Learning Theoretical Concepts through Community Problem Solving: Service-Learning in Flight Safety Courses

ObjectivesWe investigated students' conception of learning for an examination in internal medicine, infectious diseases and dermatology-venereology, in three separate examinations versus a single integrated one. MethodsThe study was carried out during a curricular change, with one cohort belonging to a new integrated examination and the other to the former non-integrated examination. Forty-eight interviews were carried out among medical undergraduates regarding the role of the examination in the learning process. The interviews were analyzed according to the phenomenographic approach to identify the students' conception of learning. ResultsThe learning approaches could be categorized in 47 of the 48 students into 4 major groups: application directed, holistic, comprehensive and tactical memorizing learning. The result indicated that comprehensive learning was the most common approach among students following either examination-form; tactical memorizing learning was more prevalent among students following the non-integrated examination and holistic learning was applied more frequently among students following the integrated examination. Nine of the 47 students changed their approaches over time, the majority switching to a compre-hensive approach. No significant gender difference was observed. ConclusionsComprehensive learning was the most common strategy employed and students who changed during the course most often switched to this. However, only a minor change in approach was observed after a switching to an integrated examination, i.e. it takes more than just an integrated examination to change the stu-dent's conception of learning.

In order to adapt to the construction industry's trend of development and meet the demand for interdisciplinary talents who are familiar with production and safety, it is very necessary for civil engineering universities to offer courses about safety. Based on the current situation of civil engineering safety courses and safety education in university, this study analyzed the limitations that traditional didactic teaching method has, and then revealed that reform and innovation must be enforced towards engineering safety education. Combined with teaching practice in Huazhong University of Science and Technology excellent course, Project Safety and Disaster Prevention & Reduction, this study investigated positive impacts and implementation if the experiential teaching is introduced into the civil engineering safety courses in university.

This study investigates how UAA affiliated aviation programs safety course content compares to the safety programs and concerns of the airline industry.Airlines have experienced very few flight safety accidents and incidents during the past five years.During the same period airline employees have experienced ground related injuries at a very high rate compared to other industries.The research concludes that UAA educational programs should be reviewed to ensure adequate attention is being given to ground safety topics.

Dr Kevin Adkins, associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and his colleagues have developed a modification for drones that improves flight predictability and safety

This study examined (a) the nature of student engagement (enjoyment, concentration, perceived control, exploration, and challenge) in four hypermedia design tasks: chunking, linking, naming paths, and organizing information, and (b) the impact of designing hypermedia documents on students’ conceptual learning. The findings showed a high degree of student engagement in organizing information, and a greater organization and elaboration of concepts in students’ final knowledge representations. Although there were individual differences in students’ cognitive engagement and conceptual learning, the highly motivating task of organizing information and the characteristics of the learning context sustained their engagement in cognitively complex and challenging tasks.

The Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) has launched the Public University Volunteer Project in 2017. The Volunteering Program aims to provide exposure and training for students in soft skills, personal identity and concern towards the environment. The cultivation of good values ​​towards society by recognizing the importance of volunteering education for students is in line with the MOE's desire to make the university society-friendly. This study is conducted to highlight the importance of volunteering activities in improving soft skills in students of the Higher Educational Institutions (IPT). This study uses a qualitative approach through interviews, literature review and content analysis. Interviews were conducted with ten students from Sultan Idris Education University and Kuala Lumpur Business School University. There are three objectives in this study, and the first one is to increase the understanding of the definition of volunteer, volunteers and volunteering. Second, to discuss the role of volunteering activities in improving students' soft skills. Third, to identify the relevance of volunteering activities to the future of students. The results of the study shows that volunteering activities or community service conducted by university courses have been able to improve soft skills in students such as cross-cultural communication skills, skills to build relationships with the community and teamwork skills. Being a volunteering member can cultivate the attitude of helping each other, love, sincerity and enhancing one's identity. Overall, the volunteering activities carried out at IPT are excellent which need to be improved from time to time for the human capital development and soft skills of students.

Teaching politics and international relations in higher education (HE) has shifted in recent years towards a focus on soft skills, with employability as a core output. The need to improve graduate outcomes has driven sector-wide responses that focus on additional support for students to gain experience and soft skills that can be translated into statements of employability. Yet, degree programmes are still often based on assumptions of students’ pre-existing skill sets, or an expectation that students will learn academic and professional skills as a byproduct of their degree. This article argues that this is problematic as it avoids focusing on the skills gap present in students from widening participation (WP) backgrounds. It establishes that the ‘soft skills’ increasingly sought by employers, such as complex problem-solving, leadership, public speaking, resilience, and active critical thinking, are core outputs of participation in model summits that focus on fast-paced interactive learning. Embracing model summits as a teaching tool presents opportunities for the enhancement of learning by focusing on skills training through the adoption of model summits within and alongside core content, providing students with the opportunity to extract key soft skills during their degree studies, potentially bridging the wider attainment gap for WP students.

Background Students' conceptualization of learning has been associated with their approaches to studying. However, whether students' learning concepts are associated with their personal characteristics is unknown. Aim To investigate whether sociodemographic, education-related, and personal factors were associated with the learning concepts of Norwegian occupational therapy students. Methods One hundred and forty-nine students (mean age 23.9 years, 79.2% women) participated in the study. The employed self-report questionnaires included the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Differences between student cohorts were analyzed with one-way analyses of variance and χ2 tests, whereas factors associated with the students' learning concepts were analyzed with bivariate correlation and linear regression models. Results The students' mean scores on the deep and surface learning concept scales were similar. Spending more time on the independent study was associated with having higher scores on the unidimensional learning concept measure. Conclusions The students' learning concept appears to encompass a surface concept as well as a deep concept of learning, and the two ways of conceptualizing learning were positively related to each other. Over time, a mature deep concept may add to, rather than replace, a basic surface concept of learning.

Interior design, like other applied disciplines, has a clear career cycle requiring education and professional experience before becoming eligible for examination. Internships are often encouraged in academic curriculums for increased career placement and enhancement of student learning outcomes; they also serve as a benchmark for academic programs to evaluate their curriculum and its relevance to practice. As the design industry rapidly shifts the scope and needs in projects, it becomes more difficult for academic programs to assess practitioners’ values as they relate to recent interns and entry–level hires. Using a social constructivist approach, this longitudinal study aims to better understand practitioners’ perceptions of soft and hard skill sets necessary for emerging interior design professionals. This study utilizes content analysis to evaluate practitioners’ responses ( N = 260) from 2006 to 2014 through a survey questionnaire that consisted of open–ended questions aimed to evaluate senior–level interior design students’ performance during the required 400–hour internship at a mid–sized Southeastern university. The findings showed that soft skills were more often listed as positive attributes where interns performed exceedingly well. Furthermore, soft skills affected the willingness of practitioners to hire interns.

This paper focuses on the differences in self-assessment of selected soft competencies among undergraduate students at faculties of education in relation to their expected performance in the teaching profession. The paper discusses the soft competencies that are necessary for the performance of the teaching profession and their self-assessment. These soft skills are: communication, teamwork, problem solving, independence, creativity, performance, responsibility, and the ability to learn new things. Using a standardized research instrument, it was investigated whether students of bachelor's degree programmes who want to pursue the teaching profession in the future evaluate their soft competences better or worse than students of the bachelor's degree programmes who do not want to pursue the teaching profession. The size of the research sample was N = 256 respondents. From the results of the survey it was found that students who want to pursue the teaching profession in the future generally evaluate their own soft competences better than students who do not want to pursue the teaching profession in the future.

This research explores where project management practitioners can go to develop their soft skills. The academic research is presented and then summarised to identify the core soft skills needed for success (ICB4.0+). We then mapped the course offerings of top universities such as Harvard University, Oxford University and Tsinghua University against these core soft skills. We conclude that very few universities offer courses that develop the soft skills needed for project success. The practical implications of this research are that: The findings will guide project management practitioners on where they can go to develop the soft skills that are critical to project success. The newly developed ICB4.0+ may guide the development of project management education programs and may lead to practitioners actually being taught what they need to succeed. Further research is recommended to validate the mapping of university courses against the ICB4.0+ competencies.

Learning conceptions of young students in the final year of primary education

Teaching and learning as a process and concept is often researched through the viewpoint of graduate students as future educators in their respective fields. The aim of this study was to explore graduate students’ conceptions, experiences, and advice about teaching and learning as they embark on their journey as educators. Through purposive sampling, data were collected from students in the final year of their master’s program in education at a large university in Saudi Arabia. A qualitative content analysis of students’ written responses revealed three main themes: 1) definitions of teaching and learning were either teacher-led (predominant) or student-focused; 2) practical activities and assignments framed students’ memorable experiences; and, 3) updated, diverse methodologies including practical applications formed the main advice for educators. Student conceptions of teaching and learning, while predominantly teacher-led, illustrated elements of student-centered learning. An underlying trend throughout the data was an awareness and description of the ongoing transition from teacher-centered/led to student-centered classrooms in their higher education experiences. Implications of this study include reflection on teaching and student-centered learning as a concept and process in graduate-level education programs and faculty academic development and reconsideration of the traditional faculty-student relationship to a more cooperative and involved one, particularly at the graduate level. Received: 12 July 2021 / Accepted: 20 August 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021

Lesson study is model presevice teacher with three steps, that is plan, do, see steps. Soft skill is interpersonal skill such as the ability to communicate well with other people and to work in a team. This research is a descriptive, which aims to know improving on soft skill of mathematics teacher candidates through the application of lesson study with inquiry method. Subject were student in mathematics education taken computer program course of lampung university. Data was collected through observation about communication, presentation, and work in a team. The result shows that implementation of lesson study can improve the students’soft skill (average 2,18), and students’ activities on phase inquiry (average 2,40).

Moroccan universities have undergone significant reforms aimed at modernizing university programs. These initiatives include revising curricula, integrating digital technology, updating academic programs and focusing more on practical and professional skills in order to meet job market requirements. Within this context of change, it becomes compulsory to reshape its organizational, managerial and educational practices for more agility and resilience. Higher education institutions drive innovation and advancement across disciplines through implementation of new teaching and learning methods. To this effect, universities have embraced the competency-based approach and innovation placing the development of soft skills at the heart of teaching and learning practices. Consequently, questions arise regarding the contribution of soft skills to educational innovation, the perceptions of teachers and learners about soft skills and innovation, the types of soft skills to be developed and the benefits of innovation in educational practices. In this regard, this paper aims to explore the extent to which training in soft skills within university environment impacts educational innovation in teaching and learning process. The research framework seeks to highlight the essential role of "soft skills" in educational innovation. First, we define the conceptual framework, outlining the notions of competence, soft skills, and educational innovation, as well as the theoretical framework drawing from the competency-based approach. Second, we focus on confronting our hypotheses with the data collected during semi-structured interviews. Special attention will be given to data analysis and the conclusions drawn from the qualitative analysis.