Group items tagged

Access to and use of technology by 'digital native' students studying in our universities has been an area of much speculation, though relatively little empirical research. This has led some pundits to call for a radical rethink of how higher education uses technology to deliver education. Others are more circumspect and think it is necessary to hear directly from these 'digital natives' about their actual technology practices before jumping to such conclusions. This paper reports on a study that aimed to do just that; the study comprised a survey of the technology access and practices in both everyday life and for academic study of first year university students. The findings suggest that, for the participants of this study, access and usage of technology does not neatly fit into the stereotype of the 'digital native'. Access to and use of some technologies was found to be quite high whilst others have significant levels of non-adoption. A comparison was made between technologies and activities undertaken as part of students' everyday life in contrast to their academic study and it was found that the usage rates were generally lower for academic study. Access to and use of different technologies for different purposes is variable and university teachers and policymakers need to take this variability into account when making changes at the course or institution levels. What is also required is more in-depth investigation of the technology practices of these 'digital natives' to understand how technology is transforming their social and academic lives and, importantly, how they are shaping technology to suit their lives.

The present study explored an hypothesized formulation of academic courage (defined as perseverance in the face of academic difficulty and fear) and its role in predicting academic performance (literacy and arithmetic) and various academic engagement measures (planning, task management, self-handicapping, disengagement, class participation, enjoyment of school, and positive academic intentions).

It seems to be particularly important for the teacher to explicitly exhibit support for students in their academic pursuit because of their relatively greater influence on the adolescents, as demonstrated in the present analyses. After all, among all others in a school setting, the feedback of teachers is probably the most salient reinforcer regarding student proficiency in academic work. The finding in support of the teacher as a powerful source of reinforcement is not surprising.

the findings of the present study show that the teacher, like all the other significant others considered here, had substantial impacts on adolescents' academic achievement, academic self-esteem, and interest in academic work. Being probably the most significant of significant others in a school setting, the teacher had noteworthy influences on these educational outcomes that were consistent across Grades 5 and 6 and all levels in the high school. More importantly, support from the teacher had even stronger influences than other sources such as parents and peers. The impacts were so strong that they were even greater than the impact of personal expectancy which was presumably the most powerful predictor of these educational outcomes

How crowd-sourcing can help academic journals, especially OER

The importance of interaction for academic success.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe how plagiarism and the detection of plagiarism are interwoven with the education of international students. Design/methodology/approach - The literature searches encompassed articles on the issue of plagiarism as it affects students coming from abroad. Findings - There is a definite problem involved in the interaction of international students in a higher education setting and plagiarism. Research limitations/implications - Although no survey was done for this article, much of the information gathered regarding plagiarism is dependent on external surveys. These surveys may not always be answered truthfully despite anonymity. There is also a dearth of data on plagiarism and international students. There is some anecdotal data on the subject. Practical implications - Although plagiarism is a serious problem on academic campuses, libraries and librarians can offer substantial help in deterring and preventing plagiarism especially with regard to international students. Originality/value - Librarians, knowledgeable about citation style sheets and formats, can be very valuable to international students who lack the skills. Students can learn to improve their citation skills with the help of a librarian with good bibliographic skills.

Creating service-learning in an online environment

A full-length study that concludes learner self-perception of being academically successful precedes learner engagement when these factors are weighed with respect to motivation.

The personal well-being of the students often takes a backseat to academic success, she found.

"the setting for your academic work is as important as your methods. "

Tom Friedman's video lecture about his bestselling book about his concept that the world has been flattened by globalization and technology. The metaphor serves for viewing the world as a place where academic and economic opportunities are available to a much wider playing field than in the past century.

Tom Friedman's video lecture about his bestselling book about his concept that the world has been flattened by globalization and technology. The metaphor serves for viewing the world as a place where academic and economic opportunities are available to a much wider playing field than in the past century.

With today's global competition, there is increasing concern about the nature and quality of higher education. One set of concerns focuses on higher education's purpose - should it be practical and graduate well equipped students to supply a competitive workforce? Or, should it rather explore what some critics label "romantic" notions of a liberal education with broad ideas and values to prepare students for democratic citizenship? The authors argue that for students to be successful in today's global economy, higher education must recognize and emphasize that practical and liberal education are tightly coupled, and that students' academic, developmental, interpersonal and experiential lives are entwined. Colleges must move from traditional education to what we term transformational learning.

With today's global competition, there is increasing concern about the nature and quality of higher education. One set of concerns focuses on higher education's purpose - should it be practical and graduate well equipped students to supply a competitive workforce? Or, should it rather explore what some critics label "romantic" notions of a liberal education with broad ideas and values to prepare students for democratic citizenship? The authors argue that for students to be successful in today's global economy, higher education must recognize and emphasize that practical and liberal education are tightly coupled, and that students' academic, developmental, interpersonal and experiential lives are entwined. Colleges must move from traditional education to what we term transformational learning.