Abstract: Academics and researchers are interested in the effects of social media on college students, with a specific focus on the most popular social media website; Facebook. Previous studied have found contradictory result on the relationship between Facebook usage and the student engagement with positive, detrimental and no significant relationships. However, these studies were limited to western higher education system. This paper fills a gap in the literature by using a sample (300) of Sri Lankan management undergraduates to examine the relationship between Facebook usage and student engagement. Student engagement was measured 35 item scale based on the National Survey of Student Engagement and Facebook usage by Facebook intensity scale. Descriptive statistics, path analysis and structural equation modeling were applied as statistical tools and techniques. Results indicate that student engagement scale was significantly negatively related with the Facebook usage with the influence from student engagement on Facebook usage.
Abstract: The purposes of this paper are to (1) promote
excellence in computer science by suggesting a cohesive innovative
approach to fill well documented deficiencies in current computer
science education, (2) justify (using the authors- and others anecdotal
evidence from both the classroom and the real world) why this
approach holds great potential to successfully eliminate the
deficiencies, (3) invite other professionals to join the authors in proof
of concept research. The authors- experiences, though anecdotal,
strongly suggest that a new approach involving visual modeling
technologies should allow computer science programs to retain a
greater percentage of prospective and declared majors as students
become more engaged learners, more successful problem-solvers,
and better prepared as programmers. In addition, the graduates of
such computer science programs will make greater contributions to
the profession as skilled problem-solvers. Instead of wearily
rememorizing code as they move to the next course, students will
have the problem-solving skills to think and work in more
sophisticated and creative ways.
Abstract: Citizens are increasingly are provided with choice and
customization in public services and this has now also become a key
feature of higher education in terms of policy roll-outs on personal
development planning (PDP) and more generally as part of the
employability agenda. The goal here is to transform people, in this
case graduates, into active, responsible citizen-workers. A key part of
this rhetoric and logic is the inculcation of graduate attributes within
students. However, there has also been a concern with the issue of
student lack of engagement and perseverance with their studies. This
paper sets out to explore some of these conceptions that link graduate
attributes with citizenship as well as the notion of how identity is
forged through the higher education process. Examples are drawn
from a quality enhancement project that is being operated within the
context of the Scottish higher education system. This is further
framed within the wider context of competing and conflicting
demands on higher education, exacerbated by the current worldwide
economic climate. There are now pressures on students to develop
their employability skills as well as their capacity to engage with
global issues such as behavioural change in the light of
environmental concerns. It is argued that these pressures, in effect,
lead to a form of personalization that is concerned with how
graduates develop their sense of identity as something that is
engineered and re-engineered to meet these demands.
Abstract: For a variety of safety and economic reasons, engineering undergraduates in Australia have experienced diminishing access to the real hardware that is typically the embodiment of their theoretical studies. This trend will delay the development of practical competence, decrease the ability to model and design, and suppress motivation. The author has attempted to address this concern by creating a software tool that contains both photographic images of real machinery, and sets of graphical modeling 'tools'. Academics from a range of disciplines can use the software to set tutorial tasks, and incorporate feedback comments for a range of student responses. An evaluation of the software demonstrated that students who had solved modeling problems with the aid of the electronic tutor performed significantly better in formal examinations with similar problems. The 2-D graphical diagnostic routines in the Tutor have the potential to be used in a wider range of problem-solving tasks.
Abstract: The main aim of this study was to examine whether
people understand indicative conditionals on the basis of syntactic
factors or on the basis of subjective conditional probability. The
second aim was to investigate whether the conditional probability of
q given p depends on the antecedent and consequent sizes or derives
from inductive processes leading to establish a link of plausible cooccurrence
between events semantically or experientially associated.
These competing hypotheses have been tested through a 3 x 2 x 2 x 2
mixed design involving the manipulation of four variables: type of
instructions (“Consider the following statement to be true", “Read the
following statement" and condition with no conditional statement);
antecedent size (high/low); consequent size (high/low); statement
probability (high/low). The first variable was between-subjects, the
others were within-subjects. The inferences investigated were Modus
Ponens and Modus Tollens. Ninety undergraduates of the Second
University of Naples, without any prior knowledge of logic or
conditional reasoning, participated in this study.
Results suggest that people understand conditionals in a syntactic
way rather than in a probabilistic way, even though the perception of
the conditional probability of q given p is at least partially involved in
the conditionals- comprehension. They also showed that, in presence
of a conditional syllogism, inferences are not affected by the
antecedent or consequent sizes. From a theoretical point of view these
findings suggest that it would be inappropriate to abandon the idea
that conditionals are naturally understood in a syntactic way for the
idea that they are understood in a probabilistic way.
Abstract: An ethical mandate of the social work profession in the
United States is that BSW and MSW graduates are sufficiently
prepared to both understand diverse cultural values and beliefs and
offer services that are culturally sensitive and relevant to clients. This
skill set is particularly important for social workers in the 21st Century,
given the increasing globalization of the U.S. and world. The purpose
of this paper is to outline a pedagogical model for teaching cultural
competency that resulted in a significant increase in cultural
competency for MSW graduates at Western Kentucky University
(WKU). More specifically, this model is predicated on five specific
culturally sensitive principles and activities that were found to be
highly effective in conveying culturally relevant knowledge and skills
to MSW students at WKU. Future studies can assess the effectiveness
of these principles in other MSW programs across the U.S. and abroad.
Abstract: The most influential programming paradigm today
is object oriented (OO) programming and it is widely used in
education and industry. Recognizing the importance of equipping
students with OO knowledge and skills, it is not surprising that most
Computer Science degree programs offer OO-related courses. How
do we assess whether the students have acquired the right objectoriented
skills after they have completed their OO courses? What are
object oriented skills? Currently none of the current assessment
techniques would be able to provide this answer. Traditional forms of
OO programming assessment provide a ways for assigning numerical
scores to determine letter grades. But this rarely reveals information
about how students actually understand OO concept. It appears
reasonable that a better understanding of how to define and assess
OO skills is needed by developing a criterion referenced model. It is
even critical in the context of Malaysia where there is currently a
growing concern over the level of competency of Malaysian IT
graduates in object oriented programming. This paper discussed the
approach used to develop the criterion-referenced assessment model.
The model can serve as a guideline when conducting OO
programming assessment as mentioned. The proposed model is
derived by using Goal Questions Metrics methodology, which helps
formulate the metrics of interest. It concluded with a few suggestions
for further study.
Abstract: Education, as the most important resource in any country, has multiplying effects on all facets of development in a society. The new social realities, particularly the interplay between democratization of education; unprecedented developments in IT sector; emergence of knowledge society, liberalization of economy and globalization have greatly influenced the educational process of all nations. This turbulence entails upon education to undergo dramatic changes to keep up with the new expectations. Growth of entrepreneurship among Indian women is highly important for empowering them and this is highly essential for socio-economic development of a society. Unfortunately in India there is poor acceptance of entrepreneurship among women as unfounded myths and fears restrain them to be enterprising. To remove these inhibitions, education system needs to be re-engineered to make entrepreneurship more acceptable. This paper empirically analyses the results of a survey done on around 500 female graduates in North India to measure and evaluate various entrepreneurial traits present in them. A formative model has been devised in this context, which should improve the teaching-learning process in our education system, which can lead to sustainable growth of women entrepreneurship in India.
Abstract: In this paper, an overview is made on the educational and research activities in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation in Libya, including development in rehabilitation science, research, training, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and physiatrist, which are mainly concerned with the patients in Libya[3] [13].
Abstract: This paper demonstrates how the soft systems
methodology can be used to improve the delivery of a module in data warehousing for fourth year information technology students.
Graduates in information technology needs to have academic skills
but also needs to have good practical skills to meet the skills requirements of the information technology industry. In developing
and improving current data warehousing education modules one has to find a balance in meeting the expectations of various role players such as the students themselves, industry and academia. The soft
systems methodology, developed by Peter Checkland, provides a
methodology for facilitating problem understanding from different world views. In this paper it is demonstrated how the soft systems methodology can be used to plan the improvement of data
warehousing education for fourth year information technology students.
Abstract: South Africa is facing a crisis with not being able to produce enough graduates in the scarce skills areas to sustain economic growth. The crisis is fuelled by a school system that does not produce enough potential students with Mathematics, Accounting and Science. Since the introduction of the new school curriculum in 2008, there is no longer an option to take pure maths on a standard grade level. Instead, only two mathematical subjects are offered: pure maths (which is on par with higher grade maths) and mathematical literacy. It is compulsory to take one or the other. As a result, lees student finishes Grade 12 with pure mathematics every year. This national problem needs urgent attention if South Africa is to make any headway in critical skills development as mathematics is a gateway to scarce skills professions. Higher education institutions initiated several initiatives in an attempt to address the above, including preparatory courses, bridging programmes and extended curricula with foundation provisions. In view of the above, and government policy directives to broaden access in the scarce skills areas to increase student throughput, foundation provision was introduced for Commerce and Information Technology programmes at the Vaal Triangle Campus (VTC) of North-West University (NWU) in 2010. Students enrolling for extended programmes do not comply with the minimum prerequisites for the normal programmes. The question then arises as to whether these programmes have the intended impact? This paper reports the results of a two year longitudinal study, tracking the first year academic achievement of the two cohorts of enrolments since 2010. The results provide valuable insight into the structuring of an extended programme and its potential impact.
Abstract: The purposes of this paper are to (1) promote excellence in computer science by suggesting a cohesive innovative approach to fill well documented deficiencies in current computer science education, (2) justify (using the authors' and others anecdotal evidence from both the classroom and the real world) why this approach holds great potential to successfully eliminate the deficiencies, (3) invite other professionals to join the authors in proof of concept research. The authors' experiences, though anecdotal, strongly suggest that a new approach involving visual modeling technologies should allow computer science programs to retain a greater percentage of prospective and declared majors as students become more engaged learners, more successful problem-solvers, and better prepared as programmers. In addition, the graduates of such computer science programs will make greater contributions to the profession as skilled problem-solvers. Instead of wearily rememorizing code as they move to the next course, students will have the problem-solving skills to think and work in more sophisticated and creative ways.
Abstract: The element of justice or al-‘adl in the context of
Islamic critical thinking deals with the notion of justice in a thinking
process which critically rationalizes the truth in a fair and objective
manner with no irrelevant interference that can jeopardize a sound
judgment. This Islamic axiological element is vital in technological
decision making as it addresses the issues of religious values and
ethics that are primarily set to fulfill the purpose of human life on
earth. The main objective of this study was to examine and analyze
the perception of Muslim engineering students in Malaysian higher
education institutions towards the concept of al-‘adl as an essential
element of Islamic critical thinking. The study employed mixed
methods approach that comprises data collection from the
questionnaire survey and the interview responses. A total of 557
Muslim engineering undergraduates from six Malaysian universities
participated in the study. The study generally indicated that Muslim
engineering undergraduates in the higher institutions have rather
good comprehension and consciousness for al-‘adl with a slight
awareness on the importance of objective thinking. Nonetheless there
were a few items on the concept that have implied a comparatively
low perception on the rational justice in Islam as the means to grasp
the ultimate truth.
Abstract: In two studies we tested the hypothesis that the
appropriate linguistic formulation of a deontic rule – i.e. the
formulation which clarifies the monadic nature of deontic operators
- should produce more correct responses than the conditional
formulation in Wason selection task. We tested this assumption by
presenting a prescription rule and a prohibition rule in conditional
vs. proper deontic formulation. We contrasted this hypothesis with
two other hypotheses derived from social contract theory and
relevance theory. According to the first theory, a deontic rule
expressed in terms of cost-benefit should elicit a cheater detection
module, sensible to mental states attributions and thus able to
discriminate intentional rule violations from accidental rule
violations. We tested this prevision by distinguishing the two types
of violations. According to relevance theory, performance in
selection task should improve by increasing cognitive effect and
decreasing cognitive effort. We tested this prevision by focusing
experimental instructions on the rule vs. the action covered by the
rule. In study 1, in which 480 undergraduates participated, we
tested these predictions through a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 (type of the rule x
rule formulation x type of violation x experimental instructions)
between-subjects design. In study 2 – carried out by means of a 2 x
2 (rule formulation x type of violation) between-subjects design -
we retested the hypothesis of rule formulation vs. the cheaterdetection
hypothesis through a new version of selection task in
which intentional vs. accidental rule violations were better
discriminated. 240 undergraduates participated in this study.
Results corroborate our hypothesis and challenge the contrasting
assumptions. However, they show that the conditional formulation
of deontic rules produces a lower performance than what is
reported in literature.
Abstract: This study investigated the relationships between the
active learning strategies (discussion, video clips, game show, role–
play, five minute paper, clarification pauses, and small group) and
academic achievement among a sample of 158 undergraduate
psychology students in The University of the West Indies (UWI),
Barbados. Results revealed statistically significant positive
correlations between active learning strategies and students’
academic achievement; so also the active learning strategies
contributed 22% (Rsq=0.222) to the variance being accounted for in
academic achievement and this was found to be statistically
significant (F(7,150) = 6.12, p < .05). Additionally, group work
emerged as the best active learning strategy and had the highest
correlation with the students’ academic achievement. These results
were discussed in the light of the importance of the active learning
strategies promoting academic achievement among the university
students.
Abstract: This paper investigates the activity of the
gastrocnemius (Gas) muscle in healthy subjects during salat (ruku-
position) and specific exercise [Unilateral Plantar Flexion Exercise
(UPFE)] using electromyography (EMG). Both lateral and medial
Gas muscles were assessed. A group of undergraduates aged between
19 to 25 years voluntarily participated in this study. The myoelectric
activity of the muscles were recorded and analyzed. The finding
indicated that there were contractions of the muscles during the salat
and exercise with almost same EMG-s level. From the result,
Wilcoxon-s Rank Sum test showed no significant difference between
ruku- and UPFE for both medial (p=0.082) and lateral (p=0.226) of
GAS muscles. Therefore, salat may be useful in strengthening
exercise and also in rehabilitation programs for lower limb activities.
Abstract: Graduate attributes have received increasing attention
over recent years as universities incorporate these attributes into the
curriculum. Graduates who have adequate technical knowledge only
are not sufficiently equipped to compete effectively in the work
place; they also need non disciplinary skills ie, graduate attributes.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of an eportfolio
in a technical communication course to enhance engineering
students- graduate attributes: namely, learning of communication,
critical thinking and problem solving and teamwork skills. Two
questionnaires were used to elicit information from the students: one
on their preferred and the other on the actual learning process. In
addition, student perceptions of the use of eportfolio as a learning
tool were investigated. Preliminary findings showed that most of the
students- expectations have been met with their actual learning. This
indicated that eportfolio has the potential as a tool to enhance
students- graduate attributes.
Abstract: In the context of business incubation (BI) as strategic
enablers, this paper critically reviews the literature relating to the
strategic benefits of BI in the Middle East. The taxonomy of BI
benefits in the strategic elements on 1) type, 2) financial model, 3)
services, 4) objectives, 5) number of clients, 6) number of graduates,
and 7) jobs creation. Understanding the importance of BI benefits can
be significant in the economic development although most incubators
lead to diversify the economy. Thus, taxonomies of the benefits of BI
are produced from both the academic literature and published case
studies. In this way, a classification of strategic benefits elements as
they relate to incubators has been developed to provide a greater
understanding of the benefits needed to obtain a specific element.
The result of this paper is Business incubators is aimed
entrepreneurship, jobs creation, research commercialization and
profitable enterprises in Middle Eastern countries.