STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA.

Thomas L. Rost; Eva Polonyova; Marcel Hornak; Ivan Zelko; Alexander Lux

doi:10.20876/ijobed.25705

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA.

Abstract

The traditional value of higher education to train students to be productive and informed citizens who appreciate the arts and who are critical thinkers is now being challenged. The popular media in particular is weighing the cost of higher education against the employability of graduates and asking if it is worth it. In this study we examined the expectations of students in biology at Comenius University. We also examined faculty members to see if they understood the expectations of their students. Questionnaires were administered to BSc and first year MSc students and a sample of faculty members in the program. There were differences between student and faculty member responses. Among them were that 2nd year students and beyond selected ‘learn things that interest me’ as a reason to attend the university, whereas biology faculty selected ‘get a good job’ and ‘prepare for a professional career’ as most important. Another difference was that ‘raising a family’ was the student’s most voted option regarding their futures, while faculty members considered ‘becoming an authority in my area’ as what they thought was most important for students. Students and faculty members, on the other hand, did agree on some of the questionnaire points, for example, both students and faculty indicated that ‘laboratory and field instruction’ are the most important teaching method. Both students and faculty considered ‘soft skills’ as important and both stated that the current curriculum included some of that training, and they both agreed that the most important role for a university teacher was to ‘motivate students to learn’. The long-term goal of the study was to help faculty members better understand student expectations and then to apply any learned insights to updating the curriculum to better meet them.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

-

Authors

Thomas L. Rost This is me

Eva Polonyova This is me

Marcel Hornak This is me

Ivan Zelko This is me

Alexander Lux This is me

Publication Date

December 30, 2015

Submission Date

December 30, 2015

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2015 Volume: 4 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.20876/ijobed.25705

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA33DW39RK

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Rost, T. L., Polonyova, E., Hornak, M., Zelko, I., & Lux, A. (2015). STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA. International Journal Of Biology Education, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.20876/ijobed.25705

AMA

1.Rost TL, Polonyova E, Hornak M, Zelko I, Lux A. STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA. International Journal Of Biology Education. 2015;4(2). doi:10.20876/ijobed.25705

Chicago

Rost, Thomas L., Eva Polonyova, Marcel Hornak, Ivan Zelko, and Alexander Lux. 2015. “STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA”. International Journal Of Biology Education 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.20876/ijobed.25705.

EndNote

Rost TL, Polonyova E, Hornak M, Zelko I, Lux A (December 1, 2015) STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA. International Journal Of Biology Education 4 2

IEEE

[1]T. L. Rost, E. Polonyova, M. Hornak, I. Zelko, and A. Lux, “STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA”., International Journal Of Biology Education, vol. 4, no. 2, Dec. 2015, doi: 10.20876/ijobed.25705.

ISNAD

Rost, Thomas L. - Polonyova, Eva - Hornak, Marcel - Zelko, Ivan - Lux, Alexander. “STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA”. International Journal Of Biology Education 4/2 (December 1, 2015). https://doi.org/10.20876/ijobed.25705.

JAMA

1.Rost TL, Polonyova E, Hornak M, Zelko I, Lux A. STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA. International Journal Of Biology Education. 2015;4. doi:10.20876/ijobed.25705.

MLA

Rost, Thomas L., et al. “STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA”. International Journal Of Biology Education, vol. 4, no. 2, Dec. 2015, doi:10.20876/ijobed.25705.

Vancouver

1.Thomas L. Rost, Eva Polonyova, Marcel Hornak, Ivan Zelko, Alexander Lux. STUDENT EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY, BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA. International Journal Of Biology Education. 2015 Dec. 1;4(2). doi:10.20876/ijobed.25705