Effects of Faculty Interaction and Feedback on Gains in Student Skills*

Abstract

Previous research has identified several variables that affect students' course satisfaction and gains in learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insights about the relationships between faculty‐student interaction and students' perceptions of selected skills and attitudes. This study specifically examined the relationships between engineering faculty teaching practices, classroom climate, and students' perceptions of their gains in communication skills, problem‐solving skills, occupational awareness, and engineering competence in a curriculum emphasizing engineering design activities. Data were gathered from more than 1,500 students taking the first‐year design course offered at 19 campuses of the Penn State system over a period of two years. The results suggest that faculty interacting with and providing constructive feedback to students were significantly and positively related to students' self‐reported gains in several design and professional skills. These relationships remained after controlling for student demographic characteristics and campus location. Recommendations regarding specific teaching practices are provided.

The Mediating Role of Perception in the Relationship between Expectation and Satisfaction in Terms of Sustainability in Tourism Education

“…Students' being evaluated as an individual by the instructor and other staff in an educational institution, their being valued, and the perceptions associated with this, play an important role in their expectations [20] and these kinds of factors, as well as academic education, may affect students' school expectations [21]. Furthermore, preparing the course content according to the current issues and sartorial requirements leads to the fulfillment of student expectations, and this situation also contributes to the increase in satisfaction of the educational experiences [22]. In the higher education institutions offering tourism education, the fact that vocational courses are taught practically by the experts in the field as elective courses according to the students' interests and include the latest samples of technology used in the sector may contribute to the formation of student satisfaction by playing a significant role in fulfilling the expectations that have emerged [23].…”

Investigating the Influence of Interaction on Learning Persistence in Online Settings: Moderation or Mediation of Academic Emotions?

“…Transactional distance theory, developed from the work of Moore [4], is an applicable theoretical foundation to explain the antecedents and driving mechanism of learning outcomes, because students' interaction has been proven to be a crucial predictor of learning persistence and academic achievement [5]. In addition, students' interactions have a close relationship with emotional and social engagement [6] and sense of community [7], which is of great significance in effectively promoting the learning persistence [8]. According to the types of the interaction in online learning environments, the most eye-catching interaction is classified into three types, namely student-student (SS) interaction, student-instructor (SI) interaction, and student-content (SC) interaction [9][10][11].…”

The effect of feedback on modeling in an authentic process development project

“…from studies of first-year engineering students [10], [11] show that feedback is positively related to learning gains. These results are consistent with studies in other disciplines [12].…”