Search Results (697)

Background: This study explored the observations and experiences of athletic trainers (ATs) regarding food security constraints and drivers among collegiate student-athletes through the framework of the social determinants of health (SDOH). Methods: Seventeen ATs from nine public Mountain West Division I schools participated in one of six 90 min, virtual focus groups conducted in July–December 2023. A phenomenological design and constructivist theoretical framework were employed to analyze transcripts, compile themes, infer food security constraints and drivers, and map them to SDOH domains. Results: Emerging constraints and drivers mapped to seven of the eight SDOH domains (education, employment, health systems and services, housing, income and wealth, physical environment, and social environment); no themes related to the public safety domain. Conclusions: ATs identified a considerable number of food security constraints and drivers; however, based on the findings of other studies, their observations were not comprehensive. Incorporating the findings of those other studies, food security constraints and drivers exist across all eight SDOH domains. Four concepts spanned multiple domains: student-athlete normative expectations, nutrition/food security prioritization, financial disparities, and residing off campus. To ensure food security among collegiate student-athletes, AT perceptions suggest that structural changes facilitating the implementation of necessary food drivers may be warranted. Full article

Career decision-making remains a critical challenge for computer science students, particularly within rapidly evolving labor markets such as Saudi Arabia. Traditional guidance approaches often rely on subjective advice or limited academic indicators, which frequently result in mismatched career choices and reduced employability. To address this gap, we propose a hybrid career recommendation system that integrates academic performance, technical and soft skills, and personal preferences. The proposed system combines artificial neural network (ANN) prediction, content-based career-profile matching, and collaborative peer similarity through weighted score fusion to generate ranked career path recommendations. The content-based component employs a similarity function (cosine similarity) to measure the alignment between the student’s attributes and each career profile. The collaborative component applies a k-Nearest Neighbors model to capture interaction-like signals from peer profiles. The ANN learns complex nonlinear relationships between student features and career outcomes, enabling the system to generate predictive probabilities for each career path by applying the TensorFlow framework for multi-class classification of student data. Final recommendations are produced through a weighted fusion of models. An experimental evaluation of 400 student records using stratified macro-level evaluation metrics demonstrates robust performance, achieving an accuracy of 93.75%, precision of 0.94, recall of 0.94, and F1-score of 0.94. The system provides Top-k-ranked career suggestions, along with interpretable feature importance, enhancing transparency for academic advisors and students. The results highlight the effectiveness of hybrid recommenders in mitigating cold-start and sparsity problems while capturing multidimensional student attributes. This study contributes a reproducible methodology and implementation pipeline that can be extended to real institutional contexts. Future work will include expansion to more university disciplines and integration with academic consulting platforms to support data-driven career planning. Full article

Capstone projects in undergraduate engineering education are widely regarded as a central bridge between academic learning and professional practice, enabling students to integrate disciplinary knowledge, design processes, teamwork, and problem-solving skills in a project-based learning experience. This study examines how 131 engineering graduates and practicing engineers retrospectively evaluate capstone supervision and its contribution to industry readiness. Correlation analysis and multiple regression were used to examine relationships between the supervisor’s approach, perceived industry preparation, supervision satisfaction, and capstone project quality. Regression models including supervisor’s approach and perceived industry preparation explained substantial variance in both supervision satisfaction (R² = 0.75) and project quality (R² = 0.78). Follow-up analyses identified connection to engineering work as the strongest retained predictor of supervision satisfaction (β = 0.34), and cognitive factors as the strongest retained dimension associated with project quality (β = 0.52). However, 60.3% of graduates perceived the capstone project as making little or no contribution to finding engineering employment, suggesting a gap between this intended bridging role and its perceived value after graduation. These findings highlight the need to strengthen the connection between supervision practices and professional engineering work and contribute a graduate-based perspective to capstone project evaluation in engineering education. Full article

The aim of the article is to analyze the impact of selected corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the area of human rights on the decisions regarding employer choice made by representatives of Generation Z. A survey was conducted among students at Polish universities, who belong to Generation Z, including both those currently employed and those soon to enter the labor market, and builds on previous research and analyses conducted by the authors. The study focused on analyzing selected CSR initiatives related to respect for human rights and their potential impact on the respondents’ choice of employer. The varied results in the statistical models point to the complex nature of the relationships under study. The application of various analytical methods has shown that the impact of the analyzed variables is not always direct or linear. The results confirm the significance of all the CSR initiatives analyzed, and the evaluation of these initiatives varies both among employed and unemployed respondents and according to educational background. Respondents’ willingness to accept employment increases under the influence of factors such as salary and opportunities for professional development, while the impact of CSR is minimal. The results indicate that CSR initiatives in the area of human rights are perceived by employed members of Generation Z, as well as those who will soon enter the labor market, as a factor that has only a minor influence on employment decisions. The findings provide practical guidance for employers on shaping CSR strategies and employer branding initiatives tailored to the needs and values of Generation Z. Full article

Background: International students are exposed to new food environments that may influence their dietary behaviours. While dietary diversity has been widely studied, less attention has been given to food variety, which reflects the number of individual food items consumed. This study assessed food variety, its relationship with unhealthy food consumption, and associated sociodemographic and behavioural factors among international students in Hungary. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 380 international students enrolled in Hungarian higher education institutions. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire incorporating a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). FVS and UFCS were calculated, and associations were examined using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multivariable linear regression analyses. Results: The mean FVS was 62.7 ± 26.7. Cereals, vegetables, and milk and dairy products were consumed by all participants, whereas fish and other seafood (61.6%) and white tubers and roots (67.9%) were the least frequently consumed food groups. A very strong positive correlation was observed between FVS and UFCS (r = 0.930, p < 0.001). This association remained strong after excluding unhealthy food items from the FVS (aFVS; r = 0.862, p < 0.001). In multivariable analyses, higher monthly income and employment were positively associated with FVS and UFCS, whereas scholarship status, postgraduate study, and following a special diet were negatively associated with both outcomes. Conclusions: Food variety among international students in Hungary varied considerably and was strongly associated with unhealthy food consumption, indicating that greater food variety did not necessarily correspond to healthier dietary patterns. These findings highlight the importance of considering both the diversity and nutritional quality of foods consumed when assessing dietary behaviours and designing nutrition interventions for international students. Full article

OpenWorld Role-Playing Games (OWRPGs) differ from other video game genres in that they offer players vast digital landscapes and significant freedom: they can fight, use diplomacy, play stealthily, or pursue activities like farming or trading. This player autonomy creates a space rich in unintended consequences, incidental learning being just one. A study of higher education (HE) students explored this phenomenon. While existing research on incidental learning in games focuses mainly on language acquisition, the current study argues that commercial OWRPGs have the same educational power as purpose-built learning games, and that the scope of incidental learning is far broader than previously examined. Using a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) approach, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted and written gaming journals collected from 11 additional participants. All 36 participants played OWRPGs in their leisure time. The analysis identified 34 distinct forms of incidental learning, with language acquisition being just one. These were grouped into three categories: self-improvement, academic, and employability skills, with considerable overlap between each. This study shows that OWRPGs can act as a setting for incidental learning in skills over and above lexical improvement. As a result, it is suggested that future research analyse in further depth the skills this research has discovered, looks for further skills that may be honed via incidental learning, and examine other video game genres to highlight any forms of incidental learning that occur. Full article

Background/Objective: Colleges and universities worldwide are experiencing an increase in students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Nursing students who study in a second language face both theoretical and practical challenges within their study programs. If these challenges are unaddressed, they may have implications for third parties such as employers, patients, and colleagues. The bachelor’s thesis challenges students’ understanding of a chosen subject within nursing, in addition to research skills and academic writing abilities. Effective student learning and final thesis results often rely on supervisors who are interested in and motivated by the students’ success. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore supervisors’ experiences and perceptions of supervising undergraduate second-language (L2) nursing students in their bachelor’s thesis work. Methods: A qualitative research approach was employed to collect and analyze data. Components of Systematic Text Condensation were used for sorting and coding, and Interpretive Description was applied in the interpretive analysis. Results: Four prominent conceptual themes were agreed upon by the researchers: (1) uncertainty and cultural barriers, (2) cultural considerations, (3) teaching strategies, and (4) supervisor integrity. The conceptualized themes were found to align with the five identified attributes of cultural humility; openness, self-awareness, egolessness, supportive interaction, self-reflection and critique. Conclusions: This study suggests useful insights and practical guidance to supervisors on central issues to consider and reflect upon when guiding nursing students who are writing their bachelor’s theses in a second language. The theory of cultural humility, including the identified attributes, appears to be a useful framework for supervisors when guiding L2 nursing students. Full article

This study examines how the concept of academic success is constructed and represented both in international scientific literature and in the perceptions of higher education students, using the OPSA 2.0 project at the Polytechnic University of Leiria as a case study. Adopting an exploratory multimethod approach, the research combines bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in Scopus (2020–2025) with qualitative content analysis of students’ responses collected through participatory workshops. The bibliometric results reveal that academic success is increasingly conceptualised as a multidimensional construct, structured around institutional, pedagogical, psychological, and identity-related dimensions. However, the analysis of students’ perceptions shows a predominance of instrumental and performance-oriented representations, particularly associated with grades, course completion, and employability. At the same time, emerging references to well-being, resilience, and personal fulfilment suggest a gradual shift towards more holistic understandings of success. By articulating global research trends with local student narratives, the study highlights the coexistence of traditional and emergent conceptualisations of academic success in higher education. The findings underline the relevance of institutional strategies, such as OPSA 2.0 Project, that promote a comprehensive and preventive approach to student success. Methodologically, the study demonstrates the potential of combining bibliometric mapping with qualitative analysis to bridge macro-level scientific developments and micro-level lived experiences. Full article

Background/Objectives: Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest. Pharmacy students exhibit a relatively high prevalence of depressive symptoms, which may negatively impact quality of life, academic performance, and, in severe cases, lead to suicidal ideation. Given the increasing trend of medication use among young adults, we hypothesized that this behavior may be associated with depressive symptoms, potentially reflecting attempts to manage concurrent physical symptoms or reduced psychological well-being. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the association between depressive symptoms and medication use among pharmacy students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students enrolled in pharmacy-related programs from University Center for Exact Sciences and Engineering (CUCEI), University of Guadalajara. Participants completed a personalized questionnaire assessing sociodemographic variables, medication use, comorbid conditions, and depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics. Categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages and compared using the chi-square test. Continuous variables were summarized as means and standard deviations and compared using Student t-test. To evaluate factors associated with moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, logistic regression and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed. Results: A total of 365 students completed our personalized questionnaire; nearly half of the sample (47.3%) presented moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Multivariable analyses showed that insufficient sleep, academic stress, psychological support, and the number of medications used simultaneously were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Logistic regression identified being in a relationship and receiving psychological support for at least one year as protective factors, while employment, insufficient sleep, academic stress, and a greater number of concomitant medications were associated with increased odds of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions: A modest association was observed between self-reported medication use and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms among pharmacy students. These findings suggest that medication use patterns may warrant further investigation as a potential marker of depressive symptoms in pharmacy students. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the nature and direction of this association and to determine whether medication use could contribute to the identification of students at increased risk of depression. Full article

Driven by the digital transformation of territorial spatial governance, traditional urban planning is irreversibly shifting towards a data-driven empirical paradigm. However, constrained by mimetic isomorphism and path dependence, many geography-based regional universities remain trapped in an educational dilemma: they overemphasize morphological representation while marginalizing quantitative decision-making, fostering a structural mismatch between graduate competencies and industry demands. To explore a systematic pathway out of this dilemma, this study chronicles a three-year pedagogical intervention utilizing a mixed-methods design with a historical control cohort (N = 275) within the urban planning program of Gansu Agricultural University—a regional institution situated in a less-developed frontier where territorial renewal demands macro-spatial synthesis over aesthetic forms. The intervention strategically redefined the graduate competency profile as “spatial data analysts”, constructing a pedagogical model comprising foundational algorithmic training, cross-disciplinary faculty collaboration, and real-world Project-Based Learning (PBL), coupled with a restructured, evidence-based evaluation system. Longitudinal tracking and quantitative analyses indicate a structural alignment with elevated educational efficacy. At the macro level of employment trajectories, the proportion of graduates securing knowledge-intensive data positions experienced a structural shift, rising from a baseline of 14.5% to 42.5%, reflecting an enhanced capacity to capitalize on expanding societal demands. At the meso level of practical competence, the award rate in high-level professional competitions increased by 35.4%. At the micro cognitive level, the new evaluation mechanism is associated with a successful redirection of students’ cognitive resources toward algorithmic logic and policy translation (p < 0.001) while highly significantly enhancing their self-efficacy in tackling complex, wicked engineering problems (p < 0.001). Rather than isolating pure causal mechanics, this study interprets these systemic gains as a contextual realignment of academic supply. It provides a context-sensitive, reproducible methodological reference for cultivating professional distinctiveness and reshaping the spatial planning education system in the digital era. Full article

Authenticity has emerged as a prominent theme in education, driven by growing demands from governments and employers for a more professional and highly skilled workforce, and has been recognised as a key characteristic of assessment design that promotes deeper learning, with educators increasingly being encouraged to embed authenticity into course design. However, a consistent interpretation of authenticity remains lacking, particularly within discipline contexts, such as within physiology education. This presents a challenge for educators, with university policy calling for the incorporation of authentic assessment tasks, with only limited and generic guidance on how to design and implement them effectively within specific disciplines, particularly in non-vocational courses. To understand authenticity in the physiology context, semi-structured interviews (n = 29) were conducted, which gathered the perspectives of students (n = 10), educators (n = 11), and industry professionals (n = 8). Each interview was divided into the following two sections: definitions of authenticity and authentic assessment, and the evaluation and scoring of common assessments. The qualitative data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and the quantitative data (assessment scoring on a 5-point Likert scale) using the Kruskal–Wallis test and is presented as the median with an interquartile range. It was revealed that authenticity in physiology education can be understood through four themes: foundational knowledge as an enabler for authenticity, transferrable skills, authenticity emerges through the application of knowledge and problem solving creates opportunities for authentic learning. Collectively, the results of the study revealed a shared understanding of authentic learning as an activity that prepares students for real-world scenarios. Full article

This paper analyzes perceptions of competencies and other employability-related factors in Social Work from two complementary perspectives: that of final-year Bachelor’s students in Social Work, and that of Social Work professionals serving as field supervisors during practicum. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted. A total of 96 individuals from a Spanish public university participated: 77 fourth-year students and 19 professionals. Data were collected through two ad hoc questionnaires on competencies related to employability, the usefulness of practicum and the degree of job placement, additional training, geographic mobility, and the transition to employment. In both groups, although from different positions and perspectives, professional ethics and responsibility, social commitment, and teamwork were highlighted. Likewise, practicum and the Degree in Social Work were considered highly useful for finding employment, and the establishment of partnerships with companies and institutions was identified as the most effective measure to improve employability. In contrast, different results were observed among students and professionals with regard to additional training, mobility, and the transition to employment. The results underscore the value of further exploring the connection between higher education and the professional world, as well as studying the transition to professional practice. Full article

Entrepreneurship education in film and the creative industries refers to a set of pedagogical approaches, curricula, and institutional frameworks designed to foster entrepreneurial mindsets, competencies, and practices among students and professionals operating within the cultural and creative industries (CCIs). Going well beyond conventional business training, entrepreneurship education in this context encourages learners to identify opportunities for value creation—cultural, social, and economic—to develop sustainable modes of creative practice, and to engage critically with the markets, institutions, and communities that constitute the contemporary creative economy. Within film studies and adjacent disciplines such as media production, design, music, and the visual arts, entrepreneurship education plays an increasingly prominent role in preparing graduates for careers characterised by self-employment, project-based work, portfolio careers, and the continuous negotiation of artistic autonomy with the imperatives of professional sustainability. This entry aims to compile and organise existing knowledge on entrepreneurship education as it applies to the CCIs, with particular attention to the film and audiovisual sector, drawing on academic literature, European policy frameworks, and empirical industry evidence. The entry uses a narrative literature review approach, synthesising scholarly works from the fields of education, cultural economics, and creative industry research alongside institutional documentation and policy instruments, in order to provide a systematic and accessible account of the current state of knowledge in this area. Full article

The rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) is fundamentally reshaping labor markets, creating an urgent need for higher education institutions to adapt their program capacities and curricula. This paper proposes a data-driven Robust Multi-Objective Planning (RMOP) framework to translate heterogeneous Gen-AI labor shocks into actionable, program-level decisions regarding enrollment scaling and curriculum design. Grounded in O*NET micro-task structures, we model occupational evolution as a dynamic system of substitution, augmentation, and insulation driven by logistic technology diffusion. Our simulations across STEM, trade, and arts occupations reveal sharply divergent trajectories: Information Security Engineers face a 62% total impact dominated by substitution, whereas Electricians retain over 80% insulation, and Musicians experience high exposure but low substitution. To bridge these macro-level forecasts with immediate institutional maneuvers, the framework couples an AI-adjusted Grey Model (GM(1,1)) demand model with a Program Effectiveness Index (PEI) to yield discrete enrollment policy levers (Expand, Contract, and Adjust). For curriculum optimization, we employ Ridge regression to rank employability-related curriculum drivers and NSGA-II to generate Pareto portfolios under competing institutional objectives, including employability, instructional cost, ethics, and environmental impact. Final implementable recommendations are selected through entropy-weighted TOPSIS, where student well-being and education equity are treated as supplementary decision criteria rather than direct prediction targets. In addition, an Automation Risk Score (ARS) and a K-means TC clustering module are used to illustrate potential transfer paths across broader institutional settings. Internal scenario checks show that the AI-adjusted GM(1,1) reduces average hold-out MAPE from 7.0% to 5.8% relative to the baseline GM(1,1), and that NSGA-II achieves slightly stronger Pareto coverage than MOPSO and MODE under the same curriculum-portfolio setting. These checks are interpreted as preliminary decision-support evidence rather than external predictive validation. Overall, RMOP is presented as a scenario-based decision-support framework that links Gen-AI occupational exposure, enrollment adjustment, and curriculum portfolio design. Full article

Traditional academic degrees often fail to capture the full range of competencies students acquire throughout their university education, particularly those developed through laboratory activities, internships, volunteering, and other extra-curricular experiences. This limitation hinders students’ ability to differentiate themselves in increasingly competitive labor markets and complicates employers’ identification of candidates with balanced technical and transversal competencies. To address this challenge, this paper presents a design-oriented research study proposing a Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)-based framework for the decentralized issuance and verification of academic micro-credentials. The proposed approach combines a structured methodology for generating micro-credentials with a decentralized architecture supported by a prototype implementation based on SSI technologies. The framework enables universities, lecturers, and other trusted entities to issue verifiable and tamper-resistant credentials that students can securely manage, control, and share through SSI wallets. Unlike existing approaches, which typically focus either on secure credential infrastructures or on the pedagogical value of micro-credentials, the proposed framework integrates both technological and educational perspectives while explicitly supporting the certification of extra-curricular and soft skills. The system supports the creation of granular and portable competency profiles while enhancing transparency, authenticity, interoperability, and trust in credential management. Furthermore, the paper discusses key challenges associated with large-scale adoption, including trust management, governance, scalability, interoperability, and issuer credibility. The results suggest that SSI-based micro-credentialing represents a promising approach for improving the recognition of both technical and transversal competencies, contributing to better alignment between higher education outcomes and evolving labor market demands. Full article