Poster Session
Featured Advancing STEM in Early Education.
Poster Session
Haley Neuhausen
STEM topics and careers have become pivotal as we have moved into the 21st century. As we work to innovate and change our technologies, it is important that we have the knowledge and technology to keep up with those needs. Right now, there is a projected 2.5 million jobs that are expected to be vacant in STEM by 2038. In order to fill that gap, we need to look at the education element of this. It is important that this be filled in, not only, higher education, but also in secondary and early education. When looking at specifically early education, we can work to develop interests in careers early. A lot of the fundamental memories and interest are formed at this age, and can ultimately project where a student will go from there. With the assistance of AI and human technologies, we will be able to see movements towards a more well-rounded education, including STEM, if our educators were to take that step.
Students’ Reflections on Learning: A Preliminary Study
Poster Session
Hameed Sulaiman Seyed Mohamed,
Ghiyatha Al Wardi
Developing students’ ability to reflect on their learning is a fundamental but complex skill for preparing students in higher education. In this study, levels of reflection are categorized from a reflective writing essay based on the coding scheme of Kember, where seven levels of reflection are proposed. Out of 173 reflective statements analyzed from student essays, approximately 20% of students wrote more than eight clear reflective statements, while most students wrote between 2 to 6 statements. The findings revealed that students' reflections fall around Thoughtful Action (TA), Content Reflection (CR), and Process Reflection (PR). Most students' reflection (41%) falls in CR. TA and PR constitute 36% of statements each in student essays, although TA is not considered a reflection. Thirty-two percent of students' statements fall at the Introspection (I) level, where students mostly describe their feelings toward the course tasks. Only 21% of students' statements showed a higher level of reflection, which belongs to Content-Process Reflection. Premise Reflection is the most complex and highest level of reflection, constituting only 5% of reflective statements that contemplate a change of perspective. The findings of the work show a clear diversity in the student’s ability to write their own reflections, in which few students have the aptitude to write more reflective statements. This indicates the importance of raising students’ ability to express their thoughts. Preparing students to reflect on their learning is necessary, as it is pivotal to achieving transformative graduate attributes intended in higher education.
The Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate Approach to Developing an English Course: A Study on Students’ 21st-Century Skills
Poster Session
Yen-Hui Lu
This study applies the Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate teaching model to design a freshman English course that integrates themes related to the Sustainable Development Goals. The course aims to enhance students' 4 Cs skills: critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration, through an innovative learning process focused on designing future products. The curriculum includes diverse learning activities such as group discussions, design thinking workshops, creative product development, and English oral presentations. A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the course's effectiveness in fostering 4 Cs skills. Quantitative data were collected using the 4 Cs Competency Assessment Questionnaire to measure students' skill development, while qualitative data were analyzed from students' worksheets, assignments, reports, and reflective journals to provide deeper insights into their progress. The findings offer empirical evidence demonstrating how integrating Sustainable Development Goals themes and design thinking into language learning can effectively enhance students' language abilities and their 4 Cs competencies.
