Abstract This integrative review examines 44 published articles (empirical, descriptive, and pedagogical frameworks) on the topic of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education from 2007 to 2018. Despite the emergence of STEAM as a popular pedagogical approach for enhancing students’ creativity, problem-solving skills, and interest in STEM fields, the definitions and purposes of STEAM education remain ubiquitous. Therefore, the review examined descriptions of the overall purpose of STEAM education, definitions of the STEAM acronym and the ‘A’ in STEAM, creativity as a learning outcome, elements of arts education, and arts education learning outcomes. The review found a myriad of definitions of the STEAM concept in general, a variety of interpretations for the “A” in STEAM, and an overall lack of reported learning outcomes in the areas of creativity, problem-solving, and arts education. The articles also differentiate in methods for merging STEAM disciplines, described in one of five ways: transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, multi-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and arts-integration. Recommendations are provided to advance both research and practice in STEAM education.
ABSTRACT The current study proposes a comprehensive structural model to determine whether online learning perceptions and online learning readiness affect students’ online learning performance and course satisfaction. A questionnaire was voluntarily completed by 356 undergraduate students enrolled in a cross-campus, general education, asynchronous online course in Taiwan. The structural equation modeling analyses indicated that students’ computer/Internet self-efficacy and motivation for learning exerted a direct, positive effect on their online discussion score and course satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that students’ computer/Internet self-efficacy for online learning readiness had a mediated effect not only on online learning perceptions and online discussion score but also on online learning perceptions and course satisfaction. The findings of this research are helpful for both academics and practitioners of online learning to design online courses that particularly emphasize computer/Internet self-efficacy.
Through my work as an artist, educator, and activist, I aim to promote the interconnectedness of arts, management, creativity, curating, research, and technology by developing courses for art academies, art students, and interdisciplinary students at universities. I believe that future university and art academy education will increasingly integrate interdisciplinarity, combining fields such as management, creativity, technology (including artificial intelligence), curating, and other disciplines. This approach aligns with the interdisciplinary nature of professional life after graduation, whether one pursues a career as an artist or as a director of an institution. I reference both the art academy and university environments due to my experience as a lecturer in both settings. The article explores the relationship between authentic leadership and creativity within the context of university pedagogy, utilizing a reflexive research method based on a case study of creativity education. This case study focuses solely on the university environment, specifically on teaching creativity to interdisciplinary groups of students. My experience as a lecturer contains teaching artists, performers, and interdisciplinary students at both the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts levels. Data includes my notes as a facilitator-lecturer, as well as the creative output and feedback from the interdisciplinary student groups. This data is analyzed using qualitative methods. The case study, derived from a Digital Creativity course, is examined speculatively to assess how the skills acquired may impact students post-graduation. As I was not in contact with students after the course ended, observations are limited to the processes observed during the course itself. The research question addressed is: how can digital learning of authentic leadership and creativity be facilitated within university pedagogy to create a safe and empathetic learning environment for students? Leadership is discussed from the perspective of authentic leadership and its relationship to creativity. Digital literacy is framed as critical thinking and responsibility in the context of collaboration with non-human entities, such as artificial intelligence. This study is relevant for university and art academy professionals working in cross-disciplinary contexts related to authentic leadership and creativity.
Ghazal Roostaei, Milad Nasrollahzadeh, Mahshid Mahdiani
et al.
ABSTRACT Foreign body aspiration in tracheostomized patients is preventable. This novel case highlights the aspiration of a spectacle handle during stoma care—an unreported hazard from repurposing nonmedical tools. Proactive education on sterile techniques and avoiding household items is critical. Flexible bronchoscopy proved effective despite altered anatomy postlaryngectomy.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly used for educational support, yet their response quality varies depending on the language of interaction. This paper presents an automated multilingual pipeline for generating, solving, and evaluating math problems aligned with the German K-10 curriculum. We generated 628 math exercises and translated them into English, German, and Arabic. Three commercial LLMs (GPT-4o-mini, Gemini 2.5 Flash, and Qwen-plus) were prompted to produce step-by-step solutions in each language. A held-out panel of LLM judges, including Claude 3.5 Haiku, evaluated solution quality using a comparative framework. Results show a consistent gap, with English solutions consistently rated highest, and Arabic often ranked lower. These findings highlight persistent linguistic bias and the need for more equitable multilingual AI systems in education.
We report on a profession-oriented course we offered at the University of Vienna, aimed at physics education teacher students. The course on Theoretical Classical Mechanics has been conceived and designed from its outset with the explicit goal of bridging the gap between the abstract, mathematical notions employed in Theoretical Physics with the concrete future needs of prospective teachers in their profession. We aimed at countering both the negative attitudes of students towards Theoretical Physics and the interrelated skepticism of professors regarding the students mathematical proficiency. Our main findings are that these goals can indeed be achieved through a careful selection of course material and the associated mathematical tools, by closely interwoven lecture topics and exercises, and thorough planning according to principles for high-school teaching known from science education research. Establishing close connections between the material taught in the course and the students future occupation as high-school teachers has proven to be of utmost importance. This is possible without any sacrifice of mathematical rigor or of the quality of Physics presented.
The growing ubiquity of artificial intelligence (AI), in particular large language models (LLMs), has profoundly altered the way in which learners gain knowledge and interact with learning material, with many claiming that AI positively influences their learning achievements. Despite this advancement, current AI tutoring systems face limitations associated with their reactive nature, often providing direct answers without encouraging deep reflection or incorporating structured pedagogical tools and strategies. This limitation is most apparent in the field of mathematics, in which AI tutoring systems remain underdeveloped. This research addresses the question: How can AI tutoring systems move beyond providing reactive assistance to enable structured, individualized, and tool-assisted learning experiences? We introduce a novel multi-agent AI tutoring platform that combines adaptive and personalized feedback, structured course generation, and textbook knowledge retrieval to enable modular, tool-assisted learning processes. This system allows students to learn new topics while identifying and targeting their weaknesses, revise for exams effectively, and practice on an unlimited number of personalized exercises. This article contributes to the field of artificial intelligence in education by introducing a novel platform that brings together pedagogical agents and AI-driven components, augmenting the field with modular and effective systems for teaching mathematics.
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the healing of drying cracks in air-dried bentonite-sand blocks after hydration and swelling in groundwater, providing justifications to simplify the protection of blocks prior to installation in a high-level radioactive waste repository. Synthetic groundwater was prepared to represent the geochemistry of Beishan groundwater, and was used to hydrate the blocks during the swelling pressure and swelling strain measurements, as Beishan is the most promising site for China's repository. Healing of the surface cracks was recorded by photography, and healing of the internal cracks was visualized by CT images and hydraulic conductivity of air-dried blocks. The results indicate that the maximum swelling pressure and swelling strain are primarily affected by the geochemistry of Beishan groundwater, but not affected by the drying cracks. The maximum swelling pressure and swelling strain of air-dried blocks are comparable to or even higher than the pressure and strain of fresh blocks. The maximum swelling pressure measured in strong (i.e. high ion strength) Beishan groundwater was 44% of the pressure measured in deionized (DI) water, and the maximum swelling strain was reduced to 23% of the strain measured in DI water. Nevertheless, the remained swelling of the blocks hydrated in strong Beishan groundwater was sufficient to heal the surface and internal drying cracks, as demonstrated by the pictures of surface cracks and CT images. The hydraulic conductivity of the air-dried block permeated with strong groundwater was comparable (3.7× higher) to the hydraulic conductivity of the fresh block, indicating the self-healing of drying cracks after hydration and swelling in groundwater. A simplified method of protecting the block with plastic wraps before installation is recommended, since the remained swelling of the block hydrated in Beishan groundwater is sufficient to heal the drying cracks.
Engineering geology. Rock mechanics. Soil mechanics. Underground construction
Suparmi Suparmi, Harka Prasetya, Harka Prasetya
et al.
IntroductionNight blindness is the first sign of vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which can lead to blindness if left untreated. University students may be at risk of VAD-related night blindness due to unhealthy eating attitudes and inadequate vitamin A intake. This study aimed to determine the relationship between knowledge and attitudes toward vitamin A consumption affecting night blindness in university students.MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 409 third-year university students of Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, Indonesia. Participants completed questionnaires about socio-demographics, their knowledge of vitamin A, and attitudes toward vitamin A consumption. Night blindness symptoms among university students were assessed using the Low Luminance Questionnaire (LLQ), followed by a bivariate analysis of the Chi-Square test. Multivariate binary logistic regressions were used to determine whether the independent variables were associated with night blindness. A p-value less than 0.05 indicated significance.ResultsThe prevalence of high-symptom night blindness was higher among males (26.4%) than females (5.7%). Out of 409 university students, 48 from the non-medicine cluster of the study program had a night blindness symptom. The prevalence was lower in students who studied in the medicine cluster program. The level of knowledge on vitamin A had a significant relationship with symptoms of night blindness [prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.239 (95% CI = 1.110–4.516)]. The attitudes toward vitamin A consumption were significantly associated with night blindness (PR = 2.560, 95% CI = 1.215–5.392).DiscussionThe results of this study show that the risk of night blindness in university students can be prevented by increasing their knowledge and attitudes toward consuming vitamin A-rich food. The university can provide health promotion and vitamin A supplementation to avoid night blindness among academia.
Abstract With the rapid development of information technology, new educational models using virtual reality technology have received widespread attention from relevant researchers. In the field of vocational education, vocational colleges and training institutions can effectively mobilize students' learning initiative and improve their learning efficiency by using virtual reality technology. This study details the development process and system evaluation of a bespoke virtual reality system that offers a solution to the issues of uncertainty regarding hazards, high teaching expenses, and spatial constraints inherent in the practical training of elevator maintenance. By establishing a virtual environment that is highly reproducible and designing abundant interaction methods, this system facilitates students in attaining mastery over the structural make‐up of elevators, the principles of their operation, and the techniques involved in calibrating elevator governors. The system underwent testing by multiple users, and the satisfaction level of the system was ascertained through a questionnaire study, while the effectiveness of the system was evaluated using independent samples t test for data statistics concerning students' performance. The results of the study indicate that the system gained widespread praise among users, and it notably enhanced the students' learning drive, practical abilities, and on‐site adaptability.
Hasanuddin Chaer, Zulkarnaen Zulkarnaen, Mari'i Mari'i
et al.
This article aims to interpret two aspects of the Kitab Sawi: its grammatical structure and psychological meaning, uncovering both linguistic and psychological dimensions within this Sufi literary text. The subject of this study is the Sufi manuscript Kitab Sawi. To achieve this goal, the article adopts Schleiermacher's hermeneutic theory with a descriptive-analytical approach. The research follows four stages: data collection, data processing, interpretation, and drawing conclusions. The study reveals that the Kitab Sawi manuscript focuses on two main aspects: grammatical structure and psychological meaning. Key insights from the Kitab Sawi, which serves as the primary source for this article, include the following: a) Source of Ethical-Religious Literary Knowledge: The Kitab Sawi manuscript contains strong elements of Sufi literature, aimed at conveying moral and ethical values rooted in religious teachings. b) The Importance of Cultural Heritage: Kitab Sawi is not only valuable as a literary work but also as a representation of past intellectual and spiritual wealth. This manuscript plays a vital role in preserving and communicating cultural and spiritual teachings across generations. c) Psychological and Structural Significance: The analysis demonstrates that Kitab Sawi features a profound and intricate grammatical structure, characteristic of Sufi thought, which frequently employs symbolic and metaphorical language. This structure adds a psychological depth, allowing readers to undergo spiritual transformation through contemplation and engagement with the text. In conclusion, this article offers valuable contributions to the understanding of Sufi literature and Sasak cultural heritage.
Massimiliano Ciribè, Erika Cirillo, Martina Mammone
et al.
Fixed appliance (FA) therapy predisposes patients to white spot lesions (WSLs). The F-ACP complex (amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles enriched with carbonate and fluorine and coated with citrate) has been effective for in vitro enamel remineralization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the F-ACP complex in remineralizing WSLs after FA therapy. One hundred and six adolescents (aged 12–20 years) were randomized into study and control groups after FA therapy. Patients in the study group were advised to use dental mousse containing F-ACP applied within Essix retainers for six months. The presence of WSLs was recorded at baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2) according to the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS). Visual Plaque Index (VPI) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI) were recorded. Among 106 study participants, 91 (52 and 39 in study and control groups, respectively) completed the study. The results showed that the ICDAS score was significantly lower (<i>p</i> < 0.001) in the study group than in the control group between T0 and T2. The application of mousse containing the F-ACP complex inside Essix retainers for six months is effective in remineralizing white spot lesions in patients after FA therapy without side effects.
Astronomy education and outreach are very important when it comes to the future generation's interest in science. The Czech Astronomy Olympiad shows how an educational competition for secondary and high schools can help us drive innovation and promote inclusion and diversity. In this work, we introduce the scope of this competition and show statistics on participation. We also discuss some of the steps taken to make astronomy accessible to a wider audience, such as organising international workshops. In addition, we explore some of the approaches which were adopted to broaden the Olympiad's reach and impact. These include, e.g., developing a dedicated website environment or publishing Open Access booklets with solved problems.