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1 – 10 of over 19000The purpose of this research is to understand the differences in information tasks as well as the pattern and use characteristics of information sources by postgraduate students…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to understand the differences in information tasks as well as the pattern and use characteristics of information sources by postgraduate students in arts and engineering faculties in Nigeria's premier university, the University of Ibadan.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from samples of 153 and 162 postgraduate students from engineering and arts/humanities respectively using a questionnaire. Data were collected on the tasks – popular, occupational and scholarly tasks – for which the students used identified sources.
Findings
Altogether popular tasks or everyday common activities dominate the information needs of the students, although more arts students required such information than engineering students. Arts and engineering students consulted interpersonal sources but arts students consulted the library in addition more than engineering students.
Research limitations/implications
The research focused only on one institution, thus limiting the applications of the results to other institutions.
Practical implications
Discussion forums and similar opportunities for interpersonal interaction are useful for both faculties, but arts students should have forums in the learning environment to enable them to interact with their colleagues and experts.
Originality/value
There is no study in Nigeria focusing on the benefits of discriminating information services to students according to their disciplines.
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Ramasamy Murugesan and Rathinam Jayavelu
The purpose of this study is to test the impact of entrepreneurship education on business, engineering and arts and science students using the theory of planned behaviour. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to test the impact of entrepreneurship education on business, engineering and arts and science students using the theory of planned behaviour. The study adopted a pre-test–post-test (time 1, t1 and time 2, t2) to measure the change of attitudes and intentions over a period of six months. The participants who took entrepreneurship as a compulsory or elective course within their curriculum are 450 in total. To measure attitude, the subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, the study adopted a measure proposed by Kolvereid (1996b). For the intention to become self-employed, the study adopted a three-item measure of career intention, proposed by Kolvereid (1996b), which captures the intention of an individual to start a business. The results showed that the post-programme mean values of subjective norm, attitude towards self-employment, perceived behavioural control and intention towards self-employment increased in relation to the pre-programme ones. But the mean difference value in all four variables is higher for business students when compared to the other two student groups. Also, t-tests indicated no significant differences between respondents and “incomplete” non-respondents (students who filled the t1 questionnaire but failed to respond at t2).
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a pre-test–post-test (time 1, t1 and time 2, t2) to measure the change of attitudes and intentions over a period of six months – one semester. A convenient sample technique has been used. The participants who took entrepreneurship as a compulsory or elective course within their curriculum are 450 in total – 100 (Bharathidasan University, Trichy) from business, 100 (National Institute of Technology, Trichy) from engineering and 250 (Bharathidasan University, Trichy) from art and science). The total 250 arts and science students were selected from four reputed art and science colleges in India where entrepreneurship course is offered either as compulsory or elective course, and due share of 60 was given to each college where the total number of students in the final year was 1,000 to 1,500 in each college. The 100 engineering students were selected from one reputed engineering college where the total number of final year students was 750. Finally, 100 business students were selected from two reputed business schools where the number of final year students was 600. All the students from arts and science and engineering were soon-to-graduate undergraduates and business students were soon-to-graduate postgraduates. It was clearly explained to the surveyed students that the questionnaires were for research purposes only, participation was voluntary and their views would not affect their grades. Both time 1 (t1) and time 2 (t2) questionnaires were reviewed by three academics and five non-participating students to ensure clarity of wording and face validity of the constructs.
Findings
The overall response rate was 55.3 per cent. The mean and standard deviation of variables, attitude towards self-employment, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention towards self-employment for the samples of business students, engineering students and arts and science students are presented in . To test the hypothesis, the present study used the following tests: Correlation (Tables III-V) and regression (Table VI) to test the relationship between attitudes and intention at t1 and t2. To test the effect of the programme on the change of attitudes and intentions, the current study used one-way ANOVA on the difference scores (for sample of business, engineering and arts and science) with the group membership (programme) as the independent variable. The “difference scores” method is preferable to split-plot repeated measures ANOVA for pre-test–post-test designs, because it gives equivalent results in a simpler and less confusing way (Girden, 1992). No significant violations of the assumptions for t-test, repeated measured ANOVA and regression were identified. Specifically, the common problem of multicollinearity was not evident for all the three majors of students, as the correlations between independent variables were moderate and the tolerance values were all higher than 0.70 for business group, 0.72 for engineering group and 0.73 for arts and science group.
Research limitations/implications
The study aimed to address the attitudes and intentions among business, engineering students and art and science students, but not actual behaviour, and therefore, the study echoes the suggestion that longitudinal studies following the subjects for years after graduation are the only way to prove with accuracy the intention–behaviour link (Kolvereid, 1996b). The study is a comparative study on the effect of entrepreneurship education through the Azjen’s theory of planned behaviour on the scores of variable attitudes towards self-employment, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intention towards self-employment and has not made any attempt to find out the causes for such scores.
Originality/value
Using the theory of planned behaviour, the study tested the impact of entrepreneurship education on business, engineering and arts and science students. The study adopted a pre-test–post-test (time 1, t1 and time 2, t2) to measure the change of attitudes and intentions over a period of six months. The participants who took entrepreneurship as a compulsory or elective course within their curriculum are in total 450. To measure attitude, the subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, the study adopted a measure proposed by Kolvereid (1996b). For the intention of becoming self-employed, the study adopted a three-item measure of career intention, proposed by Kolvereid (1996b), which captures the intention of an individual to start a business. The results showed that the post-programme mean values of subjective norm, attitude towards self-employment, perceived behavioural control and intention towards self-employment increased in relation to the pre-programme ones. But the mean difference value in all four variables is higher for business students when compared to the other two student groups.
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This study aims to contribute to the exploration of inter-disciplinary approaches in higher education for sustainability. It is a reflection on a case study linking students in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to contribute to the exploration of inter-disciplinary approaches in higher education for sustainability. It is a reflection on a case study linking students in the arts and sustainability science, through which the inter-disciplinary and problem-solving processes for solving a concrete sustainability challenge were explored.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study featured a workshop with students from two educational programmes at Aalborg University, namely, Art and Technology and Environmental Management and Sustainability Science, the latter being an engineering programme and the former part of the humanities. Experience evaluation was based on participant observation, written feedback and the workshop facilitators’ post-event reflections. Data analysis was based on multi-grounded theory, dialectically combining empirical data (through open coding) with relevant emergence theories. Notions of emergence were chosen because the supposed benefit of inter-disciplinarity is the emergence of novel solutions to complex problems. The study investigates the concrete conditions of emergence in educational inter-disciplinary settings.
Findings
The workshop led to a successful experience, bringing an art-based approach together with sustainability science for arriving at solutions that neither of the two would have arrived at separately. Based on participant experiences and realisations, five “emergence concepts” are suggested as supportive learning criteria and conditions, namely, “knowledge expansion”, “complementarity”, “disciplinary self-reflection”, “change of practice” and “play”.
Originality/value
The findings and emergence concepts can be an inspiration for creating an effective learning environment supporting the emergence of different forms of knowledge and solution concepts for solving sustainability challenges.
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Iselin Mauseth Steira and Marianne Steinmo
The purpose of this study is to explore how effective new venture teams are developed in venture creation programmes.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how effective new venture teams are developed in venture creation programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a multiple case study focusing on the development of effective new venture teams. Semi-structured interviews with 15 new venture teams from two different venture creation programmes were conducted and an abductive analysis approach was used.
Findings
Three key phases of the development of an effective new venture team are identified: (1) establishing a foundation for collaboration, (2) structuring the teamwork and (3) adapting to changes. Key activities undertaken by effective new venture teams in each phase are explicated. The findings suggest that new venture teams that are able to establish a foundation for team collaboration and teamwork structuring have the capacity to persevere through the challenges inherent in emerging ventures.
Originality/value
This study offers a much-needed practical perspective about how effective new venture teams are developed in venture creation programmes, and how venture creation programme educators can facilitate the development of effective new venture teams. For educators, these findings provide important insights about team-based learning in entrepreneurship education.
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Diane Arrieta and Jacqueline Kern
The purpose of this paper is to examine science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) efforts at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) John D. MacArthur Campus…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) efforts at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) John D. MacArthur Campus Library (JDM) to share methodologies and ideas with other academic libraries. Recently, there has been an emphasis on and push for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in colleges and universities across the USA as a means for training future work forces and for remaining competitive in global job markets (Land, 2013). FAU in South Florida is a big proponent of STEM and STEAM education (Florida Atlantic University, 2012; Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, 2013).
Design/methodology/approach
As many librarians and outreach staff strive to remain relevant to their faculty and students with changing technologies (Drewes and Hoffman, 2010), the FAU JDM outreach staff have developed several novel programs that are geared toward the STEAM initiative.
Findings
The Library Outreach Committee at FAU was committed to investigating how they could advance student success through visual arts programming. How can the library help contribute to STEAM education for the students and learning community as a whole? How can the library engage art students? Can the library promote dialogue in arts to the faculty and staff, regardless of their disciplines? This article will describe and discuss the various art outreach programs that the JDM has tested and their outcomes addressing goals toward STEAM education and academic libraries.
Originality/value
The objective in sharing the experiences at the JDM is to spark new and successful program ideas at other academic libraries across the country and abroad and create knowledge in this relatively new area.
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Sruthi Thatchenkery and Naoru Koizumi
This paper seeks to examine whether the primary factors motivating the career plans of high‐achieving Indian adolescents vary between academic specializations. Particular…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to examine whether the primary factors motivating the career plans of high‐achieving Indian adolescents vary between academic specializations. Particular attention is to be paid to differences between science and business students.
Design/methodology/approach
The study surveyed approximately 2,700 secondary school students in South India regarding their academic and career plans and their perceptions of business compared with science. Survey results were analyzed using both descriptive techniques and multinomial logistic regression.
Findings
Students perceive business to be comparable with, but not superior to, science and engineering. The proportion of students choosing business over science increased among males and in some more economically developed cities. Engineering students were most likely to cite parents as a major influence, while business students more often pointed to salary and career prospects.
Research limitations/implications
The study's scope was limited to South India. Greater geographic coverage could broaden the generalizability of the results.
Practical implications
The increasing desirability of formal business education can give rise to a stronger entrepreneurial base and greater business development in India. Furthermore, improved management skills in the Indian workforce can attract higher value‐added offshore work from multinational corporations.
Originality/value
The existing literature contains little empirical research directly comparing business students with their peers in science and engineering, with no such study previously conducted in India. The results shed light on what attracts students to each track and can inform policy aimed at encouraging further enrollment in specific fields.
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Williams E Nwagwu and Judd-Leonard Okafor
The purpose of this study is to examine the diffusion of ebooks among postgraduate students in arts and technology faculties of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Electronic books…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the diffusion of ebooks among postgraduate students in arts and technology faculties of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Electronic books have become increasingly popular in recent years, but factors influencing their adoption and use are not understood in many institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by a sample survey design, data were collected from 1,518 postgraduate students, 438 from the arts and 1,080 from technology, using a questionnaire and an interview schedule.
Findings
Students from both faculties used ebooks, identified through serendipitous browsing of the internet, and mainly Google searching. Many of the ebooks they find are not recommended by their lecturers, while those that are recommended are not available free of charge. Students therefore use ebooks mainly to cross-validate and gain extra insights about what they have been taught. There are significant differences between arts and technology students ' use of ebooks with respect to cost, ease of use and other aspects, with technology students having the advantage. There is no programme in the university aimed at harvesting and organising ebook resources for students to access.
Research limitations/implications
The study focused on only one institution.
Practical implications
Institutionalising ebooks could be a useful strategy to address the dearth of current and relevant texts in universities, although ebooks may pose challenges to existing library management processes.
Social implications
An ebook revolution will cause great changes in information services in libraries – how would university libraries partner to benchmark this evolving practice with respect to questions about standards, technologies, licensing and pricing, particularly in the developing world?
Originality/value
There is no empirical study on this subject matter either in the University used in the study or in any other.
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Tom Estad, Stefano Harney and Howard Thomas
The purpose of this paper is to explore the prerequisite conditions for implementing a liberal management education and for fostering ethical students using examples from the core…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the prerequisite conditions for implementing a liberal management education and for fostering ethical students using examples from the core curriculum at Singapore Management University (SMU).
Design/methodology/approach
Beginning with a reading of the Carnegie Foundation's Rethinking Undergraduate Business Education: liberal learning for the professions (2011), the paper examines the contribution and limits of the findings and recommendations before discussing the place of the liberal arts in the modern university and describing a case study of liberal management education in process at SMU. It concludes with a reading of the work of Emmanuel Levinas and Asian philosophy as the basis for an ethical management education.
Findings
The paper uncovers a central shortcoming in an otherwise important Carnegie study: that business education is unlike other professional education because it lacks an autonomous discipline that studies business knowledge production as an object. Consequently, applying the liberal arts to business education risks neglecting the critical side of the liberal arts. With only the reflective side of the liberal arts in operation, management education cannot be grasped as a specific sphere of values within the pluralism of spheres advocated by the Carnegie report. Only by recreating the function of an autonomous discipline with an objective lens on business knowledge within the core curriculum at SMU can that university attempt to incorporate both the critical and reflective side of the liberal arts in management education. This kind of liberal management education can indeed lead to respect for the values of the others in the way that ethical philosopher Emmanuel Levinas envisioned.
Research limitations/implications
Further development of the SMU core curriculum is necessary in order to confirm the hypothesis that the liberal arts can be brought together with management education to produce more mature, ethical students.
Practical implications
Liberal management education curriculum must incorporate the critical function of the liberal arts when faced with business knowledge production in order to promote a pluralist ethics. If SMU is successful, it can become a model for other global business schools in Asia and beyond.
Social implications
Asian higher education is ongoing a rapid transformation in values. The shift is towards understanding the wider relationship between universities and society and the role of an education citizenry. Liberal management education can be a bridge to this new world of higher education in Asia, and beyond.
Originality/value
This discussion provides a fuller understanding of the two-sided nature of the liberal arts and the importance of both sides for building a liberal management education and creating ethically mature students.
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Deanne Gannaway and Karen Sheppard
In a service-led, knowledge-based economy, employers increasingly expect universities to deliver a workforce suited to this environment. This emphasis is evident in contemporary…
Abstract
In a service-led, knowledge-based economy, employers increasingly expect universities to deliver a workforce suited to this environment. This emphasis is evident in contemporary Australian higher education, which is shifting to an acquisition of vocational outcomes. However, vocational outcomes are not traditionally viewed as outcomes of liberal arts programs. Balancing new expectations with traditional perspectives generates a tension between assuring graduates employment outcomes and maintaining the integrity of the Bachelor of Arts (BA) as a liberal arts program. Getting it wrong can result in fragmented and unstable curricula. One of the many ways that Australian BA programs are grappling with this problem is through the provision of work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for liberal arts students. In professions-based programs such as engineering or dentistry, the shape and nature of these courses may be obvious. It is less so in the generalist BA. Australian BA programs offer students the opportunity to engage with WIL in a variety of ways. Evidence from national studies investigating the Australian BA between 2008 and 2016 highlight common features of practice – such as the objectives, activities, and structure, and indicate that two approaches to providing WIL opportunities in the BA are evident. In order to meet the goals and aspirations of both economic and social purposes of higher education, liberal arts programs tend to adopt either a transactional or a transformational model. Each model has particular characteristics and approaches to practice that can inform the development of new programs and policies more globally.
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