Browsing by Author "Vahed, Anisa"

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Creating affinity spaces through Instagram to enhance students’ virtual learning exchanges in a Green Dentistry Project
(Society for Research and Knowledge Management, 2022-12-30) Vahed, Anisa; de Souza, Fábio Barbosa
Infusing Instagram® into higher education teaching, learning and assessment practices proliferates the literature as an ally for students to have meaningful learning experiences. There is limited evidence, however, of its use in transforming dental education practices, specifically collaborative online learning of eco-dentistry practices. The purpose of this paper is to assess the Dental Technology (n=23) and Dentistry (n=10) students’ opinions about and reflections on their experiences of using Instagram® in a Green Dentistry Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Virtual Exchange Project (VEP). An interpretive research paradigm and a descriptive case study research design within a qualitative framework were used. Students’ open-ended responses to the challenges and benefits of using Instagram® and their reflective reports of their COIL VEP experiences were thematically analyzed. Three main themes emerged namely, familiarity with using Instagram®; educational benefits of using Instagram®; and lack of supportive infrastructure. Using Instagram® to create affinity spaces for students to experience meaningful learning in a COIL VEP can intensify their focus, amplify their attention, and exemplify the application of theoretical concepts to professional-based practice. These findings suggest that Instagram® used in COIL VEPs requires a rethink of the curriculum and delivery, particularly supporting the principles of preserving the confidentiality and privacy of patients online. There is limited evidence of globally distributed teams learning about eco-friendly dentistry through a COIL VEP. This nuanced internationalizing at home, pedagogical and assessment approach enables students to co-create and share disciplinary knowledge while improving their interpersonal and intercultural skills.
Message for the Special Issue : undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry
(Durban University of Technology, 2022) Vahed, Anisa; Walkington, Helen; Shanahan, Jenny; Moyo, Sibusiso
Academic and professional practice development is taking an ever-more dominant role in higher education and is evolving through undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry (URSCI) in the undergraduate curriculum, particularly in courses involving interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary modules/subjects. Such courses are critical to engaging students in more meaningful and deeper learning experiences and enabling them to experience real-world issues, all while developing various disciplinary and professional skills as part of both a specific content area and more general competencies. By developing and enhancing URSCI skills, graduates from higher education institutions gain the agility to adapt to changes in the world. Inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches are required to tackle global challenges such as climate change, food security, and public health. Such engagements and experiences are particularly important as employers increasingly expect graduates to have higher-order literacies and communication skills in addition to their discipline-specific knowledge. This special issue, therefore, presents original work and nuanced ways that faculties around the world actively engage students in URSCI.
A preliminary inquiry on the association between pre-admission assessments and academic performance of first year dental technology students’ within a South African university of technology
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2021) Vahed, Anisa; Naidoo, Subhadranalene; Singh, Deepak
The use of selection, diagnostic, proficiency, placement, admission, manual dexterity and aptitude tests can reportedly predict students’ academic success. Predictive admission procedures help to reduce dropout rates, improve academic performance, increase success rates, and selectively exclude applicants who are unlikely to be successful in the course. There is an absence of research, however, in this area of work in Dental Technology. To examine the association between pre-admission assessments and Dental Technology students’ academic performance in a South African University of Technology. A quantitative and cross-sectional study design was used. The target populations were the 2018 and 2019 first-year Dental Technology students. Retrospective data extracted from academic records and programme files were statistically analysed to measure the correlations against students’academic performance. Despite there being no significant differences between pre-admission tests and students’ academic performance, there were significant positive correlations between first year university subjects. There are indications of horizontal coherence between the discipline-specific subjects in the first-year Dental Technology curriculum. Examining the association between pre-admission tests and students’ academic results through to graduation, together with the horizontal and vertical alignments of all subjects in the undergraduate Dental Technology curriculum, can facilitate the learning pathways for students to succeed academically at universities.