RESUMEN

AIM: It is common for Chinese students to sit quietly during classroom lectures, attentively following teachers' instructions without interacting or asking questions, viewed as passive engagement. This study aims to understand further the passive engagement of Chinese students in relation to classroom questioning, just-in-time feedback and collaborative activities. With objectives to formulate strategies to enhance Chinese students' engagement in a large class learning environment without undermining the cultural dimension of "face". BACKGROUND: Engaging in collaborative educational activities between teachers and students can be challenging in a large classroom learning environment. Within the Chinese context, Confucian-heritage culture may further exacerbate the challenges teachers face. Chinese students often appear passive when responding to questions. In this situation, educators may receive insufficient student feedback to modify and optimise their teaching and learning approaches. DESIGN: A qualitative research method, with an interpretative phenomenological approach was employed in a self-financed institute of higher education in Hong Kong. METHODS: Eight nursing graduates were invited to participate in two focus group interviews to generate teaching and learning strategies. In addition, individual in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve nursing teachers recruited through a snowballing sampling strategy. The narratives were coded, categorised, themed, analysed and interpreted through thematic analysis. RESULTS: Chinese students are concerned with "losing face" and the fear of being teased by their peers in a collectivist culture. Based on these findings, three teaching and learning strategies for engaging students in classroom questioning and collaborative activities were generated. These strategies include using digital learning platforms, the promotion of communication and fostering interpersonal relationships. CONCLUSIONS: In higher education, academic managers and teachers must critically reflect on teaching and learning strategies tailor-made to different cultural and contextual settings. Collaborating on pedagogical reforms can provide solid guidance and insight on implementing student-centred learning for Chinese students in large class learning environments while respecting the cultural dimension of "face".

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The pollution from waste plastic express packages (WPEPs), especially microplastic (MP) fragments, caused by the blowout development of the express delivery industry has attracted widespread attention. On account of the variety of additives, strong complexity, and high diversity of plastic express packages (PEPs), the multi-class classification of WPEPs is a typical large-class-number classification (LCNC). The traceability and identification of microplastic fragments from WPEPs is very challenging. An effective chemometric method for large-class-number classification would be very beneficial for the comprehensive treatment of WPEP pollution through the recycling and reuse of waste plastic express packages, including microplastic fragments and plastic debris. Rather than using the traditional one-against-one (OAO) and one-against-all (OAA) dichotomies, an exhaustive and parallel half-against-half (EPHAH) decomposition, which overcomes the defects of the OAO's classifier learning limitations and the OAA's data proportion imbalance, is proposed for feature selection. EPHAH analysis, combined with partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) for large-class-number classification, was performed on 750 microplastic fragments of polyethylene WPEPs from 10 major courier companies using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. After the removal of abnormal samples through robust principal component analysis (RPCA), the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) value for the model was reduced to 0.01, which was 21.5% lower than that including the abnormal samples. The best models of PLS-DA were obtained using SNV combined with SG-17 smoothing and 2D (SNV+SG-17+2D); the latent variables (LVs), the error rates of Monte Carlo cross-validation (ERMCCVs), and the final classification accuracies were 6.35, 0.155, and 88.67% for OAO-PLSDA; 5.37, 0.103, and 87.33% for OAA-PLSDA; and 3.12, 0.054, and 96.00% for EPHAH-PLSDA. The results showed that the EPHAH strategy can completely learn the complex LCNC decision boundaries for 10 classes, effectively break the tie problem, and greatly improve the voting resolution, thereby demonstrating significant superiority to both the OAO and OAA strategies in terms of classification accuracy. Meanwhile, PLS-DA further maximized the covariance and data interpretation abilities between the potential variables and categories of microplastic debris, thereby establishing an ideal performance identification model with a recognition rate of 96.00%.

RESUMEN

Code smells are poor code design or implementation that affect the code maintenance process and reduce the software quality. Therefore, code smell detection is important in software building. Recent studies utilized machine learning algorithms for code smell detection. However, most of these studies focused on code smell detection using Java programming language code smell datasets. This article proposes a Python code smell dataset for Large Class and Long Method code smells. The built dataset contains 1,000 samples for each code smell, with 18 features extracted from the source code. Furthermore, we investigated the detection performance of six machine learning models as baselines in Python code smells detection. The baselines were evaluated based on Accuracy and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) measures. Results indicate the superiority of Random Forest ensemble in Python Large Class code smell detection by achieving the highest detection performance of 0.77 MCC rate, while decision tree was the best performing model in Python Long Method code smell detection by achieving the highest MCC Rate of 0.89.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Nursing education starts in the classroom environment with a focus on the nurse educator-nursing student relationship. 'Presence' is defined as "a practice where the caregiver relates her/himself to the other in an attentive and dedicated way, by doing so learns to see what is at stake for the other; from desires to fear, and, in connection with this, come to understand what could be done in this particular situation and who she/he can be for the other". 'Presence' forms an integral part of the nursing profession and the value thereof should be facilitated during teaching and learning. Reflective practices may offer a teaching-learning strategy to facilitate presence in nursing students by nurse educators in large class settings. Having large classes presents challenges including from nurse educators' lack of knowledge about alternative teaching approaches; time demands for designing, implementing and testing new teaching methods; a lack of confidence in implementing new teaching approaches in the classroom; selecting and grading assessments; as well as feelings of discomfort and anxiety. A model to facilitate presence through reflective practices has already been developed and published by the present authors. The model relies on well-established steps in theory development covering concept analysis, model development and description (published in two papers by the present researchers) and model evaluation (the subject of this paper). The evaluation was carried out by a panel of experts and nursing participants. METHODS: An explorative and descriptive qualitative design was followed. The developed model was evaluated and refined in two steps (covered in this paper). In Step 1, the model was evaluated by a panel of experts in model development, reflective practices and presence. The panel used critical reflection resulting in the refinement of the model. Step 2 involved an empirical phase where the model was evaluated by participants through participatory evaluation. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data collection methods included online semi-structured focus group interviews with nurse educators and virtual World Café sessions with nursing students. Content analysis was done through open coding. RESULTS: Five themes emerged from the empirical phase, namely: Theme 1: understanding of the model; Theme 2: benefits of the model; Theme 3: limitations of the model; Theme 4: pre-existing conditions needed for successful implementation of the model; and Theme 5: recommendations for further development of the model. CONCLUSIONS: The results produced a refined model to be implemented into the curriculums of undergraduate, postgraduate and continuous professional development programmes across nursing education institutions. This model will significantly contribute to the body of knowledge and increase nurses' awareness of presence by transforming the way they feel, think, care and act in practice, which contributes to personal and professional development.

RESUMEN

Objective:To explore the methods and effects of vocational nursing students participating in the teaching of Nursing Psychology under the large class teaching mode. Methods:The two co-curricular classes of the vocational nursing specialty in this semester were randomly selected as the experimental group (5 boys and 116 girls) and the control group (3 boys and 115 girls). The experimental group adopted the model of student participation in the classroom, while the control group adopted the traditional teaching mode. The differences in the final paper scores of the course between the two groups were compared, and the teaching effect of the students in the experimental group was investigated by self-made questionnaire. SPSS 23.0 was used for t-test. Results:The final paper scores of the students in the experimental group (83.38±4.98) were significantly higher than those of the control group (76.48±5.86)( t=9.82， P<0.001). There were 106 students (87.60%) in favor of and very supportive of participating in classroom teaching, 99 students (81.82%) thought that participating in teaching could improve learning interest, 96 students (79.33%) thought that it could improve self-learning ability, and 99 students (81.82%) thought it could improve innovation ability, 99 students (81.82%) thought it could improve their teamwork ability, 96 students (79.34%) thought it could improve their communication and expression ability, and 94 students (77.69%) thought it could promote self-awareness. Conclusion:Under the large class teaching mode, the participation of higher vocational nursing students in classroom teaching can improve the teaching effect and students' various abilities.

RESUMEN

The attainment of laboratory-based skills is essential for the development of all students who study the Life Sciences. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Universities worldwide closed campuses, there was great uncertainty around how long people would have to work from home, leading to a real risk that students could miss out on obtaining laboratory practice for one or perhaps 2 years. It, therefore, became critical that processes were put in place that would allow students the opportunity to gain insight into what the laboratory environment is like, and to also gain experience in data collection, interpretation, and analysis. The adoption of Lt systems (a cloud-based learning platform for the Life Sciences) to create laboratory-based teaching allowed for these issues to be addressed. Detailed planning, teamwork and production of online lab sessions allowed for the creation of bespoke lessons that replicated as best as possible the 'face-to-face' experience. This was achieved by taking aspects of pre-existing labs, filming new material and utilising interactive data analysis tools in order to create online Lt labs that gave students a feel of what it would be like to be in a laboratory on campus. Lt systems also doubled as a revision tool to enhance student learning and ultimately allowed intended learning outcomes to be successfully met. The labs were well received by students and the online material meant that they could access content at a time convenient to them. This 'online anytime' possibility was crucial for such a large class (n = 378) who were working from home in many different countries worldwide during a pandemic. Going forward, the online lessons built during the pandemic can be integrated with future face-to-face sessions to create a more enhanced learning experience for the student.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Nurse educators are required to be present and reflective while directly involving nursing students in teaching-learning using creative and innovative interaction. Heavy daily workloads (including the teaching of large classes, clinical supervision and research) could hamper facilitating their presence through reflective practices. There is insufficient information on how nurse educators can facilitate their presence through reflective practices in large class groups of nursing students.  METHODS: The researchers followed Walker and Avant's strategy of statement and theory synthesis to develop this model. Three iterative steps to theory synthesis involved identifying, defining, and classifying main and related concepts, defining relational statements, and organising the main and related concepts, relational statements, and the conceptual framework into an integrated and efficient representation. This was done by reviewing the literature. Conclusion statements were formulated using statement synthesis. RESULTS: A model to facilitate the presence of nurse educators in large class settings using reflective practices was developed as a theoretical framework to guide teaching-learning practices. Six conclusion statements emerged on the theoretical constructs presence and reflective practices of nurse educators. CONCLUSIONS: The model addresses the gap in the literature and contributes substantially to deepening the body of knowledge in the nursing education domain of South Africa and internationally, to serve as a model for guiding nurse educators in their teaching-learning practices.

RESUMEN

Objective:To explore the application effects of case-based learning (CBL) based on Rain Classroom in surgical nursing teaching of large class.Methods:A total of 357 nursing undergraduates of Batch 2017 in Fenyang College of Shanxi Medical University were selected as the research objects and randomly divided into experimental group (176 cases) and control group (181 cases). The experimental group adopted the CBL based on Rain Classroom, while the control group adopted the traditional multimedia classroom CBL mode. After the teaching, the teaching effect was evaluated by interviewing, comparing the scores of theoretical examination and questionnaire survey. SPSS 19.0 was performed for t test. Results:The scores of memory type, comprehension type and comprehensive application type questions in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.01). The scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group in stimulating thirst for knowledge, learning initiative, classroom learning efficiency, memory of knowledge points, problem analysis, clinical thinking and team cooperation ability ( P<0.01). The interview information suggested that the interest of pre-study materials, the control of discussion links and the network effect were the problems affecting the classroom effect of the experimental group, while the control group had the problems of poor learning autonomy and enthusiasm. Conclusion:The CBL based on Rain Classroom can mobilize the initiative and participation of students in large class teaching, improve the learning effect and cultivate comprehensive ability, which is worthy of promotion.

RESUMEN

Large classes taught with didactic lectures and assessed with multiple-choice tests are commonly reported to promote lower order (LO) thinking and a surface approach (SA) to learning. Using a case study design, we hypothesized that incorporating instructional scaffolding of core physiology principles and assessing students exclusively with long-answer written tests would encourage higher order (HO) thinking and promote a deep approach (DA) to learning in a two-course physiology sequence (Phys I and II), despite their large size. Test questions were categorized as LO or HO according to the Blooming Biology Tool, and students' LO and HO performance was determined for each of six tests across the two courses. The validated Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire survey tool was administered at the beginning and end of each course to measure student approach to learning. HO performance was maintained across Phys I (72.9 ± 19.4 vs. 74.8 ± 20.7%, P = 0.37) and significantly improved across Phys II (69.9 ± 18.4 vs. 79.4 ± 14.8%, P < 0.001). Unexpectedly, students' LO performance declined from the beginning to end of Phys I (78.5 ± 20.6 vs. 69.4 ± 17.9%, P < 0.001) and Phys II (80.5 ± 19.6 vs. 72.2 ± 24.3%, P < 0.001). Students' approach to learning did not change throughout Phys I or II, but at each time point students preferred a DA over a SA. Taken together, these results indicate that an intentionally designed large lecture class can support a DA to learning and suggests that this teaching and assessment structure may be particularly well suited to promote HO thinking, albeit possibly at the expense of LO thinking.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an effective and highly efficient teaching approach that is extensively applied in education systems across a variety of countries. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of web-based PBL teaching pedagogies in large classes. The cluster sampling method was used to separate two college-level nursing student classes (graduating class of 2013) into two groups. The experimental group (n = 162) was taught using a web-based PBL teaching approach, while the control group (n = 166) was taught using conventional teaching methods. We subsequently assessed the satisfaction of the experimental group in relation to the web-based PBL teaching mode. This assessment was performed following comparison of teaching activity outcomes pertaining to exams and self-learning capacity between the two groups. When compared with the control group, the examination scores and self-learning capabilities were significantly higher in the experimental group (P < 0.01) compared with the control group. In addition, 92.6% of students in the experimental group expressed satisfaction with the new web-based PBL teaching approach. In a large class-size teaching environment, the web-based PBL teaching approach appears to be more optimal than traditional teaching methods. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of web-based teaching technologies in problem-based learning.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Tutoring is a useful tool in the university teaching-learning binomial, although its development is impaired in large classes. Recent improvements in information and communication technologies have made tutoring possible via the Internet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mixed-method academic tutoring in two basic subjects in Veterinary Science studies at the University of León (Spain) to optimize the usefulness of tutoring support in the college environment. This quasi-experimental study was firstly carried out as a pilot study in a small group of tutored students of "Cytology and Histology" (CH) (47/186; 25.3%) and "Veterinary Pharmacology" (VP) (33/141; 23.4%) subjects, and was implemented in a large class of CH the next academic year (150 students) while comparing the results with those obtained in a previous tutorless course (162 students). Tutored students were given access to online questionnaires with electronic feedback on each subject. In addition to traditional tutoring carried out in both tutored and tutorless students, the pilot study included three sessions of face-to-face tutoring in order to monitor the progress of students. Its efficacy was assessed by monitoring students' examination scores and attendance as well as a satisfaction survey. RESULTS: Although the examination attendance rate in the pilot study was not significantly different between tutored and tutorless groups in both subjects, an increase for numerical scores in tutored groups was observed, with a significant higher final score in VP (p = 0.001) and in the CH practice exams (first term, p = 0.009; final, p = 0.023). Good and merit scores were also better in tutored students with significant differences in VP (p = 0.005). Students felt comfortable with the tutoring service (100% in CH; 91.7% in VP). Implementation of this additional support in CH also resulted in a significant increase of attendance at the final exam in tutored courses (87.3% versus 77.2%; p = 0.026), scaled (p = 0.001) and numerical scores (final score, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Online tutoring support, together with conventional teaching methods, may be a useful method to incorporate student-centered learning in basic subjects in Veterinary Science.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The gradual increase in the number of learners admitted into a nursing college in Gauteng resulted in an increase in class size without a proportional increase in the number of nurse educators. OBJECTIVES: To explore and describe the experiences of nurse educators teaching in large classes at a nursing college in Gauteng in order to present recommendations to facilitate teaching and learning. METHOD: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and phenomenological research design which is contextual in nature was used. A total of 20 nurse educators were selected through purposive sampling, and in-depth phenomenological semi-structured individual interviews were conducted between January and February 2013. Data were analysed together with the field notes, using Tesch's open coding protocol of qualitative data analysis. Lincoln and Guba's four principles were used to ensure trustworthiness. RESULTS: The themes that emerged from this study were that nurse educators experienced difficulty in recognising learners as individuals in a large class, using innovative pedagogical strategies, and managing a large class. These findings had a negative impact on meaningful teaching and learning as they interfered with an enabling learning environment. RECOMMENDATIONS: Nurse educators should be empowered with facilitative skills in order to effectively manage a large class and hence to achieve teaching and learning abilities. CONCLUSION: There is a need for nurse educators to finding alternative ways to overcome challenges associated with teaching in large classes and prepare learners to render individualised, caring and holistic nursing care to each unique patient in the healthcare setting.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

At Stellenbosch University, South Africa, basic histology is taught to a combination class of almost 400 first-year medical, physiotherapy, and dietetic students. Many students often find the amount of work in basic histology lectures overwhelming and consequently loose interest. The aim was to determine if a draw-along mapping activity would focus students during large class lectures. After each lecture on three basic histology tissues, a guided draw-along mapping session covering the work from the lecture was introduced in the form of a click-advance PowerPoint presentation which was used to demonstrate the unfolding of an "ideal" map. The lecturer simultaneously drew a similar map using an overhead projector allowing the students to draw their own maps on blank sheets of paper along with the lecturer. Students remained attentive during the activity and many participated in answering informal questions posed by the lecturer as the map-making session progressed. After the last session, students completed an anonymous, voluntary questionnaire (response rate of 78%). The majority of students found the draw-along maps useful (94%) and believed that its use should be continued in the future (93%). A significant increase (P < 0.001) was found in the test results of student cohorts who were given the current intervention compared to cohorts from previous years who were given mind maps as handouts only or had no intervention. The use of the draw-along mapping sessions were successful in focusing students during large class lectures while also providing them with a useful tool for their studies.

Asunto(s)