Insular/Integration

Space is a significant factor for teaching and learning (Goodyear & Carvalho, 2019), but it is comparably underexplored in the higher education (Ellis & Goodyear, 2016). Learning spaces have become hybrid in the post-pandemic period in higher education with physical locations having digital extensions and vice versa (Ellis & Goodyear, 2018), which allows more flexible study modes and access to richer study resources. In addition to having material properties which physically promote or prevent student engagement, space is also a social product with relational and structural aspects, which could shape social relationships and moreover, reflect or promote existing inequalities amongst students (Wong, 2024). Space may therefore impact on students’ learning experiences, including within feedback encounters. Feedback is a significant aspect of students’ learning experiences in higher education. It is well acknowledged that feedback is important for students’ learning and graduate outcomes (Hattie & Clarke, 2018). Feedback encounters, such as supervision meeting and placements, could provide valuable feedback opportunities with the characteristics of immediate and frequent dialogues. However, spatial factors could affect these feedback encounters positively and negatively (Gravett, 2022). For example, many students perceive academic office as a scary space to seek feedback (Gravett & Winstone, 2019) while in comparison, online discussion boards are perceived as more flexible and equitable spaces for feedback engagement (Zhou et al., 2023). Since little is known about students’ experiences of feedback spaces and how spatial factors affect feedback, it is important to explore students’ feedback experiences in the hybrid feedback spaces. International students are a cohort for whom feedback spaces are particularly important. They often experience relocation to the new learning spaces in different cultural contexts, and are likely to be unfamiliar with material and social perspectives of the spaces (Dai et al., 2018). Therefore, they might feel disrupted and anxious at the initial stages of their feedback encounters, which could lead to the effectiveness of these valuable feedback. Since international students make great social and economic contributions to Australia, to promote more equitable feedback experiences for those students, it is important to understand their feedback experiences in the feedback spaces, to inform co-design of inclusive and supportive feedback spaces. This poster will offer an overview of preliminary findings of a review study. The review has two research questions: 1. How has space has been incorporated as part of existing feedback models in higher education, across situated, hybrid, and digital learning situations? 2. How do feedback models account for the particular situations of international students? This work has implications for future theoretical and empirical studies about feedback and feedback spaces. This research has the potential to enrich theoretical understandings of feedback and space research in higher education. Findings from this study could also enrich the literature regarding international students and provide practical strategies for supporting international students’ acculturation. In addition, the study could give implications to education institutions about how to create inclusive and supportive hybrid learning environments, which could significantly enhance the student experience and learning outcomes.

Assess Your Adjuncts to Improve Student Learning

Reviewed by: Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education: Views and Perspectives Cia Verschelden Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education: Views and Perspectives, ed. Peter Hernon and Robert E. Dugan. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2004. 350 p. $50(ISBN: 1-59158-098-6) In the fall of 2000, the Higher Learning Commission visited our campus on a re-accreditation site visit. The following spring we received their report—we were reaccredited but they would be back for a "focused visit" in 2005 to look at our progress on assessment of student learning. That summer, I took on the task of "capacity building" in an effort to develop a positive and sustainable assessment of student learning culture at a large, public land-grant institution. I have since met with dozens of people to talk about student learning outcomes, assessment criteria and measures, and using assessment results to improve student learning. I found it almost impossible to get through this book! In virtually every chapter, I found myself taking time to highlight interesting or essential parts, make notes in the margins, or notes to myself about what I need to do with this or that section. My notes were comments like: "The Provost must see this ASAP"; "This is exactly the argument that I've been having with Professor __________ in biology for two years"; "Every department head needs this list and this chart tomorrow;" "I told them that's how it's supposed to happen!" This book addresses real issues. It reflects on precisely the kinds of challenges that I and my colleagues from across the country experience every day in our work. I found that many of the articles provided a barometer of sorts for me. I found myself assessing our progress and reflecting on the "opportunities" still ahead. The experts in this volume have described the path that promises to lead eventually to an effective "culture of assessment" at our institutions. In several of the articles, the authors provide progress checklists, which one can use to mark off accomplishments and see very clearly the direction and purpose of the next step. When I started in this work three years ago, I began to create an assessment of student learning handbook for department heads. I included three papers as critical background reading: "Assessment Measures and Methods: Advice from NCA," by Cecilia Lopez (North Central Association Commission on Institutions of Higher Education: Opportunities for Improvement: Advice from Consultant-Evaluators on Programs to Assess Student Learning, March 1996); "Assessment of Student Achievement: Levels of Implementation," from NCA's Handbook of Accreditation, 2nd edition (March 2000); and "Moving from Paperwork to Pedagogy: Channeling Intellectual [End Page 138] Curiosity into a Commitment to Assessment," by Peggy Maki, former director of assessment for the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE Bulletin, May 2002, pp. 3-5). In addition, I highly recommended Mary Huba and Jann Freed's Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses (Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2000), itself ahandbook of sorts for faculty who are beginning to develop a "culture of evidence" within their degree programs. Now, in the fall of 2004, I am recommending to the provost that every College Assessment Committee have a copy of Outcomes Assessment in Higher Education. This book offers four things: (1) a review of the mandate for the kind of accountability that is addressed by assessment of student learning processes (Chapter 4, "Institutional Assessment Planning"); (2) a series of very practical and concise "how-to" instructions that reflect what I have seen work (Chapter 5, "Developing an Assessment Plan to Learn about Student Learning"); (3) some models of specific approaches that share with us some of the barriers that were encountered and overcome along the way to effective change (Chapter 9, "Evolving an Assessment of Impact on Pedagogy, Learning, and Library Support of Teaching with Digital Images" and Chapter 10, "Outcomes Assessment in a College Library: An Instructional Case Study"); and (4) a summary of the progress that has been made in colleges and universities across the country so that we have a context in which to evaluate our progress (Chapter 3, "A Decade of Assessing Student Learning: What We Have Learned, and What is Next"). One of the...

Adapting new learning and teaching practices during COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students' learning in higher education. Using a cross-sectional research methodology, the study attempted to understand the cross-cultural impacts of COVID-19 on higher education students in Cambodia, Nigeria, Oman and Spain to determine the changes that COVID-19 has brought about in higher education students;examine how students' learning behaviour and attitudes have changed during COVID-19;identify the challenges they have experienced;and identify the changes that have taken place in learning and teaching in the selected countries. A total sample of 242 students was randomly selected from four higher education institutions in each of the selected countries. The study provided a cross-cultural understanding of how COVID-19 has affected students' well-being, behaviors and learning. The results show that COVID-19 had adverse effects on the well-being of students in the four countries. Students received inadequate social support and security protection from others and instructors when they needed it. Omani students received less social support compared with the other three countries. COVID-19 had the worse effect on students' employment in the four countries. The effect pressed much concern on Nigerian students who experience a great job loss. Students from the four countries were required to put a lot of effort and energy to fulfil the requirements in the program.

Dropout and student's learning satisfaction are challenges that every higher education institution is facing all over the world. Each university conducts researches for comprehending the essentials of what determines student's dropout on one hand, and on the other hand, what determines student's learning satisfaction. Such endeavours provide great management insights into developing effective strategies that allows universities to create new opportunities and value for their students and instructors. This paper presents an integrated approach achieved within a pilot center for educational and professional development called CADEP. The CADEP acronym comes from the Spanish Centros de Apoyoy Desarrollo Educativoy Profesional, and has been setup in Bogota, Colombia at the Francisco Jose de Caldas University in the framework of the ACACIA project. The CADEP pilot represents a best practice example for fighting dropout and enhancing student's learning satisfaction in universities.

Although the evidence in support of the variability of students' learning strategies has expanded in recent years, less is known about the explanatory base of these individual differences in terms of the joint influences of personal and contextual characteristics. Previous studies have often investigated how student learning is associated with either personal or contextual factors. This study takes an integrative research perspective into account and examines the joint effects of personality, academic motivation, and teaching strategies on students' learning strategies in a same educational context in first-year higher education. In this study, 1,126 undergraduate students and 90 lecturers from eight professional bachelor programmes in a university college participated. Self-report measures were used to measure students' personality, academic motivation, and learning strategies. Students' processing and regulation strategies are mapped using the Inventory of Learning Styles. Key characteristics of more content-focused versus learning-focused teaching strategies were measured. Multivariate multi-level analysis was used to take the nested data structure and interrelatedness of learning strategies into account. Different personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) and academic motivation (amotivation, autonomous, and controlled motivation) were found to be independently associated with student learning strategies. Besides these student characteristics, also teaching strategies were found to be directly associated with learning strategies. The study makes clear that the impact of teaching strategies on learning strategies in first-year higher education cannot be overlooked nor overinterpreted, due to the importance of students' personality and academic motivation which also partly explain why students learn the way they do.

University student networks are recognised to be linked with student performance. Yet, no literature review seems to address student networks together with student learning or achievement. This paper focuses on the quantitative studies conducted since 2000 that relate to this issue. This literature review highlights five research domains: (1) the links between student and peer performance within face‐to‐face networks; (2) the effects of networks’ components (e.g., centrality) on student learning and achievement within face‐to‐face networks; (3) the impacts of online social network use on student performance; (4) the effects of social presence and of interactions within e ‐learning; and (5) the effects of e‐learning networks components. This literature review underlines inconsistent findings within each of these research domains. This paper leads to a discussion on the methodological issues that might explain these inconsistencies and to research questions still to be covered when studying student networks in relation with education outcomes. Context and implication Rationale for this study Academic success is not to be taken for granted. There is a need for understanding why some students succeed and others fail at university. Many studies focused on the relationships between achievement at university and student networks. To this day, no literature review exists regarding those links. Furthermore, in social networks analysis (SNA), scientists developed quantitative methodologies to describe networks. SNA techniques include, for instance, computing nodes’ centrality. There is a need to discuss how such quantitative methodologies are and could be implemented in education research. Why the new findings matter This knowledge about relationships between college students’ networks and learning, performance or academic achievement should help develop and implement policies that promote student success at university. Implications for educational researchers and policy makers Education researchers have to be cautious about some methodological challenges encountered when studying networks. Also, alternative centrality measures—that is, those less investigated or not investigated—might be valid candidates for representing the importance of students within networks. With respect to educational policy development: Mixing student abilities within classes appears to be a better option than grouping those abilities, but student prior performance has to be taken into account, as linked to the student type that would most benefit from heterogeneity of performance; Educational practitioners should ensure the sharing and dissemination of relevant and accurate resources and information in student (online) networks; We encourage education professionals to analyse how one might effectively integrate online social platforms into instruction, and to educate students about the adverse effects of misusing these platforms; We recommend education practitioners pay attention to students’ isolation feelings in e‐learning settings; In e‐learning settings, education professionals should ensure that less active students access learning materials and should encourage active participation of students in collaborative tasks.

The rapid growth of generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI) has opened new possibilities for supporting self-directed learning in higher education. Despite this, many students still struggle to grasp academic terminology when studying independently, especially while using online learning resources. This Research and Development (R&D) study aims to develop and test a browser extension that integrates an open-source generative AI model, specifically a large language model (LLM), to assist students in learning academic terminology. The extension was developed following the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) framework. Built with the WXT (Next-Gen Web Extension Framework), the system connects to a LLM model via an API and incorporates prompt engineering as well as option-based personalized learning preferences. To verify its functionality and feasibility, both white-box and black-box testing were performed. The results show that the browser extension is feasible to use and can provide personalized explanations, potentially enhancing students’ comprehension of academic terminology during independent study. In conclusion, integrating a free, open-source generative AI model into a browser extension developed with WXT, incorporating prompt engineering and option-based personalized learning preferences, it demonstrates the potential to serve as a tool that supports and engages students in self-directed learning, particularly in understanding academic terminology.

This quantitative study examines the influence of innovative pedagogical approaches (IPA) on enhancing student critical thinking (SCT) and student learning outcomes (SLO) in higher education, with an emphasis on the mediating role of inclusive leadership(IL). Using a sample of 321 students from public and private universities in Pakistan, the research reveals that methods such as problem-based learning, flipped classrooms, and interactive teaching significantly boost academic performance and cultivate critical thinking skills. The findings indicate that innovative pedagogical approaches positively and significantly impact student critical thinking (β = 0.536, t = 6.539, p < 0.001) and learning outcomes (β = 0.551, t = 12.725, p < 0.001). Additionally, inclusive leadership mediates the relationship between innovative teaching methods and both student critical thinking (β = 0.331, t = 3.833, p < 0.001) and learning outcomes (β = 0.405, t = 8.662, p < 0.001). Data were collected using survey questionnaires adapted from established studies on inclusive leadership, innovative pedagogical approaches, student critical thinking, and learning outcomes. These results highlight the essential role of inclusive leadership in enhancing the efficacy of innovative pedagogies by creating a supportive and diverse learning environment. The study suggests that implementing active learning strategies and integrating technology in the classroom, along with inclusive leadership practices, can significantly improve student engagement, critical thinking, and overall academic performance. This research offers valuable insights for educators and policymakers seeking to enhance teaching and learning experiences in higher education.

Schools are being encouraged to adopt pedagogical practices that promote the active involvement of students in learning (Tapscott 1999). One practice that has received widespread coverage over the past two decades is cooperative, small-group learning. Interest in co-operative learning has developed as schools have become more aware of the academic and social benefits that accrue to students from working together and helping each other. Academic benefits have included enhanced achievements in reading comprehension and vocabulary development, written expression, mathematics understanding and comprehension, and conceptual development in science (Calderon et al. 1998; Howe et al. 1995; Shachar and Sharan 1994; Whicker et al. 1997). Enhanced learning has also occurred when students work in computer-mediated collaborative groups on a range of different topics and subject matter (Zammuner 1995). Furthermore, children with diverse learning and adjustment needs have gained from their participation in co-operative learning (Gillies and Ashman 2000; Ragan 1993). Other benefits include more time on task, increased motivation and perseverance with tasks, and improved communication skills (Hunt et al. 1994). In short, achievements have covered a range of subject and curriculum areas and included parallel changes in behaviours, attitudes and interactions.

Recognizing higher education (HE) as a common good and taking it in a new direction reveals the true potential of higher education‘s transformative power, which transcends the existing modernization agenda. The article examines the shortcomings of modernization in HE and analyzes the events that require a deeper transformation – the COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation, the drive for sustainable development, the changing geopolitical context and societal demands. This brings approaches to internationalization and the development of intercultural skills to the fore. Internationalization has been cited as an essential factor in the necessary transformation. Its contributions to students, faculty, and institutions are reviewed, which are summarized in several areas – cultural interaction and international experience, academic benefits, personal development, professional development, and improving employability

Does an individualized learning design improve university student online learning? A randomized field experiment

Engaging students with immediate feedback demonstrates improvement in student learning and success. There are both high-tech and low-tech strategies to enhance student engagement and learning. The study focuses on the effectiveness of clickers and response cards. The effectiveness of clickers in the classroom is done by implementing the device in operations management (OM) classes. Clickers are very effective with the exception of a few drawbacks. Response cards are limited in capabilities but are effective for immediate feedback and student engagement. Since the use of response cards in higher education is almost non-existent, this study fills the gap and proposes more studies.

Introducción. La relación entre lo que el estudiante aprende y lo que se le evalúa ha sido un tema de relevancia en la educación superior y un tema de investigación que ha llamado la atención en programas del área de la salud, especialmente en medicina. Objetivos. El objetivo de este estudio fue diseñar y validar un instrumento que permitiera conocer y describir las estrategias utilizadas por los docentes del programa de Medicina de la Universidad El Bosque, ubicada en Bogotá, Colombia, la cual consolida su modelo pedagógico de aprendizaje centrado en el estudiante a partir de los objetivos institucionales de aprendizaje, los cuales deben ser evaluados para verificar su consecución. Esto se hizo con el fin de evaluar el nivel de logro de las competencias de formación de los estudiantes. Métodos. Se identificaron dos categorías que debían conformar el instrumento: referentes curriculares y evaluación de la apropiación. Posteriormente se describió el nivel de validez de contenido por medio del acuerdo de jueces a partir del modelo de Lawshe modificado por Tristán y Molgado. Resultados. Los resultados evidenciaron que el instrumento diseñado permite medir de forma válida las categorías y subcategorías planteadas y que los ítems aportan información valiosa sobre cada una de ellas. Esta herramienta también puede ser usada para fines de investigación educativa realizando los ajustes pertinentes de acuerdo con las particularidades propias de la naturaleza de la institución de educación, del programa y de los objetivos de investigación. Conclusiones. Este instrumento puede ser usado para evaluar el nivel de logro de las competencias de formación de los estudiantes y para fines de investigación educativa.

Abstract: This study explores the impact of lecturer feedback on student learning in a higher education institution in the Maldives. Recognizing feedback as a cornerstone of formative assessment, the study examines the relationship between feedback quality, timeliness, and student academic performance. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed, sampling 220 undergraduates studying from 2nd to 6th semester in the institution, using a validated questionnaire. Data were analyzed using regression analysis. The findings reveal a moderate yet significant relationship between quality feedback and student learning, emphasizing its role in enhancing academic performance and fostering engagement. Additionally, a strong relationship was found between timely feedback and learning outcomes, highlighting its importance in enabling students to promptly address areas of improvement. The study concludes that both quality and timely feedback are critical for maximizing learning impact. The implications suggest structured feedback mechanisms and digital platforms for real-time interactions are important to improve feedback delivery. These insights are valuable for educators and policymakers aiming to optimize feedback practices in higher education. In addition to this, the study contributes to the field highlighting the importance of structured feedback mechanisms offering practical insights for educators and policy makers seeking to enhance feedback delivery and effectiveness in higher education.