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PurposeAdvancements in technology require that everyone is skilled with computational thinking (CT), problem-solving and computer programming skills. This study aims to examine the development of CT in problem-solving skills (PSS) and programming learning attitude by integrating LEGO robotics kits in a project-based learning course.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the development of CT in PSS and programming learning attitude by integrating LEGO robotics kits in a project-based learning course. This study consists of a single group pre-post-test research design with 32 freshmen university students. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by pre-post-tests and recording of classroom discussions, respectively.FindingsTherefore, this finding implies that robotics can be used to develop CT in university students; however, there is a need for designing curricula with advanced robotic kits as artificial intelligence (AI) has become more prevalent. Hence, programming knowledge learned will help students to understand the application of robots in AI.Originality/valueThe study creates educators' awareness that CT skills might be developed in freshmen university students through robotics. However, many still consider them toys rather than learning aids.

This study proposed reflective learning in an online course design to maximise the effectiveness of online courses. A quasi-experimental design was employed, and 62 Taiwanese adults participated in...

Recently there has been a change in elementary curricula to focus on computational thinking, however, a good curriculum needs to be matched with good learning or teaching strategies. This study exp...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of augmented reality (AR) using a 3D app in a smartphone on students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction in teaching angle measurement error ...

Due to COVID- 19 pandemic, schools all over the world have gone from full face-to-face to online lessons. This paper analyzed the influences of social networking sites (SNS) on secondary school stu...

The establishment of English medium instruction (EMI) brings opportunities for non-native English speaking institutions to compete with Anglophone universities and attract international students to join their program. More policies were designed to improve the academic environment quality and attract international students. As a thesis becomes the graduation requirement, there is a weight of difficulties and high expectations to produce good writing. This study explores thesis writing problems and strategies perceived by L2 writers as international graduate students in Taiwanese EMI classrooms in Taiwan. The participants were 152 international students who pursued a graduate degree in Taiwanese tertiary education; their major was categorized into engineering and social studies. The data was collected through questionnaires and in-depth interviews with some participants. The quantitative result indicates both students across the major were experiencing the same challenges in thesis writing and utilizing similar strategies to overcome the problem. Later, the qualitative result provides explanations to what really happen among these graduate students while writing thesis. The result serves reference and suggestion for academics in assisting their supervisee. It also suggests to the university to assist these L2 writers by providing writing correction services to the betterment of the EMI programs in their institution.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to develop a predictor model for an online nutrition course on sugar reduction. The proposed model is based on health knowledge, healthy behavior, social support, self-efficacy, attitude and the health belief model in relation to people’s behavior within a Facebook group. Subsequently, the model can be used to design a robust online training course for human resources, thereby reducing the training costs which managers have experienced as being expensive.Design/methodology/approachA single pre-post experimental group design was used. Pre and post data were collected from 100 Facebook users using an online questionnaire, within a three-week intervention.FindingsThe results show a significant difference between pre- and post-test scores of health knowledge and healthy behavior, indicating an effective intervention. In addition, perceived barriers, attitude, self-efficacy and emotional support were significant predictors of the healthy behavior model, predicting 70 percent of healthy behavior. However, knowledge had no significant relationship with any of the three dependent variables (self-efficacy, attitude and healthy behavior) proposed.Practical implicationsThis model has proved to be an effective intervention which can be used in online training of human resources, because the content of the training is known from the predictor model, thereby greatly reducing the training cost, since everything is done online. Moreover, the provided model and predictors show that the content to be delivered in the training program is not knowledge but perceived barriers, attitude, self-efficacy and emotional support.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to propose an integrative model that suggests attitude and self-efficacy as key predictors of healthy behavior whereas knowledge is not.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of augmented reality (AR) technology on students’ learning outcomes (measured according to Bloom’s cognitive levels) and attitude toward biology. The print book was redesigned by integrating a form of AR into it. A quasi-experimental pretest and posttest designs were used to test the effectiveness of the developed book on learning outcomes and attitude toward biology. In addition, the students’ opinions about the AR technology and the redesigned book were collected. In all, 68 ninth-grade students participated in the study. They were divided into the experimental group, who used the print book and the AR technology as a learning supplement, and the control group, who used the print book only. The results indicated that using AR technology may have the potential to enhance students’ learning outcomes at the analyzing level and their learning attitudes toward biology. The students mentioned that AR could be effective in terms of enhancing their biology learning.

This study examined the relationship between students’ teamwork competency and satisfaction in a synchronous online flipped group project-based course, focusing on the possibility of group collective efficacy and flipped learning to moderate this relationship. We collected data from 19 teams (N = 75 college engineering students) at a science and technology university in Cebu, central Philippines, through a questionnaire survey over a 12-week synchronous online course. Multi-level hierarchical linear modeling test of hypotheses revealed a significant positive relationship between teamwork competency and satisfaction. Similarly, group collective efficacy recorded a significant relationship with satisfaction. At the team level, group collective efficacy and flipped learning moderated the relationship between teamwork competency and satisfaction. Learners in groups with high collective efficacy and online flipped learning showed a stronger relationship than those with low efficacy and conventional online instruction. The findings and discussions provide practical implications and possible interventions teachers could apply to enhance collective efficacy and boost learning satisfaction in synchronous collaborative online learning settings.

This study aimed to explore whether the integration of virtual reality and augmented reality used in a specially designed science book could improve the students' science concept learning outcomes. A true experimental research design was conducted to check the effectiveness of the specially designed book in terms of learners' achievement. The sample for this study consisted of 80 fifth-grade students, divided into a control and an experimental group. The results revealed that using mixed reality (augmented reality and virtual reality) as a learning supplement to the printed book could improve students' learning outcomes, particularly for low spatial ability students. Finally, recommendations for future practices and research are discussed.

ACRL recommends that librarians with faculty status have the same privileges and responsibilities as other faculty on campus. A recent study revealed librarians feel that being on an equal footing with other faculty improves the relationship. It is not clear whether disciplinary faculty feel the same way. This paper presents a study investigating faculty perceptions of librarians in two types of institutions: those granting and not granting librarians faculty status. The study found no noticeable differences in perceptions of librarians and library services. However, the authors identified variables other than librarian-faculty-status as important in affecting the relationship between librarians and teaching faculty. These factors can help better understand faculty needs. Effective strategies can be established to meet those needs.

The speakers discussed practical steps that smaller institutions could take to develop their own institutional repositories (IRs) from scratch using local resources. Yuji Tosaka spoke about the overall context and problems that IRs can present for smaller institutions; Cathy Weng then gave an overview of The College of New Jersey's efforts to develop an IR and discussed the college's MUSE project, a college-wide mini-grant program for working with selected undergraduate students on research and creative activity, and how this internal opportunity led to an IR pilot project. Tosaka ended by speaking about life after MUSE and the still-ongoing IR development.

The authors created a research method to identify local users’ needs and explored how well currently available e-book content might meet those needs. Using circulation records, interlibrary loan (ILL) requests, and in-house use as a gauge of patron demand during a three-year period, the study compared these records to e-book offerings from the major aggregators. The resulting data were analyzed by subject and publication date. The authors found that e-book content that might meet users’ needs was not uniformly distributed across disciplines and that more recent publications were more likely to have e-book equivalents. The highest percentage of e-book equivalents was for titles requested via ILL, suggesting that this might be the best place to begin e-book collecting. The results suggest that e-books may meet only a fraction of the demand for monographic scholarly output and that libraries cannot yet rely on e-book content to entirely supplant print, although e-book coverage is growing dramatically.

This research explores the relationships between self-directed learning readiness and transformative learning theory (TLT) reflected by the Constructivist Internet-based Learning Environment Scale (CILES). A questionnaire survey about adult learner's perceptions of Internet-based learning was administered to adults enrolled in classes in community colleges in Taiwan. A total of 593 valid questionnaires were used for the structural equation modeling analysis. The findings confirmed a second-order hierarchical factor relationship of TLT (technical, dialectical and emancipatory learning interests) from CILES. Moreover, the three domains of learning interests of transformative learning were proved to have a developmental relationship, moderated by the readiness of self-directed learning for adult learners in Internet-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public services (PS) and technical services (TS) librarians play equally crucial roles in providing library services to meet user needs to support institutional goals. For PS and TS librarians to develop effective workplace collaborations, both groups must have a better understanding of the other side’s perspectives, values, and concerns. This paper sought to learn how librarians in the two areas currently perceive and/or stereotype each other. The authors conducted a survey on cross perceptions of public and technical services academic librarians. The study tested and confirmed assumptions that previous papers have made about the negative perceptions of TS librarians held by PS librarians. Analysis of survey results, however, found that TS respondents expected to be viewed more negatively than was evidenced by the PS responses. Nonetheless, both PS and TS respondents recognized and agreed on the important role that library technical services play within the larger context.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the key components of building good digital collections.Design/methodology/approachDifferent categories of digital collections based on guidelines defined by the authors are presented. Issues related to public access are illustrated. A model using the FRBR entities relationships is proposed to improve the accessibility of digital cultural materials so that scholarly research can be enhanced. The number of digital collections has been increased significantly since the late 1990s, but few studies investigated how these collections were organized and managed. To attain an understanding of the current status of institutional digital collections, various collection sites were examined and analyzed. The study focused on the existence and level of richness of bibliographic descriptions provided for each image; whether a search engine was available or not; how easily the search could be performed; and how search results were organized. The presentation of search results is problematic. Applying the IFLA FRBR model to digital materials can bring a solution.FindingsThe IFLA FRBR model presents the search results hierarchically so that related materials can be easily collocated. This feature meets the end‐users needs. The attributes of work and expression entities presented in the IFLA FRBR model should be applied differently for event‐based digital cultural materials. Defining work‐ or expression‐level entities under the event or theme will be more logical than under author and/or title for cultural materials. Doing expression‐level cataloging might also work for this type of materials.Originality/valueBefore building a digital collection, institutions should have a well‐thought‐out and well‐planned collection management mechanism. Metadata scheme, content standards and content management system are important fundamentals. Much can be done to improve the accessibility of digital collections. The proposed FRBRized approach will make the retrieval of digital cultural objects easier.

As the recipients of an IMLS grant in April 2000, Temple University Libraries embarked on a project to digitize, index, and preserve three distinct collections of visual materials. The article discusses the conceptual and practical decisions, as well as the procedures, developed by the Bibliographic Services Department in cooperation with special collections librarians, curators, systems staff, and faculty members to provide access through bibliographic description to digital collections of visual materials.