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Studien undersökte möjligheten att utveckla problemlösnings- och resonemangsförmåga i svenska läroböcker. Under studiens gång genomfördes en läromedelsanalys av två läroböcker för gymnasiekursen Matematik 1b, Matematik 5000 och Matematik Origo. Analysen tog hänsyn till olika aspekter av förmågorna, olika svårighetsgrader på uppgifterna samt olika centralt innehåll i ämnesplanen. Av 2223 uppgifter i Matematik 5000 kunde problemlösningsförmågan utvecklas i 5% och resonemangsförmågan i 6%. Motsvarande andelar i 1747 uppgifter i Matematik Origo var 7% respektive 10%. Analysen visade också att större andel av uppgifterna på de två högre svårighetsnivåerna gav möjlighet att utveckla förmågorna än de på den lägsta nivån i båda böckerna. Det framkom även att inte alla aspekter av förmågorna fick lika stort utrymme att utvecklas. I båda böckerna var det geometri-kapitlet som fokuserade på dessa förmågor i störst andel av uppgifterna.

The introduction of maker technology and personal fabrication has radically changed how we learn, design and innovate. In recent years, a growing number of people have begun to use a broad range of these creative technologies. A common challenge in the use of these electronic technologies, particularly for students, is the difficulties that arise during circuit wiring prototyping. Today, few studies have highlighted the factors that cause errors among student during their electronic circuit learning activities. This research investigates the causes of wiring problems and troubleshooting strategies during the prototyping of electronic circuits by students. We conducted an ethnographic study of undergraduate students at a university design school who were involved in prototyping electronic circuits with creative technologies. We performed a microanalysis of the students’ interactions and dialogues following the distributed cognition framework. Our results show the significance of meaningful representations of information on circuit wiring tools, in addition to the importance of common knowledge among the students for reasoning about electronic circuit wiring and the detection and solving of wiring errors. This study highlights the relations between the types of wiring errors and the students’ troubleshooting strategies. In addition to informing educational practitioners, our conclusions highlight the need for further studies and the demand for a redesign of electronic wiring prototyping tools.

Självreglerat lärande (SRL) har visat sig vara en användbar strategi för både idrottslig inlärning och utveckling. Vilka miljömässiga förutsättningar idrottaren ges kan både främja och hämma denna utveckling, vilket få studier undersökt i en idrottslig kontext. Studiens syfte var därav att undersöka grad av SRL inom individuell idrott utifrån self-efficacy, könsidentitet och miljömässiga förutsättningar. Miljömässiga förutsättningar innefattade ledarskapsbeteenden som främjar både motivation, enligt Self-determination theory (SDT), och självreglerat lärande. Urvalet bestod av individuella idrottare, 16–60 år, som har en tränare (N = 251). Dessa tävlade inom 28 olika individuella idrotter och identifierade sig som kvinnor (n = 144), män (n = 106) och annat (n = 1). Frågeställningarna besvarades med hjälp av självskattningsformulären Self-Regulated Learning in Sport Practice (SRL-SP), Self-Regulated Environment (SRE) och Interpersonal Supportiveness Scale - Coach (ISS-C). Resultat från multipla och hierarkiska regressionsanalyser indikerade att self-efficacy hade ett positivt samband med utfallsmåtten planering, övervakning och reflektion, men inte ansträngning. Könsidentitet verkade inte moderera denna effekt. Vad gäller miljömässiga förutsättningar bidrog främst tränares förmåga att skapa möjligheter för SRL till idrottares självreglering. Samtidigt visades att idrottarnas grad av SRL påverkades av tränarens närvaro; ju mer närvarande tränare desto lägre grad av självregleringsstrategier uppvisar idrottarna. Slutsatsen blir därmed att idrottare verkar behöva ha en tilltro till sin förmåga samt befinna sig i en miljö med möjligheter för SRL, för att engagera sig i sin idrottsliga utveckling på ett fördelaktigt sätt. Detta samband verkar även påverkas av tränarens fysiska närvaro. Framtida studier kan med fördel vidare undersöka påverkan av de miljömässiga förutsättningarna på grad av SRL, samt om det skiljer sig åt beroende på idrott. 

Excessive stress may have a negative impact on students' performance and learning ability. The aim of this study is to assess the magnitude and associated factors of perceived stress and its consequences among undergraduate students at Salale University, Ethiopia. A self-administered cross-sectional study has been conducted among 421 students of Salale University from April 1(st) to May 30(th), 2018. Multiple linear regressions and Spearman's rank correlation were applied. The overall response rate is 95.49 %. The mean perceived stress score (PSS-14) was 29.97 (standard deviation =7.48). Spearman correlation test has shown that perceived stress is significantly but negatively correlated with grade point average [r(s) = -0.25 (-0.334 - -0.153)] and year of studies [r(s) = -0.13 (-0.232 - -0.032)]. Increased perceived stress indices are significantly associated with female gender (P < 0.001), grade point average (P < 0.01), academic stressors (P < 0.01), and psychosocial stressors (P < 0.01). Mean of PSS-14 was high among health science students (31.42 +/- 9.37) than agricultural (30.78 +/- 7.69) and business students (28.04 +/- 5.43), however, there were no statistically significant differences. These findings are sufficient to allow a large-scale study to further help better understanding the stress-vulnerability factors of undergraduate students.

Previous research in science education reveals that teachers and students use humour when they communicate with each other in a science education context. In this paper we explore consequences of humour for learning in two different contexts of physics education using video-data: a physics classroom in year nine and a group of four undergraduate students learning basic mechanics together. The video data was analysed with practical epistemology analysis (PEA). The findings showed that the participants in situations of cognitive indeterminacy made jokes to clarify how reasoning and actions tallied with the task at hand. These humorous situations positively affected students’ capability to act intentionally towards the aim of the activity and the results show that this way of joking can have positive consequences for student learning. Therefore, humour ought to be viewed as a significant resource for meaning making in the science classroom. 

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) risk leaving school without having the opportunity to develop their independence to become less reliant on others. This study aims to gain insights into how formative assessment as a teaching design can support self-regulated learning (SRL) among students with ID. Two experienced Swedish special school teachers, using formative assessment to support students’ SRL competence, participated in this study. Data consisted of the teachers’ written teaching descriptions, classroom observations, and teacher interviews. The analysis showed that the teachers managed to implement a formative classroom practice aiming to support the students to develop subject-matter knowledge as well as SRL skills. Three themes of challenges were identified: Low expectations and caretaking, Experiences of shortcomings, and Learning difficulties. Overcoming such challenges is discussed. The study shows promising examples of the use of theories and principles of formative assessment to promote SRL competence among students with ID and also incentives for doing so.

Utifrån en rad perspektiv är det angeläget att antagningssystemet och de instrument som används för urval till högre utbildning har legitimitet hos systemets avnämare. Den undersökning som redovisas har genomförts inom ramen för VALUTAprojektet (Validering av den högre utbildningens antagningssystem). Syftet är att belysa antagningssystemets konsekvenser ur ett avnämarperspektiv genom att undersöka hur olika grupper av högskolestudenter ser på högskoleprovets relevans som urvalsprov samt om de studerande använt sig av strategier, i form av upprepat provdeltagande och komplettering av gymnasiebetyg. Huvudresultaten visar, oberoende av utbildning, kön och social bakgrund, att det delprov som anses vara det mest relevanta är LÄS medan det minst relevanta delprovet är ORD. Vidare att de studerande genomfört och upprepat högskoleprovet samt kompletterat sina gymnasiebetyg, men att dessa strategier använts på olika sätt av olika studerandegrupper vilket är relaterat till utbildning, kön och social bakgrund.

Forskning i kognitiv psykologi har påvisat att testbaserad inlärning genererar bättre hågkomst jämfört med att läsa om ett inlärningsmaterial. Detta fenomen kallas för testeffekten. Denna studie undersökte skillnader i hågkomst mellan testbaserad inlärning och repeterad läsning för olika tidsintervall, samt huruvida individuella variationer avseende arbetsminneskapacitet och personlighetsdragen ‘need for cognition’ och grit relaterar till testeffekten. 182 svenska gymnasieelever deltog i studien. Materialet som användes för att mäta testeffekten var 60 swahili-svenska ordpar. Varje deltagare exponerades för hälften av ordparen genom testbaserad inlärning, och den andra hälften genom repeterad läsning. Tre hågkomsttest utfördes (direkt efter inlärning, en vecka efter och fyra veckor efter) med både ordpar som inte hade testats tidigare (unika ordpar) och ordpar som var med i föregående hågkomsttest (som tillsammans med de unika ordparen utgör ackumulerade ordpar). Resultaten uppvisade en signifikant testeffekt vid samtliga hågkomsttest för både unika och ackumulerade ordpar. En regressionsanalys visade att arbetsminneskapacitet, ‘need for cognition’ och grit, varken var för sig eller tillsammans, hade någon signifikant inverkan på testeffektens magnitud. Resultaten indikerar att testeffekten är robust för olika tidsintervall, samt att den är likvärdigt fördelaktig för personer som skiljer sig åt avseende arbetsminneskapacitet, ‘need for cognition’ och grit, som har visats påverka inlärning i flera andra sammanhang. Dessa resultat adderar till den växande mängd vetenskapliga belägg som talar för testeffektens effektivitet och lämplighet som inlärningsmetod.

Begreppet OER (Open Educational Resources) har dykt upp inom utbildningsområdet. Med OER menas lärresurser som är fritt tillgängliga, oftast via internet, som ofta fritt får användas, kopieras och spridas, samt i många fall även bearbetas och sedan spridas igen i sin bearbetade form. En OER har ofta en upphovsrättslicens, som visar under vilka villkor den får användas, kopieras, bearbetas och spridas. Creative Commons är den vanligaste licenstypen.

Internationellt ser OER-rörelsen ut att fortsätta växa (Horizion Report, 2015). Det händer även saker i Sverige, bl.a. med ett samarbetsprojekt där ett flertal lärosäten, med Karlstad i spetsen, finns med (OER Sverige - öppna digitala lärresurser. 2015)

En möjlighet med OER är att lärare och studenter kan ta del av de fria resurser som finns och använda dessa i olika undervisnings- och lärsituationer. En annan möjlighet är att låta studenter och kursdeltagare själva skapa OER som en del i undervisningen. Detta kan innebära en förändrad studerandeaktivitet, från konsument till producent, och ge pedagogiska fördelar (Borelius et al, 2012).

Det finns även andra fördelar, kurser och institutioner kan visa upp sig genom att bra utbildningsmaterial finns synligt vilket kan ge ett gott rykte och locka till sig nya studenter (Ossiannilsson, & Creelman, 2012).

På UPL (Universitetspedagogik och lärandestöd) vid Umeå universitet ville vi se om det var möjligt att låta deltagarna på en kurs, Pedagogisk Digital Kompetens (PDK), skapa OER som skulle vara tillgänglig på nätet. Vi ville skapa och utvärdera ett upplägg där kursdeltagarna skulle lösa och redovisa en av PDK-kursens uppgifter i form av en OER.

Syfte: Syftet är tvåfald, dels öka studerandeaktiviteten samt dels öka tillgängligheten på kunskap inom området PDK (Pedagogisk Digital Kompetens)

Mål: Skapa en OER inom PDK-området som andra kan ha nytta av.

Metod: Vi utformade ett pedagogiskt upplägg och skapade en teknisk lösning för deltagarna att lösa en uppgift i form av en OER som testades och utvärderades.

Frågor att hitta svar på var bl.a. - Hur utformas ett pedagogiskt upplägg för kursdeltagare att skapa OER? - Hur löser man de tekniska problem som finns och som gör det enkelt att skapa och publicera resultaten?

I denna presentation redovisas resultaten från denna pågående studie av hur OER kan användas och hur lärare och kursdeltagare upplevde arbetet. I studien har främst kvantitativa data samlats in samt observationer av arbetet med OER under två kurser vid UPL.

Referenser

Bourelius, Lars, Brenner, Mats, Bryant, Keith, Creelman, Alastair,Forsberg, Åsa, Hellström, Margareta, . . . Wennerström, Karin. (2012). Öppna digitala resurser (OER). Nyheter &Amp; Debatt, (3), 4.

Johnson L, Adams Becker S, Estrada V, Freeman A. NMC horizon report: 2015 higher education edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-highereducation-edition/. 2015.

OER Sverige - öppna digitala lärresurser. (2015) Hämtad 1 sept, 1015 från http://oersverige.se.

Ossiannilsson, Ebba, & Creelman, Alastair. (2012). OER, Resources for learning – Experiences from an OER Project in Sweden. European Journal Of Open And Distance Learning, (1), European Journal of Open and Distance Learning, 2012(1).

At the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Umeå University, we are responsible for the development of university teachers’ pedagogical competence. One of the main purposes of our courses is to help teachers develop an array of teaching methods – including a sound basis for their decisions about which method to use. We work with teaching methods for student active learning that develop sustainable knowledge (Hattie, 2009), for example Problem Based Learning, PBL. Our problem is that this usually takes a lot of time on our short courses. So we asked ourselves: How can we use SoTL to describe, develop and evaluate a method that gives key transitions in the university teachers’ journey towards pedagogical competence, both theoretically and practically (Dietz-Uhler and Bishop-Clark, 2012)? We wanted a group of teachers on one of our courses to learn more about PBL and to be active while doing this. We also wanted a meta-didactic discussion about it afterwards. We found a method called “One day, one problem” (O’Grady, 2012) that we wanted to try. We had to redesign the method slightly to fit our context, by writing a relevant scenario in line with our expected learning outcomes. Apart from this we followed the suggested process in the article. We carried out formative and summative evaluations, and we as teachers documented the activity. Our preliminary analysis shows that this method gave us what we wanted since the learners were positive towards working this way, and the self- evaluated learning process and product was given high grades. Our preliminary results and conclusion is that this method is a useful way to both teach about the PBL process and to work with course content. We also saw that SoTL, systematically searching, finding, developing and evaluating a new teaching method is a good way to develop both our own and our students’ pedagogical competence. 

This phenomenographic study explores international master’s degree students’ ways of experiencing support in Finnish higher education. The study draws on Schlossberg’s Transition Model and the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments Model as a conceptual framework. The phenomenographic analysis of 17 interviews with international master’s degree students identified four ways of experiencing support as: (a) study system adjustment, (b) learning enhancement, (c) personal growth, and (d) autonomy development. The findings identified participants’ experiencing support in relationships, use of information, communication, services, the flexibility of studies, learning and study environments. The presence of two indicators, Humanizing Educational Environments and Availability of Holistic Support suggested that the campus environment was culturally responsive to academic and personal support of international degree students. The findings contribute to the understanding of support for international degree students in higher education and may be used to develop services to support international degree students’ social, cultural, and career integration into host communities.

Vem blir alltid tackad i avhandlingens slut? Handledaren. Rapport efter rapport visar att relationen mellan handledare och doktorand är betydelsefull för forskningsavhandlingens kvalité. Handledarens och doktorandens ömsesidiga (men icke likvärdiga) beroende av varandra gör att det finns en viktig maktaspekt i handledningssituationen. Maktförhållandet avspeglas i vilka skämt som görs och av vem (Kobayashi och Berge, manuskript). I den här presentationen kommer jag fokusera på en specifik situation där en handledare erbjuder sin doktorand att ta hans position som huvudtalare på en konferens. Med mycket skratt tar de ett gemensamt beslut om att hon ska göra detta, men hur påverkar skämten vägen fram till det slutliga beslutet? Och hur påverkar maktförhållandet vägen dit? 

We have used multiple theoretical spaces as analytical strategy when researching learning possibilities when engineering students discuss physics together. Three different theories were purposefully applied in a series of stratified analyses. Level one employing phenomenography and variation theory, level two using positioning theory and level three making use of the techniques of conversation analysis. Having done this, we wanted to explore to what extent a phenomena in one theoretical space is visible in other theoretical spaces (but not naturally focused on) and what it in that case looks like. The students’ jokes are examples of such which were also important part of the students’ conversation. Our analysis illustrates how one joke is observable through all three analytical lenses. The three analytical lenses are linked to three different theoretical spaces, even when it is linked to the same original event. The lenses have become advantageous in different ways: the lens of conversational analyses assistances to discern the joke, the lens of position theory provides clues about the cultural context and the lens of phenomenography and variation theory informs us the learning possibilities that are related to the jokes. In this paper we propose and illustrate that these three theoretical perspectives are complementary rather than commensurable, because they are not referring to the same data, even though the data they reference is derived from the same event.

Earlier studies in physics education research have shown the importance of analysing students' processes of ‘becoming a physicist' in a wider sense. For example, it is often expected of physicists to have a kind of ‘authentic intelligence' or ‘smartness', which is generally perceived as male. In this study we contribute to this area of research by analysing an area often forgotten in educational research: humour. Empirically, this study is based on 177 jokes from physics lectures, collected from three different higher education contexts, the US and two Scandinavian countries. With a discourse analytical framework we explore the question of how teacher's jokes in physics lectures portray physics and physicists. In the analysis of the teacher's jokes, physics is constantly constructed as difficult and very advanced, mainly through ironically speaking of it as ‘easy'. Physicists are portrayed as single minded and very passionate, not to say obsessed, about physics. In this study we argue that although none of the jokes were mean the jokes contributed to a discourse that can be perceived as problematic in limiting the conceptions of who a physicist may be.

Background: Communication skills training in patient centered communication is an integral part of the medical undergraduate education and has been shown to improve various components of communication. While the effects of different educational interventions have been investigated, little is known about the transfer from theoretical settings to clinical practice in the context of communication skills courses not integrated in the clinical curriculum. Most studies focus on single factors affecting transfer without considering the comprehensive perspective of the students themselves. The aim of this study is to explore how the students experience the transition to clinical practice and what they perceive as challenges in using patient centered communication.

Methods: Fifteen 4th year medical students were interviewed 3 weeks after the transition from an advanced communication skills course to surgical internship using semi-structured interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the interviews.

Results: The analysis resulted in a theme 'When theory meets reality- a mismatch in communication'. It was comprised of four categories that encompassed the transfer process, from theoretical education, practical communication training and surgical internship to students' wishes and perceived needs.

Conclusions: We concluded that preparing the students through theoretical and practical training should reflect the reality they will face when entering clinical practice. When educating medical students as a group, their proclivity for perfectionism, high performance environment and achievement-related stress should be taken into consideration. The role of tutors being role models, offering guidance, giving feedback and providing support plays a major part in facilitating transfer of communication skills. To enable transfer to a larger extent, the environment needs to promote patient centeredness and students need more opportunities to practice communication with their patients.

This study concerns mediating activities in student discussions during collaborative work with self-explanation prompts (SEPs). While the aim of most other tasks, from the students’ perspective, can be perceived as finding the correct answer, discussions supported by SEPs require a different approach, because students must engage in mathematical discussions, and explain their insights into the mathematics at hand. In this study, we explore activities that are fostered by SEPs. The analysis of the activities taking place, reveal five mediating activities to promote in teaching, but also potential hinders for the intended discussion to occur. 

Oral or written requests to students to self-explain important aspects in a task at hand (e.g. self-explanation prompts) has proven to increase learning. Research about such prompts has mainly been implemented with cognitive perspectives focused on the individual. In this paper, we suggest an alternative analytical framework grounded in a sociocultural theory. This framework is valuable because it adapts to the individual learning process as well as to the learning process that takes place in group work. In addition, this framework contributes valuable guidance to the teacher and to authors of teaching materials as well as to researchers in mathematics education. The analytical framework is explained in relation to an example task. An excerpt from student group work is also discussed.

Retrieval practice is a learning strategy that has repeatedly been found to have positive effects on memory and learning. However, studies indicate that students rarely use retrieval practice on a voluntary basis. The objective of the present study was to examine students’ self-regulated use of retrieval practice, and to determine whether sex and individual differences in cognitive and non-cognitive aspects are related to optional use of practice testing. A classroom study was conducted with 146 upper-secondary school students taking courses in mathematics and Swedish. An ABAB design was used to compare students’ optional and non-optional use of retrieval practice (i.e., repeated online quizzing). Students performed cognitive tasks to assess working memory capacity and fluid intelligence and completed self-reports of non-cognitive factors related to school achievement, such as grit, need for cognition (NFC), conscientiousness and openness. Quiz use was then compared using paired- and independent-samples t-tests, and hierarchical linear regression analyses explored relations to individual differences. The results showed that students completed significantly fewer quizzes in the optional sections than in the non-optional sections, and that females completed significantly more optional quizzes than males in Swedish, but not in mathematics. Further, the results showed that conscientiousness predicted optional quiz use in mathematics, whereas sex, NFC, conscientiousness, and openness predicted quiz use in Swedish. To conclude, although the findings show a relatively low optional/self-regulated use of practice testing, in line with earlier research, they suggest that sex and non-cognitive factors, such as personality characteristics, can predict optional use of practice testing.

Retrieval practice is known to lead to better retention of a to-be-learned material than restudy (i.e., the testing effect). However, few studies have investigated retrieval practice in relation to working memory capacity (WMC) and personality characteristics such as grittiness (Grit) and need for cognition (NFC). In two experiments, we examined retrieval practice and restudy of Swahili–Swedish word pairs in relation to individual differences in Grit and NFC. In Experiment 1, using a between-subjects design, a significant main effect of retention interval was qualified by a Group × Retention Interval interaction. However, there were no effects of Grit or NFC. In Experiment 2, a within-subjects design was used, and a measure of WMC was included. The analyses revealed a testing effect; but again, WMC, Grit, and NFC were not significantly associated with performance. These results indicate that retrieval practice levels out the playing field regarding WMC, NFC, and Grit.

Background. Emotional intelligence (EI), the ability to understand and regulate one’s and other’s emotions, has been linked to academic and clinical performance and stress management, making it an essential skill to develop during medical school. Nevertheless, uncertainty remains about the impact of medical education on EI, its association with sociodemographic factors, and the potential moderating role of gender. Therefore, this study aimed to explore levels of global EI among Swedish medical students based on their completed semesters while analyzing the potential moderator role of gender and identifying potential EI differences associated with age, gender, prior education, work experience, and previous experience working in a leadership position.

Methods: The participants were medical students in semesters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 at a Swedish University. Participants answered the self-report Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire - Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and demographic questions. For each participant, the mean global trait EI was calculated (range 1–7), and differences were compared based on semesters and sociodemographic factors. In addition, we investigated the relationship between semester and EI scores with gender as a moderator.

Results: Of the 663 invited medical students, 429 (65%) responded, including 269 women (62.7%), 157 men (36.6%), and 3 identifying as others (0.7%). The participants had a mean global trait EI score of 5.33. Final-year students demonstrated significantly higher global trait EI scores than first-year students, and gender did not have a moderating effect across semesters. Furthermore, students in the age group 25–29 years showed higher EI scores compared to those in the age group 21–24 years, while there were no significant differences in EI scores for older students (≥ 30 years) compared to other age groups. Higher EI scores were also positively associated with previous work-and leadership experiences. Gender and previous education did not significantly impact EI scores.

Conclusions. Our findings suggest that higher EI scores are associated with semesters of medical education, age, and previous work and leadership experience. Future longitudinal studies are needed to identify factors that could improve EI among medical students to design curricular activities aimed at supporting the EI of the next generation of physicians.

Programming has gradually become an essential skill for engineers and scientists across disciplines and is an important part of the CDIO Syllabus covering fundamental knowledge and reasoning. Recently, there has been a shift away from introductory programming languages like C and Java towards Python, especially in programs where the focus lies on handling and analysing large quantities of data, such as energy technology, biotechnology, and bioinformatics. This paper illustrates the successful setup of a one-week-long introductory Python programming course with a hands-on approach. Given the limited time, a challenge is how to effectively teach students a meaningful set of skills that enables them to self-guide their future learning. Moreover, since the course does not include any summative assessment, we need other means of measuring students’ learning and guiding course development. We address these challenges by coupling short lectures with short quizzes for formative assessment, adding another learning activity to the course. We find that, in the absence of summative assessment, short, frequent quizzes with immediate feedback are an excellent tool to track the learning of a class as a whole. Students report that the quizzes, albeit challenging, improved their understanding of programming concepts, made them aware of potential mistakes, and were a fun learning experience. Furthermore, the results from this paper illustrate how a new programming language can be taught to students without prior programming skills in a short period of time. We summarise our lessons learnt for designing and integrating quizzes in short-format programming courses.

The Swedish school subject Home Economics (HE) covers complex content to do with cooking and sustainable development, but is allocated relatively few hours. I draw on observations of HE lessons and interviews with teachers to show how experiences of time poverty can be conceptualized as arrhythmia in relation to the requirements of the curriculum, scheduling, cultural expectations, and the unpredictable nature of student cooking. By viewing cooking and learning to cook as sets of rhythms, I illuminate the disjoint between the mathematical rhythms of scheduling and recipes on the one hand and the visceral rhythms of students and food on the other. As teachers struggle to translate the vague knowledge goals and linear progression of the syllabus into the cyclical rhythms of meal-centered lessons where cooking is organized as a group activity, they prioritize time-consuming recipes and cleaning over reasoning around sustainability, which may contribute to a feeling of not keeping up with the contents of the syllabus.

Research has shown that formative assessment can enhance student learning. However, it is conceptualised and implemented in different ways, and its effects on student achievement vary. A need has been identified for experimental studies to carefully describe both the characteristics of implemented formative assessment practices and their impact on student achievement. We examined the effects on student achievement of changes in formative assessment of a random sample of 14 secondary school mathematics teachers after a professional development programme. This study describes practices implemented and students’ achievement as measured by pre-tests and post-tests. We found no significant differences in achievement on the post-test, after controlling for pre-test scores, between the intervention group and control group, and no significant correlation between the number of formative assessment activities implemented and the post-test scores (controlled for the pre-test scores). We discuss characteristics of formative assessment implementations that may be critical for enhancing student achievement.

A fairly large study of attitudes towards mathematics among Swedish students at secondary level was conducted during 2001–2004. A newly developed instrument was used that was designed to capture gender stereotyped attitudes among students related to various aspects of mathematics in education and future life. The new scale and its development are described with reference to the original Australian studies. The scale builds on the Fennema–Sherman attitude scale "Mathematics as a male domain" but allows mathematics to be viewed as female, male or gender neutral, reflecting a different societal and educational situation than in the seventies when attitudes towards mathematics as a male domain were first investigated. The Swedish study shows that mathematics is perceived as gendered, mostly as a male domain, by large minorities of students at secondary level. However, the results are complex, with clear differences in responses from female and male students. Furthermore, mathematics is also viewed as female in some aspects. A comparison with Australian data shows that Swedish students are less inclined to view mathematics as a female domain than Australian students of the same age. The relevance of the study is related to the lack of equity in mathematics in education and as a professional field in the Swedish society, documented by earlier research.

Umeå universitet driver under åren 2012-2018 ett internt utvecklingsprojekt med syfte att skapa interaktiva lärmiljöer i fysiska rum. Om- och nybyggnationer rustas med rullbara möbler, pekskärmar, projektorer och annan interaktiv teknik. I takt med att dessa miljöer färdigställs aktualiseras behovet av utbildningsinsatser för lärare så att rummen nyttjas i sin fulla potential och inte återfaller till att bli rum för traditionell katederundervisning. Samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten gav ht-14 Universitetspedagogik och lärandestöd (UPL) i uppdrag att stärka kompetensen bland fakultetens lärare gällande undervisning i dessa nya lärmiljöer. Syftet var att introducera möjligheterna med interaktiva lärmiljöer avseende olika typer av pedagogiska metoder och didaktiska grepp och därmed också avdramatisera teknikens betydelse, något som många lärare uttryckt sig frustrerade över att inte behärska. Studerandeaktiva lärandeformer som pedagogisk modell blev fokus för utbildningsinsatsen och de interaktiva salarna och dess tillhörande infrastruktur var förutsättningen.

Med inspiration av Luleå tekniska universitets arbete med att professionalisera studentrollen (NU2014) skapade UPL en verkstad som tar stöd i en dialogduk. Dialogduken fungerar som spelplan och anteckningsyta där verkstadsdeltagarna gruppvis tar sig ann ett antal utmaningar. Till stöd för dialogduken skapades även ett case baserat på en lärare som tänker högt om universitetslärares vardag. Caset för deltagarna framåt och de får genom diskussion och tillämpade övningar pröva på rummets möjligheter, analoga så väl som digitala. Alltid med fokus på den pedagogiska aspekten av lärande. Dialogdukens övningar har valts med omsorg och berör allt från omvänd brainstorming, citatark, flipped-classroom till ommöblering av rummet och presentation av egna lärresurser. Som metareflektion får deltagarna även fundera över frågor som rör studenternas grad av ansvarstagande och aktivitet i relation till rummets möjligheter och begränsningar. Verkstaden avslutades med en diskussion om förändringsarbete på den egna institutionen och hur deltagarna ska ta detta vidare på sin hemmainstitution och i sin undervisningsvardag.

Responsen på denna utbildningsinsats har varit över förväntan. Utvärderingar (skriftliga/muntliga) ger verkstaden högt betyg. Vissa institutioner har hängt upp duken i personalrummet för att påminna om diskussionerna som gick, andra har bett om att få skicka deltagare till öppna uppsamlingsverkstäder på samma tema. Det visade sig vara ett vinnande koncept att få uppleva och praktisera olika möjligheter i rummen istället för att få dem berättade för sig. En annan viktig aspekt som tas upp i utvärderingen var vikten av att avdramatisera tekniken och istället fokusera på förändrade undervisningsformer och den egna praktikens utmaningar.

While speedy reporting is appreciated, there is little point in such timeliness if test reports are not well-designed and effectively communicative. Hence, this chapter describes various principles of effective report design derived from decades of empirical and theoretical research into the communication of complex information to lay readers and users of test reports. These principles have to do with (a) the utility of reports in terms of having clear purpose and explicit guidance for interpretation and subsequent action and (b) clarity of design, guidance, displays and language. These principles are illustrated in the case of the Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (asTTle) computer software deployed in New Zealand’s schools since 2002 for teacher and school leader use. The asTTle system (now fully online with computer adaptive testing options) allows teachers to custom-create tests in reading comprehension, mathematics and writing for students in grades 4–11 in either English or Māori, the indigenous language. After score processing, the asTTle system provides a suite of reports which were field tested and for which empirical evidence exists that the reports are useful and clear. This system exploits the principles of effective reporting and leads to more effective formative assessment practices by teachers.

Det här är en skrift som skapats våren 2023 inom ramen för kursen "PBL och Casemetodik" – en fortsättningskurs för lärare som ges av enheten för Universitetspedagogik och lärandestöd vid Umeå universitet. Kursens grundfilosofi bygger på problembaserat lärande där PBL och Casemetodik är de två pedagogiska former som står i fokus. Kursen är uppbyggd i PBL-form med inslag av verkstäder, övningar, case-seminarium, rollspel, kortare föreläsningar och inbjudna gäster (Bränberg, Holmgren & Wester, 2020). Som en röd tråd genom kursen löper ett PBL-projekt med ett scenario (se nedan) som ska utmynna i en inspirationsskrift för kollegor med en beskrivning av de två pedagogiska uppläggen samt ett exempel från var och en av deltagarna. För att leva som kursen lär och stödja kursdeltagarna i PBL-metodik användes ett processunderlag i form av en Basgruppsduk för Basgruppsträffarna, se Bilaga 1. Basgruppsdukens utformning är framtagen med inspiration från The PBL process (Barett and Moore, 2011, figure 1.2). Kursen bestod av 16 deltagare från olika institutioner och fakultet, uppdelade i två basgrupper. Under denna kursomgång gav vi möjlighet för de två basgrupperna att få publicera sin skrift. Både för att skärpa till uppgiften, men framför allt för att vi vet att exemplen brukar bli bra och då är det bra om andra kan få en möjlighet att läsa och dra nytta av det som producerats. Allt i en anda av att utveckla det akademiska lärarskapet genom ett Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Bolander Laksov, K & Scheja, M., 2020). Eftersom deltagarna arbetat med sina tolkningar och utvecklat sina exempel tillsammans i de två basgrupperna kommer texten att vara uppdelad i två delar (grupp 1 och 2) med en inledning till respektive del som av förklarliga skäl behandlar samma sak. Vi anser ändå att det är bra att det får komma fram hur lika/olika två grupper kan tolka, beskriva och utvecklas inom samma område. Vi hoppas att denna skrift ska bli läst och att exemplen ska bli använda! 

This Tuning Guidelines and Reference Points 2024 for the Design and Delivery of Degree Programmes in Business Administration serves as an international reference point for an academic discipline in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) framework. It represents the current state of affairs in a fast-changing societal environment.

This publication defines degree profiles and the tasks and societal roles graduates will take on, but also shows how different degrees fit into the wider context of overarching general and subject specific / discipline qualifications frameworks. In other words, what are the essential elements that constitute a particular subject area in higher education? Among other aspects, these Guidelines include general descriptors for the first and the second cycle, the bachelor and master/ long cycle, presented in easy-to-read tables, and are meant to be used as reference points for the design and delivery of individual degree programmes. According to the Tuning philosophy, each degree programme has its own unique profile, based on the mission of the institution and taking into account its social-cultural setting, its student body, and the strengths of its academic staff.

The Guidelines and Reference Points are the outcome of a long and intense collaboration, starting in 2001, in conjunction with the early phases of the Bologna Process, which has now come to include 49 European countries. They are a result of the grassroots university-driven initiative called Tuning Educational Structures in Europe, or simply ‘Tuning’, that aims to offer a universally useful approach to the modernisation of higher education at the level of institutions and subject areas. The Tuning initiative has developed a methodology to (re-)design, develop, implement and evaluate study programmes for each of the Bologna cycles. These were validated in 2007-2008 by groups of respected academics from numerous disciplines. Since, developments have continued as reflected in several iterations, the latest being the Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Europe (CALOHEE) projects (2018-2023). As all Tuning projects, the CALOHEE developments have been co-financed and strongly supported by the European Commission as part of its Erasmus+ Action programme. 

The Tuning methodology is based on the student-centred and active learning approaches it has promoted since its very launch. Tuning’s mission is to offer a platform for debate and reflection which leads to higher education models able to ensure that graduates are well prepared for their societal role, both in terms of employability and as citizens. Graduates need to have obtained as the outcome of their learning process the optimum set of competences required to execute their future tasks and take on their expected roles. As part of their education graduates should have developed levels of critical thinking and awareness that foster civic, social, environmental and cultural engagement. Recognition is given to current and possible future developments and issues. 

Using the Tuning reference points makes study programmes comparable, compatible and transparent. They are expressed in terms of learning outcomes and competences. Learning outcomes are statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand and be able to demonstrate after completion of a learning experience. According to Tuning, learning outcomes are expressed in terms of the level of competence to be obtained by the learner. Competences represent a dynamic combination of cognitive and meta-cognitive skills, knowledge and understanding, interpersonal, intellectual and practical skills, and ethical values. Fostering these competences is the object of all educational programmes. 

Competences are developed in all course units and assessed at all different stages of aprogramme. Some competences are subject area related (specific to a subject area), others are generic (relevant for many or all in degree programmes). According to the Tuning philosophy, subject specific competences and generic competences or general academic skills should be developed together. Normally competence development proceeds in an integrated and cyclical manner throughout a programme. 

The initial core competences of the subject area were identified in a consultation process involving four stakeholder groups - academics, graduates, students and employers over time. Consultation processes have been organised in many other parts of the world: these have been taken into consideration in developing this publication. 

This edition has been elaborated as part of the CALOHEE projects, which aim to develop an infrastructure allowing for comparing and measuring learning in a (trans)national perspective. Besides developing state of the art general and subject specific qualifications reference frameworks, it has also developed Learning Outcomes / Assessment Frameworks which offer even more detailed descriptors. The Assessment Reference Frameworks are included as an annex.

To make levels of learning measurable, comparable and compatible across Europe academics from the single subject areas have developed cycle (level) descriptors expressed in terms of learning outcomes statements organised in qualifications reference frameworks tables. These are backed by Tuning-CALOHEE General Qualifications Reference Frameworks, which are based on a bridging of the two overarching European qualifications frameworks, the ‘Bologna’ Qualifications Framework for the EHEA (QF for the EHEA) and the EU European QualificationsFramework for Lifelong Learning (EQF for LLL). Paying reference to both by combining ‘the best of two worlds’. While the EQF for LLL is focused on the application of knowledge and skills in society, the focus of the FQ for the EHEA is more related to the learning process itself: it applies descriptors which cover different areas or ‘dimensions’ of learning: knowledge and understanding, application of knowledge and understanding in relation to problem solving, making judgments, communicating information and conclusions, and finally, knowing how to learn.

In developing the Tuning-CALOHEE model, it has been realised that ‘dimensions’ are an indispensable tool, because they make it possible to distinguish the principal aspects that constitute the subject area. Dimensions help give structure to a particular sector or subject area and also make its basic characteristics more transparent. Furthermore, the ‘dimension approach’ is complementary to the categories included in the EQF for LLL, which uses the categories of ‘knowledge’, ‘skills’ and ‘autonomy and responsibility’ (wider competences) to structure its descriptors. Thus, in CALOHEE terms, the three columns correspond to a ‘knowledge reference framework’, a ‘skills reference framework’ and a ‘autonomy and responsibility reference framework’, linked by level. The last column, the ‘autonomy and responsibility reference framework’, refers to the wider world of work and society and identifies the competences required to operate successfully in the work place and as a citizen. It builds on the first two elements: knowledge and understanding and the skills necessary to develop and apply this knowledge.

In addition to addressing cycle-level descriptors, Tuning has given attention to the Europe-wide use of the student workload based European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) to ensure the feasibility of student-centred degree programmes and other credentials. Some 20 years ago it transformed the original credit transfer system into a transfer and accumulation system. According to Tuning, ECTS not only allows student mobility across Europe and in other countries as well; it can also facilitate programme design and development, particularly with respect to coordinating and rationalising the demands made on students by concurrent course units. In other words, ECTS permits us to plan how best to use students' time to achieve the aims of the educational process, rather than considering teachers' time as the primary constraint and students' time as basically limitless.

The use of the learning outcomes and competences approach implies changes regarding the teaching, learning and assessment methods. Tuning has identified approaches and best practices to form the key generic and subject specific competences. Some examples of good practice are included in this brochure. More detailed examples can be found in the subject area-based Learning Outcomes / Assessment Reference Frameworks.

Finally, Tuning has drawn attention to the role of quality in the process of (re-)designing, developing and implementing study programmes. It has developed an approach for quality enhancement which involves all elements of the learning chain. It has also developed a number of tools and identified examples of good practice which can help institutions to improve the quality of their degree programmes.

This brochure reflects the outcomes of the work done by the Subject Area Group (SAG) in Business Administration. The outcomes are presented in a template to facilitate readability and rapid comparison across the subject areas. The summary aims to provide, in a very succinct manner, the basic elements for a quick introduction into the subject area. It shows in synthesis the consensus reached by a subject area group after intense and lively discussions in the group.

Hösten 2010 startade projektet ”Fortbildning av lärare i projektledning” med syftet att ytterligare förbättra kvalitén på ingenjörsutbildningar genom ett tydligare projektledningsinnehåll. Projektet bedrivs vid Institutionen för tillämpad fysik och elektronik (TFE) och strategiska utvecklingsmedel erhålls frånTeknisk-naturvetenskaplig fakultet, Umeå universitet. Vi har utvecklat ett kostnadseffektivt och självbärande koncept där nästan halva kompetensutvecklingstiden betalas genom att deltagaren utför handledning och återkoppling till studenter i en projektledningskurs. Övrig kompetensutvecklingstid i konceptet finansieras av deltagares egna enheter. Projektet pågår fram till juni 2014, hittills har 15 deltagare fortbildats.

Sammanfattning

Detta är en kvalitativ fallstudie av fem specialpedagogers arbete med specialundervisning i matematik. Syftet är att kartlägga deras arbete och uppfattningar genom att beskriva och analysera hur de organiserar sin undervisning i matematik, hur de undervisar ämnesinnehållet och hur de ger feedback till eleverna i klassrummet, samt hur de själva beskriver det de uppfattar som det specialpedagogiska inslaget i sin undervisning. För insamling av empirin har en kvalitativ metod med halvstrukturerade djupintervjuer samt observationer i form av ljudinspelningar och ostrukturerade fältanteckningar under lektioner gjorts. Ramfaktorteorier, fenomenografiska teorier, inlärningsteorier samt fallstudien, har styrt mitt sätt att bearbeta och analysera det empiriska materialet. Resultatet visar att det lärande som erbjuds eleverna av fyra av specialpedagogerna bidrar till ett ytinriktat lärande, och feedback som erbjuds bidrar till yttre motivation. Det specialpedagogiska inslaget anser de vara att se människan bakom ett beteende, att ha en positiv förväntan, att utgå från barnet, att vara personlig, att tycka om eleverna och att vara konkret i undervisningen. Den femte pedagogen erbjuder ett djupinriktat lärande och erbjuder ett arbetssätt under lektionerna som skapar vilja och motivation att lära sig. Det specialpedagogiska inslaget anser hon vara att ta reda på var eleven befinner sig kunskapsmässigt och utgå därifrån så eleven har möjlighet att förstå det den inte har förstått.

Studien har genomförts i syfte att undersöka vad en arbetsmetod som utgår från aktivitetslådor kan tillföra elever i undervisningen av textilslöjd. Forskningsfrågorna har varit: Hur arbetar eleverna med aktivitetslådorna i textilslöjden? Hur kan de fungera i undervisningen av textilslöjd? Vilka personliga förmågor kan arbetet med aktivitetslådor ge elever övning i? Undersökningen har utförts genom att observera tre elevgrupper vid tre tillfällen, på två olika grundskolor. De observerade eleverna svarade efter avslutad övning på tre frågor och samtliga deltagare fyllde i en ”känsloenkät”. Resultatet visade att aktivitetslådorna skapade nyfikenhet hos eleverna och att detta motiverade till arbete. Det visade sig att eleverna övade sig i samarbete, att kommunicera med varandra samt att självständigt lärande kräver självtillit. Läraren fick ta rollen som en handledare och i vissa fall räckte det att stötta eleverna i deras lärande.

Background: Emergency medical practices are often team efforts. Training for various tasks and collaborations may be carried out in virtual environments. Although promising results exist from studies of serious games, little is known about the subjective reactions of learners when using multiplayer virtual world (MVW) training in medicine.

Objective: The objective of this study was to reach a better understanding of the learners’ reactions and experiences when using an MVW for team training of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Methods: Twelve Swedish medical students participated in semistructured focus group discussions after CPR training in an MVW with partially preset options. The students’ perceptions and feelings related to use of this educational tool were investigated. Using qualitative methodology, discussions were analyzed by a phenomenological data-driven approach. Quality measures included negotiations, back-and-forth reading, triangulation, and validation with the informants.

Results: Four categories characterizing the students’ experiences could be defined: (1) Focused Mental Training, (2) Interface Diverting Focus From Training, (3) Benefits of Practicing in a Group, and (4) Easy Loss of Focus When Passive. We interpreted the results, compared them to findings of others, and propose advantages and risks of using virtual worlds for learning.

Conclusions: Beneficial aspects of learning CPR in a virtual world were confirmed. To achieve high participant engagement and create good conditions for training, well-established procedures should be practiced. Furthermore, students should be kept in an active mode and frequent feedback should be utilized. It cannot be completely ruled out that the use of virtual training may contribute to erroneous self-beliefs that can affect later clinical performance.

Background: Clinical placements are integral components of undergraduate nurse education. Assessment of student performance routinely involves formative and summative appraisals. Understanding how appraisals are used to promote student learning in undergraduate nurse education and into professional nursing registration is important.

Aim: To describe the experience of clinical appraisal on student learning during clinical placements through the lens of the undergraduate nursing student, the clinical assessor, and university academic staff.

Methods: Descriptive-exploratory-qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with eight undergraduate nursing students, three health service clinical nurses and six university staff were performed. Data were analysed using NVivo. Qualitative content analysis was performed.

Results: Two categories emerged: continuum of learning; and assessment versus learning. Participants reported the formative and summative appraisals promoted student learning and development within the clinical placement and on their journey becoming nurses. The experience of the appraisal process was influenced by the tension between assessment and learning. Factors influencing the experience of the appraisal process for student learning included: the assessment tool, the clinical support model, and expectations of student and assessor role.

Conclusion: Clinical placements are integral to a student's continuum of learning into professional registration. To facilitate positive learning experiences, orientation programs prior to the commencement of clinical placements for assessors and undergraduate students, could be included. Formal training in assessment and feedback may also be beneficial for clinical assessors. Clear expectations for models of clinical support and the process for appraisal assessment, may facilitate a more positive learning experience to promote better student outcomes.

Engineering educations are currently being transformed, both to attract new groups of students (e.g. women) and to provide the students with broader skill-sets than those traditionally included in engineering educations (e.g. team working skills). In this study we explore how students understand the educational opportunities provided by a particular engineering education, namely bachelor Engineering Mechanics Programme (EMP), with a particular focus on how the perceived opportunities are related to class and gender. The empirical data consists of engineering education websites, interviews with EMP students, and video-diaries recorded by the interviewed students. In the analysis of the websites four different, potential engineering identity positions were discerned: The engineer as a traditional technologist, the engineer as a contemporary technologist, the responsible engineer, and the self-made engineer. The initial analysis of the interviews and video-diaries bring tensions between practical and theoretical/analytical aspects of engineering to the fore, and we use two case studies of interviewed students to illustrate how these students nagivate the theory/practice dichotomy and the various identity positions available within the EMP.

This paper aims at exploring how intersections of gender, age, social class, and ethnicity are negotiated in talk about the transition from being an engineering student to becoming an engineer. The empirical data consists of final year female engineering students’ narratives collected through video-diaries and interviews. Theoretically we draw on critical discursive psychology (Potter and Wetherell 1992). We investigate how female engineering students use different interpretative repertoires (Edley 2001), which can be described as specific and often contradicting ways of talking about a phenomenon in everyday conversations. Different repertoires are used strategically by people as a way to make sense of their actions and ideas by representing them as ‘good’ and ‘normal’ in the specific context. Wetherell and Potter (1992) argue that repertoires are related to social structures and power relations, which means that not all repertories are available for every individual. The concept of interpretative repertoires is helpful when it comes to analysing the students’ (in)ability to use different repertoires and, in this sense, the (im)possibility for them to achieve different subject positions when they talk about engineering studies and engineering. Power relations are upheld when some social positions becomes troubled, i.e. when a position is questioned or criticized in different ways, while another position is regarded as untroubled, i.e. as a normal and righteous identity that needs no further explaining (Wetherell 1998). The two positions, troubled/untroubled, help to analyze how and in what contexts notions of gender, age, social class and ethnicity are given importance in students’ talk. Our results show that the students are discursively produced as in need of ‘thick skin’. They are both seen as special and normal, too strong and too week, welcomed and pitted. Being older or born abroad is interpreted as unproblematic, but seems to produce invisibility and limited access to employability.

Internationally, virtual world environments such as Second Life® (SL) have become accepted as platforms for innovative educational activities at many universities in recent years. One such activity includes innovative ways of students coming in contact with other students in so-called telecollaborations. The present case study explores the initial stages in an Action Research process, namely the design and initial implementation of a telecollaborative language learning activity between four universities in Second Life under the EU-funded Avalon project. The chapter describes how theoretical frameworks including the Ecology of Language Learning (van Lier, 2004), the Five Stage Model of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (Salmon, 2004) and Activity Theory (Leont'ev, 1978) were used in order to address different aspects of the design of the course. Based on questionnaire responses from students and observations, the chapter then goes on to evaluate the relative success/failure of the first course trial. Finally, the chapter discusses the implications of the lessons learnt from this pilot project on further developments of the course concept in the action research process, and goes on to discuss implications of the findings for the use of virtual worlds in more mainstream educational settings.

This chapter investigates the potential effects of unequal power relations on participation in a group of student teachers and invited professionals in two collaborative workshops in Second Life. The basic research enquiry addresses whether the relative anonymity afforded by virtual world environments has an effect on established power structures, thereby empowering relatively powerless language learners to more active participation than would be the case in more traditional learning set-ups. The data includes recordings, group reflections, and individual questionnaires. Participation was examined from the aspects of floor space, turn length, and utterance functions, and complemented with student reflections. The results show that the differences of floor space and turn length between the invited professionals and the students were small. The invited professionals did more conversational management than the students, while the students performed more supportive speech acts. No major gender differences in participation were found. There was, however, considerable individual variation.

Background: Efficient doctor-patient communication is essential for improving patient care. The impact of educational interventions on the communication skills of male and female students has not been systematically reviewed. The aim of this review is to identify interventions used to improve communication skills in medical curricula and investigate their effectiveness in improving the communication skills of male and female medical students.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were as follows: used intervention strategies aiming to improve communication skills, participants were medical students, and studies were primary research studies, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses.

Results: 2913 articles were identified based on search terms. After title, abstract, and full-text review, 58 studies were included with interventions consisting of Training or Drama Courses, Curriculum-Integrated, Patient Learning Courses, and Community-Based Learning Courses. 69% of articles reported improved communication skills for both genders equally, 28% for women more than men, and 3% for men more than women. 16 of the 58 articles reported numerical data regarding communication skills pre-and post-intervention. Analysis revealed that post-intervention scores are significantly greater than pre-intervention scores for both male (p < 0.001) and female students (p < 0.001). While the post-test scores of male students were significantly lower than that of female students (p = 0.01), there is no significant difference between genders for the benefits, or difference between post-intervention and pre-intervention scores (p = 0.15), suggesting that both genders benefited equally.

Conclusion: Implementation of communication training into medical education leads to improvement in communication skills of medical students, irrespective of gender. No specific interventions benefitting male students have been identified from published literature, suggesting need of further studies to explore the phenomenon of gender gap in communication skills and how to minimize the differences between male and female students.

Artikeln belyser olika aspekter av förhållandet mellan matematik och språk. En viktig poäng är att dessa båda inte bör ses som åtskilda. Att behärska ämnet matematik innebär även att behärska ämnets språk. Således utgår artikeln från en förståelse av ämnesspråket som en del av matematiken, inte enbart som ett verktyg för att kommunicera matematik.

In this study a combination of statistical and qualitative methods are used to explore the potential role the presence of, and interaction between, different semiotic resources have for how difficult mathematics tasks are to read and solve. The semiotic resources of interest are natural language, mathematical notation, and different types of images. Two different dependent variables are used: one that explains a general task difficulty and one that explains the tasks demand on a general reading ability. T-tests have revealed that tasks with four particular combinations of semiotic resources are solved to a significantly lower frequency than other tasks. Moreover, chi-square tests reveal that the same tasks are overrepresented in the group of tasks for which a general reading ability is not beneficial to use in the solving process. The results of those statistical tests do however only contribute an understanding of what presence of and cooccurrences of particular semiotic resources mean for the reading and solving of mathematics tasks.

The second step in this study is therefore a qualitative analysis of a few tasks from two particular groups of tasks identified in the statistical analyses, namely i) tasks that are more difficult to solve and for which a general reading ability is not beneficial to use, and ii) tasks for which a general reading ability is highly beneficial to use in the solving process. The purpose of the qualitative analysis is to explore relations within and between the semiotic resources in tasks that are identified as extremes in the statistical tests (the ones mentioned above). Therefore the method for the qualitative analyses is based on theory about texture (Liu & O'Halloran, 2009) and Kress’ concepts translation and transduction (Kress, 2010). The results will contribute to an understanding of the role that multisemiotic features in task text have for aspects of task difficulty.

This paper presents some results from an ongoing review on self-explanation prompts. An emphasis is laid on design principles based on empirical research. The review is grounded in scaffolding theory, which means that the self-explanation prompts are seen as a temporary support that the student shall learn to manage without. Three themes identified in the review are described and discussed in relation to design and implementation of tasks with self-explanation prompts: prompts with different purposes, the necessity to adapt prompt to students’ prior knowledge, and factors of importance for students’ engagement in the prompts. Examples of tasks with prompts for which these design aspects have been taken into account are given in the paper.

Contemporary comprehensive mathematics teaching material covering whole courses has developed substantially from the early versions that roughly were ‘books as pdf’ with some complementary online material. In teaching materials that are offered in online web portals (digital teaching platforms) a variety of dynamic and interactive elements can be utilised, offering new ways to engage with mathematics. Despite this recent development, the variety of affordances of the digital environment are utilised to a surprisingly small extent. The pros and cons with digital teaching materials in mathematics are debated, and publishers advertise with arguments about algorithms that lay out an ideal learning path and about joyful content. Critical for students’ learning while working with teaching materials is however that they find it meaningful to use the materials, a persistence in the interaction with the materials, and furthermore that the willingness to explore mathematics remains. In this study students’ interaction with digital teaching material with various kinds of dynamic and interactive elements supplementing the static parts in the presentation of new content is explored. Differences in students’ attention to mathematical facts, essential in the problem solving, is captured using an eye-tracker. Analyses of differences in attentive behaviour depending on the kind of digital element that are used for presentation reveal that the type of digital element that students attend the least to is static elements. Differences in what is offered to and what is demanded from a reader when mathematical facts are presented using various digital elements is discussed and potential implications from the results are suggested.

This study focussed on the effect of grammar of Iwaidja, an indigenous Australian language, on mathematical conceptualisation. It investigated route description in Iwaidja. Spatial concepts such as direction, height and movement in relation to another object are briefly described using examples. Differences between English and Iwaidja are used to illustrate the some of the impact of grammar on mathematical conceptualisation. The implications are discussed in terms of how understanding these grammatical features can help teachers, especially when children are not fluent in the language of instruction, as well as providing keys to cross-linguistic investigations of mathematical cognition.