University Shifts
University of Valencia
Macro and Micro Effects of Covid-19 on Student Exchange: A U.S. Case Study View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hermann M Kurthen, Anna Hammersmith
Covid-19 has severely disrupted global student exchange. Comparing pre- with post-pandemic student mobility at a public university in the U.S. Midwest between 2019 and 2022, this study investigates the pandemic's effect at the micro and macro level. At the micro— or individual level— we will consider how and why the student composition and characteristics of education abroad changed in comparison to national data. At the macro, or institutional level, we will explore how the university reacted to reinvigorate education abroad participation, such as through implementing new policies, learning new strategies and technologies as well as offering additional financial support and new types of programming for different pools of students. Furthermore, we will examine the practices and conditions that were most conducive in supporting post-Covid-19 academic student exchange and how these strategies compare with what the education abroad literature and national U.S. surveys report as successful. Findings from this study will be of interest to university administrations, international offices, exchange organizations, educators, funding agencies, students and their parents as well as the interested public who seek to reinvigorate exchange programs as the pandemic appears to recede.
Graduate Students’ Civic Orientation: Applying and Testing an Instrument View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Snejana Durst
Colleges and universities across the United States are increasingly incorporating programs and initiatives specifically designed to bolster student involvement with issues of social justice and diversity. Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of such initiatives on student openness and readiness to engage with social problems (Gurin et al, 2002; Bowman, 2011; Denson, 2009). Researchers have also developed scales to gauge student orientations towards social responsibility, diversity, and equality (Laird, Engberg, & Hurtado, 2005; Hurtado et al, 2002; Pascarella et al, 1996; Bowman & Brandenburger, 2012). However, efforts to understand students’ civic orientations have targeted mostly undergraduate students, mostly omitting graduate students, who tend to be more mature and more settled in their attitudes, oftentimes fully employed, and with varying family obligations ((Terenzini & Pascarella, 1998). This study assesses the civic orientations of graduate students via an existing instrument, and to test that instrument’s content validity and reliability. Data was collected through an electronic survey sent to graduate students enrolled in the 109 Higher Education programs across the United States. Civic orientation was measured by a seven-item scale, the Responsibility for Social Action (Chronbach’s alpha = 0.84), developed by Nelson Laird, Engberg, and Hurtado (2005). The scale assessed the level of personal responsibility one felt to taking action to improve society. The paper reports on the levels of civic orientation of the responding 367 graduate students from 64 universities, and on the instrument’s reliability and validity evaluated via Rasch analysis (Bond and Fox, 2015).
International Field Education: Promoting Intercultural Learning in Diverse Contexts
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Julie L. Drolet
The Transforming the Field Education Landscape partnership conducted a study to understand international field education through the perceptions and experiences of field education coordinators and directors from accredited social work education programs across Canada. A survey questionnaire was designed to identify placement models, policies, placement logistics, and perceptions and experiences regarding international practica that included 32 questions (12 open-ended questions, eight Likert Scale questions, and 12 closed-ended questions). In total, there were 28 respondents out of 43 Canadian schools (23 respondents in English and five respondents in French). The paper shares the results of the survey, and provides an overview of international field education's role in promoting intercultural learning in diverse contexts. While the COVID-19 pandemic limited the availability of international practica, it provided an opportunity to reflect on the delivery and coordination of international field education. The survey results demonstrated the need for improvements in models and methods that are currently being used. Field education coordinators and directors are primarily responsible for coordinating international practica. However, they face challenges such as time constraints, maintaining long-term partnerships or affiliation agreements and promoting international practica to encourage student interests. The study findings show that there is a need to develop partnerships between Canadian social work academic institutions and global stakeholders in order to facilitate new sustainable international practicum opportunities. International field education has been, and will remain, a viable opportunity for emerging practitioners to develop social work skills in diverse contexts.
The Importance of a Supportive Environment in the Flipped Classroom View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rachel Staddon
Flipped learning is a popular pedagogy, and its benefits, challenges and implementations have been discussed widely in previous studies. This study explores the importance of a supportive environment in flipped learning for mathematics in higher education, particularly for students with high levels of maths anxiety; this was done in the context of a new ‘supported’ flipped learning model, developed using maths anxiety reduction principles. Providing a supportive environment is crucial for students’ success, engagement and enjoyment on mathematics and other flipped courses. This work aims to contribute to the domain of student-centred learning in education, particularly using learning technologies. The ‘supported’ flipped model included a three-step process: engagement with online multimedia learning materials; a large-group interactive session; and a smaller-group tutorial. This was implemented for the first time in 2016/17 and developed through to 2020/21. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 students who completed their foundation mathematics course between 2017 and 2021, and a thematic analysis was carried out on the anonymised interview transcripts. This study focuses on the overarching theme of the importance of a supportive environment; this includes themes surrounding reduced maths anxiety, trust in the tutor, reduced pressure, collaborative experiences, and feeling intimidated by large groups. The results from the analysis demonstrate that a supportive environment is crucial for students on a mathematics course, and that the supported flipped model is promising for promoting this.
