills training course on the fresh human skin operating room. The preliminary survey revealed the need for a surgical skills curriculum. The simulation approach we developed showed significant (p < 0.001) improvement for all 12 surgical skills, with mean cumulative precourse and postcourse values of 31.25 ± 5.013 and 45.38 ± 3.557, respectively. The self-evaluation contained positive feedback as well. Simulation of surgery using human tissue samples could help medical students become more proficient in handling surgical instruments before stepping into a real surgical situation. We suggest further studies evaluating our proposed teaching method and the possibility of integrating this simulation approach into the medical school curriculum. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving Geoscience Students' Spatial Thinking Skills: Applying Cognitive Science Research in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormand, C. J.; Shipley, T. F.; Manduca, C. A.; Tikoff, B.

2011-12-01

Spatial thinking skills are critical to success in many subdisciplines of the geosciences (and beyond). There are many components of spatial thinking, such as mental rotation, penetrative visualization, disembedding, perspective taking, and navigation. Undergraduate students in introductory and upper-level geoscience courses bring a wide variety of spatial skill levels to the classroom, as measured by psychometric tests of many of these components of spatial thinking. Furthermore, it is not unusual for individual students to excel in some of these areas while struggling in others. Although pre- and post-test comparisons show that student skill levels typically improve over the course of an academic term, average gains are quite modest. This suggests that it may be valuable to develop interventions to help undergraduate students develop a range of spatial skills that can be used to solve geoscience problems. Cognitive science research suggests a number of strong strategies for building students' spatial skills. Practice is essential, and time on task is correlated to improvement. Progressive alignment may be used to scaffold students' successes on simpler problems, allowing them to see how more complex problems are related to those they can solve. Gesturing has proven effective in moving younger students from incorrect problem-solving strategies to correct strategies in other disciplines. These principles can be used to design instructional materials to improve undergraduate geoscience students' spatial skills; we will present some examples of such materials.

Development and Assessment of Modules to Integrate Quantitative Skills in Introductory Biology Courses.

PubMed

Hoffman, Kathleen; Leupen, Sarah; Dowell, Kathy; Kephart, Kerrie; Leips, Jeff

2016-01-01

Redesigning undergraduate biology courses to integrate quantitative reasoning and skill development is critical to prepare students for careers in modern medicine and scientific research. In this paper, we report on the development, implementation, and assessment of stand-alone modules that integrate quantitative reasoning into introductory biology courses. Modules are designed to improve skills in quantitative numeracy, interpreting data sets using visual tools, and making inferences about biological phenomena using mathematical/statistical models. We also examine demographic/background data that predict student improvement in these skills through exposure to these modules. We carried out pre/postassessment tests across four semesters and used student interviews in one semester to examine how students at different levels approached quantitative problems. We found that students improved in all skills in most semesters, although there was variation in the degree of improvement among skills from semester to semester. One demographic variable, transfer status, stood out as a major predictor of the degree to which students improved (transfer students achieved much lower gains every semester, despite the fact that pretest scores in each focus area were similar between transfer and nontransfer students). We propose that increased exposure to quantitative skill development in biology courses is effective at building competency in quantitative reasoning. © 2016 K. Hoffman, S. Leupen, et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

VLP Simulation: An Interactive Simple Virtual Model to Encourage Geoscience Skill about Volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariyono, E.; Liliasari; Tjasyono, B.; Rosdiana, D.

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study was to describe physics students predicting skills after following the geoscience learning using VLP (Volcano Learning Project) simulation. This research was conducted to 24 physics students at one of the state university in East Java-Indonesia. The method used is the descriptive analysis based on students’ answers related to predicting skills about volcanic activity. The results showed that the learning by using VLP simulation was very potential to develop physics students predicting skills. Students were able to explain logically about volcanic activity and they have been able to predict the potential eruption that will occur based on the real data visualization. It can be concluded that the VLP simulation is very suitable for physics student requirements in developing geosciences skill and recommended as an alternative media to educate the society in an understanding of volcanic phenomena.

What is the reward? Medical students' learning and personal development during a research project course.

PubMed

Möller, Riitta; Shoshan, Maria; Heikkilä, Kristiina

2015-01-01

Until recently, the outcome of medical students' research projects has mainly been assessed in terms of scientific publications, whereas other results important for students' development have been less studied. The aim of this study was to investigate medical students' experiences of learning as an outcome of the research project course. Written reflections of 50 students were analyzed by manifest inductive content analysis. Three categories emerged: 'thinking as a scientist', 'working as a scientist', and 'personal development'. Students became more aware about the nature of knowledge, how to generate new knowledge, and developed skills in scientific thinking and critical appraisal. Unexpectedly, effects on personal characteristics, such as self-confidence, self-discipline, independence, and time management skills were also acknowledged. We conclude that individual research projects enhance research-specific skills and competencies needed in evidence-based clinical work and are beneficial for personal and professional development.

Using an interdisciplinary partnership to develop nursing students' information literacy skills: an evaluation.

PubMed

Turnbull, Bev; Royal, Bernadette; Purnell, Margaret

2011-01-01

As learning paradigms shift to student-centred active learning, development of effective skills in locating and retrieving information using electronic sources is integral to promoting lifelong learning. Recency of information that is evidence based is a critical factor in a dynamic field such as health. A changing demographic is evident among nursing students with greater numbers of mature age students who may not possess the computer skills often assumed with school leavers, and whose study preference is mostly by external mode. Development of interdisciplinary partnerships between faculties and librarians can provide the attributes and innovation of new and improved ways to better support student learning, whether or not students attend on campus. The Health Online Tutorial, an online database searching tool developed through a collaborative, interdisciplinary partnership at Charles Darwin University is one such example.

Career Development Skills, Outcomes, and Hope among College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sung, Yoonhee; Turner, Sherri L.; Kaewchinda, Marid

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the utility of the Integrative Contextual Model of Career Development (ICM) to describe the career development behavior of college students was examined. Second, relationships among educational and career development skills (career exploration, person-environment fit, goal setting,…

"Because Sometimes Your Failures Can Also Teach You Certain Skills": Lecturer and Student Perceptions of Employability Skills at a Transnational University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paterson, Richard

2017-01-01

This exploratory study investigates lecturers' and students' understanding of the concepts and language underpinning higher education strategies of developing employability skills. While a solid grounding in discipline-specific knowledge and skills is what most graduate degrees aim at providing, employability skills are increasingly becoming an…

ASK Standards: Assessment, Skills, and Knowledge Content Standards for Student Affairs Practitioners and Scholars

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ACPA College Student Educators International, 2011

2011-01-01

The Assessment Skills and Knowledge (ASK) standards seek to articulate the areas of content knowledge, skill and dispositions that student affairs professionals need in order to perform as practitioner-scholars to assess the degree to which students are mastering the learning and development outcomes the professionals intend. Consistent with…

Study Skills of Arts and Science College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sekar, J. Master Arul; Rajendran, K. K.

2015-01-01

The main objective of this study is to find out the level of study skills of arts and science college students. Study Skills Check List developed and standardized by Virginia University, Australia (2006) is used to collect the relevant data. The sample consists of 216 Government arts and science college students of Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil…

A Co-Creation Blended KM Model for Cultivating Critical-Thinking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Yu-chu

2012-01-01

Both critical thinking (CT) and knowledge management (KM) skills are necessary elements for a university student's success. Therefore, this study developed a co-creation blended KM model to cultivate university students' CT skills and to explore the underlying mechanisms for achieving success. Thirty-one university students participated in this…

Teachers' Opinions on Students' Higher Order Thinking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahiroglu, Ahmet

2007-01-01

The general aim of this research is to determine the teachers' opinions on students' higher order thinking skills according to primary school stages, and developed, underdeveloped, suburb and rural regions where the schools are located. The issues related to students' higher order thinking skills covered in this research are as follows: project…

Using Contingency Contracting to Improve Social Interactions between Students with ASD and Their Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alwahbi, Abdullah Abdulmohsen

2017-01-01

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have severe impairment in social skills, which affects all areas of development. Researchers have indicated peer-mediated intervention (PMI) may improve social skills of children with ASD. PMI involves training carefully selected nondisabled peers to teach academic or social skills to students with…

Research Based Learning Approach: Students Perspective of Skills Obtained

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazura, Kerry; Tuttle, Harlee

2010-01-01

This study describes undergraduate students' evaluation of skills gained from two different research experiences (observation vs. interview) while enrolled in a child development course (N=83). At the end of the semester students were asked to complete a skills questionnaire. Factor analysis revealed three themes that were used to create the…

Students’ Perception of Self-Efficacy Following Medicinal Chemistry Skills Laboratory Exercises

PubMed Central

Roche, Victoria F.; Qi, Yongyue

2016-01-01

Objective. To analyze student perceptions of self-efficacy in meeting medicinal chemistry course related educational outcomes and skills following a medicinal chemistry skills laboratory. Methods. Four activities were implemented in a pharmacy skills laboratory (PSL) for second-year pharmacy students. Students (n=121) worked individually on exercises for three of the four activities. Pre/post-laboratory surveys on self-efficacy were administered. The McNemar test was performed to evaluate students’ self-efficacy above 70% related to course outcomes before and after the exercises in each activity. An independent t test was conducted to compare the mean of students’ responses on meeting course outcomes based on the 70% anchor for the perspective confidence on meeting course outcomes. Results. The post-PSL scores on all self-efficacy questions improved. The majority of students reported skill development in all exercises. Students and clinical faculty qualitative responses indicated they felt exercises were effective. Conclusion. A PSL can serve as a valuable opportunity to address course related educational outcomes and specific skill development and can help students assess their self-efficacy in meeting them. PMID:27402979

Social science as a tool in developing scientific thinking skills in underserved, low-achieving urban students.

PubMed

Jewett, Elizabeth; Kuhn, Deanna

2016-03-01

Engagement in purposeful problem solving involving social science content was sufficient to develop a key set of inquiry skills in low-performing middle school students from an academically and economically disadvantaged urban public school population, with this skill transferring to a more traditional written scientific thinking assessment instrument 3weeks later. Students only observing their peers' activity or not participating at all failed to show these gains. Implications are addressed with regard to the mastery of scientific thinking skills among academically disadvantaged students. Also addressed are the efficacy of problem-based learning and the limits of observational learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving Students' Interpersonal Skills through Experiential Small Group Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skinner, Kay Lesley; Hyde, Sarah J.; McPherson, Kerstin B. A.; Simpson, Maree D.

2016-01-01

Health professional students must be equipped with the skills necessary to interact with patients. Effective interpersonal skills are difficult to both learn and teach, requiring development, practise and evaluation in both educational and clinical settings. In professions such as physiotherapy, traditional approaches to teaching these skills have…

Insights From the Development of an Environmental Science Professional Development Field Course for Undergraduates from Two-Year and Four-Year Colleges.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, C. M.; Hall, S. R.; Walker, B.; Paul, J.

2017-12-01

Existing STEM retention and diversity programs have identified access to field and professional experiences as critical to helping students identify as scientists, form networks, and gain important skills necessary for employment. This program reimagines the traditional geology field course as a professional development experience for students at 2-year and 4-year institutions interested in environmental careers. Students participate in a summer field course in the Sierra Nevada of California, during which time they complete geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology field projects designed to compliment the curriculum of Environmental Geoscience, Environmental Science, and Environmental Studies programs. During the course students interact with local professionals in the environmental sector and work to earn badges based on the skills demonstrated during field projects. Badges create transparent documentation of skill mastery for students and provide a new way for students to understand and market their skills and competencies to potential employers. We will report on the curriculum development, implementation and assessment of the first cohort of students to participate in the program. Preliminary results of formative and summative assessments and their implications for student success and program design will be addressed.

Clinical skills training in a skills lab compared with skills training in internships: comparison of skills development curricula.

PubMed

Peeraer, G; Scherpbier, A J J A; Remmen, R; De winter, B Y; Hendrickx, K; van Petegem, P; Weyler, J; Bossaert, L

2007-11-01

The necessity of learning skills through "integrated skills training" at an undergraduate level has been supported by several studies. The University of Antwerp implemented undergraduate skills training in its renewed curriculum in 1998, after it was demonstrated that Flemish students did not master their medical skills as well as Dutch students who received "integrated skills training" as part of their undergraduate medical course. The aim of this study was to compare the skill outcome levels of two different student populations: students who had been trained in basic clinical skills mainly through clinical internships in year 7 with students who had learned these skills through an integrated longitudinal programme in a special learning environment in years 1-5 prior to their internship experience. Students of the traditional curriculum learned skills through a 75 hour programme in years 4 and 5, through plenary sessions followed by a 12 month period of internships during which skills could be further practiced. We tested this group right after completion of their internships. Students from the renewed curriculum followed a 200 hour intensive small group skills training programme offered in years 1-5. This group was tested before starting their internships. On global OSCE-scores, renewed curriculum students had significantly higher overall scores (p<0.001) and they scored significantly higher at 6 of 15 stations. There was no significant difference at 8 stations, while traditional curriculum students scored better at station 1. 5 years and 200 hours of integrated undergraduate skills training is more effective as a method of learning basic clinical skills, compared to learning these skills through 75 hours of traditional skill training and reinforcement of these skills in 12 month clinical internships, when measured by means of an OSCE.

Promoting Student Development of Models and Scientific Inquiry Skills in Acid-Base Chemistry: An Important Skill Development in Preparation for AP Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale-Hanes, Cara

2015-01-01

In this study, two groups of 11th grade chemistry students (n = 210) performed a sequence of hands-on and virtual laboratories that were progressively more inquiry-based. One-half of the students did the laboratory sequence with the addition of a teacher-led discussion connecting student data to student-generated visual representations of…

Enhancing medical students' communication skills: development and evaluation of an undergraduate training program.

PubMed

Hausberg, Maria C; Hergert, Anika; Kröger, Corinna; Bullinger, Monika; Rose, Matthias; Andreas, Sylke

2012-03-24

There is a relative lack of current research on the effects of specific communication training offered at the beginning of the medical degree program. The newly developed communication training "Basics and Practice in Communication Skills" was pilot tested in 2008 and expanded in the following year at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. The goal was to promote and improve the communicative skills of participants and show the usefulness of an early offered intervention on patient-physician communication within the medical curriculum. The students participating in the project and a comparison group of students from the standard degree program were surveyed at the beginning and end of the courses. The survey consisted of a self-assessment of their skills as well as a standardised expert rating and an evaluation of the modules by means of a questionnaire. Students who attended the communication skills course exhibited a considerable increase of communication skills in this newly developed training. It was also observed that students in the intervention group had a greater degree of self-assessed competence following training than the medical students in the comparison group. This finding is also reflected in the results from a standardised objective measure. The empirical results of the study showed that the training enabled students to acquire specialised competence in communication through the course of a newly developed training program. These findings will be used to establish new communication training at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf.

Enhancing medical students' communication skills: development and evaluation of an undergraduate training program

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background There is a relative lack of current research on the effects of specific communication training offered at the beginning of the medical degree program. The newly developed communication training "Basics and Practice in Communication Skills" was pilot tested in 2008 and expanded in the following year at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. The goal was to promote and improve the communicative skills of participants and show the usefulness of an early offered intervention on patient-physician communication within the medical curriculum. Methods The students participating in the project and a comparison group of students from the standard degree program were surveyed at the beginning and end of the courses. The survey consisted of a self-assessment of their skills as well as a standardised expert rating and an evaluation of the modules by means of a questionnaire. Results Students who attended the communication skills course exhibited a considerable increase of communication skills in this newly developed training. It was also observed that students in the intervention group had a greater degree of self-assessed competence following training than the medical students in the comparison group. This finding is also reflected in the results from a standardised objective measure. Conclusions The empirical results of the study showed that the training enabled students to acquire specialised competence in communication through the course of a newly developed training program. These findings will be used to establish new communication training at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf. PMID:22443807

Using Content Reading Assignments in a Psychology Course to Teach Critical Reading Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Camp, Debbie; Van Camp, Wesley

2013-01-01

Liberal arts students are expected to graduate college with fully developed critical reading and writing skills. However, for a variety of reasons these skills are not always as well developed as they might be--both during and upon completion of college. This paper describes a reading assignment that was designed to increase students'…

Developing Technical Writing Skills in the Physical Chemistry Laboratory: A Progressive Approach Employing Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gragson, Derek E.; Hagen, John P.

2010-01-01

Writing formal "journal-style" lab reports is often one of the requirements chemistry and biochemistry students encounter in the physical chemistry laboratory. Helping students improve their technical writing skills is the primary reason this type of writing is a requirement in the physical chemistry laboratory. Developing these skills is an…

Design and Development of an Objective, Structured Management Examinations (OSMEs) on Management Skills among Pharmacy Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Augustine, Jill

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to design, develop, and administer an Objective, Structured Management Exam (OSME) on management skills for pharmacy students. Pharmacy preceptors for the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy participated in focus groups that identified business, management, and human resource skills needed by pharmacy graduates.…

Blended Learning Tools in Geosciences: A New Set of Online Tools to Help Students Master Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cull, S.; Spohrer, J.; Natarajan, S.; Chin, M.

2013-12-01

In most geoscience courses, students are expected to develop specific skills. To master these skills, students need to practice them repeatedly. Unfortunately, few geosciences courses have enough class time to allow students sufficient in-class practice, nor enough instructor attention and time to provide fast feedback. To address this, we have developed an online tool called an Instant Feedback Practice (IFP). IFPs are low-risk, high-frequency exercises that allow students to practice skills repeatedly throughout a semester, both in class and at home. After class, students log onto a course management system (like Moodle or Blackboard), and click on that day's IFP exercise. The exercise might be visually identifying a set of minerals that they're practicing. After answering each question, the IFP tells them if they got it right or wrong. If they got it wrong, they try again until they get it right. There is no penalty - students receive the full score for finishing. The goal is low-stakes practice. By completing dozens of these practices throughout the semester, students have many, many opportunities to practice mineral identification with quick feedback. Students can also complete IFPs during class in groups and teams, with in-lab hand samples or specimens. IFPs can also be used to gauge student skill levels as the semester progresses, as they can be set up to provide the instructor feedback on specific skills or students. When IFPs were developed for and implemented in a majors-level mineralogy class, students reported that in-class and online IFPs were by far the most useful technique they used to master mineral hand sample identification. Final grades in the course were significantly higher than historical norms, supporting students' anecdotal assessment of the impact of IFPs on their learning.

Using Guided Inquiry and the Information Search Process to Develop Research Confidence among First Year Anatomy Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bentley, Danielle Christine; Robinson, Andrea Cristina; Ruscitti, Robert Joseph

2015-01-01

With the growing volume of obtainable medical information and scientific literature, it is crucial that students in the field of allied health professions develop and refine the research skill set necessary to effectively find, retrieve, analyze, and use this information. This skill set can be effectively developed using student inquiry; an active…

An Investigation of the Relationships between the Teaching Climate, Students' Perceived Life Skills Development and Well-Being within Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cronin, Lorcan Donal; Allen, Justine; Mulvenna, Claire; Russell, Paul

2018-01-01

Background: Both education policies and curriculum documents identify the personal development of students as a key objective of modern education. Physical education (PE) in particular has been cited as a subject that can promote students' life skills development and psychological well-being. However, little research has investigated the processes…

A Curriculum for ASL: Empowering Students by Giving Them Ownership of Their Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herzig, Melissa P.

2017-01-01

In response to the need for deaf and hard of hearing students to facilitate literacy in American Sign Language (ASL) and to put as much focus on developing students' ASL skills as they usually do on developing their English skills, Melissa Herzig has created a curriculum entitled "Creating the Narrative Stories: The Development of the…

Impact of Group Development Knowledge on Students' Perceived Importance and Confidence of Group Work Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coers, Natalie; Williams, Jennifer

2010-01-01

This study explored the impact of emphasis on the group development process on the perceived importance of and confidence in group work skills and students' perception of group work use in the collegiate classroom as developed by Tuckman and Jensen (1977). The purposive sample utilized in this study included 33 undergraduate students enrolled in…

Self-Directed Learning and Skills of Problem-Based Learning: A Case of Nigerian Secondary Schools Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abubakar, Abbas Babayi; Arshad, Mohammad Yusof

2015-01-01

The role of chemistry in the development of any society cannot be overemphasized. Chemistry students are therefore expected to acquire flexible knowledge and problem solving skills to facilitate the expected development of our modern society. The purpose of this article is to investigate the roles of teachers and student in the development of…

Case-based learning in endocrine physiology: an approach toward self-directed learning and the development of soft skills in medical students.

PubMed

Gade, Shubhada; Chari, Suresh

2013-12-01

The Medical Council of India, in the recent Vision 2015 document, recommended curricular reforms for undergraduates. Case-based learning (CBL) is one method where students are motivated toward self-directed learning and to develop analytic and problem-solving skills. An overview of thyroid physiology was given in a didactic lecture. A paper-based case scenario of multinodular goiter was given to phase I Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery students in two sessions. An attitude survey of the students and teachers was done using a Likert scale ranging from strongly disagrees to strongly agree. A pretest and posttest were conducted. The students opined that CBL helped them to better their understanding of a particular topic, gave them better retention of knowledge, helped them to relate clinical conditions to basic sciences, improved soft skills such as communication skills and group dynamics, and promoted a better teacher-student relationship. There was significant improvement in student's performance when pre- and posttest scores were compared (P = 0.018). Furthermore, faculty members opined that CBL promoted self-study and problem-solving abilities of the students. In conclusion, CBL motivates students toward self-directed learning and to develop analytic and problem-solving skills; thus, CBL could be beneficial for students' entry into clinical departments and, finally, in managing patients.

Fostering research skills in undergraduate medical students through mentored students projects: example from an Indian medical school.

PubMed

Devi, V; Abraham, R R; Adiga, A; Ramnarayan, K; Kamath, A

2010-01-01

Healthcare decision-making is largely reliant on evidence-based medicine; building skills in scientific reasoning and thinking among medical students becomes an important part of medical education. Medical students in India have no formal path to becoming physicians, scientists or academicians. This study examines students' perceptions regarding research skills improvement after participating in the Mentored Student Project programme at Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal Campus, India. Additionally, this paper describes the initiatives taken for the continual improvement of the Mentored Student Project programme based on faculty and student perspectives. At Melaka Manipal Medical College, Mentored Student Project was implemented in the curriculum during second year of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery programme with the intention of developing research skills essential to the career development of medical students. The study design was cross-sectional. To inculcate the spirit of team work students were grouped (n=3 to 5) and each group was asked to select a research project. The students' research projects were guided by their mentors. A questionnaire (Likert's five point scale) on students' perceptions regarding improvement in research skills after undertaking projects and guidance received from the mentor was administered to medical students after they had completed their Mentored Student Project. The responses of students were summarised using percentages. The median grade with inter-quartile range was reported for each item in the questionnaire. The median grade for all the items related to perceptions regarding improvement in research skills was 4 which reflected that the majority of the students felt that Mentored Student Project had improved their research skills. The problems encountered by the students during Mentored Student Project were related to time management for the Mentored Student Project and mentors. This study shows that students acknowledged that their research skills were improved after participating in the Mentored Student Project programme. The Mentored Student Project programme was successful in fostering positive attitudes among medical students towards scientific research. The present study also provides scope for further improvement of the Mentored Student Project programme based on students' and faculty perspectives.

How can Smartphone-Based Internet Data Support Animal Ecology Fieldtrip?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, I. S.; Tapilow, F. S.; Hidayat, T.

2017-09-01

Identification and classification skills must be owned by the students. In animal ecology course, the identification and classification skills are necessary to study animals. This experimental study aims to describe the identification and classification skills of students on animal ecology field trip to studying various bird species using smartphone-based internet data. Using Involving 63 students divided into 7 groups for each observation station. Data of birds were sampled using line transect method (5000 meters/station). The results showed the identification and classification skills of students are in sufficient categories. Most students have difficulties because of the limitations of data on the internet about birds. In general, students support the use of smartphones in field trip activities. The results of this study can be used as a reference for the development of learning using smartphones in the future by developing application about birds. The outline, smartphones can be used as a method of alternative learning but needs to be developed for some special purposes.

Using Primary Literature to Teach Science Literacy to Introductory Biology Students

PubMed Central

Krontiris-Litowitz, Johanna

2013-01-01

Undergraduate students struggle to read the scientific literature and educators have suggested that this may reflect deficiencies in their science literacy skills. In this two-year study we develop and test a strategy for using the scientific literature to teach science literacy skills to novice life science majors. The first year of the project served as a preliminary investigation in which we evaluated student science literacy skills, created a set of science literacy learning objectives aligned with Bloom’s taxonomy, and developed a set of homework assignments that used peer-reviewed articles to teach science literacy. In the second year of the project the effectiveness of the assignments and the learning objectives were evaluated. Summative student learning was evaluated in the second year on a final exam. The mean score was 83.5% (±20.3%) and there were significant learning gains (p < 0.05) in seven of nine of science literacy skills. Project data indicated that even though students achieved course-targeted lower-order science literacy objectives, many were deficient in higher-order literacy skills. Results of this project suggest that building scientific literacy is a continuing process which begins in first-year science courses with a set of fundamental skills that can serve the progressive development of literacy skills throughout the undergraduate curriculum. PMID:23858355

Exploring the Development of Fifth Graders' Practical Epistemologies and Explanation Skills in Inquiry-Based Learning Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hsin-Kai; Wu, Chia-Lien

2011-05-01

The purposes of this study are to explore fifth graders' epistemological views regarding their own experiences of constructing scientific knowledge through inquiry activities (i.e., practical epistemologies) and to investigate possible interactions between students' practical epistemologies and their inquiry skills to construct scientific explanations (i.e., explanation skills). Quantitative and qualitative data including interview transcripts, classroom video recordings, and pre- and post-tests of explanation skills were collected from 68 fifth graders in two science classes. Analyses of data show that after engaging in 5-week inquiry activities, students developed better inquiry skills to construct scientific explanations. More students realized the existence of experimental errors, viewed experimental data as evidence to support their claims, and had richer understanding about the nature of scientific questions. However, most students' epistemological beliefs were still naïve (the beginning level); they could not differentiate between experimental results and scientific knowledge and believed that the purpose of science is doing experiments or research. The results also show that students who held a more sophisticated epistemology (the intermediate level) tended to develop better inquiry skills than those with naïve beliefs. Analyses of classroom observations suggest possible explanations for how students reflected their epistemological views in their inquiry practices.

Teaching Spatial Thinking in Undergraduate Geology Courses Using Tools and Strategies from Cognitive Science Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormand, C. J.; Shipley, T. F.; Dutrow, B. L.; Goodwin, L. B.; Hickson, T. A.; Tikoff, B.; Atit, K.; Gagnier, K. M.; Resnick, I.

2015-12-01

Spatial visualization is an essential skill in the STEM disciplines, including the geological sciences. Undergraduate students, including geoscience majors in upper-level courses, bring a wide range of spatial skill levels to the classroom. Students with weak spatial skills may struggle to understand fundamental concepts and to solve geological problems with a spatial component. However, spatial thinking skills are malleable. Using strategies that have emerged from cognitive science research, we developed a set of curricular materials that improve undergraduate geology majors' abilities to reason about 3D concepts and to solve spatially complex geological problems. Cognitive science research on spatial thinking demonstrates that predictive sketching, making visual comparisons, gesturing, and the use of analogy can be used to develop students' spatial thinking skills. We conducted a three-year study of the efficacy of these strategies in strengthening the spatial skills of students in core geology courses at three universities. Our methodology is a quasi-experimental quantitative design, utilizing pre- and post-tests of spatial thinking skills, assessments of spatial problem-solving skills, and a control group comprised of students not exposed to our new curricular materials. Students taught using the new curricular materials show improvement in spatial thinking skills. Further analysis of our data, to be completed prior to AGU, will answer additional questions about the relationship between spatial skills and academic performance, spatial skills and gender, spatial skills and confidence, and the impact of our curricular materials on students who are struggling academically. Teaching spatial thinking in the context of discipline-based exercises has the potential to transform undergraduate education in the geological sciences by removing one significant barrier to success.

Inventories of psychological skills for athletic clubs and school life.

PubMed

Ueno, Kohei

2014-02-01

Some students who participate in athletic activities transfer the skills acquired in a sports context into other areas of life, while others do not. To identify the specific skills that are transferred or not from sports to the school environment, two inventories were developed: the "Psychological Skills Inventory for Athletic Clubs" and the "Psychological Skills Inventory for School Life." These inventories enable a comparison of skills in a sport context with skills in a school context. In the first stage, 307 Japanese first-year university students who had participated in high school athletic clubs volunteered to take part in a survey to develop these inventories. Analyses indicated that both inventories comprised identical subscales of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. In the second stage, the reliability and validity of these inventories was confirmed for 531 Japanese high school students who were members of athletic clubs for sports such as soccer and baseball.

Developing a Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS): measuring undergraduates' evaluation of scientific information and arguments.

PubMed

Gormally, Cara; Brickman, Peggy; Lutz, Mary

2012-01-01

Life sciences faculty agree that developing scientific literacy is an integral part of undergraduate education and report that they teach these skills. However, few measures of scientific literacy are available to assess students' proficiency in using scientific literacy skills to solve scenarios in and beyond the undergraduate biology classroom. In this paper, we describe the development, validation, and testing of the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) in five general education biology classes at three undergraduate institutions. The test measures skills related to major aspects of scientific literacy: recognizing and analyzing the use of methods of inquiry that lead to scientific knowledge and the ability to organize, analyze, and interpret quantitative data and scientific information. Measures of validity included correspondence between items and scientific literacy goals of the National Research Council and Project 2061, findings from a survey of biology faculty, expert biology educator reviews, student interviews, and statistical analyses. Classroom testing contexts varied both in terms of student demographics and pedagogical approaches. We propose that biology instructors can use the TOSLS to evaluate their students' proficiencies in using scientific literacy skills and to document the impacts of curricular reform on students' scientific literacy.

Development of First-Graders' Word Reading Skills: For Whom Can Dynamic Assessment Tell Us More?

PubMed

Cho, Eunsoo; Compton, Donald L; Gilbert, Jennifer K; Steacy, Laura M; Collins, Alyson A; Lindström, Esther R

2017-01-01

Dynamic assessment (DA) of word reading measures learning potential for early reading development by documenting the amount of assistance needed to learn how to read words with unfamiliar orthography. We examined the additive value of DA for predicting first-grade decoding and word recognition development while controlling for autoregressive effects. Additionally, we examined whether predictive validity of DA would be higher for students who have poor phonological awareness skills. First-grade students (n = 105) were assessed on measures of word reading, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and DA in the fall and again assessed on word reading measures in the spring. A series of planned, moderated multiple regression analyses indicated that DA made a significant and unique contribution in predicting word recognition development above and beyond the autoregressor, particularly for students with poor phonological awareness skills. For these students, DA explained 3.5% of the unique variance in end-of-first-grade word recognition that was not attributable to autoregressive effect. Results suggest that DA provides an important source of individual differences in the development of word recognition skills that cannot be fully captured by merely assessing the present level of reading skills through traditional static assessment, particularly for students at risk for developing reading disabilities. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2015.

Using Interactive Problem-Solving Techniques to Enhance Control Systems Education for Non English-Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamont, L. A.; Chaar, L.; Toms, C.

2010-01-01

Interactive learning is beneficial to students in that it allows the continual development and testing of many skills. An interactive approach enables students to improve their technical capabilities, as well as developing both verbal and written communicative ability. Problem solving and communication skills are vital for engineering students; in…

Developing a "Gateway" Course to Prepare Nontraditional Students for Success in Upper-Division Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies-Vollum, Katherine Sian; Greengrove, Cheryl

2010-01-01

In times of economic downturn, college enrollments often increase. Entering students may come from diverse educational backgrounds and bring variable skill sets. In this article, the authors describe a skills-focused course developed to ensure that transfer and nontraditional students returning to education are prepared to succeed in…

Korean Graduate Students' Perceptions of Guidance and Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Kent; Lee, Hikyoung

2017-01-01

Past studies have indicated shortcomings in the training of graduate students in the US, especially for practical career skills, teaching skills, and non-academic careers. Students thus find professional development and guidance lacking for the demands of the modern marketplace. This study extends this research to the unique situation of current…

Reading Skills of Students with Speech Sound Disorders at Three Stages of Literacy Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skebo, Crysten M.; Lewis, Barbara A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Tag, Jessica; Ciesla, Allison Avrich; Stein, Catherine M.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The relationship between phonological awareness, overall language, vocabulary, and nonlinguistic cognitive skills to decoding and reading comprehension was examined for students at 3 stages of literacy development (i.e., early elementary school, middle school, and high school). Students with histories of speech sound disorders (SSD) with…

Improving Committee Membership Skills of Women and Minority Business College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munoz, RoJean Madsen; Metro, Laura

Under the assumption that women and minority business college students have had little opportunity to develop the interpersonal and community membership skills required in business management, this paper reviews some of the research on socialization, group process theory, and the development of college students, and relates it to the special needs…

Engagement and Skill Development in Biology Students through Analysis of Art

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milkova, Liliana; Crossman, Colette; Wiles, Stephanie; Allen, Taylor

2013-01-01

An activity involving analysis of art in biology courses was designed with the goals of piquing undergraduates' curiosity, broadening the ways in which college students meaningfully engage with course content and concepts, and developing aspects of students' higher-level thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. To meet these…

Impact of Work Awareness Instruction for Adolescents with Special Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Rhonda S.

A work awareness curriculum designed to help disabled students develop the core social skills critical to success in the workplace was developed and presented to disabled students in two states. The core social skills were identified in a literature review. The curriculum included activities to increase students' awareness of often-unstated…

Initiating a Developmental Motor Skills Program for Identified Primary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harville, Valerie Terrill

A physical education specialist at an elementary school in one of the fastest growing sections of the country developed and implemented a developmental motor skills program for primary school students. The program focused on: (1) developing a method of referring students for testing; (2) providing a specialized motor diagnostic test; (3) improving…

Students' Conceptions of Learning in the Context of an Accounting Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abhayawansa, Subhash; Bowden, Mark; Pillay, Soma

2017-01-01

Students' conceptions of learning (CoL) play an important role in the learning process leading to the development of generic skills. This paper investigates whether CoL of accounting students can be developed by incorporating high-level cognitive skills progressively within the accounting curriculum. First, the study explored, using…

Assessing Aptitude and Attitude Development in a Translation Skills Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mekheimer, Mohamed Amin A.

2012-01-01

This study investigates the effects on EFL students of using Blackboard technology and online dictionaries in developing translating skills and building positive attitudes towards translation in male Saudi college students. The study compares two groups of students in a translation course; one in a traditional, face-to-face setting (control) and…

Relationships of Approaches to Studying, Metacognition, and Intellectual Development of General Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egenti, Henrietta N.

2012-01-01

This study investigated approaches to studying, intellectual developments, and metacognitive skills of general chemistry students enrolled for the spring 2011 semester at a single campus of a multi-campus community college. The three instruments used were the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), the Learning Environment…

Research Skills Development in Higher Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergamini, Tiziana Priede; Navarro, Cristina Lopez-Cozar

2014-01-01

This case study presents the development of a research project in a third-year undergraduate course, Family Business Administration. The research project aimed at promoting research skills in students. The authors formed working groups of no more than six students, and each group had to select an original research topic after conducting a…

Emerging Information Literacy and Research-Method Competencies in Urban Community College Psychology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfe, Kate S.

2015-01-01

This article details an assignment developed to teach students at urban community colleges information-literacy skills. This annotated bibliography assignment introduces students to library research skills, helps increase information literacy in beginning college students, and helps psychology students learn research methodology crucial in…

Midwifery students' evaluation of team-based academic assignments involving peer-marking.

PubMed

Parratt, Jenny A; Fahy, Kathleen M; Hastie, Carolyn R

2014-03-01

Midwives should be skilled team workers in maternity units and in group practices. Poor teamwork skills are a significant cause of adverse maternity care outcomes. Despite Australian and International regulatory requirements that all midwifery graduates are competent in teamwork, the systematic teaching and assessment of teamwork skills is lacking in higher education. How do midwifery students evaluate participation in team-based academic assignments, which include giving and receiving peer feedback? First and third year Bachelor of Midwifery students who volunteered (24 of 56 students). Participatory Action Research with data collection via anonymous online surveys. There was general agreement that team based assignments; (i) should have peer-marking, (ii) help clarify what is meant by teamwork, (iii) develop communication skills, (iv) promote student-to-student learning. Third year students strongly agreed that teams: (i) are valuable preparation for teamwork in practice, (ii) help meet Australian midwifery competency 8, and (iii) were enjoyable. The majority of third year students agreed with statements that their teams were effectively coordinated and team members shared responsibility for work equally; first year students strongly disagreed with these statements. Students' qualitative comments substantiated and expanded on these findings. The majority of students valued teacher feedback on well-developed drafts of the team's assignment prior to marking. Based on these findings we changed practice and created more clearly structured team-based assignments with specific marking criteria. We are developing supporting lessons to teach specific teamwork skills: together these resources are called "TeamUP". TeamUP should be implemented in all pre-registration Midwifery courses to foster students' teamwork skills and readiness for practice. Copyright © 2013 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Vocational Education in the Development of Students' Academic Skills: An Implementation Guide. Information Series No. 340.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pritz, Sandra G.

Integrated programs provide students with a balanced mix of academic and vocational skills needed in the workplace and for lifelong learning. Basic skills in mathematics, science, and communication form the foundation for lifelong learning and the content for higher-order skills. Occupational skills depend on and do not exist apart from academic…

Using the Science Process Skills to Investigate Animals and Animal Habitats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braithwaite, Saisha

This study explored how a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) engineer design challenge allowed students to analyze the characteristics of animals and animal habitats. This study was conducted in a kindergarten class within an urban school district. The class has 25 students while the study focuses on six students. The group consists of three boys and three girls. In this study, the students used the science process skills to observe, classify, infer, and make predictions about animals and habitats. In the engineer design, students created an established habitat and built their own animal that can survive in that habitat. The study analyzed how students used process skills to engage with the habitats and animals. The students successfully used the science process skills in this study. The results showed that students gained more content knowledge when they used multiple process skills within a lesson. The study shows that developing lessons using the science process skills improves students' ability to demonstrate their knowledge of animals and their habitats.

Developing and applying quantitative skills maps for STEM curricula, with a focus on different modes of learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, Jackie; Wilkes, Janelle

2016-08-01

Mapping quantitative skills across the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula will help educators identify gaps and duplication in the teaching, practice and assessment of the necessary skills. This paper describes the development and implementation of quantitative skills mapping tools for courses in STEM at a regional university that offers both on-campus and distance modes of study. Key elements of the mapping project included the identification of key graduate quantitative skills, the development of curriculum mapping tools to record in which unit(s) and at what level of attainment each quantitative skill is taught, practised and assessed, and identification of differences in the way quantitative skills are developed for on-campus and distance students. Particular attention is given to the differences that are associated with intensive schools, which consist of concentrated periods of face-to-face learning over a three-four day period, and are available to distance education students enrolled in STEM units. The detailed quantitative skills mapping process has had an impact on the review of first-year mathematics units, resulted in crucial changes to the curriculum in a number of courses, and contributed to a more integrated approach, and a collective responsibility, to the development of students' quantitative skills for both face-to-face and online modes of learning.

Development of Students' Critical-Reasoning Skills through Content-Focused Activities in a General Education Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fencl, Heidi S.

2010-01-01

Students in a general education science course made significant gains in scientific reasoning skills when they were taught using carefully designed hands-on activities and writing assignments. The activities required students to make use of scientific skills such as graphing, predicting outcomes under changing conditions, or designing experiments,…

Contributions of Phonological Awareness, Phonological Short-Term Memory, and Rapid Automated Naming, toward Decoding Ability in Students with Mild Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soltani, Amanallah; Roslan, Samsilah

2013-01-01

Reading decoding ability is a fundamental skill to acquire word-specific orthographic information necessary for skilled reading. Decoding ability and its underlying phonological processing skills have been heavily investigated typically among developing students. However, the issue has rarely been noticed among students with intellectual…

Evaluation of Sensory Skills among Students with Visual Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saleem, Suhib Saleem; Al-Salahat, Mohammad Mousa

2016-01-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the sensory skills among students with visual impairment (SVI). The sample contained of 30 students with blind and low vision enrolled in mainstreaming programs at general education schools at Najran in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A sensory skills scale was developed. The scale consisted of 20 items was…

A Two-Tier Test-Based Approach to Improving Students' Computer-Programming Skills in a Web-Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Tzu-Chi; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Yang, Stephen J. H.; Hwang, Gwo-Haur

2015-01-01

Computer programming is an important skill for engineering and computer science students. However, teaching and learning programming concepts and skills has been recognized as a great challenge to both teachers and students. Therefore, the development of effective learning strategies and environments for programming courses has become an important…

A Tailored Approach to Identifying and Addressing College Students' Online Health Information Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banas, Jennifer

2008-01-01

Background: College students may fail to practice information literacy skills because they are unaware of their skill level or are not concerned with the risks. Purpose: In order to develop an effective message that motivates college students to learn online health information literacy skills, a better understanding of perceptions about such…

Improving Deficient Listening Skills in the Language Arts Program at the Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonso, Laura

A project developed a program for improving deficient student-to-student listening skills. The targeted population consisted of 18 seventh-grade middle school students in a culturally diverse, lower middle class community in a near-western suburb of Chicago. The problem of deficient listening skills was evident through teacher observation and…

Student Development of Information Literacy Skills during Problem-Based Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shultz, Ginger V.; Li, Ye

2016-01-01

Problem-based learning methods support student learning of content as well as scientific skills. In the course of problem-based learning, students seek outside information related to the problem, and therefore, information literacy skills are practiced when problem-based learning is used. This work describes a mixed-methods approach to investigate…

Science and Engineering of the Environment of Los Angeles: A GK-12 Experiment at Developing Science Communications Skills in UCLA's Graduate Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moldwin, M. B.; Hogue, T. S.; Nonacs, P.; Shope, R. E.; Daniel, J.

2008-12-01

Many science and research skills are taught by osmosis in graduate programs with the expectation that students will develop good communication skills (speaking, writing, and networking) by observing others, attending meetings, and self reflection. A new National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellows in K- 12 Education (GK-12; http://ehrweb.aaas.org/gk12new/) program at UCLA (SEE-LA; http://measure.igpp.ucla.edu/GK12-SEE-LA/overview.html ) attempts to make the development of good communication skills an explicit part of the graduate program of science and engineering students. SEE-LA places the graduate fellows in two pairs of middle and high schools within Los Angeles to act as scientists-in- residence. They are partnered with two master science teachers and spend two-days per week in the classroom. They are not student teachers, or teacher aides, but scientists who contribute their content expertise, excitement and experience with research, and new ideas for classroom activities and lessons that incorporate inquiry science. During the one-year fellowship, the graduate students also attend a year-long Preparing Future Faculty seminar that discusses many skills needed as they begin their academic or research careers. Students are also required to include a brief (two-page) summary of their research that their middle or high school students would be able to understand as part of their published thesis. Having students actively thinking about and communicating their science to a pre-college audience provides important science communication training and helps contribute to science education. University and local pre- college school partnerships provide an excellent opportunity to support the development of graduate student communication skills while also contributing significantly to the dissemination of sound science to K-12 teachers and students.

A Motivational Interviewing Course for Pharmacy Students

PubMed Central

Hawes, Starlyn M.; Duval, Elizabeth R.; Spresser, Carrie D.; Martínez, David A.; Lynam, Ian; Barnes, Amy; Hinton-Dampf, Amber M.; Murphy, Meghan E.; Marken, Patricia A.; Catley, Delwyn

2010-01-01

Objective To create, implement, and evaluate a pharmacy course on motivational interviewing. Design A 3-hour elective course was created to train doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in brief patient-centered motivational interviewing counseling strategies that have proven effective with the types of health issues most commonly addressed in pharmacy settings. Students were assisted in developing their skills through required readings, interactive lectures, in-class demonstrations and practice sessions, out of class skills practice, one-on-one supervision provided by doctoral level clinical health psychology students, and written reflections on each class session. Assessment Students demonstrated significant improvement in motivational interviewing skills and a high level of motivation for and confidence in using these skills in their future practice. Students overall assessment of the course and supervision process was highly positive. Conclusion This patient-centered counseling skills course was feasible and produced improvements in PharmD students' counseling skills and increased their motivation and confidence to use motivational interviewing skills in their future communications with patients. PMID:20585431

Tensions in mentoring medical students toward self-directed and reflective learning in a longitudinal portfolio-based mentoring system - An activity theory analysis.

PubMed

Heeneman, Sylvia; de Grave, Willem

2017-04-01

In medical education, students need to acquire skills to self-direct(ed) learning (SDL), to enable their development into self-directing and reflective professionals. This study addressed the mentor perspective on how processes in the mentor-student interaction influenced development of SDL. n = 22 mentors of a graduate-entry medical school with a problem-based curriculum and longitudinal mentoring system were interviewed (n = 1 recording failed). Using activity theory (AT) as a theoretical framework, thematic analysis was applied to the interview data to identify important themes. Four themes emerged: centered around the role of the portfolio, guiding of students' SDL in the context of assessment procedures, mentor-role boundaries and longitudinal development of skills by both the mentor and mentee. Application of AT showed that in the interactions between themes tensions or supportive factors could emerge for activities in the mentoring process. The mentors' perspective on coaching and development of reflection and SDL of medical students yielded important insights into factors that can hinder or support students' SDL, during a longitudinal mentor-student interaction. Coaching skills of the mentor, the interaction with a portfolio and the context of a mentor community are important factors in a longitudinal mentor-student interaction that can translate to students' SDL skills.

A Scale Development for 21st Century Skills of Primary School Students: A Validity and Reliability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyaci, S. Dilek Belet; Atalay, Nurhan

2016-01-01

The objective of the present study is to develop a measurement tool to assess 21st Century learning and innovation skills of primary school students. Study data was collected from 632 fourth grade students in five different primary schools during 2014-2015 academic year and data obtained from 609 fourth grade students were utilized in the study.…

Reflective education for professional practice: discovering knowledge from experience.

PubMed

Lyons, J

1999-01-01

To continually develop as a discipline, a profession needs to generate a knowledge base that can evolve from education and practice. Midwifery reflective practitioners have the potential to develop clinical expertise directed towards achieving desirable, safe and effective practice. Midwives are 'with woman', providing the family with supportive and helpful relationships as they share the deep and profound experiences of childbirth. To become skilled helpers students need to develop reflective skills and valid midwifery knowledge grounded in their personal experiences and practice. Midwife educators and practitioners can assist students and enhance their learning by expanding the scope of practice, encouraging self-assessment and the development of reflective and professional skills. This paper explores journal writing as a learning strategy for the development of reflective skills within midwifery and explores its value for midwifery education. It also examines, through the use of critical social theory and adult learning principles, how midwives can assist and thus enhance students learning through the development of professional and reflective skills for midwifery practice.

An Approximation of an Instructional Model for Developing Home Living Skills in Severely Handicapped Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamre, S.

The author discusses the need for severely handicapped students to acquire basic home living skills, reviews task analysis principles, and provides sample instructional programs. Listed are basic grooming, dressing, domestic maintenance, and cooking skills. A sample task analysis procedure is demonstrated for the skill of brushing teeth. Reported…

Enabling performance skills: Assessment in engineering education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrone, Jenny Kristina

Current reform in engineering education is part of a national trend emphasizing student learning as well as accountability in instruction. Assessing student performance to demonstrate accountability has become a necessity in academia. In newly adopted criterion proposed by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), undergraduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in outcomes considered essential for graduating engineers. The case study was designed as a formative evaluation of freshman engineering students to assess the perceived effectiveness of performance skills in a design laboratory environment. The mixed methodology used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess students' performance skills and congruency among the respondents, based on individual, team, and faculty perceptions of team effectiveness in three ABET areas: Communications Skills. Design Skills, and Teamwork. The findings of the research were used to address future use of the assessment tool and process. The results of the study found statistically significant differences in perceptions of Teamwork Skills (p < .05). When groups composed of students and professors were compared, professors were less likely to perceive student's teaming skills as effective. The study indicated the need to: (1) improve non-technical performance skills, such as teamwork, among freshman engineering students; (2) incorporate feedback into the learning process; (3) strengthen the assessment process with a follow-up plan that specifically targets performance skill deficiencies, and (4) integrate the assessment instrument and practice with ongoing curriculum development. The findings generated by this study provides engineering departments engaged in assessment activity, opportunity to reflect, refine, and develop their programs as it continues. It also extends research on ABET competencies of engineering students in an under-investigated topic of factors correlated with team processes, behavior, and student learning.

Teaching home care electronic documentation skills to undergraduate nursing students.

PubMed

Nokes, Kathleen M; Aponte, Judith; Nickitas, Donna M; Mahon, Pamela Y; Rodgers, Betsy; Reyes, Nancy; Chaya, Joan; Dornbaum, Martin

2012-01-01

Although there is general consensus that nursing students need knowledge and significant skill to document clinical findings electronically, nursing faculty face many barriers in ensuring that undergraduate students can practice on electronic health record systems (EHRS). External funding supported the development of an educational innovation through a partnership between a home care agency staff and nursing faculty. Modules were developed to teach EHRS skills using a case study of a homebound person requiring wound care and the Medicare-required OASIS documentation system. This article describes the development and implementation of the module for an upper-level baccalaureate nursing program located in New York City. Nursing faculty are being challenged to develop creative and economical solutions to expose nursing students to EHRSs in nonclinical settings.

Life Skills Orientation for EMR Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuill, Ronald D.; Bennett, Maddona

1978-01-01

After trying several methods of mainstreaming their educable mentally retarded (EMR) students, the authors, teachers at Tippecanoe Junior High, Lafayette, Indiana, developed a system for their EMR students to make and market products in various school stores, thus exposing the students to many life survival skills. (MF)

Teaching clinical skills in developing countries: are clinical skills centres the answer?

PubMed

Stark, Patsy; Fortune, F

2003-11-01

There is growing international interest in teaching clinical skills in a variety of contexts, one of which is Clinical Skills Centres. The drivers for change making Skills Centres an important adjunct to ward and ambulatory teaching come both from within and outside medical education. Educationally, self-directed learning is becoming the accepted norm, encouraging students to seek and maximize learning opportunities. There are global changes in health care practice, increased consumerism and increasing student numbers. In some countries, professional recommendations influence what is taught. Increasingly, core skills curricula and outcome objectives are being defined. This explicit definition encourages assessment of the core skills. In turn, all students require equal opportunities to learn how to practise the skills safely and competently. The moves towards interprofessional education make joint learning in a"neutral" setting, like a Clinical Skills Centre, appear particularly attractive. To discuss the potential role of Clinical Skills Centres in skills training in developing countries and to consider alternative options. Many developing countries seek to establish Clinical Skills Centres to ensure effective and reliable skills teaching. However, the model may not be appropriate,because fully equipped Clinical Skills Centres are expensive to set up, staff; and run. They are not the only way to achieve high quality clinical teaching. Suggested options are based on the philosophy and teaching methods successfully developed in Clinical Skills Centres that may fulfil the local needs to achieve low cost and high quality clinical teaching which is reflective of the local health needs and cultural expectations.

Case study: use of problem-based learning to develop students' technical and professional skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warnock, James N.; Mohammadi-Aragh, M. Jean

2016-03-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogy that has attracted attention for many biomedical engineering curricula. The aim of the current study was to address the research question, 'Does PBL enable students to develop desirable professional engineering skills?' The desirable skills identified were communication, teamwork, problem solving and self-directed learning. Forty-seven students enrolled in a biomedical materials course participated in the case study. Students worked in teams to complete a series of problems throughout the semester. The results showed that students made significant improvements in their problem-solving skills, written communication and self-directed learning. Students also demonstrated an ability to work in teams and communicate orally. In conclusion, this case study provides empirical evidence of the efficacy of PBL on student learning. We discuss findings from our study and provide observations of student performance and perceptions that could be useful for faculty and researchers interested in PBL for biomedical engineering education.

Developing the critical thinking skills of astrobiology students through creative and scientific inquiry.

PubMed

Foster, Jamie S; Lemus, Judith D

2015-01-01

Scientific inquiry represents a multifaceted approach to explore and understand the natural world. Training students in the principles of scientific inquiry can help promote the scientific learning process as well as help students enhance their understanding of scientific research. Here, we report on the development and implementation of a learning module that introduces astrobiology students to the concepts of creative and scientific inquiry, as well as provide practical exercises to build critical thinking skills. The module contained three distinct components: (1) a creative inquiry activity designed to introduce concepts regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry; (2) guidelines to help astrobiology students formulate and self-assess questions regarding various scientific content and imagery; and (3) a practical exercise where students were allowed to watch a scientific presentation and practice their analytical skills. Pre- and post-course surveys were used to assess the students' perceptions regarding creative and scientific inquiry and whether this activity impacted their understanding of the scientific process. Survey results indicate that the exercise helped improve students' science skills by promoting awareness regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry and building their confidence in formulating and assessing scientific questions. Together, the module and survey results confirm the need to include such inquiry-based activities into the higher education classroom, thereby helping students hone their critical thinking and question asking skill set and facilitating their professional development in astrobiology.

The Effects of Intertextual Reading Approach on the Development of Creative Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akdal, Deniz; Sahin, Ayfer

2014-01-01

Problem Statement: The aim of the first five years of primary school is to teach and help the students develop basic skills as stated in the Primary School Language Program and Guide. Creative thinking and intertextual reading are among these skills, and it is important to give these to the students during language courses. Purpose of Study: The…

The Impact of Adaptive Complex Assessment on the HOT Skill Development of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raiyn, Jamal; Tilchin, Oleg

2016-01-01

In this paper we propose a method for the adaptive complex assessment (ACA) of the higher-order thinking (HOT) skills needed by students for problem solving, and we examine the impact of the method on the development of HOT skills in a problem-based learning (PBL) environment. Complexity in the assessment is provided by initial, formative, and…

Social Success Skills: Black Male High School Students' Perspectives on Society and Their Media Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Degand, Darnel

2013-01-01

This dissertation's purpose was to better understand how messages received through different cultural mediums influences the development of social success skills. Black male students were chosen as the focal participants for this year-long study because they are included among the groups whose social success skills development are thought to…

Readability and Item Difficulty of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Fifth-Grade Science Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Conn; Carpenter, Clint

2008-01-01

The development of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test involves input from educators across the state. The development process attempts to create an assessment that reflects the skills and content understanding of students at the tested grade level. This study attempts to determine other factors that can affect student performance on…

The Effectiveness of the Dramatic Activities in the Development of the Oral Performance Skills of Prep Students in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zayed, Jihan El-Sayed Ahmed

2003-01-01

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of using some dramatic activities on developing the oral performance skills of second year prep school students in English. The dramatic activities included storytelling, story-acting, pantomime, puppetry, role-playing, reader's theater and choral reading. The oral performance skills were…

A Set of Vertically Integrated Inquiry-Based Practical Curricula that Develop Scientific Thinking Skills for Large Cohorts of Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimbardi, Kirsten; Bugarcic, Andrea; Colthorpe, Kay; Good, Jonathan P.; Lluka, Lesley J.

2013-01-01

Science graduates require critical thinking skills to deal with the complex problems they will face in their 21st century workplaces. Inquiry-based curricula can provide students with the opportunities to develop such critical thinking skills; however, evidence suggests that an inappropriate level of autonomy provided to under prepared students…

Moving beyond Assessment to Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills: A Model for Implementing Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haynes, Ada; Lisic, Elizabeth; Goltz, Michele; Stein, Barry; Harris, Kevin

2016-01-01

This research examines how the use of the CAT (Critical thinking Assessment Test) and involvement in CAT-Apps (CAT Applications within the discipline) training can serve as an important part of a faculty development model that assists faculty in the assessment of students' critical thinking skills and in the development of these skills within…

Understanding the art of feminist pedagogy: facilitating interpersonal skills learning for nurses.

PubMed

Lamont, Emma

2014-05-01

The purpose of this study is to explore feminist pedagogy integrated with facilitation skills. A pedagogy project was undertaken with students participating in the BSc (Hons) Nursing programme, whereby a module, "Interpersonal Skills for Nurses" was developed for 72 year 1 students. A feminist pedagogy involves employing the powers of diversity to create an environment where all students' voices are heard. It values the power of sharing to create a community of learners in which teachers and students share their talents, skills and abilities to enhance the learning of all (Chinn, 2001). An end of semester evaluation provided feedback which indicated this was a valuable module to teach year 1 student nurses. It highlighted that student nurses found the topic both interesting and relevant and felt it was taught in a way that promoted their personal development and identity as a nurse. © 2013.

Science Journals in the Garden: Developing the Skill of Observation in Elementary Age Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Karinsa Michelle

The ability to make and record scientific observations is critical in order for students to engage in successful inquiry, and provides a sturdy foundation for children to develop higher order cognitive processes. Nevertheless, observation is taken for granted in the elementary classroom. This study explores how linking school garden experience with the use of science journals can support this skill. Students participated in a month-long unit in which they practiced their observation skills in the garden and recorded those observations in a science journal. Students' observational skills were assessed using pre- and post-assessments, student journals, and student interviews using three criteria: Accuracy, Detail, and Quantitative Data. Statistically significant improvements were found in the categories of Detail and Quantitative Data. Scores did improve in the category of Accuracy, but it was not found to be a statistically significant improvement.

Gaming and the Commodities Market: An Economic-Based Game for Developing Reasoning Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witschonke, Christopher; Herrera, Jose Maria

2013-01-01

The authors describe an economics-based game they have developed to instruct student teachers in the value of games and gaming for developing reasoning and decision-making skills in economics in K-12 students (5-18-year-olds). The game is designed to progress through each grade level so that by high school students have a thorough appreciation and…

Catch Them Young: Developing and Improving of School Libraries and Reading Habit of Secondary School Students in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oriogu, Chuks Daniel

2015-01-01

Reading habit is a fundamental skill necessary in the life of every student. It is essential in developing a more civilized and knowledgeable society. Therefore, the study investigated reading habit of secondary school students and ways of developing and improving of school libraries in Nigeria. The study reviewed the basis of reading skills,…

Fostering 21st Century Skill Development by Engaging Students in Authentic Game Design Projects in a High School Computer Programming Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Michael K.; Ge, Xun; Greene, Barbara A.

2011-01-01

This study used technology-rich ethnography (TRE) to examine the use of game development in a high school computer programming class for the development of 21st century skills. High school students created games for elementary school students while obtaining formative feedback from their younger clients. Our experience suggests that in the…

EQClinic: a platform for learning communication skills in clinical consultations.

PubMed

Liu, Chunfeng; Scott, Karen M; Lim, Renee L; Taylor, Silas; Calvo, Rafael A

2016-01-01

Doctors' verbal and non-verbal communication skills have an impact on patients' health outcomes, so it is important for medical students to develop these skills. Traditional, non-verbal communication skills training can involve a tutor manually annotating a student's non-verbal behaviour during patient-doctor consultations, but this is very time-consuming. Tele-conference systems have been used in verbal communication skills training. We describe EQClinic, a system that enables verbal and non-verbal communication skills training during tele-consultations with simulated patients (SPs), with evaluation exercises promoting reflection. Students and SPs can have tele-consultations through the tele-consultation component. In this component, SPs can provide feedback to students through a thumbs-up/ thumbs-down tool and a comments box. EQClinic automatically analyses communication features in the recorded consultations, such as facial expressions, and provides graphical representations. Our 2015 pilot study investigated whether EQClinic helped students be aware of their non-verbal behaviour and improve their communication skills, and evaluated the usability of the platform. Students received automated feedback, and SP and tutor evaluations, and then completed self-assessment and reflection questionnaires. Eight medical students and three SPs conducted 13 tele-consultations using EQClinic. More students paid attention to their non-verbal communication and students who were engaged in two consultations felt more confident in their second consultation. Students rated the system positively, felt comfortable using it (5.9/7), and reported that the structure (5.4/7) and information (5.8/7) were clear. This pilot provides evidence that EQClinic helps, and positively influences, medical students practise their communication skills with SPs using a tele-conference platform. It is not easy to improve non-verbal communication skills in a short time period. Further evaluation of EQClinic with larger numbers will ascertain learning gains and application in health professional training. Developing a standard model for the assessment of non-verbal behaviour in tele-consultations and providing students with more valuable evaluation and suggestions are part of our future work.

Development of research paper writing skills of poultry science undergraduate students studying food microbiology.

PubMed

Howard, Z R; Donalson, L M; Kim, W K; Li, X; Zabala Díaz, I; Landers, K L; Maciorowski, K G; Ricke, S C

2006-02-01

Because food and poultry industries are demanding an improvement in written communication skills among graduates, research paper writing should be an integral part of a senior undergraduate class. However, scientific writing assignments are often treated as secondary to developing the technical skills of the students. Scientific research paper writing has been emphasized in an undergraduate course on advanced food microbiology taught in the Poultry Science Department at Texas A& M University (College Station, TX). Students' opinions suggest that research paper writing as part of a senior course in Poultry Science provides students with scientific communication skills and useful training for their career, but more emphasis on reading and understanding scientific literature may be required.

The development of self-regulated learning during the pre-clinical stage of medical school: a comparison between a lecture-based and a problem-based curriculum.

PubMed

Lucieer, Susanna M; van der Geest, Jos N; Elói-Santos, Silvana M; de Faria, Rosa M Delbone; Jonker, Laura; Visscher, Chris; Rikers, Remy M J P; Themmen, Axel P N

2016-03-01

Society expects physicians to always improve their competencies and to be up to date with developments in their field. Therefore, an important aim of medical schools is to educate future medical doctors to become self-regulated, lifelong learners. However, it is unclear if medical students become better self-regulated learners during the pre-clinical stage of medical school, and whether students develop self-regulated learning skills differently, dependent on the educational approach of their medical school. In a cross-sectional design, we investigated the development of 384 medical students' self-regulated learning skills with the use of the Self-Regulation of Learning Self-Report Scale. Next, we compared this development in students who enrolled in two distinct medical curricula: a problem-based curriculum and a lectured-based curriculum. Analysis showed that more skills decreased than increased during the pre-clinical stage of medical school, and that the difference between the curricula was mainly caused by a decrease in the skill evaluation in the lecture-based curriculum. These findings seem to suggest that, irrespective of the curriculum, self-regulated learning skills do not develop during medical school.

Teaching health science students foundation motivational interviewing skills: use of motivational interviewing treatment integrity and self-reflection to approach transformative learning.

PubMed

M, Schoo A; S, Lawn; E, Rudnik; C, Litt J

2015-12-21

Many undergraduate and graduate-entry health science curricula have incorporated training in motivational interviewing (MI). However, to effectively teach skills that will remain with students after they graduate is challenging. The aims of this study were to find out self-assessed MI skills of health students and whether reflecting on the results can promote transformative learning. Thirty-six Australian occupational therapy and physiotherapy students were taught the principles of MI, asked to conduct a motivational interview, transcribe it, self-rate it using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) tool and reflect on the experience. Student MI skills were measured using the reported MITI subscores. Student assignments and a focus group discussion were analysed to explore the student experience using the MITI tool and self-reflection to improve their understanding of MI principles. Students found MI challenging, although identified the MITI tool as useful for promoting self-reflection and to isolate MI skills. Students self-assessed their MI skills as competent and higher than scores expected from beginners. The results inform educational programs on how MI skills can be developed for health professional students and can result in transformative learning. Students may over-state their MI skills and strategies to reduce this, including peer review, are discussed. Structured self-reflection, using tools such as the MITI can promote awareness of MI skills and compliment didactic teaching methods.

Female and Male Interns and Their Mentors? Perception of Workforce Skill Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Cathy W.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Brush, Kimberly M.

2013-01-01

Participants in this study were student interns and mentors taking part in the 2012, 10- week Langley Aerospace Research Student Scholars (LARSS) summer internship program in Hampton, Virginia. The study examined mentors and student interns' ratings of their preparedness in basic knowledge and skills. The study focused on three primary areas: 1) overall evaluation of knowledge and skills by mentors and interns; 2) male and female interns' perceptions of their own skills in these key areas; and 3) mentors' perceptions of their student interns' knowledge and skills in the same areas by gender. Overall mentors were more positive about their interns' improvement in 12 of 17 areas assessed than were the student interns. There were no significant gender differences in how mentors rated their male and female interns' abilities in these workforce skills, but there were four key areas where female interns rated their own abilities lower than did their male peers: analytical thinking, computational skills, computer skills and technical skills. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Assessing Information Literacy Skills Development in First Year Students: A Multi-Year Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fain, Margaret

2011-01-01

Assessment data from 5 years of a pretest/posttest with first-year students was analyzed using McNemar's test. The results show that revisiting previous assessment data can identify significant changes in information literacy skill development.

Understanding the modeling skill shift in engineering: the impact of self-efficacy, epistemology, and metacognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yildirim, Tuba Pinar

A focus of engineering education is to prepare future engineers with problem solving, design and modeling skills. In engineering education, the former two skill areas have received copious attention making their way into the ABET criteria. Modeling, a representation containing the essential structure of an event in the real world, is a fundamental function of engineering, and an important academic skill that students develop during their undergraduate education. Yet the modeling process remains under-investigated, particularly in engineering, even though there is an increasing emphasis on modeling in engineering schools (Frey 2003). Research on modeling requires a deep understanding of multiple perspectives, that of cognition, affect, and knowledge expansion. In this dissertation, the relationship between engineering modeling skills and students' cognitive backgrounds including self-efficacy, epistemic beliefs and metacognition is investigated using model-eliciting activities (MEAs). Data were collected from sophomore students at two time periods, as well as senior engineering students. The impact of each cognitive construct on change in modeling skills was measured using a growth curve model at the sophomore level, and ordinary least squares regression at the senior level. Findings of this dissertation suggest that self-efficacy, through its direct and indirect (moderation or interaction term with time) impact, influences the growth of modeling abilities of an engineering student. When sophomore and senior modeling abilities are compared, the difference can be explained by varying self-efficacy levels. Epistemology influences modeling skill development such that the more sophisticated the student beliefs are, the higher the level of modeling ability students can attain, after controlling for the effects of conceptual learning, gender and GPA. This suggests that development of modeling ability may be constrained by the naivete of one's personal epistemology. Finally, metacognition, or 'thinking about thinking', has an impact on the development of modeling strategies of students, when the impacts of four metacognitive dimensions are considered: awareness, planning, cognitive strategy and self-checking. Students who are better at self-checking show higher growth in their modeling abilities over the course of a year, compared to students who are less proficient at self-checking. The growth in modeling abilities is also moderated by the cognitive strategy and planning skills of the student. After some experience with modeling is attained, students who have enhanced skills in these two metacognitive dimensions are observed to do better in modeling. Therefore, inherent metacognitive abilities of students can positively affect the growth of modeling ability.

Online Clinical Post-Conference, Face-to-Face Clinical Postconference: Effects on Critical Thinking in Associate Degree Nursing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebersole-Berkstresser, Kristie Anne

2013-01-01

Nurse educators, at every level of pre-licensure nursing education, are charged with developing critical thinking skills within their students. Post-clinical conference is one teaching strategy that nurse educators can employ to help promote the development of critical thinking skills in pre-licensure nursing students. However, traditional…

Rhetorical Meta-Language to Promote the Development of Students' Writing Skills and Subject Matter Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelger, Susanne; Sigrell, Anders

2016-01-01

Background: Feedback is one of the most significant factors for students' development of writing skills. For feedback to be successful, however, students and teachers need a common language--a meta-language--for discussing texts. Not least because in science education such a meta-language might contribute to improve writing training and…

Fantasy Seed Company: A Role Playing Game for Plant Breeding Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hague, Steve S.

2011-01-01

Understanding plant breeding as well as procedures and issues of seed companies are skills students studying agronomy need to acquire. Simulation games can be effective teaching tools in developing higher-order thinking skills of students. The "Fantasy Seed Company" game was developed to create motivated learners by allowing students to run a mock…

Development and Validation of Teaching Practice Evaluation Instrument for Assessing Chemistry Students' Teaching Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ezeudu, F. O.; Chiaha, G. T. U.; Eze, J. U.

2013-01-01

The study was designed to develop and factorially validate an instrument for measuring teaching practice skills of chemistry student-teachers in University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Two research questions guided the study. The design of the study was instrumentation. All the chemistry student-teachers in the Department of Science Education, University…

Using a Multimedia-Based Program for Developing Student Teachers' EFL Speaking Fluency Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diyyab, Eman Aly; Abdel-Haq, Eman Muhamad; Aly, Mahsoub Abdel-Sadeq

2013-01-01

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of using a multimedia-based program for developing EFL speaking fluency skills among second year, English section student teachers. The sample of the present study consisted of thirty students at Sadat Faculty of Education, Minufiya University, Egypt. The study sample was…

Using Peer Grading and Proofreading to Ratchet Student Expectations in Preparing Accounting Cases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaney, Barbara A.; Ingraham, Laura R.

2009-01-01

Accounting educators struggle with ways to incorporate the development of critical thinking and communication skills into the curriculum. Case analysis is one tool for developing these skills. We examine whether students' case analysis scores improve as a result of participation in peer grading and peer review. We find that students improve their…

How Public High School Students Assume Cooperative Roles to Develop Their EFL Speaking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parra Espinel, Julie Natalie; Fonseca Canaría, Diana Carolina

2010-01-01

This study describes an investigation we carried out in order to identify how the specific roles that 7th grade public school students assumed when they worked cooperatively were related to their development of speaking skills in English. Data were gathered through interviews, field notes, students' reflections and audio recordings. The findings…

The Role of Live Video Capture Production in the Development of Student Communication Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Donoghue, Michael; Cochrane, Tom A.

2010-01-01

Civil and natural resources engineering students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, take specific courses requiring small group research projects and the presentation of findings to staff and peers. Although one of the aims of these presentations is to assist in the development of the students' communication skills, staff have raised…

Mobile App Development to Increase Student Engagement and Problem Solving Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dekhane, Sonal; Xu, Xin; Tsoi, Mai Yin

2013-01-01

This paper describes a project designed to promote problem solving and critical thinking skills in a general education, computing course at an open access institution. A visual programming tool, GameSalad, was used to enable students to create educational apps for mobile platforms. The students worked on a game development project for the entire…

Improving Student Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butkowski, Jean; And Others

This report describes a program for improving higher-order thinking skills in mathematics of (n=17) third-, (n=27) fifth-, and (n=27) sixth-grade students in a middle class community. Three interventions were chosen: (1) cooperative learning to develop student self-confidence and to improve student achievement, (2) the instruction of students in…

Online Study: Postgraduate Student Perceptions of Core Skills Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grounds, Patricia E.; Moore, Caroline

2017-01-01

In this qualitative study, we analyze postgraduate students' perceptions of strategic behaviors they developed during their online studies and their ability to extend this behavior to their own praxis. Findings suggest that strategic behavior centers around the development of four core skills: engaging in self-directed thinking; fostering…

Skill and tactical development during a sport education season.

PubMed

Hastie, P A

1998-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of skill competence and tactical sophistication during a games unit conducted following the features of sport education provided by Siedentop (1994). One team of six players was followed through a 30-lesson season of "Ultimate." Using Gréhaigne, Godbout, and Bouthier's (1997) formula for an efficiency index, together with a number of other measures of skill and tactical competence, it was determined that these students made significant improvements in selection and execution dimensions of the game. Furthermore, lower skilled students did not feel marginalized within their teams and believed they had equal opportunities for improvement. The key reasons for developing competence in this setting were the sufficient length of the season to allow for significant practice opportunities and the consistent team membership throughout season, which allowed all players to develop a sense of usefulness. This curriculum model provides one way students can develop skills through a system of game playing, provided sport education units are structured to prevent the more skillful players from dominating the games.

[Development and Testing of a Mastery Learning Program of Nursing Skills for Undergraduate Nursing Students].

PubMed

Park, SoMi; Hur, Hea Kung; Kim, Ki Kyong; Song, Hee Young

2017-08-01

This study was undertaken to develop and test a mastery learning program of nursing skills for undergraduate nursing students. In this methodological study, first, the preliminary draft of a mastery learning program to provide training for nursing skills was developed based on Bloom's framework for mastery learning. Second, to test the developed program, a single-blinded, nonequivalent control group nonsynchronized study was conducted on 50 senior nursing students in a University selected by convenient sampling. Thirteen students were assigned to a control group; 13, 12, and 13 of them were assigned to intravenous therapy, transfusion, and patient transfer groups, respectively. The achievement levels and performance scores of the selected nursing skills were measured before and after the completion of the program in all the groups. Lastly, the final program was confirmed based on the results of the program testing. Intravenous therapy, transfusion, and patient transfer were selected as essential nursing skills for the program based on the priorities rated by clinical instructors and staff nurses. The achievement levels of selected nursing skills were determined by Angoff scores. After participating in the program, the proportion of passers and performance scores of the nursing skills in the experimental groups were significantly higher than those in the control group. The final program was confirmed which included a diagnostic test, enrichment activities for the passers and three repetitions of corrective activities and formative assessments for non-passers. The results suggest that a mastery learning program for undergraduate students can lead to better improvement and performance of essential nursing skills. © 2017 Korean Society of Nursing Science

From Cheerleader to Coach: The Developmental Progression of Bedside Teachers in Giving Feedback to Early Learners.

PubMed

Wenrich, Marjorie D; Jackson, Molly Blackley; Maestas, Ramoncita R; Wolfhagen, Ineke H A P; Scherpbier, Albert J J

2015-11-01

Medical students learn clinical skills at the bedside from teaching clinicians, who often learn to teach by teaching. Little is known about the process of becoming an effective clinical teacher. Understanding how teaching skills and approaches change with experience may help tailor faculty development for new teachers. Focusing on giving feedback to early learners, the authors asked: What is the developmental progression of clinician-teachers as they learn to give clinical skills feedback to medical students? This qualitative study included longitudinal interviews with clinician-teachers over five years in a new clinical skills teaching program for preclinical medical students. Techniques derived from grounded theory were used for initial analyses. The current study focused on one theme identified in initial analyses: giving feedback to students. Transcript passages were organized by interview year, coded, and discussed in year clusters; thematic codes were compared and emergent codes developed. Themes related to giving feedback demonstrated a dyadic structure: characteristic of less experienced teachers versus characteristic of experienced teachers. Seven dominant dyadic themes emerged, including teacher as cheerleader versus coach, concern about student fragility versus understanding resilience, and focus on creating a safe environment versus challenging students within a safe environment. With consistent teaching, clinical teachers demonstrated progress in giving feedback to students in multiple areas, including understanding students' developmental trajectory and needs, developing tools and strategies, and adopting a dynamic, challenging, inclusive team approach. Ongoing teaching opportunities with targeted faculty development may help improve clinician-teachers' feedback skills and approaches.

Life skills, mathematical reasoning and critical thinking: a curriculum for the prevention of problem gambling.

PubMed

Turner, Nigel E; Macdonald, John; Somerset, Matthew

2008-09-01

Previous studies have shown that youth are two to three times more likely than adults to report gambling related problems. This paper reports on the development and pilot evaluation of a school-based problem gambling prevention curriculum. The prevention program focused on problem gambling awareness and self-monitoring skills, coping skills, and knowledge of the nature of random events. The results of a controlled experiment evaluating the students learning from the program are reported. We found significant improvement in the students' knowledge of random events, knowledge of problem gambling awareness and self-monitoring, and knowledge of coping skills. The results suggest that knowledge based material on random events, problem gambling awareness and self-monitoring skills, and coping skills can be taught. Future development of the curriculum will focus on content to expand the students' coping skill options.

Children's high-level writing skills: development of planning and revising and their contribution to writing quality.

PubMed

Limpo, Teresa; Alves, Rui A; Fidalgo, Raquel

2014-06-01

It is well established that the activity of producing a text is a complex one involving three main cognitive processes: Planning, translating, and revising. Although these processes are crucial in skilled writing, beginning and developing writers seem to struggle with them, mainly with planning and revising. To trace the development of the high-level writing processes of planning and revising, from Grades 4 to 9, and to examine whether these skills predict writing quality in younger and older students (Grades 4-6 vs. 7-9), after controlling for gender, school achievement, age, handwriting fluency, spelling, and text structure. Participants were 381 students from Grades 4 to 9 (age 9-15). Students were asked to plan and write a story and to revise another story by detecting and correcting mechanical and substantive errors. From Grades 4 to 9, we found a growing trend in students' ability to plan and revise despite the observed decreases and stationary periods from Grades 4 to 5 and 6 to 7. Moreover, whereas younger students' planning and revising skills made no contribution to the quality of their writing, in older students, these high-level skills contributed to writing quality above and beyond control predictors. The findings of this study seem to indicate that besides the increase in planning and revising, these skills are not fully operational in school-age children. Indeed, given the contribution of these high-level skills to older students' writing, supplementary instruction and practice should be provided from early on. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students in Finland.

PubMed

Grandell-Niemi, H; Hupli, M; Leino-Kilpi, H

2001-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe the basic mathematical proficiency and the medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students in Finland. A further concern was with how students experienced the teaching of medication calculation. We wanted to find out whether these experiences were associated with various background factors and the students' medication calculation skills. In spring 1997 the population of graduating nursing students in Finland numbered around 1280; the figure for the whole year was 2640. A convenience sample of 204 students completed a questionnaire specially developed for this study. The instrument included structured questions, statements and a medication calculation test. The response rate was 88%. Data analysis was based on descriptive statistics. The students found it hard to learn mathematics and medication calculation skills. Those who evaluated their mathematical and medication calculation skills as sufficient successfully solved the problems included in the questionnaire. It was felt that the introductory course on medication calculation was uninteresting and poorly organised. Overall the students' mathematical skills were inadequate. One-fifth of the students failed to pass the medication calculation test. A positive correlation was shown between the student's grade in mathematics (Sixth Form College) and her skills in medication calculation.

Education of Social Skills among Senior High School Age Students in Physical Education Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akelaitis, Arturas V.; Malinauskas, Romualdas K.

2016-01-01

Research aim was to reveal peculiarities of the education of social skills among senior high school age students in physical education classes. We hypothesized that after the end of the educational experiment the senior high school age students will have more developed social skills in physical education classes. Participants in the study were 51…

Classroom Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of Teacher Self-Efficacy in Developing Students' Reading, Writing and Verbal Skills: Scale Development Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canbulat, Ayse Nur Kutluca

2017-01-01

This work uses exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to study Verbal Skills Development Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (VSDTS), Reading Skills Development Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (RSDTS) and Writing Skills Development Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (WSDTS) developed to identify classroom teacher candidates' perceptions of teacher…

Impact of Video Clips on the Development of the Listening Skills in English Classes: A Case Study of Turkish Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tekin, Inan; Parmaksiz, Ramazan Sükrü

2016-01-01

The purpose of this research is to examine whether using feature films in video lessons has an effect on the development of listening skills of students or not. The research has been conducted at one of the state universities in Black Sea region of Turkey with 126 students. The students watched and listened to only the sentences taken from…

Teaching Bioinformatics in Concert

PubMed Central

Goodman, Anya L.; Dekhtyar, Alex

2014-01-01

Can biology students without programming skills solve problems that require computational solutions? They can if they learn to cooperate effectively with computer science students. The goal of the in-concert teaching approach is to introduce biology students to computational thinking by engaging them in collaborative projects structured around the software development process. Our approach emphasizes development of interdisciplinary communication and collaboration skills for both life science and computer science students. PMID:25411792

Sucessful Strategies for Empowering Students to Get High Paying and Rewarding Employment in Industry (and elsewhere)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Brian

2002-03-01

Physics students entering graduate school rarely think about (and more importantly take actions) concerning developing employment options and wider marketable skills while studying towards their Ph.D. degree. It is only as they are about to graduate that they begin thinking about the job market and start preparing a resume and take some initial steps in their job search. I call this the “series process” towards obtaining employment; that is, first go to graduate school, finish the Ph.D. program and then initiate a serious job search. A far better approach with a much higher success and satisfaction rate is the “parallel process” in which the graduate student takes proactive career steps throughout graduate studies. In this approach, the students treat their future career seriously and as a research and development project in parallel to (and as important as) thesis research. The proactive student sharpens such career management skills as resume and vita preparation, assesses and develops transferable skills, strengthens communication skills (especially oral), practices interviewing skills and most importantly continually and purposefully expands a network to colleagues and potential employers. Through a grant from National Science Foundation the author has operated a program at The Graduate Center to assists Ph.D. students in developing and enhancing their career management skills. We describe proven techniques that, if developed throughout the students’ graduate studies, greatly enhance their employment opportunities. We will focus on strategies that can (and should be used) to identify, qualify for and obtain employment in the industrial sector.

Getting fit for practice: an innovative paediatric clinical placement provided physiotherapy students opportunities for skill development.

PubMed

Shields, Nora; Bruder, Andrea; Taylor, Nicholas F; Angelo, Tom

2013-06-01

Negative attitudes to disability among physiotherapy students in paediatric placements might be addressed by providing clinical placement opportunities for students early in their course. The aim of this qualitative research study was to explore what physiotherapy students reported learning from an innovative paediatric placement option. Qualitative research with in-depth interviews. Seventeen first and second year physiotherapy students (15 women, 2 men; mean age 19.9 (SD 1.4) years) who took part in the clinical education experience. The experience comprised a student-led progressive resistance training programme performed twice a week for 10 weeks at a community gymnasium with an adolescent with Down syndrome. In-depth interviews were completed after the 10-week programme and were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and independently coded by two researchers. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Two themes emerged from the data, one about being a student mentor and the second about skill development and application. The physiotherapy students indicated the programme was a challenging yet rewarding experience, and that they gained an increased appreciation of disability. They reported developing and applying a range of communication, professional and physiotherapy specific skills. The results suggest that the clinical experience provided physiotherapy students with opportunities to learn clinical skills, generic professional skills, and better understand disability in young people. Many of the learning outcomes identified by the participating students align with desired graduate capabilities and required professional competencies. Copyright © 2012 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A large-scale mass casualty simulation to develop the non-technical skills medical students require for collaborative teamwork.

PubMed

Jorm, Christine; Roberts, Chris; Lim, Renee; Roper, Josephine; Skinner, Clare; Robertson, Jeremy; Gentilcore, Stacey; Osomanski, Adam

2016-03-08

There is little research on large-scale complex health care simulations designed to facilitate student learning of non-technical skills in a team-working environment. We evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of a novel natural disaster simulation that enabled medical students to demonstrate their achievement of the non-technical skills of collaboration, negotiation and communication. In a mixed methods approach, survey data were available from 117 students and a thematic analysis undertaken of both student qualitative comments and tutor observer participation data. Ninety three per cent of students found the activity engaging for their learning. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data: the impact of fidelity on student learning, reflexivity on the importance of non-technical skills in clinical care, and opportunities for collaborative teamwork. Physical fidelity was sufficient for good levels of student engagement, as was sociological fidelity. We demonstrated the effectiveness of the simulation in allowing students to reflect upon and evidence their acquisition of skills in collaboration, negotiation and communication, as well as situational awareness and attending to their emotions. Students readily identified emerging learning opportunities though critical reflection. The scenarios challenged students to work together collaboratively to solve clinical problems, using a range of resources including interacting with clinical experts. A large class teaching activity, framed as a simulation of a natural disaster is an acceptable and effective activity for medical students to develop the non-technical skills of collaboration, negotiation and communication, which are essential to team working. The design could be of value in medical schools in disaster prone areas, including within low resource countries, and as a feasible intervention for learning the non-technical skills that are needed for patient safety.

Exploring Predictability of Instructor Ratings Using a Quantitative Tool for Evaluating Soft Skills among MBA Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brill, Robert T.; Gilfoil, David M.; Doll, Kristen

2014-01-01

Academic researchers have often touted the growing importance of "soft skills" for modern day business leaders, especially leadership and communication skills. Despite this growing interest and attention, relatively little work has been done to develop and validate tools to assess soft skills. Forty graduate students from nine MBA…

Money Management and the Consumer, Basic Economic Skills: "Baffled, Bothered, Bewildered".

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

This document, one in a series of six Project SCAT (Skills for Consumers Applied Today) units for senior high school students, provides an overview of basic economic skills and consumer practices. Project SCAT is designed to help students develop basic skills, solve problems, and apply consumer knowledge necessary for making wise choices in the…

Teaching Job Search Written and Oral Communication Skills through an Integrated Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Addams, Lon; Woodbury, Denise

2009-01-01

Business educators understand the value of improving students' written and oral communication skills. However, too often assignments used to develop these important skills are taught in isolation. The purpose of this article is to enhance a student's written and oral skills by integrating all aspects of the job search written documents and…

Developing Critical Thinking Skills for Information Seeking Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Elise D.; Jefferson, Renee N.

2013-01-01

Critical thinking skills are required to successfully navigate the overwhelming amount of information sources available today. To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of exercises in developing thinking skills in college freshmen students. The workbook exercises were designed…

What is your prediction? Teaching the metacognitive skill of prediction to a class of sixth- and seventh-grade students who are deaf.

PubMed

Brigham, Molly; Hartman, Maria C

2010-01-01

The development of the metacognitive skill of prediction in deaf students in a middle school social studies classroom was explored in an action research study (Riel, 2006). After observation of this group of learners and assessment of current skills, a unit was developed that integrated the teaching of prediction into their study of the American Revolution. It was found that these students were already using some metacognitive skills in their social studies class, but through direct instruction they were able to make more and better predictions related to the content being studied. The study demonstrates how the social studies curriculum provided an opportunity for students to learn and implement metacognitive skills that helped them to understand the cause-and-effect relationships in history and eventually to become more active readers during a reading task.

A Functional Curriculum for Teaching Students with Disabilities. Volume I: Self-Care, Motor Skills, Household Management, and Living Skills. Third Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bender, Michael; And Others

This first of three manuals providing a curriculum for students with disabilities focuses on the development of functional daily living skills. An introductory chapter provides an overview of the functional curriculum and offers guidelines for developing instructional plans for the four units of study which follow. Unit 1 is about self-care…

Introducing the Use of a Semi-Structured Video Diary Room to Investigate Students' Learning Experiences during an Outdoor Adventure Education Groupwork Skills Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Sam J.; Holland, Mark J.; Cumming, Jennifer; Novakovic, Emily G.; Burns, Victoria E.

2014-01-01

Outdoor adventure education courses are used in higher education to develop transferable skills such as groupwork and problem-solving skills. There is a need for exploratory investigation into students' perceptions of this experience. This study aimed to develop an innovative qualitative data collection method, and to use it to explore…

Using an Online Collaborative Project between American and Chinese Students to Develop ESL Teaching Skills, Cross-Cultural Awareness and Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angelova, Maria; Zhao, Ying

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools to facilitate second language acquisition and develop English as a second language (ESL) teaching skills and cultural awareness. The paper describes a collaborative online project between students from China and the USA, who communicated using the…

"Learn by Doing": An Assessment of the Impact of Access Services in Fostering Skills Development of Access Services Student Staff at Kennedy Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adeogun, Margaret Olufunke

2016-01-01

The academic library continues to formulate strategies for providing and sustaining a creative learning environment for knowledge creation. But little has been said about its role in skills building through micro employment that is enabling students to develop and integrate their academic, personal, and social skills sets. This study examines the…

Embedding Employability and Enterprise Skills in Sport Degrees through a Focused Work-Based Project; a Student and Employer Viewpoint

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinning, Track; Ünlü, Hüseyin

2017-01-01

With graduate employability being high on many universities' agendas, it becomes vital that a curriculum delivers not only subject knowledge but also the opportunity for students to develop and enhance industry-specific skills. This paper is concerned with how a work-based project can support skill development and considers the views of students…

Development of a Learning Model for Enhancing Social Skills on Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Traisorn, Rattanaporn; Soonthornrojana, Wimonrat; Chano, Jiraporn

2015-01-01

The goals of this study were: 1) to study the situation, problems and needs for a learning model to enhance the social skills of sixth grade students; 2) to develop a learning model that would address those needs; 3) to study the effectiveness of that learning model; 4) to compare performance on pretests and posttests of social skills; and 5) to…

Study Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Anne

1993-01-01

Three developments lend support to the idea that schools must help teach study skills: (1) advances in cognitive psychology that suggest children are active learners; (2) society's concern for at-risk students; and (3) growing demands for improved student performance. There is evidence that systematic study skills instruction does improve academic…

A Narrative Approach to Understanding the Development and Retention of Digital Skills over Time in Former Middle School Students, a Decade after Having Used One-to-One Laptop Computers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Léger, Michel T.; Freiman, Viktor

2016-01-01

Although there is a common result in recent research and practice that digital skills are important for every educated citizen, little is known of how these skills are evolving over a long period of time. Our study looks into the development and use of digital skills in former middle school students who had an individual access to the laptops a…

Finnish nurses' and nursing students' pharmacological skills.

PubMed

Grandell-Niemi, Heidi; Hupli, Maija; Leino-Kilpi, Helena; Puukka, Pauli

2005-07-01

PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to investigate the pharmacological skills of Finnish nurses and graduating nursing students, to determine how pharmacological skills are related to background factors and to identify differences between nurses and students and, finally, to examine how the instrument used, the Medication Calculation Skills Test, works. Pharmacology is a relevant and topical subject. In several studies, however, pharmacological skills of nurses and nursing students have been found insufficient. In addition, pharmacology as a subject is found to be difficult for both nursing students and nurses. The study was evaluative in nature; the data were collected using the Medication Calculation Skills Test, developed for the purposes of this study. The instrument was used to gather information on background factors and self-rated pharmacological and mathematical skills and to test actual skills in these areas. Results concerning pharmacological skills are reported in this paper. The maximum Medication Calculation Skills Test score was 24 points. The mean score for nurses was 18.6 and that for students 16.3. Half of (50%) the students attained a score of 67% and 57% of nurses attained a score of 79%. Nurses and students had some deficiencies in their pharmacological skills. Nurses had better pharmacological skills than students according to both self-ratings and actual performance on the test. It is vitally important that nurses have adequate pharmacological skills to administer medicines correctly. This study showed that the Medication Calculation Skills Test seems to work well in measuring pharmacological skills, even though it needs further evaluation. Findings from this study can be used when planning the nursing curriculum and further education for Registered Nurses.

Evaluation of a communication skills training course for medical students using peer role-play.

PubMed

Ayuob, Nasra Naeim; Qadi, Mahdi Ali; El Deek, Basem Salama; Boker, Abdulaziz Mohamed

2017-05-01

To evaluate the effect of using peer role-playing in learning the communication skills as a step in the development of the communication skills training course delivered to pre-clinical medical students. This study was conducted at the King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between September 2014 and February 2015 and comprised medical students. Mixed methods design was used to evaluate the developed communication skills training course. Tests were conducted before and after the communication skills training course to assess the students' self-reported communication. After the course, the students completed a satisfaction survey. Focus groups were conducted to assess the behavioural and organisational changes induced by the course. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis.. Of the293 respondents, 246(84%) were satisfied with the course. Overall, 169(58%) subjects chose the lectures as the most helpful methods for learning the communication skills while 124(42%) considered practical sessions as the most helpful method. Besides, 237(81%) respondents reported that the role-play was beneficial for their learning, while 219(75%) perceived the video-taped role-play as an appropriate method for assessing the communication skills. Peer role-play was found to be a feasible and well-perceived alternative method in facilitating the acquisition of communication skills..

Remediation of Content/Skill Deficiencies in Middle Level Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, John L.; And Others

A remediation approach developed by the Vilonia public schools (Arkansas) to remediate content/skill deficiencies in middle level students resulted from three conditions: state laws and regulations regarding minimum competency testing; more awareness of problems with at-risk students; and recognition of the need to reach students academically…

Assessing Business Student Thinking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Gerald F.

2014-01-01

The development of student thinking skills is a major goal of business education. As with other such goals, student outcomes assessment must be undertaken to measure goal achievement. Thinking is difficult to teach; it is also difficult to assess. The purpose of this article is to improve management educators' understanding of student thinking…

Including information technology project management in the nursing informatics curriculum.

PubMed

Sockolow, Paulina; Bowles, Kathryn H

2008-01-01

Project management is a critical skill for nurse informaticists who are in prominent roles developing and implementing clinical information systems. It should be included in the nursing informatics curriculum, as evidenced by its inclusion in informatics competencies and surveys of important skills for informaticists. The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing includes project management in two of the four courses in the master's level informatics minor. Course content includes the phases of the project management process; the iterative unified process methodology; and related systems analysis and project management skills. During the introductory course, students learn about the project plan, requirements development, project feasibility, and executive summary documents. In the capstone course, students apply the system development life cycle and project management skills during precepted informatics projects. During this in situ experience, students learn, the preceptors benefit, and the institution better prepares its students for the real world.

Fostering the development of effective person-centered healthcare communication skills: an interprofessional shared learning model.

PubMed

Cavanaugh, James T; Konrad, Shelley Cohen

2012-01-01

To describe the implementation of an interprofessional shared learning model designed to promote the development of person-centered healthcare communication skills. Master of social work (MSW) and doctor of physical therapy (DPT) degree students. The model used evidence-based principles of effective healthcare communication and shared learning methods; it was aligned with student learning outcomes contained in MSW and DPT curricula. Students engaged in 3 learning sessions over 2 days. Sessions involved interactive reflective learning, simulated role-modeling with peer assessment, and context-specific practice of communication skills. The perspective of patients/clients was included in each learning activity. Activities were evaluated through narrative feedback. Students valued opportunities to learn directly from each other and from healthcare consumers. Important insights and directions for future interprofessional learning experiences were gleaned from model implementation. The interprofessional shared learning model shows promise as an effective method for developing person-centered communication skills.

Leadership development for dental students: what do students think?

PubMed

Victoroff, Kristin Z; Schneider, Keith; Perry, Crystal

2008-09-01

Effective leaders are needed to move the dental profession forward, building on past accomplishments, meeting new challenges, and leading innovation and change. There is a lack of research findings regarding students' perceptions of the importance of leadership abilities and/or their interest in developing leadership skills during their dental school experience. The purpose of this study was to explore dental students' perceptions related to leadership development. A forty-seven-question, self-administered, paper and pencil survey was administered to all students enrolled in the D.M.D. program at one Midwestern dental school. The response rate was 83 percent (225/272). The majority of students agreed that it is important for dentists to have leadership skills and that leadership skills can be learned. Most reported that they expect to assume a leadership role in their dental practices (97 percent), to participate in volunteerism in dentistry (85 percent), and to participate in non-dentistry-related leadership roles in the community (72 percent). Over one-third (37 percent) anticipate participating in leadership roles in dental associations, 28 percent in academic dentistry, and 14 percent in military dentistry. Approximately two-thirds of respondents agreed (42 percent) or strongly agreed (24 percent) that they would be interested in participating in a leadership development program if one were offered at their school. Students reported interest in improving their confidence, assertiveness, ability to communicate effectively (including public speaking), ability to listen to others, organizational skills, and ability to influence others. The results of this study suggest that many dental students are interested in developing leadership skills. Insights from this study can inform the design of leadership development programs.

Employability Skills Assessment Tool Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasul, Mohamad Sattar; Rauf, Rose Amnah Abd; Mansor, Azlin Norhaini; Puvanasvaran, A. P.

2012-01-01

Research nationally and internationally found that technical graduates are lacking in employability skills. As employability skills are crucial in outcome-based education, the main goal of this research is to develop an Employability Skill Assessment Tool to help students and lecturers produce competent graduates in employability skills needed by…

Communication skills course in an Indian undergraduate dental curriculum: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Sangappa, Sunila B; Tekian, Ara

2013-08-01

This study assessed the impact of a course on communication skills for third-year undergraduate dental students at a dental institute in India. A randomized pretest, posttest controlled trial was conducted with all the students from four cohorts of third-year dental undergraduate students, divided into an intervention group (n=30) and a control group (n=30). The course was developed using Kern's six-step approach to curriculum development. Needs assessment was ascertained, and readings, lectures, and role-plays with real and simulated patients were implemented. Encounters of students during two patient interviews (simulated and real) were rated by two raters using a twenty-seven-item dental consultation communication checklist with a rating scale 0 to 3. Students completed a questionnaire regarding their acceptance of the course. A 2×2 (group × time) ANOVA with group as a between-subjects factor (control vs. experimental) and time as a within-subjects factor (pre vs. post) was performed. The two groups did not differ at pretest but differed significantly at posttest. This study showed that simply attending to patients during a clinical course did not improve professional communication skills. In contrast, the implementation of a course on communication skills did improve the students' dentist-patient interactions. Integrating the teaching and development of a relevant, outcome-based course on communication skills provided clear evidence of communication skills acquisition among these dental students. The course could be introduced in other Indian dental schools.

Using concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis to explore student nurses' social learning information communication technology knowledge and skill development.

PubMed

Todhunter, Fern

2015-06-01

Observations obtained through concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis offer new understanding about the influence of social learning on student nurses' acquisition of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge and skills. The software used provides a permanent record of the underpinning study method, events and analyses. The emerging themes reflect the dimensions of social engagement, and the characteristics of positive and negative reactions to ICT. The evidence shows that given the right conditions, stronger learners will support and guide their peers. To explore the use of concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis as a method to examine how student nurses approach ICT. To identify the benefits and challenges of using observational technology to capture learning behaviours. To show the influence of small group arrangement and student interactions on their ICT knowledge and skills development. Previous studies examining social interaction between students show how they work together and respond to interactive problem solving. Social interaction has been shown to enhance skills in both ICT and collaborative decision making. Structured observational analysis using concurrent think-aloud and protocol analysis. Students displayed varying degrees of pastoral support and emotional need, leadership, reflection, suggestion and experimentation skills. Encouraging student nurses to work in small mixed ability groups can be conducive for social and ICT skill and knowledge development. Observational software gives a permanent record of the proceedings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peer Teaching as a Motivating Factor in Developing Communicative Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celani, M. A. A.

1979-01-01

An English language program at Catholic University of Sao Paulo, Brazil has sought to increase student motivation for learning communicative skills by having fourth-year students work with first year students either individually or in small groups. (SW)

The Importance of Spatial Reasoning Skills in Undergraduate Geology Students and the Effect of Weekly Spatial Skill Trainings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, Anne; Pendergast, Philip; Stempien, Jennifer; Ormand, Carol

2016-04-01

Spatial reasoning is a key skill for student success in STEM disciplines in general and for students in geosciences in particular. However, spatial reasoning is neither explicitly trained, nor evenly distributed, among students and by gender. This uneven playing field allows some students to perform geoscience tasks easily while others struggle. A lack of spatial reasoning skills has been shown to be a barrier to success in the geosciences, and for STEM disciplines in general. Addressing spatial abilities early in the college experience might therefore be effective in retaining students, especially females, in STEM disciplines. We have developed and implemented a toolkit for testing and training undergraduate student spatial reasoning skills in the classroom. In the academic year 2014/15, we studied the distribution of spatial abilities in more than 700 undergraduate Geology students from 4 introductory and 2 upper level courses. Following random assignment, four treatment groups received weekly online training and intermittent hands-on trainings in spatial thinking while four control groups only participated in a pre- and a posttest of spatial thinking skills. In this presentation we summarize our results and describe the distribution of spatial skills in undergraduate students enrolled in geology courses. We first discuss the factors that best account for differences in baseline spatial ability levels, including general intelligence (using standardized test scores as a proxy), major, video gaming, and other childhood play experiences, which help to explain the gender gap observed in most research. We found a statistically significant improvement of spatial thinking still with large effect sizes for the students who received the weekly trainings. Self-report data further shows that students improve their spatial thinking skills and report that their improved spatial thinking skills increase their performance in geoscience courses. We conclude by discussing the effects of the training modules on development of spatial skills, which helps to shed light on what types of interventions may be useful in leveling the playing field for students going into the geosciences and other STEM fields.

Development of Learning Devices through Problem Based Learning Model Based on the Context of Aceh Cultural to Improve Mathematical Communication Skills and Social Skills of SMPN 1 Muara Batu Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aufa, Mahrani; Saragih, Sahat; Minarni, Ani

2016-01-01

The purposes of this study were:1) Developed problem-based on learning tools in the cultural context of Aceh (PBM-BKBA) who meet the criteria are valid, practical and effective; 2) Described the improvement of communication capabilities mathematics and social skills of students using the PBM-BKBA developed; and 3) Described the process of student…

Cumulative Advantage in the Skill Development of STEM Graduate Students: A Mixed-Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldon, David F.; Maher, Michelle A.; Roksa, Josipa; Peugh, James

2016-01-01

Studies of skill development often describe a process of cumulative advantage, in which small differences in initial skill compound over time, leading to increasing skill gaps between those with an initial advantage and those without. We offer evidence of a similar phenomenon accounting for differential patterns of research skill development in…

Literacy Skills among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students and Students with Cochlear Implants in Bilingual/bicultural Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dammeyer, Jesper

2014-01-01

Research has shown that many deaf students do not develop age-appropriate reading and writing abilities. This study evaluates the literacy skills of deaf students, hard of hearing students, and students with cochlear implants in bilingual/bicultural schools in Denmark. The results show that 45 per cent of the students did not have any reading and…

Can a teaching assistant experience in a surgical anatomy course influence the learning curve for nontechnical skill development for surgical residents?

PubMed

Heidenreich, Mark J; Musonza, Tashinga; Pawlina, Wojciech; Lachman, Nirusha

2016-01-01

The foundation upon which surgical residents are trained to work comprises more than just critical cognitive, clinical, and technical skill. In an environment where the synchronous application of expertise is vital to patient outcomes, the expectation for optimal functioning within a multidisciplinary team is extremely high. Studies have shown that for most residents, one of the most difficult milestones in the path to achieving professional expertise in a surgical career is overcoming the learning curve. This view point commentary provides a reflection from the two senior medical students who have participated in the Student-as-Teacher program developed by the Department of Anatomy at Mayo Clinic, designed to prepare students for their teaching assistant (TA) role in anatomy courses. Both students participated as TAs in a six week surgical anatomy course for surgical first assistant students offered by the School of Health Sciences at Mayo Clinic. Development of teaching skills, nontechnical leadership, communication, and assessment skills, are discussed in relation to their benefits in preparing senior medical students for surgical residency. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Rapid application design of an electronic clinical skills portfolio for undergraduate medical students.

PubMed

Dornan, Tim; Lee, Catherine; Stopford, Adam; Hosie, Liam; Maredia, Neil; Rector, Alan

2005-04-01

The aim was to find how to use information and communication technology to present the clinical skills content of an undergraduate medical curriculum. Rapid application design was used to develop the product, and technical action research was used to evaluate the development process. A clinician-educator, two medical students, two computing science masters students, two other project workers, and a hospital education informatics lead, formed a design team. A sample of stakeholders took part in requirements planning workshops and continued to advise the team throughout the project. A university hospital had many features that favoured fast, inexpensive, and successful system development: a clearly defined and readily accessible user group; location of the development process close to end-users; fast, informal communication; leadership by highly motivated and senior end-users; devolved authority and lack of any rigidly imposed management structure; cooperation of clinicians because the project drew on their clinical expertise to achieve scholastic goals; a culture of learning and involvement of highly motivated students. A detailed specification was developed through storyboarding, use case diagramming, and evolutionary prototyping. A very usable working product was developed within weeks. "SkillsBase" is a database web application using Microsoft Active Server Pages, served from a Microsoft Windows 2000 Server operating system running Internet Information Server 5.0. Graphing functionality is provided by the KavaChart applet. It presents the skills curriculum, provides a password-protected portfolio function, and offers training materials. The curriculum can be presented in several different ways to help students reflect on their objectives and progress towards achieving them. The reflective portfolio function is entirely private to each student user and allows them to document their progress in attaining skills, as judged by self, peer and tutor assessment, and examinations. Training materials include web links and materials developed locally using pedagogic principles developed by the SkillsBase team. Although the usability of SkillsBase has been proven, uptake of software that has arisen 'bottom-up' from within the curriculum has proved slow. We plan to incorporate the SkillsBase services into a more comprehensive virtual managed learning environment, anticipating that presenting the functionality in an environment that is routinely used by students and teachers will increase uptake and use.

Moblogging Type and Its Relation with Usability and Development of Knowledge Management Skills for Blind Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mostafa, Akram Fathy

2015-01-01

The aim of the research is to explore the relation of mobile Blogging (Moblogging -MB) on the usability and development of Knowledge Management skills for Blind Students. The research followed a pretest and posttest quasi experimental design. Participants were 17 blind students from the third semester of the academic year 2015 in the course of…

Extending the Flipped Classroom Model: Developing Second Language Writing Skills through Student-Created Digital Videos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engin, Marion

2014-01-01

This paper describes a project that aimed to leverage the students' interest and experience of technology and multimodal environments to develop their academic writing skills and second language learning. Students were expected to follow a model, research a topic, and craft a digital video tutorial on an aspect of academic writing which would form…

Implementing a Motivational Program Using Musical Skit Development as a Technique To Improve Performance Skills of Middle School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roi, Christine S.

A pilot program was developed and implemented to improve the music performance of middle school choral students. A target group of 27 low performing students in grade seven and eight participated in the program. The program utilized four strategies for improving performance skills. Lectures were given by inspirational leaders. Small groups were…

The Development of Computational Thinking in the Context of Science and Engineering Practices: A Self-Regulated Learning Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters-Burton, Erin E.; Cleary, Timothy J.; Kitsantas, Anastasia

2015-01-01

A quality educational experience for secondary students involves more than an acquisition of content knowledge; it entails providing students opportunities to develop a variety of thinking skills that enable integration of knowledge and the promotion of student self-directed learning outside of the classroom. One critical skill that is often…

Developing International Managerial Skills through the Cross-Cultural Assignment: Experiential Learning by Matching U.S.-Based and International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neiva de Figueiredo, Joao; Mauri, Alfredo J.

2013-01-01

This article describes the "Cross-Cultural Assignment," an experiential learning technique for students of business that deepens self-awareness of their own attitudes toward different cultures and develops international managerial skills. The technique consists of pairing up small teams of U.S.-based business students with small teams of…

A Learning Module for BA Students to Develop ICT Skills for Their Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Platteaux, Hervé; Hoein, Sergio

2015-01-01

This case illustrates the process of developing a learning module to support BA students in their use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools in their learning. At the university where this case occurred, the skill level of ICT use among students in a learning context was very heterogeneous. The E-learning Competency Centre, or…

Developing Long-Term Computing Skills among Low-Achieving Students via Web-Enabled Problem-Based Learning and Self-Regulated Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Chia-Wen; Lee, Tsang-Hsiung; Shen, Pei-Di

2013-01-01

Many private vocational schools in Taiwan have taken to enrolling students with lower levels of academic achievement. The authors re-designed a course and conducted a series of quasi-experiments to develop students' long-term computing skills, and examined the longitudinal effects of web-enabled, problem-based learning (PBL) and self-regulated…

Team-Building Tools for Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Diana; Donelan, Joseph G.

2003-01-01

Explains why college students need teamwork skills. Discusses how instructors can help develop those skills and design projects to improve them. Provides an action plan and team-building tools. (Author/SK)

Using Role-Play and Case Study to Promote Student Research on Environmental Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deaton, Cynthia C. M.; Cook, Michelle

2012-01-01

Reform efforts encourage teachers to engage students in critical thinking skills and research. They also encourage teachers to meet the needs of their diverse student population and support students in developing communication skills. One way to step outside of traditional teaching approaches and engage middle school students in critical thinking,…

Critical thinking skills profile of senior high school students in Biology learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saputri, A. C.; Sajidan; Rinanto, Y.

2018-04-01

Critical thinking is an important and necessary skill to confront the challenges of the 21st century. Critical thinking skills accommodate activities that can improve high-order thinking skills. This study aims to determine senior high school students' critical thinking skills in Biology learning. This research is descriptive research using instruments developed based on the core aspects of critical thinking skills according to Facione which include interpretation, analysis, evaluation, explanation, conclusion, and self-regulation. The subjects in this study were 297 students in grade 12 of a senior high school in Surakarta selected through purposive sampling technique. The results of this study showed that the students' critical thinking skills on evaluation and self-regulation are in good criterion with 78% and 66% acquisition while 52% interpretation, 56% analysis, 52% conclusion and 42% explanation indicate sufficient criteria. The conclusion from this research is that critical thinking skill of the students still was in enough category, so that needed a way to enhance it on some indicators.

Helping Students Acquire Thinking Skills through Mathematics Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Devender, Evelyn M.

1992-01-01

Describes three activities that the teacher can employ to help students develop thinking skills through mathematics instruction: (1) memorization using the technique of chunking; (2) higher order thinking with magic squares; and (3) predicting games. Identifies eight facets of the teacher's role in promoting thinking skills. (MDH)

Generate an Argument: An Instructional Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sampson, Victor; Grooms, Jonathon

2010-01-01

The Generate an Argument instructional model was designed to engage students in scientific argumentation. By using this model, students develop complex reasoning and critical-thinking skills, understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge, and improve their communication skills (Duschl and Osborne 2002). This article describes the…

Developing Critical and Historical Thinking Skills in Middle Grades Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waring, Scott M.; Robinson, Kirk S.

2010-01-01

The author describes a social studies unit designed to help students develop critical thinking skills. The lessons give students opportunities to analyze multiple perspectives, use multiple sources when conducting research, and construct historical narratives through the creation of a digital historical biography.

Technology to Develop Algebraic Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polly, Drew

2011-01-01

Students' use of technology allows them to generate and manipulate multiple representations of a concept, compute numbers with relative ease, and focus more on mathematical concepts and higher-order thinking skills. In elementary school mathematics classrooms, students develop higher-order thinking skills by completing complex tasks that require…

Media-Savvy Scientific Literacy: Developing Critical Evaluation Skills by Investigating Scientific Claims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brickman, Peggy; Gormally, Cara; Francom, Greg; Jardeleza, Sarah E.; Schutte, Virginia G. W.; Jordan, Carly; Kanizay, Lisa

2012-01-01

Students must learn content knowledge and develop scientific literacy skills to evaluate and use scientific information in real-world situations. Recognizing the accessibility of scientific information to the average citizen, we developed an instructional approach to help students learn how to judge the quality of claims. We describe a…

Project B.E.S.T.: Language Development Handbook. Kentucky's Individualized Kindergartens (KIK).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kentucky State Dept. of Education, Frankfort. Bureau of Education for Exceptional Children.

Project BEST (Building Educational and Social Skills Through Training) seeks to develop social skills in students. As a first step, high-risk kindergarten students attending school in Spencer County, Kentucky, were identified through systematic screening and assessment procedures and a curriculum was developed to meet the individual needs of the…

Developing Physical Education Student Leaders through a Leadership Course and a University Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diedrich, K. C.; Diedrich, Nick

2017-01-01

Physical activity and sport programs offer great opportunities for youth to develop important life skills, including leadership. High school physical education leadership courses are one way to develop leadership and pedagogy skills in students. Leadership courses are also a great way for aspiring physical education teachers in training to gain…

Unified Science - System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Barbara S.

The goals of this curriculum, developed as a summer course for the Young Scholars Program at The Ohio State University-Columbus, are as follows: (1) enable students to develop an understanding of the concept of a system; (2) help students gain an appreciation of the value of systems; (3) develop skills in working with systems; (4) expand skills in…

Student-Teachers' Supervision as a Professional Development Activity: Building Work-Related Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minott, Mark A.; Willett, Ionie Liburd

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to identify and outline the work-related skills that cooperating teachers in the Cayman Islands and Saint Kitts-Nevis developed or reinforced as they supervised student-teachers. A qualitative case-study methodology was used. The findings indicate that cooperating teachers developed and reinforced essential…

Students who are deaf and hard of hearing and use sign language: considerations and strategies for developing spoken language and literacy skills.

PubMed

Nussbaum, Debra; Waddy-Smith, Bettie; Doyle, Jane

2012-11-01

There is a core body of knowledge, experience, and skills integral to facilitating auditory, speech, and spoken language development when working with the general population of students who are deaf and hard of hearing. There are additional issues, strategies, and challenges inherent in speech habilitation/rehabilitation practices essential to the population of deaf and hard of hearing students who also use sign language. This article will highlight philosophical and practical considerations related to practices used to facilitate spoken language development and associated literacy skills for children and adolescents who sign. It will discuss considerations for planning and implementing practices that acknowledge and utilize a student's abilities in sign language, and address how to link these skills to developing and using spoken language. Included will be considerations for children from early childhood through high school with a broad range of auditory access, language, and communication characteristics. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

A framework for pre-qualifying nurses to build leadership skills.

PubMed

Buckwell-Nutt, Karen; Francis-Shama, Jayne; Kellett, Pollyanna

2014-10-30

Nursing students are our future leaders in the healthcare sector. It is proposed that, for students to understand and demonstrate leadership knowledge, skills and attributes effectively, they need to: learn concepts, experience leadership roles, analyse their capabilities and develop these with the support of practitioners. The drive to improve nursing leadership does not come from within academia but from practitioners and other stakeholders, such as patients, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health Education England, and this need is reflected in the university curriculum. This article reviews a final-year module on personal development for leadership and management and highlights the importance of continued practice support in developing leadership skills and confidence. The educational approaches, including lectures, the use of problem-based scenarios and enquiry-based learning, are explored and the inclusion of e-learning methods is discussed. Students are made aware that placement expectations are different from those in previous years. Recommendations include strategies to strengthen practice support for students who need to develop leadership skills.

Intercultural competence in medical education - essential to acquire, difficult to assess.

PubMed

Hamilton, John

2009-09-01

Determining student acquisition of intercultural competence (awareness, skills, knowledge and attitudes) is necessary in medical courses. However, addressing students' learning needs and developing effective tools to measure development of intercultural competence is challenging. Where this is done inadequately, skills may be overlooked or simplistic, one dimensional notions of culture be reinforced. This article examines aspects of the OSCE station development process, raising questions about how and when to assess acquisition of IC in undergraduate medical courses. It cautions against development of assessment tools which may lack authenticity and require students to engage in interactions which are unnatural. It argues for skills consistent with IC to be viewed as part of, and not separate from, the broad spectrum of skills which are a feature of any sensitive and appropriate doctor-patient interaction. Finally it advocates careful consideration of the optimum time to assess students' capacity to demonstrate IC in their interactions with patients, peers and staff, suggesting that this should come in later rather than earlier years, following theoretical, experiential and reflective learning.

Reflective Journaling for Critical Thinking Development in Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Students.

PubMed

Raterink, Ginger

2016-02-01

Critical thinking, clinical decision making, and critical reflection have been identified as skills required of nurses in every clinical situation. The Educating Nurses: A Call for Radical Transformation report suggested that critical reflection is a key to improving the educational process. Reflective journaling is a tool that helps develop such skills. This article presents the tool of reflective journaling and the use of this process by educators working with students. It describes the use of reflective journaling in graduate nursing education, as well as a scoring process to evaluate the reflection and provide feedback. Students and faculty found the journaling to be helpful for reflection of a clinical situation focused on critical thinking skill development. The rubric scoring tool provided faculty with a method for feedback. Reflective journaling is a tool that faculty and students can use to develop critical thinking skills for the role of the advanced practice RN. A rubric scoring system offers a consistent format for feedback. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

From Competence to Excellence: Developing Excellence in Vocational Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smeaton, Barry; Hughes, Maria; Hall, Graeme

The United Kingdom's Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), UK SKILLS, and the Further Education Skills Competition Council conducted a collaborative action research project to improve students' vocational learning and skills through enhanced learning experiences. From February 2001 to April 2002, three further education colleges worked to…

Validation of the Catalan version of the communication skills attitude scale (CSAS) in a cohort of south European medical and nursing students.

PubMed

Molinuevo, Beatriz; Torrubia, Rafael

2011-04-01

The relevance of healthcare student training in communication skills has led to the development of instruments for measuring attitudes towards learning communication skills. One such instrument is the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), developed in English speaking students and adapted to different languages and cultures. No data is available on the performance of CSAS with South European students. The aims of the present study were to translate the CSAS into the Catalan language and study its psychometric properties in South European healthcare students. A total of 569 students from the School of Medicine of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) participated. Students completed a Catalan version of the CSAS and provided demographic and education information. Principal component analysis with oblimin rotation supported a two-factor original structure with some modifications. In general, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the scales were satisfactory, especially for the factor measuring positive attitudes. Relationships of student responses on the two factors with demographic and education variables were consistent with previous work. Students with higher positive attitudes tended to be female, to be foreign students and to think that their communication skills needed improving. Students with higher negative attitudes tended to be male and to have parents that were doctors or nurses. These data support the internal validity of a Catalan version of the CSAS and support its use in future research and educational studies related to attitudes towards learning communication skills for South European students who speak Catalan.

An Investigation into Student Perceptions towards Mathematics and Their Performance in First Year Chemistry: Introduction of Online Maths Skills Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, Peter R.; Watters, Dianne J.; Brown, Christopher L.; Loughlin, Wendy A.

2016-01-01

An online Maths Skills Site was developed as an integrated support programme for first year Chemistry students, the content of which, was based on an analysis of their high-school mathematical backgrounds. This study examined the students' perceptions of Maths, their patterns of usage of the Maths Skills Site and whether there was a relationship…

Systematic Design and Rapid Development of Motion-Based Touchless Games for Enhancing Students' Thinking Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altanis, Ioannis; Retalis, Symeon; Petropoulou, Ourania

2018-01-01

During the last few years, there has been a growing interest in students getting engaged in digital game-making activities so as to enhance their thinking skills. The findings of studies that have examined the impact of such initiatives are quite positive, especially concerning the promotion of 21st century skills; however, many students seem to…

Exploring EFL Students' Visual Literacy Skills and Global Understanding through Their Analysis of Louis Vuitton's Advertisement Featuring Mikhail Gorbachev

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takaya, Kentei

2016-01-01

Visual literacy is an important skill for students to have in order to interpret embedded messages on signs and in advertisements successfully. As advertisements today tend to feature iconic people or events that shaped the modern world, it is crucial to develop students' visual literacy skills so they can comprehend the intended messages. This…

The Effectiveness of Writing Conferences and Peer Response Groups Strategies on the EFL Secondary Students' Writing Performance and Their Self Efficacy (A Comparative Study)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussein, Mohamed Abdel Hadi; Al Ashri, Ismail Ibrahim El shirbini Abdel fattah

2013-01-01

The present study aimed at identifying the necessary writing performance skills for the first year secondary stage students. These skills are necessary for writing the compositions. In this study, the writing conferences and peer response groups strategies were used to develop the students' writing skills, improve their achievement and performance…

Developing Social Skills in Children Who Have Disabilities through the Use of Social Stories and Visual Supports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, Kristi; Haufe, Theresa

2009-01-01

The purpose of this action research project was to improve the social skills of eight preschool students and four first grade and second grade students through the use of Social Stories and visual supports to create a more positive learning environment. The teacher researchers wanted to increase the social skills of students who had been diagnosed…

Study Skills Package: Development and Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

It was concluded that the Instructor Orientation and Training was at least moderately successful in promoting the remediation of study skills...them comparable across successive blocks. Thus, each student’s block times and block scores for the pretreatment time period (prior to being assigned... successful in promoting the remediation of student study skill problems--a finding further substantiated by the consistent improve- ments in student block

The e-Learning Tool Voxopop and Its Benefits on Oral Skills: Activities for Final Year Students of German

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stollhans, Sascha

2015-01-01

This case study demonstrates how Voxopop, a voice based e-learning tool, can be used to practise oal skills in the target language by presenting activities which have been developed for students of German at the University of Nottingham. The focus lies on an ongoing innovative project designed to improve final year students' oral skills by having…

Virtual laboratory learning media development to improve science literacy skills of mechanical engineering students on basic physics concept of material measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannati, E. D.; Setiawan, A.; Siahaan, P.; Rochman, C.

2018-05-01

This study aims to determine the description of virtual laboratory learning media development to improve science literacy skills of Mechanical Engineering students on the concept of basic Physics. Quasi experimental method was employed in this research. The participants of this research were first semester students of mechanical engineering in Majalengka University. The research instrument was readability test of instructional media. The results of virtual laboratory learning media readability test show that the average score is 78.5%. It indicates that virtual laboratory learning media development are feasible to be used in improving science literacy skill of Mechanical Engineering students in Majalengka University, specifically on basic Physics concepts of material measurement.

The Effectiveness of the Curriculum Biography of the Prophet in the Development of Social Intelligence Skills of Al-Hussein Bin Talal University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Khateeb, Omar; Alrub, Mohammad Abo

2015-01-01

This study aimed to find out how the effectiveness of the curriculum biography of the Prophet in the development of social intelligence skills of Al-Hussein Bin Talal University students and the study sample consisted of 365 students from Al-Hussein Bin Talal University for the first semester 2014-2015 students were selected in accessible manner.…

Developing the Critical Thinking Skills of Astrobiology Students through Creative and Scientific Inquiry

PubMed Central

Lemus, Judith D.

2015-01-01

Abstract Scientific inquiry represents a multifaceted approach to explore and understand the natural world. Training students in the principles of scientific inquiry can help promote the scientific learning process as well as help students enhance their understanding of scientific research. Here, we report on the development and implementation of a learning module that introduces astrobiology students to the concepts of creative and scientific inquiry, as well as provide practical exercises to build critical thinking skills. The module contained three distinct components: (1) a creative inquiry activity designed to introduce concepts regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry; (2) guidelines to help astrobiology students formulate and self-assess questions regarding various scientific content and imagery; and (3) a practical exercise where students were allowed to watch a scientific presentation and practice their analytical skills. Pre- and post-course surveys were used to assess the students' perceptions regarding creative and scientific inquiry and whether this activity impacted their understanding of the scientific process. Survey results indicate that the exercise helped improve students' science skills by promoting awareness regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry and building their confidence in formulating and assessing scientific questions. Together, the module and survey results confirm the need to include such inquiry-based activities into the higher education classroom, thereby helping students hone their critical thinking and question asking skill set and facilitating their professional development in astrobiology. Key Words: Scientific inquiry—Critical thinking—Curriculum development—Astrobiology—Microbialites. Astrobiology 15, 89–99. PMID:25474292

A dedicated undergraduate gynaecology teaching clinic: The Keele experience.

PubMed

Katali, Hamza Mahamadu; Parry-Smith, William Rhys; Eliot, Rees L; O'Mahony, Fidelma

2016-01-01

Much discussion in the literature centres on how best to teach medical students the intricacies of gynaecological assessment and the subsequent formulation of a management plan. At Keele University skills are initially developed in a simulated setting and then transferred to the workplace where students continue to develop their skills. A dedicated undergraduate gynaecology teaching clinic has been developed and comprises of 2-3 students and a tutor. All 38 students rotating through the department between January and June 2013 were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire to evaluate this clinic and 36 (95%) of them responded. Respondents felt significantly more comfortable taking a gynaecology history, ensuring privacy during examination and formulating a management plan post-clinic (all p < 0.001), with female students feeling significantly more comfortable than their male counterparts (p = 0.04). The use of this clinic shows great promise to help students learn an unfamiliar and challenging skill.

Instructional Design to Develop Communication Ability for Students in the Electrical Engineering Majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakano, Mika; Takahara, Kenji; Kajiwara, Toshinori

This paper describes the instructional design to develop communication ability for students in the electrical engineering majors. It is based on the case of Fukuoka Institute of Technology which started new courses for communication skills in 2007. A series of communication education from the freshman year to the third grade is systematized, considering the developmental process of students' argumentation. In the classes, students continually learn dialogue and cooperation through various styles of discussion, debate, presentation and so on. The first introductory class of all is “Communication Theory I”, which is aimed at developing self-awareness and improving discussion skills for interpersonal relationship. In this course, students acquire skills to construct their arguments about the given issues and to evaluate others' presentation performances each other. To cultivate students' communication ability, education should not be closed in a class, but support system from departmental level is essential.

Self-assessment and goal-setting is associated with an improvement in interviewing skills.

PubMed

Hanley, Kathleen; Zabar, Sondra; Charap, Joseph; Nicholson, Joseph; Disney, Lindsey; Kalet, Adina; Gillespie, Colleen

2014-01-01

Purpose Describe the relationship between medical students' self-assessment and goal-setting (SAGS) skills and development of interviewing skills during the first-year doctoring course. Method 157 first-year medical students completed three two-case standardized patient (SP) interviews. After each of the first two, students viewed videotapes of their interview, completed a SAGS worksheet, and reviewed a selected tape segment in a seminar. SAGS was categorized into good and poor quality and interviewing skills were rated by trained raters. Results SAGS improved over time (37% good week 1 vs. 61% good week 10). Baseline SAGS and interviewing skills were not associated. Initial SAGS quality was associated with change in interviewing skills - those with poor-quality SAGS demonstrated a decrease and those with good-quality SAGS demonstrated an increase in scores by 17 weeks (ANOVA F=4.16, p=0.024). For students whose SAGS skills were good at both week 1 and 10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 1-10 and then increased significantly at week 17. For those whose SAGS remained 'poor' in weeks 1-10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 10-17. Conclusions In general, the quality of students' SAGS improved over time. Poor baseline SAGS skills and failure to improve were associated with a decrease in interviewing skills at 17 weeks. For students with better SAGS, interviewing skills increased at week 17. Improvement in SAGS skills was not associated with improved interviewing skills. Understanding structured self-assessment skills helps identify student characteristics that influence progressive mastery of communication skills and therefore may inform curriculum and remediation tailoring.

Self-assessment and goal-setting is associated with an improvement in interviewing skills.

PubMed

Hanley, Kathleen; Zabar, Sondra; Charap, Joseph; Nicholson, Joseph; Disney, Lindsey; Kalet, Adina; Gillespie, Colleen

2014-01-01

Describe the relationship between medical students' self-assessment and goal-setting (SAGS) skills and development of interviewing skills during the first-year doctoring course. 157 first-year medical students completed three two-case standardized patient (SP) interviews. After each of the first two, students viewed videotapes of their interview, completed a SAGS worksheet, and reviewed a selected tape segment in a seminar. SAGS was categorized into good and poor quality and interviewing skills were rated by trained raters. SAGS improved over time (37% good week 1 vs. 61% good week 10). Baseline SAGS and interviewing skills were not associated. Initial SAGS quality was associated with change in interviewing skills - those with poor-quality SAGS demonstrated a decrease and those with good-quality SAGS demonstrated an increase in scores by 17 weeks (ANOVA F=4.16, p=0.024). For students whose SAGS skills were good at both week 1 and 10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 1-10 and then increased significantly at week 17. For those whose SAGS remained 'poor' in weeks 1-10, interviewing skills declined in weeks 10-17. In general, the quality of students' SAGS improved over time. Poor baseline SAGS skills and failure to improve were associated with a decrease in interviewing skills at 17 weeks. For students with better SAGS, interviewing skills increased at week 17. Improvement in SAGS skills was not associated with improved interviewing skills. Understanding structured self-assessment skills helps identify student characteristics that influence progressive mastery of communication skills and therefore may inform curriculum and remediation tailoring.

Checkmate: Capturing Gifted Students' Logical Thinking Using Chess.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rifner, Philip J.; Feldhusen, John F.

1997-01-01

Describes the use of chess instruction to develop abstract thinking skills and problem solving among gifted students. Offers suggestions for starting school chess programs, teaching and evaluating chess skills, and measuring the success of both student-players and the program in general. (PB)

Improving Medical Students' Attitudes toward and Skills with the Elderly.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Intrieri, Robert C.; And Others

1993-01-01

Examined effect of experimental program in gerontology and geriatrics on third-year medical students. Experimental students (n=45) participated in four group sessions emphasizing psychological, sociodemographic, and physiological aspects of aging and interpersonal communication skills. Participants developed more positive attitudes and…

Clinical Pharmacy Education in Japan: Using Simulated Patients in Laboratory-Based Communication-Skills Training before Clinical Practice.

PubMed

Kubota, Rie; Shibuya, Kiyoshi; Tanaka, Yoichi; Aoki, Manahito; Shiomi, Megumi; Ando, Wataru; Otori, Katsuya; Komiyama, Takako

2018-06-01

The Japanese pharmaceutical curriculum was extended from four to six years in 2006. Students now receive practical communication-skills training in their fourth year, before progressing to train in hospital and community pharmacies in their fifth year. Kitasato University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, had established a program to meet these aims before the 2006 guidance. In the present study, we discuss and evaluate the features of this communication-skills training program. This study enrolled 242 fourth-year pharmacy students at Kitasato University. Students filled out a questionnaire survey after completing the laboratory element of their undergraduate education. As part of training, students were asked to obtain patient data from a model medical chart, before performing simulated patient interviews covering hospital admission and patient counseling. These simulations were repeated in a small group, and feedback was provided to students by both the simulated patient and the faculty after each presentation. It was found that students were able to develop their communication skills through this approach. Thus, an effective system of gradual and continuous training has been developed, which allows students to acquire clinical and practical communication skills.

Study skills and habits in Shiraz dental students; strengths and weaknesses.

PubMed

Zarshenas, Ladan; Danaei, Shahla Momeni; Mazarei, Elham; Zarif Najafi, Hooman; Shakour, Mahsa

2014-01-01

The dental students, the same as other students, during their academic courses are required to learn a wide range of scientific subjects. Obviously, choosing the inappropriate method of study leads to confuse and disenchantment of students and it causes wasting of their energy. The purpose of this study was to assess the existing strengths and weaknesses of the skills and study habits in Dental Students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2009-10. In this cross-sectional study, all of the dental students (n = 274), who studied at the time of study at all levels in the academic year of 2009-10, were selected by the census. Data were collected by using the Huston University questionnaire consisted of two parts of demographic questions and 64 specific areas of study skills in eight domains of time management, concentration/memory, study aids/note taking, test strategies, information processing, motivation, self-assessment/reading, and writing skills. Following the retranslation of the questionnaire, the validity was confirmed by using the content validity method. The reliability was obtained by using the Cronbach's Alpha of 0.92. The data were analyzed with SPSS software version 17 and using analytical statistic tests. Students who have previously participated in the study skills workshops had stronger skills in comparison with the students who had not participated in these workshops. Time management skills (P = 0.04), motivation (P = 0.0001) and information processing (P = 0.03) in students with professional status were in a more favorable position and showed significant differences in terms of educational levels. The study skills mean score of the students living in student housings in comparison with the other students were significantly higher (P = 0.04). Marital status showed no significant differences in reading skills. The review of study skills in the undergraduate and post-graduate dental students indicated that the residents had higher reading skills. By recognizing the existing strengths and weaknesses and holding programs through counseling centers can develop the study skills in the students.

Who is teaching the kids to cook? Results from a nationally representative survey of secondary school students in New Zealand.

PubMed

Utter, Jennifer; Denny, Simon; Lucassen, Mathijs; Dyson, Ben

2016-08-10

Learning how to cook is an important skill for developing healthy eating behaviors. Moreover, involvement in home cooking may offer young people opportunities for skill building, identity development and social engagement with their families. Recently, there have been concerns that the current generation of young people may not have the opportunities to develop sufficient cooking skills. These concerns have been addressed by the initiation of numerous, localized interventions. Yet, little is known about where the current generation of young people learn cooking skills. The objective of this study was to describe where the current generation of young people report learning to cook, drawing on nationally representative data from New Zealand. Data were collected as part of Youth2012, a nationally representative survey of secondary school students (n=8500) in New Zealand. Almost all students reported learning to cook and from multiple sources. Almost all students reported learning to cook from a family member (mother, father, or other family member), approximately 60% of students reported that they learned to cook from certain media (cookbooks, TV, or the Internet) and half of all students reported learning to cook at school. There were numerous differences in where students learned to cook by socio-demographic characteristics. Findings from the current research highlight the important role that families play in teaching young people to cook and will be useful for those working with young people to develop these skills.

Student's Perceived Level and Teachers' Teaching Strategies of Higher Order Thinking Skills: A Study on Higher Educational Institutions in Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shukla, Divya; Dungsungnoen, Aj Pattaradanai

2016-01-01

Higher order thinking skills (HOTS) has portrayed immense industry demand and the major goal of educational institution in imparting education is to inculcate higher order thinking skills. This compiles and mandate the institutions and instructor to develop the higher order thinking skills among students in order to prepare them for effective…

Use of the "Intervention Selection Profile-Social Skills" to Identify Social Skill Acquisition Deficits: A Preliminary Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilgus, Stephen P.; von der Embse, Nathaniel P.; Scott, Katherine; Paxton, Sara

2015-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to develop and initially validate the "Intervention Selection Profile-Social Skills" (ISP-SS), a novel brief social skills assessment method intended for use at Tier 2. Participants included 54 elementary school teachers and their 243 randomly selected students. Teachers rated students on two rating…

How does feedback from patients impact upon healthcare student clinical skill development and learning? A systematic review.

PubMed

Finch, Emma; Lethlean, Jennifer; Rose, Tanya; Fleming, Jennifer; Theodoros, Deborah; Cameron, Ashley; Coleman, Adele; Copland, David; McPhail, Steven M

2018-03-01

A key feature of health professionals' training, irrespective of discipline, is the acquisition and application of clinical and communication skills. Despite this, little is known about the potential role of patient feedback on this process. This systematic review aimed to answer the question: How does feedback from patients impact upon healthcare student clinical skill development and learning? Systematic review of published literature. Electronic databases were searched for studies that explored the effects of patient feedback on student learning and were published before March 2016. Eligible articles underwent methodological evaluation using the McMaster University Critical Evaluation Forms and data extraction. A total of 237 articles were retrieved following searches of electronic databases and hand searches of reference lists. Twelve (7 quantitative, 2 qualitative, 3 mixed methods) studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies reported that patient feedback improved students' clinical skills. Minimal research has explored the impact of patient feedback on student learning. The research to date suggests that direct feedback from patients may be beneficial for the development of students' communication and clinical skills; however, the wide variety of evaluation methods and the lack of validated tools for patients to provide feedback suggest that further exploration is warranted.

Guiding students to develop an understanding of scientific inquiry: a science skills approach to instruction and assessment.

PubMed

Stone, Elisa M

2014-01-01

New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific investigation. An individual teacher's investigation of the strategies and tools she designed to promote scientific inquiry in her classroom is outlined. This teacher-driven action research in the high school biology classroom presents a simple study design that allowed for reciprocal testing of two simultaneous treatments, one that aimed to guide students to use vocabulary to identify and describe different scientific practices they were using in their investigations-for example, hypothesizing, data analysis, or use of controls-and another that focused on scientific collaboration. A knowledge integration (KI) rubric was designed to measure how students integrated their ideas about the skills and practices necessary for scientific inquiry. KI scores revealed that student understanding of scientific inquiry increased significantly after receiving instruction and using assessment tools aimed at promoting development of specific inquiry skills. General strategies for doing classroom-based action research in a straightforward and practical way are discussed, as are implications for teaching and evaluating introductory life sciences courses at the undergraduate level.

Fostering Critical Thinking, Reasoning, and Argumentation Skills through Bioethics Education

PubMed Central

Chowning, Jeanne Ting; Griswold, Joan Carlton; Kovarik, Dina N.; Collins, Laura J.

2012-01-01

Developing a position on a socio-scientific issue and defending it using a well-reasoned justification involves complex cognitive skills that are challenging to both teach and assess. Our work centers on instructional strategies for fostering critical thinking skills in high school students using bioethical case studies, decision-making frameworks, and structured analysis tools to scaffold student argumentation. In this study, we examined the effects of our teacher professional development and curricular materials on the ability of high school students to analyze a bioethical case study and develop a strong position. We focused on student ability to identify an ethical question, consider stakeholders and their values, incorporate relevant scientific facts and content, address ethical principles, and consider the strengths and weaknesses of alternate solutions. 431 students and 12 teachers participated in a research study using teacher cohorts for comparison purposes. The first cohort received professional development and used the curriculum with their students; the second did not receive professional development until after their participation in the study and did not use the curriculum. In order to assess the acquisition of higher-order justification skills, students were asked to analyze a case study and develop a well-reasoned written position. We evaluated statements using a scoring rubric and found highly significant differences (p<0.001) between students exposed to the curriculum strategies and those who were not. Students also showed highly significant gains (p<0.001) in self-reported interest in science content, ability to analyze socio-scientific issues, awareness of ethical issues, ability to listen to and discuss viewpoints different from their own, and understanding of the relationship between science and society. Our results demonstrate that incorporating ethical dilemmas into the classroom is one strategy for increasing student motivation and engagement with science content, while promoting reasoning and justification skills that help prepare an informed citizenry. PMID:22615814

Fostering critical thinking, reasoning, and argumentation skills through bioethics education.

PubMed

Chowning, Jeanne Ting; Griswold, Joan Carlton; Kovarik, Dina N; Collins, Laura J

2012-01-01

Developing a position on a socio-scientific issue and defending it using a well-reasoned justification involves complex cognitive skills that are challenging to both teach and assess. Our work centers on instructional strategies for fostering critical thinking skills in high school students using bioethical case studies, decision-making frameworks, and structured analysis tools to scaffold student argumentation. In this study, we examined the effects of our teacher professional development and curricular materials on the ability of high school students to analyze a bioethical case study and develop a strong position. We focused on student ability to identify an ethical question, consider stakeholders and their values, incorporate relevant scientific facts and content, address ethical principles, and consider the strengths and weaknesses of alternate solutions. 431 students and 12 teachers participated in a research study using teacher cohorts for comparison purposes. The first cohort received professional development and used the curriculum with their students; the second did not receive professional development until after their participation in the study and did not use the curriculum. In order to assess the acquisition of higher-order justification skills, students were asked to analyze a case study and develop a well-reasoned written position. We evaluated statements using a scoring rubric and found highly significant differences (p<0.001) between students exposed to the curriculum strategies and those who were not. Students also showed highly significant gains (p<0.001) in self-reported interest in science content, ability to analyze socio-scientific issues, awareness of ethical issues, ability to listen to and discuss viewpoints different from their own, and understanding of the relationship between science and society. Our results demonstrate that incorporating ethical dilemmas into the classroom is one strategy for increasing student motivation and engagement with science content, while promoting reasoning and justification skills that help prepare an informed citizenry.

Collaborative Co-Mentored Dissertations Spanning Institutions: Influences on Student Development

PubMed Central

DeLong, Mary J.

2007-01-01

The Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP), established in 2000, links universities with National Institutes of Health (NIH) laboratories for predoctoral training. Several partnerships required that students create collaborative dissertations between at least one NIH and one university research mentor. More than 60 students have entered into these co-mentored research collaborations, and many others established them even though not required. Much was learned about the experiences of these and other GPP students by using structured interviews as part of a formal self-study of the GPP in 2005. Complications of trying to work with two mentors are managed through careful program design and mentor selection. In the collaborative model, students develop a complex set of scientific and interpersonal skills. They lead their own independent research projects, drawing on the expertise of multiple mentors and acquiring skills at negotiating everyone's interests. They develop high levels of independence, maturity, flexibility, and the ability to see research questions from different perspectives. No evidence was found that co-mentoring diminishes the normally expected accomplishments of a student during the Ph.D. Multi-mentored dissertations require skills not all graduate students may possess this early in training, but for those who do, they can promote rapid and extensive development of skills needed for collaborative, interdisciplinary research. PMID:17548874

Evaluating the short-term effects of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students.

PubMed

Lee, Young-Mee; Lee, Young Hee

2014-09-01

Regardless of the growing importance of communication skills as a core clinical competence, few studies have determined the effects of communication skills courses in undergraduate medical curricula in Asian medical schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students. A communication skills course was provided to 111 second-year medical students in a medical college in Korea. Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills was evaluated by a questionnaire survey. To examine the improvement in observed communication skills, the students' encounters with standardized patients (SPs) were assessed at the first session and at the final course assessment. A structured checklist, consisting of 25 communication skills items, was used for the assessment. Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills increased significantly after completion of the course (p<0.001). The observed communication skills scores also improved significantly at the end of the course; the mean scores of the first SPs encounters was 49.6 (standard deviation [SD], 11.1), and those of cases A and B at the final assessment were 61.5 (SD, 8.4) and 69.6 (SD, 7.8), respectively (F₆₁=269.54, p<0.001). Even a short period of medical communication skills course was beneficial in developing and improving communication skills competency in preclinical medical students. Further studies should be followed to examine whether the acquisition of communication skills during preclinical studies can be sustained into clerkship and actual practice.

A Coordinated Approach to Curricular Review and Development in Undergraduate Geoscience Programs: Using a Matrix to Identify and Track Skills and Skill Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, R.; Savina, M. E.

2003-12-01

One approach to curriculum review and development is to construct a matrix of the desired skills versus courses in the departmental curriculum. The matrix approach requires faculty to articulate their goals, identify specific skills, and assess where in the curriculum students will learn and practice these skills and where there are major skills gaps. Faculty members in the Geology Department at Carleton College developed a matrix of skills covered in geology courses with the following objectives: 1) Geology majors should begin their "senior integrative exercise" having practiced multiple times all of the formal steps in the research process (recognizing problems, writing proposals, carrying out a project, reporting a project in several ways); 2) Geology majors should learn and practice a variety of professional and life skills life (e.g. computer skills, field skills, lab skills, and interpretive skills).The matrix was used to identify where in the curriculum various research methods and skills were addressed and to map potential student experiences to the objectives. In Carleton's non-hierarchical curriculum, the matrix was used to verify that students have many opportunities to practice research and life skills regardless of the path they take to completion of the major. In William and Mary's more structured curriculum, the matrix was used to ensure that skills build upon each other from course to course. Faculty members in the Geology Department at the College of William and Mary first used this approach to focus on teaching quantitative skills across the geology curriculum, and later used it in terms of teaching research, communication, and information literacy skills. After articulating goals and skills, faculty members in both departments developed more specific skill lists within each category of skills, then described the current assignments and activities in each course relative to the specific components of the matrix and discussed whether to add assignment or activities. We have found that much conversation among faculty and change within courses happens simply as a result of compiling the matrix. One effect of the use of the matrix is that faculty in the department know fairly specifically what skills students are learning and practicing in their other geology courses. Moreover, some faculty members are better suited by background or inclination to teach certain sets of skills. This coordinated approach avoids unnecessary duplication and allows faculty to build on skills and topics developed in previous courses. The matrix can also be used as a planning tool to identify gaps in the curriculum. In our experience, the skills matrix is a powerful organizational and communication tool. The skills matrix is a representation of what the department believes actually happens in the curriculum. Thus, development of a skills matrix provides a basis for departmental discussions of student learning goals and objectives as well as for describing the existing curriculum. The matrix is also a graphic representation, to college administrators and outside evaluators, of the "intentionality" of an entire curriculum, going beyond single courses and their syllabi. It can be used effectively to engage administration in discussions of departmental planning and needs analysis.

Nursing students' experiences with the use of authentic assessment rubric and case approach in the clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Wu, Xi Vivien; Heng, Mary Anne; Wang, Wenru

2015-04-01

One current challenge for nurse educators is to examine effective nursing assessment tools which integrate nursing knowledge into practice. Authentic assessment allows nursing students to apply knowledge to real-life experiences. Contextualized cases have engaged students for preparation of diverse clinical situations and develop critical thinking skills. This study aimed to explore nursing students' experiences and learning outcomes with the use of an authentic assessment rubric and a case approach. An exploratory qualitative approach using focus-group discussions and an open-ended survey was adopted. Sixteen nursing students participated in three focus-group discussions and 39 nursing students completed an open-ended survey. Nursing students noted that an authentic assessment rubric with a case approach provided clarity for their learning goals; built confidence; developed knowledge, skill competencies and critical thinking skills; increased awareness of caring attributes and communication skills; and enriched and extended learning through self-, peer- and teacher-assessments. These findings provide rich insights for nurse educators and curriculum developers in the use of an authentic assessment rubric and a case approach in nursing education. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Self-Reflection To Increase Science Process Skills in the General Chemistry Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veal, William R.; Taylor, Dawne; Rogers, Amy L.

2009-03-01

Self-reflection is a tool of instruction that has been used in the science classroom. Research has shown great promise in using video as a learning tool in the classroom. However, the integration of self-reflective practice using video in the general chemistry laboratory to help students develop process skills has not been done. Immediate video feedback and direct instruction were employed in a general chemistry laboratory course to improve students' mastery and understanding of basic and advanced process skills. Qualitative results and statistical analysis of quantitative data proved that self-reflection significantly helped students develop basic and advanced process skills, yet did not seem to influence the general understanding of the science content.

Blogging and Internet Filters in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shearer, Kimberly M.

2010-01-01

Success in today's global market requires students to attain numerous 21st-Century skills, including collaborative and communication skills, and knowledge of how to use technology to both locate and create information. The use of instructional blogging in the classroom is one way to help students develop such skills. The Children's Internet…

Pedagogical Implementation of 21st Century Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson-Lundeberg, Vera

2016-01-01

This paper examines students' perceptions of how intentionally taught 21st century skills have transformed their lives. Personal development education (PDE) encompasses interpersonal and interaction skills that are required for students to function and succeed in global-oriented 21st century colleges and careers. The Common Core State Standards…

Assessing Elementary Students' Writing Skills. Publication No. 78.74.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Myron; Fowler, Elaine

An instrument was developed for use in the evaluation of a pilot program to improve the writing skills of elementary school students in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District. Called the "Assessment of Writing Skills" (AWS), the instrument assesses writing maturity, productivity, and writing mechanics by collecting a holistic evaluation…

Employer Perceptions of Student Informational Interviewing Skills and Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orr, Claudia; Sherony, Bruce; Steinhaus, Carol

2011-01-01

Employers continue to report that soft skills are critically important in obtaining employment and achieving long-term career success. Given the challenging job market for college graduates, business school faculty need to provide practical opportunities for students to develop their soft skills in professional settings. A longitudinal study was…

Using an Interdisciplinary Approach to Teach Undergraduates Communication and Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinkelman, Andrea L.; Aune, Jeanine E.; Nonnecke, Gail R.

2010-01-01

For successful and productive careers, undergraduate students need effective communication and critical thinking skills; information literacy is a substantial component in the development of these skills. Students often perceive communication courses as distinct and separate from their chosen discipline. Faculty from the Departments of English and…

Storytelling as a Strategy for Understanding Concepts of Electricity and Electromagnetism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kokkotas, Panos; Rizaki, Aikaterini; Malamitsa, Katerina

2010-01-01

In our research, we investigated whether students will develop inquiry skills, such as hypothesis exploration and formulation and interpretation, and metacognitive skills, such as comprehension of new knowledge, as a result of a storytelling strategy employed during teaching. We also investigated whether students will utilize the skills and…

PALS: Parent Activities for Learning Basic Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia.

Developed for K-3 teachers to send home with their students, this collection of learning activities and games is offered to help reinforce students' language arts and mathematics skills and to enhance parental involvement. Suggestions to the teacher include sending home only those pages containing activities for skills currently being studied and…

Empowering Engineering Students through Employability Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaushal, Urvashi

2016-01-01

A professional course program like engineering strives to get the maximum number of its students placed through campus interviews. While communication skills have been added in all the engineering courses with the aim to improve their performance in placement, the syllabus mostly concentrates on the development of four language skills. The…

Rational Behavior Skills: A Teaching Sequence for Students with Emotional Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patton, Patricia Lucey

1995-01-01

Rational behavior training is a proactive teaching model concerned with helping students with behavior disorders or serious emotional disturbances develop rational thinking and appropriate social skills. Describes a seven-session sequence for teaching rational behavior skills in a middle school setting. Pre- and posttest data revealed significant…

A Dual Approach to Fostering Under-Prepared Student Success: Focusing on Doing and Becoming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaffer, Suzanne C.; Eshbach, Barbara E.; Santiago-Blay, Jorge A.

2015-01-01

A paired course model for under-prepared college students incorporates a dual instructional approach, academic skill building and lifelong learning development, to help students do more academically and become stronger lifelong learners. In a reading support course, students improved their reading skills and applied them directly to the paired…

Use of Authentic Assessment with ABE Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gall, Mary Louise; And Others

This report describes a project that developed a formal process and the accompanying instruments for authentic assessment of the academic and life skills of adult basic education (ABE) students. The assessment was used to assess the skills of 50 ABE students. The students and teacher evaluated the work that was done, the results were compiled, a…

Student pharmacists' perceptions of community pharmacy residency programs.

PubMed

Datar, Manasi V; Holmes, Erin R; Adams, Alex J; Stolpe, Samuel F

2013-01-01

To compare penultimate-year (next-to-last) and final-year student pharmacists' perceptions of the educational value of community pharmacy residency programs (CPRPs) and to compare student pharmacists' perceptions of the educational value of CPRPs and health-system residency programs (HSRPs). A self-administered online survey was sent to administrators at 119 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-accredited schools of pharmacy for ultimate distribution to penultimate- and final-year student pharmacists. The survey included demographic measures and a 20-item residency program "perceived value of skill development" scale developed for this study. 1,722 completed surveys were received and analyzed. Penultimate-year students attributed greater value to CPRPs more frequently than final-year students. Students more often attributed higher value to CPRPs for skills related to business management, practice management, and medication therapy management, while they attributed higher value to HSRPs for skills related to teaching, research, and clinical knowledge. The results of this study suggest students' perceived value of CPRPs may be related to their year of pharmacy school and the pharmacy practice skill in question.

A Simulated Learning Environment for Teaching Medicine Dispensing Skills

PubMed Central

Styles, Kim; Sewell, Keith; Trinder, Peta; Marriott, Jennifer; Maher, Sheryl; Naidu, Som

2016-01-01

Objective. To develop an authentic simulation of the professional practice dispensary context for students to develop their dispensing skills in a risk-free environment. Design. A development team used an Agile software development method to create MyDispense, a web-based simulation. Modeled on virtual learning environments elements, the software employed widely available standards-based technologies to create a virtual community pharmacy environment. Assessment. First-year pharmacy students who used the software in their tutorials, were, at the end of the second semester, surveyed on their prior dispensing experience and their perceptions of MyDispense as a tool to learn dispensing skills. Conclusion. The dispensary simulation is an effective tool for helping students develop dispensing competency and knowledge in a safe environment. PMID:26941437

Looking Forward to Look Backward: Technology and King Arthur

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jennifer D. E.; Driver, Martha; Coppola, Jean F.; Thomas, Barbara A.

2008-01-01

This article discusses students' perceptions of the impact of technology integration in an interdisciplinary medieval English literature and multimedia course on developing higher-order thinking skills and team-building skills. The results indicate that undergraduate students in this course perceived generally strong support for development of…

Group Work. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Karen

2010-01-01

According to Johnson and Johnson, group work helps increase student retention and satisfaction, develops strong oral communication and social skills, as well as higher self-esteem (University of Minnesota, n.d.). Group work, when planned and implemented deliberately and thoughtfully helps students develop cognitive and leadership skills as well as…

Shifting Dimensions of Autonomy in Students' Research and Employment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willison, John; Sabir, Fizza; Thomas, Judith

2017-01-01

This study considers the conceptual space, or extent of autonomy, given to coursework Masters students before, during and after a Business Ethics course that explicitly developed and assessed their research skills. This vocationally oriented and academically challenging course used the "Research Skill Development framework" as its…

Brown & Smith Communication Solutions: A Staffing System Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, Erika E.; Doll, Jessica L.; Bergman, Shawn M.; Heggestad, Eric D.

2018-01-01

Developing students' practical skills in strategic staffing and selection within the classroom can be challenging. This article describes a staffing system simulation designed to engage students and develop applied skills in strategic recruiting, assessment, and evaluation of job applicants. Instructors looking for a multifaceted team project…

Speculation and Historical Interpretation for Fifth and Sixth Graders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Elizabeth; Gregory, Leslie A.

2000-01-01

Describes a unit for fifth- and sixth-grade students that helps develop critical thinking skills. Explains that students read the book, "Leonardo da Vinci" (Diane Stanley), to develop their historical interpretation skills and demonstrate that there is not just one right answer in history. (CMK)

Handbook of Career Planning for Students with Special Needs. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Thomas F., Ed.

This book discusses career planning strategies for students with special needs. It addresses the 13 competencies identified by the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (NOICC) as basic to effective performance by career development practitioners: career development theory, decision-making skills, consultation skills,…

Developing Enterprise Skills through Peer-Assessed Pitch Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faherty, Anna

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of using summative peer assessment to develop enterprise skills within higher education. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical investigation analysing students own perceptions of the peer assessment process to evaluate its impact. Findings: Participating students indicate that…

Non-technical skills assessment for prelicensure nursing students: An integrative review.

PubMed

Pires, Sara; Monteiro, Sara; Pereira, Anabela; Chaló, Daniela; Melo, Elsa; Rodrigues, Alexandre

2017-11-01

In nursing, non-technical skills are recognized as playing an important role to increase patient safety and successful clinical outcomes (Pearson and McLafferty, 2011). Non-technical skills are cognitive and social resource skills that complement technical skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance (Flin et al., 2008). In order to effectively provide non-technical skills training, it is essential to have an instrument to measure these skills. An online search was conducted. Articles were selected if they referred to and/or described instruments assessing non-technical skills for nurses and/or prelicensure nursing students in educational, clinical and/or simulated settings with validation evidence (inclusion criteria). Of the 53 articles located, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Those referred to and/or described 16 instruments with validation evidence developed to assess non-technical skills in multidisciplinary teams including nurses. Although articles have shown 16 valid and reliable instruments, to our knowledge, no instrument has been published or developed and validated for the assessment of non-technical skills of only nurses in general, relevant for use in high-fidelity simulation-based training for prelicensure nursing students. Therefore, there is a need for the development of such an instrument. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transferable skills of incoming medical students and their development over the first academic year: The United Arab Emirates experience.

PubMed

McLean, Michelle; Shaban, Sami; Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah

2011-01-01

Increasingly, it is being recognised in higher and medical education that learners should be adequately prepared for the unpredictable nature of professional practice. Several generic or transferable skills or capabilities (e.g., communication, information handling) that will enable graduates to function in an ever-changing professional world have been identified. Using a validated inventory comprising six categories of transferable skills, three cohorts of incoming male and female medical students at a Gulf university documented their level of practice and confidence for 31 skills. The exercise was repeated a year later. New medical students identified computer and organisational skills and the ability to manage their learning as strengths, but scores for technical and numeracy, information handling and presentation and communication skills suggested that learners generally required guidance. A year later, despite considerable self-reported information handling and communication skills development, learners generally did not consider themselves self-sufficient. A significant gender difference emerged, with incoming males reporting less experience and confidence in many skills. This gap was reduced but did not disappear over the first academic year. An audit such as this may be useful for identifying individual skills levels as well as providing insight into shortcomings in the academic programme in terms of opportunities for transferable skills development.

Interprofessional Curbside Consults to Develop Team Communication and Improve Student Achievement of Learning Outcomes.

PubMed

Kirwin, Jennifer; Greenwood, Kristin Curry; Rico, Janet; Nalliah, Romesh; DiVall, Margarita

2017-02-25

Objective. To design and implement a series of activities focused on developing interprofessional communication skills and to assess the impact of the activities on students' attitudes and achievement of educational goals. Design. Prior to the first pharmacy practice skills laboratory session, pharmacy students listened to a classroom lecture about team communication and viewed short videos describing the roles, responsibilities, and usual work environments of four types of health care professionals. In each of four subsequent laboratory sessions, students interacted with a different standardized health care professional role-played by a pharmacy faculty member who asked them a medication-related question. Students responded in verbal and written formats. Assessment. Student performance was assessed with a three-part rubric. The impact of the exercise was assessed by conducting pre- and post-intervention surveys and analyzing students' performance on relevant Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) outcomes. Survey results showed improvement in student attitudes related to team-delivered care. Students' performance on the problem solver and collaborator CAPE outcomes improved, while performance on the educator outcome worsened. Conclusions. The addition of an interprofessional communication activity with standardized health care professionals provided the opportunity for students to develop skills related to team communication. Students felt the activity was valuable and realistic; however, analysis of outcome achievement from the exercise revealed a need for more exposure to team communication skills.

Can effective teaching and learning strategies help student nurses to retain drug calculation skills?

PubMed

Wright, Kerri

2008-10-01

Student nurses need to develop and retain drug calculation skills in order accurately to calculate drug dosages in clinical practice. If student nurses are to qualify and be fit to practise accurate drug calculation skills, then educational strategies need to not only show that the skills of student nurses have improved but that these skills have been retained over a period of time. A quasi-experimental approach was used to test the effectiveness of a range of strategies in improving retention of drug calculation skills. The results from an IV additive drug calculation test were used to compare the drug calculation skills of student nurses between two groups of students who had received different approaches to teaching drug calculation skills. The sample group received specific teaching and learning strategies in relation to drug calculation skills and the second group received only lectures on drug calculation skills. All test results for students were anonymous. The results from the test for both groups were statistically analysed using the Mann Whitney test to ascertain whether the range of strategies improved the results for the IV additive test. The results were further analysed and compared to ascertain the types and numbers of errors made in each of the sample groups. The results showed that there is a highly significant difference between the two samples using a two-tailed test (U=39.5, p<0.001). The strategies implemented therefore did make a difference to the retention of drug calculation skills in the students in the intervention group. Further research is required into the retention of drug calculation skills by students and nurses, but there does appears to be evidence to suggest that sound teaching and learning strategies do result in better retention of drug calculation skills.

Effect of Two Different Screen Readers' Programs on Developing Using the Internet Skills of Blind Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mostafa, Akram Fathy; Bin Mta'en, Isa Bin Yahya

2017-01-01

Research aims to know the effect of two different designs of screen readers' programs on using the internet skills of blind middle school students, and the research sample consisted of (8) students from El-thoghr middle school students (Fousol El-Noor)-Jeddah where the student has been divided into two experimental groups each of (4) students. To…

Assessing Thinking Skills in Astro 101: Do We Make an Impact?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruning, D.

2005-12-01

Most instructors agree that a major goal of "Astronomy 101" is to develop thinking skills in our students (Partridge and Greenstein, AER 2, 46, 2003). Much educational research in astronomy has initially concentrated on "best practices" for improving student learning (development of "think-pair-share", lecture tutorials, peer tutoring, etc.). Little has been done to date to assess our efforts to improve student thinking skills and students' desire to think more deeply about the cognitively rich ideas offered in the typical astronomy class. This study surveys several astronomy and physics courses to determine whether general analytical thinking skills increase because of the science course and whether students' attitudes toward cognition improve. Cacioppo, Petty and Kao's "Need for Cognition" scale is used for the latter assessment (J. Personality Assessment 48, 306, 1984). A shortened version of Whimbey and Lochhead's ASI skills instrument is used to assess analytical skills ("Problem Solving and Comprehension," 1986). Preliminary results suggest that students need for cognition does not change in general, although there may be a correlation between increasing need for cognition and improvement in grades through the semester. There is a suggestion that need for cognition is slightly predictive of course performance, but a greater correlation exists between the post-course survey and grades. Gains in general analytical skills have been seen in initial surveys, but correlations with course performance appear elusive.

Effects of Using Graphics and Animation Online Problem-Based Learning on Visualization Skills among Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ariffin, A.; Samsudin, M. A.; Zain, A. N. Md.; Hamzah, N.; Ismail, M. E.

2017-05-01

The Engineering Drawing subject develops skills in geometry drawing becoming more professional. For the concept in Engineering Drawing, students need to have good visualization skills. Visualization is needed to help students get a start before translating into a drawing. So that, Problem Based Learning (PBL) using animation mode (PBL-A) and graphics mode (PBL-G) will be implemented in class. Problem-solving process is repeatedly able to help students interpret engineering drawings step work correctly and accurately. This study examined the effects of PBL-A online and PBL-G online on visualization skills of students in polytechnics. Sixty eight mechanical engineering students have been involved in this study. The visualization test adapted from Bennett, Seashore and Wesman was used in this study. Results showed significant differences in mean scores post-test of visualization skills among the students enrolled in PBL-G with the group of students who attended PBL-A online after effects of pre-test mean score is controlled. Therefore, the effects of animation modes have a positive impact on increasing students’ visualization skills.

Lost in translation: Cultural divides in communication skills teaching identified in the ICCH 2016 student symposium.

PubMed

Schopper, Heather K; Mohamed, Nasteha A; Seegel, Max; Gorina, Kseniya; Silverman, Jonathan; Rosenbaum, Marcy

2017-11-01

To provide a platform for learners' voices at an international conference on communication in healthcare. A group of medical students were invited to explore their experiences with communication skills learning at a symposium at the 2016 International Conference on Communication in Healthcare in Heidelberg, DE. Students from the US, Denmark, Germany, and Russia discussed their experiences with communication skills curriculum at their institutions. We identified divides that have challenged our ability to develop and maintain strong communication skills: 1) valuation of communication skills vs. other topics, 2) curricular theory vs. practice, 3) evaluation vs. feedback, 4) preclinical vs. clinical learning, and 5) the medical student vs. practicing clinician role. The points of transition we identified on the road of communication skills teaching highlight opportunities to strengthen the educational experience for students. Without an effort to address these divides, however, our communication skills may be lost in translation. Students value communication skills teaching during their medical education and there are opportunities to translate this to countries that currently lack robust curricula and to the real-life post-graduate setting. Support is necessary from students, teachers, and administrators, and focus on translation of skills during role transitions is needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reaching out: medical students leading in local communities.

PubMed

Bannon, Aidan; O'Hare, Niamh; Corr, Michael; Sterling, Margaret; Gormley, Gerard J

2015-06-01

Queen's University Red Cross is a medical student-led volunteer group with a key aim of promoting social change within local communities and empowering young people to aspire to higher education. We describe 'The Personal Development Certificate', a 12-week community development programme devised by third-year medical students at Queen's University Belfast to target young people who are lacking educational motivation, are disengaged at home or are marginalised through social circumstances. Community-based education is of increasing importance within undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in the UK, and further afield. We evaluated the perceived improvements in key skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication, and problem solving in students following participation in this programme, and the extent to which their attitude and appreciation of community-based medicine changed. [Students] appreciated the opportunity to translate a series of classroom-learned skills to real-life environments Following facilitation of this community-based initiative, all students reported a perceived improvement in the acquired skill sets. Students made strong links from this programme to previous clinical experiences and appreciated the opportunity to translate a series of classroom-learned skills to real-life environments and interactions. The students' appreciation and understanding of community-based medicine was the single most improved area of our evaluation. We have demonstrated that medical students possess the skills to develop and facilitate their own educational projects. Non-clinical, student-led community projects have the potential to be reproduced using recognised frameworks and guidelines to complement the current undergraduate medical curriculum. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Promoting fundamental clinical skills: a competency-based college approach at the University of Washington.

PubMed

Goldstein, Erika A; Maclaren, Carol F; Smith, Sherilyn; Mengert, Terry J; Maestas, Ramoncita R; Foy, Hugh M; Wenrich, Marjorie D; Ramsey, Paul G

2005-05-01

The focus on fundamental clinical skills in undergraduate medical education has declined over the last several decades. Dramatic growth in the number of faculty involved in teaching and increasing clinical and research commitments have contributed to depersonalization and declining individual attention to students. In contrast to the close teaching and mentoring relationship between faculty and students 50 years ago, today's medical students may interact with hundreds of faculty members without the benefit of a focused program of teaching and evaluating clinical skills to form the core of their four-year curriculum. Bedside teaching has also declined, which may negatively affect clinical skills development. In response to these and other concerns, the University of Washington School of Medicine has created an integrated developmental curriculum that emphasizes bedside teaching and role modeling, focuses on enhancing fundamental clinical skills and professionalism, and implements these goals via a new administrative structure, the College system, which consists of a core of clinical teachers who spend substantial time teaching and mentoring medical students. Each medical student is assigned a faculty mentor within a College for the duration of his or her medical school career. Mentors continuously teach and reflect with students on clinical skills development and professionalism and, during the second year, work intensively with them at the bedside. They also provide an ongoing personal faculty contact. Competency domains and benchmarks define skill areas in which deepening, progressive attention is focused throughout medical school. This educational model places primary focus on the student.

The art of observation: impact of a family medicine and art museum partnership on student education.

PubMed

Elder, Nancy C; Tobias, Barbara; Lucero-Criswell, Amber; Goldenhar, Linda

2006-06-01

Compared to verbal communication, teaching the skill of observation is often shortchanged in medical education. Through a family medicine-art museum collaboration, we developed an elective course for second-year medical students titled the "Art of Observation" (AOO). To evaluate the course's effect on clinical skills, we performed a qualitative evaluation of former students during their clinical rotations. In the spring of 2005, all students who had completed the AOO course in 2003 or 2004 were invited to take part in an online evaluation consisting of eight journaling survey questions. Students were instructed to answer the survey questions with specific examples. Question areas included the most memorable experience, the course's influence on the doctor-patient relationship, usefulness during clinical years of medical school, and skills unique to AOO. The anonymous data were analyzed qualitatively, coding the responses to categories derived from the data, leading to the formation of themes. Of the 19 students eligible, 17 participated. We found three important themes: (1) the AOO positively influenced clinical skills, (2) both art museum exercises and a clinical preceptorship were necessary to achieve those skills, and (3) the AOO led to a sense of personal development as a physician. In addition, students told us that the training in observation and description skills they learned were unique to the AOO. This collaboration between a department of family medicine and an art museum produced a course that facilitated observational skills used in successful doctor-patient relationships.

Music Basic Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kentucky State Dept. of Education, Frankfort.

This document is a statement of the basic music skills that Kentucky students should develop. This skills list does not replace any locally developed curriculum. It is intended as a guide for local school districts in Kentucky in their development of a detailed K-12 curriculum. The skills presented are considered basic to a sound education program…

Exploring the Effects of Student-Centered Project-Based Learning with Initiation on Students' Computing Skills: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Digital Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Chia-Wen; Shen, Pei-Di; Lin, Rong-An

2015-01-01

This study investigated, via quasi-experiments, the effects of student-centered project-based learning with initiation (SPBL with Initiation) on the development of students' computing skills. In this study, 96 elementary school students were selected from four class sections taking a course titled "Digital Storytelling" and were assigned…

Environments. Our Common Home: Earth. A Curriculum Strategy to Affect Student Skills Development and Exposure to Diverse Global Natural/Social Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Richard

One of a series of global education instructional units, this unit on environments was designed to be infused with existing social studies courses aimed at students in grades 5-12. Concept-based and skills-oriented, the curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of the nature and character of diverse global natural…

Examining the Effect of Social Values Education Program Being Applied to Nursery School Students upon Acquiring Social Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sapsaglam, Özkan; Ömeroglu, Esra

2016-01-01

This study was conducted in an attempt to develop Social Values Education Program aimed at nursery school students and examine the effect of Social Values Education Program upon the social skill acquisition of nursery school students. The effect of the education program that was developed within the scope of the study upon the social skill…

The Effectiveness of Using WhatsApp Messenger as One of Mobile Learning Techniques to Develop Students' Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fattah, Said Fathy El Said Abdul

2015-01-01

The present study was an attempt to determine the effectiveness of using a WhatsApp Messenger as one of mobile learning techniques to develop students' writing skills. Participants were 30 second year college students, English department from a private university in Saudi Arabia. The experimental group (N = 15) used WhatsApp technology to develop…

Energy. Our Common Home: Earth. A Curriculum Strategy to Affect Student Skills Development and Exposure to Diverse Global Natural/Social Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Richard

One of a series of global education instructional units, this energy awareness curriculum was designed to be infused with existing social studies courses aimed at students in grades 5-12. Concept-based and skills-oriented, the curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of synthetic energy sources; human dependence…

A Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry into Future Teachers' Use of Information and Communications Technology to Develop Students' Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simard, Stéphanie; Karsenti, Thierry

2016-01-01

This study aims to understand how preservice programs prepare future teachers to use ICT to develop students' information literacy skills. A survey was conducted from January 2014 through May 2014 with 413 future teachers in four French Canadian universities. In the spring of 2015, qualitative data were also collected from 48 students in their…

Options: A Career Development Curriculum for Rural High School Students. Unit III, Life Planning [and] Game of Life: Choice and Chance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunne, Faith; And Others

Designed to last approximately 12 days, Unit III of the 4-unit life planning and career development curriculum for rural high school students focuses on skills application. Through experience simulation, students apply skills learned in Unit II to the information from Unit I; they project their future lives and simulate their responses to problems…

The Effectiveness of Blackboard-Based Blended Teaching in the Development of Academic Achievement, Study Skills and Self-Confidence among Students of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Otaibi, Wadha H.

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of blended teaching, based on the e-learning management system "Blackboard," in the development of academic achievement, study skills and self-confidence among the students of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). The study sample consisted of (38) female students who…

Talking with patients and peers: medical students' difficulties with learning communication skills.

PubMed

Lumma-Sellenthin, Antje

2009-06-01

Patient-centered communication skills, such as an empathic attitude towards patients and a holistic perspective on health, are difficult to acquire. Designing effective courses requires better understanding of the difficulties that students perceive with learning to talk with patients The study aimed at exploring students' common difficulties with learning patient-centered communication skills. Group discussions about student-patient interviews were videotaped and analyzed with regard to issues that students perceived as difficult and to their reflections about these difficulties. The students reported feeling intrusive as they explored the patient's psychosocial situation. They avoided being empathic and felt insecure about coping adequately with emotionally loaded topics. Their difficulties were mainly due to insufficient understanding of the functional relations between psychosocial issues and health conditions. Moreover, students were insecure concerning the function of affective feedback in the diagnostic process. However, the group discussions generated a language for analyzing and structuring interviews that helped develop the students' professional identities. Students experienced moral qualms about applying major aspects of patient-centered interviewing. Instruction in communication skills should aim at filling the students' knowledge gaps and fostering their awareness and expression of emotional perceptions. Long-term relationships with patients could help develop patient-centered communication.

Measuring the Quality of University Lectures: Development and Validation of the Instructional Skills Questionnaire (ISQ).

PubMed

Knol, Mariska H; Dolan, Conor V; Mellenbergh, Gideon J; van der Maas, Han L J

2016-01-01

In higher education, student ratings are often used to evaluate and improve the quality of courses and professors' instructional skills. Unfortunately, student-rating questionnaires rarely generate specific feedback for professors to improve their instructional skills. The impact of student ratings on professors' instructional skills has proven to be low. This study concerns the psychometric properties of the Instructional Skills Questionnaire (ISQ), a new theory-based student-rating-of-teaching questionnaire with specific questions concerning lecturing skills. The ISQ is administered after a single lecture. This way, it serves as a formative feedback instrument for university professors during courses to assist them to improve and (re-) evaluate their skills if necessary. The ISQ contains seven dimensions of professors' instructional skills and three student (self perceived) learning outcomes. In this study, Dutch students in 75 courses rated three 90-minute lectures (T1, T2 and T3) of their respective professors using the ISQ. In total, 14,298 ISQ-forms were used to rate 225 lectures. The teacher level reliabilities of the seven dimensions were found to be good at each measurement occasion. In addition, confirmatory multilevel factor analysis confirmed a seven dimensional factor structure at the teacher level at each measurement occasion. Furthermore, specific teacher level factors significantly predicted students' (self-assessed) learning outcomes. These results partly supported the proposed theoretical framework on the relationship between the ISQ teaching dimensions and the student learning process, and provided evidence for the construct validity of the instrument. In sum, the ISQ is found to be a reliable and valid instrument, which can be used by professors and faculty development centers to assess and improve university teaching.

Developing observational skills and knowledge of anatomical relationships in an art and anatomy workshop using plastinated specimens.

PubMed

Moore, Charleen M; Lowe, Constance; Lawrence, Jane; Borchers, Penelope

2011-01-01

One of the strong trends in medical education today is the integration of the humanities into the basic medical curriculum. The anatomy program is an obvious choice for using the humanities to develop professionalism and ethical values. They can also be used to develop close observational skills. Many medical schools have developed formal art observation training in conjunction with nearby art museums to enhance the visual diagnostic skills of their medical students. We report here on an art and anatomy workshop that paired medical and art students who did drawing exercises from plastinated anatomical specimens and the animated face to hone observational skills. Each member of the pair brought a different perspective and expertise to the work that allowed each to be a mentor to the other. The workshop had three sessions: the first involved drawings of plastinated specimens that allowed an intimate experience with authentic human material; the second involved drawings of the human face; and the third included examination of anatomical texts of important anatomist-artists, a lecture on contemporary artists whose work involves anatomy, and a film demonstrating the facial muscles. We propose workshops such as these will help students increase their ability to detect details. This will assist the medical student in developing diagnostic skills for identifying disease and the art student in using the human body as subject. We further propose that these programs will help students develop humanistic sensitivities and provide an outlet for expression of the emotional aspects of dealing with disease and mortality. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Anatomists.

A comparison of medical and pharmacy students' knowledge and skills of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy

PubMed Central

Keijsers, Carolina J P W; Brouwers, Jacobus R B J; de Wildt, Dick J; Custers, Eugene J F M; ten Cate, Olle Th J; Hazen, Ankie C M; Jansen, Paul A F

2014-01-01

Aim Pharmacotherapy might be improved if future pharmacists and physicians receive a joint educational programme in pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics. This study investigated whether there are differences in the pharmacology and pharmacotherapy knowledge and skills of pharmacy and medical students after their undergraduate training. Differences could serve as a starting point from which to develop joint interdisciplinary educational programmes for better prescribing. Methods In a cross-sectional design, the knowledge and skills of advanced pharmacy and medical students were assessed, using a standardized test with three domains (basic pharmacology knowledge, clinical or applied pharmacology knowledge and pharmacotherapy skills) and eight subdomains (pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, interactions and side-effects, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification groups, prescribing, prescribing for special groups, drug information, regulations and laws, prescription writing). Results Four hundred and fifty-one medical and 151 pharmacy students were included between August 2010 and July 2012. The response rate was 81%. Pharmacy students had better knowledge of basic pharmacology than medical students (77.0% vs. 68.2% correct answers; P < 0.001, δ = 0.88), whereas medical students had better skills than pharmacy students in writing prescriptions (68.6% vs. 50.7%; P < 0.001, δ = 0.57). The two groups of students had similar knowledge of applied pharmacology (73.8% vs. 72.2%, P = 0.124, δ = 0.15). Conclusions Pharmacy students have better knowledge of basic pharmacology, but not of the application of pharmacology knowledge, than medical students, whereas medical students are better at writing prescriptions. Professional differences in knowledge and skills therefore might well stem from their undergraduate education. Knowledge of these differences could be harnessed to develop a joint interdisciplinary education for both students and professionals. PMID:24698099

A comparison of medical and pharmacy students' knowledge and skills of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy.

PubMed

Keijsers, Carolina J P W; Brouwers, Jacobus R B J; de Wildt, Dick J; Custers, Eugene J F M; Ten Cate, Olle Th J; Hazen, Ankie C M; Jansen, Paul A F

2014-10-01

Pharmacotherapy might be improved if future pharmacists and physicians receive a joint educational programme in pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics. This study investigated whether there are differences in the pharmacology and pharmacotherapy knowledge and skills of pharmacy and medical students after their undergraduate training. Differences could serve as a starting point from which to develop joint interdisciplinary educational programmes for better prescribing. In a cross-sectional design, the knowledge and skills of advanced pharmacy and medical students were assessed, using a standardized test with three domains (basic pharmacology knowledge, clinical or applied pharmacology knowledge and pharmacotherapy skills) and eight subdomains (pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, interactions and side-effects, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification groups, prescribing, prescribing for special groups, drug information, regulations and laws, prescription writing). Four hundred and fifty-one medical and 151 pharmacy students were included between August 2010 and July 2012. The response rate was 81%. Pharmacy students had better knowledge of basic pharmacology than medical students (77.0% vs. 68.2% correct answers; P < 0.001, δ = 0.88), whereas medical students had better skills than pharmacy students in writing prescriptions (68.6% vs. 50.7%; P < 0.001, δ = 0.57). The two groups of students had similar knowledge of applied pharmacology (73.8% vs. 72.2%, P = 0.124, δ = 0.15). Pharmacy students have better knowledge of basic pharmacology, but not of the application of pharmacology knowledge, than medical students, whereas medical students are better at writing prescriptions. Professional differences in knowledge and skills therefore might well stem from their undergraduate education. Knowledge of these differences could be harnessed to develop a joint interdisciplinary education for both students and professionals. © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.

Inventory of Personal Skills for Achievement: Validity and Reliability Study of an Instrument for Identifying Educationally At-Risk Junior [High] School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leaseburg, Melinda G.; And Others

This paper describes the development and test of an early-warning instrument for identifying at-risk students aged 10-15. A statistically sound test to identify at-risk high school students existed in the Personal Skills Map--Adolescent version (PSMA-A). This study used a modified version of PSM-A , which was renamed Personal Skills for…

A structural equation model on the attributes of a skills enhancement program affecting clinical competence of pre-graduate nursing students.

PubMed

Rebueno, Ma Carina D R; Tiongco, Dyan Dee D; Macindo, John Rey B

2017-02-01

Clinical competence remains an issue in nursing and has received greater emphasis than academic competence. Although skill enhancement programs are recommended and beneficial, there is limited evidence on its influence on the clinical competence of pre-graduate nursing students. This study explored the attributes of a skills enhancement program that affect the perceived clinical competence of pre-graduate nursing students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a private higher education institution in the Philippines from April to May 2016. A total of 245 pre-graduate nursing students participated and completed a three-part survey composed of the respondent's robotfoto, the Skills Enhancement Program Questionnaire, and the Clinical Competence Questionnaire. Factor analysis explicated the attributes of the skills enhancement program while structural equation modeling and path analysis analyzed the variables' relationship. Findings showed that a skills enhancement program has 4 attributes: supportive clinical instructor, comprehensive orientation, formative goals and objectives, and conducive learning environment. Although all attributes of the program positively affected clinical competence, a supportive clinical instructor had the strongest influence on all clinical competency dimensions. A skills enhancement program that has a supportive clinical instructor, comprehensive orientation, formative goals and objectives, and conducive learning environment facilitates clinical competency development among pre-graduate nursing students. This knowledge provides momentum for nursing educators to review and refine their skills and the existing design of their skills enhancement program to further develop clinical competency among pre-graduate nursing students. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrating evidence-based practice and information literacy skills in teaching physical and occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Boruff, Jill T; Thomas, Aliki

2011-12-01

To ensure that physical and occupational therapy graduates develop evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies, their academic training must promote EBP skills, such as posing a clinical question and retrieving relevant literature, and the information literacy skills needed to practice these EBP skills. This article describes the collaborative process and outcome of integrating EBP and information literacy early in a professional physical therapy and occupational therapy programme. The liaison librarian and a faculty member designed an instructional activity that included a lecture, workshop and assignment that integrated EBP skills and information literacy skills in the first year of the programme. The assignment was designed to assess students' ability to conduct a search independently. The lecture and workshop were successful in their objectives, as 101 of the 104 students received at least 8 out of 10 points on the search assignment. The teaching activities developed for the students in this course appear to have achieved the goal of teaching students the EBP research cycle so that they might begin to emulate it. The collaboration between the faculty member and the librarian was integral to the success of this endeavour. Future work will include the evaluation of students' long-term retention of information literacy objectives. © 2011 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2011 Health Libraries Group.

A curricular approach to improve the information literacy and academic writing skills of part-time post-registration nursing students in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Tarrant, Marie; Dodgson, Joan E; Law, Beatrice V K K

2008-05-01

In today's environment of rapidly changing health care and information technology, nurses require a broad range of skills. One of the key skills required of all health professionals in this environment is information literacy. For registered nurses returning to a university setting to study for their baccalaureate degree, becoming information literate is one of many challenges they face. Also key to students' ability to use and communicate information in an appropriate and effective manner is their writing skills. This article describes a curricular intervention designed to develop and strengthen post-registration nurses' information literacy and academic writing competencies. An introductory information management module was developed and provided to three successive cohorts of students (n=159). Students were predominantly female (85.4%) with a mean age of 34.2 years (SD=6.8). Prior to commencing the program, students reported low information literacy and writing skills, especially in accessing and searching electronic databases and using referencing formats. The post-test evaluation of skills showed substantial and statistically significant increases in all assessed competencies. This intervention demonstrated that with structured but flexible learning activities early in the curriculum, post-registration nursing students can quickly become information literate.

EQClinic: a platform for learning communication skills in clinical consultations

PubMed Central

Liu, Chunfeng; Scott, Karen M.; Lim, Renee L.; Taylor, Silas; Calvo, Rafael A.

2016-01-01

Background Doctors’ verbal and non-verbal communication skills have an impact on patients’ health outcomes, so it is important for medical students to develop these skills. Traditional, non-verbal communication skills training can involve a tutor manually annotating a student's non-verbal behaviour during patient–doctor consultations, but this is very time-consuming. Tele-conference systems have been used in verbal communication skills training. Methods We describe EQClinic, a system that enables verbal and non-verbal communication skills training during tele-consultations with simulated patients (SPs), with evaluation exercises promoting reflection. Students and SPs can have tele-consultations through the tele-consultation component. In this component, SPs can provide feedback to students through a thumbs-up/ thumbs-down tool and a comments box. EQClinic automatically analyses communication features in the recorded consultations, such as facial expressions, and provides graphical representations. Our 2015 pilot study investigated whether EQClinic helped students be aware of their non-verbal behaviour and improve their communication skills, and evaluated the usability of the platform. Students received automated feedback, and SP and tutor evaluations, and then completed self-assessment and reflection questionnaires. Results Eight medical students and three SPs conducted 13 tele-consultations using EQClinic. More students paid attention to their non-verbal communication and students who were engaged in two consultations felt more confident in their second consultation. Students rated the system positively, felt comfortable using it (5.9/7), and reported that the structure (5.4/7) and information (5.8/7) were clear. This pilot provides evidence that EQClinic helps, and positively influences, medical students practise their communication skills with SPs using a tele-conference platform. Discussion It is not easy to improve non-verbal communication skills in a short time period. Further evaluation of EQClinic with larger numbers will ascertain learning gains and application in health professional training. Developing a standard model for the assessment of non-verbal behaviour in tele-consultations and providing students with more valuable evaluation and suggestions are part of our future work. PMID:27476537

EQClinic: a platform for learning communication skills in clinical consultations.

PubMed

Liu, Chunfeng; Scott, Karen M; Lim, Renee L; Taylor, Silas; Calvo, Rafael A

2016-01-01

Background Doctors' verbal and non-verbal communication skills have an impact on patients' health outcomes, so it is important for medical students to develop these skills. Traditional, non-verbal communication skills training can involve a tutor manually annotating a student's non-verbal behaviour during patient-doctor consultations, but this is very time-consuming. Tele-conference systems have been used in verbal communication skills training. Methods We describe EQClinic, a system that enables verbal and non-verbal communication skills training during tele-consultations with simulated patients (SPs), with evaluation exercises promoting reflection. Students and SPs can have tele-consultations through the tele-consultation component. In this component, SPs can provide feedback to students through a thumbs-up/ thumbs-down tool and a comments box. EQClinic automatically analyses communication features in the recorded consultations, such as facial expressions, and provides graphical representations. Our 2015 pilot study investigated whether EQClinic helped students be aware of their non-verbal behaviour and improve their communication skills, and evaluated the usability of the platform. Students received automated feedback, and SP and tutor evaluations, and then completed self-assessment and reflection questionnaires. Results Eight medical students and three SPs conducted 13 tele-consultations using EQClinic. More students paid attention to their non-verbal communication and students who were engaged in two consultations felt more confident in their second consultation. Students rated the system positively, felt comfortable using it (5.9/7), and reported that the structure (5.4/7) and information (5.8/7) were clear. This pilot provides evidence that EQClinic helps, and positively influences, medical students practise their communication skills with SPs using a tele-conference platform. Discussion It is not easy to improve non-verbal communication skills in a short time period. Further evaluation of EQClinic with larger numbers will ascertain learning gains and application in health professional training. Developing a standard model for the assessment of non-verbal behaviour in tele-consultations and providing students with more valuable evaluation and suggestions are part of our future work.

Teaching pediatric communication skills to medical students

PubMed Central

Frost, Katherine A; Metcalf, Elizabeth P; Brooks, Rachel; Kinnersley, Paul; Greenwood, Stephen R; Powell, Colin VE

2015-01-01

Background Delivering effective clinical pediatric communication skills training to undergraduate medical students is a distinct and important challenge. Pediatric-specific communication skills teaching is complex and under-researched. We report on the development of a scenario-based pediatric clinical communication skills program as well as students’ assessment of this module. Methods We designed a pediatric clinical communication skills program and delivered it five times during one academic year via small-group teaching. Students were asked to score the workshop in eight domains (learning objectives, complexity, interest, competencies, confidence, tutors, feedback, and discussion) using 5-point Likert scales, along with free text comments that were grouped and analyzed thematically, identifying both the strengths of the workshop and changes suggested to improve future delivery. Results Two hundred and twenty-one of 275 (80%) student feedback forms were returned. Ninety-six percent of students’ comments were positive or very positive, highlighting themes such as the timing of teaching, relevance, group sizes, and the use of actors, tutors, and clinical scenarios. Conclusion Scenario-based teaching of clinical communication skills is positively received by students. Studies need to demonstrate an impact on practice, performance, development, and sustainability of communications training. PMID:25653569

Developing Critical Thinking through the Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eutsler, Mark L.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to prove to what degree using the arts could increase developing student critical thinking skills. The thesis is based on Paul, Elder, and Bartell assertion that intensive arts training, can prepare students for life and work by developing in them the general skills and attitudes, the habits of heart and mind they…

Development of an Implementation and Evaluation Plan for Strong Teens, a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Tajara Dovie

2012-01-01

Recent research on social emotional learning (SEL) curricula has shown that implementing SEL instruction within the classroom is a qualified evidenced-based intervention to help students develop fundamental skills for success in life. SEL curricula help teach students essential skills such as recognizing and managing emotions, developing caring…

Effective Leadership Development for Undergraduates: How Important Is Active Participation in Collegiate Organizations?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewing, John C.; Bruce, Jacklyn A.; Ricketts, Kristina G.

2009-01-01

Leaders are needed in all areas of life. A question arises, "Where do leaders come from and how do they develop the skills necessary to be effective?" Colleges and universities have been developing leadership skills since their inception (Astin, 1996). This study examined students in a college of agriculture to determine if students'…

Using Outdoor Adventure Education to Develop Students' Groupwork Skills: A Quantitative Exploration of Reaction and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Sam J.; Burns, Victoria E.; Cumming, Jennifer

2016-01-01

This study investigates the initial development of groupwork skills through outdoor adventure education (OAE) and the factors that predict the extent of this development, using the first two levels of Kirkpatrick's model of training evaluation. University students (N = 238) completed questionnaires measuring their initial reactions to OAE (Level 1…

Cultivating Divergent Thinking: Conceptualization as a Critical Component of Artmaking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chin, Christina

2013-01-01

Discussing various perspectives of artists' influences and experiences can develop students' divergent thinking skills. Fostering students' divergent thinking skills is integral to developing creativity, and the Arts are a ripe forum for this. In contrast to convergent thinking, which focuses in on one "correct"…

Developing Critical Thinking Skills and Improving Expressive Language through Creative Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Harriet E.

A practicum was conducted to develop critical thinking and improve expression through creative written language utilizing precision teaching as an evaluation of student performance. Six students (grades second through sixth) with low idea generation and few organization skills were trained by three teachers and a teacher advisor using…

The Learner-Directed Classroom: Developing Creative Thinking Skills through Art

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaquith, Diane B., Ed.; Hathaway, Nan E., Ed.

2012-01-01

Educators at all levels want their students to develop habits of self-directed learning and critical problem-solving skills that encourage ownership and growth. In "The Learner-Directed Classroom," practicing art educators (PreK-16) offer both a comprehensive framework for understanding student-directed learning and concrete pedagogical strategies…

Undergraduate Accounting Students: Prepared for the Workplace?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Towers-Clark, Jane

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to explore and investigate student perceptions as to what generic skills they considered were important for accountants and to what extent these skills were developed by their programme of study. Design/methodology/approach: Data gathered from 357 UK undergraduate accounting degree graduates were used to develop insights…

Developing Culturally Competent Teachers: An International Student Teaching Field Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmona, Michelle; Partlo, Margaret; Kaczynski, Dan; Leonard, Simon N.

2015-01-01

This study offers a theoretical construct for better understanding how experiential learning enables student teachers to acquire social and cultural variation skills, develop cultural empathy in the K-12 classroom, and the transference of these skills to new educational situations. An Australian and United States research team used a…

Developing Professionals through Personalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berte, Nicolette; King, Keanna; Demars, Michelle; Brownstein, Michael M.

2008-01-01

To develop the cognitive, social, and career skills needed to succeed in the modern workplace, students must learn to think creatively, apply their skills innovatively, and take risks constructively. Implicit in this position is the expectation that students will have the self-confidence to apply their knowledge in both familiar and new settings…

Intellectual Skills Development Program. Annual Report, 1986-1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCauley, Lynne

The 1986-1987 annual report on the Intellectual Skills Development Program (ISDP) at Western Michigan University is presented. The program is designed to identify new students who do not meet entry-level competencies in reading, writing, and mathematics, and to provide academic support for these students. In reviewing assessment policies and…

Working for Skills. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bibby, Elizabeth; Jones, Andy; Marsland, Phil

A project aimed to use United Kingdom full-time undergraduate student work experience as the vehicle for development of the students' skills to improve their subsequent employability upon graduation. It took an employer-led approach to develop a model transferable to other employers and higher education (HE) institutions. Arrangements were made…

Developing Soft Skills Using "Literature Circles"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azmi, Mohd Nazri Bin Latiff

2013-01-01

This study investigates the impact of the implementation of "Literature Circles" in an Active Learning classroom in relations to developing soft skills among university students. The use of Literature Circles is a well-known strategy in teaching the students to be more creative, independent, and think out of the box. A group of…

An Evaluation of Curriculum Materials Based Upon the Socio-Scientific Reasoning Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henkin, Gayle; And Others

To address the need to develop a scientifically literate citizenry, the socio-scientific reasoning model was created to guide curriculum development. Goals of this developmental approach include increasing: (1) students' skills in dealing with problems containing multiple interacting variables; (2) students' decision-making skills incorporating a…

Tiered Internship Model for Undergraduate Students in Geospatial Science and Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopteva, Irina A.; Arkowski, Donna; Craft, Elaine L.

2015-01-01

This article discusses the development, implementation, and evaluation of a tiered internship program for undergraduate students in geospatial science and technology (TIMSGeoTech). The internship program assists education programs in providing skill development that is relevant and useful, and it aligns graduates and their skills with industry…

Decay and Renewal. Teacher Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trautmann, Nancy M.; Krasny, Marianne E.; Carlsen, William S.; Cunningham, Christine M.; Canning, Harry; Carroll, Patricia; Johnson, Mark; Khandar, Alpa; Olynciw, Elaina; Kottler, Bennett; Penningroth, Stephen; Welman, Adam

This teacher guide is part of the Environmental Inquiry (EI) curriculum series developed at Cornell University to enable high school students to conduct authentic environmental science research. The goals of EI are for students to: (1) develop research skills; (2) use their newly acquired skills to conduct research projects of their own design,…

Effects of a skill demonstration video delivered by smartphone on facilitating nursing students' skill competencies and self-confidence: A randomized controlled trial study.

PubMed

Chuang, Yeu-Hui; Lai, Fu-Chih; Chang, Chia-Chi; Wan, Hsu-Tien

2018-07-01

The correct and appropriate performance of nursing skills by students can ensure patient safety and care quality. However, developing appropriate teaching and learning strategies to enhance nursing students' nursing skills and knowledge are challenging tasks for nursing faculty members. Nowadays, smartphones are popular mobile devices that are used on campuses by students and could be considered a potential tool to deliver learning materials to nursing students. This study aimed to examine the effects of a skill demonstration video delivered by smartphone on facilitating nursing students' nursing skill competency and confidence. A randomized controlled trial study design was used. A convenience sample of nursing students at a university was recruited. After receiving a regular nursing skills lab demonstration, pre-test data were collected from nursing students in an intervention group (n = 44) and a comparison group (n = 43). Then, students in the intervention group downloaded the skill demonstration video onto their smartphones, while the comparison group did not. Post-test data were collected at 2 weeks after the intervention. There were significant differences in students' urinary catheterization knowledge (F = 4.219, p = 0.04) and skills (F = 6.739, p = 0.013), but there was no difference in students' confidence level (F = 2.201, p = 0.142) between the two groups after the intervention. Furthermore, the average score of the satisfaction level regarding the intervention was 4.46 (SD = 0.43) on a scale of 1-5. This study found that delivering learning materials through smartphones to nursing students is suitable. Although there was no significant difference in students' self-confidence level, students' knowledge and skills were improved by the intervention. Smartphones can serve as a supplemental tool for learning nursing skills. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gender, Math Confidence, and Grit: Relationships with Quantitative Skills and Performance in an Undergraduate Biology Course

PubMed Central

Flanagan, K. M.; Einarson, J.

2017-01-01

In a world filled with big data, mathematical models, and statistics, the development of strong quantitative skills is becoming increasingly critical for modern biologists. Teachers in this field must understand how students acquire quantitative skills and explore barriers experienced by students when developing these skills. In this study, we examine the interrelationships among gender, grit, and math confidence for student performance on a pre–post quantitative skills assessment and overall performance in an undergraduate biology course. Here, we show that females significantly underperformed relative to males on a quantitative skills assessment at the start of term. However, females showed significantly higher gains over the semester, such that the gender gap in performance was nearly eliminated by the end of the semester. Math confidence plays an important role in the performance on both the pre and post quantitative skills assessments and overall performance in the course. The effect of grit on student performance, however, is mediated by a student’s math confidence; as math confidence increases, the positive effect of grit decreases. Consequently, the positive impact of a student’s grittiness is observed most strongly for those students with low math confidence. We also found grit to be positively associated with the midterm score and the final grade in the course. Given the relationships established in this study among gender, grit, and math confidence, we provide “instructor actions” from the literature that can be applied in the classroom to promote the development of quantitative skills in light of our findings. PMID:28798209

A major trauma course based on posters, audio-guides and simulation improves the management skills of medical students: Evaluation via medical simulator.

PubMed

Cuisinier, Adrien; Schilte, Clotilde; Declety, Philippe; Picard, Julien; Berger, Karine; Bouzat, Pierre; Falcon, Dominique; Bosson, Jean Luc; Payen, Jean-François; Albaladejo, Pierre

2015-12-01

Medical competence requires the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and technical skills. Severe trauma management teaching is poorly developed during internship. Nevertheless, the basics of major trauma management should be acquired by every future physician. For this reason, the major trauma course (MTC), an educational course in major traumatology, has been developed for medical students. Our objective was to evaluate, via a high fidelity medical simulator, the impact of the MTC on medical student skills concerning major trauma management. The MTC contains 3 teaching modalities: posters with associated audio-guides, a procedural workshop on airway management and a teaching session using a medical simulator. Skills evaluation was performed 1 month before (step 1) and 1 month after (step 3) the MTC (step 2). Nineteen students were individually evaluated on 2 different major trauma scenarios. The primary endpoint was the difference between steps 1 and 3, in a combined score evaluating: admission, equipment, monitoring and safety (skill set 1) and systematic clinical examinations (skill set 2). After the course, the combined primary outcome score improved by 47% (P<0.01). Scenario choice or the order of use had no significant influence on the skill set evaluations. This study shows improvement in student skills for major trauma management, which we attribute mainly to the major trauma course developed in our institution. Copyright © 2015 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Building Research Capacity of Medical Students and Health Professionals in Rural Communities: Leveraging a Rural Clinical School's Resources to Conduct Research Skills Workshops

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lasserre, Kaye E.; Moffatt, Jennifer J.

2013-01-01

The paper reports on a project where the objective was for the Rural Clinical School, The University of Queensland, Australia, to design an acceptable model of research skills workshops for medical students and rural health professionals. Eight, interactive research skills workshops focused on skill development were conducted in rural Queensland,…

A Leadership Elective Course Developed and Taught by Graduate Students

PubMed Central

Garza, Oscar W.; Witry, Matthew J.; Chang, Elizabeth H.; Letendre, Donald E.; Trewet, CoraLynn B.

2013-01-01

Objective. To develop and implement a flexible-credit elective course to empower student pharmacists to develop lifelong leadership skills and provide teaching practice opportunities for graduate students. Design. An elective course focusing on leadership development for second- and third-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students was designed and taught by 4 graduate students under the mentorship of 2 faculty members. Student pharmacists could enroll in a 1-, 2-, or 3-credit-hour version of the course. Assessment. Attainment of course objectives was measured using student pharmacist reflection papers and continuing professional development portfolios. Additionally, self-assessments of graduate students and faculty members delivering the course were conducted. In their responses on course evaluations, student pharmacists indicated they found the course a valuable learning experience. Graduate students found course development to be challenging but useful in developing faculty skills. Conclusion. This flexible-credit elective course taught by graduate students was an innovative way to offer formal leadership instruction using limited college resources. PMID:24371347

Learning to use the Internet as a study tool: a review of available resources and exploration of students' priorities.

PubMed

Bond, Carol S; Fevyer, David; Pitt, Chris

2006-09-01

The Internet is a valuable information tool, but users often struggle to locate good quality information from within the vast amount of information available. The aim of the study was to identify the online information resources available to assist students develop Internet searching skills, and to explore the students' priorities in online guides. A qualitative approach was adopted with two phases. The first was a structured search of available online study skills resources. The second comprised 10 group interviews with a total of 60 students at all stages of five undergraduate health and social care related courses at a UK university. The study found that there were good online guides available, but that, perversely, the better guides tended to require the best searching skills to locate them. A few students were enthusiastic about using online support, however the majority felt that if they had the skills to locate such resources they wouldn't use a study guide to improve these skills, and if they did not have the skills they would not think of using an online guide to develop them. Students wanted assistance when they had problems or questions, rather than sites that offered structured learning experiences. Personal support rather than virtual support was also considered to be most important to the students in this study.

Developing skills versus reinforcing concepts in physics labs: Insight from a survey of students' beliefs about experimental physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, Bethany R.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-06-01

Physics laboratory courses have been generally acknowledged as an important component of the undergraduate curriculum, particularly with respect to developing students' interest in, and understanding of, experimental physics. There are a number of possible learning goals for these courses including reinforcing physics concepts, developing laboratory skills, and promoting expertlike beliefs about the nature of experimental physics. However, there is little consensus among instructors and researchers interested in the laboratory learning environment as to the relative importance of these various learning goals. Here, we contribute data to this debate through the analysis of students' responses to the laboratory-focused assessment known as the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). Using a large, national data set of students' responses, we compare students' E-CLASS performance in classes in which the instructor self-reported focusing on developing skills, reinforcing concepts, or both. As the classification of courses was based on instructor self-report, we also provide additional description of these courses with respect to how often students engage in particular activities in the lab. We find that courses that focus specifically on developing lab skills have more expertlike postinstruction E-CLASS responses than courses that focus either on reinforcing physics concepts or on both goals. Within first-year courses, this effect is larger for women. Moreover, these findings hold when controlling for the variance in postinstruction scores that is associated with preinstruction E-CLASS scores, student major, and student gender.

Interdisciplinary Studies: A Site for Bridging the Skills Divide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everett, Michele C.

2016-01-01

This study explores student learning outcomes from an Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies course. The article focuses on students' perceptions of cognitive abilities, skills and attributes developed through participation in an interdisciplinary research and design project. Participants were 50 students enrolled in the course. A pre-post…

Soft Skills in the Technology Education Classroom: What Do Students Need?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Kara S.; Rogers, George E.

2008-01-01

In this article, the authors examine which nontechnical competencies or soft skills related to technology education should be developed by high school students. Results clearly indicate that university-level engineering and engineering technology professors rate students' interpersonal, communication, and work ethic competencies as desired…

Standardized Patient Encounters Improved Athletic Training Students' Confidence in Clinical Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Kirk J.; Jarriel, Amanda J.

2015-01-01

Context: Researchers have reported that interacting with standardized patients (SPs) is a worthwhile and realistic experience for athletic training (AT) students. These encounters enhance students' interviewing skills, confidence as a clinician, clinical skill development, and interpersonal communication. Objective: To determine how SP encounters…

The needs analysis of learning Inventive Problem Solving for technical and vocational students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sai'en, Shanty; Tze Kiong, Tee; Yunos, Jailani Md; Foong, Lee Ming; Heong, Yee Mei; Mohaffyza Mohamad, Mimi

2017-08-01

Malaysian Ministry of Education highlighted in their National Higher Education Strategic plan that higher education’s need to focus adopting 21st century skills in order to increase a graduate’s employability. Current research indicates that most graduate lack of problem solving skills to help them securing the job. Realising the important of this skill hence an alternative way suggested as an option for high institution’s student to solve their problem. This study was undertaken to measure the level of problem solving skills, identify the needs of learning inventive problem solving skills and the needs of developing an Inventive problem solving module. Using a questionnaire, the study sampled 132 students from Faculty of Technical and Vocational Education. Findings indicated that majority of the students fail to define what is an inventive problem and the root cause of a problem. They also unable to state the objectives and goal thus fail to solve the problem. As a result, the students agreed on the developing Inventive Problem Solving Module to assist them.

Fundamental Movement Skills among Iranian Primary School Children.

PubMed

Aalizadeh, Bahman; Mohamadzadeh, Hassan; Hosseini, Fatemeh Sadat

2014-12-01

To determine the relationship between anthropometric indicators, physical activity (PA) and socioeconomic status (SES) with fundamental movement skills (FMS) among Iranian male students. In this descriptive study, based on SES scores, 241 students (7-10 years) were randomly selected and classified in high, medium and low groups. All children were measured by 8 morphology anthropometric measures. In order to examine a subset of manipulative skills and to measure physical activity and socioeconomic status, Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD2) and, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. There was a significant positive correlation between SES and body mass index (BMI), while a significant negative correlation existed between PA and BMI. Object control skills were significantly correlated with height, foot length, forearm length, hand length and physical activity. Students with low socioeconomic status were more qualified in movements than other students who were in medium and high socioeconomic status. Therefore, parents need to encourage students to be more active in order to prevent obesity and to facilitate development of object control skills in high socioeconomic status.