Quality assurance of joint degree programs from the perspective of quality assurance agencies: experience in East Asia     

Yung-Chi Hou  Martin Ince  Sandy Tsai  Wayne Wang  Vicky Hung  Chung Lin Jiang 《高等教育研究与发展》2016,35(3):473-487

Joint degree programs have gained popularity in East Asia, due to the growth of transnational higher education in the region since 2000. However, the external quality assurance (QA) and accreditation of joint degree programs is a challenge for QA agencies, as it normally involves the engagement of several institutions and multiple national accreditation procedures. The purpose of this study is to explore current QA approaches to joint degree programs in Europe and East Asia from the perspectives of QA agencies. There are four major findings from the study. First, East Asian countries tend to stipulate national regulations for a joint degree program. Second, an external QA mechanism for joint degree programs has not yet been developed in East Asian nations. Third, the adoption of international accreditation as the popular approach for joint degree programs in business fields in Asia raises the serious issue of national jurisdiction over higher education. Fourth, the European Consortium for Education's (ECA) single accreditation mode is highly recommended by QA agencies.  相似文献   

Investigating the Effectiveness of Inquiry Instruction on the Motivation of Different Learning Styles Students     

Hsiao-Lin?TuanEmail author  Chi-Chin?Chin  Chi-Chung?Tsai  Su-Fey?Cheng 《International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education》2005,3(4):541-566

The purpose of this study was to investigate 8th graders with different learning styles their motivation outcomes after implementing 10 weeks (40 hours) inquiry-based teaching. Two hundreds and fifty four 8th graders were involved in experimental group, this group of students experienced inquiry instruction. Two hundreds and thirty two 8th graders were involved in control group, they were taught by traditional science teaching. Students' motivation toward science learning questionnaire (SMTSL) (Tuan, Chin & Shieh, 2005) were implemented in both groups in the beginning and at the end of the study. Students in the experimental group filled out learning preference questionnaire (Lumsdaine & Lumsdaine, 1995) in the beginning of the study. Forty students which represent different learning styles were chosen from five experimental classes to conduct post-test interview. Paired t-test, MANOVA, analytic inductive methods were used for analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data. Findings indicated that after inquiry instruction students' motivation increased significantly (p<.001) than students who enrolled in traditional teaching. Four different learning styles of students increased significantly (p<.005) in SMTSL scales: self-efficacy, active learning strategies, science learning value, performance goal and achievement goal. No significant difference was found among four learning styles of students' motivation after inquiry teaching. Interview data supported that most of students with different learning styles were willing to participate in the inquiry learning activities, while they hold different reasons for their engagement. Findings confirm inquiry-based science teaching can motivate students with different learning styles in science learning. An erratum to this article is available at .  相似文献   

Ninth grade students’ mental models of the marine environment and their implications for environmental science education in Taiwan     

Shu-Chiu Liu  Huann-shyang Lin  Chun-Yen Tsai 《The Journal of environmental education》2020,51(1):72-82

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ mental models of the marine environment and to further examine how these models are related to their perceptions of marine problems. One hundred twenty-eight ninth grade students from a large harbor city in southern Taiwan completed a survey including a drawing activity and a set of two-tier questions. Using a four-factor rubric to analyze student drawings, we found that students’ mental models of the marine environment are generally partial and unconnected. In particular, the human component was often missing in the drawing. Students showed a strong awareness of marine problems; however, their awareness is focused on waste pollution. Moreover, correlation analysis showed that students’ mental models are associated with the scope of the perceived problems.  相似文献   

Towards learning analytics adoption: A mixed methods study of data-related practices and policies in Latin American universities     

Isabel Hilliger  Margarita Ortiz-Rojas  Paola Pesántez-Cabrera  Eliana Scheihing  Yi-Shan Tsai  Pedro J. Muñoz-Merino  Tom Broos  Alexander Whitelock-Wainwright  Dragan Gašević  Mar Pérez-Sanagustín 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2020,51(4):915-937

In Latin American universities, Learning Analytics (LA) has been perceived as a promising opportunity to leverage data to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort. Although universities have been collecting educational data for years, the adoption of LA in this region is still limited due to the lack of expertise and policies for processing and using educational data. In order to get a better picture of how existing data-related practices and policies might affect the incorporation of LA in Latin American institutions, we conducted a mixed methods study in four Latin American universities (two Chilean and two Ecuadorian). In this paper, the qualitative data were based on 37 interviews with managers and 16 focus groups with 51 teaching staff and 45 students; the quantitative data were collected through two surveys answered by 1884 students and 368 teachers, respectively. The findings reveal opportunities to incorporate LA services into existing data practices in the four case studies. However, the lack of reliable information systems and policies to regulate the use of data imposes challenges that need to be overcome for future LA adoption.  相似文献   

Erratum to: CALL FOR PAPERS     

Meng-Jung Tsai 《International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education》2013,11(2):527-527

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Selective dynamic concentration of peptides at poles of cation-selective nanoporous granules     

Hsiao-Ping Chen  Chia-Chun Tsai  Hung-Meng Lee  Shau-Chun Wang  Hsueh-Chia Chang 《Biomicrofluidics》2013,7(4)

The authors exposed a non-equilibrium dynamic counterion and coion analyte concentration to an AC electric field to selectively concentrate peptides at the poles of a cation-selective granule. The counterion polarization results from the focusing of the electric field show a discontinuous drop in the intra-granule counterion electromigration flux at the pole. The coion concentration polarization is due to the combined external convective and electromigration fluxes toward the pole that neutralize the accumulating counterions. Because the electromigration mobility of the peptide anion analyte depends on the pH, the authors determined a 20 000-fold high concentration factor for a near-neutral pH of 6.0 to 7.7. Because the peptide is protonated at the acidic pole and its absolute charge ranges from −0.3 to −1.9, the concentration factor scales exponentially with the absolute charge, thus allowing extremely selective concentrations of various peptides, which is demonstrated by fluorescein isothiocyanate tagged angiotensin I (pI ∼ 5.8) and Texas red tagged avidin (pI ∼ 10.5). This dynamic concentration effect can substantially enhance the sensitivity of bio-assays.  相似文献   

High School Students’ Informal Reasoning Regarding a Socio‐scientific Issue,with Relation to Scientific Epistemological Beliefs and Cognitive Structures     

Ying‐Tien Wu  Chin‐Chung Tsai 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(3):371-400

This study investigated the relationship among 68 high school students’ scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs), cognitive structures regarding nuclear power usage, and their informal reasoning regarding this issue. Moreover, the ability of students’ SEBs as well as their cognitive structures for predicting their informal reasoning regarding this issue was also examined. The participants’ SEBs were assessed with a quantitative instrument; their cognitive structures were assessed through tape‐recorded interviews and were further analyzed with the ‘flow map method’; their reasoning regarding nuclear power usage was assessed with an open‐ended questionnaire; and, then, their responses were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. It was revealed that students’ beliefs about the justification of scientific knowledge (an aspect of the beliefs on the nature of knowing science) were significantly correlated with their reasoning quality; the extent and the richness of students’ cognitive structures as well as their usage of the information processing mode, ‘comparing,’ were positively correlated with their reasoning quality. A series of regression analyses further confirmed that students’ use of the information processing mode, ‘comparing,’ was the most significant factor for predicting reasoning quality, while their beliefs regarding the justification of scientific knowledge was the other important predictor.  相似文献   

Relationships between student scientific epistemological beliefs and perceptions of constructivist learning environments     

Chin-Chung Tsai 《Educational research; a review for teachers and all concerned with progress in education》2013,55(2):193-205

This study was conducted to explore the interplay between students’ scientific epistemological beliefs and their perceptions of constructivist learning environments. Through analysing 1,176 Taiwanese tenth-graders’ (16-year-olds) questionnaire responses, this study found that students tended to perceive that actual learning environments were less constructivist orientated than what they preferred. Students having epistemological beliefs more orientated to constructivist views of science (as opposed to empiricist views about science) tended to have a view that actual learning environments did not provide sufficient opportunities for social negotiations (p < 0.01) and prior knowledge integration (p < 0.01); and moreover, they show significantly stronger preferences to learn in the constructivist learning environments where they could (1) interact and negotiate meanings with others (p < 0.001), (2) integrate their prior knowledge and experiences with newly constructed knowledge (p < 0.001) and (3) meaningfully control their learning activities (p < 0.001). The main thrust of the findings drawn from this study indicates that teachers need to be very aware of students’ epistemological orientation towards scientific knowledge, and to complement these preferences when designing learning experiences, especially to provide constructivist-based lessons to enhance science learning for students who are epistemologically constructivist orientated.  相似文献   

Development of an Empirically Based Questionnaire to Investigate Young Students' Ideas About Nature of Science     

Sufen Chen  Wen‐Hua Chang  Sang‐Chong Lieu  Huey‐Lien Kao  Mao‐Tsai Huang  Shu‐Fen Lin 《科学教学研究杂志》2013,50(4):408-430

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An investigation of Taiwanese high school students’ science learning self-efficacy in relation to their conceptions of learning science     

Tzung-Jin Lin  Chin-Chung Tsai 《Research in Science & Technological Education》2013,31(3):308-323

Background: Past studies have shown significant associations between students’ conceptions of learning science and their science learning self-efficacy. However, in most of the studies, students’ science learning self-efficacy has often been measured by a singular scale.

Purpose: Extending the findings of these studies, the present study adopted a multi-dimensional instrument to assess Taiwanese high school students’ science learning self-efficacy and investigate the relationships with their conceptions of learning science.

Sample: A total of 488 Taiwanese high school students (265 male and 223 female) were invited to participate in this survey.

Design and method: All the participants responded to the Conceptions of Learning Science (COLS) questionnaire regarding ‘Memorizing’, ‘Testing’, ‘Calculating and practicing’, ‘Increase of knowledge’, ‘Applying’ and ‘Understanding and seeing in a new way’ and the Science Learning Self-Efficacy (SLSE) instrument, including ‘Conceptual understanding’, ‘Higher-Order cognitive skills’, ‘Practical work’, ‘Everyday application’ and ‘Science communication’.

Results: The path analysis results derived from the structural equation modeling method indicated that, of all five SLSE dimensions, the ‘Understanding and seeing in a new way’ COLS displayed as a positive predictor, while the ‘Testing’ COLS was a significant negative predictor. The ‘Applying’ COLS item can only positively contribute to the SLSE dimensions of ‘Higher-Order thinking skills’, ‘Everyday application’ and ‘Science Communication’.

Conclusions: In general, students in strong agreement with learning science as understanding and seeing in a new way or the application of learned scientific knowledge are prone to possess higher confidence in learning science. However, students who consider learning science in terms of preparing for tests and examinations tend to hold lower science learning self-efficacy.  相似文献