Skip to main content
Our journal logo
Search

Vol. 19 No. 3 (2022)

Published: 1 February 2022

Articles

  • On editor decisions: A framework of best practice

    Joseph Crawford

    This Editorial calls for change in the practices of editing in response to a culture of mental ill health in higher education publishing. Through extended review of current practices, this Editorial offers practical opportunities to improve the quality of editors' decision-making processes. This includes a focus on publishing clear and formative editorial positions, a broader acceptance of university style guides and referencing, desk rejection that is timely and supportive, peer review with improved integrity, a more genuine revise and resubmit process, and fostering quality post-acceptance engagement. The significance of this Editorial is in the potential to lead reform in the journal publishing industry to be more supportive and kind while maintaining quality and rigorous production of knowledge.

    Read article: On editor decisions: A framework of best practice 1,940 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Towards improving peer review: Crowd-sourced insights from Twitter

    Kelly-Ann Allen, Jonathan Reardon, Yumin Lu, David V Smith, Emily Rainsford, Lucas Walsh

    Peer review is an essential part of academic publishing, yet many authors, reviewers, and editors have reportedly encountered problems with the review process. Some scholars view peer-review as a necessary process for the advancement of science, while other scholars argue that for many publishers and journals, both authors and reviewers are being exploited. The aim of this commentary is two-fold. First, to provide a narrative review of current perspectives and available research on the peer-review process to date, and second, to summarise potential solutions elicited from scholars on Twitter. A review of the literature identified several problems with peer-review including publication delays, an over reliance on a narrow pool of reviewers, threats to anonymity, perceived exploitation, as well as overworked editors. Recommendations to redress these issues that emerged from scholars on Twitter suggested publishers, journals, their editors and associate editors, universities, individual academics and their communities all have a role to play towards creating an equitable and fair system. This commentary aims to ignite conversations about improving the peer-review process.

    Read article: Towards improving peer review: Crowd-sourced insights from Twitter 1,687 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Does an assessment rubric provide a better learning experience for undergraduates in developing transferable skills?

    Toh Yen Pang, Alex Kootsookos, Kate Fox, Elena Pirogova

    There is ongoing interest in developing rigorous and accurate assessment methods in higher education, particularly in the use of assessment rubrics and in providing more useful feedback to students rather than a simple grade. However, there has been little used of reliable assessment rubrics that provide feedback to individual students on their teamwork participation and skills, and which assist academic staff in assessing teamwork among students. This paper reports on the second phase of a study that aimed to evaluate a rubric to assess skills and processes in teamwork, and whether a rubric facilitated a better learning experience than a simple marking scheme. The second phase focused on the implementation of a revised assessment rubric designed to assist students and staff in understanding what was expected in the assessment process, and in particular the creation of efficient tools and metrics to measure both teamwork and individual performance during collaborative team design projects. Findings from two surveys of students provided the dataset for this second phase of the study. The findings demonstrate that assessment rubrics provide an important adjunct in improving students’ teamwork performance and their understanding of their learning activities. This study will also contribute to ongoing discussions on higher education assessment methods.

    Read article: Does an assessment rubric provide a better learning experience for undergraduates in developing transferable skills? 1,552 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Modelling transdisciplinary pedagogy: A method for collaborative curriculum design

    Mark E Allinson, Kieran Mahon

    This article explores a transdisciplinary, collaborative, curriculum design project to promote institutional belonging as a driver of student engagement, and to equip graduates with the fluency to work across disciplines. It demonstrates a facilitated method, to construct learning outcomes that break with typical subject-based knowledge and associated hierarchies of expertise. After considering a small number of precedents, the authors use curriculum models to inform a design specification. Following the formation of a multidisciplinary design team, a development tool (Lego® Serious Play®) was selected for a design workshop. A qualitative analysis of the workshop transcript was then used to inform the learning outcomes for a common module to be taken by all first-year undergraduates. Finally, the article considers how the process provided a framework for collaborative design that has been implemented in further projects, and led to the creation of a growing community of practice. The project provides insights for others embarking on collaborative curriculum design initiatives, especially where transdisciplinary learning is an objective.

    Read article: Modelling transdisciplinary pedagogy: A method for collaborative curriculum design 943 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Music performance anxiety and higher education teaching: A systematic literature review

    Erik Blair, Hendrik van der Sluis

    This systematic review includes a search of the literature covering the period 2005-2021 to understand what preventative teaching approaches and interventions have been developed in higher education to reduce music performance anxiety (MPA). The focus here is on identifying interventions that are applicable to higher education teaching practice, in an attempt to support music educators to reduce the negative effects of MPA, and, by so doing, support better learning outcomes. A systematic review of the literature on MPA (2005-2021) was undertaken to explore the teaching strategies that are used to help students in higher education. The researchers performed independent assessments of the literature based on the inclusion criteria. Discrepancies between the two reviewers were resolved through discussion. Each of the articles that met the research conditions was classified using four treatment modalities: cognitive interventions, behavioural interventions, pharmacological treatment and complementary. The initial scoping resulted in a total of 116 research articles. This was reduced to 18 articles that fully met the inclusion criteria. There is a wealth of literature exploring MPA; however, very few teaching approaches or interventions have been found that can easily be embedded in music education. The findings indicate that interventions deriving from promising reactive treatment have been developed, but that these are rarely generalisable to typical teaching practice.

    Read article: Music performance anxiety and higher education teaching: A systematic literature review 1,474 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Is blended learning the future of education? Students perspective using discrete choice experiment analysis

    Adib Ahmed, Sakib Bin Amin, Grace McCarthy, Abdul Mahidud Khan, Rabindra Nepal

    This is the first study to use discrete choice experiment in exploring the stated choice preference of blended learning preference among the university students in the context of Bangladesh. As a pre-requisite in developing student engagement learning strategies, we investigate the choice preference of university students towards different types of blended learning to explore relevant concerns and challenges in order to plan for successful implementation of this option. Around 306 responses from the students belonging to Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and North South University (NSU) are considered representing both public and private universities in Bangladesh. Conditional logit model is used to explore the choice preference of the respondents based on the attributes. We find that university students explicitly dislike recorded videos as the primary mode of instruction as there is minimum human interaction using this method. Students with mobile internet also prefer offline classes to online classes, whereas students with broadband internet prefer the opposite choices. The policy implications of these findings hold global relevance in devising student engagement strategies towards blended learning such as for other developing economies in South Asia which were forced to transition to online learning as an adaptation response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Read article: Is blended learning the future of education? Students perspective using discrete choice experiment analysis 1,105 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • The impact of virtual tools on EFL learners’ performance in Grammar at the times of COVID 19 Pandemic

    Rasha Mohammed Elbashir, Sabah Mohammad Abbas Hamza

    The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of virtual tools on EFL learners’ performance in grammar courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. This experimental study compared a group of students who took a grammar course remotely via the Blackboard platform during the COVID-19 pandemic to a control group who took the same course in person prior to the pandemic. Each group of participants (n = 30) was given the same test. The grades of the two groups were then analysed using the SPSS programme. The results demonstrate that the experimental group test grades were higher than those of the control group grades. suggesting that teaching grammar remotely has a positive influence on EFL learners' performance, as compared to face-to-face instruction, which has been proven to have a lesser impact. As a result, the researchers would promote a hybrid of virtual and face-to-face teaching. As a result, the researchers would promote a hybrid of virtual and face-to-face teaching. More studies on the causes of lower grades in face-to-face classes, as well as suggestions for strategies to improve learners' performance in all aspects of the English language, not just grammar, are requested. Furthermore, each country has its own educational policy, so different results may arise in different contexts. Educators and policymakers may use this study as a reference for the effectiveness of virtual vs. face-to-face instruction, opening the doors for future research on similar topics within the same theme

    Read article: The impact of virtual tools on EFL learners’ performance in Grammar at the times of COVID 19 Pandemic 1,355 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Using live interactive polling to enable hands-on learning for both face-to-face and online students within hybrid-delivered courses.

    Charlotte Phelps, Christian Moro

    Tertiary institutions are increasingly providing hybrid delivery options to students, requiring course coordinators to migrate formerly face-to-face curricula into frameworks that suit online teaching. However, there is a risk that the implementation of hands-on, engaging activities will decrease during hybrid sessions due to staff uncertainty of their effectiveness across the varied cohorts. This presents a need to identify engaging modes of instruction that can remain equally engaging for learning regardless of the students’ enrolled mode of delivery. Interactive polling has the potential to be used within a class in real-time and allow both face-to-face and online students to take part in an in-class activity at the same time. This study aimed to compare the effects of interactive polling within either a face-to-face or online delivery format. One-hundred and seventy-four participants studying first-year health science and medicine completed a live interactive poll using the Kahoot! platform in either a face-to-face (n=72) or online (n=102) hybrid-delivered subject. Experiences and perceptions were provided as written responses and a Likert scale survey. Participant responses were positive, with three themes emerging, including interactive polling being enjoyable, engaging, and valuable for learning. Across cohorts, participants rated interactive polling highly, and perceived that it offered an effective learning and revision tool. This study found that interactive polling using Kahoot! maintains its suitability as a method of instruction across both face-to-face and online learner cohorts. The finding that it remains equally effective across both delivery modes provides evidence-based support for its use in hybrid or blended subject offerings.

    Read article: Using live interactive polling to enable hands-on learning for both face-to-face and online students within hybrid-delivered courses. 1,541 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Two decades of studies on learning management system in higher education: A bibliometric analysis with Scopus database 2000-2020

    Thanh-Thao Thi Phan, Cam-Tu Vu, Phuong-Thuc Thi Doan, Dinh-Hai Luong, Thu-Phuong Bui, Thanh-Huyen Le, Duc-Huy Nguyen

    Over the past twenty years, using learning management systems in higher education has attracted increasing interest from researchers around the globe. In this context, the current study aimed to explore the volume, growth trajectory, and geographic distribution of learning management systems in higher education literature, along with identifying impactful authors, sources, and publications, and highlight emerging research issues. The authors conducted bibliometric analysis on 1334 documents, related to the use of learning management systems in the context of higher education, extracted from Scopus database. The findings show a rapidly growing knowledge base on learning management systems in higher education, especially intensely in the years 2015-2020 and primarily from research in developed societies. This flourishing is consistent with the development trend of international education and the strong development of technology. In addition, the core literature was identified based on the volume of publications and citations. The results also reveal the emerging intellectual structure of the field and provide points of reference for scholars studying the discipline. This paper offers a knowledge map for future research assessments of learning management systems in higher education.

    Read article: Two decades of studies on learning management system in higher education: A bibliometric analysis with Scopus database 2000-2020 1,296 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • The role of technological knowledge in the pedagogical integration of film in disciplinary teaching at universities

    Ngoc Nguyen, Cally Guerin, Walter Barbieri, Edward Palmer, Peter Pugsley

    Many university lecturers have integrated feature films and television series (FF/TV) into their lessons to improve student engagement. Although film in teaching might seem like a well-established practice, it is reliant on a range of fast-changing technologies to effectively integrate FF/TV into instruction, learning activities and assessments. This study utilises the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model to analyse survey and interview data regarding (1) lecturers’ familiarity with a range of concepts and skills related to film production, delivery and integration technologies; (2) their methods of learning about technologies that help optimise their FF/TV use; and (3) their institution’s provision and support in implementing various technologies integral to teaching with FF/TV. A modified framework is proposed to add to the pedagogical benefits of effective teaching with FF/TV at universities.

    Read article: The role of technological knowledge in the pedagogical integration of film in disciplinary teaching at universities 881 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Assessment of multiple choice question exams quality using graphical methods

    Mustafa S. Yousuf, Katherine Miles, Heather Harvey, Mohammad Al-Tamimi, Darwish Badran

    Exams should be valid, reliable, and discriminative. Multiple informative methods are used for exam analysis. Displaying analysis results numerically, however, may not be easily comprehended. Using graphical analysis tools could be better for the perception of analysis results. Two such methods were employed: standardized x-bar control charts with standard error of measurement as control limits and receiver operator characteristic curves. Exams of two medical classes were analyzed. For each exam, the mean, standard deviation, reliability, and standard error of measurement were calculated. The means were standardized and plotted against the reference lines of the control chart. The means were chosen as cut-off points to calculate sensitivity and specificity. The receiver operator characteristic curve was plotted and area under the curve determined. Standardized control charts allowed clear, simultaneous comparison of multiple exams. Calculating the control limits from the standard error of measurement created acceptable limits of variability in which the standard deviation and reliability were incorporated. The receiver operator characteristic curve graphically showed the discriminative power of the exam. Observations made with the graphical and classical methods were consistent. Using graphical methods to analyse exams could make their interpretation more accessible and the identification of exams that required further investigation easier.

    Read article: Assessment of multiple choice question exams quality using graphical methods 1,334 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • From theory to practice: A case study of technology-enhanced O2O teaching

    Jinjing Lai

    Stimulated by the isolation requirement of COVID-19 lockdown, online teaching method has been widely adopted by worldwide academic institutions and has been playing an essential role in accelerating education reform. While both traditional classroom teaching and pure online teaching have their drawbacks, an integrated online to offline (O2O) precision teaching model is considered to be the new trend. With the support of information technology, O2O precision teaching is capable of monitoring students’ behavior closely and tailoring the curriculum for each student. This study designed a detailed platform-based O2O precision teaching model and applied it to the Chinese Business Culture course teaching. Traditional offline teaching was also conducted as a control. Both test scores and student feedback were collected and analyzed. Results show that the technology-enhanced O2O precision teaching model can improve students’ test performance and various soft skills and has their high degree of satisfaction in the meantime, indicating that it can work as a promising new teaching model.

    Read article: From theory to practice: A case study of technology-enhanced O2O teaching 490 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

  • Flipped classrooms: Designed and implemented with colleagues collaboration

    Tugce Erol, Suat Celik

    The aim of this study is to investigate the results of the flipped classroom model, which was prepared and applied in collaboration with colleagues, on the academic success on stereochemistry one of the topic the organic chemistry course of pre-service chemistry teachers, the views of the pre-service chemistry teachers about the flipped classroom model and the views of the collaborating faculty member about the practice. The study was designed and carried out according to the participatory action research method. Seventeen pre-service chemistry teachers participated in the study. In the study, short videos were shot in which the instructor of the course explained the lessons and the researcher provided pedagogical and technical support in order to carry out the stereochemistry lesson with the flipped classroom model. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The quantitative, which was collected with data the achievement test, was analyzed with the non-parametric Wilcoxon Test. The qualitative data were analyzed with the content analysis method. Quantitative results showed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test achievement scores in favor of the post-test. As a result of the qualitative content analysis, it was determined that the pre-service teachers had positive views toward flipped classroom such as support learning, solving plenty of questions, watching the videos as often as desired, and being prepared for the lesson. The instructor who conducted the course also stated that he had positive thoughts about using the same method in his lessons and sharing the course material on online platforms.

    Read article: Flipped classrooms: Designed and implemented with colleagues collaboration 616 views. Recorded article-page views through the previous day; not unique readers or PDF downloads.

Showing 1–13 of 17 articles