The use of electronic voting systems in lectures within business and marketing: a case study of their impact on student learning

This article presents a case study of the impact on student learning of introducing an electronic voting system (EVS) into large‐group lectures for first‐year undergraduate students undertaking degrees in marketing and business systems. We discuss the potential for using EVS‐style interactive lectures in marketing and business programmes. We then describe how we planned the session and selected and implemented the EVS system. We go on to present an evaluative research project, which was undertaken on the innovation using case‐study methodology, and assess its impact on student learning. Data for the evaluation were collected through questionnaire and focus groups with a sample of students. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show how students perceived the use of EVS in large lectures and how their learning was affected. A ‘three‐fold typology’ emerged that explains how students related to the EVS and how their perceptions of EVS changed over time. The discussion links these findings to the literature on different paradigms of learning and teaching, using Renshaw’s framework, and examines how the EVS‐style lectures promote deep and active learning within the constructivist, social constructivist and metacognitive learning paradigms identified in Renshaw’s model. The conclusions show how the use of a user‐friendly EVS in large lectures motivates students, develops students’ cognitive and social learning skills, and improves learning effectiveness

Groupwork assessments and international postgraduate students : reflections on practice

Groupwork is a common learning and assessment method in Business Schools throughout the UK. It has recognised pedagogic benefits, increases active or deep learning of a subject and, although it often appears to be unpopular amongst students, for these reasons it is popular among academic staff in Business Schools. The cultural diversity of a particular cohort of students (especially those who have received no previous education in the UK) arguably has an impact on teaching method and assessment methods. It brings another dimension to the debate of ‘traditional’ versus ‘innovative’ teaching approaches and is worth further examination, particularly as the increasingly multicultural aspect of the present UK higher education environment is not a well researched field. The impact of the increasing numbers of international students dictates that issues relating to the appropriateness of teaching and learning methods must be considered within a multicultural perspective. The preference of certain international students, particularly those from the Far East, is for the more traditional teaching methods; groupwork is unpopular (Bamford et al 2002). This adds weight to the argument for maintaining traditional methods in the multinational classroom. The issue is explored here through a case study on the use of a group assessment with a cohort of international students at postgraduate level

Assessing Student Approaches to Learning: A Case of Business Students at the Faculty of Business Management, UiTM

AbstractThe main aim of the study is to investigate the approaches to learning, motives and strategies of the business students at the Faculty of Business Management, UiTM. The study is also to explore the impact of age, gender, academic programmes, working experience and CGPA on the learning approaches. All these variables are selected because they bring quality of the learning outcomes on a more realistic basis. Today, there is an increasing emphasis on quality of learning in higher education. The literature identifies the approaches to learning as a significant factor affecting the quality of student learning. It is necessary to look at approaches to learning practiced by students because students might rote learn and therefore not be engaged in meaningful learning. This involves students acquiring skills and strategies, which allow them to learn effectively throughout their lives and become lifelong learners. It is important for educators to understand student learning in order to achieve the desired high quality learning outcomes. A survey is conducted in this study and the sample of this study consists of the business students (N=477) enrolled at the Faculty of Business Management, UiTM Shah Alam. Data are obtained using the Biggs’ Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) as a diagnostic tool for measuring students’ self-reported study processes in terms of six subscales (Surface Motives and Surface Strategies, Deep Motives and Deep strategies, and Achieving Motives and Achieving Strategies), three derived Scales (Surface Approaches, Deep Approaches and Achieving Approaches) and a composite derived Scale (Deep-Achieving Approaches). The key findings provide inputs to the current scenario on the learning process specifically for the Faculty of Business Management, UiTM and will act as a basis for improvement in learning approaches of students

Accounting Student\u27s Learning Approaches and Impact on Academic Performance

The objective of the study is threefold. Firstly, the study explores the learning approaches adopted by students in completing their Business Finance. Secondly, it examines the impact that learning approaches has on the student\u27s academic performance. Finally, the study considers gender differences in the learning approaches adopted by students and in the relationship between learning approaches and academic performance. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) was used to assess the approaches to learning adopted by students whilst the students final examination result was considered in examining the performance of the students. The results indicate that majority of the accounting students, both male andfemale groups prefer to use the deep approach in studying Business Finance. The findings also reveal that there were significant relationships between learning approaches and academic performance with positive direction appears for deep and strategic approaches whilst negative relationship reveals for surface approach

Enhancing Student Learning of Enterprise Integration and Business Process Orientation through an ERP Business Simulation Game

The sophistication of the integrated world of work and increased recognition of business processes as critical corporate assets require graduates to develop ‘process orientation’ and an ‘integrated view’ of business. Responding to these dynamic changes in business organizations, business schools are also continuing to modify their curriculum and introducing innovative teaching and learning strategies. An ERP business simulation game is one such initiative that helps in understanding business processes and enterprise integration and develops process orientation among business graduates. This paper reports on a study investigating the influence of ERP simulation game on learning effectiveness, skills development and decision making. Its impact as a teaching and learning tool on the students’ ability to develop an integrated view of business is assessed and their generic attitudes towards the learning of SAP analysed. The results reveal the significant impact this game had on students’ abilities and points out the challenges in the process and pedagogy. The study found that the game contributed to deep learning in addition to resulting in significant improvement in their process orientation and integrative skills. The study, based on feedback from participants and the experience of academics, recommends further improvements to the deployment and curriculum design of the game

Context dependent learning: its value and impact for workplace education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how a management development programme based on situated learning theory resulted in change for individuals, organisational culture and performance. The case study illustrates how new understandings about learning in the workplace and in higher education points towards the need to take account of the context in which learners utilise their knowledge and skills. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative and qualitative strategies were used to provide an evaluation of the impact of a management development programme in a group of companies. A questionnaire, focus groups and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data on three cohorts of supervisors and middle managers at different stages of the programme. A triangulated approach was adopted towards data analysis that illuminated a broad and deep change process. Findings – Positive cultural change was a significant benefit to the host organisation from the training programme. It was apparent that training can move beyond individual development to bring about organisational gains. Research limitations/implications – Future research might adopt a longitudinal design and facilitate a co-researcher approach using students’ learning logs of workplace experiences. Practical implications – Situated approaches to learning in higher education and the workplace need to be developed further to enhance workplace performance. A proposal is made for “learning consultants” to move between the two environments and facilitate knowledge exchange and improve understanding of the variety of learning contexts in business and educational settings.</p

Understanding Graph Data Through Deep Learning Lens

Deep neural network models have established themselves as an unparalleled force in the domains of vision, speech and text processing applications in recent years. However, graphs have formed a significant component of data analytics including applications in Internet of Things, social networks, pharmaceuticals and bioinformatics. An important characteristic of these deep learning techniques is their ability to learn the important features which are necessary to excel at a given task, unlike traditional machine learning algorithms which are dependent on handcrafted features. However, there have been comparatively fewer e�orts in deep learning to directly work on graph inputs. Various real-world problems can be easily solved by posing them as a graph analysis problem. Considering the direct impact of the success of graph analysis on business outcomes, importance of studying these complex graph data has increased exponentially over the years. In this thesis, we address three contributions towards understanding graph data: (i) The first contribution seeks to find anomalies in graphs using graphical models; (ii) The second contribution uses deep learning with spatio-temporal random walks to learn representations of graph trajectories (paths) and shows great promise on standard graph datasets; and (iii) The third contribution seeks to propose a novel deep neural network that implicitly models attention to allow for interpretation of graph classification.