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Contribution: Results and conclusions on the use of a hybrid Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach to teaching programming in a higher education computing department. Background: PBL is a pedagogical approach that facilitates “learning by doing” and can create compelling educational experiences that enhance a student’s intrinsic motivation. Engagement can increase because students design their own unique projects, which have personal meaning and importance. PBL facilitates working with industrial clients to solve problems, which can create powerful extrinsic motivation. However, PBL can fail when students lack the experience and confidence to work as independent learners. Research Questions: 1) Can a hybrid PBL approach mitigate these problems by using a range of additional initiatives? These include, a wide range of on-demand learning resources, student mentoring, students collaborating with teachers to grade their own work, regular feedback milestones and scaffolding of learning via streaming. In this case streaming means offering students pathways through projects that require more or less independent research and project management. Methodology: A mixed methods study of a new hybrid approach to teaching programming. Findings: This article summarizes the author’s experience of implementing hybrid PBL within a university computing department, associated with improved student attainment and describes best practice, the advantages and the pitfalls. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

Introduction: Rural Canadians have poorer health indices than their urban counterparts and struggle with worse access to care due to an undersupply of physicians. Research has identified personal factors, such as being raised in a rural environment, and traits, such as lower harm avoidance, among those drawn to rural practice. As well, the impact of aspects of medical training, such as rural rotations, have been recognized in creating rural practice intentions, but the role of specific clinical competencies here has yet to be determined. Emergency medicine is often one of the most challenging components of rural practice and thought by some to have its competencies poorly developed in family practice training. We hypothesized a model for rural practice affinity in which a strong sense of general self-efficacy would be independently mediated by the development of emergency medicine competence and rural practice self-efficacy, leading to stronger intentions to embark on a rural practice career. Methods: This model was tested using the data from a survey of all family medicine residents nearing graduation from 14 of the 17 Canadian medical schools. Demographics and data on factors known to influence a rural career choice were collected and accounted for when determining the strength of the hypothesized relationships. Both existing and specifically designed survey tools were used to assess model components. A partial correlation matrix between the variables of interest (general self-efficacy, emergency medicine competency, rural practice self-efficacy, and rural practice intentions) – controlling for the effects of relationships, financial aspects, personal aspects, and social desirability – was created and subjected to a structural equation model. Results: Our initial rural practice affinity model resulted in a poor fit of the model to the data. However, the addition of a pathway from emergency medicine competence to rural practice selfefficacy improved the model to one showing significant paths as hypothesized as well as excellent measures of fit. Discussion: The importance of general self-efficacy is recognized and is itself mediated by the more specific rural practice self efficacy to rural practice intentions, consistent with the literature. Emergency medicine competency has a central role in both mediating general self-efficacy to rural practice intentions, while also being mediated itself by rural practice self-efficacy to rural practice intentions. This provides new understanding in the development of rural practice self-efficacy. The link of emergency medicine competency to both rural practice self-efficacy and rural practice intentions suggests that this is a curricular area that deserves greater focus and consideration of how to ensure that residents are meeting emergency medicine requirements and receiving robust training in this area. This is especially important as there have been significant concerns from various groups on the efficacy of emergency medicine training in family medicine residency. Conclusion: These findings will help inform residency program curriculum and pedagogies, underlining the critical role of emergency medicine competence to support rural physician identity formation and to improve physician recruitment to rural Canada. © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Rocky school‐to‐work transition processes, characterized by spells of unemployment and education–job mismatch, can have long‐lasting scarring effects on young people and often lead to a loss of income and occupational status. However, the mechanisms that either foster or prevent unemployment scarring are underinvestigated. Our article thus asks whether vocational education and training (VET) diploma holders’ unemployment duration and the probability of status loss at labour market re‐entry are affected by the interplay between occupation‐specific labour demand and young workers’ skill sets acquired in VET. Our theoretical approach combines job search, human capital, and signalling theory with arguments from structural segmentation approaches. Our analyses use complete national register data on VET diploma holders who became unemployed during their early careers. We combine national register data on unemployment spells with register data on education trajectories in Switzerland and occupation‐specific labour demand data. Results from event‐history analyses indicate that unemployment episodes are associated with lower employment chances and higher risk of status loss of VET diploma holders. These general patterns are attenuated by occupation‐specific labour demand and the skills taught in vocational training programmes. Re‐employment chances are higher and the risk of status loss lower when occupation‐specific labour demand is high and few of the accessible job opportunities offer lower status than the job before unemployment. Additionally, we find that workers who trained in occupations imparting large proportions of occupation‐specific skills have a higher re‐employment probability but also face a higher risk of status loss than those who trained in occupations imparting larger proportions of general skills. Our findings indicate a trade‐off between occupation‐specific skills and general skills. © 2025 by the author(s).

This article focuses on the use of innovative and integrative approaches in the process of conducting practical training in mathematics in higher education institutions of a technical nature. Our goal is to introduce methods for implementing the principles of a synergistic approach in improving the methodology of teaching mathematics in technical higher education institutions. As a result, it is intended to increase the cognitive activity of students by strengthening the importance of mathematics in technology, develop independent thinking, systematic thinking and analytical approaches. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Introduction: Although university education in Germany is without tuition fees, the parental educational background influences the decision to study as well as the choice of subjects, and is linked to challenges that students face during the course of study. However, little is known about these aspects in veterinary medicine. In this study, the differences between the first-generation students (FGS) and continuing-generation students (CGS) in veterinary medicine, as well as the challenges (study entrance, financial situation, concerns about the future), are examined in order to identify any need for supportive action. Methods: The results of this study are based on a survey that was open to all German veterinary students in Spring 2023. Results: Responses from 1,525 students were analyzed (response rate 24%). A considerable proportion of veterinary students (40%) in Germany are FGS. They are more likely to rate their financial situation as poor (20%) or very poor (7%) than CGS (poor: 10%, very poor: 3%). Even though FGS and CGS work for income alongside their studies in similar proportions (FGS: 71%; CGS: 67%), the motivation was different: CGS are more likely to work in order to earn extra money (CGS: 68%; FGS: 49%) and FGS because other sources of income are insufficient (FGS: 34%; CGS: 12%). A similar proportion of FGS and CGS frequently or consistently considers dropping out of university (FGS: 10%; CGS: 11%). However, in FSG this is more often due to financial reasons (FGS: 28%, CGS: 16%). Almost all students have a high school-based university entrance qualification (97%). Final school grades of CGS were better on average than those of FGS. More FGS than CGS had already completed vocational training prior to their studies (FGS: 47%, CGS: 30%). Discussion: In conclusion, FGS and CGS differ in their own educational background and the financial challenges in veterinary education. It is therefore important to create an awareness of challenges related to the social background of veterinary students. Moreover, support services to counteract challenges of FGS (and CGS) are needed. There is a need for further research concerning the associations between parental educational background and academic and professional success in veterinary medicine. © © 2025 Kracht, Doherr and Jensen.

This article examines the pedagogical impact of a strategically structured guest speaker series in a graduate-level community development seminar. Drawing on four cohorts of qualitative student feedback and utilizing an inductive thematic analysis, the study explores how guest speakers influence student learning, professional development, and civic engagement. Findings reveal that guest speakers effectively bridge theory and practice, enhance classroom engagement, and foster critical thinking, career exploration, and long-term civic involvement. Students reported that interacting with diverse professionals helped clarify real-world applications of course content and inspired volunteerism, internships, and employment opportunities. The paper also identifies conditions that enhance the effectiveness of guest speaker sessions, including alignment with course themes, diversity of speaker backgrounds, and structured student preparation. The study concludes by offering guidance on adapting this model to online, hybrid, and large-enrollment courses. Recommendations include virtual guest integration, group-based assignments, and student-led facilitation techniques to maintain engagement across varied learning environments. This research contributes to scholarship on political science and community development pedagogy by demonstrating how guest speakers, when thoughtfully implemented, can serve as transformative tools for experiential learning and civic education. © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Aim/Purpose The purpose of this review is to investigate current research on gamification for adult lifelong learning, including tertiary education, work-based learning, and in-formal learning.Background As teaching methods still rely on traditional methods, the necessity of a para-digm shift in teaching methods to foster motivation and leverage better learning outcomes remains a challenge. One of the proposed solutions is to make learn-ing more attractive via contextualized designs that follow the principles of gami-fication.Methodology To address the research questions, a systematic literature review was conducted, based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Anal-yses (PRISMA) protocol. As part of the systematic literature review, articles published between 2014 and 2024 were sought. The search query consisted of the various Boolean operators and search terms. The search was conducted in ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, ERIC, and Scopus. Of the 232 articles identified, 141 were selected by applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. After reviewing the abstracts of the selected studies, 36 articles were included in the review.Contribution This study contributes by providing a thorough review of the current state of gamified learning in the field of adult education. It synthesizes previous research and offers insights into technologies, theories, elements, and learning outcomes of gamified educational interventions. Moreover, this review highlights the po-tential of gamification to enhance learning experiences through the integration of game elements into educational design, resulting in more efficient and pro-ductive training models.Findings The study revealed that gamified learning is applicable in a variety of subjects, predominantly in areas related to business administration, economics, and peda-gogical studies, as corroborated by prior research. It is diverse and depends on several factors, including the educational purpose, the learning profile, the es-tablished learning objectives, and the desired learning outcomes. Gamified learning yields significant learning outcomes for adult learners.Recommendations for PractitionersGamification offers significant potential for enhancing motivation, engagement, and learning in various key areas, including formal education in higher educa-tion, corporate training, healthcare, workplace settings, and sustainability. More-over, when a designer integrates game elements into non-gameful environ-ments, it is crucial to consider specific design parameters. The research indicates that when game elements are thoroughly designed to align with the learning characteristics of adult learners and are based on learning theories related to gamified learning, they enhance the motivation to engage in learning activities. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the learners’ self-efficacy.Recommendations for Researchers Further investigations into the application of gamified adult education through Learning Management Systems (LMS) are needed. This includes the effective-ness and sustainability of using advanced applications of adaptive and personal-ized gamification with embedded artificial intelligence in open learning environ-ments, which appears to be a new trend.Impact on Society The key outcomes are associated with the enhancement of learning perfor-mance and the acquisition of practical knowledge and skills that can be applied in real-world scenarios, such as work environments. In these environments, adults will be able to solve practical problems and enhance their work perfor-mance and productivity.Future Research As research continues to verify the effectiveness of gamification in terms of learning benefits, further investigation is needed to explore different educational levels and span the continuum of lifelong learning, as well as to examine new emerging technologies, especially generative AI tools. (CC BY-NC 4.0) This article is licensed to you under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

This article examines the theoretical frameworks crucial for developing equitable and sustainable curriculum designs in the context of post-pandemic education in Jordan. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified existing disparities within the education system, underscoring the urgent need for curriculum reforms that prioritize inclusivity and resilience. This study explores key theoretical approaches—constructivism, social justice pedagogy, and systems thinking—as foundational pillars for designing curricula that meet diverse learner needs and ensure equitable access to educational opportunities. By integrating these frameworks, the article proposes actionable strategies for educators and policymakers to enhance curriculum development, creating an educational environment that is not only responsive to current challenges but also adaptable for future generations. In conclusion, this research highlights the importance of theoretical foundations in shaping educational practices that pave the way for a more equitable and sustainable educational system in Jordan. © 2025 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.

The article substantiates the theoretical and methodological foundations for the introduction of an activity-based approach to training competent engineers when studying a course of physics. Contemporary requirements of the agro-industrial complex require integration of the fundamental knowledge with practical skills, which makes this approach the key element of the educational process when studying a course of physics. There are considered the concepts and principles of teaching, aimed at the development of professional thinking, the ability to make decisions in non-standard situations and efficient work with digital technologies, when studying the course of physics. There are identified the pedagogical tools that promote the development of critical thinking, independence and continuous self-development of the students in the process of mastering physics. Methodological recommendations are provided for the creation of a productive educational environment, including interaction with agro-industrial enterprises and individualization of learning when studying the physics course. An analysis of the implementation of the activity-based approach showed its efficiency: the average score of the students in the experimental group increased by 15-20%, and the success rate of completing the practical assignments increased by 20-25% when studying the physics course. The project activities contributed to the development of systems thinking and an innovative approach to solving the production problems, which is especially important when mastering physics. A conclusion is made about the need to introduce an activity-based approach to train competitive specialists, adapted to the modern challenges of the agro-industrial complex, which, in turn, contributes to the formation of an innovative educational environment, focused on the development of professional competencies, engineering creativity and practical training of the students when studying the physics course. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by RTU PRESS.

This article extends social realist theorising about theoretical knowledge and curriculum within the sociology of education to explore the nature of qualifications. The article draws on Bernstein’s concept of evaluative rules to do so. It evaluates human capital, institutional, and credentialist theories about the role qualifications play in society. Each offers important insights, yet each is unsatisfactory. Each fails to recognise education as a relatively autonomous field distinct from other social fields. We theorise qualifications to explore, on the one hand, the role they play in transforming society, and on the other, the role they play in reproducing social inequalities. We argue that qualifications matter, even if they are imperfect, contribute to the reproduction of social inequalities, and should be tied less, and not more, tightly to the labour market. A socially just model of qualifications would include four key purposes: individual, educational, occupational, and social. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.