Student experience of gamified learning: a qualitative approach

Student engagement and student outcomes in Higher Education continue to be the subject of academic concern, and thus receive research attention. To address these concerns, we aim to explore the use of gamification to enhance student engagement, and thereby improving student learning and performance. Gamification represents the use of game elements to enhance engagement in activities such as learning.  This paper highlights the use of game elements such as: leader boards, scores for activities, and multiplayer (group) activities.  The paper does this by exploring students’ learning journeys, as well as their experience of modules in which gamification had been introduced. Group-based competitive activities were introduced to modules undertaken by business students, student nurses, and paramedic students.  Students undertaking these modules were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews.  Twelve students drawn from the three disciplines took part in these semi-structured interviews, which were digitally recorded to enable production of accurate transcripts. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from the interviews. To explain student responses and their learning experience, four themes were developed; challenge, difference, group processes, and competition. Students often presented themselves as enjoying challenge, although this was sometimes contrasted with enjoyment of ‘easy’ activities.  Challenge was presented not only as a motivational factor, but also sometimes as a barrier to success.  This sense of challenge was often conceptually linked to students’ perception of difference within their gamified learning, which was pedagogically distinct from their typical learning experience.  Most, but not all, expressed positive views of this difference.  As with the theme of challenge, discussion of difference could be both positive and negative.  Participants highlighted competition as a positive factor.  The competition between groups influenced some group processes.  Some students noted previous challenges involved in group-work, such as unequal work distribution.  Participants observed the potential for intra-group friction, while identifying the positive learning outcomes of group work.  Taken together, the analysis suggests that competitive group work is a beneficial strategy for enhancing student engagement and performance

Moving Away from the Norms: Adopting Classic Grounded Theory in Information Systems Research

Information Systems (IS) discipline have evolved over the years and new areas of research have emerged such as Artificial intelligence (AI), Big data, cyber and internet related research. But often researchers tend/ to rely on existing theories which have either been outdated or are not often fit for purpose in a research setting. Due to this, there is often a need for development of new theories to allow researchers to approach research from a different theoretical lens. We suggest that this need for new theory development can be met by the adoption of Classic Grounded theory (CGT) methodology within the IS discipline. CGT is argued to be an approach specifically designed for theory development and allows researchers to make contributions in a form of new theories. We argue that by using CGT methodology researchers can develop new theories which area unique and tend to help providing new theoretical perspectives for future researc

Coping Cycle and its importance when designing an Assessment: Reflections on the Learning Process

Live student projects in a Higher Education (hereinafter HE) setting are vital in business education as they allow for a practice-based and holistic development of employability skills. This empirical paper illustrates how the assessment design and regime may affect student engagement and learning in live student projects. The approach advocated encompasses the conduct of projects that take advantage of a simple principle in learning, the utilization of the coping cycle as a means for double loop learning. The data used as evidence in this work focus on the project teams’ Facebook conversations. The descriptive statistics and the qualitative data provide an empirical basis for the claim that assessment design leads to a particular kind of learning and emotional journey for the students and in this case potentially facilitating double-loop, deeper learning. The findings can inform HE academics and teaching practitioners who are developing educational student-run projects and can provide insights for educational pedagogy

Antibiotic consumption at community pharmacies : a multicenter repeated prevalence surveillance using WHO methodology

Background: Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness because of the rapid emergence of resistant bacteria. Unnecessary antimicrobial use increases antimicrobial resistance (AMR). There are currently no published data on antibiotic consumption in Pakistan at the community level. This is a concern given high levels of self-purchasing of antibiotics in Pakistan and variable knowledge regarding antibiotics and AMR among physicians and pharmacists. Objective: The objective of this repeated prevalence survey was to assess the pattern of antibiotic consumption data among different community pharmacies to provide a baseline for developing future pertinent initiatives. Methods: A multicenter repeated prevalence survey conducted among community pharmacies in Lahore, a metropolitan city with a population of approximately 10 million people, from October to December 2017 using the World Health Organization (WHO) methodology for a global program on surveillance of antimicrobial consumption. Results: The total number of defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed per patient ranged from 0.1 to 50.0. In most cases, two DDDs per patient were dispensed from pharmacies. Co-amoxiclav was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic with a total number of DDDs at 1018.15. Co-amoxiclav was followed by ciprofloxacin with a total number of 486.6 DDDs and azithromycin with a total number of 472.66 DDDs. The least consumed antibiotics were cefadroxil, cefotaxime, amikacin, and ofloxacin, with overall consumption highest in December. Conclusion: The study indicated high antibiotic usage among community pharmacies in Lahore, Pakistan particularly broad-spectrum antibiotics, which were mostly dispensed inappropriately. The National action plan of Pakistan on AMR should be implemented by policymakers including restrictions on the dispensing of antimicrobials

Entering the Field: Decisions of an Early Career Researcher

Classic grounded theory methodology is a much-debated topic in research, especially when novice researchers are selecting classic grounded theory for their research or theses. There is a constant need to justify and defend certain processes of grounded theory, which often challenge other research methods. As a novice researcher, I have often found myself juggling between the need to follow specific procedures and regulations of the university while opting to support the views of Glaser and the application of classic grounded theory for my research. To tackle such difficulties, specific decisions were used to support and justify key choices that favoured classic grounded theory and the requirements of the research institute and my research process. This article provides a reflection on the decisions taken at different stages of the research process to help readers make informed decisions before entering the field

Study of mixed attack angle wing profiles

The goal of this study is to analyze how a wing constructed in such a way that has different in-built angles of attack behaves in front of a conventional built wing. The flow around the wing profile of the Airbus A380 was simulated by CFD and the normalized aerodynamical data (lift, drag, aerodynamic center etc. ) was be obtained. Next, the wing profile was modified by changing the in-built angle of attack progressively from root to tip. The aerodynamic behaviouf of the resulting twisted wing profile was simulated by CFD and the aerodynamic data was compared with that of the standard wing. The potential benefits and difficulties of the mixed profiles wing was analysed both from the aerodynamic (flight stability, fuel consumption, etc.) and the structural (induced stress, construction methods, and available materials) points of view

Study of mixed attack angle wing profiles

The goal of this study is to analyze how a wing constructed in such a way that has different in-built angles of attack behaves in front of a conventional built wing. The flow around the wing profile of the Airbus A380 was simulated by CFD and the normalized aerodynamical data (lift, drag, aerodynamic center etc. ) was be obtained. Next, the wing profile was modified by changing the in-built angle of attack progressively from root to tip. The aerodynamic behaviouf of the resulting twisted wing profile was simulated by CFD and the aerodynamic data was compared with that of the standard wing. The potential benefits and difficulties of the mixed profiles wing was analysed both from the aerodynamic (flight stability, fuel consumption, etc.) and the structural (induced stress, construction methods, and available materials) points of view

Study of mixed attack angle wing profiles

The goal of this study is to analyze how a wing constructed in such a way that has different in-built angles of attack behaves in front of a conventional built wing. The flow around the wing profile of the Airbus A380 was simulated by CFD and the normalized aerodynamical data (lift, drag, aerodynamic center etc. ) was be obtained. Next, the wing profile was modified by changing the in-built angle of attack progressively from root to tip. The aerodynamic behaviouf of the resulting twisted wing profile was simulated by CFD and the aerodynamic data was compared with that of the standard wing. The potential benefits and difficulties of the mixed profiles wing was analysed both from the aerodynamic (flight stability, fuel consumption, etc.) and the structural (induced stress, construction methods, and available materials) points of view

Fatigue and Rutting Analysis of Asphaltic Pavement Using “KENLAYER” Software

Rutting and Fatigue are taken as main premature failures among all distresses, as these distresses have wide effect on performance of pavement. Sudden variation of heavy axle loaded vehicles, improper mix design and traditional design methodologies used in pavement design industries are major factors behind these failures. For proper performance and good serviceability, these premature distresses should be resisted. Thus, there is a need of using a Mechanistic based design methodology like KENPAVE software, so that traditional design errors should be overcome. KENLAYER is a part of KENPAVE software. KENLYER software tool is utilized to calculated accurately stresses and strains in asphaltic pavement that are ultimately used in calculating allowance for rutting and fatigue failure utilizing Asphalt Institute design models or formulas. Resistance to Rutting failure is checked by calculating vertical compressive stress at the top of soil sub-grade layer, while resistance to fatigue failure is checked by calculating horizontal tensile strain at the bottom of asphaltic layer using KENLAYER software tool. Thus, the object of this research study is to analyze a flexible pavement with respect to rutting and fatigue distresses using KENLAYER software tool. For achieving that objective NHA (N-55) section of road in Sehwan Pakistan was taken as a reference pavement. Pavement was analyzed by altering the thicknesses of bituminous courses by ± 25 percent. From that we obtained total 20 cross-sections to be analyzed using KENLAYER software in terms of Rutting and Fatigue premature failures

Performance Prediction of Hybrid Bamboo-Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Gene Expression Programming for Sustainable Construction

The building and construction industry’s demand for steel reinforcement bars has increased with the rapid growth and development in the world. However, steel production contributes to harmful waste and emissions that cause environmental pollution and climate change-related problems. In light of sustainable construction practices, bamboo, a readily accessible and ecofriendly building material, is suggested as a viable replacement for steel rebars. Its cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and considerable tensile strength make it a promising option. In this research, hybrid beams underwent analysis through the use of thoroughly validated finite element models (FEMs), wherein the replacement of steel rebars with bamboo was explored as an alternative reinforcement material. The standard-size beams were subjected to three-point loading using FEMs to study parameters such as the load–deflection response, energy absorption, maximum capacity, and failure patterns. Then, gene expression programming was integrated to aid in developing a more straightforward equation for predicting the flexural strength of bamboo-reinforced concrete beams. The results of this study support the conclusion that the replacement of a portion of flexural steel with bamboo in reinforced concrete beams does not have a detrimental impact on the overall load-bearing capacity and energy absorption of the structure. Furthermore, it may offer a cost-effective and feasible alternative.