Effectiveness of social media-assisted course on learning self-efficacy.

The social media platform and the information dissemination revolution have changed the thinking, needs, and methods of students, bringing development opportunities and challenges to higher education. This paper introduces social media into the classroom and uses quantitative analysis to investigate the relation between design college students' learning self-efficacy and social media for design students, aiming to determine the effectiveness of social media platforms on self-efficacy. This study is conducted on university students in design media courses and is quasi-experimental, using a randomized pre-test and post-test control group design. The study participants are 73 second-year design undergraduates. Independent samples t-tests showed that the network interaction factors of social media had a significant impact on college students learning self-efficacy. The use of social media has a significant positive predictive effect on all dimensions of learning self-efficacy. Our analysis suggests that using the advantages and value of online social platforms, weakening the disadvantages of the network, scientifically using online learning resources, and combining traditional classrooms with the Internet can improve students' learning self-efficacy.

Blended knowledge sharing model in design professional.

Grounded in Nonaka and Takeuchi (Long Range Plan 54(4):102070, 2021) Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization (SECI) model, the present research develops a Blended Knowledge Sharing Activity (BKSA) model tailored for design practitioners, targeting the enhancement of learning outcomes and creativity. The investigation centers around the influence of BKSA on higher education students' learning achievements and creative potential, further delving into their application and performance relative to social media within design-related coursework. Employing a comprehensive methodological approach including sampling, t-tests, and structural equation modeling, questionnaires were disseminated to a cohort of 105 undergraduate students from two sophomore-level design classes. It is worth underscoring that despite the SECI model finding extensive applicability across numerous domains, its implementation within the context of design education remains comparatively underrepresented. This research lacuna served as a catalyst in our endeavor to apply the SECI model within knowledge-sharing activities specific to design majors, in anticipation of uncovering more potent strategies for learning and innovation. Our findings disclose a tangible positive correlation between BKSA and both the learning outcomes and creativity of undergraduate students. Moreover, the instrument we devised and utilized, acting as a robust measurement tool for the SECI model, provided additional validation for the beneficial influence of BKSA on university students' learning achievements and creative capacities. This novel insight not only redresses the underexplored application of the SECI model in design education but also furnishes a fresh theoretical vantage point for the amalgamation of blended learning and knowledge sharing paradigms.

Introgression of qPE9-1 allele, conferring the panicle erectness, leads to the decrease of grain yield per plant in japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Panicle architecture is closely related to yield formation. The qPE9-1 gene has been proved to be widely used in high-yield rice cultivar developments, conferring erect panicle character in japonica rice. Recently, qPE9-1 has been successfully cloned; however, the genetic effect on grain yield per plant of the erect panicle allele qPE9-1 is controversial yet. In the present study, a drooping panicle parent Nongken 57, carrying qpe9-1 allele, was used as recurrent parent to successively backcross to a typical erect panicle line from the double haploid (DH) population (Wuyunjing 8/Nongken 57), which was previously shown to carry qPE9-1 allele. Thus a pair of near-isogenic lines (NILs) was developed. The comparison of agronomic traits between the NILs showed that, when qpe9-1 was replaced by qPE9-1, the panicle architecture was changed from drooping to erect; moreover, the panicle length, plant height, 1000-grain weight and the tillers were significantly decreased, consequently resulting in the dramatic decrease of grain yield per plant by 30%. Therefore, we concluded that the qPE9-1 was a major factor controlling panicle architecture, and qPE9-1 had pleiotropic nature, with negative effects on grain yield per plant. This result strongly suggests that the erect panicle allele qPE9-1 should be used together with other favorable genes in the high-yield breeding practice. In addition, the effect of qPE9-1 on eating and cooking quality was also discussed in the present study.