Search Results for
"Higher education"

Background: Cardiovascular surgery demands deep knowledge of the heart’s intricate three-dimensional (3D) anatomy, but current teaching methods do not adequately develop students’ spatial skills. Advances in precise imaging and 3D printing offer transformative potential for clinical education. In this study, taking the teaching of cardiovascular surgery as an example, we aimed to integrate precision imaging and 3D printing technologies with case-based learning (CBL), problem-based learning (PBL), and team-based learning (TBL). Our objective was to explore digital teaching approaches in clinical surgery and address the limitations of current learning models in spatial visualization training. Methods: This study employed a parallel design randomized controlled trial (RCT) methodology. A total of 80 clinical medicine students from the 2020 cohort, currently undertaking their practicum in the Department of Cardiac Great Vascular Surgery at The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, were randomly assigned into two groups: a digital teaching group and a case-, problem-, and team-based learning (C-P-TBL) teaching group, each comprising 40 students. The digital teaching group utilized an innovative digital teaching approach, enhanced by precision imaging and 3D printing technology. In contrast, the C-P-TBL teaching group employed an integrated teaching model combining CBL, PBL, and TBL. The two groups were compared via theoretical and skills assessment, along with the analysis of teaching quality questionnaires and teaching satisfaction metrics, so as to evaluate the incremental benefits conferred by digital tools within the existing teaching framework. Results: The digital teaching group demonstrated superior performance compared to the C-P-TBL teaching group, as evidenced by higher scores in theoretical knowledge (86.28±10.756 vs. 80.25±9.440), clinical skills (87.90±7.530 vs. 83.05±7.473), and overall assessment (86.93±8.131 vs. 81.37±7.716). Based on the results of the teaching quality questionnaires, the digital teaching group demonstrated a statistically significant superiority over the C-P-TBL teaching group in several areas: self-learning ability, comprehension and application of theoretical knowledge, problem discovery and analysis skills, spatial imagination capability, and overall self-comprehensive ability. Conclusions: The integration of digital technologies, exemplified by precision imaging and 3D printing, with CBL, PBL, and TBL methodologies, has been shown to significantly enhance the spatial visualization skills of medical students. This approach not only improves their theoretical understanding and technical proficiency, but also leads to higher self-assessment of abilities and increased satisfaction with the teaching process. Consequently, this pedagogical strategy merits consideration for widespread implementation in the clinical education of cardiovascular surgery. © AME Publishing Company.

This study addresses the critical need to understand how engineering students perceive the relevance of engineering management education in preparing them for these multifaceted roles. Specifically, this research evaluates the perspectives of undergraduate engineering students in the Philippines regarding the significance of engineering management in their respective disciplines, its role in skill development, and the challenges encountered. A mixed-methods approach was employed, gathering data from 396 undergraduate engineering students through surveys, brief written responses, and interviews. Findings indicate that a significant majority of students hold favorable impressions, with 86.8% believing the knowledge gained will be valuable and 84.5% affirming that the course develops essential analytical and critical thinking skills. Students generally recognize the importance of engineering management in fostering fundamental abilities crucial for their future careers. However, a notable challenge is the perceived workload, with 52.7% of students finding management-related coursework demanding. The research illustrates the importance of integrating well-designed engineering management education within engineering curricula. The findings highlight the importance of equipping future engineers with the managerial expertise and soft skills the complexities of the 21st-century workforce and inform strategies for curriculum enhancement. © 2025, PT Mattawang Mediatama Solution. All rights reserved.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has introduced intelligent digital technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), across various sectors, including education. The research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape and offer insights to guide future studies on AR and VR in vocational education. Bibliometric analysis is used to explore the performance analysis, science mapping, trend analysis, and application analysis of these technologies in vocational education. There are four key findings: First, VR research in vocational education has higher publication and citation rates than AR, with China, Spain, and the United States as leading contributors. Second, AR focuses on enhancing traditional education through “students” and “education,” while VR emphasizes immersive “learning en- vironments” and “outcomes.” Third, the growing trend centers on “education” and “students,” reflecting increased interest in online learning. Fourth, AR and VR applications in vocational education show that AR enhances student skills, learning performance, and motivation, while VR advances practical training, learning outcomes and technological and practical aspects. These findings provide valuable insights that can inform future research directions in vocational education, particularly in exploring how AR and VR technologies can be more effectively integrated into educational practices. © The Author(s) 2025.

This study examined how proactive personality, career decision-making self-efficacy, and social support influence career adaptability among higher vocational college students in Sichuan Province, China. Guided by Career Construction Theory and Social Cognitive Career Theory, the research addressed a critical gap in understanding the interplay of individual traits and contextual factors in shaping career readiness within Chinese vocational education. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 382 students selected through proportional stratified random sampling across four institutions. Validated instruments were used to measure each construct, and data were analysed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. The results showed that all three predictors were significantly and positively related to career adaptability: proactive personality (β = .24, p < .001), career decision-making self-efficacy (β = .23, p < .001), and social support (β = .37, p < .001). The full model accounted for 53% of the variance in career adaptability, with social support emerging as the strongest predictor. These findings reinforce the applicability of both Career Construction Theory and Social Cognitive Career Theory in non-Western, collectivist contexts and underscore the combined developmental and environmental influences on vocational students’ career outcomes. Practically, the study highlights the need for integrated, student-centred interventions that strengthen proactive behaviours, enhance self-efficacy, and build supportive networks to promote adaptable and confident career transitions. ©Authors.

This study analyzes the differences in the selection of teaching methodologies, assessment instruments, and educational values in Master’s Theses (TFMs) written within the Geography and History specialization of a Teacher Training Master’s program in Spain. The aim is to examine how these pedagogical components vary according to the gender of the author and the educational level targeted by the instructional proposals. A mixed-methods approach was applied combining statistical analysis (Chi-square and ANOVA tests) with qualitative content analysis of 54 anonymized TFMs. The results indicate that while gender-related differences were not statistically significant in most categories, qualitative patterns emerged: female authors tended to adopt more reflective, participatory approaches (e.g., oral expression, gender visibility), whereas male authors more often used experiential or gamified strategies. Significant differences by educational level were found in the use of gamification, inquiry-based learning, and project-based learning. A progressive increase in methodological complexity was observed from lower secondary to upper levels. In terms of educational values, interdisciplinarity and inclusion were most frequently promoted, with critical perspectives such as historical memory and gender visibility more prevalent at the Baccalaureate level. These findings underscore the TFM’s role as a space for pedagogical innovation, reflective practice, and value-driven teacher identity formation. © 2025 by the authors.

This paper focuses on students receiving vertically integrated vocational education and evaluates the impacts of long-duration vocational education (LDVE) on individuals’ vocational identity, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction. Based on 1878 survey data, a logit model was used to analyze the influencing factors of students’ participation in the vertically integrated vocational education (VIVE) program, and the propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to measure the effects. Moreover, the comparison was made in different VIVE models to find the heterogeneity of effects. The results showed that family background and major significantly negatively affected the odds of an individual receiving VIVE. Merely extending the duration of vocational education does not significantly improve vocational identity, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the results of the between-group difference analysis indicated that neither the secondary-to-higher VIVE model nor the higher-to-undergraduate VIVE model had a significant impact on individuals’ vocational identity, self-efficacy, and job satisfaction. This research finding expands on the research achievements regarding the effects of LDVE. It can provide data references for the government and relevant institutions to pay attention to the quality and potential influence factors of LDVE. © 2025 by the author.

Work is historically evolving due to technological advancements, posing challenges for individuals and institutions. The actual Fourth Industrial Revolution, marked by AI, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, has rapidly increased these advancements, while the COVID-19 pandemic has anticipated future expected changes in the labor market. In this context, higher education Institutions must match their curricula with this dynamic labor market to equip graduates with relevant skills. However, the slow pace of educational transformation, partly due to a lack of data, hinders this alignment. This research introduces Future-oriented higher education Degree Employability (Fo-HECE) as an evaluation tool for the adherence of undergraduate degrees to the demands of the labor market in the next decade. We used a novel approach, combining the Operationalization of a social phenomenon with Multi-Criteria Decision-Making, with the participation of nine experts. As a use case, we applied the new approach to assess the future employability of ten undergraduate programs with the most enrolled students from one of the largest Brazilian universities. As a result, the indicators considered most relevant to measure Fo-HECE are Student-to-Job Ratio, Employment Balance, and Wage Premium. The degrees with the highest Fo-HECE grades were Law and Medicine, while Physical education had the lowest grade. The Fo-HECE approach, as demonstrated in this case study, shows potential applicability to other HEIs and countries, provided that comparable labor market data are available. © 2025 by the authors.

Residents’ consumption level is increasing, e-commerce vocational education has become an increasingly important field of education, how to realize customer value-added has become the focus of attention of e-commerce platforms. In this paper, we use the improved dynamic RFM customer segmentation model based on K-Means clustering to segment e-commerce consumers, to accurately portray the changes of e-commerce consumers’ loyalty and the transfer characteristics between e-commerce consumers’ groups, to achieve the identification of consumers’ online behavioral patterns. The RFM model classifies users into four categories: important value, general value, focus on development, and focus on retention. The important value users of Product B have high activity and contribution, but very low loyalty, which indicates that there may be group purchasing behaviors in this group, and the e-commerce operator of Product B can focus on serving this type of customers. After implementing the technique in teaching, the six dimensions of the experimental class C about teaching effectiveness are better than the other two classes, which shows that the technique provides a new perspective for the improvement of teaching effectiveness in e-commerce education. © 2025 Yi Yang and Qiang Li, published by Sciendo. Yi Yang and Qiang Li, published by Sciendo.

Internationalization and international mobility have always been attractive opportunities for students in higher education institutions (HEIs). Despite this, large number of place-bound students fail to avail themselves for various reasons of the opportunities study abroad initiatives afford. Therefore, there has been a strategic shift from Internationalization Abroad (IA) toward "Internationalization at Home" (IaH) in order to provide opportunities for all students and ensure greater inclusivity relevant to advancing sustainable development. Many HEIs in developed and developing countries are embracing initiatives like collaborative online international learning (COIL), collaborative virtual industry-based projects (CVIBP), and virtual internships to provide international exposure to place-bound students through curriculum internationalization efforts. This chapter explores these emerging IaH initiatives and their role in providing global exposure for students, faculty, and institutions and highlights the evolving dynamics of international partnerships in higher education in developed and developing countries. The chapter examines how these initiatives help ensure greater inclusivity of students and attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 10. The findings have important implications for HEIs and society in highlighting IaH initiatives and can help government and higher education policy makers rethink the way international partnerships are changing and design internationalization strategies accordingly. © 2025 The authors.

This study investigates the employment status and influencing factors among undergraduates of applied universities in China, focusing on 2024 graduates from a Sichuan university to identify key determinants of successful job placement. A mixed-methods approach was used combining quantitative survey data analysis with qualitative interviews. The survey gathered data on employment rates, job relevance to majors, and personal/educational factors while interviews provided deeper insights. The employment rate for 2024 graduates was 57.87% with only 29.41% in major-related jobs. Significant and positive factors included awards, major understanding, internships, adaptability, and employment attitudes. Graduates with strong professional, interpersonal, and organizational skills had higher employment rates. Issues like insufficient practical knowledge, high employment expectations, weak employment awareness, and the mismatch between specialty settings and social needs were identified. A multifaceted approach addressing educational and personal development is essential to improve graduate employment outcomes in China's evolving economy. The study proposes an integrated employment education system involving government, universities, and society emphasizing practical ability cultivation, comprehensive and sustainable development, and equipping graduates with new quality productivity for employment. © 2025 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.