Search results for: updated curriculum

Authors: Maria Krambia-Kapardis, Andreas Kapardis

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The relevant literature has been inundated with arguments for ethics, moral values, honesty, resilience, trust in leadership as well as responsible leadership. In many countries around the globe, and as shown by some recent reports, many political leaders are not role models and do not show best practices by being ethical, responsible, compassionate, and resilient. Journalists, whistleblowers, WikiLeaks, Al Jazeera, and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) have been brought out from the shadow of political leaders who lack the virtues/attributes outlined above by the UN Global Compact. A number of political leaders who lack ethical and responsible leadership skills will continue to find loopholes to enrich themselves and their close friends and relatives. Some researchers use the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic; however, this test, while it provides helpful and useful insights into the personality of a person who leads or inspire his/her people but does not show if that person is ethical, motivating, and empowers his people with trust and honesty. Thus, it is recommended that political leaders ought to undergo training that encompasses Aristotelian Ethics by embedding the appropriate values and behaviours in their strategies, policies, and decisions, enhancing the change factors that will help in the implementation of a more sustainable development model. Finally, there is a need to develop a pedagogy and a curriculum which enables the development of responsible political leaders.

Keywords: political leaders, corruption, anti-corruption, political corruption

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Authors: Jay-R. Hosana Leonidas, Jayson A. Lucilo

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The K-12 Curriculum in the Philippines shed light to mathematics education as it recognizes the use of smartphones/mobile phones as appropriate tools necessary in teaching mathematics. However, there were limited pieces of evidence on the use of these devices in teaching and learning process. This descriptive study developed lessons integrating the use of mobile phone applications with basis on low-level competencies of students in Precalculus and determined its effects on students’ conceptual understanding, procedural skills, and attitudes towards Precalculus. Employing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scheme in the study, lessons developed were conducted among Grade 11 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students at Central Bicol State University of Agriculture for the academic year 2018-2019. This study found that there is a significant difference between the competency levels of students along conceptual understanding and procedural skills prior to and after the conduct of lessons developed. Also, it disclosed that the use of mobile phone applications had positive effects on students’ attitudes towards Precalculus. Thus, the use of mobile phone applications in teaching Precalculus can enrich students’ understanding of concepts and procedural skills (solving and graphing skills) and can increase students’ motivation, self-confidence, and enjoyment in dealing with Precalculus.

Keywords: bring your own device, mathematics education, mobile phone applications, senior high school

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Authors: Ahmad Sahir Jais

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This paper is focusing on the roles played by Malaysian polytechnics in halal education in the context of technical, vocational education and training (TVET). A critical review of the previous literature, as well as documents analysis of the curriculum structure, highlighted several theme concerning dietary halal sectors in Malaysia as well as the depth of halal education ingrained in Malaysia polytechnics education system. Dietary halal in Malaysia has gained prominence exposure lately, due to the heighten awareness among Muslim consumers. Therefore, this has contributed to a surge in demand for halal food. Growth in halal sub sectors has a consequent effect with the demand for halal competent human capital resulting in demands for halal competent human capital by the industries cannot be matched by the educational institution. It can be concluded that, Malaysian Polytechnics has taken up the lead role in halal education in comparison with other academic institution in filling the needs for halal competent workers by offering halal related courses at diploma level as well as short courses for the local communities. They has successfully positioned themselves as an academic institution that meets the demands of the industry as the demand for halal competent workers which is expected to grow significantly due to new legislation introduces by the government, expansion of halal economy and increase awareness and interest in halal among consumer.

Keywords: halal in TVET, TVET, halal, Malaysian polytechnics

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Authors: Girish Choudhary

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Education is in a state of flux. Not only one need to acquire skills in order to cope with a fast changing global world, an explosive growth in technology, on the other hand is providing a new wave of teaching tools - computer aided video instruction, hypermedia, multimedia, CD-ROMs, Internet connections, and collaborative software environments. The emerging technology incorporates the group qualities of interactive, classroom-based learning while providing individual students the flexibility to participate in an educational programme at their own time and place. The technology facilitating self learning also seems to provide a cost effective solution to the dilemma of delivering education to masses. Online education is a unique learning domain that provides for many to many communications as well. The computer conferencing software defines the boundaries of the virtual classroom. The changing paradigm provides access of instruction to a large proportion of society, promises a qualitative change in the quality of learning and echoes a new way of thinking in educational theory that promotes active learning and open new learning approaches. Putting it to practice is challenging and may fundamentally alter the nature of educational institutions. The subsequent part of paper addresses such questions viz. 'Do we need to radically re-engineer the curriculum and foster an alternate set of skills in students?' in the onward journey.

Keywords: on-line education, self learning, energy and power engineering, future education

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Authors: Peter Akayuure, Michael Johnson Nabie

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Similar to many colonized nations in the world, one indelible mark left by colonial masters after Ghana’s independence in 1957 has been the fact that many contexts used to teach statistics and probability concepts are often alien and do not resonate with the social domain of our indigenous Ghanaian child. This has seriously limited the understanding, discoveries, and applications of mathematics for national developments. With the recent curriculum demands of making the Ghanaian child mathematically literate, this qualitative study involved video recordings and mathematical analysis of play sessions of an indigenous girl game called Ampe with the aim to demystify the concepts in probability theorem, which is applied in mathematics related fields of study. The mathematical analysis shows that the game of Ampe, which is widely played by school girls in Ghana, is suitable for learning concepts of the probability theorems. It was also revealed that as a girl game, the use of Ampe provides good lessons to educators, textbook writers, and teachers to rethink about the selection of mathematics tasks and learning contexts that are sensitive to gender. As we undertake to transform teacher education and student learning, the use of indigenous games should be critically revisited.

Keywords: Ampe, mathematical analysis, probability theorem, Ghanaian girl game

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Authors: Rafiat Olasumbo Akande

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Most college libraries in Oyo State show signs of unhealthy collection practices like the preponderance of non-recent collections and indiscriminate acquisition of sub-standard books from hawkers. The objective of this study, therefore, is to determine the extent at which available published materials in those college libraries are able to meet both knowledge and information needs of students in those institutions. A descriptive survey was conducted among 18 librarians and 21 library officers in three colleges purposively selected for the exercise using simple sampling technique. In all, 279 questionnaires were administered and out of those 279 administered, 265 were returned and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Three College Librarian were also interviewed. Findings from the study showed that due to the paucity of funds, obsolete materials, and sub-standard materials being procured from roadside book hawkers hinders the college libraries in meeting the information needs of the students in these college libraries. It then concluded that only when there is standard procedure for collection management and acquisition of library materials that the knowledge and information needs of the students could be met. The study recommends that students and curriculum review committee members from various departments should always be involved in determining materials needed by the library to meet students information needs and that institution authority must fund, monitor and ensure compliance with the acquisition policy in place in the college libraries.

Keywords: libraries, published materials, information needs, college, evaluation, students

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Authors: lidija Vujičić, Akvilina Čamber Tambolas

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The increasinginterest of ECCE policyandpractice in the issue of children'sparticipation in theirownlivesis a consequence of the changingimage of the childand the shift in focus to thechild as anactive participant in socio-culturalrealityinstead of theearlierfocus on thechild'sindividual development.TheConvention on the Rights of theChild (1989) stronglysupportstheimage of thechild as a competent participant in education - capable of formingopinions, withtheright to expressthemselves on allmattersaffectingthe mand with the right to haveadultsaroundthemrespectthis. Notwithstandingthecontemporaryparadigm of ECCE, however, achievements in thisarea are still in theirinfancy. This is evident in thepractices of ECCE, whereearlyyearsandpre-schoolchildren are stillseen as users of systemsandservicesratherthanagents of change in theirsocialcommunities. Recent literature identifiestheneed for lifelong, continuouslearning of preschoolteachersthroughresearchintotheirownpedagogicalpractice as aneffectiveway of bridgingthegapbetweentheoryandpracticeandcontinuouslyimprovingthequality of ECCE institutions. Notwithstandingthecontemporaryparadigm of ECCE, however, achievements in thisarea are still in theirinfancy. Recent literature identifiestheneed for lifelong, continuouslearning of preschoolteachersthroughresearchintotheirownpedagogicalpractice as aneffectiveway bridgingthegapbetweentheoryandpracticeandcontinuouslyimprovingthequality of ECCE institutions. Thispaperpresentstheprocess of actionresearchaimed at increasingchildren'sparticipation in (co-)designingthekindergartencurriculumandparticipation in decision-making on issuesaffectingtheirstay in theinstitution. Thisactionresearchtook place in 2 facilities of theinstitution ECCE - DV Rijeka. In thisresearchparticipated 5 preschoolteachersworking in 4 pedagogicalgroups, where childrenfrom 2 to 7 yearsold are enrolled. Also, the process of development of reflexivepractice of preschoolteacherswhoparticipated in thisresearchispresented.

Keywords: action research, co-construction of curriculum, participation of children, reflexive practice

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Authors: Rana Alghamdi

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This study explored teachers’ perceptions of rough-and-tumble (R&T) play in early childhood education in Saudi Arabia. The literature on rough-and-tumble play in Saudi Arabia is limited in scope, and more research is needed to explore teachers’ perceptions on this type of play for early learners. The pertinent literature reveals that R&T play, which includes running, jumping, fighting, wrestling, chasing, pulling, pushing, and climbing, among other rough playful activities, can positively impact learning and development across psychosocial, emotional, and cognitive domains. Teachers’ understanding of R & T play is key, and the attitudes of Saudi early childhood teachers who are responsible for implementing curriculum-based play have not been fully researched. Four early childhood teachers from an urban Saudi preschool participated in the study. The data collected in this study were interpreted through a sociocultural lens. Data sources included in-depth interviews, photo-elicitation interviews, and participant-generated drawings. Three overarching themes emerged: teachers’ concerns about rough-and-tumble play, teachers’ perceptions about the benefits of rough-and-tumble play, and teachers’ expression of gender roles in R & T play as contextualized within Saudi culture. Saudi teachers’ perceptions are discussed in detail, and implications of the findings and recommendations for future research are put forth.

Keywords: rough and tumble play, gender, culture, early childhood, Saudi Arabia

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Authors: Naor Cohen

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In recent years, business schools made teaching ethical leadership a higher priority. Greater attention to moral and ethical concepts and reasoning processes may prove beneficial to future business leaders. But with a shift in focus, there is a need for a shift in pedagogy. This paper explores an imaginative literature-based pedagogy in the teaching of ethical leadership. An imaginative literature-based pedagogy uses works of fiction to help students build moral analysis and moral judgment capabilities through a rigorous assessment of the moral soundness of actions, motivations, rationales, and consequences portrayed in works of fiction. Business students enrolled in 4 leadership senior-level courses were assigned the White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga as their main course reading. Students' engagement was measured as a three-factor construct exploring cognitive engagement, behavioural engagement and emotional engagement. In addition, students' final papers were analyzed using thematic content analysis. This paper will present the results of this analysis and argue that incorporating fiction into the leadership curriculum allows students to explore the dire consequences of avoiding countervailing interests, engaging in dishonesty and engaging in moral puffery-based leadership.

Keywords: ethical leadership, empathetic imagination, business education, pedagogy, fiction

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Authors: Gladys Gakenia Njoroge

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Mathematics is a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary schools in Kenya. However, learners’ poor performance in the subject in Kenya national examinations year in year out remains a serious concern for teachers of Mathematics, parents, curriculum developers, and the general public. This is particularly worrying because of the importance attached to the subject in national development hence the need to find out what could be affecting learning of Mathematics in Kenyan schools. The research on which this paper is based sought to examine the factors that influence performance in Mathematics in Kenyan schools; identify the characteristics of Mathematics learning disabilities; determine how the learners with such learning disabilities can be assessed and identified and interventions for these difficulties implemented. A case study was undertaken on class six learners in a primary school in Nairobi County. The tools used for the research were: classroom observations and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed by the teachers with the help of the researcher. This paper therefore highlights the findings from the research, discusses the implications of the findings and suggests the way forward as far as teaching, learning and assessment of Mathematics in Kenyan schools is concerned. Perhaps with the application of the right interventions, poor performance in Mathematics in the national examinations in Kenya will be a thing of the past.

Keywords: demystifying mathematics, individualized education program, learning difficulties, assessment

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Authors: T. M. Buthelezi, E. O. Olagundoye, R. G. L. Cele

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This article argues that whilst African folklore has mainly been used for entertainment, it also has an educational value that has power to change young people’s attitudes and behavior. The paper is informed by the findings from the data that was generated from 154 university students who were coming from diverse backgrounds. The qualitative data was thematically analysed. Referring to the six steps of the behaviour change model, we found that African Folklore provides relevant cultural knowledge and instills values that enable young people to engage on self-reflection that eventually leads them towards attitudinal changes and behaviour modification. Using the transformative learning theory, we argue that African Folklore in itself is a pedagogical strategy that integrates cultural knowledge, values with entertainment elements concisely enough to take the young people through a transformative phase which encompasses psychological, convictional and life-style adaptation. During data production stage all ethical considerations were observed including obtaining gatekeeper’s permission letter and ethical clearance certificate from the Ethics Committee of the University. The paper recommends that African Folklore approach should be incorporated into the school curriculum particularly in life skills education with aims to change behaviour.

Keywords: African folklore, young people, attitudinal, behavior change, university students

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Authors: Ira Slabodar

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Autonomous learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) refers to the use of target language, learner collaboration and students’ responsibility for their learning. Teachers play a vital role of mediators and facilitators in self-regulated method. Thus, their perception of self-guided practices dictates their implementation of this approach. While research has predominantly focused on inadequate administration of autonomous learning in school mostly due to lack of appropriate teacher training, this study examined whether novice teachers who were exposed to extensive autonomous practices were likely to implement this method in their teaching. Twelve novice teachers were interviewed to examine their perception of learner autonomy and their administration of this method. It was found that three-thirds of the respondents experienced a gap between familiarity with autonomous learning and a favorable attitude to this approach and their deficient integration of self-directed learning. Although learner-related and institution-oriented factors played a role in this gap, it was mostly caused by the respondents’ not being genuinely autonomous. This may be due to indirect exposure rather than explicit introduction of the learner autonomy approach. The insights of this research may assist curriculum designers and heads of teacher training programs to rethink course composition to guarantee the transfer of methodologies into EFL classes.

Keywords: learner autonomy, teacher training, english as a foreign language (efl), genuinely autonomous teachers, explicit instruction, self-determination theory

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Authors: Munir Majdalawieh, Adam Marks

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In today’s very competitive higher education industry (HEI), HEIs are faced with the primary concern of developing, deploying, and sustaining high quality academic programs. Today, the HEI has well-established accreditation systems endorsed by a country’s legislation and institutions. The accreditation system is an educational pathway focused on the criteria and processes for evaluating educational programs. Although many aspects of the accreditation process highlight both the past and the present (prove), the “program review” assessment is "forward-looking assessment" (improve) and thus transforms the process into a continuing assessment activity rather than a periodic event. The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual measurement framework for program review to be used by HEIs to undertake a robust and targeted approach to proactively and continuously review their academic programs to evaluate its practicality and effectiveness as well as to improve the education of the students. The proposed framework consists of two main components: program review principles and the program review measurement matrix.

Keywords: academic program, program review principles, curriculum development, accreditation, evaluation, assessment, review measurement matrix, program review process, information technologies supporting learning, learning/teaching methodologies and assessment

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Authors: Mohd Zaki Hamzah, Roslan Rani, Ahmad Bazli Razali, Satiful Bahri Mamat, Abdul Hadi Ripin, Mohd Harun Esa

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Ever since 1901, forest management and silviculture practices in Malaysia have been frequently reviewed and updated to take into account changes in forest conditions, markets, timber demand/supply and technical advances that can be achieved in industrial processes, logging and forest harvesting, and currently, the forest management system practiced in Peninsular Malaysia is the Selective Management System (SMS) which was introduced in 1978. This system requires the selection of management regime (felling) based on Pre-Felling Forest Inventory (Pre-F) data to ensure economical harvesting and also ensuring adequate standing stands for subsequent rounds of felling, while maintaining ecological balance and environmental quality. SMS regulates forest harvesting through area and volume controls, with the cutting cycle 30 years. Most of the forest management units (FMU) (in Peninsular Malaysia) implementing SMS have been certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and one such FMU belongs to Kumpulan Pengurusan Kayu Kayan Terengganu (KPKKT). KPKKT, a timber management subsidiary of Golden Pharos Berhad (GPB), adopts the SMS to manage its 108,900 ha of timber concessionary areas in its role as logs’ supplier for the consumption of three subsidiaries of GPB. KPKKT is also responsible for the sustainable development and management of its concession in accordance with the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) standards to ensure that it addresses the loss of forest cover and forest degradation, forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits, and ecologically protecting forests while mobilising financial resources for the implementation of sustainable forest management planning, harvesting, monitoring and the marketing of products. This paper will detail out the management and harvesting guidelines imposed by the controlling government agency, and harvesting processes taken by KPKKT to comply with guidelines and eventually supplying timber to the relevant subsidiaries (downstream mills under GPB).

Keywords: sustainable forest management, silviculture, reduce impact logging, forest certification

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Authors: Yong Wee Foo, Lai Meng Tang

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Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly the usage of deep neural networks for hierarchical representations from data, has found numerous complex applications across various domains, including computer vision, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and other scientific fields. However, their inherent “black box” nature can sometimes make it challenging for early researchers or school students of various levels to comprehend and trust the results they produce. Consequently, there has been a growing demand for reliable visualization tools in engineering and science education to help learners understand, trust, and explain a deep learning network. This has led to a notable emphasis on the visualization of AI in the research community in recent years. AI visualization tools are increasingly being adopted to significantly improve the comprehension of complex topics in deep learning. This paper proposes a novel approach to empower students to actively explore the inner workings of deep neural networks by combining the student-centered learning approach of flipped classroom models with the investigative power of AI visualization tools, namely, the TensorFlow Playground, the Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME), and the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), for delivering an AI education curriculum. Combining the two factors is vital in fostering ownership, responsibility, and critical thinking skills in the age of AI.

Keywords: deep learning, explainable AI, AI visualization, representation learning

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Authors: S. Goel

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In the current scenario, education should be realistic and nature-friendly. The earlier definition of education was restricted to the holistic development of the child which help them to increase their capacity and helps in social upliftment. But such definition gives a more individualistic aim of education. Due to that individualistic aim, we have become disconnected from nature. So, a school should be a place which provides students with an area to explore. They should get practical learning or learning from nature which is also propounded by Rousseau in the mid-eighteenth century. Integrating Sustainable development goals in the school curriculum will make it possible to connect the nature with the lives of the children in the classroom. Then, students will be more aware and sensitive towards their social and natural surroundings. The research attempts to examine the efficiency of project-based learning in mathematics to create awareness around sustainable development goals. The major finding of the research was that students are less aware of sustainable development goals, but when given time and an appropriate learning environment, students can be made aware of these goals. In this research, project-based learning was used to make students aware of sustainable development goals. Students were given pre test and post test which helped in analyzing their performance. After the intervention, post test result showed that mathematics projects can create an awareness of sustainable development goals.

Keywords: holistic development, natural learning, project based learning, sustainable development goals

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Authors: Hajra Hussain

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Positive education, the inclusion of social, emotional and intellectual skills across a curriculum, is fundamental to the optimal functioning of young people in any society because it combines the best teaching practices with the principles of positive psychology. While learning institutions foster academic skills, little attention is being paid to the identification and development of character strengths and their integration into teaching. There is an increasing recognition of the important role education plays in equipping today’s youth with 21st century social skills. For youth to succeed in this highly competitive environment, there is a need for positive education that is focused on character strengths such as the growth of social, emotional and intellectual skills that promote the flourishing of well-rounded individuals. Character strength programs and awareness are a necessity if the human capital within a region is to be competitive, productive and happy. The Counselling & Wellbeing Centre at Amity University Dubai has consistently implemented Character Strength awareness workshops and has found that such workshops have increased student life satisfaction due to individual awareness of signature strengths. A positive education/positive psychology framework with its key focus on the development of character strengths can be fundamental to individual's confidence and self-awareness; thus allowing both optimum flourishing and functioning.

Keywords: positive psychology, positive education, strengths, youth, happiness

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Authors: Muhammad Yasir Babar, Ebrahim Panah

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Over the past 20 years, internet has seen continual advancement and with the advent of online technology, various types of web-based games have been developed. Games are frequently being used among different age groups from baby boomers to generation Z. Games are not only used for entertainment but also utilized as a learning approach transmitting education to a level that is more interesting and effective for students. One of the popular web-based education games is Kahoot with growing popularity and usage, which is being used in different fields of studies. However, little knowledge is available on university students’ perception of Kahoot environment and application for learning subjects. Hence, the objective of the current study is to investigate students’ perceptions of Kahoot application and environment as a learning tool. The study employed a survey approach by distributing Google Forms –created questionnaire, with high level of reliability index, to 62 students (11 males and 51 females). The findings show that students have positive attitudes towards Kahoot application and its environment for learning. Regarding Kahoot application, it was indicated that activities created using Kahoot are more interesting for students, Kahoot is useful for collaborative learning, and Kahoot enhances interest in learning lesson. In terms of Kahoot environment, it was found that using this application through mobile is easy for students, its design is simple and useful, Kahoot-created activities can easily be shared, and the application can easily be used on any platform. The findings of the study have implications for instructors, policymakers and curriculum developers.

Keywords: application, environment, Kahoot, learning tool

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Authors: Rosemary I. Eneji, Stephen Adi Odey, Edem Carole, Eucharia Nwagbara

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Sexual and reproductive health behaviors are the main causes of death, disability, and disease among adolescents in Nigeria. In this study, we determined the accessibility of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services to secondary school adolescents in southern Cross River state, Nigeria. Nineteen randomly selected public secondary schools across the seven local government areas in the zone were used. The respondents were four hundred senior secondary (classes SSI - SS3) students aged 15-19 years, comprising 63.7% females and 36.3% males. A 50-item structured questionnaire was used for the study. There was a strong influence of age and sex of adolescents, income and occupation of parents, knowledge and awareness of adolescents, and tradition on the accessibility and use of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services (YFSRHS) to the adolescents. The attitude of health workers towards accessibility was of little effect. Overall, youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services were not easily accessible to adolescents in the study area. Thus, there is need to enforce adolescent reproductive health policies in the area. Training and use of trained caregivers and peer educators to attend to adolescents and the inclusion of adolescent reproductive health as a subject in the curriculum are strongly recommended.

Keywords: youth, reproductive health, cross river state, secondary schools, Nigeria

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Authors: Esther Mafunda

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The present study interrogated the lecturer’s skills in supporting visually impaired students during the Covid-19 era at the University of Zimbabwe. It particularly assesses how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the learning experience of visually impaired students and which skills the lecturers possessed in order to assist the visually impaired students during online learning. Data was collected from lecturers and visually impaired students at the University of Zimbabwe Disability Resource Centre. Data was collected through the use of interviews and questionnaires. Using content analysis, it was established that visually impaired students faced challenges of lack of familiarity with the Moodle learning platform, marginalization, lack of professional training, and lack of training for parents and guardians. Lecturers faced challenges of lack of training, the curriculum, access, and technical know-how deficit. It was established that lecturers had to resort to social media platforms in order to assist visually impaired students. Visually impaired students also received assistance from their friends and family members. On the basis of the results of the research, it can be concluded that lecturers needed in-service training to be provided with the necessary skills and knowledge to teach students with visual impairments and provide quality education to students with visual impairments.

Keywords: visual impairment, disability, covid-19, inclusive learning

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Authors: Veronica Kah Jo Wong, Yoke Mui Lim, Nurul Sakina Mokhtar Azizi

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The impact on the construction industry in Malaysia is unprecedented, as the government implemented a lockdown to restrict human movement in an effort to stop COVID-19 from spreading. Quantity surveyor (QS), as one of the key construction professionals, found that the working practices and environments for quantity surveyors today have changed due to the current pandemic. The QS profession must deal not only with changes in project issues but also with a different working environment in which most people are required to work from home and follow the standard operating procedures. Therefore, QS should be flexible, agile, and have the capability to adapt to the current working practices by strengthening their competencies. Adapting to the current and recovering environment of COVID-19 may result in the emergence of a new competence such as skill and knowledge for QS in order to maintain the quality of performance in the delivery of their professional services. Thus, this paper's objective is to investigate the changes in knowledge and skills in quantity surveyors. The data will be collected through interviews with registered professional QS to gain better insights that are specific in this industry, and the findings will be verified using the Delphi method. It is hoped that new knowledge and skill will be found from the study and will not only contribute to the betterment of the professional QS but also in guiding higher learning institutions to incorporate the new competencies into their curriculum.

Keywords: competency, COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia, quantity surveying

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Authors: F. Rashno Seydari, M. Nikafrooz

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This paper intends to study needs analysis of hearing-impaired students’ teachers in elementary schools all over Iran. The subjects of this study were 275 teachers who were teaching hearing-impaired students in elementary schools. The participants were selected by a quota sampling method. To collect the data, questionnaires of training needs consisting of 41 knowledge items and 31 performance items were used. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS software in the form of descriptive analyses (frequency and mean) and inferential analyses (one sample t-test, paired t-test, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficient). The findings of the study indicated that teachers generally have considerable needs in knowledge and performance domains. In 32 items out of the total 41 knowledge domain items and in the 27 items out of the total 31 performance domain items, the teachers had considerable needs. From the quantitative point of view, the needs of the performance domain were more than those of the knowledge domain, so they have to be considered as the first priority in training these teachers. There was no difference between the level of the needs of male and female teachers. There was a significant difference between the knowledge and performance domain needs and the teachers’ teaching experience, 0.354 and 0.322 respectively. The teachers who had been trained in working with hearing-impaired students expressed more training needs (both knowledge and performance).

Keywords: educational needs analysis, teachers of hearing impaired students, knowledge domain, function domain

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Authors: Nazir Amir

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Teaching approaches to present science and mathematics content amongst academically-low-achieving students may need to be different than approaches that are adopted for the more academically-inclined students, primarily due to the different learning needs and learning styles of these students. In crafting out lessons to motivate and engage these students, teachers need to consider the backgrounds of these students and have a good understanding of their interests so that lessons can be presented in ways that appeal to them, and made relevant not just to the world around them, but also to their personal experiences. This presentation highlights how the author worked with a Professional Learning Community (PLC) of teachers in crafting out fun and feasible classroom teaching approaches to present science and mathematics content in ways that are made Relevant, Appealing, and Personal (RAP) to groups of academically-low-achieving students in Singapore. Feedback from the students and observations from their work suggest that they were engaged through the RAP-modes of instruction, and were able to appreciate the role of science and mathematics through a variety of low-cost design-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities. Such results imply that teachers teaching academically-low-achieving students, and those in under-resourced communities, could consider infusing RAP-infused instructions into their lessons in getting students develop positive attitudes towards STEM subjects.

Keywords: STEM Education, STEAM Education, Curriculum Instruction, Academically At-Risk Students, Singapore

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Authors: Yash Goyal, Manish Korde, Juned Siddiqui

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Today online education has gained more popularity so that people can easily complete their curriculum on their own time. Virtual learning has been widely used by many educators, especially in higher education institutions due to its benefits to students and faculty. A good knowledge of teaching theory and instructional design systems is required to experience meaningful learning. However, most educational websites are not designed to adapt to all screen sizes. Making the website accessible on all screen sizes is our main objective, so we have created a website that is readily accessible across all screen sizes and accepts all types of payment methods. And we see generally educational websites interface is simple and unexciting. So, we have made a user interface attractive and user friendly. It is not enough for a website to be user-friendly, but also to be familiar to admins and to reduce the workload of the admin as well. We visited so many popular websites under development that they all had issues like responsiveness, simple interface, security measures, payment methods, etc. To overcome this limitation, we have created a website which has taken care of security issues that is why we have created only one admin id and it can be control from that only. And if the user has successfully done the payment, then the admin can send him a username and password through mail individually so there will no fraud in the payment of the course.

Keywords: responsive, accessible, attractive, interface, objective, security.

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Authors: Fuling Deng

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Today’s children are frequently exposed to multimodal texts that adopt diverse modes to communicate myriad meanings within different cultural contexts. To respond to the new textual landscape, scholars have considered new literacy theories which propose picturebooks as important educational resources. Picturebooks are multimodal, with their meaning conveyed through the synchronisation of multiple modes, including linguistic, visual, spatial, and gestural acting as access to multimodal literacy. Picturebooks have been popular reading materials in primary educational settings in China. However, often viewed as “easy” texts directed at the youngest readers, picturebooks remain on the margins of Chinese upper primary classrooms, where they are predominantly used for linguistic tasks, with little value placed on their multimodal affordances. Practices with picturebooks in the upper grades in Chinese primary schools also encounter many challenges associated with the curation of texts for use, designing curriculum, and assessment. To respond to these issues, a qualitative study was conducted with a community of Chinese primary teachers using multi-methods such as interviews, focus groups, and documents. The findings showed the impact of the teachers’ increased awareness of picturebooks' multimodal affordances on their pedagogical decisions in using picturebooks as educational resources in upper primary classrooms.

Keywords: picturebook education, multimodal literacy, teachers' response to contemporary picturebooks, community of practice

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Authors: Amy Lebar, Kim L. Trenbath, Bennett Doherty, William Livingood

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Plug and process loads (PPLs) account for 47% of U.S. commercial building energy use. There is a huge potential to reduce whole building consumption by targeting PPLs for energy savings measures or implementing some form of plug load management (PLM). Despite this potential, there has yet to be a widely adopted commercial PLM technology. This paper describes the Automatic Type and Location Identification System (ATLIS), a PLM system framework with automatic and dynamic load detection (ADLD). ADLD gives PLM systems the ability to automatically identify devices as they are plugged into the outlets of a building. The ATLIS framework takes advantage of smart, connected devices to identify device locations in a building, meter and control their power, and communicate this information to a central database. ATLIS includes five primary capabilities: location identification, communication, control, energy metering and data storage. A laboratory proof of concept (PoC) demonstrated all but the data storage capabilities and these capabilities were validated using an office building scenario. The PoC can identify when a device is plugged into an outlet and the location of the device in the building. When a device is moved, the PoC’s dashboard and database are automatically updated with the new location. The PoC implements controls to devices from the system dashboard so that devices maintain correct schedules regardless of where they are plugged in within a building. ATLIS’s primary technology application is improved PLM, but other applications include asset management, energy audits, and interoperability for grid-interactive efficient buildings. A system like ATLIS could also be used to direct power to critical devices, such as ventilators, during a brownout or blackout. Such a framework is an opportunity to make PLM more widespread and reduce the amount of energy consumed by PPLs in current and future commercial buildings.

Keywords: commercial buildings, grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB), miscellaneous electric loads (MELs), plug loads, plug load management (PLM)

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Authors: Muhammad Yusuf Sulfarano Barusman

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Research for the strategic formulation of competitive advantage development on Indonesian Private Higher Education Institutions (IPHEI) is mostly done using positivistic paradigm by means of analytical thinking. This study emphasized of the participatory paradigm by using synthesis as a way of thinking in order to achieve its goal. The purposes of this study are to: 1) build future scenario of the external environmental dynamics that will be encountered by IPHEI, 2) formulate a strategy that can be implemented by IPHEI through developing the organization's competitive advantage in the future. The used research methodology is Participatory Prospective Analysis (PPA). The results showed that the future scenario of external environmental conditions that will be encountered by IPHEI in the future can be described in three conditions, namely: optimistic, moderate, and pessimistic scenarios. The strategic formulation from the research results is based on four internal factors as its foundation (the effectiveness of leadership, the availability of funds and financing, the effectiveness of human resource management strategy, and the relevance of curriculum). A set of resulted strategic formulation is knowledge of the experts that needed to be followed up wisely so that their use can be optimized for the development of IPHE organizational competitive advantage in the future.

Keywords: competitive advantage, participatory prospective analysis, PPA, private higher education institutions, PHEI, strategic formulation

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Authors: Merry Pearl Rupinta, Rivika Alda

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Inclusive education provides the same opportunity for all students regardless of the difficulties they encounter. Teaching English to learners with special education needs (LSENs) is a significant factor for learners to cope with the academic demands in the regular class. However, these special education (SPED) teachers lack specialized training to teach specific skills in English. Using purposive sampling, this study explored the lived experience of nine SPED teachers handling English to learners with intellectual disabilities from the four divisions of Region 10. An interview schedule, validated by experts, was used in conducting the investigation, where a semi-structured one-on-one interview was employed. The data were analyzed using Smith's (2009) five-step data analysis. The study highlighted themes on challenges in teaching English, coping strategies, adjusted classroom management, and inclusivity. The results suggest that SPED teachers' experience teaching English is a continuous and indefinite loop that continues until the primary goal of mainstreaming LSENs into the regular class is achieved. This study recommends that policymakers and curriculum developers focus their efforts on professional development through a series of training on various strategies and approaches in teaching English that can help SPED teachers provide a more effective and efficient teaching-learning experience.

Keywords: English language teaching, inclusive education, intellectual disability, special education

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Authors: Isaac Benning

Abstract:

Using technology to expand the learning space is critical for a productive mathematical discourse. This is a case study of two teachers who developed and enacted GeoGebra-based mathematics lessons following their engagement in a two-year professional development. The didactical and semiotic affordance of GeoGebra in widening the learning space for a productive mathematical discourse was explored. The approach of thematic analysis was used for lesson artefact, lesson observation, and interview data. The results indicated that constructing tools in GeoGebra provided a didactical milieu where students used them to explore mathematical concepts with little or no support from their teacher. The prompt feedback from the GeoGebra motivated students to practice mathematical concepts repeatedly in which they privately rethink their solutions before comparing their answers with that of their colleagues. The constructing tools enhanced self-discovery, team spirit, and dialogue among students. With regards to the semiotic construct, the tools widened the physical and psychological atmosphere of the classroom by providing animations that served as virtual concrete to enhance the recording, manipulation, testing of a mathematical idea, construction, and interpretation of geometric objects. These findings advance the discussion of widening the classroom for a productive mathematical discourse within the context of the mathematics curriculum of Ghana and similar Sub-Saharan African countries.

Keywords: GeoGebra, theory of didactical situation, semiotic mediation, mathematics laboratory, mathematical discussion

Procedia PDF Downloads 103

Authors: Habibullah Pathan

Abstract:

The present study aims to explore problems faced by English Language Teachers (ELT) while implementing the Outcome Based Education (OBE) model in engineering universities of Sindh. OBE is an emerging model initiative of the International Engineering Alliance. Traditional educational systems are teacher-centered or curriculum-centered, in which learners are not able to achieve desired outcomes, but the OBE model enables learners to know the outcomes before the start of the program. OBE is a circular process that begins from the needs and demands of society to stakeholders who ask the experts to produce the alumnus who can fulfill the needs and ends up getting new enrollment in the respective programs who can work according to the demands. In all engineering institutions, engineering courses besides English language courses are taught on the OBE model. English language teachers were interviewed to learn the in-depth of the problems faced by them. The study found that teachers were facing problems including pedagogical, OBE training, assessment, evaluation and administrative support. This study will be a guide for public and private English language teachers to cope with these challenges while teaching the English language on the OBE model. OBE is an emerging model by which the institutions can produce such a product that can meet the demands.

Keywords: problems of ELT teachers, outcome based education (OBE), implementing, assessment

Procedia PDF Downloads 65