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Personal values influence goals and motivate actions. The case study reported in this paper explored whether an understanding of values would provide a useful framework to guide the co-creation of the undergraduate cognitive psychology curriculum at a UK University. A design team composed of staff and students ran two co-creation workshops to explore underlying values. These values were translated into curriculum ideas which were then shared via an online survey to students and staff for feedback. The activities revealed a set of values that were salient when imagining future curriculum designs: feeling stimulated, choice and autonomy, developing competence, feeling safe and secure, community and fairness. In addition, a deeper value layer was visible which reflected participants' orientations to learning and education. We describe our process for eliciting values and the intertwined and iterative relationship between value elicitation and a co-created curriculum. We also reflect on the position of co-creation within the value landscape of higher education and the social dynamics of staff-student partnerships. We argue that whilst using values to frame co-creation allows for deeper insight into how to embed curriculum re-innovation, it is important to attend to the value system of co-creation and those who do not participate.

Virtual learning environments (VLE) have become a standard feature of most courses in higher education, offering the potential to facilitate and improve teaching and learning. Whilst there is an implicit assumption that VLEs benefit student learning, much of the evidence originates from direct questioning of students about their satisfaction with the VLE itself. In order to establish the impact of VLEs on student satisfaction with teaching and learning in higher education, the present study gathered data from a sample of 128 undergraduate students using self-report module evaluation questionnaires (MEQs) completed before and after VLEs were introduced. MEQs were completed in relation one core (Research Methods) and one elected (Health Psychology) module. Results for the core module showed a marked increase in the percentage of students responding as "extremely" or "very satisfied" following the introduction of the VLE compared to the pre VLE period. There was also a fall in the percentage of students responding as "neither satisfied nor dissatisfied." No clear or consistent change in student satisfaction was evident for the elected module. Improved communication and greater variety of teaching methods were reported by students post VLE for both the core and the elected module. Findings provide some support for the notion that VLEs mediate increased student satisfaction with teaching and learning in higher education, but that their impact may vary according to the course and the perceived utility of the VLE, pre-existing student satisfaction and the effectiveness with which VLEs are blended with traditional approaches to meet student expectations.

Aim: Expanding and sustaining student nurse placements outside of the acute sector is a universal challenge. This paper aims to evaluate the Care Home Education Facilitator Role introduced in one area of Wales, United Kingdom, and to report on the outcomes achieved from this novel role. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with key stakeholders including the Care Home Education Facilitator postholder leading the pilot, care home managers, higher education institutions' placement managers/coordinators, student nurses and national health service staff. Results: Five key areas were identified, which included timing of introducing the post and establishing a clear rationale and understanding of the intention of the role. The benefits, challenges and suggested improvements to the Care Home Education Facilitator initiative are provided. Conclusion: Introducing the role of the Care Home Education Facilitator to work closely with key stakeholders resulted in increased placements for student nurses, but investing time in developing relationships with these stakeholders was critical to the success of the role. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? There is a universal shortage of clinical placements for nursing students, particularly within a care home setting.The number of studies exploring how we might grow the number of nurses needed in this setting is limited. What this paper adds? This study evaluated a novel initiative introduced in South Wales, United Kingdom, that focuses on the development of nursing placements in the care home setting.Engaging with stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of the Care Home Education Facilitator initiative, a roadmap was provided to illustrate the stepped approach required to support an active care home placement including key governance arrangements. The implications of this paper: For those involved in identifying and developing student placements, this study provides valuable insight to a role that can help increase student numbers in a care setting often overlooked.It identifies viable career options for nurses at the point of registration.The role assists with widening networks for the care homes across health and social care sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional labour is a state that exists when there is a discrepancy between the emotional demeanour that an individual displays and the genuinely felt emotions that would be inappropriate to display (Mann 1999b).The study examined levels of emotional labour in university lecturers and compared these data to other occupations. Employing a mixed methods design, a sample of 61 university lecturers participated in the study. Emotional labour was measured using Mann's Emotional Requirements Inventory (MERI). Results showed that university lecturers reported significantly higher levels of emotional labour than other occupations including mental health nurses and a mix of frontline and back office employees. Age and length of service were found to be significant factors for emotional labour in university lecturers. Qualitative findings identified the main themes as increased workloads, eroding job autonomy, uncertainty about the future and job satisfaction. Based on findings from the study, a conceptual model of emotional labour in higher education was proposed, the Higher Education Emotional Labour Model (HEEL). Implications for university senior management in recognising the high levels of emotional labour levels were considered. Further suggested research directions considered include work to determine the frequency of emotional labour in university lecturers, testing the validity of the proposed Higher Education Emotional Labour Model and investigating the job role characteristics of a university lecturer.

The study investigated the association and relative influence of cognitive/motivational and demographic factors on final degree grade point average (GPA) in a single undergraduate cohort. Although academic self-efficacy, approaches to learning, prior achievement and age all produced significant correlations with GPA, regression analysis identified prior achievement (R [superscript 2] [subscript change] = 0.288), age (R [superscript 2] [subscript change] = 0.201) and academic self-efficacy (R [superscript 2] [subscript change] = 0.062) as the only significant predictors of GPA. Significant increases in academic self-efficacy (d = 0.46), "deep" (d = 0.43) and "strategic" (d = 0.37) approaches to learning, and self-confidence (d = 0.33), and a significant decrease in "internal" academic locus of control (d = 0.50), were also reported when comparing first and final year scores. Conclusions suggested that prior academic achievement, age and academic self-efficacy provide a partial explanation for academic achievement in higher education, that any measure of prior achievement must be "relevant," that self-efficacy appears to be the most relevant perceived control construct in a learning context, and that further work focusing on age in the context of academic achievement in higher education is both necessary and warranted. (Contains 3 tables.)

The concept of self-regulated learning is becoming increasingly relevant in the study of learning and academic achievement, especially in higher education, where quite distinctive demands are placed on students. Though several key theoretical perspectives have been advanced for self-regulated learning, there is consensus regarding the central role played by student perceptions of themselves as learners. There are two general aims of this positional article. The first is to emphasise self-regulated learning as a relevant and valuable concept in higher education. The second is to promote the study of those constituent elements considered most likely to develop our understanding beyond a mere description of those processes thought to be involved in self-regulated learning. A case is presented for learning style, academic control beliefs and student self-evaluation as key constructs which contribute to an increased understanding of student self-regulated learning, and which facilitate the application of self-regulated learning in pedagogy by enhancing its tangibility and utility. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)

The study sought to establish the level of students' self-assessment skill--particularly "inexperienced" students--and to examine the relationship between self-assessment skill and learning style, student perceptions of academic locus of control and academic self-efficacy. Students were asked to evaluate and provide estimated marks for their own work, were which compared with tutors' actual marks. Students also completed measures of learning style, academic locus control and academic self-efficacy. Comparisons of student estimated and tutor marks indicated a good level of self-assessment skill in the majority of students. A significant minority of students did however fail to exhibit such skills. There was also some evidence of a tendency for students to underestimate their performance. While both strategic and deep approaches to learning were shown to be positively correlated with tutor mark, only surface approach was negatively correlated with students' estimated mark, suggesting that surface learners are inclined to provide lower evaluations of their own performance. Deep approach was also correlated with accuracy of student self-assessment skill, suggesting that deep learning is associated with self-assessment competency. No clear or convincing associations between self-assessment skill and perceptions of academic locus of control or academic self-efficacy were identified. Findings suggest that while self-assessment skill undoubtedly develops, becoming more effective during students' academic career, inexperienced students do have the capacity for self-evaluation and should therefore be included in self-assessment activities. In the light of findings related to learning style and the heterogeneous nature of student groups, student monitoring and skill development are proposed in order to allow the integration of self-assessment into the learning and assessment process. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Purpose: Reports examining graduate employment issues suggest that employers are concerned by the lack of employability skills exhibited by entry-level job applications. It is also suggested that employers consider it the responsibility of educational institutions to develop such skills. The current study seeks to identify peer assessment as a potential strategy for developing employability skills and aims to examine--from a students' perspective--the process of introducing peer assessment into higher education teaching programmes. Design/methodology/approach: The focus of the study was on the assessment of students' attitudes towards both being assessed by and assessing other students' work. Data were gathered from a sample of undergraduate students following a structured peer assessment exercise. Findings: In line with previous work, the study found that students expressed a positive attitude towards peer assessment but had concerns relating to their capability to assess peers and to the responsibility associated with assessing peers. Practical implications: Results suggest that, whilst students would accept peer assessment as an element of their course, its introduction at least should focus on the development of evaluative skills (i.e. emphasising learning rather than assessment) and provide support to alleviate an onerous sense of responsibility. It is concluded that, if the value of peer assessment--in terms of employability skill development--is accepted, then it should be adopted as regular practice on undergraduate programmes wishing to equip students with a complete repertoire of employment-relevant skills. Originality/vale: The paper provides useful information on developing employability skills among students in higher education through peer assessment. Student guidance for providing formative peer assessment feedback is appended. (Contains 3 tables and 1 note.)

Purpose--The study seeks to further explore the hypothesised link between the increase in mobile phone ownership and use and the reported decline in adolescent smoking. Evidence for the link was gathered by examining perceptions of mobile phone use in the context of social identity and adolescent smoking. Design/methodology/approach--The study developed and employed a questionnaire-based survey design asking a sample of student participants to characterise mobile phone users using a semantic differential scale. Data were also collected in relation to individual levels and patterns of mobile phone usage. The sample consisted of 172 undergraduate students studying in the Faculty of Health based in a UK university. Findings--Findings show first that mobile phone use is associated with a number of positive, desirable personal and social attributes relating to concepts of social identity and image formation, and that many of the attributes associated with mobile phone use are those commonly associated with smoking behaviour. Research limitations/implications--The association between mobile phone use and social identity theory provides a theoretical framework which helps explain the prolific rise in mobile phone use and can be used to support the viability of a link between a decline in levels of adolescent smoking and a rise in mobile phone ownership. Further evidence needs to be gathered which examines both behaviours in a single cohort of adolescents to establish the direct impact of mobile phone use on smoking behaviour in this particular group. Practical implications--Mobile phone use may serve as a displacement behaviour for smoking in adolescents and may provide an example of a positive--as opposed to a negative--addiction, given that it is a potential alternative to smoking in adolescents. Originality/value--The paper provides an examination of the health implications of a modern-day social phenomenon. It draws on and draws together established theory and empirical work to further advance a previously proposed link between smoking and mobile phone use. Establishing such a link has important implications for health education and promotion activities. (Contains 1 figure and 1 tables.)

Purpose: In the light of the growing emphasis on independent learning and non-technical skills in education and employment, the study aims to examine the relevance of learning style to student self-assessment skill. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of first-year undergraduate students was asked to provide self-assessed marks for their coursework and to complete measures of learning style. Tutors' marks for student coursework were also gathered. Findings: Results revealed a positive correlation between a deep approach to learning and self-assessment skill, demonstrating the relevance of learning style to self-assessment skill. A negative correlation between student-estimated mark and a surface approach suggested that students are sensitive to the demand characteristics of assessments and are aware of how these correspond to their preferred learning style. Both strategic and deep approaches to learning correlated positively with tutor mark, as is commonly reported. Originality/value: It is suggested that the study provides some insight into the composition of self-assessment skill and implications for pedagogical practice are considered. (Contains 1 table.)

Although its origins have been traced back much further, research in the area of learning style has been active for--at a conservative estimate--around four decades. During that period the intensity of activity has varied, with recent years seeing a particularly marked upturn in the number of researchers working in the area. Also of note is the variety of disciplines from which the research is emerging. Increasingly, research in the area of learning style is being conducted in domains outside psychology--the discipline from which many of the central concepts and theories originate. These domains include medical and health care training, management, industry, vocational training and a vast range of settings and levels in the field of education. It is of little wonder that applications of these concepts are so wide ranging given the centrality of learning--and how best to do it--to almost every aspect of life. As a consequence of the quantity of research, the diversity of the disciplines and domains in which the research is conducted, and the varied aims of the research, the topic has become fragmented and disparate. This is almost certainly how it must appear to practitioners and researchers new to the area, with its complexities and convolutions difficult to comprehend and assimilate. As such, it is perhaps timely to present an account of the central themes and issues surrounding learning style and to consider the instruments available for the measurement of style. This paper aims to provide such an account, attempting to clarify common areas of ambiguity and in particular issues surrounding measurement and appropriate instruments. It aims to bring together necessary components of the area in such a way as to allow for a broader appreciation of learning style and to inform regarding possible tools for measurement. It is anticipated that such an account will promote research in the field by presenting it as more accessible and by developing a greater appreciation for the area across disciplines and in researchers and practitioners new to the area.

Describes the development and validation of the 30-item Computer User Self-Efficacy (CUSE) Scale, a copy of which is appended. Topics include social cognitive theory; experience and computer self-efficacy; gender differences; and the measurement of computer self-efficacy in student computer users and its relevance to learning in higher education. (Author/LRW)

Evaluates the efficacy of teaching and learning in higher education, investigating the relationship between students assessment of their own academic proficiency, learning style, academic locus of control, academic self-efficacy, and academic achievement. Reports that perceived proficiency increased after completing the modules and perceived proficiency positively correlated with academic performance. (CMK)