• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.258-268
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• 2021

Online learning systems are becoming an effective educational medium for many universities. The accessibility of online learning system in universities means that every student, including the visually impaired, is able use all the site's services. This research focuses on investigating the accessibility of online learning systems for visually impaired users. The paper purpose is to understand the perception of visually impaired undergraduate students towards Blackboard's accessibility and to make recommendations for a new Blackboard design with accessible features that support their needs. Impact of a new Blackboard design with accessible features on visually impaired students, using Taif University students as a case study is evaluated in this paper, as it is similar to most learning systems used by Saudi universities. A study on Taif University's utilization of Blackboard was conducted using mixed method approaches (an automatic tool and a user study). In the first phase, Taif's use of Blackboard was evaluated by the web accessibility tool called AChecker. In the second phase, we conducted a user study to verify previously discovered accessibility challenges to fully assess them according to the accessibility and usability guidelines. In this study, the accessibility of Taif University's Blackboard was evaluated by thirteen visually impaired undergraduate students. The results of the study show that Blackboard has accessibility issues, which are confusing navigation, incompatibility with assistive technologies, untitled pages or parts, unclear identification for visual elements, and inaccessible PDF files. This paper also introduces a set of recommendations that aim to improve the accessibility of Blackboard and other educational websites developed for this population. It also highlights the serious need for universities to enhance web accessibility for online learning systems for students with disabilities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.103-110
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to prepare the baseline data for vocational key competence of radiologists by analyzing the communication skills, problem-solving skills, self-development capability, interpersonal skills, and vocational ethics, which are required by NCS job descriptions for radiologists, of college students majoring in radiology. This study surveyed 79 sophomore and junior college students majoring in radiology at S University from Nov 19 to Nov 30, 2018, using questionnaires and analyzed the levels of vocational key competencies. The analysis results of vocational key competences levels showed that the level of interpersonal skills was the highest (71.2 points for juniors and 74.9 points for seniors). The levels of problem-solving skills and self-development capability were low. Conflict management capability, which is a sub-domain of interpersonal skills, was 77.5 and 80.5 points for juniors and seniors, respectively, which were the highest, while leadership ability was the lowest. When the sub-domains of self-development capability were analyzed, self-recognition capability was the highest (70.0 points for juniors and 74.8 points for seniors) and the career development capability was the lowest. Colleges are required to develop a customized regular curriculum that is well-linked to the clinic in order to improve the vocational key competencies required by the NCS job description to prepare for the blind hiring process. Colleges also put efforts to educate radiologists who can actively cope with rapidly changing medical environment by running various non-regular programs.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.1834-1839
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• 2019

Background: Lumbar lordosis is a result of muscle shortening and may cause low back pain. Objective: To examine the effects of static and dynamic stretching on lumbar lordosis and low back pain in university students. Stretching is an intervention that can be applied to shortened muscles; however, very few studies have compared the effects of static and dynamic stretching on lumbar lordosis and low back pain. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial (single-blind) Methods: The 12 selected subjects were randomly assigned static stretching and dynamic stretching groups each containing six students. The subjects in each group performed their respective stretching programs for 17 minutes, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Lumbar lordotic angle, low back pain, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were measured before and after the intervention. Results: Intragroup comparisons showed significant reductions in lumbar lordotic angle and low back pain in the static stretching group while the dynamic stretching group showed significant decreases in lumbar lordotic angle, low back pain, and ODI. The intergroup comparisons showed significantly greater differences between pre- and post-intervention in lumbar lordotic angle and low back pain in the dynamic stretching group compared to those in the static stretching group while ODI did not show any intergroup difference. Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that, while both static and dynamic stretching helped to reduce the lumbar lordotic angle and low back pain, dynamic stretching was more effective in alleviating lumbar lordotic angle and low back pain compared to static stretching.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.2345-2353
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• 2021

Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of upper thoracic manipulation (UTM) and proprioceptive training versus proprioceptive training alone on forward head posture (FHP) and cervicocephalic joint position sense (CJPS) in asymptomatic university students during a short interval of time. Objectives: To evaluate whether the suggested combination would provide greater benefit, and be superior to proprioceptive training alone in improving proprioceptive acuity and head posture. Design: A single-blind randomized controlled trial. Methods: Thirty-three university student volunteers with asymptomatic FHP were recruited. Subjects were randomly assigned to a manipulation group (n=16) receiving UTM combined with proprioceptive training or a proprioception group (n=17) receiving proprioceptive training only. The intervention period lasted 5 weeks in total, and consisted of one 15 to 20-minute session per week. FHP and CJPS were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: A significant pre- to post-intervention decrease in FHP and joint position error was identified in both groups (P<.05). Subjects in the manipulation group demonstrated greater improvements in CJPS and head posture compared to the proprioception group (P<.05). Conclusion: These findings support employing either intervention for treating asymptomatic students with FHP. However, the addition of UTM to proprioceptive training was more effective than proprioceptive training alone in reducing joint position errors and improving head posture.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2016

The purpose of the study is to identify the usability of OpenCouresWare(OCW) from the perspective of students with visual and hearing impairments. Twelve college students with disabilities(8 visual and 4 hearing impairment) implemented usability testing. Two modules in both edX and KOCW were selected for testing. Students with disabilities implemented usability testing and then each individual case was analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. As results, the degree of general usability in both edX and KOCW indicated an average level and the degree of accessibility in edX module was evaluated higher than KOCW. Specifically, the module of edX was rated highly by students with hearing impairments and the usability level of KOCW module was highly appreciated by blind students.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.361-374
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• 2022

The National Institute of Special Education developed and distributed software textbooks for disabled students according to the necessity of practical course in elementary school and information in middle school in the 2015 revised curriculum. It is a textbook provided from the perspective of education opportunity equity but the content of programming education for visually impaired students was insufficient. Therefore this study was conducted for the purpose of confirming the effectiveness of programming education for visual impaired students and providing the direction of future programming education. In order to achieve the purpose, programming classes were conducted for blind students in the 6th grade of elementary school. As a result of a study using "Blocks4All", a block-based programming tool with robots, students participated in classes actively and efficacy, intrest, and usefulness of programming are high. This study is meaningful in that it confirmed the possibility of programming education for visually impaired students.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.487-495
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• 2020

This study examined the effects of auricular acupressure on female college students with functional constipation to propose auricular acupressure as an effective and evidence-based nursing intervention. This is an experimental study designed with randomization and single-blind in a Sham-control approach. The subjects included 44 female college students with functional constipation whose symptoms met the Rome IV criteria. In this study, five different acupressure sites were applied to each group; the experimental group (n=23) received auricular acupressure on rectum, large intestine, lung, san jiao, and shenmen, whereas the Sham control group (n=21) received acupressure on ankle, helix, tooth, jaw, and external ear. The intervention was implemented once a week for a total of six weeks. After six weeks, the severity of constipation, stool form, and quality of life regarding constipation in the experimental group significantly improved compared to that of the Sham control group (p<.001). Consequently, the study showed that auricular acupressure can be used as an effective nursing intervention to alleviate constipation in female college students.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 1997

Blindness or visually handicaps are found to be an important factor destroying lifestyles as well as a physical problem. According to the data of handicapped person's(v.h.p) registered in Korea, the number of v.h.p. has not decreased. Especially, visual handicapped adolescents (v.h.a.) suffer from an insufficiency of social support under the current education system. There is a special education system for v.h.a. in Korea, and, as a result v.h.a.'s are educated separately from general students and communites. Compared with the self-conception of general students, v.h.a.'s have a more negative self-conception. Among former studies 51.7% of v.h.p's are not in good health. This, of course, means that their handicap impacts on other health problems. The first purpose of this study is to find out the causes of disease and the degree of social support, self-esteem, health management behavior provided and then to analyze the effect of self-esteem and social support on their behavior. To accomplish these purposes, visually handicapped the middle and high school students in Seoul city and Kyung-gi province were selected and 300 students sampled. The main results are as follows : 1) The highest specific handicap is impaired lenses (19.7%). 2. There were high correlations between health management behavior, self-esteem, and social support. 3. Social support is a more important variable than self-esteem on health management behavior. 4. Age of entry and length of stay in their special dormitories, and teacher's support account for 16% of psychological health management behavior 5. Age of entry in their special dormitory and total degree of social support account for 12% of preventive health behavior.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.25-51
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• 2012

The study explores the way professors working in a private university in Korea perceive the recent English-medium instruction (EMI) frenzy in Korean higher education (HE) and the way they respond to its manifestation at their institution. Working within a qualitative research paradigm (Merriam, 2009), I gathered data primarily via one-time semi-structured interviews with ten participants who have offered or are offering EMI at the time of data collection and used a qualitative data analysis method. The findings illustrate that the professors view external factors residing outside individual universities, such as the college rankings and the university evaluation parameters, as the principal drive behind the current EMI boom in Korean tertiary education. Acknowledging the importance of strengthening the international competitive edge of Korean HE in the global era, the professors perceive the EMI policy positively expecting it to be beneficial for both students and institutions. They, however, problematize the blind acceptance of EMI policy and externally forced EMI expansion movement in Korean HE, which they believe will lower the standard of the academic experience of students. Experiencing first-hand the inadequate manifestation of the EMI policy at their university, the professors claim that a systematic long-term implementation plan and context-suitable approaches should be taken at both the national and institutional level for successful future EMI implementation and expansion efforts.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.11-23
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• 2023

Purpose : The stress of job-seeking college students is gradually worsening due to the continuing recession in the job market. Therefore, this study aims to verify whether intervention with an 'aromatherapy education program,' which combines theory and practice, has greater effect on stress, self-efficacy, and autonomic nervous system function than simple inhalation of essential oils in female college students preparing for employment. Methods : A single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted once a week for a total of 4 weeks with 29 female college students preparing for employment. Interventions included essential oil inhalation combined with an aromatherapy education program (experimental group(EG), n=14) and essential oil inhalation alone (control group(CG), n=15); measurements were taken before, immediately after, and 2 weeks after completion of the intervention. Evaluations were conducted using the job-seeking stress scale, stress VAS, self-efficacy scale, and a pulse-wave measuring instrument. Results : There were significant differences between the CG and EG groups with repeated measurements of job-seeking stress (p=.003), cognitive stress (p<.001), and self-efficacy (p<.001). There was a significant interaction between group and time. There were also significant differences between the CG and EG in terms of autonomic nervous system changes stress index(p=.047), total power(p=.029), high frequency(p=.036), and low frequency/high frequency ratio(p=.049). However, there was no significant difference in low frequency between the groups. Conclusion : The aromatherapy education program was more effective in improving job-seeking stress, cognitive stress, self-efficacy, and autonomic nervous system function than simple essential oil inhalation. For the aromatherapy education program to be useful as a complementary intervention for stress management in job seekers, it will be necessary to gather additional evidence of its efficacy by conducting follow-up studies with diverse participants and expanding the numbers, and durations, of the interventions.