Gaps between Attitudes and Behavior in the Use of Disposable Plastic Tableware (DPT) and Factors Influencing Sustainable DPT Consumption: A Study of Hong Kong Undergraduates

Total waste from human activities, including waste plastics, is huge in Hong Kong. In particular, as a result of the prevention and control measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, take-away meals increased tremendously in Hong Kong, generating disposable plastic tableware (DPT). Although Hong Kong has a charging scheme for plastic bags, it does not have a scheme for plastic tableware. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the attitudes and behavior of people in Hong Kong toward DPT. Our study focused on undergraduate students in Hong Kong, given that they will play a significant role in the future of environmental sustainability. The attitudes and behavior of Hong Kong undergraduate students toward DPT were examined through an online survey with 385 respondents. A multiple stepwise regression was conducted to investigate whether cognitive attitude formation factors could explain the sustainable attitudes formed by undergraduate students in Hong Kong. The survey results revealed that most undergraduates considered DPT to be one of the major causes of environmental damage in Hong Kong;however, many of them, particularly those who strongly agreed with this statement, said that the problem of DPT did not affect their quality of life. The regression analysis showed that imposing a DPT charge would be the most significant driver to reduce its use. The research findings identified gaps between attitudes and behavior regarding the use of DPT and the factors influencing sustainable DPT consumption.

Acceptance of Social Media for Study Purposes—A Longitudinal Case Study

Background: Social media is a ubiquitous phenomenon that serves as a tool for communication, collaboration, and creativity. In the long term, it has an indispensable place in the field of education. The research paper discusses the use of certain social networking sites where learning management systems are extensively and consistently used in the teaching and learning process at universities. The rapid transition to online platforms had a tremendous impact on the educational process, exposing and promoting the effectiveness of heutagogy. The circumstances made it necessary to emphasize the value of self-directed learning and the capacity to identify educational requirements and strategies for reaching study objectives. This kind of research corresponds to the increased need to develop desired self-study skills in students. Objectives: The goal of the paper is to demonstrate how undergraduate students perceive the trends in acceptance and the degree of appropriateness of social media for academic purposes. Methods: Research on social media use in education was inspired by a review of the literature. The purpose of the questionnaire is to track awareness, use, general satisfaction, communication, testing, and revision. The set of social media examined in the survey (years 2021 and 2022) was modified to reflect the social media landscape at the time. This study compares the findings of four different studies. The outcomes are displayed in graphs. Results: Two areas are analyzed: social media as a means of communication in the process of education and social media as a tool enabling students' revision and testing of study materials. The first two studies, which were conducted in 2014 and 2019, are based on the same set of examined social media and fit the comparison, enabling to define the trend in students' perceived satisfaction with social media for study purposes. The third and fourth studies discussed in this paper were run during the winter semesters of 2021 and 2022. Conclusions: The most significant differences between 2021 and 2022 can be seen in Instagram, Twitch, and other platforms, where a substantial drop in satisfaction in the communication field can be seen. The biggest difference in revision and testing is found in Facebook, Twitch, and Teams, which are abandoning online teaching and learning after the COVID-19 event. Social media use for studying has significantly decreased, with noteworthy decreases in Wiki, Facebook, and video calls.

The Effectiveness of Using H5P for Undergraduate Students in the Asynchronous Distance Learning Environment

As the COVID-19 pandemic caused many schools to go online, asynchronous distant learning has become popular. One of the main challenges of asynchronous distance learning is keeping students engaged and motivated, as they do not have the same engagement with their peers and teachers as in traditional face-to-face learning environments. HTML 5 package (H5P) is an interactive learning tool that has the potential to fill this need due to its numerous immediate interactive features, such as interactive videos, pop quizzes, and games during media playback. This study investigates the effectiveness of using H5P and Moodle in asynchronous distance learning environments for undergraduate students. The data collection methods included pre-and post-surveys for Moodle and H5P and the questions related to the student perspectives towards H5P features. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is employed to find student satisfaction. The results of this study suggest that both the H5P and Moodle could be valuable tools for making E-learning more effective. The interactive and engaging nature of H5P can provide students with a more enjoyable and effective learning experience, helping to keep them motivated and engaged throughout their studies.

Ten Minutes a Semester: Evaluation of a Short Wellness Intervention for Undergraduate Chemistry and Biology Courses

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many challenges undergraduate students face including their ability to manage stress. Poor stress management can contribute to poor academic performance and health outcomes;better wellness habits and stress reduction go hand-in-hand, as improved wellness habits reduce overall stress and expand positive stress management strategies. This article describes the design of a short wellness intervention for STEM classes and its evaluation after implementation in five chemistry and biology courses that span the four years of a biochemistry degree. This intervention, composed of a short, in-class presentation and an associated supplemental resource handout, presents students with information on five wellness areas: sleep, nutrition, water intake, exercise, and meditation and mindfulness. Students were surveyed at three points (once preintervention and twice postintervention) in one semester and asked to report their perceived stress, current wellness habits, and overall perception of the intervention. Notably, the majority of students (89%) thought the intervention should be included in other courses. The importance of completing the intervention in class was underscored by the small number of students (19%) who reported accessing the additional resources provided outside of class. Student wellness habits did not dramatically shift postintervention, but this study garnered insights into the barriers students face when attempting to change their wellness behavior. Overwhelmingly students reported that academic workload was the dominant factor hindering positive wellness change. The intervention materials, including a suggested script, are shared, and data-supported recommendations for implementation in other courses and institutions are provided.

GENDERED PERCEPTION OF ONLINE UNIVERSITY LEARNING OF STEM ENTREPRENEURSHIP DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Online educational experiences have exploded in popularity at the advent of the internet of things. Just as all forms before it, online learning has experienced implicit biases. With the abrupt lockdowns mandated by governments across the world, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational institutions were thrust into an online learning environment with similarities and differences to the established online institutions already in place. Educational systems were forced to prepare and install methods of communication and instruction by using online resources such as online video calls and discussion forums. Here, we assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Pre-Capstone Innovation Experience course at New York University, which provides entrepreneurship education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for undergraduates. Assessments captured between 2017 and 2020 from Pre-Capstone Innovation Experience participants demonstrate the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the learning of undergraduate students.

Interactive Python Notebooks for Physical Chemistry

Chemistry simulations using interactive graphic user interfaces (GUIs) represent uniquely effective and safe tools to support multidimensional learning. Computer literacy and coding skills have become increasingly important in the chemical sciences. In response to both of these facts, a series of Jupyter notebooks hosted on Google Colaboratory were developed for undergraduate students enrolled in physical chemistry. These modules were developed for use during the COVID-19 pandemic when Millsaps College courses were virtual and only virtual or online laboratories could be used. These interactive exercises employ the Python programming language to explore a variety of chemical problems related to kinetics, the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, numerical versus analytical solutions, and real-world application of concepts. All of the modules are available for download from GitHub (https://github.com/Abravene/Python-Notebooks-for-Physical-Chemistry). Accessibility was prioritized, and students were assumed to have no prior programming experience;the notebooks are cost-free and browser-based. Students were guided to use widgets to build interactive GUIs that provide dynamic representations, immediate access to multiple investigations, and interaction with key variables. To evaluate the perceived effectiveness of this introduction to Python programming, participants were surveyed at the beginning and end of the course to gauge their interest in pursuing programming and data analysis skills and how they viewed the importance of programming and data analysis for their future careers. Student reactions were generally positive and showed increased interest in programming and its importance in their futures, so these notebooks will be incorporated into the in-person laboratory in the future.

Analyzing Academic Results of Managerial Accounting Courses Using Offline and Online Learning at Undergraduate Study Program

This study aims to analyze the comparison of the academic result of the EA447 Managerial Accounting course using offline and online learning at the Management and Accounting undergraduate study program during 10 semesters of the 2016-2020 academic years at Indonesia Persada University-Jakarta. This study uses simple descriptive statistics to analyze the pass rate, failure rate and eligibility rate to take the final semester exam. The data is taken from the academic section of the institution in the form of student scores based on offline learning before the covid-19 pandemic, namely the odd semester 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20, and 2019/20 and the academic year in online learning during the covid19 pandemic in the even semester 2019/2020, and the 2020/2021 school year. The results of this study indicate that the graduation rate is high, the failure rate is low, and the eligibility rate for taking the final semester exam is lower in online learning outcomes than offline learning outcomes. This finding implied to provide references in applying offline and online learning for the Management and Accounting undergraduate study program at the university. © 2022 Association for Computing Machinery.

Investigating the role of technostress, cognitive appraisal and coping strategies on students' learning performance in higher education: a multidimensional transactional theory of stress approach

PurposeCOVID-19 has galvanized educational institutions to rapidly adopt technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environment where students are required to use and manage a diverse set of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Using the Transactional Theory of Stress, the authors investigate the impact of a TEL environment on students' stress, cognitive appraisal and coping. The authors also explore how the TEL environment impacts students' learning satisfaction and performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey using Qualtrics was developed to collect the data from 275 undergraduate students. The authors used the Partial Least Squares (PLS) through SmartPLS for instrument validation and testing of the structural model. The reflective-formative model was applied as the measures used to evaluate the first-order constructs are unidimensional, and the second-order construct has a formative measurement.FindingsStudents experienced technology-related stress due to ICT use. The negative appraisal such as harm and threat leads to emotion-focused coping among students, while the constructive appraisal such as positive and challenge leads to problem-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping was found to negatively impact learning satisfaction, while problem-focused coping was found to positively impact satisfaction. The authors also found that students with a higher level of experience with online and hybrid classes, higher confidence in computer usage and lower anxiety are better equipped to deal with technostress.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides the first comprehensive technostress model in the IS literature that uses formative modeling to explain technostress creators and inhibitors and emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping, as was intended by the Transactional Theory of Stress. The result allows for rethinking TEL environment by drawing attention to strategies that can reduce technological complexity and uncertainty. For future research, it may be helpful to perform a longitudinal or experimental study to obtain rigorous causal inference. Originality/valueThere is limited research on the impact of technostress in the field of higher education. Also, technostress has been used inconsistently in Information Systems research, with the majority of research focusing on technostress creators and inhibitors only. This research incorporates all the constructs of the original theory adding new knowledge to the IS literature about the nature and causes of stress created by the use of technology.

Structural Determinants of Mobile Learning Acceptance among Undergraduates in Higher Educational Institutions

Mobile learning has become a critical aspect of online learning in the post-pandemic era. As a result, practitioners and policymakers have paid increasing attention to mobile learning acceptance among various stakeholders. However, there is a vacuity of literature on mobile learning acceptance in developing countries, particularly in the African context. This study sought to examine the determinants of mobile learning acceptance among undergraduates in higher educational institutions using a structural equation modelling approach. Data were collected through a web survey distributed to 415 undergraduate students in Namibia. The majority of the UTAUT relationships were confirmed, although some were not supported. The results revealed a strong positive relationship between performance expectancy and hedonic motivation. Hence, hedonic motivation mediates the relationship between performance expectancy and behavioural intention to use mobile learning in Namibia. The results of this study may help to inform mobile learning implementation efforts, particularly in the post-pandemic period.

Every Tool in the Toolbox: Pursuing Multilevel Institutional Change in the DeLTA Project

For decades, educators and policy makers have called for reform in higher education, yet now the urgency is palpable. The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened attention to systemic racism have highlighted the fact that outdated teaching practices can stunt student learning and trust of science, maintain systemic biases, and prevent equitable education. Promoting change to outdated teaching practices requires fundamental shifts at each level of a university--among faculty, departments, and the institution as a whole. The Departmental and Leadership Teams for Action (DeLTA) project at the University of Georgia pursues transformative shifts in policies and practices related to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. This article provides examples of how DeLTA applies various change perspectives to shift thinking, practices, and policies related to evaluating teaching.

Digital Literacy and Views of the COVID-19 Pandemic of Students Who Prepared for Musical Aptitude Tests during the Pandemic

This study was carried out with the aim of determining the opinions and digital literacy status of the students who are preparing for the music talent exams of the universities during the COVID-19 process. The research is in the survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods and is limited to 300 students who took the music department and department aptitude exams of 21 different universities. The type of high school from which the relevant students graduated, the universities they applied to for special talent exams, their previous undergraduate education, their status of researching distance education opportunities, and digital literacy levels of the universities they applied for special talent exams were included in the scope of the study. Within the scope of the problem situation of the research, the effects of the duration of the pandemic on the ear training, instrument training, voice training, and psychological state of the students were investigated. According to the data obtained from the interview form applied to the students, the pandemic process gave the students extra time for ear training, instrument training, and voice training, but this extra time could not be properly evaluated because there was no educator guidance. It was concluded that students felt inadequate about digital literacy.

Fostering Self-directed Learning Skills in Smart Learning Environment during the Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Institutions of higher learning were rapidly made to change from in-person to fully online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This change posed an inherent problem in successfully engaging students in learning in a remote learning environment. Thus, the study aims to enhance students' problem-solving skills through self-directed learning in a Smart Learning Environment. A cohort of first year undergraduate students (n=147) in a private university were given the task to solve a programming problem in a fully online course, in a team. These students had never been in a formal online course nor met their course mates face-to-face due to the pandemic. Various digital tools, including Zoom, Edmodo, and others, were used in this learning environment. A Likert-scale survey and open-ended questions were used to obtain data on the attitude and perception of the students towards the self-directed learning environment. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on the data to reduce the factors to several constructs, such as self-management, self-monitoring, motivation and teamwork. In completing the task, students took more control of their learning, self-monitored themselves and remained committed and motivated to reach their learning outcomes and goals. There were encouraging and positive evidence that students were able to be effectively engaged in a smart learning environment and were more independent but not isolated learners.

The Role of Information Literacy Competencies in Reducing the Effect of Infodemic: The Case of COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of Information Literacy Competencies (ILC) in curtailing infodemic within a sample of undergraduate students of library and information science. The researcher used quantitative research approach using questionnaires to collect data on both levels of ILC and infodemic. The results revealed that students highly practice ILC;however, the levels of infodemic were reported in moderate level. The findings provide a contradicting situation as such educated students who highly practice ILC should be able to distinguish between true and incorrect information related to COVID-19;however this was not seen, as despite our students highly practices ILC, they still have moderate levels of believing and circulating misinformation on the virus. The findings provide insight to governments to develop information literacy programs focuses on social media use from an early age.

Students’ Affective Learning Outcomes and Academic Performance in the Blended Environment at University: Comparative Study

This study examines how the gender of students and their level of education (undergraduate or postgraduate students) influence affective learning outcomes in a mixed environment. The research model is based on four key indicators: satisfaction, perception of experience (perceived usefulness, ease of use, and perceived behavioral control), perception of benefits (general learning effectiveness, knowledge sharing and increasing, study skills improvement, and sense of progress), and academic performance. Moderating factors, including gender and education level, were used to define the distinctions in the measured results. The study was conducted in the fall semester of 2021. The target samples were students of undergraduate and postgraduate levels studying during the semester in the blended environment. A total of 513 students from Peter the Great Polytechnic University took part in the research. The online questionnaire was conducted to define the affective learning outcomes of students in the blended environment and the influence of affective outcome factors on academic performance. The Likert-type five-point scale was used to determine all the variables. For our statistical analysis, we used SPSS 24.0 and SmartPLS 3.0 programs. Two tests were implemented to determine the differences between gender and education level in relation to students’ affective learning outcomes. Finally, our study revealed how distinctive aspects of affective learning outcomes impact academic learning outcomes in a blended format using linear regression analysis. According to the results obtained, the results between males and females were similar and academic performance results were mostly predicted by satisfaction level. A difference was revealed between undergraduate students’ results and postgraduate students’ results. Perceived benefit has a greater effect on academic performance for postgraduate students, while satisfaction level has a greater effect on academic performance results for undergraduate students than for postgraduate students.

Analogy between Consecutive Reaction Kinetics and the Spread of COVID-19 as a Student-Centered Learning Approach

The reaction rate and rate law are chemical kinetics concepts that undergraduate students have difficulty understanding and applying in real life. A further challenge is the overall reaction rate of consecutive reactions. Herein we present a creative teaching practice using the analogy-based approach to exploit the similarities between the chemical kinetics of consecutive reactions involved in ethanol oxidation and the model employed to describe the COVID-19 outbreak. Students conducted the mathematical modeling using open online software. Fitting the epidemic data from four different countries during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to the SIR model and comparing the results with the model of ethanol oxidation brought students insight into the effects of kinetic parameters and triggered a discussion on conceptual kinetic fundamentals. This teaching approach sets up an environment where students can build knowledge that accounts for their pandemic experience, fostering mathematical and computational skills along with data analysis and interpretation that promotes a deeper understanding of the phenomena implicated in the kinetics of consecutive reactions. Mathematical modeling activities are here to stay and will continue gaining relevance in undergraduate kinetics courses, even without the lockdown, therefore the development of these kinds of learning strategies is of high significance worldwide.

First Semester of Online Medical Education During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Single University Experience

Our study evaluated the medical student's attitude toward online medical training implementation during COVID-19 lockdown in a single university. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to the undergraduate students at the Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Romania. Following a cross-sectional design, the study was carried out from May 20th to August 20th 2020. We studied the differences between the responses of Medicine students (Medicine) and other specializations (OtherS), respectively between three groups according to the year of the study (freshman - Fr first year, sophomores - So intermediate years, and seniors - Se last year of study). The Medicine students' attitude towards online professional education was significantly different than OherS (students with other specialties than Medicine) concerning 6 out of 11 questions (P-values < 0.018). Similar, significant differences were observed on 7/11 questions when comparing Fr, So, Se (P-values < 0.015), but only 4/7 differences were similar to Medicine vs. OtherS. The participants agreed that online education helped continue the academic year in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, but the medical skills development has suffered. Our study showed that students' needs, as well as their perceptions, are different both between specializations (Medicine vs. OtherS) as well as years of study (Fr, So, and Se).

Student Learning Experience in a New Education Environment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper presents results of a student survey carried out among Civil and Construction Engineering undergraduate students within the School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment at Western Sydney University. The survey investigated the learning experience of students and the effectiveness of new educational processes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed to examine the perceptions of students on online teaching modes. The survey results indicated some positive features of online teaching such as flexibility, comfortable educational environments and efficient time utilisation. However, students also found many challenges such as network instability, distractions, lack of engagement and mental stress. The identified areas of improvement were closely related to these challenges. The survey results highlighted that most students were satisfied with the teaching strategies and assessment methods. Improved and effective teaching methodologies for students to achieve better learning outcomes are proposed and discussed.

Integration of motion diagram based module to improve students’ conceptual understanding of 1 dimentional kinematics

This study aims to see the effectiveness of using motion diagram-based module to improve students’ conceptual understanding of 1D Kinematics. We have integrated module in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was an experimental research with one group pretest-posttest design. The research was conducted on 36 first year Physics undergraduate students. The research instrument consisted of 14 reasoned multiple choice questions. Data analysis was performed using paired sample t-test, N-gain, and d-effect size. The results showed that t = -47.81 [df = 35;sig.(2-tailed) = 0.000] so it can be concluded that students’ understanding of concepts is significantly different. The results of N-gain = 0.543 indicate that the increase is in the upper medium category and the d-effect size = 2.189 indicates that the influence of learning has a strong effect on increasing students’ conceptual understanding. The results of this study indicate that the use of motion diagram-based module can improve students’ conceptual understanding of 1D Kinematics. The students’ conceptual understanding that increased the most significantly was related to compare the velocity of two objects moving in opposite directions. But, many students still have difficulty in determining the instantaneous velocity from the x-t table.

Factores que influyen en la satisfacción del alumnado universitario en la educación en línea: Un estudio con SEM (Modelo de ecuaciones estructurales)

By taking as a reference the results obtained with a questionnaire used during the class period among undergraduate students at the Quevedo State Technical University (UTEQ) of Ecuador in the period Covid-19. The instrument consists of 35 questions classified into six factors: student-content interaction, student-teacher relationship, use of SGA platform and other digital tools, evaluation of online education, technological resources and evaluation of online education. The results obtained show that the proposed theoretical model is acceptable, which was confirmed by estimating it using the maximum likelihood method, establishing that the factors that predominantly affect student satisfaction in online education are: student-content interaction, student-teacher relationship and technological resources. El mes de marzo del 2020 se convirtió en un mes que América Latina no podrá olvidar debido a la suspensión de clases presenciales que ocurrió en casi todo el mundo como consecuencia directa de la cuarentena a resguardar por el COVID 19, donde el pánico colectivo, el estrés generado por el confinamiento y el rol de las instituciones educativas frente al uso de herramientas tecnológicas para crear ambientes de aprendizaje virtual improvisados, nos lleva a replantearnos el modo y la forma en que se educa en tiempos de crisis.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Learning for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies of Electrical Engineering

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lectures and exercises at the Department of Electrical Engineering of the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences were switched from face-to-face (F2F) to synchronous online. This seemingly emergency measure has been going on for four semesters and has brought many challenges but also provided an opportunity to evaluate the present state and define guidelines for further steps. The paper develops criteria for the effectiveness of education in terms of quality and tempo of acquired knowledge. The obtained values of the defined criteria for online education were analyzed and compared with the results for F2F mode of education. In addition, efficiency of learning was examined via defined key performance indicators. Finally, a proposal for the preparation of targeted presentation methods and types of educational content is given in order to achieve greater student motivation and better exam results. © 2022 Croatian Society MIPRO.