Search results for "Higher"

Mission Statements in Top Higher Education Institutions—What Do They Have in Common?

2021

The present paper envisages an analysis of the main goals and future directions of action in the higher education sector at world level. In recent years higher education institutions apply professional management principles and guide their activities using business specific strategic tools. Starting from the fact that higher education institutions can learn from the best, the purpose of the paper is to analyze the main directions included in the mission statements of the top 150 higher education institutions at world level, according to rankings. The two main objectives of the analysis are: (a) to identify the main directions included in the mission statements of the best universities in th…

Healthcare Waste Management: What do the Health Workers in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital Know and Practice

2015

Introduction: Healthcare waste is any solid or liquid waste that is generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in production or testing of biologicals. Mismanagement of healthcare waste poses risks to people and the environment. Improving the standards of healthcare waste management protects the health and safety of healthcare workers, patients, visitors to healthcare facilities and the general public. This study was carried out to determine the knowledge and practice of healthcare waste management by the healthcare workers in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectio…

Gender Differences In Stem Courses: Analysis Of Italian Students' Performance

2021

Gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses is a prevalent topic in the recent literature, and quantitative studies on this relationship are essential to understand better the discussion and issues claimed by the arguments and the theories on this topic. In Italy, since 1989, the overall share of females enrolling at university is larger than the males' one, but females are still underrepresented in almost all the STEM fields, while overrepresented in nursing, humanities, and law schools. Our paper aims to investigate the gender differences in terms of university performance in STEM courses in Italy. This is done via segmented regression models, representin…

Inter-industry job mobility in the knowledge economy in Finland

2013

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate inter-industry labor mobility, paying special attention to workers who move into high-tech (HT) sectors or knowledge-intensive business services (KIBSs). This study inquires whether skilled workers are mobile and whether the characteristics of mobile workers support the effective transfer of knowledge across industries. Design/methodology/approach – Census data representing 7 percent of Finnish residents were used. The micro-econometric estimation method with correction of sample selection bias was applied. Findings – The results show that young workers are the most mobile, whereas mobility decreased for those with previous work experie…

Challenges of Interdisciplinary University Programs of Studies: The Case of English in Public Communication

2017

The aim of this study is to track students’ self-assessed successes and failures after taking courses in English in Public Communication (EPC) at the University of Opole. This interdisciplinary BA program combines philological, sociological and public communication courses. Using the data from 204 surveys, the study compares the calculated mean scores for the achievement of “new knowledge,” “new skills” and “new social competences” within two groups of subjects: core curriculum courses and practical English courses as declared by the first- and second-year students of EPC. Results show that there are clearer self-recognized knowledge gains, but consistently lower degrees of confidence when …

Mathematical skills in undergraduate students. A ten-year survey of a Plant Physiology course

2012

In the health and life sciences, as well as in other scientific disciplines, problem solving depends on mathematical skills. However, significant deficiencies are commonly found in this regard in undergraduate students. In an attempt to understand the underlying causes and to improve students' performance, this paper reports a ten-year survey (2000-2010) on mathematical skills of undergraduate Spanish students enrolled in a Plant Physiology course, based on data from tests performed throughout this time period. The results show that the percentage of correct answers decreases for questions requiring some mathematical skills, particularly those needing some calculations. Interestingly, perce…

Resilience strategies employed by teachers with dyslexia working at tertiary education

2013

Abstract This study investigates resilience strategies exhibited by teachers with dyslexia working at tertiary education. Narrative interviews of tertiary teachers' own perceptions of how dyslexia affects their work were analysed to understand how they cope in a challenging profession. Findings indicated a utilization of a range of resilience strategies; task-related strategies, personalizing work contexts, utilizing social support networks and nurturing self-esteem and self-efficacy. Developing individualized strategies is paramount to attaining a successful career in tertiary education. Self-awareness is required to build the strategies supporting teachers in fulfilling professional requi…

2018

This narrative study investigated identity, agency and emotions, amongst an under-researched academic group – those without PhDs with primary responsibility for teaching, who are also expected to d...

Use of interprofessional simulation-based learning to develop perioperative nursing students' self-efficacy in responding to acute situations

2021

Abstract Self-efficacy is an essential concept regarding academic performance and persistence in higher education. Research indicates that interprofessional simulation-based learning influences participants’ self-efficacy and points to a need for more research on self-efficacy and its development. This study describes perioperative nursing students’ experiences with how interprofessional simulation-based learning contributes to self-efficacy in communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and prioritising tasks in acute situations. Six qualitative focus group interviews were conducted with thirty-four perioperative nursing students from four universities and university colleges in Norway…

Supporting and constraining factors in the development of university teaching experienced by teachers

2017

Higher education calls for reform, but deeper knowledge about the prerequisites for teaching development and pedagogical change is missing. In this study, 51 university teachers’ experiences of supportive or constraining factors in teaching development were investigated in the context of Finland’s multidisciplinary network. The findings reveal that the supportive factors in teaching development arise from the nature of the development itself, i.e. from the teachers’ opportunities to act as active agents in an authentic development process. Furthermore, the circumstances of the development also play essential roles (both constraining and supportive) in teaching development. Such support, at …