Search Results for
"learning"

Introduction: A key challenge for many academics is designing learning activities that are constructively aligned and effectively enhance students’ appreciation of their learning outcomes. This study investigates the impact of integrating active and blended learning strategies into a game design unit that had historically suffered from low student engagement and poor alignment with unit outcomes. Methods: To address this issue, we introduced a series of active and blended learning activities, including an interactive design project, group work, the use of an online peer assessment tool, and online assessments requiring independent critical reflection and feedback on students’ learning experiences. A mixed-methods approach was employed. An online survey was administered via the LMS to 137 enrolled students, with 101 responses collected over a four-week period. Quantitative data were analyzed using ANOVA and linear multivariate analysis to assess the impact of these interventions. Results and discussion: The findings suggest that the introduction of active and blended learning strategies—particularly those that increased student participation in lectures and group discussions—enhanced overall engagement and improved student satisfaction with the unit. Students appreciated the availability of online tools and resources; however, online engagement alone did not consistently lead to improved learning experiences. The data indicated that the effectiveness of online learning was significantly influenced by the presence of consistent and clear feedback. Conclusion: Active and blended learning strategies, when supported by thoughtful learning design and timely feedback, are effective in engaging students with their learning outcomes and enhancing the overall student experience. These findings underscore the importance of integrating interactive and reflective components into course design to foster deeper student engagement. © © 2025 Awidi, Harper and Savat.

Purpose This study explores the soft skills learnt during internship programmes in small enterprises and their impact on student employability. Compared to typical internships, this type of internship is not aligned with the student’s areas of expertise. This study examines whether the nonlinear apprenticeship programme (mismatch internship) contributes to the development of student’s soft skills. Design/methodology/approach The subjects were 47 intern students from the Mathematics Education Study Program at the Indonesian Catholic University of Santu Paulus Ruteng who participated in the 2022 Independent Campus Competition Program (Program Kompetisi Kampus Merdeka – PKKM) and their mentors from SMBs. The mixed-methods study used questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and documentation. Findings Several soft skills were developed during the students’ participation in this programme, including creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem-solving, communication, collaboration, accuracy, leadership, responsibility, adversity, curiosity, discipline and adaptation and self-management, which are needed during times of employment uncertainty. Research limitations/implications First, this study has not specifically analysed the influence of attribute variables such as gender, learning motivation and work motivation or attitudes towards pre-employment work. Second, no study has examined this internship’s effect on company performance. Some small and medium enterprises are start-up businesses; therefore, the risk of business failure overshadows stringent work demands on employees. Practical implications First, students should be challenged during learning with constructivist and project-based learning approaches. Second, campus partnerships with industrial business fields are essential. Originality/value This study is useful for developing a higher education curriculum that is more adaptive and supports independent learning. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Purpose Research on the internationalization of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India is rapidly expanding and gaining prominence in academia. Numerous studies have explored various aspects of the internationalization process, such as partnerships, faculty and student mobility, and international campuses, which enhance learning experiences and develop 21st-century global skills. However, existing evidence is scattered, indicating a literature gap and the need for a comprehensive profiling of the field. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting an empirical investigation of the top-ranking Indian management institutions. Design/methodology/approach Using the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) framework and qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with international division heads using NVivo and Python. Findings We identified various dimensions such as research activity, international ranking, joint degrees, and training programs, etc. We also highlight critical challenges such as government funding, language barriers, and academic mobility, among others. Our findings offer practical solutions and strong recommendations for future research, empowering academics and practitioners to leverage the success of internationalization in educational services. Originality/value The exclusivity of this study lies in the fact that we provide a comprehensive empirical analysis of the strategies, challenges, and potential solutions pertinent to the internationalization of Indian Higher Education Institutions (IHEIs) and map the prospective benchmarks and total quality standards in the field. No other studies seem to have done so far, to the best of our knowledge. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Despite efforts to expand learning opportunities and reach new target groups, a significant proportion of adults still do not participate in adult education. Reaching the educationally disadvantaged is therefore crucial to promoting educational equity. Recruitment is therefore a key challenge for adult education staff. However, to date, there are no empirically based overviews that systematise the international state of discussion and research on this topic. To fill this gap, we conducted a scoping review including a total of 126 publications to find out what is actually known about participant recruitment in adult education. In our analysis, we focused on terminology and research characteristics. We found (i) a paucity of empirical studies, (ii) a lack of standardised terminology when addressing target groups, (iii) an adoption of either a provider perspective or a target group perspective to examine the issue, (iv) a combination of personal networking, direct engagement, and targeted advertising as an effective recruitment approach. Finally, we offer suggestions for future lines of research within this field as well as implications for practice and policy. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Purpose This study examines how satisfying psychological needs—relatedness, competence, and autonomy—affects Work-Based learning (WBL) engagement and employability outcomes in college students. It investigates whether WBL engagement mediates the relationship between need satisfaction, employability attributes, and competence, offering insights for designing WBL programs that better prepare students for the workforce. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional study using an electronic questionnaire was conducted in July 2024 among 284 college students at Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia, who had participated in WBL. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data and investigate the direct and mediating effects of need satisfaction on employability outcomes via WBL engagement, considering demographic factors and constructs related to need satisfaction, WBL engagement, employability attributes, and employability competence. Findings The study revealed that need satisfaction (relatedness, competence, and autonomy) significantly influences employability attributes and competence. WBL engagement partially mediates the relationship, showing a positive effect on employability attributes but an insignificant impact on employability competence. Additionally, employability attributes were found to significantly enhance employability competence. These findings underscore the importance of fulfilling students’ needsfor satisfaction and engaging them in work-based learning to improve their employability outcomes. Practical implications To improve student employability and competence through WBL, it is essential to prioritize student needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy within WBL. Educators and policymakers must create supportive learning environments that address these psychological needs and include practical experiences to better prepare students for workforce challenges. Originality/value While the benefits of WBL have been acknowledged, this study specifically endeavors to explore how catering to students’ psychological needs can augment the effectiveness of WBL. The findings of this research provide empirical evidence that can serve as a foundation for crafting WBL programs that address students’ psychological needs, ultimately enhancing their employability prospects. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited

Aim: The aim of this discussion paper is to explore whether recontextualisation theory deepens our understanding of learning across multiple sites when introducing simulation-based education (SBE) into nurse education. Background: The requirement for students to learn in clinical placements remains an aspiration as well as a regulatory requirement internationally. Yet, the increasing complexity of healthcare and the numbers of vacancies in the healthcare workforce globally have led to poor learning environments. In the context of faster internet speeds, rapid development in virtual technologies, affordability of hardware, and the move to online educational provision after the COVID-19 pandemic, SBE has emerged as a key teaching method in health professional preparation programmes globally. Design: Critical discussion paper. Methods: This discussion paper is based on current literature on SBE and recontextualisation theory. Findings: Evaluations of SBE often show positive outcomes for learning in nurse education. Weaknesses and gaps in the evidence on SBE, such as the scarcity of control groups or longitudinal studies, have been identified. Using recontextualization theory, we argue that SBE may also increase the theory-practice split for students across multiple sites of learning. Conclusions: The introduction of SBE offers supplementary positive learning opportunities to those in clinical practice while at the same time creating multiple sites of learning which are not always aligned. More needs to be done to teach from a curriculum which relies on students being motivated and able to learn across multiple sites of learning. Implications for the Profession and Patient Care: To support student nurses in UG professional preparation programmes which rely on SBE as well as clinical practice and universities, shared values between nurse educators and clinical nurses need to be enacted collaboratively. This could be achieved by reframing how students and nurses learn and rework knowledge across sites of learning. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In Finland, workplace-based learning (WPBL) is recognized as a promising educational strategy in vocational education and training (VET), with limited emphasis on students with learning difficulties (LDs). This study investigated the WPBL feedback experiences of students with LDs in six vocational fields in Finland: social and healthcare, business administration, building and construction, catering and tourism, electronics and automation, and logistics. Employing a qualitative paradigm, this study used semi-structured interviews comprising individual face-to-face and focus group discussions with 35 final-year students aged between 18 and 35 years in four inclusive vocational institutions. The data were transcribed and analyzed using the NVivo software. The results indicate that these students receive feedback from peers, trainers, and supervisors, and generally express satisfaction. This study underscores the significance of fostering student feedback literacy skills, emphasizing that support and guidance should be administered within a structured framework to ensure trainers’ proficiency in addressing specific difficulties. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Background: Everyone understands that STEM education is a treasure for curriculum development in primary and secondary schools. However, teachers face significant challenges in how to design STEM curriculum for implementation. These challenges may hinder the full realization of STEM education’s potential and can increase the complexity of instructional preparation. Purpose: This study discusses a curriculum integration approach that combines the Big Idea and learning Progression methodologies. It also assesses teachers’ and students’ perceptions and feelings about the curriculum in the school classroom. Sample: The study was conducted in an elective course for first-grade junior high school students in Xi’an, China. After ethical approval and obtaining voluntary informed consent from participants and guardians, four classes (79 students, 43 males and 36 females) participated. The experimental group comprised two classes (n = 38), and the control group consisted of the remaining two classes (n = 41). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of student performance in science subjects (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, etc.). Design and methods: A mixed study was conducted within a first-year elective course at a junior high school in China. The experimental group followed a STEM curriculum developed around Big-Ideas learning progressions and emphasizing interdisciplinary integration. Conversely, the control group received a traditional science and technology curriculum, where the content was taught in isolation without interdisciplinary connections. Result: The results indicated a significant difference in STEM learning attitudes between the experimental group students, who experienced STEM integration, and their traditional classroom peers, particularly evident in the post-test results with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.040) and a moderate effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.525). Interviews indicated that students found the integrated STEM curriculum more challenging and rewarding. Teachers indicated that the implementation of integrated STEM education requires a rich subject knowledge base and a clear integration plan. Conclusion: Research shows that the Big Ideas progression pathway provides teachers with clear guidance and is effective for students’ acquisition of interdisciplinary knowledge. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Entrepreneurship is crucial for economic and social advancement, necessitating the provision of entrepreneurial skills to younger generations. In Indonesia, vocational high schools incorporate entrepreneurship education via Creative Projects and Entrepreneurship (CPE) courses. However, conventional teaching techniques frequently do not adequately develop business competencies. Numerous student-generated goods exhibit deficiencies in strategic branding, commercial alignment, and market relevance, constraining their potential for practical application. This study presents INCUBE, a web-based business incubation platform to improve students' passion for learning and preparedness for entrepreneurship. The platform utilizes design thinking as its pedagogical framework, directing students through systematic incubation phases, encompassing problem identification, business modeling, prototyping, and product presentation. The study used a quasi-experimental methodology, including Alpha Testing, Beta Testing, and learning Motivation Assessment. Statistical evaluations, comprising paired-sample t-tests and N-Gain score computations, evaluate the platform's efficacy in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. The findings demonstrate that INCUBE markedly enhances student motivation, evidenced by an N-Gain score of 0.46 (indicating moderate efficacy) and a validated media feasibility rating of 88%. These findings underscore the capacity of web-based company incubation to connect entrepreneurial theory with practice, providing a systematic, technology-oriented method for vocational education. © 2025 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.

This chapter explores belongingness for degree apprentices in UK higher education. Apprentices, and the educators who support their learning, encounter a distinctive set of experiences which should be explored independently of ‘typical’ higher education formats. Drawing on research literature and our own knowledge and research, we consider concepts of belonging in the very specific context of degree apprentices to enable us to reflect on this emerging and often overlooked cohort of part-time students on employer-sponsored programmes of study. We examine the positive aspects of degree apprenticeships, such as collaborative and collegial relationships within the workplace (Poole et al., 2023), the opportunity to gain authentic work experiences, and established professional identities. We unpack the complexities around apprenticeship belonging, such as what barriers prevent apprentices from developing a sense of belonging? Where do degree apprentices belong (Mulkeen et al., 2017)? Does belonging matter for degree apprentices who have different priorities to other students and ‘traditional’ apprentices (Brockmann and Laurie, 2016)? Finally, we will provide insight and possible solutions for these challenges as we examine how a sense of belongingness can be fostered and amplified by higher education providers for this increasingly ubiquitous group of learners. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Mi Young Ahn, Edward Venn, and Tom Lowe; individual chapters, the contributors.