Search results

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the extent to which a case study developed by a financial institution and completed within a collaborative learning environment can be used to develop soft skills.

A questionnaire research instrument comprising open and closed response questions was used to collect the data.

The case study developed by the external stakeholder was found to be useful in developing soft skills. The primary skills identified by respondents were decision-making, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication and research ability. However, the respondents believed that the collaborative learning element had the greatest impact on the development of skills, particularly ethical behaviour, professionalism and personal attributes.

The results are not generalisable beyond the scope of the particular higher education institution in which the study was conducted and the country in which the study was situated. Additionally, this paper measured soft skills development through perceptions of participating students. An objective measurement of students’ immediate soft skills improvement is not considered. Nonetheless, the findings provide guidance to educators on how a case study developed by a financial institution and completed within a collaborative learning environment can be used to develop soft skills.

The paper makes three contributions. The first is to detail how a real-world case study with a substantial technical component can be used to develop soft skills. Second, the paper contributes to the real-world case study and collaborative learning elements literature and ascertains the effectiveness of both methods in developing various soft skills. Finally, the paper contributes to the limited literature on how external stakeholders can become involved in the development of accounting curriculum content.

The purpose of this paper is to construct a task assignment model for U-shaped production lines with collaborative task, which is optimized by minimizing the number of workers and balancing the workload of the operators. The ultimate goal is to increase productivity by increasing the U-line balance and balancing the load on the operators.

First, task selection and update mechanism are analyzed and the task selection mechanism suitable for collaborative task is proposed. Second, M-COMOSAL is obtained by improving the original COMOSAL. Finally, The M-COMOSAL algorithm and the COMAOSAL algorithm are used to perform job assignment on the double-acting clutch U-shaped assembly line.

According to the allocation scheme obtained by M-COMSOAL, the beat can be adjusted according to the change of order demand. The final allocation scheme is superior to the COMSOAL algorithm in terms of number of workers, working time, production tempo and balance rate. In particular, compared with the old scheme, the new scheme showed a decrease of 16.7% in the number of employees and a 18.8% increase in the production line balance rate. Thus, the method is helpful to reduce the number of operators and balance the workload.

The new algorithm proposed in this paper for the assignment of collaborative task can minimize the number of workers and balance the load of operators, which is of great significance for improving the balance rate of U-shaped production lines and the utilization of personnel or equipment.

This paper aims to present results of a study which examined students’ collaborative information behavior (CIB) in comparison with behavioral patterns illustrated in Wilson’s (1996) model of information behavior.

A total of six groups of undergraduate students; four from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and two from Ardhi University (ARU) were purposively selected. Data were collected using semi participant observation, critical incident interviews and focus group discussion methods.

Results indicate that students’ CIB is mainly shaped by collaborative learning environment, learning tasks objectives and requirements. Despite its wider applicability in different domains and contexts, Wilson’s (1996) model is partially appropriate in modeling students’ group-based learning information behavioral activities. Person(s) in context and active and passive information seeking are aspects of the model which are observed to be relevant in students’ CIB.

The study has implications on teaching and learning practices in higher learning institutions.

The study provides new insights on how students exhibit different information behavioral patterns during collaborative learning. The study fills a gap on how solitary models of information behavior can be used to model students’ information behavior in team-based learning.

Team-based assignments must be constructed to contribute to the effective development of teamwork skills, an important learning objective for most schools of business. The purpose of this paper is to understand how students view the usefulness of team assignments in order to inform more effective pedagogical techniques related to team-based assignments and the development of student teamwork competencies.

Data were collected from Likert-scale online surveys administered to students upon completion of the first-year team-based introductory business course. Survey items were developed to assess the team-related activities and components in the course and students’ perceived usefulness of team-based assignments. Results from exploratory factor analyses are presented.

Data analyses indicated that survey items contributed to students’ perceived usefulness of team-based assignments. Across three studies, the authors developed a new measure to evaluate effectiveness of team-based assignments.

For those educators who utilize team-based assignments in their courses, this study provides a much needed measure to assess the effectiveness of assignments intended to develop students’ teamwork competencies. The findings also serve to provide evidence of assurance of learning, and evidence of how students are developing in the area of interpersonal skills and abilities to manage interactions that most schools of business and universities deem as essential learning outcomes as a result of Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business requirements.

Evidence from online surveys of 755 students in a pilot study and two additional studies conducted longitudinally over a two-year period support a new measure to assess the usefulness of specific team assignments.

Self‐directed work teams are seen as an important mechanism for dealing with today's complex and rapidly changing business environment. Team learning is an attempt to prepare students to real‐world experiences. But, not all teamwork is effective. This paper aims to examine the influence of learning style preferences on team learning performance.

The Grasha‐Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales (GRSLSS) is used to assess the learning style preferences of business students enrolled in an operations management class.

Students were found to be collaborative learners. Students' collaborative orientation complements participation and helps students to compete, which in turn increases team performance. In addition, influence of learning style varies with educational experience, gender and major. Graduate students showed to be collaborative and independent learners. As such, while personal model and formal authority teaching styles fit best undergraduates' learning preferences, at the graduate level, instructor' role changes to facilitator and delegator.

Provides evidence that learning style preferences are valuable for engaging learners in various collaborative activities and for designing successful diverse teams.

This paper aims to provide an introductory overview and selected annotated bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy across all library types.

It introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2014.

It provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

This paper presents and discusses an experiential learning‐based team‐based assignment, which makes extensive use of information and communication technology available in Blackboard. Student teams, composed of mature, post‐experience graduate students in a knowledge management class, were asked to perform a task requiring creativity and then to reflect on their individual and team experiences. Subjects were required to think about applying what they had learned to “real life” organizational settings. The results show that students find significant value in experiential learning processes. The findings also suggest students are able to apply knowledge management theories, which were taught in class lectures, to their team experiences and, further, to take the total learning experience combining theory and practice and usefully apply it to their work. Implications for experiential learning in the classroom and distance education are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to argue that an e‐collaboration environment, driven by awareness of social presence, may provide the just‐in‐time learning support needed by postgraduate students. The academic challenges faced by students may be alleviated if a correct electronic platform is provided for them to be able to consult with each other or their instructors, regardless of time or their locations. Thus, the paper conceptualises how awareness of social presence may help address the challenges by facilitating e‐collaboration of postgraduate students.

The interpretive paradigm was followed in the study, where a university of technology, located in the city of Pretoria, South Africa, was used as a case study. Selective sampling, specifically purposive sampling was then used to select participants. This kind of sampling is suitable for qualitative case studies and focuses on sample selection based on relevance to the context and problem.

The limited and inconsistent learning support hinders a smooth learning experience, often leading to delayed or incomplete learning tasks, including research works. The alternative for students is then to seek support from knowledgeable peers, who are often dispersed in varied geographical locations. Thus, it is important that the framework for e‐collaboration amongst postgraduate students be developed cognizant of the social presence awareness indicators that would help students to establish sense of togetherness during e‐collaboration.

Social presence and e‐collaboration literature inadequately addresses both, with respect to graduate candidates. This paper looks at how awareness of social presence and context effects e‐collaboration.

Allowing for interaction with foreign cultures without the need to travel, intercultural virtual collaboration represents a potential tool to develop business students’ intercultural competence. This study aims to explore students’ perceptions towards the implementation of a research-based task sequence in a project in which undergraduate Business students from Spain collaborated virtually with undergraduate business students from The Netherlands during a semester. More specifically, this paper investigates what intercultural competence indicators were mostly developed by the sequence implemented; how much each task from the sequence in question developed different intercultural competence indicators; and how much students enjoyed participating in each task.

Data was collected through after-task reflection questionnaires. A quantitative analysis of Likert-type questions was carried out and open-ended responses were used to illustrate findings.

Results reveal that the task sequence developed different dimensions of students’ intercultural competence and, particularly, fostered a positive attitude towards intercultural relationships, increased students’ cultural knowledge and awareness and equipped students with skills to work in diverse teams. It also showed that as complexity grew along the sequence, the average students’ perception of their intercultural competence development tended to decrease. The majority of students’ very much liked participating in the different tasks.

Designing telecollaborative projects can be very challenging and understanding the learning potential of different pedagogical strategies for virtual collaborative environments can help teachers to take better-informed decisions.

The study aims to examine the mediating effect of psychological well-being (PWB) on the relationship between teamwork skills and student engagement (SE) in higher education institutional setups.

The study used a triangulation mixed-methods approach. Data were collected from final-year students pursuing post-graduation and graduation in private colleges in India. In the main study, quantitative data was gathered from 276 students through a survey. The relationship among the variables-teamwork skills, SE and PWB was empirically validated through path analysis; mediation was also conducted. In the auxiliary study, qualitative data was gathered through focus group sessions and was analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results depicted that teamwork skills positively predict students' engagement with their academic program. Additionally, PWB partially mediates the relationship between teamwork skills and SE.

The study was conducted to expand understanding of aspects related to promoting students' engagement in HEIs in Delhi and Haryana through being attentive toward teamwork skills development and through taking care of students' PWB.