TMS Based TOEFL Training and Try Out (TOEFL Strategy Module) for 2019 TMT Lecturers at Ambon State Polytechnic to Get Lecturer Certification

One of the requirements to pass the lecturer certification exam is to attach a TOEFL score. TOEFL itself is an abbreviation of Test of English as a Foreign Language which is used to measure how far a person's English ability is. In the various findings and field observations made, almost all lecturers who will carry out the 2019 TMT lecturer certification at the Ambon State Polytechnic have the same difficulties when they want to face the TOEFL test. Therefore, the Ambon State Polytechnic Community Service Team took the initiative to conduct TOEFL training activities for TMT 2019 lecturers so that they could overcome their difficulties on the TOEFL test by using modules compiled by the team. The results of this service activity show that the English language skills possessed by the lecturers have increased after the training. This can be seen from their pre-test and post-test scores. It is hoped that after going through this activity, they can test their abilities by carrying out the TOEFL test and can penetrate lecturer certification.

Development of a Certification Exam to Assess Undergraduate Students’ Proficiency in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Core Concepts

Assessment of student learning aids in evidence-based decisions about educational efforts. This Essay describes the development of an annual certification exam offered by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and supported by a community of volunteers that assesses undergraduate students’ proficiency in core concept areas.

Learning Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery Manual Skills: An Institutional Experience With Remote Coaching and Assessment

ABSTRACT Introduction COVID-19 has altered the landscape of traditional surgical education. This is a pilot study of remote coaching and assessment of Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) manual skills in obstetrics and gynecology residents. Materials and Methods PGY-3 obstetrics and gynecology residents participated in remote assessment of FLS manual skills using a live streaming platform. Learners who showed deficiencies in proficiency participated in live-streamed coaching sessions. The coaching sessions continued until the learner and coach mutually agreed that the learner was prepared for the skills portion of the FLS certification exam. The primary outcome was learner performance on skills assessment with external validation through the FLS manual skills exam pass rate. Results One learner demonstrated proficiency at baseline and the remaining nine underwent remote coaching sessions. Learners received a mean of two coaching sessions to reach mutually agreed readiness for the FLS exam as per learner and coach. All residents performed significantly better at the conclusion of the remote coaching series (11.3 ± 0.82) as compared to their baseline scores (8.8 ± 2.82) (P < .03; 95% CI, 0.31-4.69). Proficiency was externally validated through the FLS exam taken by each resident 1-2 weeks following their final assessment, with all learners passing the manual portion. The average satisfaction of learners with remote coaching was 77/100 (range 50-100). 100% of learners felt prepared for their FLS certification exam and 100% would recommend this remote training program to a colleague. Conclusion Remote coaching and assessment of FLS skills yields similar results to traditional face-to-face instruction.

Program Directors’ Perceptions of the CBMT Exam

Forty-one academic program directors completed a survey eliciting their perceptions of the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) board certification exam. Survey questions concerned the meaningfulness and utility of the exam in evaluating safe and competent practice; reasons students might fail the exam; exam preparation methods; and open-ended questions that allowed participants to express specific concerns about the exam, if they had any. On average, program directors perceived the exam to be “neither effective nor ineffective” in evaluating clinical competence, with open-ended responses suggesting the majority of these faculty had a range of concerns about the exam. After categorizing and defining these concerns, reflective comments serve to stimulate discussion about the meaningfulness and utility of the exam, as it is currently constructed.