The foundations of measurement and assessment in medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Tavakol, Mohsen; Dennick, Reg

2017-10-01

As a medical educator, you may be directly or indirectly involved in the quality of assessments. Measurement has a substantial role in developing the quality of assessment questions and student learning. The information provided by psychometric data can improve pedagogical issues in medical education. Through measurement we are able to assess the learning experiences of students. Standard setting plays an important role in assessing the performance quality of students as doctors in the future. Presentation of performance data for standard setters may contribute towards developing a credible and defensible pass mark. Validity and reliability of test scores are the most important factors for developing quality assessment questions. Analysis of the answers to individual questions provides useful feedback for assessment leads to improve the quality of each question, and hence make students' marks fair in terms of diversity and ethnicity. Item Characteristic Curves (ICC) can send signals to assessment leads to improve the quality of individual questions.

Assessing Student Understanding of Physical Hydrology

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Castillo, A. J.; Marshall, J.; Cardenas, M. B.

2012-12-01

Our objective is to characterize and assess upper division and graduate student thinking by developing and testing an assessment tool for a physical hydrology class. The class' learning goals are: (1) Quantitative process-based understanding of hydrologic processes, (2) Experience with different methods in hydrology, (3) Learning, problem solving, communication skills. These goals were translated into two measurable tasks asked of students in a questionnaire: (1) Describe the significant processes in the hydrological cycle and (2) Describe laws governing these processes. A third question below assessed the students' ability to apply their knowledge: You have been hired as a consultant by __ to (1) assess how urbanization and the current drought have affected a local spring and (2) predict what the effects will be in the future if the drought continues. What information would you need to gather? What measurements would you make? What analyses would you perform? Student and expert responses to the questions were then used to develop a rubric to score responses. Using the rubric, 3 researchers independently blind-coded the full set of pre and post artifacts, resulting in 89% inter-rater agreement on the pre-tests and 83% agreement on the post-tests. We present student scores to illustrate the use of the rubric and to characterize student thinking prior to and following a traditional course. Most students interpreted Q1 in terms of physical processes affecting the water cycle, the primary organizing framework for hydrology, as intended. On the pre-test, one student scored 0, indicating no response, on this question. Twenty students scored 1, indicating rudimentary understanding, 2 students scored a 2, indicating a basic understanding, and no student scored a 3. Student scores on this question improved on the post-test. On the 22 post-tests that were blind scored, 11 students demonstrated some recognition of concepts, 9 students showed a basic understanding, and 2

Validating a measure to assess factors that affect assistive technology use by students with disabilities in elementary and secondary education.

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Zapf, Susan A; Scherer, Marcia J; Baxter, Mary F; H Rintala, Diana

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to measure the predictive validity, internal consistency and clinical utility of the Matching Assistive Technology to Child & Augmentative Communication Evaluation Simplified (MATCH-ACES) assessment. Twenty-three assistive technology team evaluators assessed 35 children using the MATCH-ACES assessment. This quasi-experimental study examined the internal consistency, predictive validity and clinical utility of the MATCH-ACES assessment. The MATCH-ACES assessment predisposition scales had good internal consistency across all three scales. A significant relationship was found between (a) high student perseverance and need for assistive technology and (b) high teacher comfort and interest in technology use (p = (0).002). Study results indicate that the MATCH-ACES assessment has good internal consistency and validity. Predisposition characteristics of student and teacher combined can influence the level of assistive technology use; therefore, assistive technology teams should assess predisposition factors of the user when recommending assistive technology. Implications for Rehabilitation Educational and medical professionals should be educated on evidence-based assistive technology assessments. Personal experience and psychosocial factors can influence the outcome use of assistive technology. Assistive technology assessments must include an intervention plan for assistive technology service delivery to measure effective outcome use.

Nutritional knowledge assessment of syrian university students

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Louay Labban

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nutrition knowledge is one of the factors that affect nutritional status and nutritional habits of individuals, families, and societies. Nutrition knowledge is an important tool in assessing the nutritional status of an individual, group or community. Researchers have been trying to design and develop reliable and valid questionnaires that distinguish and measure nutrition knowledge and its impact on dietary behavior and diet-health awareness. Many studies have shown that nutrition knowledge can affect someone to follow dietary recommendations. The aim of this study was to assess the nutrition knowledge of Syrian university students and to find out if there was any relationship between anthropometric measurements, socioeconomic status, type of university and nutrition knowledge of the students. Nutritional knowledge was assessed using valid nutrition knowledge questionnaire, which covered six main sections. The questionnaire was designed for this study and was adapted from Parameter and Wardle. The number of students participated in the study was 998 students and were selected from four universities in Syria. They were asked to complete the nutrition knowledge questionnaire under supervision of trained nutritionist. Anthropometric measurements were taken for all participants by trained professional. The results were statistically analyzed and P 30 had the highest points in TNK. Females had higher TNK score as compared with males. Furthermore, students enrolled in the private university and in health-related programs showed typically better TNK scores than those enrolled in public universities and in nonhealth-related programs. The highest TNK score based on BMI was found among students with BMI >30. The results support the likely value of including nutrition knowledge as a target for health education campaigns aimed at promoting healthy eating.

The Measurement Invariance of the Student Opinion Survey across English and non-English Language Learner Students within the Context of Low- and High-Stakes Assessments

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Jason C. Immekus

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Student effort on large-scale assessments has important implications on the interpretation and use of scores to guide decisions. Within the United States, English Language Learners (ELLs generally are outperformed on large-scale assessments by non-ELLs, prompting research to examine factors associated with test performance. There is a gap in the literature regarding the test-taking motivation of ELLs compared to non-ELLs and whether existing measures have similar psychometric properties across groups. The Student Opinion Survey (SOS; Sundre, 2007 was designed to be administered after completion of a large-scale assessment to operationalize students’ test-taking motivation. Based on data obtained on 5,257 (41.8% ELL 10th grade students, study purpose was to test the measurement invariance of the SOS across ELLs and non-ELLs based on completion of low- and high-stakes assessments. Preliminary item analyses supported the removal of two SOS items (Items 3 and 7 that resulted in improved internal consistency for each of the two SOS subscales: Importance, Effort. A subsequent multi-sample confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA supported the measurement invariance of the scale’s two-factor model across language groups, indicating it met strict factorial invariance (Meredith 1993. A follow-up latent means analysis found that ELLs had higher effort on both the low- and high-stakes assessment with a small effect size. Effect size estimates indicated negligible differences on the importance factor. Although the instrument can be expected to function similarly across diverse language groups, which may have direct utility of test users and research into factors associated with large-scale test performance, continued research is recommended. Implications for SOS use in applied and research settings are discussed.

An Evaluation of the Measurement of Perceived Classroom Assessment Environment

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Hussain Alkharusi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A classroom assessment environment is a classroom context experienced by students as the teacher determines assessment purposes, develops assessment tasks, defines assessment criteria and standards, provides feedback, and monitors outcomes (Brookhart, 1997. It is usually a group experience varying from class to class dependent upon the teacher’s assessment practices (Brookhart, 2004. As such, the measurement of class-level perception of the assessment environment should deserve recognition and investigation. This study aimed at evaluating the measurement of the perceived classroom assessment environment by comparing the psychometric properties of the scale at the student level and class level. Using a multi-stage random sampling process, data were collected from 4088 students nested within 236 classes of the second cycle of the basic education in the Sultanate of Oman. Students responded to the 18-items of Alkharusi's (2011 Perceived Classroom Assessment Environment Scale. Results of the principal axis factoring yielded two factors, learning-oriented and performance-oriented assessment environment, at both levels. However, the two factors explained about 38% of the variance at the class level compared to about 20% of the variance at the student level. Reliability coefficients in terms of Cronbach alpha ranged between .79 and .83 at the class level compared to .65 and .67 at the student level

Evaluating Student Self-Assessment through Video-Recorded Patient Simulations.

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Sanderson, Tammy R; Kearney, Rachel C; Kissell, Denise; Salisbury, Jessica

2016-08-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if the use of a video-recorded clinical session affects the accuracy of dental hygiene student self-assessment and dental hygiene instructor feedback. A repeated measures experiment was conducted. The use of the ODU 11/12 explorer was taught to students and participating faculty through video and demonstration. Students then demonstrated activation of the explorer on a student partner using the same technique. While faculty completed the student assessment in real time, the sessions were video recorded. After completing the activation of the explorer, students and faculty completed an assessment of the student's performance using a rubric. A week later, both students and faculty viewed the video of the clinical skill performance and reassessed the student's performance using the same rubric. The student videos were randomly assigned a number, so faculty reassessed the performance without access to the student's identity or the score that was initially given. Twenty-eight students and 4 pre-clinical faculty completed the study. Students' average score was 4.68±1.16 on the first assessment and slightly higher 4.89±1.45 when reviewed by video. Faculty average scores were 5.07±2.13 at the first assessment and 4.79±2.54 on the second assessment with the video. No significant differences were found between the differences in overall scores, there was a significant difference in the scores of the grading criteria compared to the expert assessment scores (p=0.0001). This pilot study shows that calibration and assessment without bias in education is a challenge. Analyzing and incorporating new techniques can result in more exact assessment of student performance and self-assessment. Copyright © 2016 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Measuring Student Learning Outcomes Using the SALG Instrument

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Scholl, Kathleen; Olsen, Heather M.

2014-01-01

U.S. higher education institutions are being called to question their central nature, priorities, and functions, with prominent and unprecedented attention being given to accountability and the measurement of student learning outcomes. As higher education evolves in how it assesses student learning and leisure studies and recreation departments…

A Complementary Measure of MIS Program Outcomes: Useful Insights from a Student Perspective

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Karsten, Rex; Roth, Roberta M.

2015-01-01

Assessing student learning is a critical element in today's higher education environment. Learning assurance programs seek to assess and improve the quality of student learning, and may employ both direct and indirect measures. In this paper, we describe a practical learning assurance assessment measure developed and used as a part of a broader…

I Can Assess Myself: Singaporean Primary Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of Students' Self-Assessment Ability

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Wong, Hwei Ming

2016-01-01

Student self-assessment engages the students in purposeful reflection about what they are learning and how they are learning it. This study investigated the perceptions of students and teachers towards the students' self-assessment ability in two Singapore primary schools. A total of 75 students were taught how to use self-assessment. Eighteen…

The Perception of Students on E-Assessment in Distance Education

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Emine CABI

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study was carried out to obtain the views of master's degree students studying via distance education about tools and methods of measurement and e-assessment. Exhibiting advantages and disadvantages of the use of different measurement tools and methods and assessment processes are considered to contribute to elimination of significant deficiencies in terms of both distance education institutions and teaching staff. Phenomenology, one of qualitative research designs, was used for data collection. Criterion sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, was taken into consideration. Being taken a course via distance education, and having the experience of measurement and evaluation by students was used as the sampling criteria. In this context, the study was conducted with a total of 10 students; four of which in the second semester and six of which in the third semester have taken course via distance education. In data collection, semi-structured interview form was used. There were five open-ended questions in the interview form. Descriptive analysis was used for the analysis of the obtained data. While assignments-projects and weekly online exams as the most preferred measurement tools by the students, navigation in the digital environment, reports and peer-evaluation were the least preferred ones. All of the students prefer e-assessment instead of the traditional evaluation for it is independent from space, providing equality of opportunity, more comprehensive. In e-assessment, it is stated that students who are responsible, highly motivated, contributor, inquisitive, skillful at using high-technology, are more successful.

Measuring student engagement among elementary students: pilot of the Student Engagement Instrument--Elementary Version.

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Carter, Chandra P; Reschly, Amy L; Lovelace, Matthew D; Appleton, James J; Thompson, Dianne

2012-06-01

Early school withdrawal, commonly referred to as dropout, is associated with a plethora of negative outcomes for students, schools, and society. Student engagement, however, presents as a promising theoretical model and cornerstone of school completion interventions. The purpose of the present study was to validate the Student Engagement Instrument-Elementary Version (SEI-E). The psychometric properties of this measure were assessed based on the responses of an ethnically diverse sample of 1,943 students from an urban locale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the 4-factor model of student engagement provided the best fit for the current data, which is divergent from previous SEI studies suggesting 5- and 6-factor models. Discussion and implications of these findings are presented in the context of student engagement and dropout prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

OSS reliability measurement and assessment

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Yamada, Shigeru

2016-01-01

This book analyses quantitative open source software (OSS) reliability assessment and its applications, focusing on three major topic areas: the Fundamentals of OSS Quality/Reliability Measurement and Assessment; the Practical Applications of OSS Reliability Modelling; and Recent Developments in OSS Reliability Modelling. Offering an ideal reference guide for graduate students and researchers in reliability for open source software (OSS) and modelling, the book introduces several methods of reliability assessment for OSS including component-oriented reliability analysis based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP), analytic network process (ANP), and non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) models, the stochastic differential equation models and hazard rate models. These measurement and management technologies are essential to producing and maintaining quality/reliable systems using OSS.

Performance Measurement and Accommodation: Students with Visual Impairments on Pennsylvania's Alternate Assessment

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Zebehazy, Kim T.; Zigmond, Naomi; Zimmerman, George J.

2012-01-01

Introduction: This study investigated the use of accommodations and the performance of students with visual impairments and severe cognitive disabilities on the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA)yCoan alternate performance-based assessment. Methods: Differences in test scores on the most basic level (level A) of the PASA of 286…

Investigating ESL Students' Performance on Outcomes Assessments in Higher Education

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Lakin, Joni M.; Elliott, Diane Cardenas; Liu, Ou Lydia

2012-01-01

Outcomes assessments are gaining great attention in higher education because of increased demand for accountability. These assessments are widely used by U.S. higher education institutions to measure students' college-level knowledge and skills, including students who speak English as a second language (ESL). For the past decade, the increasing…

Measuring University students' understanding of the greenhouse effect - a comparison of multiple-choice, short answer and concept sketch assessment tools with respect to students' mental models

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Gold, A. U.; Harris, S. E.

2013-12-01

The greenhouse effect comes up in most discussions about climate and is a key concept related to climate change. Existing studies have shown that students and adults alike lack a detailed understanding of this important concept or might hold misconceptions. We studied the effectiveness of different interventions on University-level students' understanding of the greenhouse effect. Introductory level science students were tested for their pre-knowledge of the greenhouse effect using validated multiple-choice questions, short answers and concept sketches. All students participated in a common lesson about the greenhouse effect and were then randomly assigned to one of two lab groups. One group explored an existing simulation about the greenhouse effect (PhET-lesson) and the other group worked with absorption spectra of different greenhouse gases (Data-lesson) to deepen the understanding of the greenhouse effect. All students completed the same assessment including multiple choice, short answers and concept sketches after participation in their lab lesson. 164 students completed all the assessments, 76 completed the PhET lesson and 77 completed the data lesson. 11 students missed the contrasting lesson. In this presentation we show the comparison between the multiple-choice questions, short answer questions and the concept sketches of students. We explore how well each of these assessment types represents student's knowledge. We also identify items that are indicators of the level of understanding of the greenhouse effect as measured in correspondence of student answers to an expert mental model and expert responses. Preliminary data analysis shows that student who produce concept sketch drawings that come close to expert drawings also choose correct multiple-choice answers. However, correct multiple-choice answers are not necessarily an indicator that a student produces an expert-like correlating concept sketch items. Multiple-choice questions that require detailed

New Trends Of Measurement And Assessment In Distance Education

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Zeki KAYA

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Distance education is a discipline that offers solutions to some important education problems. Distance education, contribute to the solution to the problems such as; inequality of opportunities, lifelong education, the implementation of a series of individual and social goals that can contribute to and benefit from educational technology and self-learning. In distance education, methods of measurement and assessment must be consistent with the objectives and contents of teaching. A major interest of formative assessment is determining the students’ learning level of each behavior in the interested unit. In summative assessment, performances of students on some units are measured broader than formative assessment. A computerized adaptive testing, CAT, is the test managed by computer in which each item is introduced and the decision to stop are dynamically imposed based on the students answers and his/her estimated knowledge level. In CAT applications, students do not take the same test. Despite item numbers and properties of items are different for the students; the precise of measures improves in positioning students on an ability or success continuum in CAT applications. In CAT applications, questions answered by a student depend on the student's ability or learning level. In item response theory, there are some models to estimate a student’s ability level, such as three-parameter logistic model. Cheating in exams or other academic assignments can be defined as use resources not allowed to use or having someone else to take exams or assignments. Some precautions must be taken about cheating such as a live proctoring, using web cams, and using a plagiarism detection program.

ASSESSING STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON INTERPRETING THROUGH PEER-ASSESSMENT

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Titik Ismailia

2017-12-01

Full Text Available As a part of translation interpreting is translating spoken discourse orally. It needs some requirements like ability to speak clearly, clarity, fluency, eye contact, and self-confidence. It also needs linguistic proficiency, analytical skill, listening and recall, interpersonal skills, ethical behaviour, speaking skills, cultural knowledge, and subject knowledge. Evaluating students performance on interpreting can be done through peer assessment. Peer- assessment is one of alternative assessment to grade the peers in group or individuals by commenting on and judging other students work. To do this process there is a join work between listening and speaking, and two students. The first student as a speaker and the second student as an interpreter. Both of them should do the same quality on speak clearly as a speaker and as an interpreter should able to listen and translating the spoken discourse orally. Evaluation can use analytical grade that allows teacher to set clear criteria for correction like fluency, grammar, terminology, general content, and mechanics. Students and teacher can give comment on every criteria based on their own competency. During the process on making criteria, students and teacher can discuss and give reasonable suggestion to make the assessment suitable to the students competency. At the end, a rubric of assessment with the score from 0 to 100 and criteria and also the comment included in the paper of assessment.

Measuring Primary Students' Graph Interpretation Skills Via a Performance Assessment: A case study in instrument development

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Peterman, Karen; Cranston, Kayla A.; Pryor, Marie; Kermish-Allen, Ruth

2015-11-01

This case study was conducted within the context of a place-based education project that was implemented with primary school students in the USA. The authors and participating teachers created a performance assessment of standards-aligned tasks to examine 6-10-year-old students' graph interpretation skills as part of an exploratory research project. Fifty-five students participated in a performance assessment interview at the beginning and end of a place-based investigation. Two forms of the assessment were created and counterbalanced within class at pre and post. In situ scoring was conducted such that responses were scored as correct versus incorrect during the assessment's administration. Criterion validity analysis demonstrated an age-level progression in student scores. Tests of discriminant validity showed that the instrument detected variability in interpretation skills across each of three graph types (line, bar, dot plot). Convergent validity was established by correlating in situ scores with those from the Graph Interpretation Scoring Rubric. Students' proficiency with interpreting different types of graphs matched expectations based on age and the standards-based progression of graphs across primary school grades. The assessment tasks were also effective at detecting pre-post gains in students' interpretation of line graphs and dot plots after the place-based project. The results of the case study are discussed in relation to the common challenges associated with performance assessment. Implications are presented in relation to the need for authentic and performance-based instructional and assessment tasks to respond to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.

A Validation Study of the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA).

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Thompson, Lynn E.; Kenyon, Dorry M.; Rhodes, Nancy C.

This study validated the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA), an oral proficiency instrument designed for students in elementary foreign language programs. Elementary students who were tested with the SOPA were also administered other instruments designed to measure proficiency. These instruments included the Stanford Foreign Language Oral…

Assessing Student Learning in Academic Advising Using Social Cognitive Theory

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Erlich, Richard J.; Russ-Eft, Darlene F.

2013-01-01

We investigated whether the social cognitive theory constructs of self-efficacy and self-regulated learning apply to academic advising for measuring student learning outcomes. Community college students (N = 120) participated in an individual academic-advising session. We assessed students' post-intervention self-efficacy in academic planning and…

Change in self-assessed comfort level of first-year pharmacy students as an alternative approach to measure teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes.

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Oelschlaeger, Peter

2017-05-01

Objective measures for assessing teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes in the pharmacy curriculum are needed for improving quality of instruction and faculty development. The purpose of this article is to introduce a new teaching assessment method that focuses on self-assessed change in student comfort with the topics taught rather than evaluation of the instructor and to evaluate its performance in comparison to conventional student evaluations of teaching (SET). Six successive cohorts of first-year pharmacy students were surveyed regarding their comfort level at the beginning and end of a 10-week pharmacology course. The change in self-assessed comfort level (ΔSACL) was interpreted as the amount of learning that occurred. This indicator was compared to ratings of a statement from SET designed to obtain the same information. An increasing ΔSACL suggests an increase in learning over time. Differences were observed between ΔSACL and corresponding results from SET, suggesting that there could be extrinsic factors influencing the results. The use of ΔSACL could provide an alternative or complementary approach to assess teaching effectiveness that focuses less on the instructor and more on the actual student learning outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lessons Learned about Assessment from Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in College and Career Ready Assessments

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Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Heritage, Margaret

2016-01-01

The new large-scale assessments rolled out by consortia and states are designed to measure student achievement of rigorous college- and career-ready (CCR) standards. Recent surveys of teachers in several states indicate that students with disabilities adjusted well to the new assessments, and liked many of their features, but that there also are…

Improving School Nurse Pain Assessment Practices for Students With Intellectual Disability.

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Quinn, Brenna L; Smolinski, Megan

2017-01-01

School nurses are afforded minimal resources related to assessing pain in students with intellectual disability (ID) and have called for continuing education. The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of an education program regarding best practices for assessing pain in students with ID. Educational sessions were presented to 248 school nurses. Pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys measured (1) difficulty school nurses face when assessing pain, (2) knowledge and use of pain assessment methods, and (3) intent to change and actual changes to professional practices. Participants experienced less difficulty assessing pain following the educational program. Almost all participants intended to change pain assessment practices, but large caseloads limited new practice adoption. Policy makers must consider population size and acuity when determining school nurse staffing. Trainings and other resources should be made available to school nurses in order to make pain assessments for students with ID more thorough and efficient.

Measuring teaching quality and student engagement in South Korea and The Netherlands

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van de Grift, Wim J.C.; Chun, Seyeoung; Maulana, Ridwan; Lee, Okhwa; Helms-Lorenz, Michelle

2017-01-01

Six observation scales for measuring the skills of teachers and 1 scale for measuring student engagement, assessed in South Korea and The Netherlands, are sufficiently reliable and offer sufficient predictive value for student engagement. A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis shows that the

Using Longitudinal Scales Assessment for Instrumental Music Students

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Simon, Samuel H.

2014-01-01

In music education, current assessment trends emphasize student reflection, tracking progress over time, and formative as well as summative measures. This view of assessment requires instrumental music educators to modernize their approaches without interfering with methods that have proven to be successful. To this end, the Longitudinal Scales…

Hardware and software for physical assessment work and health students

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Олександр Юрійович Азархов

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The hardware and software used to assess the state of the students’ health by means of information technology were described in the article and displayed in the form of PEAC – (physical efficiency assessment channel. The list of the diseases that students often suffer from has been prepared for which minimum number of informative primary biosignals have been selected. The structural scheme PEAC has been made up, the ways to form and calculate the secondary parameters for evaluating the health of students have been shown. The resulting criteria, indices, indicators and parameters grouped in a separate table for ease of use, are also presented in the article. The given list necessitates the choice of vital activities parameters, which are further to be used as the criteria for primary express-diagnostics of the health state according to such indicators as electrocardiogram, photoplethysmogram, spirogram, blood pressure, body mass length, dynamometry. But these indicators (qualitative should be supplemented with measurement methods which provide quantitative component of an indicator. This method makes it possible to obtain assessments of students’ health with desired properties. Channel of the student physical disability assessment, along with the channel of activity comprehensive evaluation and decision support subsystem ensure assessment of the student's health with all aspects of his activity and professional training, thereby creating adequate algorithm of his behavior that provides maximum health, longevity and professional activities. The basic requirements for hardware have been formed, and they are, minimum number of information-measuring channels; high noise stability of information-measuring channels; comfort, providing normal activity of a student; small dimensions, weight and power consumption; simplicity, and in some cases service authorization

Measures of Student Growth

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Texas Education Agency, 2016

2016-01-01

Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, appraisal systems in Texas, whether the state-recommended system or a locally developed system, will need to include a measure of student growth at the individual teacher level. Student growth measures how much a student progresses academically during his or her time with a particular teacher. It takes into…

Development and Validation of the Teacher and Motivation (TEMO) Scale: A Self-Report Measure Assessing Students' Perceptions of Liked and Disliked Teachers as Motivators

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Raufelder, Diana; Hoferichter, Frances

2015-01-01

The current study presents a newly developed measurement: the TEMO (Teacher and Motivation) scale, which assesses adolescent students' perception of liked and disliked teachers and the resulting impact on their academic motivation. A total of 1,088 students from secondary schools in Germany participated in this study. To explore the underlying…

Students Fly High with Creative Alternative Assessment.

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Banks, Thomas J.

1994-01-01

At one Pennsylvania school, building a model airplane is a learning experience used to assess the abilities of students with reading difficulties. Specific model-building behaviors that can be observed are gathering information, employing prior knowledge, summarizing, visualizing, predicting, self-monitoring, evaluating, measuring, calculating,…

Increasing Student Metacognition and Learning through Classroom-Based Learning Communities and Self-Assessment

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Amy Siegesmund

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Student overconfidence challenges success in introductory biology. This study examined the impact of classroom learning communities and self-assessment on student metacognition and subsequent impact on student epistemological beliefs, behaviors, and learning. Students wrote weekly self-assessments reflecting on the process of learning and received individual feedback. Students completed a learning strategies inventory focused on metacognition and study behaviors at the beginning and end of the semester and a Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG at the end of the semester. Results indicated significant changes in both metacognition and study behaviors over the course of the semester, with a positive impact on learning as determined by broad and singular measures. Self-assessments and SALG data demonstrated a change in student beliefs and behaviors. Taken together, these findings argue that classroom learning communities and self-assessment can increase student metacognition and change student epistemological beliefs and behaviors.

Measuring critical thinking in pre-registration midwifery students: A multi-method approach.

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Carter, Amanda G; Creedy, Debra K; Sidebotham, Mary

2018-02-01

Test the concurrent validity of three newly developed tools (student self-rating, preceptor rating, and reflective writing) that aim to measure critical thinking in midwifery practice. A descriptive matched cohort design was used. Australian research intensive university offering a three year Bachelor of Midwifery programme. Fifty-five undergraduate midwifery students. Students assessed their ability to apply critical thinking in midwifery practice using a 25-item tool and a 5-item subscale in Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Clinical preceptors completed a 24-item tool assessing the students' application of critical thinking in practice. Reflective writing by students was assessed by midwifery academics using a 15-item tool. Internal reliability, and concurrent validity were assessed. Correlations, t-tests, multiple regression and confidence levels were calculated for the three scales and associations with student characteristics. The three scales achieved good internal reliability with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient between 0.93 and 0.97. Matched total scores for the three critical thinking scales were moderately correlated; student/preceptor (r=0.36, pstudent/reflective writing (r=0.38, pstudents with a previous degree, but only significant for reflective writing (t (53)=-2.35, p=0.023). Preceptor ratings were predictive of GPA (beta=0.50, pStudents' self-rating scores were predictive of year level (beta=0.32, pstudent, preceptor, and reflective writing tools were found to be reliable and valid measures of critical thinking. The three tools can be used individually or in combination to provide students with various sources of feedback to improve their practice. The tools allow formative measurement of critical thinking over time. Further testing of the tools with larger, diverse samples is recommended. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Self-assessment Practices of Hong Kong Secondary Students: Findings with a New Instrument.

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Yan, Zi

Self-assessment is a core skill that enables students to engage in self-regulated learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Self-assessment Practice Scale and to depict the characteristics of self-assessment practices of Hong Kong secondary students using this newly developed instrument. A total of 6,125 students from 10 Hong Kong secondary schools completed the survey. Both Rasch and factor analyses revealed a two-dimension scale structure (i.e., Self-directed Feedback Seeking and Self-reflection). The two subscales demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and suggestions for further improvement were proposed. The findings regarding self-assessment practices of secondary students indicated that, in general, students were quite used to engaging in self-reflection based on available feedback, but they were less disposed to taking the initiative to seek feedback on their own performance. Key demographic variables, e.g., gender and year level, played important roles in students' self-assessment practices. Girls had significantly higher self-assessment measures on both scales than did boys. Junior students had higher measures on both scales than did their senior counterparts. Implications and directions for future research were discussed.

Should Student Evaluation of Teaching Play a Significant Role in the Formal Assessment of Dental Faculty? Two Viewpoints: Viewpoint 1: Formal Faculty Assessment Should Include Student Evaluation of Teaching and Viewpoint 2: Student Evaluation of Teaching Should Not Be Part of Formal Faculty Assessment.

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Rowan, Susan; Newness, Elmer J; Tetradis, Sotirios; Prasad, Joanne L; Ko, Ching-Chang; Sanchez, Arlene

2017-11-01

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is often used in the assessment of faculty members' job performance and promotion and tenure decisions, but debate over this use of student evaluations has centered on the validity, reliability, and application of the data in assessing teaching performance. Additionally, the fear of student criticism has the potential of influencing course content delivery and testing measures. This Point/Counterpoint article reviews the potential utility of and controversy surrounding the use of SETs in the formal assessment of dental school faculty. Viewpoint 1 supports the view that SETs are reliable and should be included in those formal assessments. Proponents of this opinion contend that SETs serve to measure a school's effectiveness in support of its core mission, are valid measures based on feedback from the recipients of educational delivery, and provide formative feedback to improve faculty accountability to the institution. Viewpoint 2 argues that SETs should not be used for promotion and tenure decisions, asserting that higher SET ratings do not correlate with improved student learning. The advocates of this viewpoint contend that faculty members may be influenced to focus on student satisfaction rather than pedagogy, resulting in grade inflation. They also argue that SETs are prone to gender and racial biases and that SET results are frequently misinterpreted by administrators. Low response rates and monotonic response patterns are other factors that compromise the reliability of SETs.

Dynamic Measurement Modeling: Using Nonlinear Growth Models to Estimate Student Learning Capacity

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Dumas, Denis G.; McNeish, Daniel M.

2017-01-01

Single-timepoint educational measurement practices are capable of assessing student ability at the time of testing but are not designed to be informative of student capacity for developing in any particular academic domain, despite commonly being used in such a manner. For this reason, such measurement practice systematically underestimates the…

The relationship between academic assessment and psychological distress among medical students: a systematic review.

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Lyndon, Mataroria P; Strom, Joanna M; Alyami, Hussain M; Yu, Tzu-Chieh; Wilson, Nichola C; Singh, Primal P; Lemanu, Daniel P; Yielder, Jill; Hill, Andrew G

2014-12-01

A systematic review was conducted to determine the relationship between academic assessment and medical student psychological distress with the aim of informing assessment practices. A systematic literature search of six electronic databases (Medline, Medline IN PROCESS, PubMed, EMBASE, Psychinfo, ERIC) from 1991 to May 2014 was completed. Articles focusing on academic assessment and its relation to stress or anxiety of medical students were included. From 3,986 potential titles, 82 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 23 studies met review inclusion criteria. Studies focused on assessment stress or anxiety, and assessment performance. Consistent among the studies was the finding that assessment invokes stress or anxiety, perhaps more so for female medical students. A relationship may exist between assessment stress or anxiety and impaired performance. Significant risks of bias were common in study methodologies. There is evidence to suggest academic assessment is associated with psychological distress among medical students. However, differences in the types of measures used by researchers limited our ability to draw conclusions about which methods of assessment invoke greater distress. More rigorous study designs and the use of standardized measures are required. Future research should consider differences in students' perceived significance of assessments, the psychological effects of constant exposure to assessment, and the role of assessment in preparing students for clinical practice.

Assessing Weather Curiosity in University Students

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Stewart, A. E.

2017-12-01

This research focuses upon measuring an individual's level of trait curiosity about the weather using the Weather Curiosity Scale (WCS). The measure consists of 15 self-report items that describe weather preferences and/or behaviors that people may perform more or less frequently. The author reports on two initial studies of the WCS that have used the responses of 710 undergraduate students from a large university in the southeastern United States. In the first study, factor analysis of the 15 items indicated that the measure was unidimensional - suggesting that its items singularly assessed weather curiosity. The WCS also was internally consistent as evidenced by an acceptable Cronbach's alpha, a = .81). The second study sought to identify other personality variables that may relate with the WCS scores and thus illuminate the nature of weather curiosity. Several clusters of personality variables appear to underlie the curiosity levels people exhibited, the first of which related to perceptual curiosity (r = .59). Being curious about sights, sounds, smells, and textures generally related somewhat to curiosity about weather. Two measures of trait sensitivity to environmental stimulation, the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (r = .47) and the Orientation Sensitivity Scale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (r = .43), also predicted weather curiosity levels. Finally, possessing extraverted personality traits (r = .34) and an intense style of experiencing one's emotions (r = .33) related to weather curiosity. How can this measure be used in K-12 or post-secondary settings to further climate literacy? First, the WCS can identify students with natural curiosities about weather and climate so these students may be given more challenging instruction that will leverage their natural interests. Second, high-WCS students may function as weather and climate ambassadors during inquiry-based learning activities and thus help other students who are not as oriented to the

Student Emotions in Conversation-Based Assessments

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Lehman, Blair A.; Zapata-Rivera, Diego

2018-01-01

Students can experience a variety of emotions while completing assessments. Some emotions can get in the way of students performing their best (e.g., anxiety, frustration), whereas other emotions can facilitate student performance (e.g., engagement). Many new, non-traditional assessments, such as automated conversation-based assessments (CBA), are…

Relationships Between the Way Students Are Assessed in Science Classrooms and Science Achievement Across Canada

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Chu, Man-Wai; Fung, Karen

2018-04-01

Canadian students experience many different assessments throughout their schooling (O'Connor 2011). There are many benefits to using a variety of assessment types, item formats, and science-based performance tasks in the classroom to measure the many dimensions of science education. Although using a variety of assessments is beneficial, it is unclear exactly what types, format, and tasks are used in Canadian science classrooms. Additionally, since assessments are often administered to help improve student learning, this study identified assessments that may improve student learning as measured using achievement scores on a standardized test. Secondary analyses of the students' and teachers' responses to the questionnaire items asked in the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program were performed. The results of the hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that both students and teachers identified teacher-developed classroom tests or quizzes as the most common types of assessments used. Although this ranking was similar across the country, statistically significant differences in terms of the assessments that are used in science classrooms among the provinces were also identified. The investigation of which assessment best predicted student achievement scores indicated that minds-on science performance-based tasks significantly explained 4.21% of the variance in student scores. However, mixed results were observed between the student and teacher responses towards tasks that required students to choose their own investigation and design their own experience or investigation. Additionally, teachers that indicated that they conducted more demonstrations of an experiment or investigation resulted in students with lower scores.

Assessing Students' Understanding of Macroevolution: Concerns regarding the validity of the MUM

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Novick, Laura R.; Catley, Kefyn M.

2012-11-01

In a recent article, Nadelson and Southerland (2010. Development and preliminary evaluation of the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution: Introducing the MUM. The Journal of Experimental Education, 78, 151-190) reported on their development of a multiple-choice concept inventory intended to assess college students' understanding of macroevolutionary concepts, the Measure of Understanding Macroevolution (MUM). Given that the only existing evolution inventories assess understanding of natural selection, a microevolutionary concept, a valid assessment of students' understanding of macroevolution would be a welcome and necessary addition to the field of science education. Although the conceptual framework underlying Nadelson and Southerland's test is promising, we believe the test has serious shortcomings with respect to validity evidence for the construct being tested. We argue and provide evidence that these problems are serious enough that the MUM should not be used in its current form to measure students' understanding of macroevolution.

Assessing Expressive Movement: Measuring Student Learning Outcomes in the General Music Classroom

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Butke, Marla A.

2014-01-01

Expressive movement, created by students to demonstrate musical elements and artistry, provides a valid assessment opportunity for general music teachers. This purposeful movement, "plastique animée", was developed by Swiss composer, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, in the early 20th century. "Plastique animée" can serve as a useful…

A clinical assessment tool used for physiotherapy students--is it reliable?

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Lewis, Lucy K; Stiller, Kathy; Hardy, Frances

2008-01-01

Educational institutions providing professional programs such as physiotherapy must provide high-quality student assessment procedures. To ensure that assessment is consistent, assessment tools should have an acceptable level of reliability. There is a paucity of research evaluating the reliability of clinical assessment tools used for physiotherapy students. This study evaluated the inter- and intrarater reliability of an assessment tool used for physiotherapy students during a clinical placement. Five clinical educators and one academic participated in the study. Each rater independently marked 22 student written assessments that had been completed by students after viewing a videotaped patient physiotherapy assessment. The raters repeated the marking process 7 weeks later, with the assessments provided in a randomised order. The interrater reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient) for the total scores was 0.32, representing a poor level of reliability. A high level of intrarater reliability (percentage agreement) was found for the clinical educators, with a difference in section scores of one mark or less on 93.4% of occasions. Further research should be undertaken to reevaluate the reliability of this clinical assessment tool following training. The reliability of clinical assessment tools used in other areas of physiotherapy education should be formally measured rather than assumed.

Measuring the Impact of Cultural Competence Training for Dental Hygiene Students.

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Daugherty, Heather N; Kearney, Rachel C

2017-10-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the change in levels of knowledge of providing culturally competent care and self-assessed cultural competence of senior level dental hygiene students after the implementation of an online cultural competence training module. Methods: Twenty-eight members of the senior class of 31 dental hygiene students (N=28) volunteered to participate in this IRB approved study at the Ohio State University School of Dentistry. The students took the online Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence- Student Version (IAPCC-SV), to assess their self-perceived cultural competence. Upon completion of the pre-test, students then completed the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) Cultural Competency Program for Oral Health Professionals; a three-module online training program designed to measure increased knowledge of cultural competence. Three weeks following the initial pre-test and upon completion of the Cultural Competency Program for Oral Health Professionals online learning modules, students re-took the IAPCC-SV. Results: Twenty-eight senior dental hygiene students completed the IAPCC-SV pre-test, the OMH e-learning modules and the IAPCC-SV post-test. The average score on the pre-test was 55.14±7.54 and the average score on the post-test was 61.33±7.86. There was a significant difference in pre-test and post-test scores (pdental hygiene students' levels of knowledge of cultural competence. Copyright © 2017 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

The CES-D as a Measure of Psychological Distress Among International Students: Measurement and Structural Invariance Across Gender.

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Suh, Hanna; van Nuenen, Marieke; Rice, Kenneth G

2017-10-01

Detecting psychological distress among international students can be challenging given diverse languages, cultural backgrounds, and lack of refined measurement properties of measures tailored to international students. Despite the challenges, ensuring that a psychological distress measure works effectively has considerable potential value for assessment purposes. The current study evaluates the measurement properties of a short 10-item version of Radloff's Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Grounded in long-standing evidence on gender differences in depressive symptoms, specific attention was given to examining measurement invariance of the CES-D Short-form across women and men. Based on a large, two-cohort sample of international students ( N = 468), and through multiple analyses evaluating factor structure and measurement invariance, we derived an even briefer, seven-item single-factor form of the CES-D (CES-D Short-form International) that can be used with international students.

Knowing Every Child: Validation of the Holistic Student Assessment (HSA) as a Measure of Social-Emotional Development.

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Malti, Tina; Zuffianò, Antonio; Noam, Gil G

2018-04-01

Knowing every child's social-emotional development is important as it can support prevention and intervention approaches to meet the developmental needs and strengths of children. Here, we discuss the role of social-emotional assessment tools in planning, implementing, and evaluating preventative strategies to promote mental health in all children and adolescents. We, first, selectively review existing tools and identify current gaps in the measurement literature. Next, we introduce the Holistic Student Assessment (HSA), a tool that is based in our social-emotional developmental theory, The Clover Model, and designed to measure social-emotional development in children and adolescents. Using a sample of 5946 students (51% boys, M age  = 13.16 years), we provide evidence for the psychometric validity of the self-report version of the HSA. First, we document the theoretically expected 7-dimension factor structure in a calibration sub-sample (n = 984) and cross-validate its structure in a validation sub-sample (n = 4962). Next, we show measurement invariance across development, i.e., late childhood (9- to 11-year-olds), early adolescence (12- to 14-year-olds), and middle adolescence (15- to 18-year-olds), and evidence for the HSA's construct validity in each age group. The findings support the robustness of the factor structure and confirm its developmental sensitivity. Structural equation modeling validity analysis in a multiple-group framework indicates that the HSA is associated with mental health in expected directions across ages. Overall, these findings show the psychometric properties of the tool, and we discuss how social-emotional tools such as the HSA can guide future research and inform large-scale dissemination of preventive strategies.

Developing and Implementing an Assessment Technique to Measure Linked Concepts

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Ye, Li; Oueini, Razanne; Lewis, Scott E.

2015-01-01

The links students make among chemistry content is considered essential for a robust, enduring understanding in multiple learning theories. This article describes the development and implementation of an assessment technique, termed a Measure of Linked Concepts, designed to inform instructors on students' understanding of linking content…

From Clinical-Developmental Theory to Assessment: The Holistic Student Assessment Tool

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Gil Noam

2012-12-01

Full Text Available A description and test of the Holistic Student Assessment Tool (HSA, an assessment tool to measure children’s and adolescents’ resiliencies in relation to externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors. The HSA is based on the authors’ research-based clinical-developmental Clover Leaf Model of resilience and psychopathology, and is one of the first attempts at closing the gap between risk and resilience approaches in developmental assessment. The HSA was tested in a cross-sectional sample of 423 children and adolescents.The results lend support to the HSA as a valid measure of children’s and adolescents’ resiliencies. Furthermore, the resilience scales mostly exhibited the theoretically expected convergent and divergent relationships with the psychopathology scales. In addition, we show how the resilience scales predict adolescents’ externalizing and internalizing symptoms. We contend that evidence-based intervention to address youth aggression needs to be based on sounddevelopmental assessment.

A Student Assessment Tool for Standardized Patient Simulations (SAT-SPS): Psychometric analysis.

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Castro-Yuste, Cristina; García-Cabanillas, María José; Rodríguez-Cornejo, María Jesús; Carnicer-Fuentes, Concepción; Paloma-Castro, Olga; Moreno-Corral, Luis Javier

2018-05-01

The evaluation of the level of clinical competence acquired by the student is a complex process that must meet various requirements to ensure its quality. The psychometric analysis of the data collected by the assessment tools used is a fundamental aspect to guarantee the student's competence level. To conduct a psychometric analysis of an instrument which assesses clinical competence in nursing students at simulation stations with standardized patients in OSCE-format tests. The construct of clinical competence was operationalized as a set of observable and measurable behaviors, measured by the newly-created Student Assessment Tool for Standardized Patient Simulations (SAT-SPS), which was comprised of 27 items. The categories assigned to the items were 'incorrect or not performed' (0), 'acceptable' (1), and 'correct' (2). 499 nursing students. Data were collected by two independent observers during the assessment of the students' performance at a four-station OSCE with standardized patients. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the variables. The difficulty levels and floor and ceiling effects were determined for each item. Reliability was analyzed using internal consistency and inter-observer reliability. The validity analysis was performed considering face validity, content and construct validity (through exploratory factor analysis), and criterion validity. Internal reliability and inter-observer reliability were higher than 0.80. The construct validity analysis suggested a three-factor model accounting for 37.1% of the variance. These three factors were named 'Nursing process', 'Communication skills', and 'Safe practice'. A significant correlation was found between the scores obtained and the students' grades in general, as well as with the grades obtained in subjects with clinical content. The assessment tool has proven to be sufficiently reliable and valid for the assessment of the clinical competence of nursing students using standardized patients

Do Accounting Students Believe in Self-Assessment?

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Hill, Tanya

2016-01-01

In education, formal assessment focuses on summative assessment with the objective of allocating grades, limiting learning by students. Formative assessment, in the form of self-assessment, has been proposed as beneficial to student learning in various fields. This study explores the perceptions of accounting students of the self-assessment…

Student Self-Assessment and Multisource Feedback Assessment: Exploring Benefits, Limitations, and Remedies

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Taylor, Scott N.

2014-01-01

It has become common practice for management students to participate in some sort of self-assessment or multisource feedback assessment (MSF; also called 360-degree assessment or multirater assessment) during their management degree program. These assessments provide students invaluable feedback about themselves and assist students in their…

Utilizing LMS tools to help with student assessment in an online course

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Dudley B. Turner

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In online learning, feedback to students is important in their progress. Assessments are often final or summative assessments that do not allow the student to adjust or improve their learning progress. Assessment, however, takes valuable time. This paper describes how using the tools available in a LMS can assist faculty in assessing student work and provide helpful feedback to students in an online course. The tools available for faculty to use can be set up to save time for the faculty during assessments. The assignments in this study were developed based on previous research indicating assessment can be an aid to student learning, and students who know how well they are doing can make needed adjustments. Students used the feedback from these LMS tools to decide whether or not to try again or move on. Students had the opportunity for multiple attempts at assignments and received feedback on each to help measure their learning. The rubric tool was used to not only grade student papers but also to provide appropriate feedback for student performance on the levels of achievement. Quizzes can be automatically graded. Any additional attempts are drawn from a bank of questions. Results from this pilot study show the benefits of multiple attempts at quizzes and assignments. Students who took advantage of multiple attempts did improve their scores. The paper also discusses further research that to help support this practice.

Student Self-Assessment in Higher Education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D.N.M. Lew (Magdeleine)

2009-01-01

textabstractThis thesis addresses the theme of student self-assessment in higher education. Self-assessment is defined as the process by which students make judgments about their learning, particularly their learning outcomes (Boud & Falchikov, 1989; Eva et al., 2004). It functions to train students

Assessing Student Outcomes of Undergraduate Research with URSSA, the Undergraduate Student Self-Assessment Instrument

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Laursen, S. L.; Weston, T. J.; Thiry, H.

2012-12-01

URSSA is the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment, an online survey instrument for programs and departments to use in assessing the student outcomes of undergraduate research (UR). URSSA focuses on what students learn from their UR experience, rather than whether they liked it. The online questionnaire includes both multiple-choice and open-ended items that focus on students' gains from undergraduate research. These gains include skills, knowledge, deeper understanding of the intellectual and practical work of science, growth in confidence, changes in identity, and career preparation. Other items probe students' participation in important research-related activities that lead to these gains (e.g. giving presentations, having responsibility for a project). These activities, and the gains themselves, are based in research and thus constitute a core set of items. Using these items as a group helps to align a particular program assessment with research-demonstrated outcomes. Optional items may be used to probe particular features that are augment the research experience (e.g. field trips, career seminars, housing arrangements). The URSSA items are based on extensive, interview-based research and evaluation work on undergraduate research by our group and others. This grounding in research means that URSSA measures what we know to be important about the UR experience The items were tested with students, revised and re-tested. Data from a large pilot sample of over 500 students enabled statistical testing of the items' validity and reliability. Optional items about UR program elements were developed in consultation with UR program developers and leaders. The resulting instrument is flexible. Users begin with a set of core items, then customize their survey with optional items to probe students' experiences of specific program elements. The online instrument is free and easy to use, with numeric results available as raw data, summary statistics, cross-tabs, and

Predictive validity of measurements of clinical competence using the team objective structured bedside assessment (TOSBA): assessing the clinical competence of final year medical students.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Meagher, Frances M

2009-11-01

The importance of valid and reliable assessment of student competence and performance is gaining increased recognition. Provision of valid patient-based formative assessment is an increasing challenge for clinical teachers in a busy hospital setting. A formative assessment tool that reliably predicts performance in the summative setting would be of value to both students and teachers.

Knowledge of nursing undergraduate students about the use of contact precautions measures

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Julielen Salvador dos Santos

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Objective. To assess knowledge of nursing undergraduate students about the use of contact precautions. Methodology. There were 106 nursing undergraduate students from three universities within the state of Sao Paulo. The data collection was done between April and May 2012. A questionnaire was elaborated with questions assessing knowledge regarding contact precautions. The data were submitted to statistical procedures in the package MINITAB version 16. The knowledge were rated as adequate, partially adequate and inadequate. Results. There was a predominance of females (86% and age group between 20 and 29 years (70%. Regarding the definition of contact precaution of diseases in which these measures are used, undergraduate's knowledge was partially adequate (92% and 44%, respectively. The knowledge was considered adequate for the preventive measures used during assistance (86%. As difficulties mentioned in the use of these measures were discomfort, lack of material, personnel and time. Conclusion. Although undergraduate students know what measures to be used in contact precaution, they do not have adequate knowledge about which diseases they should use them. The three participating universities should reflect on the quality of training for nursing students regarding biosecurity and contact precautions.

The Assessment of School Climate: Review and Appraisal of Published Student-Report Measures

Science.gov (United States)

Ramelow, Daniela; Currie, Dorothy; Felder-Puig, Rosemarie

2015-01-01

School climate measurement is a long-standing topic in educational research. This review article provides an overview and appraisal of school climate measures published between 2003 and 2013 in scientific journals. A search for published school climate instruments for secondary school students was made in three databases. Twelve articles meeting…

Formative assessment: a student perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, D A; Guinea, A I; McCarthy, W H

1994-09-01

An educator's view would be that formative assessment has an important role in the learning process. This study was carried out to obtain a student perspective of the place of formative assessment in the curriculum. Final-year medical students at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital took part in four teaching sessions, each structured to integrate teaching with assessment. Three assessment methods were used; the group objective structured clinical examination (G-OSCE), structured short answer (SSA) questions and a pre/post-test multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ). Teaching sessions were conducted on the subject areas of traumatology, the 'acute abdomen', arterial disorders and cancer. Fifty-five students, representing 83% of those who took part in the programme, responded to a questionnaire where they were asked to rate (on a 5-point Likert scale) their response to general questions about formative assessment and 13 specific questions concerning the comparative value of the three assessment modalities. Eighty-nine per cent of respondents felt that formative assessment should be incorporated into the teaching process. The SSA assessment was regarded as the preferred modality to reinforce previous teaching and test problem-solving skills. The MCQ was the least favoured assessment method. The effect size variable between the total scores for the SSA and MCQ was 0.64. The variable between G-OSCE and SSA/MCQ was 0.26 and 0.33 respectively. Formative assessment is a potentially powerful method to direct learning behaviour. Students should have input into the methods used.

Measuring the effectiveness of pharmacology teaching in undergraduate medical students.

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Urrutia-Aguilar, Maria Esther; Martinez-Gonzalez, Adrian; Rodriguez, Rodolfo

2012-03-01

Information overload and recent curricular changes are viewed as important contributory factors to insufficient pharmacological education of medical students. This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of pharmacology teaching in our medical school. The study subjects were 455 second-year medical students, class of 2010, and 26 pharmacology teachers at the National University of Mexico Medical School. To assess pharmacological knowledge, students were required to take 3 multiple-choice exams (70 questions each) as part of their evaluation in the pharmacology course. A 30-item questionnaire was used to explore the students' opinion on teaching. Pharmacology professors evaluated themselves using a similar questionnaire. Students and teachers rated each statement on a 5-point Likert scale. The groups' exam scores ranged from 54.5% to 90.0% of correct responses, with a mean score of 77.3%. Only 73 (16%) of 455 students obtained an exam score of 90% and higher. Students' evaluations of faculty and professor self-ratings were very high (90% and 96.2%, of the maximal response, respectively). Student and professor ratings were not correlated with exam scores (r = 0.291). Our study shows that knowledge on pharmacology is incomplete in a large proportion of second-year medical students and indicates that there is an urgent need to review undergraduate training in pharmacology. The lack of relationship between the subjective ratings of teacher effectiveness and objective exam scores suggests the use of more demanding measures to assess the effectiveness of teaching.

Assessing Goal Intent and Achievement of University Learning Community Students

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Pfeffer-Lachs, Carole F.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the goal intent and achievement of university students, during the Fall 2011 semester, at Blue Wave University, a high research activity public institution in the southeast United States. This study merged theories of motivation to measure goal setting and goal attainment to examine if students who chose to…

Defining and Assessing Team Skills of Business and Accountancy Students

Science.gov (United States)

Alghalith, Nabil; Blum, Michael; Medlock, Amanda; Weber, Sandy

2004-01-01

The objectives of the project are (1) to define the skills necessary for students to work effectively with others to achieve common goals, and (2) to develop an assessment instrument to measure student progress toward achieving these skills. The defined skill set will form a basis for common expectations related to team skills that will be shared…

Improved self- and external assessment of the clinical abilities of medical students through structured improvement measures in an internal medicine bedside course

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Fünger, S. M.

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Bedside courses are of outstanding importance when training medical students. The fact that less and less teaching is taking place nowadays at the patient's bedside makes it all the more important that the available time be put to effective use. The aim of this study was to check whether structured improvement measures in the course (scripts, lecturer briefing, e-learning cases would improve the abilities of the students on the basis of a subjective self-assessment as well as an external assessment by the lecturers with respect to clinical abilities. Methods: Bedside teaching takes place in the fourth study year in the Medical Clinics of the TU Munich. Both students and lecturers had the chance to hand in an anonymous, quantitative self- and external assessment of the clinical abilities of the students (German grading system after every course date. This assessment took place online in the three categories "Medical history & examination", "Diagnosis" and "Therapy". An overall period of four semesters, each with 6 course dates, was investigated. After two of the total of four semesters in the study, the course was changed by introducing scripts, lecturer briefing as well as interactive e-learning cases. The self- and external assessment was compared both within the semester (date 1-3: A; date 4-6: B, during the course as well as before and after introducing the improvement measures ("before" (T0: SS 2012, SS 2013, "after" (T1: WS 2013/2014, SS 2014.Results: There was a significant improvement in one's own abilities on the basis of the self-assessment within each semester when comparing the first (A and the last (B course dates. Moreover, there was a significant improvement in the performances in all three categories when T0 was compared with T1, from both the point of view of the students ("Medical history & examination": T0 =2.5±0.9, T1=2.2±0.7, pp<0.001; "Diagnosis" T0=3.1±1.0, T1=2.8 ±0.9, pp<0.001; "Therapy": T0=3.8±1.3, T1

Mathematics authentic assessment on statistics learning: the case for student mini projects

Science.gov (United States)

Fauziah, D.; Mardiyana; Saputro, D. R. S.

2018-03-01

Mathematics authentic assessment is a form of meaningful measurement of student learning outcomes for the sphere of attitude, skill and knowledge in mathematics. The construction of attitude, skill and knowledge achieved through the fulfilment of tasks which involve active and creative role of the students. One type of authentic assessment is student mini projects, started from planning, data collecting, organizing, processing, analysing and presenting the data. The purpose of this research is to learn the process of using authentic assessments on statistics learning which is conducted by teachers and to discuss specifically the use of mini projects to improving students’ learning in the school of Surakarta. This research is an action research, where the data collected through the results of the assessments rubric of student mini projects. The result of data analysis shows that the average score of rubric of student mini projects result is 82 with 96% classical completeness. This study shows that the application of authentic assessment can improve students’ mathematics learning outcomes. Findings showed that teachers and students participate actively during teaching and learning process, both inside and outside of the school. Student mini projects also provide opportunities to interact with other people in the real context while collecting information and giving presentation to the community. Additionally, students are able to exceed more on the process of statistics learning using authentic assessment.

Student-generated reading questions: diagnosing student thinking with diverse formative assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Offerdahl, Erika G; Montplaisir, Lisa

2014-01-01

Formative assessment has long been identified as a critical element to teaching for conceptual development in science. It is therefore important for university instructors to have an arsenal of formative assessment tools at their disposal which enable them to effectively uncover and diagnose all students' thinking, not just the most vocal or assertive. We illustrate the utility of one type of formative assessment prompt (reading question assignment) in producing high-quality evidence of student thinking (student-generated reading questions). Specifically, we characterized student assessment data using three distinct analytic frames to exemplify their effectiveness in diagnosing student learning in relationship to three sample learning outcomes. Our data will be useful for university faculty, particularly those engaged in teaching upper-level biochemistry courses and their prerequisites, as they provide an alternative mechanism for uncovering and diagnosing student understanding. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF STUDENTS IN EXAMINATIONS: A STOCHASTIC APPROACH

OpenAIRE

Goutam Saha; GOUTAM SAHA

2013-01-01

Data on Secondary and Higher Secondary examination (science stream) results from Tripura (North-East India) schools are analyzed to measure the performance of students based on tests and also the performance measures of schools based on final results and continuous assessment processes are obtained. The result variation in terms of grade points in the Secondary and Higher Secondary examinations are analysed using different sets of performance measures. The transition probabilities from one g...

DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF BUSINESS HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF STUDENTS LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT PLAN (SLOAP

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Zoran Ivanovski

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This study presents new vision how to upgrade business higher education at the Faculty of Economics at University of Tourism and Management in Skopje (UTMS. This paper is result of analyses of best practices of leading higher education institutions as well authors experience in higher education and business education and practice. The UTMS is orientated to introduce best practices and objective standards in order to offer high-quality business education for its students. UTMS has mission for permanent implementation of quality improvement measures as a way to achieve high professional and academic standards and become part of prosperous and respective Universities. In order to achieve this goal, UTMS plan to use additional measures, outcomes assessment as a way to measure institutional effectiveness, as well as effective technique for identifying where changes and improvements are necessary. UTMS has developed Students Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan (SLOAP as a way to reach this goal.Based on permanent analysis of students needs as well as business sector suggestions about desirable level of knowledge, skills and competence of the students from Faculty of Economics, gained from conducted evaluations, UTMS decide to make additional improvement and development of business education. This process have 4 phases: 1 evaluation of students attitude towards curricula and the instructors efficiency, 2preparation of the SLOAP (Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan document, 3 implementation of two direct measures from the SLOAP through assessment analysis and action planning, and 4 monitoring changes and improvements made as a result of action planning.The first phase was completed in spring semester 2012, as well as second one with development of Comprehensive Exam and Capstone Course as direct measures. Complete SLOAP also has indirect measures like student satisfaction inventory, course evaluations, alumni, and employers’ surveys, and a

Students' Preferences in Undergraduate Mathematics Assessment

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Iannone, P.; Simpson, A.

2015-01-01

Existing research into students' preferences for assessment methods has been developed from a restricted sample: in particular, the voice of students in the 'hard-pure sciences' has rarely been heard. We conducted a mixed method study to explore mathematics students' preferences of assessment methods. In contrast to the message from the general…

The molecular biology capstone assessment: a concept assessment for upper-division molecular biology students.

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Couch, Brian A; Wood, William B; Knight, Jennifer K

2015-03-02

Measuring students' conceptual understandings has become increasingly important to biology faculty members involved in evaluating and improving departmental programs. We developed the Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment (MBCA) to gauge comprehension of fundamental concepts in molecular and cell biology and the ability to apply these concepts in novel scenarios. Targeted at graduating students, the MBCA consists of 18 multiple-true/false (T/F) questions. Each question consists of a narrative stem followed by four T/F statements, which allows a more detailed assessment of student understanding than the traditional multiple-choice format. Questions were iteratively developed with extensive faculty and student feedback, including validation through faculty reviews and response validation through student interviews. The final assessment was taken online by 504 students in upper-division courses at seven institutions. Data from this administration indicate that the MBCA has acceptable levels of internal reliability (α=0.80) and test-retest stability (r=0.93). Students achieved a wide range of scores with a 67% overall average. Performance results suggest that students have an incomplete understanding of many molecular biology concepts and continue to hold incorrect conceptions previously documented among introductory-level students. By pinpointing areas of conceptual difficulty, the MBCA can provide faculty members with guidance for improving undergraduate biology programs. © 2015 B. A. Couch et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Assessment of microbiology students' progress with an audience response system.

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Chaudhry, M Ahmad

2011-01-01

The development of new approaches to teaching of large lecture courses is needed. Today's classroom has a wide range of students including high-achieving motivated learners, students struggling to understand basic concepts, and learning-challenged students. Many of these students can be lost in large classes under the shadow of the high-achieving extroverted students who dominate classroom question-and-answer sessions. Measuring a student's understanding and achievement of content standards becomes difficult until an assessment has been done. To close this gap, an audience response system was introduced in an introductory Principles of Microbiology course. This technology specifically addressed the goal of individualizing instruction to the needs of the students. The evaluation of this project indicated an overall positive impact on student learning.

Validity of instruments to assess students' travel and pedestrian safety

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Baranowski Tom

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Safe Routes to School (SRTS programs are designed to make walking and bicycling to school safe and accessible for children. Despite their growing popularity, few validated measures exist for assessing important outcomes such as type of student transport or pedestrian safety behaviors. This research validated the SRTS school travel survey and a pedestrian safety behavior checklist. Methods Fourth grade students completed a brief written survey on how they got to school that day with set responses. Test-retest reliability was obtained 3-4 hours apart. Convergent validity of the SRTS travel survey was assessed by comparison to parents' report. For the measure of pedestrian safety behavior, 10 research assistants observed 29 students at a school intersection for completion of 8 selected pedestrian safety behaviors. Reliability was determined in two ways: correlations between the research assistants' ratings to that of the Principal Investigator (PI and intraclass correlations (ICC across research assistant ratings. Results The SRTS travel survey had high test-retest reliability (κ = 0.97, n = 96, p Conclusions These validated instruments can be used to assess SRTS programs. The pedestrian safety behavior checklist may benefit from further formative work.

Engaging with Assessment: Increasing Student Engagement through Continuous Assessment

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Holmes, Naomi

2018-01-01

Student engagement is intrinsically linked to two important metrics in learning: student satisfaction and the quality of the student experience. One of the ways that engagement can be influenced is through careful curriculum design. Using the knowledge that many students are "assessment-driven," a low-stakes continuous weekly summative…

The Appropriate Use of Student Assessments

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American Federation of Teachers (NJ), 2008

2008-01-01

Skilled teachers who assess students using high quality, relevant and timely assessments can use the results to modify, refine and individualize instruction. Student assessments should be a reflection of what is taught in the classroom. As more accountability provisions have been implemented at the national, state and district levels, the focus on…

Assessing Children's Understanding of Length Measurement: A Focus on Three Key Concepts

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Bush, Heidi

2009-01-01

In this article, the author presents three different tasks that can be used to assess students' understanding of the concept of length. Three important measurement concepts for students to understand are transitive reasoning, use of identical units, and iteration. In any teaching and learning process it is important to acknowledge students'…

The negative consequences of other students' drinking: inventory development and assessment of differences by student characteristics and risk behaviors.

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Rhodes, Scott D; McCoy, Thomas P; Omli, Morrow R; Cohen, Gail M; Wagoner, Kimberly G; Durant, Robert H; Vissman, Aaron T; Wolfson, Mark

2009-01-01

College students continue to report being disrupted by other students' alcohol use. This study was designed to develop measures to document the consequences resulting from other students' drinking and identify differences in experiencing these consequences by student characteristics and drinking behaviors. A stratified random sample of undergraduate students (N = 3,908) from ten universities in North Carolina, USA, completed a web-based assessment. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the random first split-half sample (n = 1,954) to identify factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on the remaining half sample (n = 1,954) using structural equation modeling. EFA revealed two inventories: interpersonal and community consequences of others' drinking inventories. CFA on the second split-half sample identified model fits for the two factor structure suggested by EFA. Of 3,908 participants, 78% reported experiencing one or more consequences due to others' drinking during the past 30 days. Multivariable generalized linear mixed modeling further validated the inventories and resulted in several associations. Male students who reported getting drunk experienced significantly more interpersonal consequences from others' drinking (p students, students who lived on campus and students who reported getting drunk experienced significantly more community consequences from others' drinking (p college students experience consequences from others' drinking, and consequences vary for different subgroups of students. Although these inventories should be tested further, these findings propose standardized measures that may be useful to assess the consequences of others' drinking among college students.

Measurement Model of Reasoning Skills among Science Students Based on Socio Scientific Issues (SSI

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MOHD AFIFI BAHURUDIN SETAMBAH

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The lack of reasoning skills has been recognized as one of the contributing factors to the declined achievement in the Trends in Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA assessments in Malaysia. The use of socio-scientific issues (SSI as a learning strategy offers the potential of improving the level of students' reasoning skills and consequently improves students’ achievement in science subjects. This study examined the development of a measurement model of reasoning skills among science students based on SSI using the analysis of moment structure (AMOS approach before going to second level to full structured equation modelling (SEM. A total of 450 respondents were selected using a stratified random sampling. Results showed a modified measurement model of reasoning skills consisting of the View Knowledge (VK was as a main construct. The items that measure the level of pre-reflection of students fulfilled the elements of unidimensionality, validity, and reliability. Although the level of student reasoning skills was still low but this development of measurement model could be identified and proposed teaching methods that could be adopted to improve students’ reasoning skills.

An international comparison study of pharmacy students' achievement goals and their relationship to assessment type and scores.

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Alrakaf, Saleh; Anderson, Claire; Coulman, Sion A; John, Dai N; Tordoff, June; Sainsbury, Erica; Rose, Grenville; Smith, Lorraine

2015-04-25

To identify pharmacy students' preferred achievement goals in a multi-national undergraduate population, to investigate achievement goal preferences across comparable degree programs, and to identify relationships between achievement goals, academic performance, and assessment type. The Achievement Goal Questionnaire was administered to second year students in 4 universities in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Wales. Academic performance was measured using total scores, multiple-choice questions, and written answers (short essay). Four hundred eighty-six second year students participated. Students showed an overall preference for the mastery-approach goal orientation across all sites. The predicted relationships between goal orientation and multiple-choice questions, and written answers scores, were significant. This study is the first of its kind to examine pharmacy students' achievement goals at a multi-national level and to differentiate between assessment type and measures of achievement motivation. Students adopting a mastery-approach goal are more likely to gain high scores in assessments that measure understanding and depth of knowledge.

The Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment: A Concept Assessment for Upper-Division Molecular Biology Students

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Couch, Brian A.; Wood, William B.; Knight, Jennifer K.

2015-01-01

Measuring students' conceptual understandings has become increasingly important to biology faculty members involved in evaluating and improving departmental programs. We developed the Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment (MBCA) to gauge comprehension of fundamental concepts in molecular and cell biology and the ability to apply these concepts in…

Adolescent Student Burnout Inventory in Mainland China: Measurement Invariance across Gender and Educational Track

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Li, Bi; Wu, Yan; Wen, Zhonglin; Wang, Mengcheng

2014-01-01

This article assessed the measurement in variance of the Adolescent Student Burnout Inventory (ASBI) across gender and educational track, and investigated the main and interaction effects of gender and educational track on the facets of student burnout with a sample consisting of 2,216 adolescent students from China. Multigroup confirmatory factor…

Using cloud-based mobile technology for assessment of competencies among medical students.

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Ferenchick, Gary S; Solomon, David

2013-01-01

Valid, direct observation of medical student competency in clinical settings remains challenging and limits the opportunity to promote performance-based student advancement. The rationale for direct observation is to ascertain that students have acquired the core clinical competencies needed to care for patients. Too often student observation results in highly variable evaluations which are skewed by factors other than the student's actual performance. Among the barriers to effective direct observation and assessment include the lack of effective tools and strategies for assuring that transparent standards are used for judging clinical competency in authentic clinical settings. We developed a web-based content management system under the name, Just in Time Medicine (JIT), to address many of these issues. The goals of JIT were fourfold: First, to create a self-service interface allowing faculty with average computing skills to author customizable content and criterion-based assessment tools displayable on internet enabled devices, including mobile devices; second, to create an assessment and feedback tool capable of capturing learner progress related to hundreds of clinical skills; third, to enable easy access and utilization of these tools by faculty for learner assessment in authentic clinical settings as a means of just in time faculty development; fourth, to create a permanent record of the trainees' observed skills useful for both learner and program evaluation. From July 2010 through October 2012, we implemented a JIT enabled clinical evaluation exercise (CEX) among 367 third year internal medicine students. Observers (attending physicians and residents) performed CEX assessments using JIT to guide and document their observations, record their time observing and providing feedback to the students, and their overall satisfaction. Inter-rater reliability and validity were assessed with 17 observers who viewed six videotaped student-patient encounters and by

Beyond Student Learning Outcomes: Developing Comprehensive, Strategic Assessment Plans for Advising Programmes

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McClellan, Jeffrey L.

2011-01-01

This article argues that while the importance of assessment in academic advising is clear and the current emphasis on defining and measuring student learning outcomes represents an essential component of any comprehensive advising assessment plan, an even more comprehensive understanding of programme assessment is needed. Drawing upon business…

A Dual Pathway of Student Motivation: Combining an Implicit and Explicit Measure of Student Motivation

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Hornstra, Lisette; Kamsteeg, Antoinette; Pot, Sara; Verheij, Lydia

2018-01-01

Abundant research in social psychology shows human behaviour is guided by beliefs through two pathways, a deliberate and automatic pathway. Research on student motivation has thus far focused mostly on the deliberate pathway and consequently almost exclusively relied on explicit measures (i.e. self-reports of motivation) to assess student…

Employing Picture Description to Assess the Students' Descriptive Paragraph Writing

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Ida Ayu Mega Cahyani

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Writing is considered as an important skill in learning process which is needed to be mastered by the students. However, in teaching learning process at schools or universities, the assessment of writing skill is not becoming the focus of learning process and the assessment is administered inappropriately. In this present study, the researcher undertook the study which dealt with assessing descriptive paragraph writing ability of the students through picture description by employing an ex post facto as the research design. The present study was intended to answer the research problem dealing with the extent of the students’ achievement of descriptive paragraph writing ability which is assessed through picture description. The samples under the study were 40 students determined by means of random sampling technique with lottery system. The data were collected through administering picture description as the research instrument. The obtained data were analyzed by using norm-reference measure of five standard values. The results of the data analysis showed that there were 67.50% samples of the study were successful in writing descriptive paragraph, while there were 32.50% samples were unsuccessful in writing descriptive paragraph which was assessed by administering picture description test

Variation in Students' Conceptions of Self-Assessment and Standards

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Heng Kiat Kelvin Tan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of a phenomenographic study on the different ways that secondary students understood and utilized student self-assessment and how various ego types could affect the accuracy of self-assessment. The study sought to contribute to the growing literature which recognizes the critical role that students play in assessment processes, and in particular the different roles that they assume in student self-assessment. The results of the study provide insights into how different students experience self-assessment by articulating the variation in the perception and purposes of assessing one's own learning. This variation is depicted as a hierarchy of logically related students' conceptions of self-assessment.

Assessing medical students' self-regulation as aptitude in computer-based learning.

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Song, Hyuksoon S; Kalet, Adina L; Plass, Jan L

2011-03-01

We developed a Self-Regulation Measure for Computer-based learning (SRMC) tailored toward medical students, by modifying Zimmerman's Self-Regulated Learning Interview Schedule (SRLIS) for K-12 learners. The SRMC's reliability and validity were examined in 2 studies. In Study 1, 109 first-year medical students were asked to complete the SRMC. Bivariate correlation analysis results indicated that the SRMC scores had a moderate degree of correlation with student achievement in a teacher-developed test. In Study 2, 58 third-year clerkship students completed the SRMC. Regression analysis results indicated that the frequency of medical students' usage of self-regulation strategies was associated with their general clinical knowledge measured by a nationally standardized licensing exam. These two studies provided evidence for the reliability and concurrent validity of the SRMC to assess medical students' self-regulation as aptitude. Future work should provide evidence to guide and improve instructional design as well as inform educational policy.

Development of the Flame Test Concept Inventory: Measuring Student Thinking about Atomic Emission

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Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Murata Mayo, Ana Vasquez

2018-01-01

This study reports the development of a 19-item Flame Test Concept Inventory, an assessment tool to measure students' understanding of atomic emission. Fifty-two students enrolled in secondary and postsecondary chemistry courses were interviewed about atomic emission and explicitly asked to explain flame test demonstrations and energy level…

Using cloud-based mobile technology for assessment of competencies among medical students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary S. Ferenchick

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Valid, direct observation of medical student competency in clinical settings remains challenging and limits the opportunity to promote performance-based student advancement. The rationale for direct observation is to ascertain that students have acquired the core clinical competencies needed to care for patients. Too often student observation results in highly variable evaluations which are skewed by factors other than the student’s actual performance. Among the barriers to effective direct observation and assessment include the lack of effective tools and strategies for assuring that transparent standards are used for judging clinical competency in authentic clinical settings. We developed a web-based content management system under the name, Just in Time Medicine (JIT, to address many of these issues. The goals of JIT were fourfold: First, to create a self-service interface allowing faculty with average computing skills to author customizable content and criterion-based assessment tools displayable on internet enabled devices, including mobile devices; second, to create an assessment and feedback tool capable of capturing learner progress related to hundreds of clinical skills; third, to enable easy access and utilization of these tools by faculty for learner assessment in authentic clinical settings as a means of just in time faculty development; fourth, to create a permanent record of the trainees’ observed skills useful for both learner and program evaluation. From July 2010 through October 2012, we implemented a JIT enabled clinical evaluation exercise (CEX among 367 third year internal medicine students. Observers (attending physicians and residents performed CEX assessments using JIT to guide and document their observations, record their time observing and providing feedback to the students, and their overall satisfaction. Inter-rater reliability and validity were assessed with 17 observers who viewed six videotaped student

Alternative Student Growth Measures for Teacher Evaluation: Implementation Experiences of Early-Adopting Districts. REL 2015-093

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McCullough, Moira; English, Brittany; Angus, Megan Hague; Gill, Brian

2015-01-01

Alternative student growth measures for teacher evaluation: Implementation experiences of early-adopting districts: State requirements to include student achievement growth in teacher evaluations are prompting the development of alternative ways to measure growth in grades and subjects not covered by state assessments. These alternative growth…

Students' Perceptions of Assessment in Undergraduate Mathematics

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Iannone, Paola; Simpson, Adrian

2013-01-01

A consistent message emerges from research on undergraduate students' perceptions of assessment which describes traditional assessment as detrimental to learning. However this literature has not included students in the pure sciences. Mathematics education literature advocates the introduction of innovative assessment at university. In this…

EFFECT OF USING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT TO IMPROVE SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS LEARNING PHYSICS IN HIGH SCHOOL

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Gede Wartawan Putu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the effect of portfolio assessment in teaching physics and scientific attitude. The research was conducted on students of high school in Singaraja. Research was an quasi- experimental study by using “The Posttest-Only Control Group Design”. The research involved 152 high school students of class X of science as samples, taken with multistage random sampling technique. Portfolio assessment was integrated with physics learning. The implementation of the portfolio assessment included four key elements such as the students' work folders, clear assessment criteria, and self-assessment, and conference between teacher and students. The data needed in this research was the students' scientific attitude which included the aspect of curiosity, respect for evidence, the willingness to change ideas, and critical reflection. Data needed in this research included scientific attitudes students. A Likert scale instrument was used to measure the scientific attitude students. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with SPSS 20.0 at significance level α = 0.05. The results showed there are differences in the scientific attitude students who take physics learning with assessment portfolios and students who take physics learning with assessment of conventional. The findings of this study indicate that portfolio assessment in learning physics significantly affect the scientific attitude students.

Assessment Training Effects on Student Assessment Skills and Task Performance in a Technology-Facilitated Peer Assessment

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Liu, Xiongyi; Li, Lan

2014-01-01

This study examines the impact of an assessment training module on student assessment skills and task performance in a technology-facilitated peer assessment. Seventy-eight undergraduate students participated in the study. The participants completed an assessment training exercise, prior to engaging in peer-assessment activities. During the…

Process Skill Assessment Instrument: Innovation to measure student’s learning result holistically

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Azizah, K. N.; Ibrahim, M.; Widodo, W.

2018-01-01

Science process skills (SPS) are very important skills for students. However, the fact that SPS is not being main concern in the primary school learning is undeniable. This research aimed to develop a valid, practical, and effective assessment instrument to measure student’s SPS. Assessment instruments comprise of worksheet and test. This development research used one group pre-test post-test design. Data were obtained with validation, observation, and test method to investigate validity, practicality, and the effectivenss of the instruments. Results showed that the validity of assessment instruments is very valid, the reliability is categorized as reliable, student SPS activities have a high percentage, and there is significant improvement on student’s SPS score. It can be concluded that assessment instruments of SPS are valid, practical, and effective to be used to measure student’s SPS result.

Results of a study assessing teaching methods of faculty after measuring student learning style preference.

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Stirling, Bridget V

2017-08-01

Learning style preference impacts how well groups of students respond to their curricula. Faculty have many choices in the methods for delivering nursing content, as well as assessing students. The purpose was to develop knowledge around how faculty delivered curricula content, and then considering these findings in the context of the students learning style preference. Following an in-service on teaching and learning styles, faculty completed surveys on their methods of teaching and the proportion of time teaching, using each learning style (visual, aural, read/write and kinesthetic). This study took place at the College of Nursing a large all-female university in Saudi Arabia. 24 female nursing faculty volunteered to participate in the project. A cross-sectional design was used. Faculty reported teaching using mostly methods that were kinesthetic and visual, although lecture was also popular (aural). Students preferred kinesthetic and aural learning methods. Read/write was the least preferred by students and the least used method of teaching by faculty. Faculty used visual methods about one third of the time, although they were not preferred by the students. Students' preferred learning style (kinesthetic) was the method most used by faculty. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Student Engagement in Assessments: What Students and Teachers Find Engaging

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Bae, Soung; Kokka, Kari

2016-01-01

Although research has shown that student engagement is strongly related to performance on assessment tasks, especially for traditionally underserved subgroups of students, increasing student engagement has not been the goal of standardized tests of content knowledge. Recent state and federal policies, however, are changing the assessment…

Empowering Student Learning Through Rubric-Referenced Self-Assessment*

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He, Xiaohua; Canty, Anne

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rubric-referenced self-assessment on performance of anatomy assignments in a group of chiropractic students. Methods: Participants (N = 259) were first-quarter students who were divided into a treatment group (n = 130) and a comparison group (n = 129). The intervention for both groups involved the use of rubrics to complete the first draft of assignments. General feedback was given by the instructor, and then the students had the opportunity to amend the assignments before resubmission (second draft). The treatment group, however, was also asked to perform rubric-referenced self-assessment of their assignments during their second draft. Although the comparison group was also provided with the identical rubrics for the assignments, the students in this group did not perform rubric-referenced self-assessment. Results: The results revealed that the students in the treatment group who used a rubric-referenced self-assessment learning tool received statistically significant higher scores than the comparison group, who did not use this rubric-referenced self-assessment tool. Conclusion: This study suggests that practicing rubric-referenced self-assessment enhances student performance on assignments. However, educators continue to face the challenge of developing practical and useful rubric tools for student self-assessment PMID:22778527

Quality Assurance of Distance Education: Multiple Assessment Measures Used in a Business, Career, and Technical Education Department

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Dr. Elizabeth HODGE

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Quality Assurance of Distance Education: Multiple Assessment Measures Used in a Business, Career, and Technical Education Department Assistant Professor Dr. Shelia TUCKER East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA Assistant Professor Dr. Elizabeth HODGE East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA ABSTRACT Educational institutions are being encouraged by accrediting agencies to move beyond the traditional measures of success such as satisfaction surveys from students, employers, and alumni. They stress the use of a variety of measurement tools to audit students’ work. Thus, this study will seek to identify multiple assessment strategies that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of distance education courses within an entire degree program. Comparisons of three courses being taught simultaneously on line and in the classroom were made. There were no significant differences noted in student outcomes assessments. Additionally, the same assessment measures used for SACS for the traditional classroom were equated with the distance education classes for those in the field of Family and Consumer Sciences, Business Education, the BE/ME program, the MAEd program in Technical teaching, and Information Technologies. No significant differences were noted in student outcomes assessments.

Developing a Measurement Tool for Assessing Physiotherapy Students' Self-Efficacy: A Pilot Study

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Jones, Anne; Sheppard, Lorraine

2012-01-01

The aim of this research was to determine if self-efficacy can be correlated with prior academic achievement and whether self-efficacy can be an outcome measure of education. A self-efficacy instrument was developed and administered to physiotherapy students following completion of their pre-clinical theory experience. The questionnaire results…

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure as a Measure of Self-Esteem

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Timko, C. Alix; England, Erica L.; Herbert, James D.; Forman, Evan M.

2010-01-01

Two studies were conducted to pilot the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) in measuring attitudes toward the self: one related to body image specifically and another assessing the broader construct of self-esteem. Study 1 utilized the IRAP with female college students to examine self-referential beliefs regarding body image. Results…

Factors influencing medical students' self-assessment of examination performance accuracy: A United Arab Emirates study.

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Shaban, Sami; Aburawi, Elhadi H; Elzubeir, Khalifa; Elango, Sambandam; El-Zubeir, Margaret

2016-01-01

Assessment of one's academic capabilities is essential to being an effective, self-directed, life-long learner. The primary objective of this study was to analyze self-assessment accuracy of medical students attending the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, by examining their ability to assess their own performance on an MCQ examination. 1 st and 2 nd year medical students (n = 235) self-assessed pre and post-examination performance were compared with objectively measured scores (actual examination performance). Associations between accuracy of score prediction (pre and post assessment), and students' gender, year of education, perceived preparation, confidence and anxiety were also determined. Expected mark correlated significantly with objectively assessed marks (r = 0.407; P self-assessment accuracy. Findings reinforce existing evidence indicating that medical students are poor self-assessors. There are potentially multiple explanations for misjudgment of this multidimensional construct that require further investigation and change in learning cultures. The study offers clear targets for change aimed at optimizing self-assessment capabilities.

EFFECT OF USING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT TO IMPROVE SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE OF STUDENTS LEARNING PHYSICS IN HIGH SCHOOL

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putu wartawan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to investigate the effect of portfolio assessment in teaching physics and scientific attitude. The research was conducted on students of high school  in Singaraja. Research was an  quasi- experimental study by using  “The Posttest-Only Control Group Design”.  The research involved 152 high school students of class X of science as samples, taken with multistage random sampling technique. Portfolio assessment was integrated with physics learning. The implementation of the portfolio assessment included four key elements such as the students' work folders, clear assessment criteria, and self-assessment, and conference between teacher and students.  The data needed in this research was the students' scientific attitude which included the aspect of curiosity, respect for evidence, the willingness to change ideas, and critical reflection. Data needed in this research included scientific attitudes students.  A Likert scale instrument was used to measure the scientific attitude students.  Data were analyzed using  analysis of variance with SPSS 20.0 at significance level a = 0.05. The results showed there are differences in the scientific attitude students who take physics learning with assessment portfolios and students who take physics learning with assessment of conventional.  The findings of this study indicate that portfolio assessment in learning physics significantly affect the scientific attitude students.

Student´s self-assessment of clinical competence and objective clinical performance in OSCE evaluation

OpenAIRE

Jünger, J; Schellberg, D; Nikendei, C

2006-01-01

[english] Overestimating one's clinical competence can be dangerous to patient's safety. Therefore the goal of this study was to identify students with high confidence in their own clinical competence but low performance in objective assessment. 171 students in the 14 week course in internal medicine completed the clinical skills-related self-assessment expectations (SE) and were tested in a 12 station OSCE. Both measures were obtained within three days. In total we identified 16% of students...

Subjective and Objective Assessment of Mathematics Anxiety Levels among College Students

OpenAIRE

Baloğlu, Mustafa

2015-01-01

The study investigated the relationship between college students’ subjective and objective assessment of mathematics anxiety levels. Students rated their general and current mathematics anxiety levels, mathematical ability levels, and confidence in doing mathematics. The Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale was used as an objective measure of their mathematics anxiety levels. Participants were 559 students, 406 (72.6%) women and 151 (27.0%) men. Results showed that perceived general mathe...

Systemic Assessment as a New Tool for Assessing Students ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Systemic Assessment as a New Tool for Assessing Students Learning in Chemistry using SATL Methods: Systemic Matching, Systemic Synthesis, Systemic Analysis, Systemic Synthetic – Analytic, as Systemic Question Types.

Automated Assessment of Medical Students' Clinical Exposures according to AAMC Geriatric Competencies.

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Chen, Yukun; Wrenn, Jesse; Xu, Hua; Spickard, Anderson; Habermann, Ralf; Powers, James; Denny, Joshua C

2014-01-01

Competence is essential for health care professionals. Current methods to assess competency, however, do not efficiently capture medical students' experience. In this preliminary study, we used machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to identify geriatric competency exposures from students' clinical notes. The system applied NLP to generate the concepts and related features from notes. We extracted a refined list of concepts associated with corresponding competencies. This system was evaluated through 10-fold cross validation for six geriatric competency domains: "medication management (MedMgmt)", "cognitive and behavioral disorders (CBD)", "falls, balance, gait disorders (Falls)", "self-care capacity (SCC)", "palliative care (PC)", "hospital care for elders (HCE)" - each an American Association of Medical Colleges competency for medical students. The systems could accurately assess MedMgmt, SCC, HCE, and Falls competencies with F-measures of 0.94, 0.86, 0.85, and 0.84, respectively, but did not attain good performance for PC and CBD (0.69 and 0.62 in F-measure, respectively).

Peer/Self Assessment and Student Learning

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Ndoye, Abdou

2017-01-01

Effective and durable learning achievements can result from students' engagement in their own learning. This study explored students' perceptions of the mechanisms and processes through which peer and self-assessment can contribute to their learning. More specifically, the study investigated students' perceived ways in which peer and…

Assessing a Holistic Trait and Factor Approach to Career Development of College Students.

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Johnson, Patrick; Nichols, Cassandra N.; Buboltz, Walter C., Jr.; Riedesel, Brian

2002-01-01

To assess the impact of a holistic career and life planning course on college students, the authors asked 209 students in treatment and control groups to complete measures of career development. Results indicate that the course significantly increases vocational identity and career decision-making self-efficacy and decreases career indecision.…

Interpreting Assessments of Student Learning in the Introductory Physics Classroom and Laboratory

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Dowd, Jason Edward

Assessment is the primary means of feedback between students and instructors. However, to effectively use assessment, the ability to interpret collected information is essential. We present insights into three unique, important avenues of assessment in the physics classroom and laboratory. First, we examine students' performance on conceptual surveys. The goal of this research project is to better utilize the information collected by instructors when they administer the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) to students as a pre-test and post-test of their conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics. We find that ambiguities in the use of the normalized gain, g, may influence comparisons among individual classes. Therefore, we propose using stratagrams, graphical summaries of the fraction of students who exhibit "Newtonian thinking," as a clearer, more informative method of both assessing a single class and comparing performance among classes. Next, we examine students' expressions of confusion when they initially encounter new material. The goal of this research project is to better understand what such confusion actually conveys to instructors about students' performance and engagement. We investigate the relationship between students' self-assessment of their confusion over material and their performance, confidence in reasoning, pre-course self-efficacy and several other measurable characteristics of engagement. We find that students' expressions of confusion are negatively related to initial performance, confidence and self-efficacy, but positively related to final performance when all factors are considered together. Finally, we examine students' exhibition of scientific reasoning abilities in the instructional laboratory. The goal of this research project is to explore two inquiry-based curricula, each of which proposes a different degree of scaffolding. Students engage in sequences of these laboratory activities during one semester of an introductory physics

Assessing Student Achievement in Physical Education for Teacher Evaluation

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Mercier, Kevin; Doolittle, Sarah

2013-01-01

While many teachers continue to ignore the practice of assessing student achievement in physical education, recent federal pressures to include student assessment data in teacher evaluation systems has shown that assessment of student outcomes is here to stay. Though there is a strong tradition of assessing teacher practice in physical education,…

Final assessment of nursing students in clinical practice: Perspectives of nursing teachers, students and mentors.

Science.gov (United States)

Helminen, Kristiina; Johnson, Martin; Isoaho, Hannu; Turunen, Hannele; Tossavainen, Kerttu

2017-12-01

To describe the phenomenon of final assessment of the clinical practice of nursing students and to examine whether there were differences in assessments by the students and their teachers and mentors. Final assessment of students in clinical practice during their education has great importance for ensuring that enough high-quality nursing students are trained, as assessment tasks affect what the nursing student learns during the clinical practice. This study used descriptive, cross-sectional design. The population of this study comprised nursing students (n = 276) and their teachers (n = 108) in five universities of applied sciences in Finland as well as mentors (n = 225) who came from five partner hospitals. A questionnaire developed for this study contained questions about background variables as well as structured questions scored on a four-point scale, which also allowed the respondents to provide additional comments. When comparing the results related to nursing teachers' presence in the final assessment situation, it was found that teachers and mentors evaluated this as being carried out more often than nursing students suggested. Nursing students noted that fair and consistent assessment is carried out more often than nursing teachers thought. Mentors and teachers said that honest and direct criteria-based final assessment was carried out more often than nursing students evaluated. Nursing students and mentors need support from educational institutions and from nursing teachers in order to ensure the completion of a relevant assessment process. The findings of this study highlight an awareness of final assessment process. It is desirable to have a common understanding, for example, of how the assessment should be managed and what the assessment criteria are, as this will ensure a good quality process. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Content and Alignment of State Writing Standards and Assessments as Predictors of Student Writing Achievement: An Analysis of 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress Data

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Troia, Gary A.; Olinghouse, Natalie G.; Zhang, Mingcai; Wilson, Joshua; Stewart, Kelly A.; Mo, Ya; Hawkins, Lisa

2018-01-01

We examined the degree to which content of states' writing standards and assessments (using measures of content range, frequency, balance, and cognitive complexity) and their alignment were related to student writing achievement on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), while controlling for student, school, and state…

Student Generated Rubrics: An Assessment Model To Help All Students Succeed. Assessment Bookshelf Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Ainsworth, Larry; Christinson, Jan

The assessment model described in this guide was initially developed by a team of fifth-grade teachers who wrote objectives of integrating social studies and language arts. It helps the teacher guide students to create a task-specific rubric that they use to evaluate their own and peers' work. Teachers review the student evaluations, determine the…

Systemic Assessment as a new tool for assessing students learning ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Systemic Assessment [SA] has been shown to be highly effective new tool in raising the level of students academic achievements, improve their ability to learn by enhancing the process of teaching and learning, and converts students from surface to deep learning. It also allow teacher to monitor students learning ...

Lessons Learned about Instruction from Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in College and Career Ready Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Heritage, Margaret; Lazarus, Sheryl S.

2016-01-01

The new large-scale assessments rolled out by consortia and states are designed to measure student achievement of rigorous college- and career-ready (CCR) standards. Recent surveys of teachers in several states indicate that students with disabilities like many features of the new assessments, but that there also are challenges. This Brief was…

The Australian Medical Schools Assessment Collaboration: benchmarking the preclinical performance of medical students.

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O'Mara, Deborah A; Canny, Ben J; Rothnie, Imogene P; Wilson, Ian G; Barnard, John; Davies, Llewelyn

2015-02-02

To report the level of participation of medical schools in the Australian Medical Schools Assessment Collaboration (AMSAC); and to measure differences in student performance related to medical school characteristics and implementation methods. Retrospective analysis of data using the Rasch statistical model to correct for missing data and variability in item difficulty. Linear model analysis of variance was used to assess differences in student performance. 6401 preclinical students from 13 medical schools that participated in AMSAC from 2011 to 2013. Rasch estimates of preclinical basic and clinical science knowledge. Representation of Australian medical schools and students in AMSAC more than doubled between 2009 and 2013. In 2013 it included 12 of 19 medical schools and 68% of medical students. Graduate-entry students scored higher than students entering straight from school. Students at large schools scored higher than students at small schools. Although the significance level was high (P performance. The effect on performance of multiple assessments compared with the test items as part of a single end-of-year examination was negligible. The variables investigated explain only 12% of the total variation in student performance. An increasing number of medical schools are participating in AMSAC to monitor student performance in preclinical sciences against an external benchmark. Medical school characteristics account for only a small part of overall variation in student performance. Student performance was not affected by the different methods of administering test items.

Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment of Performance in an Interprofessional Error Disclosure Simulation Training Program.

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Poirier, Therese I; Pailden, Junvie; Jhala, Ray; Ronald, Katie; Wilhelm, Miranda; Fan, Jingyang

2017-04-01

Objectives. To conduct a prospective evaluation for effectiveness of an error disclosure assessment tool and video recordings to enhance student learning and metacognitive skills while assessing the IPEC competencies. Design. The instruments for assessing performance (planning, communication, process, and team dynamics) in interprofessional error disclosure were developed. Student self-assessment of performance before and after viewing the recordings of their encounters were obtained. Faculty used a similar instrument to conduct real-time assessments. An instrument to assess achievement of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies was developed. Qualitative data was reviewed to determine student and faculty perceptions of the simulation. Assessment. The interprofessional simulation training involved a total of 233 students (50 dental, 109 nursing and 74 pharmacy). Use of video recordings made a significant difference in student self-assessment for communication and process categories of error disclosure. No differences in student self-assessments were noted among the different professions. There were differences among the family member affects for planning and communication for both pre-video and post-video data. There were significant differences between student self-assessment and faculty assessment for all paired comparisons, except communication in student post-video self-assessment. Students' perceptions of achievement of the IPEC core competencies were positive. Conclusion. The use of assessment instruments and video recordings may have enhanced students' metacognitive skills for assessing performance in interprofessional error disclosure. The simulation training was effective in enhancing perceptions on achievement of IPEC core competencies. This enhanced assessment process appeared to enhance learning about the skills needed for interprofessional error disclosure.

Student perceptions of assessment and student self-efficacy in competence-based education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dinther, van M.; Dochy, F.; Segers, M.; Braeken, J.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the interplay between student perceptions of competence-based assessment and student self-efficacy, and how this influences student learning outcomes. Results reveal that student perceptions of the form authenticity aspect and the quality

Student Voices in School-Based Assessment

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Tong, Siu Yin Annie; Adamson, Bob

2015-01-01

The value of student voices in dialogues about learning improvement is acknowledged in the literature. This paper examines how the views of students regarding School-based Assessment (SBA), a significant shift in examination policy and practice in secondary schools in Hong Kong, have largely been ignored. The study captures student voices through…

Assessment of Student Learning in Modern Experiments in the Introductory Calculus-Based Physics Labs

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Woodahl, Brian; Ross, John; Lang, Sarah; Scott, Derek; Williams, Jeremy

2010-10-01

With the advent of newer microelectronic sensors it's now possible to modernize introductory physics labs with the latest technology and this may allow for enhanced student participation/learning in the experiments. For example, force plate sensors can digitize and record the force on an object, later it can be analyzed in detail (i.e, impulse from force vs. time). Small 3-axis accelerometers can record 3-dim, time-dependent acceleration of objects undergoing complex motions. These devices are small, fairly easy to use, and importantly, are likely to enhance student learning by ``personalizing'' data collection, i.e. making the student an active part of the measurement process and no longer a passive observer. To assess whether these new high-tech labs enhance student learning, we have implemented pre- and post- test sessions to measure the effectiveness of student learning. Four of our calculus-based lab sections were used: Two sections the control group, using the previous ``old technology'' labs, the other two, the experimental group, using the new ``modern technology'' labs. Initial returns of assessment data offer some surprising insight.

Development of an Instrument for Measuring Student Satisfaction in Business Educational Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihai-Florin Băcilă

2014-08-01

Full Text Available As the number of prospective students decreases and competition intensifies, student satisfaction should be a core element of the universities` marketing strategy. Students` satisfaction is influenced by the degree to which higher education institutions meet or exceed their expectations. Higher education managers in general and business higher education managers in particular need to determine the students` level of satisfaction in order to assess their performance. This, however, is difficult to achieve because satisfaction is an abstract concept and no clear consensus exists over its definition and measurement. Although, on account of education`s complexity and peculiarities, the investigation of satisfaction with educational services has been laborious, the literature review reveals a growing number of papers dealing with this issue. These papers consider the factors affecting satisfaction mostly as individual coefficients and ignore the latent relationships between constructs. However, since the determinants of partial student satisfaction simultaneously manifest in the overall satisfaction, it may be considered that an individual approach to them, would partially cover the issue being studied. For this reason, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model for measuring student satisfaction with business education services, a model which should be approached holistically and whose latent structure should be taken into account. The proposed measurement tool, based on the study of the literature, was tested on the students of a business educational institution and the results confirm the goodness-of-fit, reliability and validity of the model. The developed tool encompasses a number of factors that allow the assessment of student satisfaction with a wide range of services provided by business education institutions and relate to: educational process (syllabus, training of teaching staff, examination policy, administrative staff, admission

Preservice music teachers' predictions, perceptions, and assessment of students with special needs: the need for training in student assessment.

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VanWeelden, Kimberly; Whipple, Jennifer

2007-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine preservice teachers' predictions and perceptions of students with special needs' levels of mastery of specific music education concepts and actual grades achieved by these students using alternative assessments and testing accommodations within two subpopulations: students with emotional and/or behavior disorders (EDBD) and students with acute cognitive delays (ACD). The preservice teachers predicted students within the EDBD class would achieve a significantly higher level of mastery of the music concepts than students within the ACD classroom. After the field experience, however, the preservice teachers' perceptions of all students' levels of mastery increased from prediction scores overall. Additionally, preservice teachers were able to execute testing accommodations and implement successful alternative assessments which gave empirical data on the students' levels of mastery of the music education concepts within the curriculum. Implications for music therapists, as consultants in special education, are discussed.

From the Margins to the Spotlight: Diverse Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student Populations and Standardized Assessment Accessibility.

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Cawthon, Stephanie

2015-01-01

Designing assessments and tests is one of the more challenging aspects of creating an accessible learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), particularly for deaf students with a disability (DWD). Standardized assessments are a key mechanism by which the educational system in the United States measures student progress, teacher effectiveness, and the impact of school reform. The diversity of student characteristics within DHH and DWD populations is only now becoming visible in the research literature relating to standardized assessments and their use in large-scale accountability reforms. The purpose of this article is to explore the theoretical frameworks surrounding assessment policy and practice, current research related to standardized assessment and students who are DHH and DWD, and potential implications for practice within both the assessment and instruction contexts.

Use of Multi-Response Format Test in the Assessment of Medical Students' Critical Thinking Ability.

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Mafinejad, Mahboobeh Khabaz; Arabshahi, Seyyed Kamran Soltani; Monajemi, Alireza; Jalili, Mohammad; Soltani, Akbar; Rasouli, Javad

2017-09-01

To evaluate students critical thinking skills effectively, change in assessment practices is must. The assessment of a student's ability to think critically is a constant challenge, and yet there is considerable debate on the best assessment method. There is evidence that the intrinsic nature of open and closed-ended response questions is to measure separate cognitive abilities. To assess critical thinking ability of medical students by using multi-response format of assessment. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of 159 undergraduate third-year medical students. All the participants completed the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) consisting of 34 multiple-choice questions to measure general critical thinking skills and a researcher-developed test that combines open and closed-ended questions. A researcher-developed 48-question exam, consisting of 8 short-answers and 5 essay questions, 19 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ), and 16 True-False (TF) questions, was used to measure critical thinking skills. Correlation analyses were performed using Pearson's coefficient to explore the association between the total scores of tests and subtests. One hundred and fifty-nine students participated in this study. The sample comprised 81 females (51%) and 78 males (49%) with an age range of 20±2.8 years (mean 21.2 years). The response rate was 64.1%. A significant positive correlation was found between types of questions and critical thinking scores, of which the correlations of MCQ (r=0.82) and essay questions (r=0.77) were strongest. The significant positive correlations between multi-response format test and CCTST's subscales were seen in analysis, evaluation, inference and inductive reasoning. Unlike CCTST subscales, multi-response format test have weak correlation with CCTST total score (r=0.45, p=0.06). This study highlights the importance of considering multi-response format test in the assessment of critical thinking abilities of medical

Peer Assessment with Online Tools to Improve Student Modeling

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Atkins, Leslie J.

2012-11-01

Introductory physics courses often require students to develop precise models of phenomena and represent these with diagrams, including free-body diagrams, light-ray diagrams, and maps of field lines. Instructors expect that students will adopt a certain rigor and precision when constructing these diagrams, but we want that rigor and precision to be an aid to sense-making rather than meeting seemingly arbitrary requirements set by the instructor. By giving students the authority to develop their own models and establish requirements for their diagrams, the sense that these are arbitrary requirements diminishes and students are more likely to see modeling as a sense-making activity. The practice of peer assessment can help students take ownership; however, it can be difficult for instructors to manage. Furthermore, it is not without risk: students can be reluctant to critique their peers, they may view this as the job of the instructor, and there is no guarantee that students will employ greater rigor and precision as a result of peer assessment. In this article, we describe one approach for peer assessment that can establish norms for diagrams in a way that is student driven, where students retain agency and authority in assessing and improving their work. We show that such an approach does indeed improve students' diagrams and abilities to assess their own work, without sacrificing students' authority and agency.

The effects of formative assessment on student self-regulation, motivational beliefs, and achievement in elementary science

Science.gov (United States)

King, Melissa Digennaro

Goals 2000 set forth a bold vision for U.S. students: they would be "first in the world in science and mathematics" by the year 2000. Performance indicators such as the TIMSS-R (1999) and NAEP (2000) reports suggest that U.S. students have not yet reached that goal. This study intended to learn how specific assessment strategies might contribute to improved student performance in science. This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of formative assessment with reflection on students' motivational beliefs, self-regulatory skills, and achievement in elementary science. The study aimed to find out whether and how classroom applications of formative assessment during science instruction might influence fifth-grade students' attitudes and self-perceptions about science learning, self-regulatory learning behaviors, and achievement. To explore the effects of the assessment intervention, the study utilized a mixed methods approach involving quantitative and qualitative investigations of treatment and control groups during a four-week intervention period. Quantitative measures included student self-report surveys administered pre- and post-treatment and an end-of-unit science test. Qualitative measures included classroom observations, student interviews (post-treatment), and a teacher interview (post-treatment). Findings indicated that the fifth-grade students in this study had positive attitudes toward science and high levels of self-efficacy for science. Results suggested that these elementary students employed a wide variety of cognitive and metacognitive strategies to support science learning. Findings revealed that these fifth graders believed formative assessment with reflection was beneficial for science learning outcomes. Research results did not show that the formative assessment intervention contributed to significant differences between treatment and control groups. However, the data revealed different levels of academic achievement and self

Contribution of continuous assessment to student learning in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study seeks to find out whether continuous assessment contributes to students' performance mathematics. The objectives of this study were to find out whether; Students see continuous assessment as a motivating factor in their learning, there is any workload involved in filling of continuous assessment termly, ...

Predictive validity of the personal qualities assessment for selection of medical students in Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowell, Jon; Lumsden, Mary Ann; Powis, David; Munro, Don; Bore, Miles; Makubate, Boikanyo; Kumwenda, Ben

2011-01-01

The Personal Qualities Assessment (PQA) was developed to enhance medical student selection by measuring a range of non-cognitive attributes in the applicants to medical school. Applicants to the five Scottish medical schools were invited to pilot the test in 2001 and 2002. To evaluate the predictive validity of PQA for selecting medical students. A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in which PQA scores were compared with senior year medical school performance. Consent to access performance markers was obtained from 626 students (61.6% of 1017 entrants in 2002-2003). Linkable Foundation Year (4th) rankings were available for 411 (66%) students and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) rankings for 335 (54%) of those consenting. Both samples were representative of the original cohort. No significant correlations were detected between separate elements of the PQA assessment and student performance. However, using the algorithm advocated by Powis et al. those defined as 'non-extreme' (libertarian-communitarian moral orientation scales were ranked higher in OSCEs (average of 7.5% or 25 out of 335, p = 0.049). This study was limited by high attrition and basic outcome markers which are insensitive to relevant non-cognitive characteristics. However, it is the largest currently available study of predictive validity for the PQA assessment. There was one finding of significance: that those students who were identified by PQA as 'not extreme' on the two personal characteristics scales performed better in an OSCE measure of professionalism. Futures studies are required since psychometric testing for both cognitive and non-cognitive attributes are increasingly used in admission process and these should include more and better measures of professionalism against which to correlate non-cognitive traits.

Assessing medical students' perceptions of patient safety: the medical student safety attitudes and professionalism survey.

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Liao, Joshua M; Etchegaray, Jason M; Williams, S Tyler; Berger, David H; Bell, Sigall K; Thomas, Eric J

2014-02-01

To develop and test the psychometric properties of a survey to measure students' perceptions about patient safety as observed on clinical rotations. In 2012, the authors surveyed 367 graduating fourth-year medical students at three U.S. MD-granting medical schools. They assessed the survey's reliability and construct and concurrent validity. They examined correlations between students' perceptions of organizational cultural factors, organizational patient safety measures, and students' intended safety behaviors. They also calculated percent positive scores for cultural factors. Two hundred twenty-eight students (62%) responded. Analyses identified five cultural factors (teamwork culture, safety culture, error disclosure culture, experiences with professionalism, and comfort expressing professional concerns) that had construct validity, concurrent validity, and good reliability (Cronbach alphas > 0.70). Across schools, percent positive scores for safety culture ranged from 28% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13%-43%) to 64% (30%-98%), while those for teamwork culture ranged from 47% (32%-62%) to 74% (66%-81%). They were low for error disclosure culture (range: 10% [0%-20%] to 27% [20%-35%]), experiences with professionalism (range: 7% [0%-15%] to 23% [16%-30%]), and comfort expressing professional concerns (range: 17% [5%-29%] to 38% [8%-69%]). Each cultural factor correlated positively with perceptions of overall patient safety as observed in clinical rotations (r = 0.37-0.69, P safety behavioral intent item. This study provided initial evidence for the survey's reliability and validity and illustrated its applicability for determining whether students' clinical experiences exemplify positive patient safety environments.

Sample Heterogeneity and the Measurement Structure of the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Sawatzky, Richard; Ratner, Pamela A.; Johnson, Joy L.; Kopec, Jacek A.; Zumbo, Bruno D.

2009-01-01

Several measurement assumptions were examined with the goal of assessing the validity of the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS), a measure of adolescents' satisfaction with their family, friends, living environment, school, self, and general quality of life. The data were obtained via a cross-sectional survey of 8,225…

Improving Students' Understanding of Quantum Measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Guangtian; Singh, Chandralekha

2010-01-01

We describe the difficulties advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with quantum measurement. To reduce these difficulties, we have developed research-based learning tools such as the Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) and peer instruction tools. A preliminary evaluation shows that these learning tools are effective in improving students' understanding of concepts related to quantum measurement.

Measurement procedure to assess exposure to extremely low-frequency fields: A primary school case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso, A.; Bahillo, A.; De la Rosa, R.; Carrera, A.; Duran, R. J.; Fernandez, P.

2012-01-01

How to correctly measure the exposure of general public to extremely low-frequency (ELF) radiation is a key issue for ELF epidemiological studies. This paper proposes a measurement procedure to accurately assess the exposure of people to electric and magnetic field in the frequency band from 5 Hz to 100 kHz in buildings and their premises. As ELF radiation could be particularly harmful to children, the measurement procedure is focused on exposure to ELF in schools. Thus, the students' exposure to ELF fields can be assessed by correlating the ELF measurements to the hours of school activity. In this paper, the measurement protocol was applied to study the ELF exposure on students from Garcia Quintana primary school in Valladolid, Spain. The campaign of measurements for ELF exposure assessment in this primary school was of great interest for the Regional Council of Public Health because of the social alarm generated by the presence of a significant number cancer cases in children. (authors)

Assessing computer skills in Tanzanian medical students: an elective experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melvin Rob

2004-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background One estimate suggests that by 2010 more than 30% of a physician's time will be spent using information technology tools. The aim of this study is to assess the information and communication technologies (ICT skills of medical students in Tanzania. We also report a pilot intervention of peer mentoring training in ICT by medical students from the UK tutoring students in Tanzania. Methods Design: Cross sectional study and pilot intervention study. Participants: Fourth year medical students (n = 92 attending Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Main outcome measures: Self-reported assessment of competence on ICT-related topics and ability to perform specific ICT tasks. Further information related to frequency of computer use (hours per week, years of computer use, reasons for use and access to computers. Skills at specific tasks were reassessed for 12 students following 4 to 6 hours of peer mentoring training. Results The highest levels of competence in generic ICT areas were for email, Internet and file management. For other skills such as word processing most respondents reported low levels of competence. The abilities to perform specific ICT skills were low – less than 60% of the participants were able to perform the core specific skills assessed. A period of approximately 5 hours of peer mentoring training produced an approximate doubling of competence scores for these skills. Conclusion Our study has found a low level of ability to use ICT facilities among medical students in a leading university in sub-Saharan Africa. A pilot scheme utilising UK elective students to tutor basic skills showed potential. Attention is required to develop interventions that can improve ICT skills, as well as computer access, in order to bridge the digital divide.

Efficiency in Assessment: Can Trained Student Interns Rate Essays as Well as Faculty Members?

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Tracy L.; Cochran, Loretta F.; Troboy, L. Kim; Roach, David W.

2012-01-01

What are the most efficient and effective methods in measuring outcomes for assurance of learning in higher education? This study examines the merits of outsourcing part of the assessment workload by comparing ratings completed by trained student interns to ratings completed by faculty. Faculty evaluation of students' written work samples provides…

Dental students' self-assessment of operative preparations using CAD/CAM: a preliminary analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mays, Keith A; Levine, Eric

2014-12-01

The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)'s accreditation standards for dental schools state that "graduates must demonstrate the ability to self-assess." Therefore, dental schools have developed preclinical and clinical self-assessment (SA) protocols aimed at fostering a reflective process. This study comparing students' visual SA with students' digital SA and with faculty assessment was designed to test the hypothesis that higher agreement would occur when utilizing a digital evaluation. Twenty-five first-year dental students at one dental school participated by preparing a mesial occlusal preparation on tooth #30 and performing both types of SAs. A faculty evaluation was then performed both visually and digitally using the same evaluation criteria. The Kappa statistic was used to measure agreement between evaluators. The results showed statistically significant moderate agreement between the faculty visual and faculty digital modes of evaluation for occlusal shape (K=0.507, p=0.002), proximal shape (K=0.564, p=0.001), orientation (K=0.425, p=0.001), and definition (K=0.480, p=0.001). There was slight to poor agreement between the student visual and faculty visual assessment, except for preparation orientation occlusal shape (K=0.164, p=0.022), proximal shape (K=-0.227, p=0.032), orientation (K=0.253, p=0.041), and definition (K=-0.027, p=0.824). This study showed that the students had challenges in self-assessing even when using CAD/CAM and the digital assessment did not improve the amount of student/faculty agreement.

Using the Rasch measurement model to design a report writing assessment instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Wayne R

2013-01-01

This paper describes how the Rasch measurement model was used to develop an assessment instrument designed to measure student ability to write law enforcement incident and investigative reports. The ability to write reports is a requirement of all law enforcement recruits in the state of Michigan and is a part of the state's mandatory basic training curriculum, which is promulgated by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES). Recently, MCOLES conducted research to modernize its training and testing in the area of report writing. A structured validation process was used, which included: a) an examination of the job tasks of a patrol officer, b) input from content experts, c) a review of the professional research, and d) the creation of an instrument to measure student competency. The Rasch model addressed several measurement principles that were central to construct validity, which were particularly useful for assessing student performances. Based on the results of the report writing validation project, the state established a legitimate connectivity between the report writing standard and the essential job functions of a patrol officer in Michigan. The project also produced an authentic instrument for measuring minimum levels of report writing competency, which generated results that are valid for inferences of student ability. Ultimately, the state of Michigan must ensure the safety of its citizens by licensing only those patrol officers who possess a minimum level of core competency. Maintaining the validity and reliability of both the training and testing processes can ensure that the system for producing such candidates functions as intended.

Introducing a design exigency to promote student learning through assessment: A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Grealish, Laurie A; Shaw, Julie M

2018-02-01

Assessment technologies are often used to classify student and newly qualified nurse performance as 'pass' or 'fail', with little attention to how these decisions are achieved. Examining the design exigencies of classification technologies, such as performance assessment technologies, provides opportunities to explore flexibility and change in the process of using those technologies. Evaluate an established assessment technology for nursing performance as a classification system. A case study analysis that is focused on the assessment approach and a priori design exigencies of performance assessment technology, in this case the Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016. Nurse assessors are required to draw upon their expertise to judge performance, but that judgement is described as a source of bias, creating confusion. The definition of satisfactory performance is 'ready to enter practice'. To pass, the performance on each criterion must be at least satisfactory, indicating to the student that no further improvement is required. The Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016 does not have a third 'other' category, which is usually found in classification systems. Introducing a 'not yet competent' category and creating a two-part, mixed methods assessment process can improve the Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016 assessment technology. Using a standards approach in the first part, judgement is valued and can generate learning opportunities across a program. Using a measurement approach in the second part, student performance can be 'not yet competent' but still meet criteria for year level performance and a graded pass. Subjecting the Australian Nursing Standards Assessment Tool 2016 assessment technology to analysis as a classification system provides opportunities for innovation in design. This design innovation has the potential to support students who move between programs and clinicians who assess students from different

Impact of self-assessment by students on their learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Rajeev; Jain, Amit; Gupta, Naveenta; Garg, Sonia; Batta, Meenal; Dhir, Shashi Kant

2016-01-01

Tutor assessment is sometimes also considered as an exercise of power by the assessor over assesses. Student self-assessment is the process by which the students gather information about and reflect on their own learning and is considered to be a very important component of learning. The primary objective of this study was to analyze the impact of self-assessment by undergraduate medical students on their subsequent academic performance. The secondary objective was to obtain the perception of students and faculty about self-assessment as a tool for enhanced learning. The study was based on the evaluation of two theory tests consisting of both essay type and short answer questions, administered to students of the 1(st) year MBBS (n = 89). They self-assessed their performance after 3 days of the first test followed by marking of faculty and feedback. Then, a nonidentical theory test on the same topic with the same difficulty level was conducted after 7 days and assessed by the teachers. The feedback about the perception of students and faculty about this intervention was obtained. Significant improvement in the academic performance after the process of self-assessment was observed (P academic performance, helping them in development of critical skills for analysis of their own work.

Assessing the Learning Environment for Medical Students: An Evaluation of a Novel Survey Instrument in Four Medical Schools.

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Pololi, Linda H; Evans, Arthur T; Nickell, Leslie; Reboli, Annette C; Coplit, Lisa D; Stuber, Margaret L; Vasiliou, Vasilia; Civian, Janet T; Brennan, Robert T

2017-06-01

A practical, reliable, and valid instrument is needed to measure the impact of the learning environment on medical students' well-being and educational experience and to meet medical school accreditation requirements. From 2012 to 2015, medical students were surveyed at the end of their first, second, and third year of studies at four medical schools. The survey assessed students' perceptions of the following nine dimensions of the school culture: vitality, self-efficacy, institutional support, relationships/inclusion, values alignment, ethical/moral distress, work-life integration, gender equity, and ethnic minority equity. The internal reliability of each of the nine dimensions was measured. Construct validity was evaluated by assessing relationships predicted by our conceptual model and prior research. Assessment was made of whether the measurements were sensitive to differences over time and across institutions. Six hundred and eighty-six students completed the survey (49 % women; 9 % underrepresented minorities), with a response rate of 89 % (range over the student cohorts 72-100 %). Internal consistency of each dimension was high (Cronbach's α 0.71-0.86). The instrument was able to detect significant differences in the learning environment across institutions and over time. Construct validity was supported by demonstrating several relationships predicted by our conceptual model. The C-Change Medical Student Survey is a practical, reliable, and valid instrument for assessing the learning environment of medical students. Because it is sensitive to changes over time and differences across institution, results could potentially be used to facilitate and monitor improvements in the learning environment of medical students.

From Log Files to Assessment Metrics: Measuring Students' Science Inquiry Skills Using Educational Data Mining

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Gobert, Janice D.; Sao Pedro, Michael; Raziuddin, Juelaila; Baker, Ryan S.

2013-01-01

We present a method for assessing science inquiry performance, specifically for the inquiry skill of designing and conducting experiments, using educational data mining on students' log data from online microworlds in the Inq-ITS system (Inquiry Intelligent Tutoring System; www.inq-its.org). In our approach, we use a 2-step process: First we use…

Using a Corporate Code of Ethics to Assess Students' Ethicality: Implications for Business Education

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Persons, Obeua

2009-01-01

The author used a corporate code of ethics as a roadmap to create 18 scenarios for assessing business students' ethicality as measured by their behavioral intention. Using a logistic regression analysis, the author also examined 8 factors that could potentially influence students' ethicality. Results indicate 6 scenarios related to 5 areas of the…

Challenges in assessing college students' conception of duality: the case of infinity

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Babarinsa-Ochiedike, Grace Olutayo

Interpreting students' views of infinity posits a challenge for researchers due to the dynamic nature of the conception. There is diversity and variation among students' process-object perceptions. The fluctuations between students' views however reveal an undeveloped duality conception. This study examined college students' conception of duality in understanding and representing infinity with the intent to design strategies that could guide researchers in categorizing students' views of infinity into different levels. Data for the study were collected from N=238 college students enrolled in Calculus sequence courses (Pre-Calculus, Calculus I through Calculus III) at one of the southwestern universities in the U.S. using self-report questionnaires and semi-structured individual task-based interviews. Data was triangulated using multiple measures analyzed by three independent experts using self-designed coding sheets to assess students' externalization of the duality conception of infinity. Results of this study reveal that college students' experiences in traditional Calculus sequence courses are not supportive of the development of duality conception. On the contrary, it strengthens the singularity perspective on fundamental ideas of mathematics such as infinity. The study also found that coding and assessing college students' conception of duality is a challenging and complex process due to the dynamic nature of the conception that is task-dependent and context-dependent. Practical significance of the study is that it helps to recognize misconceptions and starts addressing them so students will have a more comprehensive view of fundamental mathematical ideas as they progress through the Calculus coursework sequence. The developed duality concept development framework called Action-Process-Object-Duality (APOD) adapted from the APOS theory could guide educators and researchers as they engage in assessing students' conception of duality. The results of this study

Assessing undergraduate nursing students in clinical practice: do preceptors use assessment strategies?

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McCarthy, Bridie; Murphy, Siobhan

2008-04-01

Health care organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and An Bord Altranais (ABA, The Irish Nursing Registration Board) demand higher standards of new graduate nurses than heretofore. This is in conjunction with the implementation of degree programmes for undergraduate nurse education. These organisations stipulate that graduates must be well-educated, accountable, and can demonstrate the skills of a safe, caring and competent decision-making practitioner. The Bachelor of Science (BSc) four-year degree programme for undergraduate nurse education was introduced in Ireland in 2002, and is provided in universities and colleges of higher education throughout The Republic of Ireland. During the implementation process, each university and college of higher education developed a range of assessment strategies to clinically assess students. Preceptor nurses were subsequently assigned the responsibility of clinically assessing students, a remit previously undertaken by Clinical Ward/Unit Nurse Managers. Preceptors are qualified nurses, working in clinical units who are specially prepared to support BSc students during clinical placements. The purpose of this study was to explore to what extent preceptor nurses use the devised assessment strategies to clinically assess BSc students in one university in The Republic of Ireland. Data were collected by using a questionnaire distributed to all known preceptors in General, Psychiatric and Intellectual Disability nursing, during year four of the first cycle of the BSc programme. Findings from this descriptive study revealed that many preceptors were inexperienced, did not fully comprehend the assessment process and were not applying all of the recommended assessment strategies when assessing students in clinical practice. In light of these findings suggestions are made in the context of further research, management and education.

Validity of instruments to assess students' travel and pedestrian safety.

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Mendoza, Jason A; Watson, Kathy; Baranowski, Tom; Nicklas, Theresa A; Uscanga, Doris K; Hanfling, Marcus J

2010-05-18

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are designed to make walking and bicycling to school safe and accessible for children. Despite their growing popularity, few validated measures exist for assessing important outcomes such as type of student transport or pedestrian safety behaviors. This research validated the SRTS school travel survey and a pedestrian safety behavior checklist. Fourth grade students completed a brief written survey on how they got to school that day with set responses. Test-retest reliability was obtained 3-4 hours apart. Convergent validity of the SRTS travel survey was assessed by comparison to parents' report. For the measure of pedestrian safety behavior, 10 research assistants observed 29 students at a school intersection for completion of 8 selected pedestrian safety behaviors. Reliability was determined in two ways: correlations between the research assistants' ratings to that of the Principal Investigator (PI) and intraclass correlations (ICC) across research assistant ratings. The SRTS travel survey had high test-retest reliability (kappa = 0.97, n = 96, p < 0.001) and convergent validity (kappa = 0.87, n = 81, p < 0.001). The pedestrian safety behavior checklist had moderate reliability across research assistants' ratings (ICC = 0.48) and moderate correlation with the PI (r = 0.55, p = < 0.01). When two raters simultaneously used the instrument, the ICC increased to 0.65. Overall percent agreement (91%), sensitivity (85%) and specificity (83%) were acceptable. These validated instruments can be used to assess SRTS programs. The pedestrian safety behavior checklist may benefit from further formative work.

Implementing Self-Assessment in Singapore Primary Schools: Effects on Students' Perceptions of Self-Assessment

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Wong, Hwei Ming

2017-01-01

Student academic self-assessment engages the students in deliberate reflection about what they are learning and how they are learning it. This intervention study investigated the effects of self-assessment training on students' perceptions towards self-assessment in two Singaporean primary schools. The study, which used a pretest-posttest design,…

Assessment succession of student's goes in for basketball.

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Temchenko V.A.

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The questions of working out of the criteria for assessment the results of students by subject "Physical education" (basketball section are considered. The article focuses on variants of assessing the results physical training employment of the students under the credit and module system. It is set that at the choice of type of sport (or directions motive activity about 40% students of basic separation are given by a preference the playing types of sport. From this number 12% choose basket-ball. Norms in special physical training are given. It's emphasized that there is no common system of assessment the results of students; the model of sectional form of physical training is worked out not enough.

Team-based assessment of professional behavior in medical students.

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Raee, Hojat; Amini, Mitra; Momen Nasab, Ameneh; Malek Pour, Abdolrasoul; Jafari, Mohammad Morad

2014-07-01

Self and peer assessment provides important information about the individual's performance and behavior in all aspects of their professional environment work. The aim of this study is to evaluate the professional behavior and performance in medical students in the form of team based assessment. In a cross-sectional study, 100 medical students in the 7(th) year of education were randomly selected and enrolled; for each student five questionnaires were filled out, including one self-assessment, two peer assessments and two residents assessment. The scoring system of the questionnaires was based on seven point Likert scale.  After filling out the questions in the questionnaire, numerical data and written comments provided to the students were collected, analyzed and discussed. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the questionnaires was assessed. A p<0.05 was considered as significant level. Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha 0.83). Interviews revealed that the majority of students and assessors interviewed found the method acceptable. The range of scores was 1-6 (Mean±SD=4.39±0.57) for the residents' assessment, 2-6 (Mean±SD= 4.49±0.53) for peer assessment, and 3-7 (Mean±SD=5.04±0.32) for self-assessment. There was a significant difference between self assessment and other methods of assessment. This study demonstrates that a team-based assessment is an acceptable and feasible method for peer and self-assessment of medical students' learning in a clinical clerkship, and has some advantages over traditional assessment methods. Further studies are needed to focus on the strengths and weaknesses.

Education research: case logs in the assessment of medical students in the neurology outpatient clinic.

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Albert, Dara V; Brorson, James R; Amidei, Christina; Lukas, Rimas V

2014-04-22

Using outpatient neurology clinic case logs completed by medical students on neurology clerkships, we examined the impact of outpatient clinical encounter volume per student on outcomes of knowledge assessed by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Clinical Neurology Subject Examination and clinical skills assessed by the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Data from 394 medical students from July 2008 to June 2012, representing 9,791 patient encounters, were analyzed retrospectively. Pearson correlations were calculated examining the relationship between numbers of cases logged per student and performance on the NBME examination. Similarly, correlations between cases logged and performance on the OSCE, as well as on components of the OSCE (history, physical examination, clinical formulation), were evaluated. There was a correlation between the total number of cases logged per student and NBME examination scores (r = 0.142; p = 0.005) and OSCE scores (r = 0.136; p = 0.007). Total number of cases correlated with the clinical formulation component of the OSCE (r = 0.172; p = 0.001) but not the performance on history or physical examination components. The volume of cases logged by individual students in the outpatient clinic correlates with performance on measures of knowledge and clinical skill. In measurement of clinical skill, seeing a greater volume of patients in the outpatient clinic is related to improved clinical formulation on the OSCE. These findings may affect methods employed in assessment of medical students, residents, and fellows.

Assessing Pharmacy Students’ Ability to Accurately Measure Blood Pressure Using a Blood Pressure Simulator Arm

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Bryant, Ginelle A.; Haack, Sally L.; North, Andrew M.

2013-01-01

Objective. To compare student accuracy in measuring normal and high blood pressures using a simulator arm. Methods. In this prospective, single-blind, study involving third-year pharmacy students, simulator arms were programmed with prespecified normal and high blood pressures. Students measured preset normal and high diastolic and systolic blood pressure using a crossover design. Results. One hundred sixteen students completed both blood pressure measurements. There was a significant difference between the accuracy of high systolic blood pressure (HSBP) measurement and normal systolic blood pressure (NSBP) measurement (mean HSBP difference 8.4 ± 10.9 mmHg vs NSBP 3.6 ± 6.4 mmHg; pdifference between the accuracy of high diastolic blood pressure (HDBP) measurement and normal diastolic blood pressure (NDBP) measurement (mean HDBP difference 6.8 ± 9.6 mmHg vs. mean NDBP difference 4.6 ± 4.5 mmHg; p=0.089). Conclusions. Pharmacy students may need additional instruction and experience with taking high blood pressure measurements to ensure they are able to accurately assess this important vital sign. PMID:23788809

Assessing students' conceptual knowledge of electricity and magnetism

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McColgan, Michele W.; Finn, Rose A.; Broder, Darren L.; Hassel, George E.

2017-12-01

We present the Electricity and Magnetism Conceptual Assessment (EMCA), a new assessment aligned with second-semester introductory physics courses. Topics covered include electrostatics, electric fields, circuits, magnetism, and induction. We have two motives for writing a new assessment. First, we find other assessments such as the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment and the Conceptual Survey on Electricity and Magnetism not well aligned with the topics and content depth of our courses. We want to test introductory physics content at a level appropriate for our students. Second, we want the assessment to yield scores and gains comparable to the widely used Force Concept Inventory (FCI). After five testing and revision cycles, the assessment was finalized in early 2015 and is available online. We present performance results for a cohort of 225 students at Siena College who were enrolled in our algebra- and calculus-based physics courses during the spring 2015 and 2016 semesters. We provide pretest, post-test, and gain analyses, as well as individual question and whole test statistics to quantify difficulty and reliability. In addition, we compare EMCA and FCI scores and gains, and we find that students' FCI scores are strongly correlated with their performance on the EMCA. Finally, the assessment was piloted in an algebra-based physics course at George Washington University (GWU). We present performance results for a cohort of 130 GWU students and we find that their EMCA scores are comparable to the scores of students in our calculus-based physics course.

Measures of Wellness in Young Adult College Students: An Integrative Review.

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Nair, Julie McCulloh

2018-04-01

Wellness behaviors typically form during the college years, making wellness evaluation crucial during this time frame. Instruments often assess health rather than wellness. Thus, the purpose of this integrative review is to identify and evaluate instruments measuring wellness among young adult college students. Google Scholar, CINAHL, PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ERIC, and other databases were searched yielding 350 studies initially. Seven studies met inclusion criteria and were retained for this review. Reliability and validity is reported in each study with ongoing analysis. Homogeneous samples were reported in each study, and administering concurrent instruments created feasibility issues. A summary of instruments measuring wellness in young adult college students is provided. However, few wellness instruments exist in this population. Thus, further development is needed.

Comparison of pharmacy students' perceived and actual knowledge using the Pharmacy Curricular Outcomes Assessment.

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Naughton, Cynthia A; Friesner, Daniel L

2012-05-10

To determine whether a correlation exists between third-year PharmD students' perceived pharmacy knowledge and actual pharmacy knowledge as assessed by the Pharmacy Curricular Outcomes Assessment (PCOA). In 2010 and 2011, the PCOA was administered in a low-stakes environment to third-year pharmacy students at North Dakota State University College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences (COPNAS). A survey instrument was also administered on which students self-assessed their perceived competencies in each of the core areas covered by the PCOA examination. The pharmacy students rated their competencies slightly higher than average. Performance on the PCOA was similar to but slightly higher than national averages. Correlations between each of the 4 content areas (basic biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, social/administrative sciences, and clinical sciences) mirrored those reported nationally by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). Student performance on the basic biomedical sciences portion of the PCOA was significantly correlated with students' perceived competencies in the biomedical sciences. No other correlations between actual and perceived competencies were significant. A lack of correlation exists between what students perceive they know and what they actually know in the areas of pharmaceutical science; social, behavioral, and administrative science; and clinical science. Therefore, additional standardized measures are needed to assess curricular effectiveness and provide comparisons among pharmacy programs.

Pharmacy curriculum outcomes assessment for individual student assessment and curricular evaluation.

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Scott, Day M; Bennett, Lunawati L; Ferrill, Mary J; Brown, Daniel L

2010-12-15

The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a standardized examination for assessing academic progress of pharmacy students. Although no other national benchmarking tool is available on a national level, the PCOA has not been adopted by all colleges and schools of pharmacy. Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) compared 2008-2010 PCOA results of its P1, P2, and P3 students to their current grade point average (GPA) and to results of a national cohort. The reliability coefficient of PCOA was 0.91, 0.90, and 0.93 for the 3 years, respectively. PBAU results showed a positive correlation between GPA and PCOA scale score. A comparison of subtopic results helped to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. PCOA provides useful comparative data that can facilitate individual student assessment as well as programmatic evaluation. There are no other standardized assessment tools available. Despite limitations, PCOA warrants consideration by colleges and schools of pharmacy. Expanded participation could enhance its utility as a meaningful benchmark.

The Effects of Autonomy Support on Student Engagement in Peer Assessment

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Yuan, Jiangmei; Kim, ChanMin

2018-01-01

Although peer assessment is widely implemented in higher education, not all students are highly engaged in it. To enhance student engagement in peer assessment, we designed and developed a web-based tool, autonomy-supportive peer assessment (ASPA), to support students' need for autonomy when they conducted peer assessment. Students' sense of…

Development and Validation of an Exploratory Measure to Assess Student Coping: The Student Coping Scale

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Boujut, Emile

2013-01-01

Students is a very specific population according to their manner to cope with stress. A coping questionnaire for students was developed and administered to 1100 French students at the beginning of the term (T1). Principal Component Analysis of responses, followed by varimax rotations, yielded three factors accounting for 50.5% of the total…

The Measurement of Students' Achievement in Teaching Primary School Fifth Year Mathematics Classes

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Doganay, Ahmet; Bal, Ayten Pinar

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate students' and teachers' point of views about preparing measurement tools used in mathematics classes, the level of learning that these tools are intended to measure, how often they are used and how they are scored in terms of assessing 5th grade primary school mathematic courses. The population of the study…

Students' performance in the different clinical skills assessed in OSCE: what does it reveal?

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Sim, Joong Hiong; Abdul Aziz, Yang Faridah; Mansor, Azura; Vijayananthan, Anushya; Foong, Chan Choong; Vadivelu, Jamuna

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare students' performance in the different clinical skills (CSs) assessed in the objective structured clinical examination. Data for this study were obtained from final year medical students' exit examination (n=185). Retrospective analysis of data was conducted using SPSS. Means for the six CSs assessed across the 16 stations were computed and compared. Means for history taking, physical examination, communication skills, clinical reasoning skills (CRSs), procedural skills (PSs), and professionalism were 6.25±1.29, 6.39±1.36, 6.34±0.98, 5.86±0.99, 6.59±1.08, and 6.28±1.02, respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA showed there was a significant difference in the means of the six CSs assessed [F(2.980, 548.332)=20.253, pskill to be acquired by medical students before entering the workplace. Despite its challenges, students must learn the skills of clinical reasoning, while clinical teachers should facilitate the clinical reasoning process and guide students' clinical reasoning development.

Peer assessment of individual contributions to a group project: Student perceptions

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Kench, Peter L.; Field, Nikki; Agudera, Maila; Gill, Margo

2009-01-01

Group work has many benefits for a student's professional development but it is difficult to determine the individual contributions to the group assessment tasks. Peer assessment of an individual's contribution to group work can be used to encourage student participation. It is important that the method of peer assessment is fair and that the students' submissions be treated confidentially. A model for peer assessment of individual contributions to the group assessment is described. Students who did not participate adequately in the group were penalised resulting in a reduced individual grade. Perceptions of the peer assessment method are reported for students enrolled (n = 169) in the subject 'Medical Radiations Project'. The questionnaire showed a positive student response towards the peer assessment model.

The Cooperative Classroom Environment Measure (CCEM): Refining a Measure That Assesses Factors Motivating Student Prosociality

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Premo, Joshua; Cavagnetto, Andy; Lamb, Richard

2018-01-01

A classroom's social environment and student dispositions towards social interaction together exert a substantial influence on academic outcomes. The strength of this effect is highlighted by research showing the positive effect of cooperative learning on student achievement, but can also be seen in the contribution that student social…

M-OSCE as a method to measure dental hygiene students' critical thinking: a pilot study.

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McComas, Martha J; Wright, Rebecca A; Mann, Nancy K; Cooper, Mary D; Jacks, Mary E

2013-04-01

Educators in all academic disciplines have been encouraged to utilize assessment strategies to evaluate students' critical thinking. The purpose of this study was to assess the viability of the modified objective structured clinical examination (m-OSCE) to evaluate critical thinking in dental hygiene education. This evaluation utilized a convenience sample of senior dental hygiene students. Students participated in the m-OSCE in which portions of a patient case were revealed at four stations. The exam consisted of multiple-choice questions intended to measure students' ability to utilize critical thinking skills. Additionally, there was one fill-in-the-blank question and a treatment plan that was completed at the fifth station. The results of this study revealed that the m-OSCE did not reliably measure dental hygiene students' critical thinking. Statistical analysis found no satisfactory reliability within the multiple-choice questions and moderately reliable results within the treatment planning portion of the examination. In addition, the item analysis found gaps in students' abilities to transfer clinical evidence/data to basic biomedical knowledge as demonstrated through the multiple-choice questioning results. This outcome warrants further investigation of the utility of the m-OSCE, with a focus on modifications to the evaluation questions, grading rubric, and patient case.

Assessing Student Behaviors and Motivation for Actively Learning Biology

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Moore, Michael Edward

Vision and Change states that one of the major changes in the way we design biology courses should be a switch in approach from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning and identifies active learning as a recommended methods. Studies show performance benefits for students taking courses that use active learning. What is unknown is why active learning is such an effective instructional tool and the limits of this instructional method’s ability to influence performance. This dissertation builds a case in three steps for why active learning is an effective instructional tool. In step one, I assessed the influence of different types of active learning (clickers, group activities, and whole class discussions) on student engagement behavior in one semester of two different introductory biology courses and found that active learning positively influenced student engagement behavior significantly more than lecture. For step two, I examined over four semesters whether student engagement behavior was a predictor of performance and found participation (engagement behavior) in the online (video watching) and in-class course activities (clicker participation) that I measure were significant predictors of performance. In the third, I assessed whether certain active learning satisfied the psychological needs that lead to students’ intrinsic motivation to participate in those activities when compared over two semesters and across two different institutions of higher learning. Findings from this last step show us that student’s perceptions of autonomy, competency, and relatedness in doing various types of active learning are significantly higher than lecture and consistent across two institutions of higher learning. Lastly, I tie everything together, discuss implications of the research, and address future directions for research on biology student motivation and behavior.

Image-Based Dietary Assessment Ability of Dietetics Students and Interns

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Erica Howes

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Image-based dietary assessment (IBDA may improve the accuracy of dietary assessments, but no formalized training currently exists for skills relating to IBDA. This study investigated nutrition and dietetics students’ and interns’ IBDA abilities, the training and experience factors that may contribute to food identification and quantification accuracy, and the perceived challenges to performing IBDA. An online survey containing images of known foods and serving sizes representing common American foods was used to assess the ability to identify foods and serving sizes. Nutrition and dietetics students and interns from the United States and Australia (n = 114 accurately identified foods 79.5% of the time. Quantification accuracy was lower, with only 38% of estimates within ±10% of the actual weight. Foods of amorphous shape or higher energy density had the highest percent error. Students expressed general difficulty with perceiving serving sizes, making IBDA food quantification more difficult. Experience cooking at home from a recipe, frequent measuring of portions, and having a food preparation or cooking laboratory class were associated with enhanced accuracy in IBDA. Future training of dietetics students should incorporate more food-based serving size training to improve quantification accuracy while performing IBDA, while advances in IBDA technology are also needed.

Measuring Creative Capacity in Gifted Students: Comparing Teacher Ratings and Student Products

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Kettler, Todd; Bower, Janessa

2017-01-01

Creativity and giftedness are frequently associated, and schools may use measures of creativity for identifying gifted and talented students. The researchers examined three aspects of elementary student creativity: (a) the relationship between a teacher's rating of student creativity and rubric-scored student writing samples, (b) group differences…

The Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS-62): Acceptance, feasibility, and initial psychometric properties in a UK student population.

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Broglia, Emma; Millings, Abigail; Barkham, Michael

2017-09-01

The burden and severity of student mental health continue to increase in parallel with increasing financial pressures on students and services alike. There is a need for a student-specific measure of distress that acknowledges their unique context. This study examined the feasibility, acceptance, and initial psychometric properties of a US measure, the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS), in a UK student sample. A sample of 294 UK help-seeking students from two universities completed the CCAPS-62 and Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-10) as a comparator. The factor solution and reliability of the CCAPS-62 were examined. Correlations and clinical boundaries were determined between the CCAPS-62 subscales and CORE-10, and comparisons were made with US published norms. The CCAPS-62 demonstrated a strong factor solution that matched the intended subscales. All subscales had good reliability and correlated significantly with the CORE-10. The agreement on caseness between the two measures was 92.8% with 86.3% reaching clinical threshold on both the CCAPS-62 and CORE-10. Severity was most noticeable for academic distress, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. Compared to US data, UK students showed higher clinical severity for all psychological symptoms. The CCAPS-62 is a reliable and psychometrically valid assessment measure to use with UK students without revision. The overall distress indicated is similar to that of the CORE-10, but the individual subscales are more informative of specific student concerns including academic distress, social anxiety, and substance abuse. Potential benefits of administering a student-focused assessment measure in student counselling services are discussed. University students attending counselling in the UK demonstrate clinical severity for academic distress, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. Compared to university students in the US, UK students present with higher clinical severity on

Use of the Attribute Hierarchy Method for Development of Student Cognitive Models and Diagnostic Assessments in Geoscience Education

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Corrigan, S.; Brodsky, L. M.; Loper, S.; Brown, N.; Curley, J.; Baker, J.; Goss, M.; Castek, J.; Barber, J.

2010-12-01

There is a recognized need to better understand student learning in the geosciences (Stofflet, 1994; Zalles, Quallmalz, Gobert and Pallant, 2007). Educators, cognitive psychologists and practicing scientists have also called for instructional approaches that support deep conceptual development (Manduca, Mogk and Stillings, 2004, Libarkin and Kurdziel, 2006). In both cases there is an important role for educational measures that can generate descriptions of how student understanding develops over time and inform instruction. The presenters will suggest one way of responding to these needs by describing the Attribute Hierarchy Method (AHM) of assessment (Leighton, Gierl and Hunka, 2004; Gierl, Cui, Wang and Zhou, 2008) as enacted in a large-scale earth science curriculum development project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The AHM is one approach to criterion referenced, diagnostic assessment that ties measure design to cognitive models of student learning in order to support justified inferences about students’ understanding and the knowledge required for continued development. The Attribute Hierarchy Method bears potential for researchers and practitioners interested in learning progressions and solves many problems associated with making meaningful, justified inferences about students’ understanding based on their assessment performances. The process followed to design and develop the project’s cognitive models as well as a description of how they are used in subsequent assessment task design will be emphasized in order to demonstrate how the AHM may be applied in the context of geoscience education. Results from over twenty student cognitive interviews, and two hypothesized cognitive models -- one describing a student pathway for understanding rock formation and a second describing a student pathway for increasingly sophisticated use of maps and models in the geosciences - are also described. Sample assessment items will be provided as

Assessing Multicultural Competence of Helping-Profession Students

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Hladik, Jakub

2016-01-01

In this article, I focus on assessing multicultural competence of helping-profession students. The "Multicultural Competence Scale of Helping-Profession Students" was used for data collection. The aim of the research was to find out the level of students' multicultural competence due to the current lack of this information in Central…

Measuring Student Engagement in the Online Course: The Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE)

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Dixson, Marcia D.

2015-01-01

Student engagement is critical to student learning, especially in the online environment, where students can often feel isolated and disconnected. Therefore, teachers and researchers need to be able to measure student engagement. This study provides validation of the Online Student Engagement scale (OSE) by correlating student self-reports of…

From the Margins to the Spotlight: Diverse Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student Populations and Standardized Assessment Accessibility

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Cawthon, Stephanie

2015-01-01

Designing assessments and tests is one of the more challenging aspects of creating an accessible learning environment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), particularly for deaf students with a disability (DWD). Standardized assessments are a key mechanism by which the educational system in the United States measures student…

Nursing students assess nursing education.

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Norman, Linda; Buerhaus, Peter I; Donelan, Karen; McCloskey, Barbara; Dittus, Robert

2005-01-01

This study assessed the characteristics of nursing students currently enrolled in nursing education programs, how students finance their nursing education, their plans for clinical practice and graduate education, and the rewards and difficulties of being a nursing student. Data are from a survey administered to a national sample of 496 nursing students. The students relied on financial aid and personal savings and earnings to finance their education. Parents, institutional scholarships, and government loans are also important sources, but less than 15% of the students took out bank loans. Nearly one quarter of the students, particularly younger and minority students, plan to enroll in graduate school immediately after graduation and most want to become advanced nursing practitioners. Most of the nursing students (88%) are satisfied with their nursing education and nearly all (95%) provided written answers to two open-ended questions. Comments collapsed into three major categories reflecting the rewards (helping others, status, and job security) and three categories reflecting the difficulties (problems with balancing demands, quality of nursing education, and the admissions process) of being a nursing student. Implications for public policymaking center on expanding the capacity of nursing education programs, whereas schools themselves should focus on addressing the financial needs of students, helping them strike a balance among their school, work, and personal/family responsibilities and modifying certain aspects of the curriculum.

Development of a health literacy assessment for young adult college students: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Raquel

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive health literacy assessment tool for young adult college students. Participants were 144 undergraduate students. Two hundred and twenty-nine questions were developed, which were based on concepts identified by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, and health communication scholars. Four health education experts reviewed this pool of items and helped select 87 questions for testing. Students completed an online assessment consisting of these 87 questions in June and October of 2012. Item response theory and goodness-of-fit values were used to help eliminate nonperforming questions. Fifty-one questions were selected based on good item response theory discrimination parameter values. The instrument has 51 questions that look promising for measuring health literacy in college students, but needs additional testing with a larger student population to see how these questions continue to perform.

Systemic assessment as a new tool to assess student learning

African Journals Online (AJOL)

IICBA01

students' systemic thinking level developed in organic chemistry is strongly related to a deeper understanding of the relevant chemistry concepts (7) .In this regards we will illustrate five types of SAQ,s in heterocyclic chemistry based on systemics to assess students at synthesis and analysis learning levels. We experiment ...

How do american students measure up? Making sense of international comparisons.

Science.gov (United States)

Koretz, Daniel

2009-01-01

In response to frequent news media reports about how poorly American students fare compared with their peers abroad, Daniel Koretz takes a close look at what these comparisons say, and do not say, about the achievement of U.S. high school students. He stresses that the comparisons do not provide what many observers of education would like: unambiguous information about the effectiveness of American high schools compared with those in other nations. Koretz begins by describing the. two principal international student comparisons-the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Both assessments, he stresses, reflect the performance of students several years before they complete high school. PISA, which targets fifteen-year-old students, measures students' abilities to apply what they have learned in school to real-world problems. By contrast, TIMSS tests fourth and eighth graders. Unlike PISA, TIMSS follows the school curriculum closely. Because the findings of the two tests are sometimes inconsistent, Koretz stresses the importance of considering data from both sources. He cautions against comparing U.S. students with an "international average," which varies widely from survey to survey depending on which countries participate, and recommends instead comparing them with students in other nations that are similar to the United States or that are particularly high-achieving. Many observers, says Koretz, speculate that the lackluster average performance of American students in international comparisons arises because many, especially minority and low-income U.S. students, attend low-performing schools. But both TIMSS and PISA, he says, show that the performance of American students on the exams is not much more variable than that of students in countries that are socially more homogeneous or that have more equitable educational systems. Koretz emphasizes that the international comparisons

Investigating Secondary School Students' Unmediated Peer Assessment Skills

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Tsivitanidou, Olia E.; Zacharia, Zacharias C.; Hovardas, Tasos

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary school students' unmediated peer assessment skills. Specifically, 36 seventh graders, without receiving any kind of support, were anonymously assigned to reciprocally assess their peers' science web-portfolios. Additionally, students' attitudes towards and intentions about the use of…

An online formative assessment tool to prepare students

African Journals Online (AJOL)

feedback to students and promotes student learning, whereas summative assessment is .... Kolb's experiential learning cycle, as it offers students the opportunity for ..... Theory and learning in medical education: How theory can inform practice.

Educational impact of an assessment of medical students' collaboration in health care teams.

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Olupeliyawa, Asela; Balasooriya, Chinthaka; Hughes, Chris; O'Sullivan, Anthony

2014-02-01

This paper explores how structured feedback and other features of workplace-based assessment (WBA) impact on medical students' learning in the context of an evaluation of a workplace-based performance assessment: the teamwork mini-clinical evaluation exercise (T-MEX). The T-MEX enables observation-based measurement of and feedback on the behaviours required to collaborate effectively as a junior doctor within the health care team. The instrument is based on the mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) format and focuses on clinical encounters such as consultations with medical and allied health professionals, discharge plan preparation, handovers and team meetings. The assessment was implemented during a 6-week period in 2010 with 25 medical students during their final clinical rotation. Content analysis was conducted on the written feedback provided by 23 assessors and the written reflections and action plans proposed by the 25 student participants (in 88 T-MEX forms). Semi-structured interviews with seven assessors and three focus groups with 14 student participants were conducted and the educational impact was explored through thematic analysis. The study enabled the identification of features of WBA that promote the development of collaborative competencies. The focus of the assessment on clinical encounters and behaviours important for collaboration provided opportunities for students to engage with the health care team and highlighted the role of teamwork in these encounters. The focus on specific behaviours and a stage-appropriate response scale helped students identify learning goals and facilitated the provision of focused feedback. Incorporating these features within an established format helped students and supervisors to engage with the instrument. Extending the format to include structured reflection enabled students to self-evaluate and develop plans for improvement. The findings illuminate the mechanisms by which WBA facilitates learning. The

Assessing Postgraduate Students' Critical Thinking Ability

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Javed, Muhammad; Nawaz, Muhammad Atif; Qurat-Ul-Ain, Ansa

2015-01-01

This paper addresses to assess the critical thinking ability of postgraduate students. The target population was the male and female students at University level in Pakistan. A small sample of 45 male and 45 female students were selected randomly from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Cornell Critical Thinking Test Series, The…

Validation of the self-assessment teamwork tool (SATT) in a cohort of nursing and medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Roper, Lucinda; Shulruf, Boaz; Jorm, Christine; Currie, Jane; Gordon, Christopher J

2018-02-09

Poor teamwork has been implicated in medical error and teamwork training has been shown to improve patient care. Simulation is an effective educational method for teamwork training. Post-simulation reflection aims to promote learning and we have previously developed a self-assessment teamwork tool (SATT) for health students to measure teamwork performance. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a revised self-assessment teamwork tool. The tool was tested in 257 medical and nursing students after their participation in one of several mass casualty simulations. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the revised self-assessment teamwork tool was shown to have strong construct validity, high reliability, and the construct demonstrated invariance across groups (Medicine & Nursing). The modified SATT was shown to be a reliable and valid student self-assessment tool. The SATT is a quick and practical method of guiding students' reflection on important teamwork skills.

Assessing MBA Student Teamwork under the AACSB Assurance of Learning Standards

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Procino, Matthew C.

2012-01-01

Since the 2003 release of the AACSB's Assurance of Learning standards, outcomes assessment has been a required practice for business schools wishing to receive their endorsement. While most accredited institutions had been dabbling with the measurement of student learning, the new standards raised the bar considerably. It is now necessary to…

A mentor-based portfolio program to evaluate pharmacy students' self-assessment skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalata, Lindsay R; Abate, Marie A

2013-05-13

Objective. To evaluate pharmacy students' self-assessment skills with an electronic portfolio program using mentor evaluators. Design. First-year (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students used online portfolios that required self-assessments of specific graded class assignments. Using a rubric, faculty and alumni mentors evaluated students' self-assessments and provided feedback. Assessment. Eighty-four P1 students, 74 P2 students, and 59 mentors participated in the portfolio program during 2010-2011. Both student groups performed well overall, with only a small number of resubmissions required. P1 students showed significant improvements across semesters for 2 of the self-assessment questions; P2 students' scores did not differ significantly. The P1 scores were significantly higher than P2 scores for 3 questions during spring 2011. Mentors and students had similar levels of agreement with the extent to which students put forth their best effort on the self-assessments. Conclusion. An electronic portfolio using mentors based inside and outside the school provided students with many opportunities to practice their self-assessment skills. This system represents a useful method of incorporating self-assessments into the curriculum that allows for feedback to be provided to the students.

If First-Year Students Are Afraid of Public Speaking Assessments What Can Teachers Do to Alleviate Such Anxiety?

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Nash, Gregory; Crimmins, Gail; Oprescu, Florin

2016-01-01

Public speaking and oral assessments are common in higher education, and they can be a major cause of anxiety and stress for students. This study was designed to measure the student experience of public speaking assessment tasks in a mandatory first-year course at a regional Australian university. The research conducted was an instrumental case…

The Effects of Performance-Based Assessment Criteria on Student Performance and Self-Assessment Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Fastre, Greet Mia Jos; van der Klink, Marcel R.; van Merrienboer, Jeroen J. G.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the effect of performance-based versus competence-based assessment criteria on task performance and self-assessment skills among 39 novice secondary vocational education students in the domain of nursing and care. In a performance-based assessment group students are provided with a preset list of performance-based…

Assessing Oral Cancer Awareness Among Dental Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Keser, Gaye; Pekiner, Filiz Namdar

2018-02-14

The aim of this study was to assess oral cancer awareness among undergraduate dental students in Marmara University Faculty of Dentistry. A validated questionnaire which tested oral cancer awareness was given to third- and fifth-year students of the dental faculty of Marmara University. A total of 198 students participated in this survey. Knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and diagnosis procedures, dentistry student's attitude towards oral cancers, management practice regarding oral cancer, and oral cancer information sources were assessed using 25 questions. The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 program. Among 198 participant dentistry students, there were 99 (50%) third-grade and 99 (50%) fifth-grade students. The largest number of the third- and last-grade students identified tobacco (98%) and alcohol usage (87.4%), prior oral cancer lesions (94.9%), viral infections (91.9%), UV exposure (94.4%), betel quid chewing (84.8%), older age (62.1%), and low consumption of fruit and vegetables (85.4%). Both groups showed higher scores in indicating squamous cell carcinoma as the most common form of oral cancer (p oral cancer detection and prevention.

A comparison of students' self-assessments with faculty evaluations of their communication skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundquist, Lisa M; Shogbon, Angela O; Momary, Kathryn M; Rogers, Hannah K

2013-05-13

To compare students' self-assessment of their communication skills with faculty members' formal evaluation of their skills in a therapeutics course. Over a 3-year period, faculty members evaluated second-year pharmacy students' communication skills as part of a requirement in a therapeutics course. Immediately following an individual oral assessment and again following a group oral assessment, students self-assessed their communication skills using the same rubric the faculty members had used. Students' self-assessments were then compared with faculty members' evaluation of students' communication skills. Four hundred one (97.3%) students consented to participate in this study. Faculty evaluation scores of students for both the individual and group oral assessments were significantly higher than students' self-assessment scores. Students' self-assessment scores of their communication skills increased from the individual to the group oral assessment. Students' self-assessments of communication skills were consistently lower than faculty members' evaluations. Greater use of oral assessments throughout the pharmacy curriculum may help to improve students' confidence in and self-assessment of their communication skills.

Team-based assessment of professional behavior in medical students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HOJAT RAEE

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Introducrion: Self and peer assessment provides important information about the individual’s performance and behavior in all aspects of their professional environment work. The aim of this study is to evaluate the professional behavior and performance in medical students in the form of team based assessment. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 100 medical students in the 7th year of education were randomly selected and enrolled; for each student five questionnaires were filled out, including one self-assessment, two peer assessments and two residents assessment. The scoring system of the questionnaires was based on seven point Likert scale. After filling out the questions in the questionnaire, numerical data and written comments provided to the students were collected, analyzed and discussed. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of the questionnaires was assessed. A p<0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha 0.83. Interviews revealed that the majority of students and assessors interviewed found the method acceptable. The range of scores was 1-6 (Mean±SD=4.39±0.57 for the residents' assessment, 2-6 (Mean±SD=4.49±0.53 for peer assessment, and 3-7 (Mean±SD=5.04±0.32 for self-assessment. There was a significant difference between self assessment and other methods of assessment. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a team-based assessment is an acceptable and feasible method for peer and self-assessment of medical students’ learning in a clinical clerkship, and has some advantages over traditional assessment methods. Further studies are needed to focus on the strengths and weaknesses.

Assessment of Students' and Parents' Attitudes to Continuous ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study assessed the status of the students' (the beneficiaries) and their parents' (major stakeholders) attitudes to Continuous assessment in order to determine their entry behaviour for SBA with a view to either upgrading or sustaining. The populations of the study were the Junior Secondary School students and their ...

Assessing Students in the Margin: Challenges, Strategies, and Techniques

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Russell, Michael; Kavanaugh, Maureen

2011-01-01

The importance of student assessment, particularly for summative purposes, has increased greatly over the past thirty years. At the same time, emphasis on including all students in assessment programs has also increased. Assessment programs, whether they are large-scale, district-based, or teacher developed, have traditionally attempted to assess…

Improved knowledge retention among clinical pharmacy students using an anthropology classroom assessment technique.

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Whitley, Heather P; Parton, Jason M

2014-09-15

To adapt a classroom assessment technique (CAT) from an anthropology course to a diabetes module in a clinical pharmacy skills laboratory and to determine student knowledge retention from baseline. Diabetes item stems, focused on module objectives, replaced anthropology terms. Answer choices, coded to Bloom's Taxonomy, were expanded to include higher-order thinking. Students completed the online 5-item probe 4 times: prelaboratory lecture, postlaboratory, and at 6 months and 12 months after laboratory. Statistical analyses utilized a single factor, repeated measures design using rank transformations of means with a Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test. The CAT revealed a significant increase in knowledge from prelaboratory compared to all postlaboratory measurements (panthropology assessment tool was effectively adapted using Bloom's Taxonomy as a guide and, when used repeatedly, demonstrated knowledge retention. Minimal time was devoted to application of the probe making it an easily adaptable CAT.

Assessment for Learning as Support for Student Self-Regulation

Science.gov (United States)

Heritage, Margaret

2018-01-01

Assessment for learning (AfL) is integral to teaching and learning, and has as its central foci (i) pedagogical intervention in the immediacy of student learning, and (ii) the students' agency in the learning and assessment process. The role that students adopt in AfL is consistent with the idea of self-regulated learning, which involves students…

Effective tobacco control measures: agreement among medical students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stella Regina Martins

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the level of agreement with effective tobacco control measures recommended by the World Health Organization and to assess the attitudes toward, knowledge of, and beliefs regarding smoking among third-year medical students at University of São Paulo School of Medicine, located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: Between 2008 and 2012, all third-year medical students were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire based on the Global Health Professionals Student Survey and its additional modules. Results: The study sample comprised 556 students. The level of agreement with the World Health Organization recommendations was high, except for the components “received smoking cessation training” and “raising taxes is effective to reduce the prevalence of smoking”. Most of the students reported that they agree with banning tobacco product sales to minors (95%, believe that physicians are role models to their patients (84%, and believe that they should advise their patients to quit cigarette smoking (96% and using other tobacco products (94%. Regarding smoking cessation methods, most of the students were found to know more about nicotine replacement therapy than about non-nicotine therapies (93% vs. 53%. Only 37% of the respondents were aware of the importance of educational antismoking materials, and only 31% reported that they believe in the effectiveness of encouraging their patients, during medical visits. In our sample, the prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 5.23%; however, 43.82% of the respondents reported having experimented with water-pipe tobacco smoking. Conclusions: Our results revealed the need to emphasize to third-year medical students the importance of raising the prices of and taxes on tobacco products. We also need to make students aware of the dangers of experimenting with tobacco products other than cigarettes, particularly water-pipe tobacco smoking.

Direct assessment as a measure of institutional effectiveness in a dental hygiene distance education program.

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Olmsted, Jodi L

2014-10-01

This ten-year, longitudinal examination of a dental hygiene distance education (DE) program considered student performance on standard benchmark assessments as direct measures of institutional effectiveness. The aim of the study was to determine if students face-to-face in a classroom with an instructor performed differently from their counterparts in a DE program, taking courses through the alternative delivery system of synchronous interactive television (ITV). This study used students' grade point averages and National Board Dental Hygiene Examination scores to assess the impact of ITV on student learning, filling a crucial gap in current evidence. The study's research population consisted of 189 students who graduated from one dental hygiene program between 1997 and 2006. One hundred percent of the institution's data files for these students were used: 117 students were face-to-face with the instructor, and seventy-two received instruction through the ITV system. The results showed that, from a year-by-year perspective, no statistically significant performance differences were apparent between the two student groups when t-tests were used for data analysis. The DE system examined was considered effective for delivering education if similar performance outcomes were the evaluation criteria used for assessment.

Assessing Whether Students Seek Constructive Criticism: The Design of an Automated Feedback System for a Graphic Design Task

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Cutumisu, Maria; Blair, Kristen P.; Chin, Doris B.; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2017-01-01

We introduce a choice-based assessment strategy that measures students' choices to seek constructive feedback and to revise their work. We present the feedback system of a game we designed to assess whether students choose positive or negative feedback and choose to revise their posters in the context of a poster design task, where they learn…

An Assessment of the Perception of Learning Gains of Freshmen Students in an Introductory Course in Nutrition and Food Science

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Alfred K.

2006-01-01

The assessment of learning gains of students in science and other disciplines is becoming a reality following the gradual shift from the traditional style of teaching to a curriculum-based assessment of learning outcomes. The degree to which students perceive to have obtained the outcomes of a course can be measured through an assessment of…

The Nurses Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI): assessment of psychometric properties for Australian domestic and international student nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Angel, Elizabeth; Craven, Rhonda; Denson, Nida

2012-07-01

Professional self-concept is a critical driver of job satisfaction. In Australia, as international nursing enrolments rise, nursing is increasingly characterised by a professional body of international nurses who may differ from domestic Australian nurses in their nursing self-concept. At present, no psychometrically sound instrument for assessing nursing self-concept for Australian domestic and international nursing students is available. The purpose of this study was to: (1) develop an instrument (the Nurses' Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI)) to measure the professional self-concept of domestic and international nursing students in Australia, and (2) test the psychometric properties of this newly developed instrument. A literature review was conducted to generate the initial dimension and item pools to measure nurses' professional self-concept (NSCI). Two stakeholders examined the content and face validity of dimensions and items. Analysis was performed on data collected from 253 undergraduate nursing students in a large public university in Sydney, Australia, and consisted of domestic (n=218) and international (n=35) nursing students. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the construct validity of the NSCI. The resulting NSCI consisted of 14 items across four self-concept domains: care, leadership, staff relations, and knowledge. The CFA supported the hypothesised factor structure of the self-concept model. All reliabilities were acceptable for both domestic and international students (ranging from r=.78 to .93). The NSCI was shown to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing Australian domestic and international student nurses' professional self-concept. This instrument may also enable those responsible for recruitment of students into nursing courses to assess students' professional self-concept and implement appropriate strategies to foster the growth of lifelong career development

Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment for Individual Student Assessment and Curricular Evaluation

OpenAIRE

Scott, Day M.; Bennett, Lunawati L.; Ferrill, Mary J.; Brown, Daniel L.

2010-01-01

The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a standardized examination for assessing academic progress of pharmacy students. Although no other national benchmarking tool is available on a national level, the PCOA has not been adopted by all colleges and schools of pharmacy. Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU) compared 2008-2010 PCOA results of its P1, P2, and P3 students to their current grade point average (GPA) and to results of a national cohort. The reliability coefficient of ...

A Mixed-Methods Analysis in Assessing Students' Professional Development by Applying an Assessment for Learning Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Peeters, Michael J; Vaidya, Varun A

2016-06-25

Objective. To describe an approach for assessing the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's (ACPE) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) Standard 4.4, which focuses on students' professional development. Methods. This investigation used mixed methods with triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data to assess professional development. Qualitative data came from an electronic developmental portfolio of professionalism and ethics, completed by PharmD students during their didactic studies. Quantitative confirmation came from the Defining Issues Test (DIT)-an assessment of pharmacists' professional development. Results. Qualitatively, students' development reflections described growth through this course series. Quantitatively, the 2015 PharmD class's DIT N2-scores illustrated positive development overall; the lower 50% had a large initial improvement compared to the upper 50%. Subsequently, the 2016 PharmD class confirmed these average initial improvements of students and also showed further substantial development among students thereafter. Conclusion. Applying an assessment for learning approach, triangulation of qualitative and quantitative assessments confirmed that PharmD students developed professionally during this course series.

Development of an instrument to measure student attitudes toward science fairs

Science.gov (United States)

Huddleston, Claudia A.

Science fairs are woven into the very fabric of science instruction in the United States and in other countries. Even though thousands of students participate in science fairs every year, no instrument to measure student attitudes toward partaking in this hands-on learning experience has been fully developed and available for school administrators and teachers to assess the perceived value that current students attribute to participation in science fairs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to continue the development and refinement of an instrument that measured student attitudes towards science fairs based on an unpublished instrument created by Michael (2005). The instrument developed and tested using 110 students at two different middle schools in southwest Virginia. The instrument consisted of 45 questions. After applying a principal component factor analysis, the instrument was reduced to two domains, enjoyment and value. The internal consistency of the instrument was calculated using Cronbach's alpha and showed good internal consistency of .89 between the two domains. Further analysis was conducted using a Pearson product-moment test and showed a significant positive correlation between enjoyment and value (r = .78). Demographic information was explored concerning the domains using a series of statistical tests, and results revealed no significant differences among race and science fair category. However, a significant difference was found among gender and students who won awards and those who did not. The conclusion was that further development and refinement of the instrument should be conducted.

Best practices for measuring students' attitudes toward learning science.

Science.gov (United States)

Lovelace, Matthew; Brickman, Peggy

2013-01-01

Science educators often characterize the degree to which tests measure different facets of college students' learning, such as knowing, applying, and problem solving. A casual survey of scholarship of teaching and learning research studies reveals that many educators also measure how students' attitudes influence their learning. Students' science attitudes refer to their positive or negative feelings and predispositions to learn science. Science educators use attitude measures, in conjunction with learning measures, to inform the conclusions they draw about the efficacy of their instructional interventions. The measurement of students' attitudes poses similar but distinct challenges as compared with measurement of learning, such as determining validity and reliability of instruments and selecting appropriate methods for conducting statistical analyses. In this review, we will describe techniques commonly used to quantify students' attitudes toward science. We will also discuss best practices for the analysis and interpretation of attitude data.

Assessing students in community settings: the role of peer evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H.G. Schmidt (Henk); D.H.J.M. Dolmans (Diana); A.A. Abdel-Hameed (Ahmed); M.E.M. Mohi Eldin (Magzoub)

1998-01-01

textabstractThe assessment of students in community settings faces unique difficulties. Since students are usually posted in small groups in different community settings and since the learning (largely) takes place outside the classroom, assessing student performance becomes an intrinsically complex

How to Measure and Explain Achievement Change in Large-Scale Assessments: A Rejoinder

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Hickendorff, Marian; Heiser, Willem J.; van Putten, Cornelis M.; Verhelst, Norman D.

2009-01-01

In this rejoinder, we discuss substantive and methodological validity issues of large-scale assessments of trends in student achievement, commenting on the discussion paper by Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, Robitzsch, Treffers, and Koller (2009). We focus on methodological challenges in deciding what to measure, how to measure it, and how to foster…

Measures of student success with textbook transformations: the Affordable Learning Georgia Initiative

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily Croteau

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In 2014, the state of Georgia’s budget supported a University System of Georgia (USG initiative: Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG. The initiative was implemented via Textbook Transformation Grants, which provided grants to USG faculty, libraries and librarians, and institutions to “transform their use of textbooks and other learning materials into using lower cost options”, in other words to use open educational resources (OER in lieu of a traditional bound textbook. The Round One Textbook Transformation Grants have already shown to be successful in that they saved students approximately $760,000.  What is not known, is the collective impact on student learning. This study examines the learning gains or losses pre- and post-transformation in ALG Round One courses where traditional resources were replaced with OER.  It estimates differences between pre- and post- textbook transformation across the following outcomes: 1 Drop Fail Withdraw (DFW rates, 2 rates of completion, 3 numbers of students receiving a final grade of A or B, C and D, 4 numerical final grades as a percent, 5 final exam grades as a percent, and, 6 course-specific assessment grades measured in percent. Twenty-four data sets were analyzed for DFW rate, eight data sets for completion rate, fourteen data sets for grade distribution, three data sets for final exam grades, three data sets for course specific assessment and one data set for final grades. The null hypothesis that there would be no differences between pre- and post-transformation rates in these learning outcomes was supported.  Thus, this study demonstrates that the USG’s ALG initiative helped students save money without negatively impacting learning outcomes. In addition, it is the first of its kind to measure some of these learning outcomes (e.g. final exam grade, assessment grade, and distribution of letter grades at this scale.

Assessing middle school students` understanding of science relationships and processes. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schau, C.; Mattern, N.; Weber, R. [Univ. of New Nexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Minnick, K. [Minnick & Associates, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1994-09-01

Our overall goal for this multi-year project is to develop and validate an alternative assessment format that effectively measures middle school students understanding of the relationships among selected science concepts and processes. In this project, we collaborate with the staff of the Los Alamos National Laboratory`s TOPS Program and the Programs participating teachers and their students. We also work with selected middle school science teachers from the TOPS program at Sandia National Laboratories. Our goal for this past year was to develop and field test informally a variety of potential measurement formats. This work has allowed us to identify formats to test during the validation phase of the project which will occur during the second year.

Relationships between Student, Staff, and Administrative Measures of School Climate and Student Health and Academic Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Gase, Lauren Nichol; Gomez, Louis M.; Kuo, Tony; Glenn, Beth A.; Inkelas, Moira; Ponce, Ninez A.

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND School climate is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to improving the wellbeing of students; however, little is known about the relationships between its different domains and measures. This study examined the relationships between student, staff, and administrative measures of school climate in order to understand the extent to which they were related to each other and student outcomes. METHODS The sample included 33,572 secondary school students from 121 schools in Los Angeles County during the 2014–2015 academic year. A multilevel regression model was constructed to examine the association between the domains and measures of school climate and five outcomes of student wellbeing: depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation, tobacco use, alcohol use, marijuana use, and grades. RESULTS Student, staff, and administrative measures of school climate were weakly correlated. Strong associations were found between student outcomes and student reports of engagement and safety, while school staff reports and administrative measures of school climate showed limited associations with student outcomes. CONCLUSIONS As schools seek to measure and implement interventions aimed at improving school climate, consideration should be given to grounding these efforts in a multi-dimensional conceptualization of climate that values student perspectives and includes elements of both engagement and safety. PMID:28382671

Relationships Among Student, Staff, and Administrative Measures of School Climate and Student Health and Academic Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gase, Lauren N; Gomez, Louis M; Kuo, Tony; Glenn, Beth A; Inkelas, Moira; Ponce, Ninez A

2017-05-01

School climate is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to improving the well-being of students; however, little is known about the relationships between its different domains and measures. We examined the relationships between student, staff, and administrative measures of school climate to understand the extent to which they were related to each other and student outcomes. The sample included 33,572 secondary school students from 121 schools in Los Angeles County during the 2014-2015 academic year. A multilevel regression model was constructed to examine the association between the domains and measures of school climate and 5 outcomes of student well-being: depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation, tobacco use, alcohol use, marijuana use, and grades. Student, staff, and administrative measures of school climate were weakly correlated. Strong associations were found between student outcomes and student reports of engagement and safety, while school staff reports and administrative measures of school climate showed limited associations with student outcomes. As schools seek to measure and implement interventions aimed at improving school climate, consideration should be given to grounding these efforts in a multidimensional conceptualization of climate that values student perspectives and includes elements of both engagement and safety. © 2017, American School Health Association.

Dental Hygiene Students' Self-Assessment of Ergonomics Utilizing Photography.

Science.gov (United States)

Partido, Brian B

2017-10-01

Due to postural demands, dental professionals are at high risk for developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Dental clinicians' lack of ergonomic awareness may impede the clinical application of recommendations to improve their posture. The aim of this study was to determine whether feedback involving photography and self-assessment would improve dental hygiene students' ergonomic scores and accuracy of their ergonomic self-assessments. The study involved a randomized control design and used a convenience sample of all 32 junior-year dental hygiene students enrolled in the autumn 2016 term in The Ohio State University baccalaureate dental hygiene program. Sixteen students were randomly assigned to each of two groups (control and training). At weeks one and four, all participants were photographed and completed ergonomic self-evaluations using the Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI). During weeks two and three, participants in the training group were photographed again and used those photographs to complete ergonomic self-assessments. All participants' pre-training and post-training photographs were given ergonomic scores by three raters. Students' self-assessments in the control group and faculty evaluations of the training group showed significant improvement in scores over time (F(1,60)=4.25, p<0.05). In addition, the accuracy of self-assessment significantly improved for students in the training group (F(1,30)=8.29, p<0.01). In this study, dental hygiene students' self-assessments using photographs resulted in improvements in their ergonomic scores and increased accuracy of their ergonomic self-assessments. Any improvement in ergonomic score or awareness can help reduce the risks for WMSDs, especially among dental clinicians.

Development and validation of a new assessment tool for suturing skills in medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundhagen, Henriette Pisani; Almeland, Stian Kreken; Hansson, Emma

2018-01-01

In recent years, emphasis has been put on that medical student should demonstrate pre-practice/pre-registration core procedural skills to ensure patient safety. Nonetheless, the formal teaching and training of basic suturing skills to medical students have received relatively little attention and there is no standard for what should be tested and how. The aim of this study was to develop and validate, using scientific methods, a tool for assessment of medical students' suturing skills, measuring both micro- and macrosurgical qualities. A tool was constructed and content, construct, concurrent validity, and inter-rater, inter-item, inter-test reliability were tested. Three groups were included: students with no training in suturing skills, students who have had training, plastic surgery. The results show promising reliability and validity when assessing novice medical students' suturing skills. Further studies are needed on implementation of the instrument. Moreover, how the instrument can be used to give formative feedback, evaluate if a required standard is met and for curriculum development needs further investigation.Level of Evidence: Not ratable.

Teaching Behaviour and Well-Being in Students: Development and Concurrent Validity of an Instrument to Measure Student-Reported Teaching Behaviour

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Patrick Pössel

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Teaching behavior has important implications for students’ emotional well-being. Multiple models suggest students’ perceptions of teaching behaviors are more critical than other measures for predicting well-being, yet student-report instruments that measure concrete and specific teaching behavior are limited. The purpose of the present studies is to develop an instrument to assess students’ perceptions of concrete and specific teaching behavior and to test which teaching behavior is associated students’ well-being. Construct validity and internal consistency for the 37-item Teaching Behavior Questionnaire (TBQ-S, composed of instructional, negative teaching, socioemotional, and organizational behavior were examined using data from two independent samples (Study 1: n = 703; Study 2: n = 822. The factor structure was stable across both samples and internal consistencies ranged from .77 to .97. Results indicated student-ratings of teaching behavior were associated with positive and negative affect in students.

New assessment forms of educational outcomes of students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zemlyanskaya E.N.

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In the context of practice-oriented training assessment system applies not only to quality control in vocational education, but becomes one of the control elements of the teacher education system. The article discusses so called assessment for learning. The author believes that the purpose of assessment for learning is to provide research and reflexive independence of students which provides the opportunity to adjust the educational outcomes, forms of students training and evaluation tools. The basic features of assessment for learning are considered from this point of view. The article discusses use of internet-services in assessment for learning , risks and provides procedure of assessment for learning and describes in detail such specific procedures as criteria-based assessment, construction of tests and mindmaps, cumulative assessment.

The effects of professional development related to classroom assessment on student achievement in science

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzie, Dawn Danielle

This study investigated the relationship between students' standardized test scores in science and (a) increases in teacher assessment literacy and (b) teacher participation in a Teacher Quality Research (TQR) project on classroom assessment. The samples for these studies were teachers from underperforming schools who volunteered to take part in a professional development program in classroom assessment. School groups were randomly assigned to the treatment group. For Study 1, teachers in the treatment received professional development in classroom assessment from a trained assessment coach. Teachers in the control received no professional development. For Study 2, teachers in Treatment 1 received professional development in classroom assessment from a trained assessment coach and teachers in Treatment 2 received professional development in classroom assessment from a facilitator with one day of training. Teachers in both groups completed a measure of assessment literacy, the Teacher Quality Research Test of Assessment Literacy Skills (TQR_TALS), prior to the beginning and then again at the conclusion of the four month professional development program. A hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between students' standardized test scores in science and (a) increases in teacher assessment literacy and (b) teacher TQR status. Based upon these analyses, the professional development program increased teachers' assessment literacy skills; however, the professional development had no significant impact on students' achievement.

Students' Assessment and Self-assessment of Nursing Clinical Faculty Competencies: Important Feedback in Clinical Education?

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Lovrić, Robert; Prlić, Nada; Zec, Davor; Pušeljić, Silvija; Žvanut, Boštjan

2015-01-01

The students' assessment of clinical faculty competencies and the faculty members' self-assessment can provide important information about nursing clinical education. The aim of this study was to identify the differences between the students' assessment of the clinical faculty member's competencies and the faculty member's self-assessment. These differences can reveal interesting insights relevant for improving clinical practice.

Rubric Assessment on Science and Creative Thinking Skills of Students

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Ratnasusanti, H.; Ana, A.; Nurafiati, P.; Umusyaadah, L.

2018-02-01

The result of the monitoring and evaluation of the latest Indonesian curriculum (the 2013 curriculum) implementation at junior high school level year of 2014 showed that one of the difficult things that learners had in implementation 2013 curriculum is doing the result. The characteristic of applying the 2013 curriculum is to emphasize the modern pedagogic dimension of learning, which is using scientific approach, which requires learners to have highlevel thinking skills, one of which is creative thinking skills. The aims of this research is to implement performance assessment in measuring the creative thinking of junior high school students on subject Prakarya. The form of the main performance assessment is the task and assessment criteria. The experimental method that been used is the Quasi Experiment with Non-Equivalent Design Group Research. Population in this study is the students of VIII class of junior high school in Bandung, Indonesia which consists of six classes. And two classes are selected for the sample from that six classes and VIII A class were chosen, while VIII F class has been chosen as control class. The result of this research showed that the rubics of performance assessment can be measure or identify the creative thinking skill, its prove by the result of pre-test dan post-test are more dominant. In material of identification student’s creative thinking skills are reached an average 85 compare 79 with the control class. while in the presentation the experimental class got an average of 85 bigger than the control class which only reached 79.

Developing an instrument for assessing students' concepts of the nature of technology

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Liou, Pey-Yan

2015-05-01

Background:The nature of technology has been rarely discussed despite the fact that technology plays an essential role in modern society. It is important to discuss students' concepts of the nature of technology, and further to advance their technological literacy and adaptation to modern society. There is a need to assess high school students' concepts of the nature of technology. Purpose:This study aims to engage in discourse on students' concepts of the nature of technology based on a proposed theoretical framework. Moreover, another goal is to develop an instrument for measuring students' concepts of the nature of technology. Sample:Four hundred and fifty-five high school students' perceptions of technology were qualitatively analyzed. Furthermore, 530 students' responses to a newly developed questionnaire were quantitatively analyzed in the final test. Design and method:First, content analysis was utilized to discuss and categorize students' statements regarding technology and its related issues. The Student Concepts of the Nature of Technology Questionnaire was developed based on the proposed theoretical framework and was supported by the students' qualitative data. Finally, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were applied to determine the structure of the items and the internal consistency of each scale. Results:Through a process of instrument development, the Student Concepts of the Nature of Technology Questionnaire was shown to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring students' concepts of the nature of technology. This newly developed questionnaire is composed of 29 items in six scales, namely 'technology as artifacts,' 'technology as an innovation change,' 'the current role of technology in society,' 'technology as a double-edged sword,' 'technology as a science-based form,' and 'history of technology.' Conclusions:The Student Concepts of the Nature of Technology Questionnaire has been confirmed as a reasonably valid and reliable

Defining and assessing critical thinking skills for student radiographers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castle, Alan

2009-01-01

Developing critical thinking skills is a key aim of higher education and is important in preparing student radiographers for their future careers in clinical practice. The aim of this paper was to attempt to devise and assess six key components of critical thinking appropriate for radiographic practice. Each of the six components was divided into three dimensions and a Critical Thinking Skills Scoring Chart (CTSSC) devised to assess students' written performance against each dimension. Scores revealed that approximately 30% of students were rated as good and approximately 10% of students were rated as poor in each component, although there was some variability between different dimensions. It is suggested that educators need to encourage and support students to develop their critical thinking skills by reviewing their curriculum to clearly define specific skills and ensure that they are appropriately taught and assessed

The measurement invariance of job diagnostic survey (JDS across three university student groups

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Monica Martinez-Gomez

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to apply a multigroup confirmatory analysis to examine the measurement invariance (MI of the adapted version of the Job Diagnosis Survey (JDS as a measurement tool that analyses the relationship between the features of teaching methodologies with university students’ motivation and satisfaction across data collected on different degrees and academic years. Design/methodology/approach: Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using a multigroup structural equation model, using the program EQS 6.1 to test the invariance of the adapted version of JDS in a sample constituted by 535 student of a Spanish public university. The assessment of invariance included the levels of configural, metric, scalar, covariance and latent variables invariance. Several goodness-of-fit measures were assessed. Findings: The results show that measurements are equivalent at the configural, metric, covariance and latent factors invariance. Although the hypotheses of scalar invariance is rejected, results suggest that JDS is partial strict invariant and has satisfactory psychometric properties on all samples. Research limitations/implications: The sample is framed in university students aged between 18 and 30 and for a questionnaire on teaching methodology and students' satisfaction in the context of a Spanish university and the generalization to other questionnaire, or population, should be proved with specific data. Furthermore, the sample size is rather small. Originality/value: In the current process of change that is taking place in universities according to the plan developed by the European Space of Higher Education, focused on increasing the student skills, validate instruments as the satisfaction scale of JDS, are necessary to evaluate students’ satisfaction with new active methodologies. These findings are useful for researchers since they add the first sample in which the MI of a student’s satisfaction survey

Assessment of the critical thinking skills of student radiographers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castle, Alan [University of Portsmouth, Centre for Radiography Education, St George' s Building, Portsmouth PO1 2HY (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: alan.castle@port.ac.uk

2006-05-15

Purpose: Enabling students to develop critical thinking skills is one of the key aims of higher education and in preparing student radiographers for the future, there are increasing demands on educators to teach critical thinking skills to facilitate reflective, evidence-based practice and inter-professional working. The aim of the paper is to attempt to compare students' self-perception of their critical thinking skills to their actual written assessment performance. Methods: Students were asked to self-report how they thought the course had developed their critical thinking skills and the outcomes of this exercise were compared to the scores of previous assessments that required the demonstration of these skills. Results: The results suggest that whilst students report having developed critical thinking skills during the course, the results of their written assessments requiring the demonstration of these skills all had a mean score of less than 60% which indicates (in terms of the university's grade criteria guidelines) 'little attempt to use critical discussion in their work.' Discussion: Thirteen components of critical thinking are proposed, together with ways in which they could be incorporated into a radiographic curriculum. Conclusions: It is suggested that educators may need to review the constructive alignment of their curricula and re-assess their teaching and assessment strategies in order to effectively develop students' critical thinking skills.

Assessment of the critical thinking skills of student radiographers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castle, Alan

2006-01-01

Purpose: Enabling students to develop critical thinking skills is one of the key aims of higher education and in preparing student radiographers for the future, there are increasing demands on educators to teach critical thinking skills to facilitate reflective, evidence-based practice and inter-professional working. The aim of the paper is to attempt to compare students' self-perception of their critical thinking skills to their actual written assessment performance. Methods: Students were asked to self-report how they thought the course had developed their critical thinking skills and the outcomes of this exercise were compared to the scores of previous assessments that required the demonstration of these skills. Results: The results suggest that whilst students report having developed critical thinking skills during the course, the results of their written assessments requiring the demonstration of these skills all had a mean score of less than 60% which indicates (in terms of the university's grade criteria guidelines) 'little attempt to use critical discussion in their work.' Discussion: Thirteen components of critical thinking are proposed, together with ways in which they could be incorporated into a radiographic curriculum. Conclusions: It is suggested that educators may need to review the constructive alignment of their curricula and re-assess their teaching and assessment strategies in order to effectively develop students' critical thinking skills

Student's music exposure: Full-day personal dose measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Washnik, Nilesh Jeevandas; Phillips, Susan L; Teglas, Sandra

2016-01-01

Previous studies have shown that collegiate level music students are exposed to potentially hazardous sound levels. Compared to professional musicians, collegiate level music students typically do not perform as frequently, but they are exposed to intense sounds during practice and rehearsal sessions. The purpose of the study was to determine the full-day exposure dose including individual practice and ensemble rehearsals for collegiate student musicians. Sixty-seven college students of classical music were recruited representing 17 primary instruments. Of these students, 57 completed 2 days of noise dose measurements using Cirrus doseBadge programed according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health criterion. Sound exposure was measured for 2 days from morning to evening, ranging from 7 to 9 h. Twenty-eight out of 57 (49%) student musicians exceeded a 100% daily noise dose on at least 1 day of the two measurement days. Eleven student musicians (19%) exceeded 100% daily noise dose on both days. Fourteen students exceeded 100% dose during large ensemble rehearsals and eight students exceeded 100% dose during individual practice sessions. Approximately, half of the student musicians exceeded 100% noise dose on a typical college schedule. This finding indicates that a large proportion of collegiate student musicians are at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss due to hazardous sound levels. Considering the current finding, there is a need to conduct hearing conservation programs in all music schools, and to educate student musicians about the use and importance of hearing protection devices for their hearing.

Development Module Oriented Science Technology Society Indue Science Literacy Assessment for 7th-Grade Junior High School Students in 2nd -Semester

Science.gov (United States)

Arbi, Y. R.; Sumarmin, R.; Putri, D. H.

2018-04-01

The problem in the science learning process is the application of the scientific approach takes a long time in order to provide conceptual understanding to the students, there is no teaching materials that can measure students reasoning and thinking ability, and the assessment has not measured students reasoning and literacy skills.The effort can be done is to develop science technology society module indue science literacy assessment. The purpose of the research was to produce a module oriented society indue science science technology literacy assessment. The research is development research using Plomp model, consist of preliminary, prototyping, and assessment phase. Data collect by questionnare and documantion. The result there is science technology society module indue science literacy assessment is very valid.

Instrument to measure psychological contract violation in pharmacy students.

Science.gov (United States)

Spies, Alan R; Wilkin, Noel E; Bentley, John P; Bouldin, Alicia S; Wilson, Marvin C; Holmes, Erin R

2010-08-10

To adapt and evaluate an instrument that measures perceived psychological contract violations in pharmacy students by schools and colleges of pharmacy. A psychological contract violations measure was developed from existing literature and the 1997 ACPE Guidelines and pilot-tested with second-year pharmacy students at 2 schools of pharmacy. A revised measure then was administered to second-year pharmacy students at 6 schools of pharmacy. Using a 5-point Likert-type scale, participants were asked to indicate the level of obligations they received compared to what was promised by the school of pharmacy. Exploratory factor analysis on the psychological contract violations measure was conducted using principal components analysis resulting in 7 factors, which led to a revised measure with 26 items. Using a sample of 339 students, the proposed 7-factor measurement model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. In general, the results supported the hypothesized model. The final 23-item scale demonstrated both reliability and validity. Some students perceived certain aspects of the psychological contract that exists with their school of pharmacy were being violated. The psychological contract violations measure may serve as a valuable tool in helping to identify areas where their students believe that schools/colleges of pharmacy have not fulfilled promised obligations.

Students' feedback on teaching and assessment at Nishtar Medical College, Multan.

Science.gov (United States)

Rafique, Shoaib; Rafique, Hasaan

2013-09-01

To obtain feedback on teaching and assessment methods in professional undergraduate medical examinations. The study was conducted at Nishtar Medical College, Multan, Pakistan, from May 21 to May 26, 2012. A written questionnaire covering topics on various teaching and assessment methods was used to get feedback from students of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year M.B.B.S. SPSS version 17 was used for statistical analysis. Of the 534 questionnaires distributed, 538 (99%) were returned duly filled. Overall, 382 (71%) students were satisfied with all aspects of the lectures delivered and 393 (73%) students agreed that teaching staff was punctual in delivering lectures. Although 312 (58%) students were satisfied with the teaching conducted in the wards, students felt dissatisfaction with the teaching carried out in outpatient departments and operating theatres. Multimedia was favoured by 306 (56%) students as a supporting teaching tool. Although the students agreed that questions asked in examinations were relevant and the pattern of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) / Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) was satisfactory, they felt that the time allowed was insufficient. 399 (74%) students agreed that multiple modes of assessment improved their knowledge and skill. There was no consensus among the students on the best form of assessment. Number of students favouring short essay questions (SEQ's), multiple choice questions including true/false type, single best choice questions (BCQ'S) and descriptive questions were 209(38.8%), 176(32.7%), 70 (13%) and 28 (5%) respectively. There was disparity in students' satisfaction in internal assessment and university examination. Although 226 (42%) students were satisfied with internal assessment, 199 (37%) were satisfied with university assessment. Overall, the students were satisfied with the lectures and clinical teaching conducted in the wards. Preferred methods of assessment included short essay questions

STUDENTS EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENT’S ACHIEVEMENT ASSESSMENT: SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS’ ATTITUDE

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Gintautė Žibėnienė

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Assessment of student achievement is one of the indication of the study quality. Each time attention is paid to the student’s achievements assessment issues in Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (2015 which is a systematically-published European edition relevant to higher education institutions. Also it is reminiscent of the meaning of student oriented studies. The article raises the problem, that it is not clear, what assessment of student›s achievements first-year students would like. Also what assessment methods are relevant and why. The analysis of published literature suggests that this aspect has been less studied in Lithuania. The main aim of the article is to present first-year social work students expectations of the aspect of personal studying achievement assessment. A qualitative research, based on the methodological provisions of social constructivism and theoretical assumptions of social constructivism is presented in the article. Research data collection and analysis methods: document analysis and analysis of scientific literature, open questions, content analysis. The research was conducted on 2013-2015. May. The research involved 23 first-year social work students of bachelor›s degree studies. Was figured out expectations of assessment of studying achievements of students by first-year social work students, which we can connect with essential characteristic of personal achievement assessment which is mentioned in methodological literature: motivational assessment, formative/educational assessment, self promotion, self-assessment integration, criterion assessment. First-year social work students (of bachelor›s degree studies prefer different assessment methods, but they can highlight some of the most likely to choose (test, conversation, debate, open questions, review of literature, essay, project, problem solving. However, first-year students are not sufficiently aware of

Examining student heuristic usage in a hydrogen bonding assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Kathryn; Kim, Thomas

2017-09-01

This study investigates the role of representational competence in student responses to an assessment of hydrogen bonding. The assessment couples the use of a multiple-select item ("Choose all that apply") with an open-ended item to allow for an examination of students' cognitive processes as they relate to the assignment of hydrogen bonding within a structural representation. Response patterns from the multiple-select item implicate heuristic usage as a contributing factor to students' incorrect responses. The use of heuristics is further supported by the students' corresponding responses to the open-ended assessment item. Taken together, these data suggest that poor representational competence may contribute to students' previously observed inability to correctly navigate the concept of hydrogen bonding. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):411-416, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The IDEA Assessment Tool: Assessing the Reporting, Diagnostic Reasoning, and Decision-Making Skills Demonstrated in Medical Students' Hospital Admission Notes.

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Baker, Elizabeth A; Ledford, Cynthia H; Fogg, Louis; Way, David P; Park, Yoon Soo

2015-01-01

Construct: Clinical skills are used in the care of patients, including reporting, diagnostic reasoning, and decision-making skills. Written comprehensive new patient admission notes (H&Ps) are a ubiquitous part of student education but are underutilized in the assessment of clinical skills. The interpretive summary, differential diagnosis, explanation of reasoning, and alternatives (IDEA) assessment tool was developed to assess students' clinical skills using written comprehensive new patient admission notes. The validity evidence for assessment of clinical skills using clinical documentation following authentic patient encounters has not been well documented. Diagnostic justification tools and postencounter notes are described in the literature (1,2) but are based on standardized patient encounters. To our knowledge, the IDEA assessment tool is the first published tool that uses medical students' H&Ps to rate students' clinical skills. The IDEA assessment tool is a 15-item instrument that asks evaluators to rate students' reporting, diagnostic reasoning, and decision-making skills based on medical students' new patient admission notes. This study presents validity evidence in support of the IDEA assessment tool using Messick's unified framework, including content (theoretical framework), response process (interrater reliability), internal structure (factor analysis and internal-consistency reliability), and relationship to other variables. Validity evidence is based on results from four studies conducted between 2010 and 2013. First, the factor analysis (2010, n = 216) yielded a three-factor solution, measuring patient story, IDEA, and completeness, with reliabilities of .79, .88, and .79, respectively. Second, an initial interrater reliability study (2010) involving two raters demonstrated fair to moderate consensus (κ = .21-.56, ρ =.42-.79). Third, a second interrater reliability study (2011) with 22 trained raters also demonstrated fair to moderate agreement

Prosody as a Tool for Assessing Reading Fluency of Adult ESL Students

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Seftirina Evina Sinambela

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The prosodic features in reading aloud assignment has been associated with the students’ decoding skill. The goal of the present study is to determine the reliability of prosody for assessing reading fluency of adult ESL students in Indonesia context. The participants were all Indonesian natives, undergraduate students, adult females and males who have learned English in school (at the very least twice a week for more than 12 years. Text reading prosody was assessed by reading aloud task and the students’ speaking manner was taped and measured by using the Multidimensional Fluency Scale, as for text comprehension was assessed with a standardized test. It was discovered by the current study that prosody is a reliable sign to determine reading fluency and also reading comprehension. The student who did not read the text prosodically (with appropriate expression actually showed that he/she failed to comprehend the text. This study also revealed that a struggling reader was also having low comprehension capacity in listening spoken texts. The ESL students’ common problems to acquire prosodic reading skill are low exposure to the target language and do not have a good model to imitate prosodic reading.

The effects of student self-assessment on learning in removable prosthodontics laboratory.

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Chambers, David W; LaBarre, Eugene E

2014-05-01

It has been consistently shown that there is a weak association between student self-assessment and faculty member assessment of student projects in preclinical technique laboratory settings and that students overestimate their performance. Greater overestimation is observed among students judged by faculty to be the weakest, and these students also use a wider range of scores. This study hypothesized that student self-assessment is a function of capacity to perform, accuracy of understanding grading standards, and psychological factors. Further it hypothesized that learning, defined as change in performance, is a function of ability and self-assessment. Dental students at one U.S. dental school self-assessed their performance on two projects in a removable prosthodontics laboratory course separated by a six-month period. Faculty evaluations of these projects were used to determine students' understanding of the criteria for the projects, and a standardized psychological test was used to assess the learning orientation of the students. A statistical correction was made for the artifact of regression toward the mean. The study found that self-assessment was a better predictor of future learning under these circumstances than was evaluation by faculty members.

Enhancing Student Communication Skills Through Arabic Language Competency and Simulated Patient Assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Sanah; Tarazi, Hamadeh M Khier; Halim Hilal, Dana Abdel

2017-05-01

Objective. To assess student communication and patient management skill with introduction of Arabic and use of simulated patient assessments to a communication and counseling course. Design. Five, 3-hour tutorials (clinical skill laboratory) were added to the course covering: listening and empathic responding, non-verbal communications, interviewing skills, assertiveness, counseling in special situations: conflict, anger, worry or rushed situations, and professional decision making. Arabic content was introduced to the course to enhance Arabic communications and competence among students. Simulated patient assessment was used to evaluate student skills. Students' feedback about course changes was evaluated. Assessment. The course now covers a wider content and Arabic language. Students' scores were similar in the assessment and other assessments within the course and between Arabic and English groups. Students favorably rated the changes in the course and provided constructive feedback on content usefulness and adequacy. Conclusion. Expanding the course to include Arabic language and content and simulated patient assessments enhanced student communication skills.

University students' attitudes towards peer assessment and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

On the whole, the findings show that students were happy to peer assess but not so much to be peer assessed. Also, half of the participants estimated that their assessments did not match those to be expected by their course instructor even if the same assessment criteria were to be used. Some recommendations are ...

Assessing student clinical learning experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Nehyba, Katrine; Miller, Susan; Connaughton, Joanne; Singer, Barbara

2017-08-01

This article describes the use of an activity worksheet and questionnaire to investigate the learning experience of students on clinical placement. The worksheet measures the amount of time students spend in different learning activities, and the questionnaire explores student satisfaction and preferred learning activities. An activity worksheet and questionnaire … investigate[d] the learning experiences of students on clinical placement METHODS: The activity worksheet and questionnaire were used in a cohort pilot study of physiotherapy students on clinical placement. The activity worksheet provides details of the amount of time students engage in a range of clinical and non-clinical tasks while on placement, such as time spent treating patients, working individually, working with their peers and engaging in reflective practice. In combination with the questionnaire results, it allows clinicians to gain an understanding of the clinical learning environment experienced by their students. The data collected using these tools provide a description of the students' activities while undertaking the clinical placement. This information may guide the refinement of the clinical experience, and offers an opportunity to individualise learning activities to match students' needs and preferences. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

The effectiveness of students redrafting continuous assessment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In order to improve academic language competence, students in two academic literacy modules at the University of Johannesburg were given opportunities to resubmit continuous assessment tasks utilising tutor feedback to improve performance. Despite the potential benefits to the students, not all of them were taking ...

Assessing Students' Spiritual and Religious Qualities

Science.gov (United States)

Astin, Alexander W.; Astin, Helen S.; Lindholm, Jennifer A.

2011-01-01

This paper describes a comprehensive set of 12 new measures for studying undergraduate students' spiritual and religious development. The three measures of spirituality, four measures of "spiritually related" qualities, and five measures of religiousness demonstrate satisfactory reliability, robustness, and both concurrent and predictive validity.…

Undergraduate nursing students' perspectives on clinical assessment at transition to practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xi Vivien; Wang, Wenru; Pua, Lay Hoon; Heng, Doreen Gek Noi; Enskär, Karin

2015-01-01

Assessment of clinical competence requires explicitly defined standards meeting the national standards of the nursing profession. This is a complex process because of the diverse nature of nursing practice. To explore the perceptions of final-year undergraduate nursing students regarding clinical assessment at transition to practice. An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted. Twenty-four students participated in three focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was conducted. Five themes emerged: the need for a valid and reliable clinical assessment tool, the need for a flexible style of reflection and specific feedback, the dynamic clinical learning environment, students' efforts in learning and assessment, and the unclear support system for preceptors. Workload, time, resource availability, adequate preparation of preceptors, and the provision of valid and reliable clinical assessment tools were deemed to influence the quality of students' clinical learning and assessment. Nursing leadership in hospitals and educational institutions has a joint responsibility in shaping the clinical learning environment and providing clinical assessments for the students.

The relation between Assessment for Learning and elementary students' cognitive and metacognitive strategy use.

Science.gov (United States)

Baas, Diana; Castelijns, Jos; Vermeulen, Marjan; Martens, Rob; Segers, Mien

2015-03-01

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is believed to create a rich learning environment in which students develop their cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Monitoring student growth and providing scaffolds that shed light on the next step in the learning process are hypothesized to be essential elements of AfL that enhance cognitive and metacognitive strategies. However, empirical evidence for the relation between AfL and students' strategy use is scarce. This study investigates the relation between AfL and elementary school students' use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The sample comprised 528 grade four to six students (9- to 12-year-olds) from seven Dutch elementary schools. Students' perceptions of AfL and their cognitive and metacognitive strategy use were measured by means of questionnaires. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the relations among the variables. The results reveal that monitoring activities that provide students an understanding of where they are in their learning process predict Students' task orientation and planning. Scaffolding activities that support students in taking the next step in their learning are positively related to the use of both surface and deep-level learning strategies and the extent to which they evaluate their learning process after performing tasks. The results underline the importance of assessment practices in ceding responsibility to students in taking control of their own learning. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

A Valid and Reliable Tool to Assess Nursing Students` Clinical Performance

OpenAIRE

Mehrnoosh Pazargadi; Tahereh Ashktorab; Sharareh Khosravi; Hamid Alavi majd

2013-01-01

Background: The necessity of a valid and reliable assessment tool is one of the most repeated issues in nursing students` clinical evaluation. But it is believed that present tools are not mostly valid and can not assess students` performance properly.Objectives: This study was conducted to design a valid and reliable assessment tool for evaluating nursing students` performance in clinical education.Methods: In this methodological study considering nursing students` performance definition; th...

An online formative assessment tool to prepare students for summative assessment in physiology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha Kerr

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background. The didactic approach to teaching physiology in our university has traditionally included the delivery of lectures to large groups, illustrating concepts and referencing recommended textbooks. Importantly, at undergraduate level, our assessments demand a level of application of physiological mechanisms to recognised pathophysiological conditions. Objective. To bridge the gap between lectured material and the application of physiological concepts to pathophysiological conditions, we developed a technological tool approach that augments traditional teaching. Methods. Our e-learning initiative, eQuip, is a custom-built e-learning platform specifically created to align question types included in the program to be similar to those used in current assessments. We describe our formative e-learning system and present preliminary results after the first year of introduction, reporting on the performances and perceptions of 2nd-year physiology students. Results. Students who made use of eQuip for at least three of the teaching blocks achieved significantly better results than those who did not use the program (p=0.0032. Questionnaire feedback was positive with regard to the administration processes and usefulness of eQuip. Students reported particularly liking the ease of access to information; however, <60% of them felt that eQuip motivated them to learn. Conclusion. These results are consistent with the literature, which shows that students who made use of an online formative assessment tool performed better in summative assessment tasks. Despite the improved performance of students, the questionnaire results showed that student motives for using online learning tools indicated that they lack self-directed learning skills and seek easy access to information.

Workplace-based assessment and students' approaches to learning: a qualitative inquiry.

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Al-Kadri, Hanan M; Al-Kadi, Mohammed T; Van Der Vleuten, Cees P M

2013-01-01

We have performed this research to assess the effect of work-place based assessment (WBA) practice on medical students' learning approaches. The research was conducted at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, College of Medicine from 1 March to 31 July 2012. We conducted a qualitative, phenomenological research utilizing semi-structured individual interviews with medical students exposed to WBA. The audio-taped interviews were transcribed verbatim, analyzed, and themes were identified. We preformed investigators' triangulation, member checking with clinical supervisors and we triangulated the data with a similar research performed prior to the implementation of WBA. WBA results in variable learning approaches. Based on several affecting factors; clinical supervisors, faculty-given feedback, and assessment function, students may swing between surface, deep and effort and achievement learning approaches. Students' and supervisors' orientations on the process of WBA, utilization of peer feedback and formative rather than summative assessment facilitate successful implementation of WBA and lead to students' deeper approaches to learning. Interestingly, students and their supervisors have contradicting perceptions to WBA. A change in culture to unify students' and supervisors' perceptions of WBA, more accommodation of formative assessment, and feedback may result in students' deeper approach to learning.

Do different medical curricula influence self-assessed clinical thinking of students?

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Gehlhar, Kirsten; Klimke-Jung, Kathrin; Stosch, Christoph; Fischer, Martin R

2014-01-01

As a fundamental element of medical practice, clinical reasoning should be cultivated in courses of study in human medicine. To date, however, no conclusive evidence has been offered as to what forms of teaching and learning are most effective in achieving this goal. The Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) was developed as a means of measuring knowledge-unrelated components of clinical reasoning. The present pilot study examines the adequacy of this instrument in measuring differences in the clinical reasoning of students in varying stages of education in three curricula of medical studies. The Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) comprises 41 items in two subscales ("Flexibility in Thinking" and "Structure of Knowledge in Memory"). Each item contains a statement or finding concerning clinical reasoning in the form of a stem under which a 6-point scale presents opposing conclusions. The subjects are asked to assess their clinical thinking within this range. The German-language version of the DTI was completed by 247 student volunteers from three schools and varying clinical semesters. In a quasi-experimental design, 219 subjects from traditional and model courses of study in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia took part. Specifically, these were 5(th), 6(th) and 8(th) semester students from the model course of study at Witten/Herdecke University (W/HU), from the model (7(th) and 9(th) semester) and traditional (7(th) semester) courses of study at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and from the model course of study (9(th) semester) at the University of Cologne (UoC). The data retrieved were quantitatively assessed. The reliability of the questionnaire in its entirety was good (Cronbach's alpha between 0.71 and 0.83); the reliability of the subscales ranged between 0.49 and 0.75. The different groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney test, revealing significant differences among semester cohorts within a school as well as between students from similar

Questions for Assessment: A Guide for Tutors’ Practice and Student Development

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Conor McKevitt

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Assessment is a time consuming and important part of academic life for tutors and students alike. It shapes the teaching and allows the tutor to guide the learning process. However, student learning is more effective when they understand the assessment process. Tutors, as expert assessor, are in the best place to develop such knowledge but, they need to plan for this in advance and consider the students’ perspective. The purpose of this paper is to both inform and influence tutors’ assessment practice using recent literature. Information searches were employed to gather literature from peer reviewed journal articles using keywords that are important within the assessment context: assessment, formative assessment, criteria, feedback, and self-assessment. The literature was collated under each of three question areas that take into account the students’ perspective: 1. If I had some criteria and examples I would know ‘What do I need to do?’, and ‘What should it look like?’ 2. If I had some feedback while doing my work I would know if ‘I am doing what is required?’ and ‘How I can improve?’ 3. If I had support to self-assess ‘Would I be able to assess myself?’ The literature addressed each of the aforementioned questions. The findings suggest that: in order to answer question one student engagement with criteria and exemplars is required; In order to answer question two students need to engage with tutor feedback that is clear, meaningful and related to criteria; Finally, in order to answer question three students must be given the opportunity to self-assess and be supported through this with feedback from the tutor. Practical suggestions are provided to assist tutors’ assessment practice. Proposed elements and benefits of the assessment process for tutors and students are outlined. In general, a formative approach to assessment is ideal for students. While engagement with the assessment process is valuable for the

Innovative Assessment Paradigm to Enhance Student Learning in Engineering Education

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El-Maaddawy, Tamer

2017-01-01

Incorporation of student self-assessment (SSA) in engineering education offers opportunities to support and encourage learner-led-learning. This paper presents an innovative assessment paradigm that integrates formative, summative, and SSA to enhance student learning. The assessment innovation was implemented in a senior-level civil engineering…

Blending Individual and Group Assessment: A Model for Measuring Student Performance

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Reiser, Elana

2017-01-01

Two sections of a college discrete mathematics class were taught using cooperative learning techniques throughout the semester. The 33 students attending these sections were randomly assigned into groups of three. Their final examination consisted of an individual and group blended examination where students worked in their groups and discussed…

Assessing students' performance in software requirements engineering education using scoring rubrics

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Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.; Hussain, Azham

2017-10-01

The study investigates how helpful the use of scoring rubrics is, in the performance assessment of software requirements engineering students and whether its use can lead to students' performance improvement in the development of software requirements artifacts and models. Scoring rubrics were used by two instructors to assess the cognitive performance of a student in the design and development of software requirements artifacts. The study results indicate that the use of scoring rubrics is very helpful in objectively assessing the performance of software requirements or software engineering students. Furthermore, the results revealed that the use of scoring rubrics can also produce a good achievement assessments direction showing whether a student is either improving or not in a repeated or iterative assessment. In a nutshell, its use leads to the performance improvement of students. The results provided some insights for further investigation and will be beneficial to researchers, requirements engineers, system designers, developers and project managers.

Quantitative Reasoning in Environmental Science: Rasch Measurement to Support QR Assessment

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Robert L. Mayes

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The ability of middle and high school students to reason quantitatively within the context of environmental science was investigated. A quantitative reasoning (QR learning progression, with associated QR assessments in the content areas of biodiversity, water, and carbon, was developed based on three QR progress variables: quantification act, quantitative interpretation, and quantitative modeling. Diagnostic instruments were developed specifically for the progress variable quantitative interpretation (QI, each consisting of 96 Likert-scale items. Each content version of the instrument focused on three scale levels (macro scale, micro scale, and landscape scale and four elements of QI identified in prior research (trend, translation, prediction, and revision. The QI assessments were completed by 362, 6th to 12th grade students in three U.S. states. Rasch (1960/1980 measurement was used to determine item and person measures for the QI instruments, both to examine validity and reliability characteristics of the instrument administration and inform the evolution of the learning progression. Rasch methods allowed identification of several QI instrument revisions, including modification of specific items, reducing number of items to avoid cognitive fatigue, reconsidering proposed item difficulty levels, and reducing Likert scale to 4 levels. Rasch diagnostics also indicated favorable levels of instrument reliability and appropriate targeting of item abilities to student abilities for the majority of participants. A revised QI instrument is available for STEM researchers and educators.

A Framework for Assessing High School Students' Statistical Reasoning.

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Chan, Shiau Wei; Ismail, Zaleha; Sumintono, Bambang

2016-01-01

Based on a synthesis of literature, earlier studies, analyses and observations on high school students, this study developed an initial framework for assessing students' statistical reasoning about descriptive statistics. Framework descriptors were established across five levels of statistical reasoning and four key constructs. The former consisted of idiosyncratic reasoning, verbal reasoning, transitional reasoning, procedural reasoning, and integrated process reasoning. The latter include describing data, organizing and reducing data, representing data, and analyzing and interpreting data. In contrast to earlier studies, this initial framework formulated a complete and coherent statistical reasoning framework. A statistical reasoning assessment tool was then constructed from this initial framework. The tool was administered to 10 tenth-grade students in a task-based interview. The initial framework was refined, and the statistical reasoning assessment tool was revised. The ten students then participated in the second task-based interview, and the data obtained were used to validate the framework. The findings showed that the students' statistical reasoning levels were consistent across the four constructs, and this result confirmed the framework's cohesion. Developed to contribute to statistics education, this newly developed statistical reasoning framework provides a guide for planning learning goals and designing instruction and assessments.

Medical student use of Facebook to support preparation for anatomy assessments.

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Pickering, James D; Bickerdike, Suzanne R

2017-06-01

The use of Facebook to support students is an emerging area of educational research. This study explored how a Facebook Page could support Year 2 medical (MBChB) students in preparation for summative anatomy assessments and alleviate test anxiety. Overall, Facebook analytics revealed that in total 49 (19.8% of entire cohort) students posted a comment in preparation for either the first (33 students) or second (34) summative anatomy assessments. 18 students commented in preparation for both. In total, 155 comments were posted, with 83 for the first and 72 for the second. Of the 83 comments, 45 related to checking anatomical information, 30 were requiring assessment information and 8 wanted general course information. For the second assessment this was 52, 14 and 6, respectively. Student perceptions on usage, and impact on learning and assessment preparation were obtained via a five-point Likert-style questionnaire, with 119 students confirming they accessed the Page. Generally, students believed the Page was an effective way to support their learning, and provided information which supported their preparation with increases in perceived confidence and reductions in anxiety. There was no difference between gender, except for males who appeared to be significantly less likely to ask a question as they may be perceived to lack knowledge (P Facebook can play an important role in supporting students in preparation for anatomy assessments. Anat Sci Educ 10: 205-214. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

URSSA, the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment: A Tool for Assessing Student Outcomes of Undergraduate Research

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Laursen, S. L.; Hunter, A.; Weston, T.; Thiry, H.

2009-12-01

Evidence-based thinking is essential both to science and to the development of effective educational programs. Thus assessment of student learning—gathering evidence about the nature and depth of students’ learning gains, and about how they arise—is a centerpiece of any effective undergraduate research (UR) program. Assessment data can be used to monitor progress, to diagnose problems, to strengthen program designs, and to report both good outcomes and strategies to improve them to institutional and financial stakeholders in UR programs. While the positive impact of UR on students’ educational, personal and professional development has long been a matter of faith, only recently have researchers and evaluators developed an empirical basis by which to identify and explain these outcomes. Based on this growing body of evidence, URSSA, the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment, is a survey tool that departments and programs can use to assess student outcomes of UR. URSSA focuses on what students learn from their UR experience, rather than whether they liked it. Both multiple-choice and open-ended items focus on students’ gains from UR, including: (1) skills such as lab work and communication; (2) conceptual knowledge and linkages among ideas in their field and with other fields; (3) deepened understanding of the intellectual and practical work of science; (4) growth in confidence and adoption of the identity of scientist; (5) preparation for a career or graduate school in science; and (6) greater clarity in understanding what career or educational path they might wish to pursue. Other items probe students’ participation in important activities that have been shown to lead to these gains; and a set of optional items can be included to probe specific program features that may supplement UR (e.g. field trips, career seminars, housing arrangements). The poster will describe URSSA's content, development, validation, and use. For more information about

The measurement invariance of job diagnostic survey (JDS) across three university student groups

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez-Gomez, M.; Marin-Garcia, J.A.; Girado Omeara, M.

2016-07-01

The main purpose of this study is to apply a multigroup confirmatory analysis to examine the measurement invariance (MI) of the adapted version of the Job Diagnosis Survey (JDS) as a measurement tool that analyses the relationship between the features of teaching methodologies with university students’ motivation and satisfaction across data collected on different degrees and academic years. Design/methodology/approach: Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using a multigroup structural equation model, using the program EQS 6.1 to test the invariance of the adapted version of JDS in a sample constituted by 535 student of a Spanish public university. The assessment of invariance included the levels of configural, metric, scalar, covariance and latent variables invariance. Several goodness-of-fit measures were assessed... (Author)

Instructor and Dental Student Perceptions of Clinical Communication Skills via Structured Assessments.

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McKenzie, Carly T

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to use structured assessments to assess dental students' clinical communication skills exhibited during patient appointments. Fourth-year dental students (n=55) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham evaluated their own interpersonal skills in a clinical setting utilizing the Four Habits Coding Scheme. An instructor also assessed student-patient clinical communication. These assessments were used to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses in students' clinical communication. Both instructor assessments and student self-assessments pinpointed the following clinical communication skills as effective the most often: patient greeting, avoidance of jargon, and non-verbal behavior. There was also relative agreement between instructor assessments and student self-assessments regarding clinical communication skills that were rated as not effective most frequently: ensuring patient comprehension, identification of patient feelings, and exploration of barriers to treatment. These resulted pointed to strengths and weaknesses in the portion of the curriculum designed to prepare students for effective provider-patient communication. These results may suggest a need for the school's current behavioral science curriculum to better address discussion of potential treatment barriers and patient feelings as well as techniques to ensure patient comprehension.

SYSTEMIC ASSESSMENT [SA] AS A TOOL TO ASSESS STUDENT ...

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Temechegn

our studies on Systemic Assessment [SA] [5-8] is an ongoing process of .... schema can be considered as a single element in working memory [9]. This is ... our students from surface learning to deep learning of chemical processes in sodium ...

Developing and Implementing the Qatar Student Assessment System. Research Brief

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Gonzalez, Gabriella; Le, Vi-Nhuan; Broer, Markus; Mariano, Louis T.; Froemel, J. Enrique; Goldman, Charles A.; DaVanzo, Julie

2009-01-01

This research brief summarizes the development of a standards-based student assessment system in Qatar, lessons for policymakers in Qatar and elsewhere, and challenges in aligning the assessment with future changes in the curriculum standards. Analysis of Qatar's standards-based student assessment system, the first in the region, offers several…

Psychometric Properties of the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Student (PASS) in a Student Sample of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences.

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Mortazavi, Forough; Mortazavi, Saideh S; Khosrorad, Razieh

2015-09-01

Procrastination is a common behavior which affects different aspects of life. The procrastination assessment scale-student (PASS) evaluates academic procrastination apropos its frequency and reasons. The aims of the present study were to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Farsi version of the PASS in a sample of Iranian medical students. In this cross-sectional study, the PASS was translated into Farsi through the forward-backward method, and its content validity was thereafter assessed by a panel of 10 experts. The Farsi version of the PASS was subsequently distributed among 423 medical students. The internal reliability of the PASS was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on 18 items and then 28 items of the scale to find new models. The construct validity of the scale was assessed using both EFA and confirmatory factor analysis. The predictive validity of the scale was evaluated by calculating the correlation between the academic procrastination scores and the students' average scores in the previous semester. The corresponding reliability of the first and second parts of the scale was 0.781 and 0.861. An EFA on 18 items of the scale found 4 factors which jointly explained 53.2% of variances: The model was marginally acceptable (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] =0.098, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] =0.076, χ(2) /df =4.8, comparative fit index [CFI] =0.83). An EFA on 28 items of the scale found 4 factors which altogether explained 42.62% of variances: The model was acceptable (RMSEA =0.07, SRMR =0.07, χ(2)/df =2.8, incremental fit index =0.90, CFI =0.90). There was a negative correlation between the procrastination scores and the students' average scores (r = -0.131, P =0.02). The Farsi version of the PASS is a valid and reliable tool to measure academic procrastination in Iranian undergraduate medical students.

A Measure of Burnout for Business Students

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Law, Daniel W.

2010-01-01

The author surveyed 163 business students representing all business majors from a major state university. Participants completed a questionnaire utilizing a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The data were factor analyzed to assess its basic underlying structure, and each burnout component was assessed for reliability. Results…

Measuring Longitudinal Student Performance on Student Learning Outcomes in Sustainability Education

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Jarchow, Meghann E.; Formisano, Paul; Nordyke, Shane; Sayre, Matthew

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the student learning outcomes (SLOs) for a sustainability major, evaluate faculty incorporation of the SLOs into the courses in the sustainability major curriculum and measure student performance on the SLOs from entry into the major to the senior capstone course. Design/methodology/approach:…

Finding foundations: A model for information literacy assessment of first-year students

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Zoe Fisher

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In Brief This article presents a case study in establishing an information literacy instruction and assessment program for first-year university students at the University of Colorado Denver. Rather than presenting assessment data, we document the process in which our department engaged with the student learning assessment cycle, with the intention of allowing other information literacy professionals to see how we established an instruction program for first-year English Composition. We include a description of in-class exercises, rubrics, and the procedures we followed in order to assess the foundational information literacy skills of first-year students on our campus. This assessment was not conducted to demonstrate what students learned from librarians (thereby illustrating the value of library instruction. Rather, we assessed student learning to ascertain the information literacy skills students bring with them into a first-year English Composition course.

A Perspective on Student Learning Outcome Assessment at Qatar University

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Al-Thani, Shaikha Jabor; Abdelmoneim, Ali; Daoud, Khaled; Cherif, Adel; Moukarzel, Dalal

2014-01-01

This paper provides a unique perspective on the student learning outcome assessment process as adopted and implemented at Qatar University from 2006 to 2012. The progress of the student learning outcome assessment and continuous improvement efforts at the university and the initiatives taken to establish a culture of assessment and evidence-based…

Agreement between veterinary students and anesthesiologists regarding postoperative pain assessment in dogs.

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Barletta, Michele; Young, Courtni N; Quandt, Jane E; Hofmeister, Erik H

2016-01-01

To determine the levels of agreement among first- and second-year veterinary students and experienced anesthesiologists in assessing postoperative pain in dogs from video-recordings. Cross-sectional study. Twenty-seven veterinary students, five anesthesiologists and 13 canine clinical patients. Prior to their enrolment in a core anesthesia course, veterinary students volunteered to watch 13 90 second videos of dogs. Dogs were hospitalized in an intensive care unit after a variety of surgical procedures. Students were asked to score the level of the dogs' pain using the Dynamic Interactive Visual Analog Scale and the Short Form of the Glasgow Composite-Measure Pain Scale. The same videotapes were scored by five board-certified anesthesiologists. The differences and agreement between the ratings of anesthesiologists and students, and first- and second-year students were determined with Mann-Whitney U-tests and Fleiss' or Cohen's kappa, respectively. Pain scores assigned by students and anesthesiologists differed significantly (p Veterinary students early in their training assigned pain scores to dogs that differed from scores assigned by experienced anesthesiologists. © 2015 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.

Model of affective assessment of primary school students

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Amir Syamsudin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study aims to develop an instrument of affective assessment to measure the social competence of elementary school students in the learning process in schools. This study used the development model of Borg & Gall’s approach which was modified into five phases, including the need analyses, developing draft of the product conducted by experts, developing an affective assessment instrument, trying out the affective assessment instrument conducted by teachers of primary education in Yogyakarta, and the dissemination and implementation of the developed affective assessment instrument. The subjects were elementary school students whose school implemented Curriculum 2013 in the academic year of 2013/2014. The validity and reliability of each construct of the affective instrument were established using the PLS SEM Wrap PLS 3.0 analysis program. The study finds the following results. First, the construct of Honesty, Discipline, Responsibility, Decency, Care, and Self-Confidence in the limited, main, and extended testing has been supported by empirical data. Second, the validity of Honesty, Discipline, Responsibility, Decency, Care, and Self-Confidence in the limited, main, and extended testing meets the criteria above 0.70 for each indicator of the loading factor and the criteria below 0.50 for each indicator score of the cross-loading factor. Third, the reliability of Honesty, Discipline, Responsibility, Decency, Care, and Self-Confidence in limited, main, and extended testing meets the criteria above 0.70 for both composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha scores. Fourth, the number of indicators at preresearch was 53, and 10 indicators were rejected in the limited testing, and four indicators were rejected in the main testing, and one indicator was rejected in the extended testing.

A systematic review of assessment and intervention strategies for effective clinical communication in culturally and linguistically diverse students.

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Chan, Annie; Purcell, Alison; Power, Emma

2016-09-01

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students often experience difficulties with the clinical communication skills that are essential for successful interactions in the workplace. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of assessment and intervention strategies for this population. The two aims of this study were: to evaluate the effectiveness of assessment tools in identifying and describing the clinical communication difficulties of CALD health care students; and to determine whether communication programmes improved their clinical communication skills. Systematic review based on the Cochrane protocol. Articles were identified through a search of established databases using MeSH and key search terms. Studies published in English from 1990 to March 2015 were included if they described assessment strategies or a training programme for communication skills of CALD students. Studies were excluded if they did not describe implementation of a specific assessment or intervention programme. Data were extracted independently by the first author and verified by the second author. Quality was measured by the Best Evidence Medical Education guide and the Educational Interventions Critical Appraisal Tool. The Kirkpatrick hierarchy was used to measure impact. Meta-analysis was not conducted because of the heterogeneity of programme design and outcome measures. One hundred and twenty-nine articles met the criteria for full text review. Eighty-six articles were excluded. Thirteen articles addressing assessment and 30 articles reporting on communication training programmes were included in this review. Assessment tools used rubrics and rating scales effectively. Intervention studies focused on speech and language skills (n = 20), interpersonal skills (n = 7) and faculty-level support (n = 5). Although 17 studies reported positive findings on student satisfaction, only eight reported improved skills post-training. The development of effective

Measurements of radiation exposure of dentistry students during their radiological training using thermoluminescent dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loya, M.; Sanín, L.H.; González, P.R.; Ávila, O.; Duarte, R.; Ojeda, S.L.; Montero-Cabrera, M.E.

2016-01-01

Exposure among dentistry students has not been assessed or regulated in Mexico. This work assessed the average exposure of 35 dentistry students during their training with the aid of LiF:Mg,Cu,P+PTFE thermoluminescent dosimeters. For the students in the roles of dentist and observers, maximum accumulated equivalent dose obtained was 2.59±0.11 and 4.64±0.39 mSv, respectively. Students in the role as patients received a maximum accumulated effective dose of 28.41±0.31 mSv. If compared to occupational dose limits, this latter value is 56% of the recommended value of 50 mSv in any year. It was found that in all cases, values of equivalent dose to the women breasts were equal to the background dose. Results are discussed and compared to previous published work. Suggested recommendations were given to authorities in order to minimize exposure of the students in the role as patients. - Highlights: • Dose of training dentistry students was estimated with LiF:Mg,Cu,P+PTFE dosimeters. • The average effective dose of students in the role of patient was also estimated. • The sum of organ doses from TL measurements is considered as the whole body dose. • The uncertainty in the results was less than 2%.

Self-assessment of ergonomics amongst dental students utilising photography: RCT.

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Partido, B B; Wright, B M

2018-03-02

Dental professionals are at high risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to static working positions for extended periods of time. Musculoskeletal pain has been identified as early as during their entry-level dental education. The purpose of this study was to determine whether feedback involving photography and self-assessment would improve ergonomic scores and the accuracy of ergonomic self-assessments amongst dental students. The study involved a randomised control design of 135 dental students. At weeks 1 and 4, participants were photographed, and at weeks 1 through 4, participants completed ergonomic self-evaluations, using a Modified-Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M-DOPAI). During weeks 2 and 3, participants in the training group were photographed and used those photographs to complete ergonomic self-assessments. All participants' pre-training and post-training photographs were evaluated for ergonomic scores by two raters. A mixed-design ANOVA of ergonomic scores revealed that ergonomic scores improved for all students who received the ergonomics training (F(1,254)=17.41, P < .001). In addition, a mixed-design ANOVA of kappa coefficient values between student and rater scores revealed that the accuracy of self-assessments improved for all students who received the ergonomics training (F(1,127)=6.33, P < .05). The use of photographs and self-assessment provides dental and dental hygiene educators with a pragmatic method to improve self-assessment skills, increase student awareness of any postural deviations from ideal and improve musculoskeletal health. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Medical and pharmacy students' perceptions of the grading and assessment practices.

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Kasanda, C D; Mitonga, K H; Veii, K; Zimba, R F

2013-01-01

Many students at the University of Namibia have frequently complained about ineffective assessment practices used at the institution. On many occasions, these complaints have not been substantiated with evidence of any kind. The purpose of this study was to obtain some empirical evidence that would ascertain undergraduate students' perceptions of the University of Namibia's grading and assessment practices. Using a structured scaled questionnaire, data were obtained from a representative sample of the University's undergraduate students studying for Medical and Pharmacy degrees. The questionnaire items covered matters related to students' experiences of assessment practices, feedback on assessment tasks, reliability and validity of assessment tools used by lecturers, efficacy of processes of administering examinations, perceptions of irregular and unfair assessment practices, impact of assessment regimes on students' cost of studies, motivation, morale, rate of progression in studies and graduation, the degree of compliance with assessment ethics and on academic quality assurance. According to the data reported in this article, the majority of the respondents perceived that the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Namibia applied assessment practices that yielded reliable and valid results. This was the case because most lecturers in the two schools used appropriate assessment tools and provided their students with prompt and informative feedback on the results of assignments, tests and examinations. In addition, most respondents reported that whereas examination procedures used in the two schools were efficient and effective, lecturers graded examination scripts fairly. These and other results are discussed in the article to communicate the message that the assessment procedures used in the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Namibia would promote effective learning and understanding amongst students as they were of high quality.

An online spaced-education game to teach and assess medical students: a multi-institutional prospective trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kerfoot, B Price; Baker, Harley; Pangaro, Louis; Agarwal, Kathryn; Taffet, George; Mechaber, Alex J; Armstrong, Elizabeth G

2012-10-01

To investigate whether a spaced-education (SE) game can be an effective means of teaching core content to medical students and a reliable and valid method of assessing their knowledge. This nine-month trial (2008-2009) enrolled students from three U.S. medical schools. The SE game consisted of 100 validated multiple-choice questions-explanations in preclinical/clinical domains. Students were e-mailed two questions daily. Adaptive game mechanics re-sent questions in three or six weeks if answered, respectively, incorrectly or correctly. Questions expired if not answered on time (appointment dynamic). Students retired questions by answering each correctly twice consecutively (progression dynamic). Posting of relative performance fostered competition. Main outcome measures were baseline and completion scores. Seven-hundred thirty-one students enrolled. Median baseline score was 53% (interquartile range [IQR] 16) and varied significantly by year (Pgames. An SE game is an effective and well-accepted means of teaching core content and a reliable and valid method to assess student knowledge. SE games may be valuable tools to identify and remediate students who could benefit from additional educational support.

COCOA: A New Validated Instrument to Assess Medical Students' Attitudes towards Older Adults

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Hollar, David; Roberts, Ellen; Busby-Whitehead, Jan

2011-01-01

This study tested the reliability and validity of the Carolina Opinions on Care of Older Adults (COCOA) survey compared with the Geriatric Assessment Survey (GAS). Participants were first year medical students (n = 160). A Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) measurement model for COCOA had a moderately strong fit that was significantly better…

Performance assessment instrument to assess the senior high students' psychomotor for the salt hydrolysis material

Science.gov (United States)

Nahadi, Firman, Harry; Yulina, Erlis

2016-02-01

The purposes of this study were to develop a performance assessment instrument for assessing the competence of psychomotor high school students on salt hydrolysis concepts. The design used in this study was the Research & Development which consists of three phases: development, testing and application of instruments. Subjects in this study were high school students in class XI science, which amounts to 93 students. In the development phase, seven validators validated 17 tasks instrument. In the test phase, we divided 19 students into three-part different times to conduct performance test in salt hydrolysis lab work and observed by six raters. The first, the second, and the third groups recpectively consist of five, six, and eight students. In the application phase, two raters observed the performance of 74 students in the salt hydrolysis lab work in several times. The results showed that 16 of 17 tasks of performance assessment instrument developed can be stated to be valid with CVR value of 1,00 and 0,714. While, the rest was not valid with CVR value was 0.429, below the critical value (0.622). In the test phase, reliability value of instrument obtained were 0,951 for the five-student group, 0,806 for the six-student group and 0,743 for the eight-student group. From the interviews, teachers strongly agree with the performance instrument developed. They stated that the instrument was feasible to use for maximum number of students were six in a single observation.

Student Nurses' Knowledge in Relation to Blood Pressure Measurement by Sphygmomanometry and Auscultation.

Science.gov (United States)

Torrance, Colin; Serginson, Eve

1996-01-01

British nursing students (78 of 93) completed a questionnaire about blood pressure; 90% were not familiar with Korotkoff sounds or auscultary gap; most thought blood pressure was the same in both arms; 63% knew resting was essential before measurement; 59% assessed the arm for cuff size; only 25% thought the cuff should be placed at heart level.…

Construction and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Problem-Solving Skills of Suburban High School Physical Science Students

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Herak, Patrick James

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a problem-solving instrument that could easily be used by a classroom teacher. The research questions were (1) can the Problem-Solving Skills Assessments (PSSAs) differentiate between students with varying levels of selected problem-solving skills? (2) Can the PSSAs measure student growth due to…

MTF Database: A Repository of Students' Academic Performance Measurements for the Development of Techniques for Evaluating Team Functioning

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Hsiung, Chin-Min; Zheng, Xiang-Xiang

2015-01-01

The Measurements for Team Functioning (MTF) database contains a series of student academic performance measurements obtained at a national university in Taiwan. The measurements are acquired from unit tests and homework tests performed during a core mechanical engineering course, and provide an objective means of assessing the functioning of…

Validation of an instrument to measure students' motivation and self-regulation towards technology learning

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Liou, Pey-Yan; Kuo, Pei-Jung

2014-05-01

Background:Few studies have examined students' attitudinal perceptions of technology. There is no appropriate instrument to measure senior high school students' motivation and self-regulation toward technology learning among the current existing instruments in the field of technology education. Purpose:The present study is to validate an instrument for assessing senior high school students' motivation and self-regulation towards technology learning. Sample:A total of 1822 Taiwanese senior high school students (1020 males and 802 females) responded to the newly developed instrument. Design and method:The Motivation and Self-regulation towards Technology Learning (MSRTL) instrument was developed based on the previous instruments measuring students' motivation and self-regulation towards science learning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were utilized to investigate the structure of the items. Cronbach's alpha was applied for measuring the internal consistency of each scale. Furthermore, multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine gender differences. Results:Seven scales, including 'Technology learning self-efficacy,' 'Technology learning value,' 'Technology active learning strategies,' 'Technology learning environment stimulation,' 'Technology learning goal-orientation,' 'Technology learning self-regulation-triggering,' and 'Technology learning self-regulation-implementing' were confirmed for the MSRTL instrument. Moreover, the results also showed that male and female students did not present the same degree of preference in all of the scales. Conclusions:The MSRTL instrument composed of seven scales corresponding to 39 items was shown to be valid based on validity and reliability analyses. While male students tended to express more positive and active performance in the motivation scales, no gender differences were found in the self-regulation scales.

Using Student-Produced Video to Validate Head-to-Toe Assessment Performance.

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Purpora, Christina; Prion, Susan

2018-03-01

This study explored third-semester baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of the value of using student-produced video as an approach for learning head-to-toe assessment, an essential clinical nursing skill taught in the classroom. A cognitive apprenticeship model guided the study. The researchers developed a 34-item survey. A convenience sample of 72 students enrolled in an applied assessment and nursing fundamentals course at a university in the western United States provided the data. Most students reported a videotaping process that worked, supportive faculty, valuable faculty review of their work, confidence, a sense of performance independence, the ability to identify normal assessment findings, and few barriers to learning. The results suggested that a student-produced video approach to learning head-to-toe assessment was effective. Further, the study demonstrated how to leverage available instructional technology to provide meaningful, personalized instruction and feedback to students about an essential nursing skill. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(3):154-158.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Exploring assessment factors contributing to students' study strategies: literature review.

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Al-Kadri, H.M.; Al-Moamary, M.S.; Roberts, C.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der

2012-01-01

"Assessment steers students' learning" is a statement that has been used repeatedly without solid evidence in the literature. This manuscript aims to evaluate the published literatures on the effect of teaching learning environment in particular, the implemented assessment on students' learning

Assessment of university student health literacy toward Influenza

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Marzieh Meraji

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background and objective: Outbreak of influenza A/H1N1 become serious concern. Student in academic institutions can play effective role in prevention and control of influenza. Here paramedical faculty student health literacy toward Influenza was assessed. Methods: A cross sectional-descriptive study was conducted among 139 students in Medical Records, Physiotherapy, Radiology, Health Information Technology, Speech Therapy and Optometry discipline at paramedical faculty of Mashhad medical university in 2016. A pandemic influenza questionnaire was translated and edited. Demographic characteristics of student, level of knowledge and perception toward influenza and perception toward government and media were collected. Results: More than half of student correctly identified influenza symptoms as fever 95/1%, body ache 51/2%, cough 46/3% and headaches 43/9%.person to person transmission and contact with infected objects were recognized by 87/8% and 68/3% of student as a mode of transmission. Students Covering identified nose and mouth 87/8%, hand washing with soap and water 80/5% and throwing tissues in rubbish bin as precutions.48/6% of student believed that influenza is not fatal; despite 88/9% of student perceived influenza as serious disease. In Government and media assessment, 39% of student agreed health department and other health authorities had a good control plan, 51/4% of student agreed with transparency of necessary intervention during flu outbreak. Conclusion: This study shows that paramedical faculty student has appropriate influenza health literacy. Delivering more information about mode of transmission, high risk group and precaution intervention and playing more effective role by media is recommended. Paper Type: Research Article.

Assessing the impact of blended learning on student performance

OpenAIRE

Do Won Kwak; Flavio Menezes; Carl Sherwood

2013-01-01

This paper assesses quantitatively the impact on student performance of a blended learning experiment within a large undergraduate first year course in statistics for business and economics students. We employ a differences- in-difference econometric approach, which controls for differences in student characteristics and course delivery method, to evaluate the impact of blended learning on student performance. Although students in the course manifest a preference for live lectures over online...

A Cyclical Self-Assessment Process: Towards a Model of How Students Engage in Self-Assessment

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Yan, Zi; Brown, Gavin T. L.

2017-01-01

While significant progress has been made on understanding the effects of student self-assessment, the processes by which these effects occur are much less studied. The present research identified the actions involved in a cyclical self-assessment process. In this qualitative study, 17 undergraduate students from a teacher education institute took…

Assessing students' communication skills: validation of a global rating.

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Scheffer, Simone; Muehlinghaus, Isabel; Froehmel, Annette; Ortwein, Heiderose

2008-12-01

Communication skills training is an accepted part of undergraduate medical programs nowadays. In addition to learning experiences its importance should be emphasised by performance-based assessment. As detailed checklists have been shown to be not well suited for the assessment of communication skills for different reasons, this study aimed to validate a global rating scale. A Canadian instrument was translated to German and adapted to assess students' communication skills during an end-of-semester-OSCE. Subjects were second and third year medical students at the reformed track of the Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin. Different groups of raters were trained to assess students' communication skills using the global rating scale. Validity testing included concurrent validity and construct validity: Judgements of different groups of raters were compared to expert ratings as a defined gold standard. Furthermore, the amount of agreement between scores obtained with this global rating scale and a different instrument for assessing communication skills was determined. Results show that communication skills can be validly assessed by trained non-expert raters as well as standardised patients using this instrument.

Assessing and Improving Student Understanding of Tree-Thinking

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Kummer, Tyler A.

Evolution is the unifying theory of biology. The importance of understanding evolution by those who study the origins, diversification and diversity life cannot be overstated. Because of its importance, in addition to a scientific study of evolution, many researchers have spent time studying the acceptance and the teaching of evolution. Phylogenetic Systematics is the field of study developed to understand the evolutionary history of organisms, traits, and genes. Tree-thinking is the term by which we identify concepts related to the evolutionary history of organisms. It is vital that those who undertake a study of biology be able to understand and interpret what information these phylogenies are meant to convey. In this project, we evaluated the current impact a traditional study of biology has on the misconceptions students hold by assessing tree-thinking in freshman biology students to those nearing the end of their studies. We found that the impact of studying biology was varied with some misconceptions changing significantly while others persisted. Despite the importance of tree-thinking no appropriately developed concept inventory exists to measure student understanding of these important concepts. We developed a concept inventory capable of filling this important need and provide evidence to support its use among undergraduate students. Finally, we developed and modified activities as well as courses based on best practices to improve teaching and learning of tree-thinking and organismal diversity. We accomplished this by focusing on two key questions. First, how do we best introduce students to tree-thinking and second does tree-thinking as a course theme enhance student understanding of not only tree-thinking but also organismal diversity. We found important evidence suggesting that introducing students to tree-thinking via building evolutionary trees was less successful than introducing the concept via tree interpretation and may have in fact introduced or

Auditory risk assessment of college music students in jazz band-based instructional activity.

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Gopal, Kamakshi V; Chesky, Kris; Beschoner, Elizabeth A; Nelson, Paul D; Stewart, Bradley J

2013-01-01

It is well-known that musicians are at risk for music-induced hearing loss, however, systematic evaluation of music exposure and its effects on the auditory system are still difficult to assess. The purpose of the study was to determine if college students in jazz band-based instructional activity are exposed to loud classroom noise and consequently exhibit acute but significant changes in basic auditory measures compared to non-music students in regular classroom sessions. For this we (1) measured and compared personal exposure levels of college students (n = 14) participating in a routine 50 min jazz ensemble-based instructional activity (experimental) to personal exposure levels of non-music students (n = 11) participating in a 50-min regular classroom activity (control), and (2) measured and compared pre- to post-auditory changes associated with these two types of classroom exposures. Results showed that the L eq (equivalent continuous noise level) generated during the 50 min jazz ensemble-based instructional activity ranged from 95 dBA to 105.8 dBA with a mean of 99.5 ± 2.5 dBA. In the regular classroom, the L eq ranged from 46.4 dBA to 67.4 dBA with a mean of 49.9 ± 10.6 dBA. Additionally, significant differences were observed in pre to post-auditory measures between the two groups. The experimental group showed a significant temporary threshold shift bilaterally at 4000 Hz (P music students place them at risk for hearing loss compared to their non-music cohorts.

Development of an Instrument to Measure Pharmacy Student Attitudes Toward Social Media Professionalism.

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Chisholm-Burns, Marie A; Spivey, Christina A; Jaeger, Melanie C; Williams, Jennifer; George, Christa

2017-05-01

Objectives. To develop and validate a scale measuring pharmacy students' attitudes toward social media professionalism, and assess the impact of an educational presentation on social media professionalism. Methods. A social media professionalism scale was used in a pre- and post-survey to determine the effects of a social media professionalism presentation. The 26-item scale was administered to 197 first-year pharmacy (P1) students during orientation. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to determine the number of underlying factors responsible for covariation of the data. Principal components analysis was used as the extraction method. Varimax was selected as the rotation method. Cronbach's alpha was estimated. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare pre- and post-scores of each item, subscale, and total scale. Results. There were 187 (95%) students who participated. The final scale had five subscales and 15 items. Subscales were named according to the professionalism tenet they best represented. Scores of items addressing reading/posting to social media during class, an employer's use of social media when making hiring decisions, and a college/university's use of social media as a measure of professional conduct significantly increased from pre-test to post-test. The "honesty and integrity" subscale score also significantly increased. Conclusion. The social media professionalism scale measures five tenets of professionalism and exhibits satisfactory reliability. The presentation improved P1 students' attitudes regarding social media professionalism.

Laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training in medical students as assessed by augmented reality simulator.

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Nomura, Tsutomu; Mamada, Yasuhiro; Nakamura, Yoshiharu; Matsutani, Takeshi; Hagiwara, Nobutoshi; Fujita, Isturo; Mizuguchi, Yoshiaki; Fujikura, Terumichi; Miyashita, Masao; Uchida, Eiji

2015-11-01

Definitive assessment of laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training is best obtained during an actual operation. However, this is impossible in medical students. Therefore, we developed an alternative assessment technique using an augmented reality simulator. Nineteen medical students completed a 6-week training program using a virtual reality simulator (LapSim). The pretest and post-test were performed using an object-positioning module and cholecystectomy on an augmented reality simulator(ProMIS). The mean performance measures between pre- and post-training on the LapSim were compared with a paired t-test. In the object-positioning module, the execution time of the task (P virtual reality simulator improved the operative skills of medical students as objectively evaluated by assessment using an augmented reality simulator instead of an actual operation. We hope that these findings help to establish an effective training program for medical students. © 2015 Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery, Asia Endosurgery Task Force and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Perception of medical students on e-assessment conducted through Yengage portal

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Latha Rajendra Kumar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: E-learning includes various categories of media that distribute text, audio, images, animation, and streaming video, and includes technology applications and processes, computer-based learning, as well as local intranet/extranet learning. Information and communication systems motivate many e-learning processes. E-learning can occur in or out of the classroom. ILIAS (Integriertes Lern-, Informations- und Arbeitskooperations-System [German for "Integrated Learning, Information and Work Cooperation System"] is an open source web-based learning management system (LMS. It supports learning content management and tools for collaboration, communication, evaluation, and assessment for University students. Materials and Methods: First year medical students were requested to register in Yengage, and the date of the assessment was announced. Twenty MCQ from cardiovascular system was preloaded in the Yengage portal, and the students used their personal laptop to answer the questions within the stipulated time. The results were automatically loaded at the end of the assessment. Pre- and post-test was conducted to investigate the usefulness of the E- assessment. Results: The students responded that the E-assessment was easy to assess, unique as they received immediate feedback, customized and flexible. There was significant difference in the post-test score when compared to the pre-test score. Discussion: Technology has created new methods of assessment for today′s generation of students, and these advances are here to stay. Conclusion: It is possible to conduct online examinations in medical school regularly. The e-learning can enhance student interests and allows immediate feedback. Since e-learning is not well-established in India, we hope to create awareness and change the outlook of medical students in online teaching-learning and assessment program.

Measuring Student Transformation in Entrepreneurship Education Programs

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Steven A. Gedeon

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article describes how to measure student transformation primarily within a university entrepreneurship degree program. Student transformation is defined as changes in knowledge (“Head”, skills (“Hand”, and attitudinal (“Heart” learning outcomes. Following the institutional impact model, student transformation is the primary goal of education and all other program goals and aspects of quality desired by stakeholders are either input factors (professors, courses, facilities, support, etc. or output performance (number of startups, average starting salary, % employment, etc.. This goal-setting framework allows competing stakeholder quality expectations to be incorporated into a continuous process improvement (CPI model when establishing program goals. How to measure these goals to implement TQM methods is shown. Measuring student transformation as the central focus of a program promotes harmony among competing stakeholders and also provides a metric on which other program decisions (e.g., class size, assignments, and pedagogical technique may be based. Different stakeholders hold surprisingly different views on defining program quality. The proposed framework provides a useful way to bring these competing views into a CPI cycle to implement TQM requirements of accreditation. The specific entrepreneurial learning outcome goals described in the tables in this article may also be used directly by educators in nonaccredited programs and single courses/workshops or for other audiences.

Students' Assessment Of Farm Practical Programme In Selected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Students' Assessment Of Farm Practical Programme In Selected Universities Of Southwestern, Nigeria. ... Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and the Social Sciences ... Students reported that lack of planning, improper implementation of activities lined up for the programme, lack of fund to properly finance the programme and ...

Measuring Japanese EFL Student Perceptions of Internet-Based Tests with the Technology Acceptance Model

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Dizon, Gilbert

2016-01-01

The Internet has made it possible for teachers to administer online assessments with affordability and ease. However, little is known about Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' attitudes of internet-based tests (IBTs). Therefore, this study aimed to measure the perceptions of IBTs among Japanese English language learners with the…

Understanding Arts and Humanities Students' Experiences of Assessment and Feedback

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Adams, Joelle; McNab, Nicole

2013-01-01

This article examines how undergraduate students on arts and humanities courses experience assessment and feedback. The research uses a detailed audit, a specially devised questionnaire (the Assessment Experience Questionnaire), and student focus group data, and the article examines results from 19 programmes, comparing those from "arts and…

Evaluating the effect of learning style and student background on self-assessment accuracy

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Alaoutinen, Satu

2012-06-01

This study evaluates a new taxonomy-based self-assessment scale and examines factors that affect assessment accuracy and course performance. The scale is based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and is evaluated by comparing students' self-assessment results with course performance in a programming course. Correlation has been used to reveal possible connections between student information and both self-assessment and course performance. The results show that students can place their knowledge along the taxonomy-based scale quite well and the scale seems to fit engineering students' learning style. Advanced students assess themselves more accurately than novices. The results also show that reflective students were better in programming than active. The scale used in this study gives a more objective picture of students' knowledge than general scales and with modifications it can be used in other classes than programming.

Effect of Peer and Self-Assessment on Male and Female Students ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... and self assessment on the self-efficacy and students' learner autonomy in the learning of mathematics as well as determining the attitude of male and female students towards the use of peer and self assessment. The population was made of senior secondary three students (SS3) of a state public school in Osun State.

Student Self-Assessment in HOCS Science Examinations: Is There a Problem?

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Zoller, Uri; Ben-Chaim, David

1998-06-01

A specially-designed self-assessment questionnaire (SAQHOCS), containing higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS)-type questions, was administered to 71 biology majors, enrolled in a four-year college program. The gap between students' self-assessment marking, and that of their HOCS-biased teachers (the authors), is accounted for by the prevailing LOCS-orientation and the "testing culture"—a total separation between testing and learning—in contemporary science teaching. The majority of the students in the study evaluated themselves as capable of self-assessment, and felt reasonably confident in doing so. They were quite reserved as far as the applicability of the self-assessment method to nonalgorithmic ("correct/incorrect") questions is concerned. The results of this study suggest that the potential for student self-assessment within college science teaching and learning exists. However, still a great purposed effort in HOCS-oriented teaching and learning is required in order for the student self-assessment practice to become a routine integral component of HOCS science examinations.

Enhancing Student Experiences Abroad: The Potential of Dynamic Assessment to Develop Student Interculturality

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Harsch, Claudia; Poehner, Matthew E.

2016-01-01

Educational institutions are acknowledging the requirements of a globalized world on students' mobility, interculturality, and language skills by offering study-abroad programmes. These need to be accompanied by procedures to assess student needs prior to and during their time abroad as well as upon their return. In the exploratory study reported…

Association between learning style preferences and anatomy assessment outcomes in graduate-entry and undergraduate medical students.

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O'Mahony, Siobhain M; Sbayeh, Amgad; Horgan, Mary; O'Flynn, Siun; O'Tuathaigh, Colm M P

2016-07-08

An improved understanding of the relationship between anatomy learning performance and approaches to learning can lead to the development of a more tailored approach to delivering anatomy teaching to medical students. This study investigated the relationship between learning style preferences, as measured by Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic (VARK) inventory style questionnaire and Honey and Mumford's learning style questionnaire (LSQ), and anatomy and clinical skills assessment performance at an Irish medical school. Additionally, mode of entry to medical school [undergraduate/direct-entry (DEM) vs. graduate-entry (GEM)], was examined in relation to individual learning style, and assessment results. The VARK and LSQ were distributed to first and second year DEM, and first year GEM students. DEM students achieved higher clinical skills marks than GEM students, but anatomy marks did not differ between each group. Several LSQ style preferences were shown to be weakly correlated with anatomy assessment performance in a program- and year-specific manner. Specifically, the "Activist" style was negatively correlated with anatomy scores in DEM Year 2 students (rs = -0.45, P = 0.002). The "Theorist" style demonstrated a weak correlation with anatomy performance in DEM Year 2 (rs = 0.18, P = 0.003). Regression analysis revealed that, among the LSQ styles, the "Activist" was associated with poorer anatomy assessment performance (P learning styles contribute little to variation in academic performance in medical students. Anat Sci Educ 9: 391-399. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Think Pair Share with Formative Assessment for Junior High School Student

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Pradana, O. R. Y.; Sujadi, I.; Pramudya, I.

2017-09-01

Geometry is a science related to abstract thinking ability so that not many students are able to understand this material well. In this case, the learning model plays a crucial role in improving student achievement. This means that a less precise learning model will cause difficulties for students. Therefore, this study provides a quantitative explanation of the Think Pair Share learning model combined with the formative assessment. This study aims to test the Think Pair Share with the formative assessment on junior high school students. This research uses a quantitative approach of Pretest-Posttest in control group and experiment group. ANOVA test and Scheffe test used to analyse the effectiveness this learning. Findings in this study are student achievement on the material geometry with Think Pair Share using formative assessment has increased significantly. This happens probably because this learning makes students become more active during learning. Hope in the future, Think Pair Share with formative assessment be a useful learning for teachers and this learning applied by the teacher around the world especially on the material geometry.

Assessment of Medical Students in a New Curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, Charles E.; And Others

1980-01-01

Reliable and valid methods of student assessment in Newcastle University's new undergraduate medical curriculum are examined as indices of competence within the constraints of the educational program objectives. Considerable attention is given to the assessment of sciences basic to medicine through assessment instruments developed from clinical…

The Utility of Curriculum-Based Measurement and Performance Assessment as Alternatives to Traditional Intelligence and Achievement Tests.

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Elliott, Stephen N.; Fuchs, Lynn S.

1997-01-01

Curriculum-based measurement and performance assessments can provide valuable data for making special-education eligibility decisions. Reviews applied research on these assessment approaches and discusses the practical context of treatment validation and decisions about instructional services for students with diverse academic needs. (Author/JDM)

Assessment of Student Professional Outcomes for Continuous Improvement

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Keshavarz, Mohsen; Baghdarnia, Mostafa

2013-01-01

This article describes a method for the assessment of professional student outcomes (performance-type outcomes or soft skills). The method is based upon group activities, research on modern electrical engineering topics by individual students, classroom presentations on chosen research topics, final presentations, and technical report writing.…

Disaggregating Assessment to Close the Loop and Improve Student Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Rawls, Janita; Hammons, Stacy

2015-01-01

This study examined student learning outcomes for accelerated degree students as compared to conventional undergraduate students, disaggregated by class levels, to develop strategies for then closing the loop with assessment. Using the National Survey of Student Engagement, critical thinking and oral and written communication outcomes were…

Diagnostic radiography students' perceptions of formative peer assessment within a radiographic technique module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elshami, W.; Abdalla, M.E.

2017-01-01

Introduction: Assessment is a central part of student learning. Student involvement in peer assessment leads to significant improvement in students' performance, supports students' learning, promotes the development of evaluation skills and encourages reflection. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess perceptions of the Formative Peer Assessment (FPA) initiative within a higher education setting for undergraduate radiography students. Methods: Qualitative action research was conducted. Students were allowed to anonymously assess each other's assignments using a standardized evaluation sheet that they had been trained to use. Participants' perceptions were assessed through focus group discussion. Results: The findings showed that students' experiences with peer assessment were positive. Students acknowledged that they received valuable feedback and learned from assessing their peers. Students recommended the need for training and suggested using more than one evaluator. Conclusion: The FPA initiative in the study institution believed to be succeed as the students had a positive experience with the FPA. Students learnt from PA and from self-assessment. Implementation of PA will promote reflection and critical thinking and problem solving skills, that are important traits in radiography graduate profile as in radiography clinical practice the professional require to modify imaging techniques and critique images to ensure the quality of care. - Highlights: • Participants had a positive experience with the Formative Peer Assessment (FPA). • Students believed that the FPA had a positive impact on their learning. • FPA was time-consuming but benefits outweigh the extra time commitment. • Comprehensive training and detailed grading rubric are recommended to improve FPA.

Validation of a psychometric instrument to assess motivation in veterinary bachelor students.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandeweerd, Jean-Michel; Dugdale, Alexandra; Romainville, Marc

2014-01-01

There are indications that motivation correlates with better performance for those studying veterinary medicine. To assess objectively whether motivation profiles influence both veterinary students' attitudes towards educational interventions and their academic success and whether changes in curriculum can affect students' motivation, there is need for an instrument that can provide a valid measurement of the strength of motivation for the study of veterinary medicine. Our objectives were to design and validate a questionnaire that can be used as a psychometric scale to capture the motivation profiles of veterinary students. Question items were obtained from semi-structured interviews with students and from a review of the relevant literature. Each item was scored on a 5-point scale. The preliminary instrument was trialed on a cohort of 450 students. Responses were subjected to reliability and principal component analysis. A 14-item scale was designed, within which two factors explained 53.4% of the variance among the items. The scale had good face, content, and construct validities as well as a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.88).

Assessment without Testing: Using Performance Measures Embedded in a Technology-Based Instructional Program as Indicators of Reading Ability

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Mitchell, Alison; Baron, Lauren; Macaruso, Paul

2018-01-01

Screening and monitoring student reading progress can be costly and time consuming. Assessment embedded within the context of online instructional programs can capture ongoing student performance data while limiting testing time outside of instruction. This paper presents two studies that examined the validity of using performance measures from a…

Biometric and Intelligent Self-Assessment of Student Progress System

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Kaklauskas, A.; Zavadskas, E. K.; Pruskus, V.; Vlasenko, A.; Seniut, M.; Kaklauskas, G.; Matuliauskaite, A.; Gribniak, V.

2010-01-01

All distance learning participants (students, professors, instructors, mentors, tutors and the rest) would like to know how well the students have assimilated the study materials being taught. The analysis and assessment of the knowledge students have acquired over a semester are an integral part of the independent studies process at the most…

Nursing students' assessment of pain and decision of triage for different ethnic groups: An experimental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Joanne C Y; Hamamura, Takeshi

2015-08-01

Pain management is a priority in nursing care but little is known about the factors that affect nursing students' assessment of pain expressed by patients of different ethnic backgrounds. This study examined undergraduate nursing students' assessment of pain and decision of triage when pain was expressed in different languages and their relation to students' empathy and social identity. Comparison between students with and without clinical experience was also carried out. This is a cross-sectional quantitative design. This study took place at a university in Hong Kong. 74 female undergraduate nursing students. Students listened to eight audio recordings in which an individual expressed pain in one of the two dialects of Chinese, either Cantonese or Putonghua. For each dialect, two recordings depicted mild pain and two depicted severe pain. After listening to each recording, students rated the pain level and indicated their decision of triage. Subsequently, students completed a questionnaire that measured their empathy and social identity and reported their demographics. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and t-tests. Severe pain described in Putonghua was rated as more intense than that described in Cantonese but it was not classified as more urgent. Students with clinical experience tended to perceive mild pain as less painful and less urgent than those without clinical experience. For mild pain described in Cantonese, students with clinical experience evaluated it as more urgent than those without such experience. The empathy level of students with and without clinical experience was comparable. Students with more empathy, especially those without clinical experience, reported heightened perceived intensity of severe pain described in Putonghua. Nurse educators should note that empathy, social identity, and clinical experience may alter students' pain assessment of patients from different ethnicities. Pain education needs to

LEARNING ASSESSMENT: A STUDY BASED ON THE PERCEPTIONS OF UNDERGRADUATE MANAGEMENT STUDENTS

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Marianny Jessica de Brito Silva

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper aimed to identify the perception of undergraduate Management course students from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE, Agreste Campus, about their professors’ assessment methods. A quantitative approach was employed through a questionnaire conducted on a research sample of 155 students. The data collected and analyzed revealed that the students in question pointed out didactic and bureaucratic functions as the reasons for undertaking assessments and recognized their importance only for students, as an indication of their performance. Most students stated that their feelings about the assessment processes vary according to their time of study and empathy for the discipline, and that the teaching-assessment ratio is generally positive. Assessment feedback was common practice for the sample, but there was a lack of diversity of assessment tools and those used clash with the ones they desired. In conclusion, according to the students’ perception, it is possible to develop multiple thoughts about the assessment process, driving improvements in educational practices and the formation and training of university professors.

Assessing Students' Motivation to Engage in Sustainable Engineering

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McCormick, Mary; Bielefeldt, Angela R.; Swan, Christopher W.; Paterson, Kurtis G.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to design an assessment instrument to evaluate students' attitudes toward sustainable engineering (SE). Factors that impact SE beliefs could then be explored. Design/methodology/approach: Using the definition of sustainability from the Brundtland report and expectancy value theory, students' sentiment toward…

Assessing third-year medical students' ability to address a patient's spiritual distress using an OSCE case.

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McEvoy, Mimi; Schlair, Sheira; Sidlo, Zsuzsanna; Burton, William; Milan, Felise

2014-01-01

To inform curricular development by assessing the ability of third-year medical students to address a patient's spiritual distress during an acute medical crisis in the context of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) case. During March and April 2010, 170 third-year medical students completed an eight-station videotaped OSCE at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. One of the standardized patients (SPs) was a 65-year-old man with acute chest pain who mentioned his religious affiliation and fear of dying. If prompted, he revealed his desire to speak with a chaplain. The SP assessed students' history taking, physical examination, and communication skills. In a postencounter written exercise, students reported their responses to the patient's distress via four open-ended questions. Analysis of the postencounter notes was conducted by three coders for emergent themes. Clinical skills performance was compared between students who reported making chaplain referral and those who did not. A total of 108 students (64%) reported making a chaplain referral; 4 (2%) directly addressed the patient's religious/spiritual beliefs. Students' clinical performance scores showed no significant association with whether they made a chaplain referral. Findings suggest that the majority of medical students without robust training in addressing patients' spiritual needs can make a chaplain referral when faced with a patient in spiritual crisis. Yet, few students explicitly engaged the patient in a discussion of his beliefs. Thus, future studies are needed to develop more precise assessment measures that can inform development in spirituality and medicine curricula.

The Effects of Portfolio Assessment on Writing of EFL Students

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Nezakatgoo, Behzad

2011-01-01

The primary focus of this study was to determine the effect of portfolio assessment on final examination scores of EFL students' writing skill. To determine the impact of portfolio-based writing assessment 40 university students who enrolled in composition course were initially selected and divided randomly into two experimental and control…

Association of Unconscious Race and Social Class Bias With Vignette-Based Clinical Assessments by Medical Students

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Haider, Adil H.; Sexton, Janel; Sriram, N.; Cooper, Lisa A.; Efron, David T.; Swoboda, Sandra; Villegas, Cassandra V.; Haut, Elliott R.; Bonds, Morgan; Pronovost, Peter J.; Lipsett, Pamela A.; Freischlag, Julie A.; Cornwell, Edward E.

2012-01-01

Context Studies involving physicians suggest that unconscious bias may be related to clinical decision making and may predict poor patient-physician interaction. The presence of unconscious race and social class bias and its association with clinical assessments or decision making among medical students is unknown. Objective To estimate unconscious race and social class bias among first-year medical students and investigate its relationship with assessments made during clinical vignettes. Design, Setting, and Participants A secure Web-based survey was administered to 211 medical students entering classes at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, in August 2009 and August 2010. The survey included the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to assess unconscious preferences, direct questions regarding students’ explicit race and social class preferences, and 8 clinical assessment vignettes focused on pain assessment, informed consent, patient reliability, and patient trust. Adjusting for student demographics, multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether responses to the vignettes were associated with unconscious race or social class preferences. Main Outcome Measures Association of scores on an established IAT for race and a novel IAT for social class with vignette responses. Results Among the 202 students who completed the survey, IAT responses were consistent with an implicit preference toward white persons among 140 students (69%, 95% CI, 61%–75%). Responses were consistent with a preference toward those in the upper class among 174 students (86%, 95% CI, 80%–90%). Assessments generally did not vary by patient race or occupation, and multivariable analyses for all vignettes found no significant relationship between implicit biases and clinical assessments. Regression coefficient for the association between pain assessment and race IAT scores was −0.49 (95% CI, −1.00 to 0.03) and for social class, the coefficient was −0.04 (95% CI

Measuring change in critical thinking skills of dental students educated in a PBL curriculum.

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Pardamean, Bens

2012-04-01

This study measured the change in critical thinking skills of dental students educated in a problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogical method. The quantitative analysis was focused on measuring students' critical thinking skills achievement from their first through third years of dental education at the University of Southern California. This non-experimental evaluation was based on a volunteer sample of ninety-eight dental students who completed a demographics/academic questionnaire and a psychometric assessment known as the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT). The HSRT produced the overall critical thinking skills score. Additionally, the HSRT generated five subscale scores: analysis, inference, evaluation, deductive reasoning, and inductive reasoning. The results of this study concluded that the students showed no continuous and significant incremental improvement in their overall critical thinking skills score achievement during their PBL-based dental education. Except for the inductive reasoning score, this result was very consistent with the four subscale scores. Moreover, after performing the statistical adjustment on total score and subscale scores, no significant statistical differences were found among the three student groups. However, the results of this study found some aspects of critical thinking achievements that differed by categories of gender, race, English as first language, and education level.

Assessing High School Student Learning on Science Outreach Lab Activities

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Thomas, Courtney L.

2012-01-01

The effect of hands-on laboratory activities on secondary student learning was examined. Assessment was conducted over a two-year period, with 262 students participating the first year and 264 students the second year. Students took a prequiz, performed a laboratory activity (gas chromatography of alcohols, or photosynthesis and respiration), and…

Using standardized patients to assess communication skills in medical and nursing students.

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Ryan, C Anthony; Walshe, Nuala; Gaffney, Robert; Shanks, Andrew; Burgoyne, Louise; Wiskin, Connie M

2010-03-17

A number of recent developments in medical and nursing education have highlighted the importance of communication and consultation skills (CCS). Although such skills are taught in all medical and nursing undergraduate curriculums, there is no comprehensive screening or assessment programme of CCS using professionally trained Standardized Patients Educators (SPE's) in Ireland. This study was designed to test the content, process and acceptability of a screening programme in CCS with Irish medical and nursing students using trained SPE's and a previously validated global rating scale for CCS. Eight tutors from the Schools of Nursing and Medicine at University College Cork were trained in the use of a validated communication skills and attitudes holistic assessment tool. A total of forty six medical students (Year 2 of 5) and sixty four nursing students (Year 2/3 of 4) were selected to under go individual CCS assessment by the tutors via an SPE led scenario. Immediate formative feedback was provided by the SPE's for the students. Students who did not pass the assessment were referred for remediation CCS learning. Almost three quarters of medical students (33/46; 72%) and 81% of nursing students (56/64) passed the CCS assessment in both communication and attitudes categories. All nursing students had English as their first language. Nine of thirteen medical students referred for enhanced learning in CCS did not have English as their first language. A significant proportion of both medical and nursing students required referral for enhanced training in CCS. Medical students requiring enhanced training were more likely not to have English as a first language.

Multi-Trait Multi-Method Matrices for the Validation of Creativity and Critical Thinking Assessments for Secondary School Students in England and Greece

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Ourania Maria Ventista

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is the validation of measurement tools which assess critical thinking and creativity as general constructs instead of subject-specific skills. Specifically, this research examined whether there is convergent and discriminant (or divergent validity between measurement tools of creativity and critical thinking. For this purpose, the multi-trait and multi-method matrix suggested by Campbell and Fiske (1959 was used. This matrix presented the correlation of scores that students obtain in different assessments in order to reveal whether the assessments measure the same or different constructs. Specifically, the two methods used were written and oral exams, and the two traits measured were critical thinking and creativity. For the validation of the assessments, 30 secondary-school students in Greece and 21 in England completed the assessments. The sample in both countries provided similar results. The critical thinking tools demonstrated convergent validity when compared with each other and discriminant validity with the creativity assessments. Furthermore, creativity assessments which measure the same aspect of creativity demonstrated convergent validity. To conclude, this research provided indicators that critical thinking and creativity as general constructs can be measured in a valid way. However, since the sample was small, further investigation of the validation of the assessment tools with a bigger sample is recommended.

Assessment, Student Learning and Classroom Practice: A Review

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Amua-Sekyi, Ekua Tekyiwa

2016-01-01

Assessment in its various forms has always been a central part of educational practice. Evidence gleaned from the empirical literature suggests that assessment, especially high stakes external assessment has effect on how teachers teach and consequently, how students learn. Through focus group discussions, this paper draws upon the experiences of…

Dental Students' Self-Assessed Competence in Geriatric Dentistry.

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Kiyak, H. Asuman; Brudvik, James

1992-01-01

A study of four classes of dental students (n=172) exposed to both didactic and clinical geriatric dental training found that the students perceived significant improvements in their abilities to manage geriatric patients in all areas assessed, notably treatment planning, preventive dentistry, referrals, and providing care in alternative settings.…

Mentoring and Tutoring Your Students through Self-Assessment

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McDonald, Betty

2013-01-01

This paper describes practical procedures in mentoring/tutoring students through self-assessment (SA) to establish and maintain partnership in learning. High school teachers ("n"?=?10) allow their students ("N"?=?515: 359 males) to engage in activities that help them identify standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and…

Validating a Written Instrument for Assessing Students' Fractions Schemes and

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Wilkins, Jesse L. M.; Norton, Anderson; Boyce, Steven J.

2013-01-01

Previous research has documented schemes and operations that undergird students' understanding of fractions. This prior research was based, in large part, on small-group teaching experiments. However, written assessments are needed in order for teachers and researchers to assess students' ways of operating on a whole-class scale. In this study,…

Designing Academic Writing Analytics for Civil Law Student Self-Assessment

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Knight, Simon; Buckingham Shum, Simon; Ryan, Philippa; Sándor, Ágnes; Wang, Xiaolong

2018-01-01

Research into the teaching and assessment of student writing shows that many students find academic writing a challenge to learn, with legal writing no exception. Improving the availability and quality of timely formative feedback is an important aim. However, the time-consuming nature of assessing writing makes it impractical for instructors to…

Design Students Perspectives on Assessment Rubric in Studio-Based Learning

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Eshun, Eric F.; Osei-Poku, Patrick

2013-01-01

This study examined students' perspectives on the use of assessment criteria and rubrics in graphic design studio at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. This assessment strategy was introduced with the desire to improve students' participation and involvement in studio-based learning programme. At the end of the semester, a…

Assessing Learning in a Sociology Department: What Do Students Say That They Learn?

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Bandini, Julia; Shostak, Sara; Cunningham, David; Cadge, Wendy

2016-01-01

Assessment plays a central role in evaluating and strengthening student learning in higher education, and sociology departments, in particular, have increasingly become interested in engaging in assessment activities to better understand students' learning. This qualitative study builds on previous research on assessment by asking what students in…

Students' Perceived Preference for Visual and Auditory Assessment with E-Handwritten Feedback

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Crews, Tena B.; Wilkinson, Kelly

2010-01-01

Undergraduate business communication students were surveyed to determine their perceived most effective method of assessment on writing assignments. The results indicated students' preference for a process that incorporates visual, auditory, and e-handwritten presentation via a tablet PC. Students also identified this assessment process would…

Assessing students' readiness towards e-learning

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Rahim, Nasrudin Md; Yusoff, Siti Hawa Mohd; Latif, Shahida Abd

2014-07-01

The usage of e-Learning methodology has become a new attraction for potential students as shown by some higher learning institutions in Malaysia. As such, Universiti Selangor (Unisel) should be ready to embark on e-Learning teaching and learning in the near future. The purpose of the study is to gauge the readiness of Unisel's students in e-Learning environment. A sample of 110 students was chosen to participate in this study which was conducted in January 2013. This sample consisted of students from various levels of study that are foundation, diploma and degree program. Using a structured questionnaire, respondents were assessed on their basic Internet skills, access to technology required for e-Learning and their attitude towards characteristics of successful e-Learning student based on study habits, abilities, motivation and time management behaviour. The result showed that respondents did have access to technology that are required for e-Learning environment, and respondents were knowledgeable regarding the basic Internet skills. The finding also showed that respondents' attitude did meet all characteristics of successful e-Learning student. Further analysis showed that there is no significant relationshipeither among gender, level of study or faculty with those characteristics. As a conclusion, the study shows that current Unisel's students are ready to participate in e-Learning environment if the institution decided to embark on e-Learning methodology.

Peer assessment of student-produced mechanics lab report videos

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Douglas, Scott S.; Aiken, John M.; Lin, Shih-Yin; Greco, Edwin F.; Alicea-Muñoz, Emily; Schatz, Michael F.

2017-12-01

We examine changes in students' rating behavior during a semester-long sequence of peer evaluation laboratory exercises in an introductory mechanics course. We perform a quantitative analysis of the ratings given by students to peers' physics lab reports, and conduct interviews with students. We find that peers persistently assign higher ratings to lab reports than do experts, that peers begin the semester by giving high ratings most frequently and end the semester with frequent middle ratings, and that peers go through the semester without much change in the frequency of low ratings. We then use student interviews to develop a model for student engagement with peer assessment. This model is based on two competing influences which appear to shape peer evaluation behavior: a strong disinclination to give poor ratings with a complementary preference to give high ratings when in doubt, and an attempt to develop an expertlike criticality when assessing peers' work.

The Importance of Assessments: How Portfolios Can Impact Students' Self-Efficacy and Comprehension in an Online Graphic Design Course

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Powell, Terry

2013-01-01

The purpose for this study was to find an assessment that is currently being used and is a common assessment familiar to others within the Brick-and-mortar classroom and transform that assessment for use within the online learning environment. By using assessments, teachers can measure whether or not students are learning what it is they are…

Parent assessment of medical student skills in ambulatory pediatrics

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Erika Persson

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Partnership with parents is a vital part of pediatric medical education, yet few studies have examined parent attitudes towards learners in pediatric settings. Methods: Questionnaires were used to determine parent and student assessment of professional and clinical skills (primary outcome and parent attitudes towards 3rd year medical students (secondary outcome at the University of Alberta. Chi Square, Kendall’s Tau and Kappa coefficients were calculated to compare parent and student responses in 8 areas: communication, respect, knowledge, listening, history taking, physical examination, supervision, and overall satisfaction. Results: Overall satisfaction with medical student involvement by parents was high: 56.7% of all parents ranked the encounter as ‘excellent’. Areas of lesser satisfaction included physician supervision of students. Compared to the parent assessment, students tended to underrate many of their skills, including communication, history taking and physical exam. There was no relationship between parent demographics and their attitude to rating any of the students’ skills. Conclusions: Parents were satisfied with medical student involvement in the care of their children. Areas identified for improvement included increased supervision of students in both history taking and physical examination. This is one of the largest studies examining parent attitudes towards pediatric students. The results may enhance undergraduate curriculum development and teaching in pediatric ambulatory clinics and strengthen the ongoing partnership between the community and teaching clinics.

Measuring students' self-regulated learning in professional education: bridging the gap between event and aptitude measurements.

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Endedijk, Maaike D; Brekelmans, Mieke; Sleegers, Peter; Vermunt, Jan D

Self-regulated learning has benefits for students' academic performance in school, but also for expertise development during their professional career. This study examined the validity of an instrument to measure student teachers' regulation of their learning to teach across multiple and different kinds of learning events in the context of a postgraduate professional teacher education programme. Based on an analysis of the literature, we developed a log with structured questions that could be used as a multiple-event instrument to determine the quality of student teachers' regulation of learning by combining data from multiple learning experiences. The findings showed that this structured version of the instrument measured student teachers' regulation of their learning in a valid and reliable way. Furthermore, with the aid of the Structured Learning Report individual differences in student teachers' regulation of learning could be discerned. Together the findings indicate that a multiple-event instrument can be used to measure regulation of learning in multiple contexts for various learning experiences at the same time, without the necessity of relying on students' ability to rate themselves across all these different experiences. In this way, this instrument can make an important contribution to bridging the gap between two dominant approaches to measure SRL, the traditional aptitude and event measurement approach.

Study of personality’s temperament and self-assessment of higher educational establishments’ students

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V.N. Liashenko

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: analysis of temperament and self-assessment characteristics in higher educational establishment students. Material: in the research 1st and 2nd year students (n=30 participated. Questioning was used, with the help of which personality’s self assessment and temperament characteristics were estimated. Results: the study of students’ temperament structure showed low demand in mastering of objective world and strive for mental and physical labor. High indicator of social activity and interpersonal skills was registered. The following indicators of self-assessment were received: 15% of students had too low self-assessment, 50% of students have adequate self-assessment and 10% have excessively high self-assessment. Conclusions: quickness of psychic processes (tem and rhythm, impressiveness and emotional sensitivity are important features of temperament. Students demonstrated feeling of anxiety and worry in respect to their studying at university. Besides the have sensitivity to failures to non coincidence of the desired and the results. студентов. With it students have adequate self assessment.

Combined student ratings and self-assessment provide useful feedback for clinical teachers

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Dolmans, Diana H. J. M.; Wolfhagen, Ineke H. A. P.; Peters, Wim G.; van Coppenolle, Lieve; Scherpbier, Albert J. J. A.

2009-01-01

Many evaluation instruments have been developed to provide feedback to physicians on their clinical teaching but written feedback alone is not always effective. We explored whether feedback effectiveness improved when teachers’ self-assessment was added to written feedback based on student ratings. 37 physicians (10 residents, 27 attending physicians) from different specialties (Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Neurology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, ENT, and Psychiatry) were invited to fill out a self-assessment questionnaire on their teaching skills. Students completed an almost identical questionnaire to evaluate the same teachers based on their experiences during clerkships. After receiving written feedback incorporating their self-assessment and the student ratings, the teachers indicated their perceptions of the self-assessment exercise and the written feedback in a questionnaire (five-point Likert scale items) and next, in more detail, in semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 12 of the participating teachers. 25 physicians participated (67%). The results showed that self-assessment and student feedback were both perceived as useful (3.7, SD 1.0) but the latter was considered more effective. The physicians we interviewed considered the combination of self-assessment with student ratings more effective than either self-assessment or written feedback alone. Notably, discrepancies between student ratings and self-assessment were deemed a strong incentive for change. We conclude that self-assessment can be a useful tool to stimulate improvement of clinical teaching when it is combined with written feedback based on student ratings. Future research among larger groups is needed to confirm our findings and examine whether these combined tools actually lead to improved teaching. PMID:19779976

A Model for Predicting Student Performance on High-Stakes Assessment

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Dammann, Matthew Walter

2010-01-01

This research study examined the use of student achievement on reading and math state assessments to predict success on the science state assessment. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to test the prediction for all students in grades 5 and 8 in a mid-Atlantic state. The prediction model developed from the analysis explored the combined…

Assessing College Student Needs for Comprehensive Financial Counseling

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Choi, Shinae; Gudmunson, Clinton G.; Griesdorn, Timothy S.; Hong, Gong-Soog

2016-01-01

To meet college student needs for financial counseling, it is important to assess why they seek counseling and the extent to which differing financial situations are tied to financial stress. This study examined these issues with a sample of 554 college students who participated in financial counseling and found financial problems in various…

Perceptions of Students and Self- assessment of Lecturers on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

assessments of lecturers on written essay error feedback. Overall 153 University of Botswana students and 20 lecturers participated in this study. All the students and 12 lecturers completed different but related questionnaires with both closed and ...

Secondary School Results for the Fourth NAEP Mathematics Assessment: Discrete Mathematics, Data Organization and Interpretation, Measurement, Number and Operations.

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Brown, Catherine A.; And Others

1988-01-01

Suggests that secondary school students seem to have reasonably good procedural knowledge in areas of mathematics as rational numbers, probability, measurement, and data organization and interpretation. It appears, however, that students are lacking the conceptual knowledge enabling them to successfully do the assessment items on applications,…

Assessing Student Learning About Climate Change With Earth System Place-Based Geospatial Data

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Zalles, D. R.; Krumhansl, R. A.; Acker, J. G.; Manitakos, J.; Elston, A.

2012-12-01

Powerful web-based data sets about geospatially situated Earth system phenomena are now available for analysis by the general public, including for any teacher or set of students who have the requisite skills to partake in the analyses. Unfortunately there exist impediments to successful use of these data. Teachers and students may lack (1) readiness to use the software interfaces for querying and representing the data, (2) needed scientific practice skills such as interpreting geographic information system-based maps and time series plots, and (3) needed understandings of the fundamental scientific concepts to make sense of the data. Hence, to evaluate any program designed to engage students and teachers with these data resources, there need to be assessment strategies to check for understanding. Assessment becomes the key to identifying learning needs and intervening appropriately with additional task scaffolding or other forms of instructional support. The paper will describe contrasting assessment strategies being carried out in two climate change education projects funded by NASA and NSF. The NASA project, Data Enhanced Investigations for Climate Change Education (DICCE), brings data from NASA satellite missions to the classroom. A bank of DICCE assessment items is being developed to measure students' abilities to transfer their skills in analyzing data about their local region to other regions of the world. Teachers choose pre-post assessment items for variables of Earth system phenomena that they target in their instruction. The data vary depending on what courses the teachers are teaching. For example, Earth science teachers are likely to choose data about atmospheric phenomena and biology teachers are more likely to choose land cover data. The NSF project, Studying Topography, Orographic Rainfall, and Ecosystems with Geospatial Information Technology (STORE), provides to teachers recent climatological and vegetation data about "study areas" in Central

Formative assessment in mathematics for engineering students

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Ní Fhloinn, Eabhnat; Carr, Michael

2017-07-01

In this paper, we present a range of formative assessment types for engineering mathematics, including in-class exercises, homework, mock examination questions, table quizzes, presentations, critical analyses of statistical papers, peer-to-peer teaching, online assessments and electronic voting systems. We provide practical tips for the implementation of such assessments, with a particular focus on time or resource constraints and large class sizes, as well as effective methods of feedback. In addition, we consider the benefits of such formative assessments for students and staff.

Using standardized patients to assess communication skills in medical and nursing students

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ryan, C Anthony

2010-03-17

Abstract Background A number of recent developments in medical and nursing education have highlighted the importance of communication and consultation skills (CCS). Although such skills are taught in all medical and nursing undergraduate curriculums, there is no comprehensive screening or assessment programme of CCS using professionally trained Standardized Patients Educators (SPE\\'s) in Ireland. This study was designed to test the content, process and acceptability of a screening programme in CCS with Irish medical and nursing students using trained SPE\\'s and a previously validated global rating scale for CCS. Methods Eight tutors from the Schools of Nursing and Medicine at University College Cork were trained in the use of a validated communication skills and attitudes holistic assessment tool. A total of forty six medical students (Year 2 of 5) and sixty four nursing students (Year 2\\/3 of 4) were selected to under go individual CCS assessment by the tutors via an SPE led scenario. Immediate formative feedback was provided by the SPE\\'s for the students. Students who did not pass the assessment were referred for remediation CCS learning. Results Almost three quarters of medical students (33\\/46; 72%) and 81% of nursing students (56\\/64) passed the CCS assessment in both communication and attitudes categories. All nursing students had English as their first language. Nine of thirteen medical students referred for enhanced learning in CCS did not have English as their first language. Conclusions A significant proportion of both medical and nursing students required referral for enhanced training in CCS. Medical students requiring enhanced training were more likely not to have English as a first language.

Using standardized patients to assess communication skills in medical and nursing Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burgoyne Louise

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A number of recent developments in medical and nursing education have highlighted the importance of communication and consultation skills (CCS. Although such skills are taught in all medical and nursing undergraduate curriculums, there is no comprehensive screening or assessment programme of CCS using professionally trained Standardized Patients Educators (SPE's in Ireland. This study was designed to test the content, process and acceptability of a screening programme in CCS with Irish medical and nursing students using trained SPE's and a previously validated global rating scale for CCS. Methods Eight tutors from the Schools of Nursing and Medicine at University College Cork were trained in the use of a validated communication skills and attitudes holistic assessment tool. A total of forty six medical students (Year 2 of 5 and sixty four nursing students (Year 2/3 of 4 were selected to under go individual CCS assessment by the tutors via an SPE led scenario. Immediate formative feedback was provided by the SPE's for the students. Students who did not pass the assessment were referred for remediation CCS learning. Results Almost three quarters of medical students (33/46; 72% and 81% of nursing students (56/64 passed the CCS assessment in both communication and attitudes categories. All nursing students had English as their first language. Nine of thirteen medical students referred for enhanced learning in CCS did not have English as their first language. Conclusions A significant proportion of both medical and nursing students required referral for enhanced training in CCS. Medical students requiring enhanced training were more likely not to have English as a first language.

Technology in Note Taking and Assessment: The Effects of Congruence on Student Performance

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Matthew E. Barrett

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study examined the encoding specificity principle in relation to traditional and computer-based note taking and assessment formats in higher education. Students (N = 79 took lecture notes either by hand (n = 40 or by computer (n = 39 and then completed either a computer or a paper-based assessment. When note taking and assessment formats were congruent, students scored significantly higher on the assessment when compared to students whose note taking and assessment format were incongruent. These findings highlight the importance of research on how in-class technology may affect student performance, and suggest that faculty and administrators seek to coordinate and standardize the use of assessment and note taking technologies where possible.

Assessment of values in university students

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Francisco Manuel MORALES RODRÍGUEZ

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of a questionnaire for assessing social values in university students (VASOL. Increasingly, society demands that its professionals must know how to cope with complexity, considering the human and social aspects of such situations. The European Higher Education Area (ehea has emphasized the interest in training future professionals as agents of social change, not only as regards the creation and management of new knowledge but also in the action of citizens who contribute to greater social cohesion. This research team has developed a new questionnaire to assess social justice and solidarity values. The questionnaire revealed a unifactorial configuration coherent with the theory. A sample of 945 university students completed the VASOL and these were subjected to a series of instruments aimed at evaluating the validity of the questionnaire. The VASOL proved to be a reliable and valid instrument. We discuss the usefulness of this new instrument for the screening of social justice and solidarity values, specifically for their detection, and for assessing social or interpersonal skills in the current model of the ehea and validation of psycho-educational programs.

Students as Tour Guides: Innovation in Fieldwork Assessment

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Coe, Neil M.; Smyth, Fiona M.

2010-01-01

This paper introduces and details an innovative mode of fieldcourse assessment in which students take on the role of tour guides to offer their lecturer and peers a themed, theoretically informed journey through the urban landscape of Havana, Cuba. Informed by notions of student-centered learning and mobile methods, the tour offers an enjoyable,…

Assessing student engagement and self-regulated learning in a medical gross anatomy course.

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Pizzimenti, Marc A; Axelson, Rick D

2015-01-01

In courses with large enrollment, faculty members sometimes struggle with an understanding of how individual students are engaging in their courses. Information about the level of student engagement that instructors would likely find most useful can be linked to: (1) the learning strategies that students are using; (2) the barriers to learning that students are encountering; and (3) whether the course materials and activities are yielding the intended learning outcomes. This study drew upon self-regulated learning theory (SRL) to specify relevant information about learning engagement, and how the measures of particular scales might prove useful for student/faculty reflection. We tested the quality of such information as collected via the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). MSLQ items were administered through a web-based survey to 150 students in a first-year medical gross anatomy course. The resulting 66 responses (44% response rate) were examined for information quality (internal reliability and predictive validity) and usefulness of the results to the course instructor. Students' final grades in the course were correlated with their MSLQ scale scores to assess the predictive validity of the measures. These results were consistent with the course design and expectations, showing that greater use of learning strategies such as elaboration and critical thinking was associated with higher levels of performance in the course. Motivation subscales for learning were also correlated with the higher levels of performance in the course. The extent to which these scales capture valid and reliable information in other institutional settings and courses needs further investigation. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

Prior academic background and student performance in assessment in a graduate entry programme.

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Craig, P L; Gordon, J J; Clark, R M; Langendyk, V

2004-11-01

This study aims to identify whether non-science graduates perform as well as science graduates in Basic and Clinical Sciences (B & CS) assessments during Years 1-3 of a four-year graduate-entry programme at the University of Sydney (the 'USydMP'). Students were grouped into five categories: Health Professions (HP), Biomedical Sciences (BMS), Other Biology (BIOL), Physical Sciences (PHYS) or Non-Science (NONS). We examined the performance rank of students in each of the five groups for single best answer (SBA) and modified essay (MEQ) assessments separately, and also calculated the relative risk of failure in the summative assessments in Years 2 and 3. Students with science-based prior degrees performed better in the SBA assessments. The same occurred initially in the MEQs, but the effect diminished with time. The HP students performed consistently better but converged with other groups over time, particularly in the MEQs. Relative performance by the NONS students improved with time in both assessment formats. Overall, differences between the highest and lowest groups were small and very few students failed to meet the overall standard for the summative assessments. HP and BMS students had the lowest failure rate. NONS students were more likely to fail the assessments in Year 2 and 3, but their pass rates were still high. Female students performed significantly better overall at the end of Year 2 and in Year 3. There were only minor differences between Australian resident and International students. While there are small differences in performance in B & CS early in the programme, these lessen with time. The study results will inform decisions regarding timing of summative assessments, selection policy and for providing additional support to students who need it to minimize their risk of failure. Readers should note that this paper refers to student performance in only one of the four curriculum themes, where health professional and science graduates would be

Assessing an Intervention Focused on Enhancing Interpersonal Communication Skills and Humor: A Multi-Method Quasi-Experiential Study Among Medical Students.

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Karnieli-Miller, Orit; Michael, Keren; Segal, Oz; Steinberger, Aharon

2017-10-23

Teaching and applying interpersonal communication skills (ICS) and humor in medicine is challenging. The present study assessed an innovative course focused on enhancing ICS and humor based on the Four Habits Model and theater concepts. Medical students enrolled in the course (the study group) were assessed pre- and post-intervention, as well as compared with their peers (the control group) using quantitative methods to measure attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors. Qualitative methods were used to learn about students' change in perceptions related to ICS and humor following the course, as well as their experiences of developing these skills during the course. Post-intervention study group participants scored significantly higher on all ICS measurements and on humor behavior compared with pre-intervention, and significantly higher on all humor measurements compared with control group participants. Interviews indicated students' increased understanding and difficulties in learning these skills. Analyses showed how framing humor as one possible ICS and focusing on specific parts of the medical encounter can promote patient-centered care.

Technology in Note Taking and Assessment: The Effects of Congruence on Student Performance

OpenAIRE

Barrett, Matthew E.; Swan, Alexander B.; Mamikonian, Ani; Ghajoyan, Inna; Kramarova, Olga; Youmans, Robert J.

2014-01-01

This study examined the encoding specificity principle in relation to traditional and computer-based note taking and assessment formats in higher education. Students (N = 79) took lecture notes either by hand (n = 40) or by computer (n = 39) and then completed either a computer or a paper-based assessment. When note taking and assessment formats were congruent, students scored significantly higher on the assessment when compared to students whose note taking and assessment format were incongr...

Auditory risk assessment of college music students in jazz band-based instructional activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamakshi V Gopal

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It is well-known that musicians are at risk for music-induced hearing loss, however, systematic evaluation of music exposure and its effects on the auditory system are still difficult to assess. The purpose of the study was to determine if college students in jazz band-based instructional activity are exposed to loud classroom noise and consequently exhibit acute but significant changes in basic auditory measures compared to non-music students in regular classroom sessions. For this we (1 measured and compared personal exposure levels of college students (n = 14 participating in a routine 50 min jazz ensemble-based instructional activity (experimental to personal exposure levels of non-music students (n = 11 participating in a 50-min regular classroom activity (control, and (2 measured and compared pre- to post-auditory changes associated with these two types of classroom exposures. Results showed that the L eq (equivalent continuous noise level generated during the 50 min jazz ensemble-based instructional activity ranged from 95 dBA to 105.8 dBA with a mean of 99.5 ± 2.5 dBA. In the regular classroom, the L eq ranged from 46.4 dBA to 67.4 dBA with a mean of 49.9 ± 10.6 dBA. Additionally, significant differences were observed in pre to post-auditory measures between the two groups. The experimental group showed a significant temporary threshold shift bilaterally at 4000 Hz (P < 0.05, and a significant decrease in the amplitude of transient-evoked otoacoustic emission response in both ears (P < 0.05 after exposure to the jazz ensemble-based instructional activity. No significant changes were found in the control group between pre- and post-exposure measures. This study quantified the noise exposure in jazz band-based practice sessions and its effects on basic auditory measures. Temporary, yet significant, auditory changes seen in music students place them at risk for hearing loss compared to their non-music cohorts.

Needs Assessment of International Students at Eastern Oregon State College.

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Eid, Mamoud Taha; Jordan-Domschot, Theresa

The purpose of the research project was to assess the needs, satisfaction, and concerns of international students attending Eastern Oregon State College. The international student population consisted of students from Micronesia, Netherlands, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Japan, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Belgium, Canada, Nigeria, China,…

Non-technical skills assessment for prelicensure nursing students: An integrative review.

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Pires, Sara; Monteiro, Sara; Pereira, Anabela; Chaló, Daniela; Melo, Elsa; Rodrigues, Alexandre

2017-11-01

In nursing, non-technical skills are recognized as playing an important role to increase patient safety and successful clinical outcomes (Pearson and McLafferty, 2011). Non-technical skills are cognitive and social resource skills that complement technical skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance (Flin et al., 2008). In order to effectively provide non-technical skills training, it is essential to have an instrument to measure these skills. An online search was conducted. Articles were selected if they referred to and/or described instruments assessing non-technical skills for nurses and/or prelicensure nursing students in educational, clinical and/or simulated settings with validation evidence (inclusion criteria). Of the 53 articles located, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Those referred to and/or described 16 instruments with validation evidence developed to assess non-technical skills in multidisciplinary teams including nurses. Although articles have shown 16 valid and reliable instruments, to our knowledge, no instrument has been published or developed and validated for the assessment of non-technical skills of only nurses in general, relevant for use in high-fidelity simulation-based training for prelicensure nursing students. Therefore, there is a need for the development of such an instrument. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing aspects of creativity in deaf and hearing high school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanzione, Christopher M; Perez, Susan M; Lederberg, Amy R

2013-04-01

To address the paucity of current research on the development of creativity in deaf students, and to extend existing research to adolescents, the present study investigated divergent thinking, a method of assessing creativity, in both deaf and hearing adolescents. We assessed divergent thinking in two domains, figural and verbal, while also adjusting the instructional method in written format, sign language, or spoken English. Deaf students' performance was equal to, or more creative than, hearing students on the figural assessment of divergent thinking, but less creative on the verbal assessment. Additional studies should be conducted to determine whether this was an anomalous finding or one that might contribute to hypotheses yielding effective interventions.

Alternative Student Assessments in Advertising Copywriting.

Science.gov (United States)

Beaman, Ronda

Instructors of professional courses such as advertising copywriting need to exercise caution in assigning grades to their students' creative work. Some alternative assessment methods can equally emphasize process and product. One successful technique is "praiseworthy grading," which shifts the focus from fault-finding to appreciation of…

Assessing self-efficacy and college readiness level among new undergraduate students in computer science using metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI)

Science.gov (United States)

Othman, Wan Nor Afiqah Wan; Abdullah, Aziman

2018-04-01

This preliminary study was conducted to address the issue of academic planning skills among new university student. Due to lack of proper measurement mechanism for awareness and readiness among students, this study proposes Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) to assess the connection between student self-efficacy and college readiness. Qualitative and quantitative approach were used by provide an online self-assessment for new student of Faculty of Computer Systems & Software Engineering (FSKKP) and analyse the data respectively. The possible relationships between MAI and College Readiness Item (CRI) in self-assessment has been evaluated. The sample size of 368 respondents from UMP are responding to the online self-assessment. The initial finding shows most student (71%) of the respondent lack of skills in planning. We manage to use Pearson Product-moment correlation coefficient to find the significant relationship between MAI and CRI. Thus, we found that College Readiness provide sufficient evidence that there is a significant correlation with most of MAI items. The findings also indicated not much difference was found between gender in terms of self-efficacy level. This paper suggests the MAI and CRI is a reliable and valid scale to respond the planning skills issues among new university students.

Development of a brief instrument to measure smartphone addiction among nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Sumi; Lee, Eunjoo

2015-05-01

Interruptions and distractions due to smartphone use in healthcare settings pose potential risks to patient safety. Therefore, it is important to assess smartphone use at work, to encourage nursing students to review their relevant behaviors, and to recognize these potential risks. This study's aim was to develop a scale to measure smartphone addiction and test its validity and reliability. We investigated nursing students' experiences of distractions caused by smartphones in the clinical setting and their opinions about smartphone use policies. Smartphone addiction and the need for a scale to measure it were identified through a literature review and in-depth interviews with nursing students. This scale showed reliability and validity with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In testing the discriminant and convergent validity of the selected (18) items with four factors, the smartphone addiction model explained approximately 91% (goodness-of-fit index = 0.909) of the variance in the data. Pearson correlation coefficients among addiction level, distractions in the clinical setting, and attitude toward policies on smartphone use were calculated. Addiction level and attitude toward policies of smartphone use were negatively correlated. This study suggests that healthcare organizations in Korea should create practical guidelines and policies for the appropriate use of smartphones in clinical practice.

The impact of assessing simulated bad news consultations on medical students' stress response and communication performance.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dulmen, S. van; Tromp, F.; Grosfeld, F.; Cate, O. ten; Bensing, J.M.

2007-01-01

Seventy second-year medical students volunteered to participate in a study with the aim of evaluating the impact of the assessment of simulated bad news consultations on their physiological and psychological stress and communication performance. Measurements were taken of salivary cortisol, systolic