awareness university case study

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• J Family Med Prim Care
• v.6(4); Oct-Dec 2017

An investigation on the level of awareness, attitude, and interest among medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy students toward their majors on entering university: The case of Islamic Azad University, Tehran medical sciences branch

Farhad adhami moghadam.

1 Department of Ophthalmology, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Sara Afshari Azad

2 Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Mohammad Sahebalzamani

3 Department of Management, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Hojjatollah Farahani

4 Department of Psychology, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Mojgantabatabaee Jamaran

5 Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Varamin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Introduction:

Having awareness, interest, and positive attitude toward one's fields of study leads to the development of a compatibility between demands and expectations on the one hand and future career on the other hand. This study was carried out to determine the level of awareness, attitude, and interest of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy students of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch toward their own field of study on entering university.

Materials and Methods:

This research is a basic descriptive study conducted on 273 students who had just entered university. This study was performed using census. Data collection instrument was a four-part questionnaire which included demographic information, and questions measuring students’ awareness, attitude, and interest.

With regard to their field of study, there was no statistically significant difference in the average of students’ awareness ( P = 0.731). The attitude of medicine students was significantly more positive than pharmacy and dentistry students ( P < 0.001), and the attitude of dentistry students was significantly more positive than that of pharmacy students ( P = 0.460). Medical students’ interest level was significantly higher than that of pharmacy and dentistry students ( P < 0.05), and the interest level of dentistry students was significantly greater than the interest level of pharmacy students ( P = 024/0). There was a statistically significant positive relationship between awareness and attitude and between awareness and interest in all of the study subjects ( P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

The study results indicated that having a high level of awareness toward one's major led students studying in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy to experience a more positive attitude and a higher level of interest. Thus, before entering the university, academic counseling will be beneficial for acquiring a better understanding of most majors, a goal which could be provided through school, social media, and family.

Introduction

Providing and maintaining health of the society members can play an important role in the economic and social development of communities, and promoting the quality of health and treatment services is one of the crucial factors in the prosperity of every country.[ 1 ] Thus, quantitatively and qualitatively adequate health-care providers have to be trained according to the real demands of a society in such a way that after graduation they would be able to resolve social problems and provide appropriate health and treatment services.[ 2 ]

Intense competition for university admissions in pursuit of higher education has led individuals from various social strata to choose different majors about which they do not have enough knowledge, awareness, and interest. Lack of attention toward this issue has caused some students to change their major despite the effort, time, and expense that they have treated with choosing their previous major.[ 3 ] Due to the lack of enough knowledge about a chosen major can bring about disinterest and frustration, it can lead to academic failure.[ 4 ] In the future, having a profession not chosen based on the awareness and interest of individuals causes tension, anxiety, physical and mental illnesses, and social nonconformity, and is ultimately a waste of spiritual and material investment.[ 5 ] Hence, to perform their future duties effectively, students should choose their majors with more awareness so that it would lead to an increase in their interest.[ 6 ]

It is important to notice that success in any profession and achieving any intended goal usually require a positive attitude toward those professions or goals, and one has to know that individuals’ attitudes will differ in various stages of life according to changes happening in their environment. Most research conducted in this regard suggests that attitudes are most likely to change during student life. Different studies indicate that medical colleges are considered as stressful environments which usually have a negative impact on the academic performance, physical and mental health of students.[ 7 ] Furthermore, various studies propose that students should not have anxiety, and they need a positive attitude to be able to concentrate and process information properly.[ 8 ] As a major subset of the treatment sector responsible for supplying, maintaining, and promoting society's health in the future, students of medicine should be carefully monitored so that they would be able to play their roles effectively as specialists, managers, or at least as a therapist. Lack of attention to their problems undoubtedly will result in the accumulation of their problems, and it will cause a variety of mental disorders and educational problems for students.[ 9 ]

In addition to positive attitude, motivation, and interest are also among the most important influential factors in educational systems and students’ success.[ 10 ] Studies reveal that even as compatibility increases between individuals’ motivation, interests, and professional character, the chance of achieving positive results such as job satisfaction and success in education and work boosts.[ 11 ]

Interest in a job and in a specific field of study depends on various factors. Some of the most important factors which stimulate interest and motivation in students toward their academic field of study and make them satisfied about their jobs are the level of satisfaction about a chosen major and its respective job, social status, income, and difficulty level of that major.[ 12 ] Some of the factors which can promote interest in medical students include the social status of graduated students, their relatively sufficient income, giving Direct PhD degrees to the graduates and their generally rewarding future career.

The results of different studies propose that students of medicine choose this major with enough knowledge and interest,[ 7 ] because almost more than half of students believe that this major can bring financial success to their lives. However, due to the growth of mental maturity and the occurrence of social realities, this belief usually changes during the last years of the educational course.[ 13 ]

In this regard, presenting effective solutions for increasing students’ interest in their majors not only enhances educational systems but results in a higher efficiency of those staffs working in hospitals and treatment centers; besides, it paves the way to providing patients with more effective health services. A well-informed search for information related to intended academic majors before choosing one's field of study can improve satisfaction and success levels of individuals involved.[ 14 ] Students can gain this kind of awareness from different sources such as family, related professionals, media, etc.[ 6 ] In case of having knowledge about and interest in a major, responsibility will increase, leading in turn to the growth of individuals in terms of providing health-care services.[ 15 ] Therefore, given the importance of awareness, attitude, and interest of Sc. D. students toward their field of study and the important effects that choosing a major has on the future career, this study was conducted to determine and compare the level of awareness, attitude, and interest of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy students of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch.

Materials and Methods

The present research is a descriptive study, performed on all of Sc. D. students who were passing their first semester of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy majors in Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch. Sampling was carried out through census. Relevant data were gathered using a four-part questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire included demographic information, and the second, third, and fourth parts were, respectively, related to assessing the level of awareness, attitude, and interest of students toward their majors. The questionnaire consisted of 28 questions. The first 9 questions (yes/no) were related to the level of awareness. The scoring process was such that the value “1” was given to “yes” answers and the value “0” was given to “no” answers. The next 10 questions, which were related to attitude, were regulated based on the five-point Likert scale with the scores being: completely agree,[ 5 ] almost agree,[ 4 ] indifferent,[ 3 ] almost disagree,[ 2 ] and completely disagree.[ 1 ] The last 9 questions were related to the level of interest. The first 6 questions were likewise designed based on the five-point Likert scale the scores being: completely agree,[ 5 ] almost agree,[ 4 ] indifferent,[ 3 ] almost disagree,[ 2 ] and completely disagree;[ 1 ] the other 3 questions had yes/no options. Each “yes” answer was given a score of 5 and each “no” answer was accorded a score of “1.”

To determine the scientific validity of the questionnaire, content validity was employed, such that the questionnaire was modified and verified by ten faculty members of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch. The internal consistency of questions concerning awareness, attitude, and interest, obtained using Cronbach's alpha, was, respectively, 0.76, 0.79, and 0.7. Hence, this consistency was confirmed. At the end, after entering the data into SPSS 19 (IBM, New York), the authors used descriptive statistics to describe the gathered data, and inferential statistics (one-sample t -test, one-way ANOVA test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Scheffe's post hoc test) was employed to analyze the data.

Among 273 students, 209 (76.6%) individuals were men and 64 individuals (23.4%) were women. The average age of students was 19.21 ± 2.24 The minimum age was 17 and the maximum age was 35. Among the participants, 140 individuals (51.3%) were medicine students, 68 individuals (28.6%) were pharmacy students, and 55 individuals (20.1%) were students of dentistry. The highest number of study subjects were, respectively, 266 (97.4%) single individuals, 261 (95.6%) unemployed individuals and 155 (59.4%) individuals who had a family monthly income of more than 1.5 million tomans. In 265 individuals (97.1%), father was the head of households, 88 individuals (32.7%) had employed fathers, 143 individuals (52.4%) had housewife mothers, father of 93 individuals (32.2%) had M. A or higher degrees and mother of 93 individuals (34.2%) had mothers with B. A degrees. In case of re-choosing a major, 50.7% of the subjects who composed more than half of all subjects would have chosen medicine, 28.7% would have chosen dentistry and 16.5% would have gone for pharmacy. All of medicine students, 72.7% of dentistry students and 83.3% of pharmacy students were content to continue their studies after graduation. In medicine, 69.3% of students chose surgical disciplines such as eye surgery, general surgery, otorhinolaryngology and urology; and 30% of students chose nonsurgical disciplines such as pediatrics, internal medicine, radiology, and cardiology. Nearly 45.5% of dentistry students chose surgical specialties such as periodontics, orthodontics, restorative dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and dental prosthetics; 18.2% of students chose nonsurgical specialties such as oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial pathology and oral health. In pharmacy, 78.2% of students selected specialties such as pharmacology, toxicology, pharmacognosy and industrial pharmaceutics; and 5.1% of students chose basic sciences such as microbiology, physiology, biochemistry, and parasitology.

The results indicated that students’ awareness average differs according to their sexuality, such that the awareness of male students is significantly higher their female counterparts ( P = 0.01). The awareness average of students also differs depending on their family's monthly income ( P < 0.001). In this regard, Scheffe's post hoc test showed that the awareness of those students whose family's monthly income is between 500 thousand tomans and 1 million tomans have a significantly lower level of awareness in comparison to those students whose family's monthly income is between 1 and 1.5 million tomans ( P = 0.003), and those who have an income more than 1.5 million tomans ( P < 0.001). The findings suggest that the awareness of students does not have a statistically significant relationship with marital status ( P = 0.401), employment status ( P = 0.87), status of the head of household ( P = 0.56), father's employment status ( P = 0.523), mother's employment status ( P = 0.362), father's education ( P = 0.365), mother's education ( P = 0.274), and the second would be chosen major ( P = 0.194).

The results proved that the average of students’ attitude differs according to their sexuality, such that the attitude of male students is significantly more positive than female students ( P = 0.01). The average of students’ attitude varies depending on their family's monthly income ( P < 0.001). In this regard, Scheffe's post hoc test demonstrates that the attitude level of those students whose families have a monthly income of <500 thousand tomans is significantly more negative than those students whose family's monthly income is between 1 and 1.5 million tomans ( P < 0.001) and more than 1.5 million tomans ( P < 0.001). The attitude level of those students whose families have a monthly income between 500 thousand tomans and 1 million tomans is significantly more negative than those students whose family's monthly income is between 1 and 1.5 million tomans ( P < 0.001) and more than 1.5 million tomans ( P < 0.001). The average of students’ attitude differs with respect to their father's education ( P = 0.031). In this way, Scheffe's post hoc test indicated that the attitude of those students whose fathers have diploma is more negative than those students whose fathers have B. A degrees ( P = 0.045). The findings suggest that the attitude of students does not have a statistically significant relationship with marital status ( P = 0.227), employment status ( P = 0.95), status of the head of household ( P = 0.167), father's employment status ( P = 0.941), mother's employment status ( P = 0.525), father's education ( P = 0.365), mother's education ( P = 0.448), and the second would be chosen major ( P = 0.528).

The findings revealed that the interest level of students differs based on their family's monthly income ( P < 0.001). In this regard, Scheffe's post hoc test indicates that the interest of those students whose families have a monthly income between 500 thousand tomans and 1 million tomans is significantly lower than those students whose family's monthly income is between 1 and 1.5 million tomans ( P < 0.001) and more than 1.5 million tomans ( P < 0.001). The average of interest in students also varies with respect to their mother's education ( P = 0.029). To specify the difference among various educational groups, the authors deployed Scheffe's post hoc test, and it was made clear that the interest level of those students whose mothers have only completed elementary school is less than those students whose mothers have M. A degrees ( P = 0.048).

Furthermore, the results illustrated that the awareness level of students does not have a statistically significant relationship with sexuality ( P = 0.362), marital status ( P = 0.745), employment status ( P = 0.374), status of the head of household ( P = 0.167), father's employment status ( P = 0.179), mother's employment status ( P = 0.11), father's education ( P = 0.194), and the second would-be chosen major ( P = 0.238).

The results of Table 1 propose that respectively 100 (36.6%), 62 (22.7%) and 111 (40.7%) individuals had a low, medium, and high level of awareness. 57 (40.7%), 39 (27.9%), and 44 (31.4%) students had a low, medium, and high level of awareness of medicine respectively. Moreover, 28 (35.9%), 9 (11.5%), and 41 (52.6%) individuals showed respectively a low, medium, and high level of awareness of pharmacy. Eventually, 15 (27.3%), 14 (25.5%), and 26 (47.3%) individuals had a low, medium, and high level of awareness of dentistry. Regarding students’ fields of study, this table also shows that there is no statistically significant difference between the average of students’ awareness ( P = 0.731).

Absolute and relative frequency of awareness level, and a comparison among participant's awareness average according to their field of study using one-way ANOVA test

The results of Table 2 suggest that the attitude level of 80 individuals (29.3%) was low, 101 individuals (37%) had a medium level of attitude and 92 individuals (33.7%) had a high level of attitude. Respectively, 21 (15%), 53 (37.9%), and 66 (47.1%) individuals had a low, medium, and high level of attitude toward medicine. Besides, 40 (51.3%), 24 (43.6%), and 12 (21.8%) individuals had respectively a low, medium, and high level of attitude toward dentistry. Moreover finally, 19 (34.5%), 24 (43.6%), and 12 (21.8%) individuals had a low, medium, and high level of attitude toward pharmacy. Apropos of students’ fields of study, this table also displays that there is no statistically significant difference among the average of students’ attitude ( P = 0.731). Due to the unequal number of students in different academic majors, Scheffe's post hoc test was conducted to determine the difference between the attitude levels of students based on their majors. The results of Scheffe's test showed that the awareness of medicine students is significantly more positive than pharmacy and dentistry students ( P < 0.001). Similarly, the awareness of medicine students is significantly more positive than dentistry students ( P = 0.046)

Absolute and relative frequency of the level of attitude, and the average of attitude of participants according to their field of study and using one-way ANOVA test

The results of Table 3 indicate that the level of interest of 68 (24.9%), 111 (40.7%), and 94 (34.4%) individuals was respectively low, medium, and high. Furthermore, 18 (12.9%), 55 (39.3%), and 67 (47.9%) individuals had respectively a low, medium, and high level of interest in medicine. Respectively, 34 (43.6%), 30 (38.5%), and 14 (17.9%) individuals had a low, medium, and high level of interest in pharmacy. As well, 16 (29.1%), 26 (47.3%), and 13 (23.6%) individuals had a low, medium, and high level of interest in dentistry, respectively. With regard to students’ majors, the results suggested a statistically significant difference among the average of students’ level of interest ( P < 0.001). To determine the difference among interest levels of students concerning their majors, the authors employed Scheffe's post hoc test, given the unequal number of students in the respective academic majors. The results of Scheffe's test showed that interest of medical students was significantly more than that of pharmacy and dentistry students ( P < 0.05).

The level of interest of 68 (24.9%), 111 (40.7%) and 94 (34.4%) individuals was respectively low, medium and high

Table 4 displays a statistically significant positive relationship between awareness and attitude in all study subjects ( P < 0.001), meaning that an increase in awareness leads to a consequent improvement in attitude.

Investigating the correlation between awareness and attitude of students participating in the research, using Pearson's correlation coefficient

Table 5 demonstrates that a statistically significant positive relationship exists between awareness and interest in all students participating in the current research ( P < 0.001), implying that a rise in awareness helps increase one's interest. Among medical students, there is a positive statistical relationship between awareness and interest, but statistically, it is not significant ( P = 0.075).

Investigating the correlation between awareness and interest of students participating in the research, using Pearson's correlation coefficient

Table 6 points to a statistically significant positive relationship between attitude and interest in all of study subjects ( P < 0.001), suggesting that whenever attitude becomes more positive, interest rises as well.

Investigating the correlation between attitude and interest of students participating in the research, using Pearson's correlation coefficient

Choosing a field of study from medical sciences, because of its direct relationship to human health, requires a greater amount of attention and interest. In fact, having interest in a profession is one of the preconditions of providing good quality services to clients.[ 16 ]

The present study was conducted to determine and compare the level of awareness, attitude and interest of medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry students of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch with respect to their majors on entering university in the academic year 2014–2015. The results suggest that respectively 100 (36.6%), 62 (22.7%), and 111 (40.7%) individuals had a low, medium, and high level of awareness in general. As for students’ fields of study, there was not a statistically significant difference among the average awareness of students. The results of each distinct major showed that in the majority of medical students ( n = 57; 40.7%), the level of awareness was low. However, most of students in pharmacy ( n = 41; 52.6%) and dentistry ( n = 26; 47.3%) had a high level of awareness. The results of the study by Adhamimoghadam et al ., 17] seeking to determine the level of awareness of students studying in different majors about their field of study in Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical branch, suggested that an increase in educational degrees is correlated with the level of awareness, and hence that the increase in academic degrees directly enhances the level of awareness of study subjects; thus, the highest level of awareness of the subjects could be found in Sc. D. students. Amini et al ., (2003)[ 18 ] examining the attitude of junior medical students toward their major and its future, observed that 64.7% of students had made a well-informed choice regarding their academic field of study.

The results of the present research also imply that 80 (29.3%), 101 (37%), and 92 (33.7%) participants had respectively a low, medium, and high level of attitude toward their majors. With regards to subjects’ fields of study, the results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in the average of students’ attitude, such that the level of awareness of medical students was significantly more positive than pharmacy and dentistry students, and the level of attitude of dentistry students was significantly more positive than that of pharmacy students.

In a study aiming to investigate the future career attitude of medical students of Babol University of Medical Sciences who were taking their traineeship and internship programs, Hahiian and Nasiri[ 13 ] concluded that the majority of study subjects believed that their attitude toward their major has changed a lot (38.5% much, 21% too much), and 57.5% of students asserted their attitude has been changed in a negative way.

The reason for this lack of conformity may be that although medical students choose their major with enough awareness and interest, but an increase in school years and progress in academic degrees might turn their attitude negative and decrease their interest in studying medicine. Almost more than half of all students believe that this major can bring financial success to their life. However, thanks to the upcoming mental maturity and the occurrence of social realities, this belief usually changes during the last years of students’ educational period.[ 13 ]

The results of the present study suggested that, collectively, the level of interest of 68 (24.9%), 111 (40.7%) and 94 (34.4%) individuals were respectively low, medium, and high. With regard to students’ majors, the results indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in the average of students’ interest ( P < 0.001). Thus, the level of interest of medical students is significantly more than that of pharmacy and dentistry students. Nouhi et al .,[ 19 ] conducting a research examining the effects of motivation on academic achievements of students, noted that the level of interest of students toward their current field of study was such that 56%, 34%, 9%, and 1% of students had, respectively, very much interest, much interest, normal interest and little interest in their major; meanwhile, the number of those students who had “no interest at all” in their major was zero. The results of the study conducted by Ghaderi et al . (2007),[ 7 ] investigating the effective factors on the attitude of medical students toward their field of study, proposed that 75% of students of basic sciences have accorded their interest in their major before entering university as “much” or “very much.” The results of this research concerning the interest of students in their current major showed that 81.3% of students of the basic sciences, 71.9% of physiopathology students, and 64.7% of intern students were “very much” interested in their major.

The results of the present study demonstrate that if the awareness of medical and pharmacy students increases, their attitude toward their major will also grow more positive and their interest will increase consequently. There was a statistically positive relationship between awareness and interest in dentistry students, although this relationship was not statistically significant. However, other studies imply that although medical students might have chosen their major with enough awareness and interest, increasing years of education and achieving academic degrees might turn students’ attitude negative and decrease their interest in studying medicine. The results of the study conducted by Iravani et al ., comparing the attitude of students toward the future career of basic sciences and clinical sciences, implied that the general attitude toward medicine and its future career has an inverse relationship with academic degrees.[ 20 ]

Other results of this study suggested that if possible, more than half of study subjects would have chosen medicine, 28.7% would have chosen dentistry and 16.5% would have chosen pharmacy. In this regard, Fatahi et al .,[ 1 ] determining the level of satisfaction of dentistry students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences toward their current major and its relative factors, reported that most of participants (54.3%), if possible, would have chosen this major again and would have recommended it to their acquaintances. Hajiian and Nasiri[ 13 ] also showed that approximately 63.5% of individuals believe that they would still choose medicine in university entrance examination. Nouhi et al .[ 19 ] concluded that 76% of the study subjects had the utmost interest in their current major. Whereas Iravani et al .,[ 20 ] comparing the attitude of medical students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences in both basic sciences and clinical sciences toward medicine and their future career, found out that most of participants (54.1%) were willing to choose a major other than medicine, declaring their tendency toward other majors such as dentistry, pharmacy, engineering, art, etc., Other results of this study indicated that all medical students and 72.7% of dentistry students are willing to continue their education. This might be pointing to the fact that general dentists have a better career in Iran compared with general practitioners. In terms of continuing education, most of study subjects were inclined to continue studying in specialties related to their majors; among these, medical and dentistry students wanted to pursue their education in surgical specialties. This might be due to more income and better social status that surgical specialties provide in comparison to other medical and dental specialties. Iravani et al . noted that more than half of students (51.3%) were willing after graduation to either continue their education in a particular specialty or begin their medical profession.[ 20 ] The results of the study by Hahiian and Nasiri[ 13 ] suggested that the majority of medical students believe their success to be in continuing their education (35% strongly; 50% very strongly); similarly, most of them are interested in pursuing their studies in certain specialties. Meanwhile, they think that admission in specialty entrance examination can help solve their problems (47% strongly; 29% very strongly).

Given the findings of the present study, the vital roles of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy in ensuring and promoting health of the society, the rare change made in one's field of study in these disciplines, and finally regarding the fact that even though students choose medical sciences knowingly and with interest, increasing the years of education can stimulate their attitude to be changed and their interest to weaken, the authors propose that both before entering the university and during the educational period, students be enlightened with regard to the difficulties involved in studying medical sciences, in addition to the usual attention to the desirable high social position and income accompanying such majors. At the end, it is recommended that universities provide students with appropriate opportunities to experience constructive and positive changes in their attitude to and interest in their major.

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• Open access
• Published: 06 February 2024

The effectiveness of using situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skill practice course for undergraduate nursing students: a quasi-experimental study

• Yuanhao Sun 1 ,
• Xiangdong Li 2 ,
• Haiyang Liu 3 ,
• Yuqing Li 1 ,
• Jiaofeng Gui 1 ,
• Xiaoyun Zhang 1 ,
• Xiaoping Li 4 ,
• Lin Zhang 5 ,
• Congzhi Wang 5 ,
• Jing Li 6 ,
• Mingming Liu 6 ,
• Dongmei Zhang 7 ,
• Jingyi Gao 8 ,
• Xuefeng Kang 8 ,
• Yunxiao Lei 9 &
• Ting Yuan 9  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  118 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Nurses play an important role in healthcare development. The increasing demands for nurses mean that nursing schools at the undergraduate level have the responsibility to ensure patient safety and quality care through a well-designed curriculum. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of the teaching method combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course on the level of self-directed learning, professional identity, academic self-efficacy, theoretical scores, practical scores, teaching satisfaction, and student competence among nursing students.

The research population comprised was of the grades of 2019 and 2020 at Wannan Medical College in Anhui Province, China ( n  = 169, response rate 77.88%). The observation group from grade 2020 used the teaching method combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars, whereas the control group from grade 2019 used the traditional teaching mode. General information, self-directed learning, a professional identity, and academic self-efficacy were compared between the two groups. This research used means and standard deviations, chi-square, the Shapiro–Wilk test, and an independent sample t-test for statistical analyses.

Compared with the control group, the total scores for self-directed learning, professional identity, and academic self-efficacy were higher in the observation group (78.80 ± 7.89 vs 60.21 ± 7.44, 63.39 ± 7.87 vs 52.35 ± 7.68, and 22.31 ± 3.30 vs 21.28 ± 2.31, respectively, with P  < 0.05 for all scores). More significant improvements were made in the observation group on the level of theoretical scores (81.39 ± 3.32 vs 76.28 ± 5.90) and practical scores (93.32 ± 4.70 vs 90.67 ± 5.09) ( P  < 0.05). Meanwhile, teaching satisfaction, which includes teaching method (66/18 vs 32/53) and teacher-student interaction (72/12 vs 34/51), and student competence, which includes team cooperation (67/17 vs 39/46), critical thinking (60/24 vs 31/54), and communication skills (67/17 vs 38/47) after the intervention ( P  < 0.05). There was no significant difference in social persuasion ( P  > 0.05).

The teaching method combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course has the potential to improve the level of self-directed learning, professional identity, and academic self-efficacy, and it increases theoretical scores, practical scores, teaching satisfaction, and student competence.

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Nurses play an important role in healthcare development. Nursing constitutes the largest proportion of hospital staff in most countries, so ensuring an adequate number of skilled nurses is vital for quality nursing services [ 1 ]. A good transition from nursing students to nurses may encourage professional nurses to face numerous challenges and affect the long-term retention of nurses [ 2 ]. Therefore, nursing students need to master the relevant theoretical and practical skills of the nursing discipline. Then they will be capable of handling nursing emergencies and solving nursing problems effectively [ 3 ]. When it comes to the theory and practice of clinical nursing, engaging students in the complexities of medical care is challenging. The increasing demands for nurses mean that nursing schools at the undergraduate level have the responsibility to ensure patient safety and quality care through a well-designed curriculum [ 4 ].

Situational awareness can be defined as the perception and understanding of elements of the environment in a given volume of space and time, as well as the projection of their future status [ 5 ]. Endsley defined situational awareness as “a person’s mental model of the world around them” in connection with aviation [ 6 ]. Situational awareness is a part of information processing that follows perception and influences decision-making as well as action execution [ 7 ]. In the simplest terms, situational awareness allows an individual to see the big picture of a situation while dealing with the details and issues as they arise [ 8 ]. Situational awareness has been recognized as a crucial component of medical practice in the field of healthcare, encompassing several cognitive abilities such as perception, comprehension, reasoning, and meta-cognition [ 9 ]. Situational awareness has four hierarchal levels, perception, comprehension, projection, and following the path of the best outcome for the patient [ 10 ]. With the changing learning environment, it is gradually attracting more and more interest. When situational awareness is lacking, judgment is unavoidably compromised, maybe with negative consequences [ 11 ]. Multiple studies have shown that a lack of situational awareness, including poor team communication and insufficient knowledge, can lead to safety issues and adverse events [ 10 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Situation awareness is a necessary patient safety skill. Nurses are in the best position to identify early clinical deterioration since they spend more time at the patient's bedside than members of other healthcare disciplines [ 16 ]. Inadequate situation awareness is demonstrated by failure to detect patient deterioration in the early stages. The World Health Organization identified insufficient situational awareness as the principal factor linked to subpar clinical outcomes and suggested incorporating this knowledge into undergraduate medical education [ 17 ]. At the University of Dundee, non-technical skills such as situational awareness have been considered as training to be included in the undergraduate medical students [ 18 ]. In the operating theatre and intensive care setting, situational awareness was also widely used for better treatment results [ 13 , 19 ]. Thus, it could be necessary and beneficial to include situational awareness in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course.

Using case-based learning is crucial for teaching medical students [ 20 ]. In case-based courses, medical knowledge is applied to clinical cases, allowing students to apply clinical reasoning and decision-making during various phases of the clinical case management process, including clinical examination, diagnosis, and treatment [ 21 ]. The present research focused on case-based seminars, a student-centered education based on the case. Spruijt’s research indicated that seminars help students become active participants in their learning by enabling them to take part in discussions under the direction of a lecturer [ 22 ]. This process allows the lecturer to observe and guide students through the various stages of the comprehensive nursing skills practice course by asking questions, explaining, and encouraging discussion among students. The purpose of case-based seminars is to encourage students to actively participate in class, prepare them for their role as nurses, and bridge the gap between foundational medical knowledge and clinical work. By using this method, students and teachers can maximize their academic potential, improve their understanding of research problems, and match their “teaching” with their “learning” to achieve the best teaching results [ 23 ].

Self-directed learning means the process of taking initiative in evaluating learning needs, setting learning goals, selecting and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes either with or without the assistance of others [ 24 ]. Self-directed learning is an effective method for nursing students to apply their skills in a variety of clinical settings after graduation, adapt to the rapidly changing healthcare environment, and demonstrate their professional skills [ 25 ]. It has been discovered that self-directed learning works well for nursing education. For instance, self-directed learning was found to be significantly associated with academic achievement in a study of Turkish nursing students [ 26 ]. The term “professional identity” describes one's professional self or self-concept in their work [ 27 ]. Nurses’ professional identity occurs throughout almost their entire careers, which makes education at the undergraduate level especially important. Nursing students receive a great deal of theoretical knowledge and professional skills during their educational years. These experiences help them to increase their professional self-confidence, improve their sense of professional self-efficacy, promote the desire for continuous learning, and encourage the internalization of nurse’s values [ 28 ]. A key element in the development of nursing practice and education is professional identity. It was discovered that a willingness to become a nurse was strongly correlated with having a positive professional identity [ 29 , 30 ]. The concept of academic self-efficacy refers to students' belief in their ability to achieve their educational goals [ 31 ]. Based on Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, human achievement is determined by the interaction between behavior, beliefs, and environment [ 32 ]. With high self-efficacy, students are more likely to accept challenging tasks, demonstrate greater motivation, and persist in the face of difficulties. In contrast, students with low self-efficacy tend to be underconfident in their educational abilities and struggle to complete their assignments [ 32 , 33 ]. It’s significant to note that self-efficacy affects not just performance and success but also help-seeking and motivational behaviors that promote learning [ 34 ]. It is obvious that the nursing field as a whole and nursing students in particular benefit from the development of these abilities.

To improve self-directed learning, academic self-efficacy, and professional identity in undergraduate nursing students, a comprehensive nursing skills practice course has been designed that integrates situational awareness and case-based seminars to improve competence. Previous research focused more on the effects of problem-based learning, case-based learning, or task-based learning on the competence of nursing students [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. To date, a limited amount of research has explored the effects of situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course. It is essential to choose a pedagogical strategy for nursing students to guarantee that all nursing graduates possess the skills required for both theory and practice.

Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the teaching method combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course on the level of self-directed learning, professional identity, academic self-efficacy, teaching satisfaction, and student competence among nursing students.

Materials and methods

Study participants and procedure.

This is a simple random sample research and this research used the parallel design method for nursing students from the grades of 2019 ( n  = 679) and 2020 ( n  = 568) from a medical college located in Anhui Province in China. The control group was taught from September 2021 to January 2022, while the observation group was taught from September 2022 to January 2023. Then the random number table method and simple random sampling to select four classes of students, each comprised of approximately 27 students, to fill out the questionnaire. Questionnaires will be distributed after each practice course, completed voluntarily, and returned one week later. Among them, the control group had 109 questionnaires, and the observation group had 108 questionnaires. The inclusion criteria for the participants were: (1) full-time undergraduate nursing students; (2) voluntarily participated in the research; (3) understood the investigation; and (4) completed all comprehensive nursing training courses. The exclusion criteria were: (1) uncompleted the questionnaire; and (2) filled out the questionnaire carelessly. The purpose of the survey will be explained to all students, and they could withdraw from the research at any time. It would not affect their academic scores in future studies. Students will fill out the questionnaire within a week after the course, which can effectively reduce the occurrence of information bias. Feedback questionnaires were gathered to compare student learning under different teaching approaches they experienced. Finally, after those who met the exclusion criteria were removed, 77.88% (169 out of 217) of the staff were included in the statistical analyses (Fig.  1 ). The grade of 2019 had their theoretical and practical exams in January 2022. For the grade of 2020, the exams are conducted in January 2023.

Study procedure

Ethical consideration

Approval to conduct the research was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the School of Nursing at Wannan Medical College (no.20210008.10) and was performed as prescribed by the Declaration of Helsinki.

Teaching methods

Both the observation group and control group were instructed by the same experienced lecturers with the same syllabus and cases. All the students attended a comprehensive nursing skills practice course for 160 min.

The control group

This method is regarded as a teacher-centered educational approach, with the knowledge being proactively transmitted by the lecturer and passively received by the students. The relevant clinical case, case-related problems, and courseware would be sent by the lecturer ahead of schedule to the students. These can reserve valuable in-class time because it is not easy for students to achieve the teaching objectives only with textbooks. In the class, the lecturer would provide a detailed introduction to the class within the theoretical framework based on the syllabus via PowerPoint or face-to-face communication (20 min). Secondly, with the visual information easier to absorb and engage, each student needed to watch videos that were related to the teaching content to promote their understanding of the curriculum (10 min). Thirdly, the lecturer will personally demonstrate the experimental procedure and remind the participants of the details that were easily ignored, followed by all the participants being divided into small groups (5–6 students per group) to practice the operation (100 min). Soon afterward, a representative from each group was selected to demonstrate the operation, which can detect the effect of the exercise (15 min). Finally, the lecturer summarized the class, going over the questions raised during the discussion, reviewing the main points from the lecture, and encouraging students to remember and learn (15 min). After the class, the lecturer would give the review materials and assign homework, and then the students were required to finish and hand in it within one week (Fig.  2 ).

Overview of the study design

The observation group

This method, which is combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars, is regarded as a student-centered approach that allows full play for students’ subjective initiative. Before the class, the lecturer would provide significant materials for the students’ preview, which included clinical-based case and case-related problems. All the students were divided into four groups, and each group was comprised of approximately six to seven students. Meanwhile, each group was required to complete three assignments: (1) analyzing and discussing the questions raised by the lecturer and using the knowledge to solve them by way of seminars; (2) preparing a PowerPoint presentation for the report in the class that can cover the keys to the case and the course topics; and (3) planning situated nursing activities that require students to play roles such as nurses, patients, or family members for better situational awareness, practice nursing skills, and patient-centered communication. In their free time, students were needed to discuss and make a division of labor, including searching for relevant information, designing the role play, practicing the correlated experimental operation, and consulting the literature for the particularly challenging problems. In the class, step 1, the lecturer would briefly review the last lecture, introduce the main content of this time course, and indicate the key points of knowledge in students’ learning (10 min). Step 2, a five-minute or so PowerPoint presentation will be reported by a student representative from each group to analyze the case and answer the question (20 min). Through this process, the lecturer could evaluate the mastery degree of the learning content. Step 3, each group was required to complete their role play to develop situational awareness based on the case, which included common clinical scenes (20 min). By the way, their team cooperation and clinical communication competence will also be enhanced. Step 4, the different groups will rate each other on how well the PPT was reported, how well they answered the questions correctly, and how well the actions during the role-play complied with the nursing scoring criteria and moral and ethical requirements (10 min). Also, as an assessment of situational awareness, the teacher will score the students’ ability to predict the next steps in the patient’s disease and to formulate appropriate nursing care. Students could ask questions through interactive dialogue. This learning pattern allowed them to become participatory and joyful. The class was not boring but rather full of enthusiastic engagement and expectation. For step 5, relevant operational demonstration, which was needed in the case, will be given by the lecturer to bridge the gap in knowledge between the classroom and the actual clinical practice. Next, students will practice the operation (90 min). The lecturer will be able to help them if they have problems during practice. For step 6, the lecturer would make a summary, remark, and discuss the positive aspects of this class, as well as the methods for improvement that were undertaken (10 min). Meanwhile, students were encouraged to timely review to consolidate the knowledge that can assist them in working out problems flexibly and correctly. After the class, the lecturer provided a recorded video, several relevant questions, and supplementary study materials to encourage students to review in time. Students can go over what they have learned from these, and the answers will be issued after a few days. At the same time, all of the students needed to complete a lab report based on this class (Fig.  2 ).

Assessment instruments

Demographic questionnaire.

The social-demographic research collected information on gender, living area, student leader, only-child, average age, and last semester's final scores.

Self-directed learning for nursing students

The self-rating scale was developed by Su-Fen Cheng in 2001 and was used to evaluate autonomous learning ability [ 41 ]. The scale contains 20 items, which are divided into 4 dimensions, including learning motivation for 6 items, planning and implementing for 6 items, self-monitoring for 4 items, and interpersonal communication for 4 items. Each item used a five-point Likert scale coded from 1 “strongly disagree” to 5 “strongly agree.” All the items are positively stated. The total points on the scale ranges from 20 to 100, and a higher score indicates a higher level of learning ability. The scale has good content validity and structure validity. The Cronbach’s alpha of the above four dimensions is 0.801, 0.861, 0.785, and 0.765, respectively. In this research, the Cronbach’s alpha is 0.951.

Professional identity questionnaire for nursing students

The self-rating scale was designed by Hao Yufang’s team [ 42 ]. The scale is composed of five dimensions, with 17 items in total. Six items for checking for professional self-concept (1, 6, 9, 11, 16, 17), four items for benefit of retention and risk of turnover (5, 8, 10, 14), three items for social comparison and self-reflection (7, 13, 15), two items for independence of career choice (4, 12), and two items for social persuasion (2, 3). A five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = neutral; 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree) is used, and item 12 is negatively stated. A higher total score means a higher level of professional identity. The Cronbach’s alpha value in this research was 0.916.

Academic self-efficacy scale

The academic self-efficacy scale, compiled by Hellriegel and translated into a Chinese version by Wenzhao Yu in 2001, aims to measure the students’ self-efficacy in terms of academic achievement. Using the five-rating method, the scale comprises 7 items. 1, 3, 6, and 7 items are positively stated, using a five-point scale coded from 1 “strongly agree” to 5 “strongly disagree,” and “S1” was used to represent the sum of the scores. For that, 2, 4, and 5 items are negatively stated, and responses range from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. Scores range from 5 to 1 and “S2” was used to represent the sum of the scores. Finally, the score of academic self-efficacy was expressed by the sum of S1 and S2. Higher scores designated better academic self-efficacy. The Cronbach’s alpha value in this research was 0.755.

Statistical analysis

The study used IBM SPSS version 25.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) for all statistical analyses. Means and standard deviations are used to present the distribution of continuous variables (average age, last semester's final scores). The distribution of categorical variables (gender, living area, student leader, only-child) was analyzed by chi-square. Shapiro–Wilk test was used to verify the normal distribution of the variable. The independent sample t-test was used to analyze the discrepancy between two sets of variables. P  < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all statistical analyses.

General baseline characteristics for nursing students

As shown in this research, it is based on the basic nursing student characteristics in the observation group and the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of gender, living areas, student leaders, only-child, or average age ( P  > 0.05). Additionally, the last semester’s final scores in the observation group (78.13 ± 6.82) and control group (78.28 ± 5.18) were considered to be not statistically significant ( P  > 0.05) (Table  1 ).

Self-directed learning for nursing student

Compared with the control group, the students that were in the observation group obtained higher scores in learning motivation (23.58 ± 3.47 vs 18.29 ± 2.93), planning and implementing (23.69 ± 2.69 vs 17.88 ± 2.46), self-monitoring (15.76 ± 2.03 vs 12.15 ± 1.99), interpersonal (15.76 ± 2.08 vs 11.88 ± 1.03), and the total scores (78.80 ± 7.89 vs 60.21 ± 7.44), with statistically significant differences ( P  < 0.001) (Table  2 ).

The research compared the scores in the professional identity questionnaire between the observation group and the control group. In the observation group, the scores of professional self-concept, the benefit of retention and risk of turnover, social comparison and self-reflection, independence of career choice, and total scores were 22.43 ± 3.77, 14.57 ± 2.37, 11.55 ± 1.61, 8.08 ± 1.25, and 63.39 ± 7.87, respectively. At the same time, for the control group, they were 18.05 ± 3.48, 11.75 ± 2.33, 9.56 ± 1.52, 6.58 ± 1.23, and 52.35 ± 7.68, respectively. The research showed that the score of the observation group was significantly higher than the control group ( P  < 0.001). There was no significant difference in social persuasion ( P  > 0.05) (Table  3 ).

Academic self-efficacy scales

After comparison, the scores of academic self-efficacy scales in the observation group (22.31 ± 3.30) were higher than those in the control group (21.28 ± 2.31, P  < 0.05) (Table  4 ).

Theoretical scores and practical scores for nursing students

In a comparison of the theoretical scores and the practical scores between the two groups, the observation group was 81.39 ± 3.32 and 93.32 ± 4.70, respectively, while the control group was 76.28 ± 5.90 and 90.67 ± 5.09. The aforementioned data analysis showed that the scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group ( P  < 0.01) (Table  5 ).

Recognition degree for nursing students

A comparison of the recognition degree in learning for the observation group and the control group revealed that teaching method, teacher-student interaction, team cooperation, critical thinking, and communication skills were all improved ( P  < 0.001) (Table  6 ).

This research examined the effects of the teaching method combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course. The research found that the comprehensive nursing skills practice course has promise as an educational intervention that improves self-directed learning, professional identity, academic self-efficacy, theoretical scores, practical scores, teaching satisfaction, and student competence. Zhu’s study found that the comprehensive nursing skills course can improve students’ self-confidence and satisfaction [ 43 ]. This is similar to our findings. This research provides references to combine situational awareness and case-based seminars to effectively improve the level and quality of nursing teaching efforts.

Nursing is a subject with high application and practicality. Shirazi et al. deemed that self-directed learning helps students learn more by allowing them to study alone, taking personal responsibility for their learning, and mastering the material [ 44 ]. These operations in the control group are not case-based exercises, and most students may not know which operations to use when confronted with a patient during their internships. The three assignments that were provided in the observation group increased students’ self-directed learning. They need to decide what experimental operations to conduct and how to conduct them. It is also a demonstration of problem-solving skills and clinical judgment. This process inspired students’ logical clinical thinking and learning motivation and enabled them to identify, analyze, and resolve problems through a range of activities. It promotes the internalization of knowledge, emotional perception, innovative thinking, and critical thinking, all of which are essential for clinical nursing [ 45 ]. Tekkol et al. indicated that self-directed learning enhances individual ability through better learning organization, applying new knowledge to more complex and expansive contexts, addressing problems, and active learning [ 46 ]. Shahin et al. deemed that nursing students’ self-directed learning and critical thinking could improve when they were teaching with a problem-solving approach [ 47 ]. Moving away from the teacher-centered approach to the student-centered integrated approach is a trend in current medical education [ 48 ]. Through the preparation of the clinical nursing case materials, case-based learning emphasizes teacher’ guidance to encourage students to form more effective, comprehensive clinical nursing thinking habits [ 49 ]. Lecturers will seldom have to worry about students failing to prepare for the planned lesson. Interacting with students who are truly prepared for class activities makes for a more stimulating discussion at a higher level of learning, as opposed to students remaining passive, resulting in an inattentive listener who turns up to a lecture just to sign up for it [ 50 ]. At the same time, we have integrated situational awareness into our experimental group instruction. Students will determine what they are going to do based on experience. In Chen’s research, the situational approach could increase students’ motivation to learn, improve students’ communication ability, and broaden students’ knowledge [ 51 ]. Li et al. also found that Situational simulation teaching can help to increase the teaching level and learning efficiency [ 52 ]. Markus et al. indicated that making use of situational awareness during undergraduate medical training could develop and improve teaching on efficient processing and information gathering [ 53 ]. The above studies are partly in accordance with this research. Yu et al. indicated that rising academic self-efficacy levels may improve nursing students’ independence, leading to increased attempts to overcome obstacles, accomplish goals, and eventually improve the quality of care [ 54 ]. The improvement of academic self-efficacy can help students adjust their learning attitudes, thereby continuously improving their learning confidence and gradually forming long-term learning abilities.

It is widely recognized that nursing is one of the most emotionally draining and stressful professions due to the wide gap between theory and clinical practice [ 55 ]. Professional identity is formed via self-awareness as a nurse, clinical experience, and knowledge of one’s position [ 56 ]. Meanwhile, professional identity is the psychological foundation that enables individuals to carry out their jobs effectively and achieve organizational goals [ 57 ]. As a result, for nursing students who have not been exposed to clinical practice, appropriate role-playing is necessary in the class. It consists of clinical occurrences or processes, as well as the portrayal of crucial features or behaviors. Students can approximate their feelings of duty and responsibility as medical personnel through this process. This teaching approach and strategy enable students to gain repeated practice and proper instructional instruction in a stress-free atmosphere [ 58 ]. This process has the potential to reverse stereotypes associated with nurses and the nursing profession among students, such as nurses being seen as “doctors assistants” and so on. A more positive, supportive clinical learning environment is preferred by students [ 59 ]. Students learn to cooperate and communicate with others during this study process, which also improves their critical thinking abilities, which is consistent with Lee AK’s findings [ 60 ]. Every student takes part in group critiques, which raises student and participation satisfaction in the classroom. It is worth mentioning that this research assessed the students’ general nursing skills, case analysis, clinical judgment, and ethical decision-making skills in the theoretical and practical exams. Obviously, the observation group has improved in these nursing abilities. Nursing and medical education cannot be complete without clinical practice, which prepares nursing and medical students to apply their theories in the real world [ 61 ].

Nursing students were satisfied with the application of the teaching method combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course. Situational awareness and case-based seminars are more consistent with the general goals of medical teaching.

Limitations and strengths of the study

The research has several strengths. First, this research included 169 participants from different grades, which ensured the accuracy of this research. Second, the measures of self-directed learning, academic self-efficacy, and professional identity were widely applied and validated instruments to thoroughly understand the research questions. Finally, most of the indicators in this research were easy and simple to operate, which can be used in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course, and have great theoretical and practical significance in nursing education.

Several limitations in this research should be noted. First, students need to be prepared for task division and reporting before class, which means adding to their academic burden. Second, this research was conducted at a medical college in China. Therefore, it is difficult for the findings to be generalized to students majoring in nursing in other countries. Finally, there were no longitudinal observations of the participants in this cross-sectional study. Accordingly, future research will consequently enhance these aspects.

Conclusions

To optimize nursing students’ learning and improve the quality of nursing care, the curriculum of nursing comprehensive experiments should take into account a variety of influencing factors. This research examined the use of the teaching method combined with situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skills practice course. This method not only enhanced nursing students’ self-directed learning, professional identity, and academic self-efficacy but also taught teaching satisfaction and student competence. It provides new ideas and approaches for future nursing students to learn in theory and practice.

Availability of data and materials

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy reasons.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate all participants, as well as the members of the research team for their time and contribution.

This work was supported by the Teaching Quality and Teaching Reform Project of Wannan Medical College (2022jbgs10) (2022kcszsfkc01), the Teaching Quality and Teaching Reform Project of the Anhui Provincial Department of Education (2022kcsz309), and the Anhui Provincial Department of Education College Outstanding Talent Cultivation Funding Project (gxgwfx2019032).

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Conceived and designed the research: TY. Wrote the paper: YHS. Analyzed the data: YHS and TY. Revised the paper: YHS, TY, XDL, HYL, YQL, JFG, XYZ, XPL, LS, LZ, CZW, LY, JL, MML, DMZ, YH, and YXL. The authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Sun, Y., Li, X., Liu, H. et al. The effectiveness of using situational awareness and case-based seminars in a comprehensive nursing skill practice course for undergraduate nursing students: a quasi-experimental study. BMC Med Educ 24 , 118 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05104-y

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Cyber Security Awareness Among University Students: A Case Study

• Adamu Garba universiti Teknologi Malaysia
• Maheyzah Binti Sirat Faculty of Engineering, School of Computing Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
• Siti Hajar Faculty of Engineering, School of Computing Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
• Ibrahim Bukar Dauda Azman Hashim International Business School Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

This Case Study reports the preliminary results of a quantitative survey aimed to identify students' awareness and enthusiasm to learn cybersecurity in Nigerian Universities. The objective of the survey was to see how students in this developing country are aware of cyber-attacks and how they can mitigate the attacks and to find out if cybersecurity awareness program is part of the University program. The preliminary results indicated that the students claimed to have basic cybersecurity knowledge, but are not aware of how to protect their data. It also appears that most Universities do not have an active cybersecurity awareness program to improve students' knowledge on how to protect themselves from any threats. The surveyed students also show interest in learning more about cybersecurity .

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More awareness and investment needed to support people with long COVID: SFU report 

More long COVID awareness and education is needed among doctors, nurses, care providers and the public in Canada to reduce stigma around the condition and legitimize the disability, according to a new report from Simon Fraser University.

The recommendation is one of a series identified in a report released today by the SFU-based Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS) . The report summarizes the findings of two focus groups of unpaid caregivers, professional care providers, long COVID researchers and people with long COVID (longhaulers) to understand and identify barriers to support, delivery of care and information, and determine future research priorities.    “It’s an invisible and new condition,” says Kayli Jamieson, a longhauler who co-led the focus groups as part of a larger study with Kaylee Byers, an assistant professor in SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences. “Many people don’t believe that long COVID is real or exists. And unfortunately, that permeates through the healthcare system. Even outside of the medical system, there is a broader societal awareness that is lacking.”   Long COVID is a multi-systemic condition that may begin weeks after a COVID-19 infection and can last for years, often requiring leave from employment to rest and manage symptoms. Statistics Canada found that more than 3.5 million Canadian adults (about one in nine) have experienced long COVID symptoms, with 40 per cent reporting difficulties accessing healthcare. Despite hundreds of studies into the condition, no standard cures or treatments have been approved.   “These studies legitimize what is happening and help destigmatize the impact this is having on every aspect of our society right now,” says Jamieson. “We want to be visible, but we’re increasingly being made invisible. As one unpaid caregiver in our study said, ‘I think there needs to be a cultural shift in terms of people believing that long COVID exists.’”   Jamieson caught COVID-19 in 2021 and has been dealing with long COVID symptoms ever since. She was a new master’s student at the time and went from having a lot of energy and working two jobs to being unable to work and going on medical leave.   “It’s a drastic change,” she said. “The cognitive difficulties – I wasn’t even able to understand my own previous work when I was reading it. And the fatigue is disabling. There are so many triggers, like even reading an email, or socializing. And that could just about be enough to leave you bedbound due to post-exertional malaise.”   In addition to the brain fog and exhaustion, Jamieson’s symptoms included rashes, tinnitus, chest pains, shortness of breath and tremors.   Ultimately, Jamieson says she hopes the report will help inform policy and improve the healthcare for people impacted by the condition. She also hopes that it will lead to destigmatization around long COVID and increased funding for awareness and research.     "Through conversations with patients, caregivers, clinicians, and researchers, we've come to recognize that long COVID doesn't just impact individuals, it impacts communities,” says Byers, the study’s principal investigator.   “Long COVID is challenging our healthcare systems and revealing the urgent need for stronger supports for all aspects of this illness including increased awareness, centralized sources of information, funding for long COVID-care inclusive of mental health and greater investments in patient-centred research."

WHAT LONG COVID TAUGHT ME

On Apr. 4, 2024, SFU President’s Dream Colloquium speaker series welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ed Yong who will share the lessons that he learned reporting on long COVID, how he approached it and how it changed him. The talk is a hybrid event online and in-person and begins at 7 p.m.

PHOTO EXHIBIT: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LONGHAULER

The Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS) has also launched a photo exhibit to document the day of a person with long COVID and their struggle with the condition. The goal of the project is an art exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver next fall.

SFU EXPERTS AVAILABLE

KAYLI JAMIESON , longhauler, SFU master’s student and long COVID research assistant. 
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Simon Fraser University  Communications & Marketing  |  SFU Media Experts Directory 778.782.3210

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 As Canada’s engaged university, SFU works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today’s problems. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities—Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey—SFU has eight faculties that deliver 364 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 180,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.

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Cyber Security Awareness Among University Students: A Case Study

2020, Science Proceedings Series

This Case Study reports the preliminary results of a quantitative survey aimed to identify students&#39; awareness and enthusiasm to learn cybersecurity in Nigerian Universities. The objective of the survey was to see how students in this developing country are aware of cyber-attacks and how they can mitigate the attacks and to find out if cybersecurity awareness program is part of the University program. The preliminary results indicated that the students claimed to have basic cybersecurity knowledge, but are not aware of how to protect their data. It also appears that most Universities do not have an active cybersecurity awareness program to improve students&#39; knowledge on how to protect themselves from any threats. The surveyed students also show interest in learning more about cybersecurity.

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alhaji musa abubakar21

The emergence of the internet and also the use of various online applications and the exposure to the social platforms that are evolving day by day have positioned students to online risk. Online fraud, cyber-bully, phishing are among those risks students are exposed to in their daily activities. To find a solution to that, cybersecurity awareness can prepare them to protect themself against such risk. This research aims to investigate the students’ awareness of basic knowledge of cybersecurity. A quantitative approach was used for data collection using a set of designed questionnaires, this method was used to investigate the students’ cybersecurity knowledge and observe their behavior toward using the internet, from the survey a total of 201 Computer Science students in the Department of Computer Science at Yobe State University, Nigeria participated in the study. The research has encountered moderate responses from the students as all universities are close at this period due to t...

Abdulmalik Ahmad

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Internet-based attacks have become common and are anticipated to become more commonplace as technology becomes more widely available. As a result, cybersecurity has evolved as a critical notion in everyday life. Cybersecurity awareness (CSA) is an important line of defense in the defense of people and systems. The study described in this article sought to analyze the levels of CSA among students a public university in Ghana. A questionnaire was used to assess students' cybersecurity knowledge, self-perception of cybersecurity skills, and cybersecurity attitudes. The responses revealed various misalignments, including instances of "cognitive dissonance" between variables, which exposes the students to cyber-attacks. The study revealed that majority of the students use internet on a regular basis indicating they are all in the state of experiencing cybersecurity issues of a regular basis. Majority of the students did not know about Phishing attacks and identity theft while in instances of password security, knowledge about malware and cyberbullying they were mostly well informed.

Research Trend

Mahdi Alhaji Musa

The emergence of the internet and also the use of various online applications and the exposure to the social platforms that are evolving day by day have positioned students to online risk. Online fraud, cyber-bully, phishing are among those risks students are exposed to in their daily activities. To find a solution to that, cybersecurity awareness can prepare them to protect themself against such risk. This research aims to investigate the students' awareness of basic knowledge of cybersecurity. A quantitative approach was used for data collection using a set of designed questionnaires, this method was used to investigate the students' cybersecurity knowledge and observe their behavior toward using the internet, from the survey a total of 201 Computer Science students in the Department of Computer Science at Yobe State University, Nigeria participated in the study. The research has encountered moderate responses from the students as all universities are close at this period due to the COVID 19 pandemic, only students living in urban were able to reach out in the study. The result obtained from the experiment were analyzed and it shows the University students' cybersecurity awareness is at a satisfactory level and more than average of the students are not well aware of how to protect their data. The research contribution is, there is no active cybersecurity awareness program in place, and also females' students are more likely to be the victim of cyber-attack. Besides that, the survey alsoindicated a high enthusiasm for students to learn more about cybersecurity.

The African Journal of Information and Communication

Rajesh Chandarman

Fariza Khalid

The emergence of various online applications and abundance of exposure to the use of social media nowadays had put users in higher potential to online related risks. Racial abuse, cyber-bullying, online fraud, addiction towards gaming and gambling and pornography are among the risks that online users may be exposed to in their daily life. To protect oneself from these risks, it has to come from self-awareness. This research aims to investigate university students' awareness of cybersecurity. Research data was collected usi ng a set of questionnaire to 142 second-year students in the faculty of education in one of the universities in Malaysia. Descriptive data analysis was done using an SPSS software. The result of this study showed that even though these university students demonstrated a hi gh level of awareness on certain elements in cyber security such as cyber bully, personal information, and internet banking, there are still lacking appropriate knowledge on the aspect of cyber-sex and self-protection. This paper also discusses the role of all level of community in educating children and young adults in this matter.

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

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elisda septiyani

Golden ages phase is an important period of growth and development of the children. This period is a very good time to cultivate the values of the character of goodness which will hopefully be able to shape his personality. One of them is about living clean and healthy. Leghezo is health education games for children. Leghezo was present because of the limited health education media at the time of the widespread use of gadgets by children. Leghezo is a product development of the Research and Development study level 3. The stages of the research include data collection, planning, product development, validation, and product trials. The feasibility of the product is based on the results of the assessment of media experts, material experts, and Elementary School (SD) students as test subjects. Data collection techniques using observation and questionnaires. Data analysis with qualitative descriptive. The results of the study, the assessment of media experts score 4.36 (feasible category...

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A professor worried no one would read an algae study. So she had it put to music

Dead fish washed ashore in a red tide in 2018 in Sanibel, Fla. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

Dead fish washed ashore in a red tide in 2018 in Sanibel, Fla.

An anthropology professor at the University of South Florida recently published a paper she knew barely anyone would read. At least, not outside her field.

The paper, co-authored with three other professors, had to do with the impact of algae blooms and depletion of coral reefs on the region's tourism industry. The work was glum, says Heather O'Leary . It involved tracking visitors' reactions to the environment on social media.

"Part of the data for months was just reading tweets: dead fish, dead fish, dead fish," she recalls. "We were really thinking every day about the Gulf of Mexico and the waters that surround us, especially in St. Pete as a peninsula, about those risks, and the risks to our coastal economy."

The Picture Show

Changing the climate of protest with aerial art.

But attending concerts at USF's School of Music inspired and gladdened her. So she reached out to its director of bands, Matthew McCutchen .

"I'm studying climate change and what's going down at the coral reefs," he remembers her saying. "And I've got all this data and I'd like to know if there's any way that we can turn it into music."

Indeed there was. Composition professor Paul Reller worked with students to map pitch, rhythm and duration to the data. It came alive, O'Leary says, in ways it simply does not on a spreadsheet.

Matthew McCutchen, Heather O'Leary and Hunter Pomeroy at the University of South Florida Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble show at USF Concert Hall. Aiden Michael McKahan/University of South Florida hide caption

Matthew McCutchen, Heather O'Leary and Hunter Pomeroy at the University of South Florida Symphonic Band & Wind Ensemble show at USF Concert Hall.

"My students were really excited to start thinking about how the other students, the music students, heard patterns that we did not see in some of the repetitions," she says. With music, she added, "you can start to sense with different parts of your mind and your body that there are patterns happening and that they're important."

In this case, she says, the patterns revealed the economic impact of pollution on coastal Florida communities. The complex challenge is a symptom of other, bigger problems. "The world is going to see more and more of these purportedly 'wicked problems,' the ones that take multiple people with different types of training and background to solve," O'Leary says.

Joe's Big Idea

Climate scientist tries arts to stir hearts regarding earth's fate.

The University of South Florida is excited about this composition . Other departments are getting involved, including communications, education and library science. Now, a group of faculty and students are working to bring together music and the environment in related projects, such as an augmented reality experience based on this composition. The group, which calls itself CRESCENDO (Communicating Research Expansively through Sonification and Community-Engaged Neuroaesthetic Data-literacy Opportunities) wants to spread awareness about the algae blooms, data literacy and democratizing science.

Edited for radio and the web by Rose Friedman. Produced for the web by Beth Novey. Produced for the radio by Isabella Gomez Sarmiento.

• science and music
• University of South Florida
• algae bloom

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Conference Paper

Security awareness in action: a case study [extended abstract].

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Published: August 11, 2019

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awareness training & education , usability

Biomedical Research Awareness Day (BRAD) 2024

Bradley ferguson encourages you to stop by the info table and come to a lunch-and-learn session april 18 to celebrate #bradglobal.

Biomedical Research Awareness Day (BRAD) is an opportunity to raise public awareness regarding the roles of animals in biomedical research and the resulting medical advancements that benefit humans and animals.

It is important to know that researchers cannot simply perform animal experiments without oversight. This is where the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) comes into play. The IACUC is responsible for the oversight of animal care and use, and at the University of Nevada, Reno, this includes all live vertebrate animals used in research and teaching campus wide.

The IACUC consists of at least five members that includes one veterinarian with training in laboratory animal science and medicine, one practicing scientist with animal research experience, one non-scientist member, and one member not affiliated with the institution other than serving on the IACUC. At the University, we go beyond the minimum to include more than one non-affiliated, non-scientific community members, animal research scientists across colleges and departments, and two trained veterinarians.

The IACUC reviews all proposals that will use live vertebrate animals at the University before the activity is started, reviews any requested changes to these protocols, and ensures that these protocols maintain humane care and use of animals. The IACUC also investigates any reported concerns or complaints regarding the use of animals.

The University is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), strengthening our commitment to excellence in research integrity and lab animal welfare.

During Biomedical Research and Awareness Day – a worldwide #BRADglobal initiative – you can learn more about the IACUC and the use of animals in biomedical research. Stop by our interactive booth in the Breezeway of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center on Thursday, April 18, anytime between 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. At 1 p.m. in the Rotunda, join presenter Matthew Lewon , assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and principal investigator for the University’s Animal Behavior Laboratory, for a lunch-and-learn discussion where you will explore careers available in biomedical research.

We hope you can participate in #BRAD2024 and find time to help us honor, raise awareness of and pledge support for the animals needed to find treatments and cures for both humans and animals.

Learn more about BRAD , an event created by Americans for Medical Progress.

About the author

Bradley Ferguson is an associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Nutrition. He is currently serving as chair for the University of Nevada, Reno’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. In his lab, Brad works with his team to create an exciting and productive environment geared to translate basic discoveries into potential therapies for cardio-metabolic disease. His lab uses an integrative, translational research approach that encompasses bioinformatics, in vitro cell culture, and in vivo animal models.

By: Bradley Ferguson

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Speaker of the Nevada Assembly Steve Yeager appointed President Sandoval and Former Governor Bob Miller for 3-year terms

Students versus staff in the fight against food waste

A Pack Place battle for sustainability with WasteNot 2.0

Foundation Outstanding Letter of Appointment Instructional Faculty Award and Exceptional Letter of Appointment Instructional Faculty College/School Awards for fall 2023

Awardees are recognized for their exemplary service to students and individual achievements

FAA grants civil UAS operations waiver for University operated Nevada Autonomous Test Site

1,000 square-mile test site area in Northern Nevada, first in a series of sites planned for drone research, development, testing

Kendra Isable represented the University at the Western Association of Graduate Schools annual conference

Grads of the Pack: Tommy Kaps

Engineering’s CREATE program sets student up for success in wastewater research