Supervised Learning Applied to Graduation Forecast of Industrial Engineering Students

<p style="text-align: justify;">The article aims to develop a machine-learning algorithm that can predict student’s graduation in the Industrial Engineering course at the Federal University of Amazonas based on their performance data. The methodology makes use of an information package of 364 students with an admission period between 2007 and 2019, considering characteristics that can affect directly or indirectly in the graduation of each one, being: type of high school, number of semesters taken, grade-point average, lockouts, dropouts and course terminations. The data treatment considered the manual removal of several characteristics that did not add value to the output of the algorithm, resulting in a package composed of 2184 instances. Thus, the logistic regression, MLP and XGBoost models developed and compared could predict a binary output of graduation or non-graduation to each student using 30% of the dataset to test and 70% to train, so that was possible to identify a relationship between the six attributes explored and achieve, with the best model, 94.15% of accuracy on its predictions.</p>

Undergraduate Students' Attitudes towards Online Counseling since the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has left tertiary students feeling anxious, stressed, and depressed. As a result, online counseling is a new option for students seeking counseling to alleviate stress and anxiety. The aims of this study were to 1) investigate undergraduate students&#39; attitudes towards&nbsp;online counseling since the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) compare the attitudes of undergraduate students at Mahasarakham University towards&nbsp;online counseling since the COVID-19 pandemic, classified by gender, academic year, grade point average (GPA), faculty, experience in face-to-face counseling, and experience in online counseling. The participants were 417 undergraduate students from Mahasarakham University who were selected by using a convenient sampling method. The research instrument was the questionnaire on undergraduate students&#39; attitudes towards online counseling. The researcher used percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the undergraduate students&#39; attitudes towards online counseling were at a high level. Further, the undergraduate students&#39; attitudes towards online counseling were statistically significant differences at a level of p&lt;0.01 attributed to the variables of genders and GPAs.

Nighttime Sleep Awakening Frequency and Its Consistency Predict Future Academic Performance in College Students

Although the relations between sleep and academic performance have been extensively examined, how sleep predicts future academic performance (e.g., 2 -3 years) remains to be further investigated. Using wearable smartwatches and a self-report questionnaire, we tracked sleep activities of 45 college students over a period of approximate half a month to see whether their sleep activities predicted their academic performance, which was estimated by grade point average (GPA). Results showed that both nighttime sleep awakening frequency and its consistency in the tracking period were not significantly correlated with the GPA for the courses taken in the semester during sleep tracking (current GPA). However, both nighttime sleep awakening frequency and its consistency inversely predicted the GPA for the rest of the courses taken after that semester (future GPA). Moreover, students with more difficulty staying awake throughout the day obtained lower current and future GPAs, and students with lower inconsistency of sleep quality obtained lower future GPA. Together, these findings highlight the importance of nighttime sleep awakening frequency and consistency in predicting future academic performance and emphasize the necessity of assessing the consistency of sleep measures in future studies.

School engagement and school climate of students with high and low grade point averages

For adolescents, school life and learning is one of the most important domains of their lives. School achievement, depending on whether it is high or low, can motivate students to learn or make them reluctant to engage in school learning. Students' engagement in learning is closely related to their perceived school climate. The present study set out to investigate how these two variables distinguish between groups of students with high and low grade point averages. The participants in this study were students from secondary schools from among whom the students with the lowest and the highest grade point average were selected. It is found that students with higher grade point average are more engaged in learning and perceive their school climate as more positive than students with low grade point average.

Using Third-Party Evaluations to Assess Socioemotional Skills in Graduate School Admissions

Consideration of socioemotional skills in admissions potentially can increase representation of racial and ethnic minorities and women in graduate education as well as identify candidates more likely to succeed in graduate school. Research on one such assessment, the ETS Personal Potential Index (PPI), showed that the PPI produced much smaller racial/ethnic-gender group mean score differences than undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) did. Across levels of institutional selectivity, the PPI can promote racial/ethnic and gender diversity in graduate and professional school in ways that UGPA and GRE scores do not. Predictive validity analyses showed that for doctoral STEM programs the PPI dimensions of (i) Planning and Organization and (ii) Communication Skills positively predict graduate school grade point average as well as a lower risk of academic probation, a determinant of degree progress, both alone and incrementally over UGPA and GRE scores.

Internet Addiction, Depression and Relation with Academic Failure in Students of Allied Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran

Background: Internet addiction, which is a result of increasing inevitable use of the Internet and smart phones, causes discomfort and serious social and occupational problems, consequently that can lead to some mental disorders such as depression. On the other hand, depression and Internet addiction are factors affecting students' academic performance. Objective: This study aimed to investigate Internet addiction, depression and their relation with academic failure in students of Semnan Allied Medical Sciences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all students who were in the 3rd and higher semesters were examined. Three questionnaires (demographic, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Internet Addiction Test by Young) were used. The academic failure was assessed using the student's grade point average in the previous 3 semesters. Collected data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics methods at significance level of 0.05. Results: 170 students participated in this study. The correlation between depression and grade point average changes was negative (r=-0.19) and significant (p=0.01). Moreover, a positive (r=0.39) and significant (p=0.01) correlation was observed between depression and Internet addiction scores. Binary logistic regression analysis also indicated that students' depression score (P=0.04, OR1.04, CI 95%=1-1.08) and sex (P=0.008, OR=0.37, CI 95% = 0.17-0.77) can predict academic failure. Conclusion: Due to the observation of Internet addiction and depression in the students and effects of these disorders on their academic performance, it is necessary to educate students and families, identify risk factors and provide solutions to deal with it.

PENERAPAN STRATEGI MODELLING THE WAY UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN SHALAT WAJIB SISWA

This research aims to improve the ability to perform mandatory prayers through modeling the way strategies in students of grade IV SDN Tri Mulya Agung Semester even the 2018/2019 school year with the number of students 23 students. The methods used in this study are class-action research methods, data collection through observation, interviews and tests or assignments, while data analysis is done with interactive models. While the activity is carried out in interactive form with the process of collecting data as a cyclical process. The results showed that through modeling strategies the way can improve the ability to perform mandatory prayers in students of grade IV SDN Tri Mulya Agung Semester even the year of study 2018/2019. Learning activities from cycle I to cycle II there is an increase: aspects of reading the pillars of prayer (average value increases 1.1; percentages rise 21.8%; from good category to very good), aspect of reading prayer conditions (average value up 0.7; percentage up 14.8%; from good category to very good); aspects of reading things that cancel prayers (average value increased 0.7; percentage rose 15.7%; from good category to very good), and aspect of prayer practice (average value rose 0.9; percentage rose 18.3%; from good category to very good). Student learning outcomes from the initial condition to cycle II increased, from 7 students (30%) who got completed grades to 23 students (100%). There was an increase of 16 students (70%) and the grade point average from 60.2 to 85.0, an increase of 24.8. ABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan melakukan sholat wajib melalui strategi modelling the way pada siswa kelas IV SDN Tri Mulya Agung Semester genap tahun pelajaran 2018/2019 dengan jumlah siswa 23 siswa. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian tindakan kelas, pengumpulan data melalui observasi, wawancara dan tes atau penugasan, sedangkan analisis data dilakukan dengan model interaktif. Sedangkan aktifitas dilakukan dalam bentuk interaktif dengan proses pengumpulan data sebagai proses siklus. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa melalui strategi modelling the way dapat meningkatkan kemampuan melakukan sholat wajib pada siswa kelas IV SDN Tri Mulya Agung Semester genap tahun pelajaran 2018/2019. Aktivitas belajar dari siklus I ke siklus II terdapat peningkatan: aspek membaca rukun sholat (nilai rata-rata meningkat 1,1; persentase naik 21,8%; dari kategori baik menjadi amat baik), aspek membaca syarat sholat (nilai rata-rata naik 0,7; prosentase naik 14,8%; dari kategori baik menjadi amat baik); aspek membaca hal yang membatalkan sholat (nilai rata-rata meningkat 0,7; persentase naik 15,7%; dari kategori baik menjadi amat baik), dan aspek praktek sholat (nilai rata-rata naik 0,9; prosentase naik 18,3%; dari kategori baik menjadi amat baik). Hasil belajar siswa dari kondisi awal ke siklus II mengalami peningkatan, yaitu dari 7 siswa (30%) yang mendapat nilai tuntas menjadi 23 siswa (100%). Terjadi peningkatan sebanyak 16 siswa (70%) dan nilai rata-rata kelas dari 60,2 menjadi 85,0, meningkat sebesar 24,8.

The “General practitioner learning stations”—development, implementation and optimization of an innovative format for sustainable teaching in general practice

Background Teaching general practice in a university setting is still challenging. In our department we have developed a teaching format with content from a previous lecture-style-teaching into an interactive small group format taught by frontline general practitioners (GPs). The “GP learning stations” introduce students to the skills and attributes of a GP working in primary care in a university setting. Our main objective was to understand whether the teaching format had proven itself sustainable in a university setting over eight years. Furthermore, we wanted to better understand the role of the GP as a medical educator. Methods More than eight years of experience in organizational and staff expenses were collected and analyzed. In addition, the grade point average of the students’ evaluation was calculated and their free text answers were categorized and evaluated descriptively. During two teach-the-teacher seminars attending GPs were asked why they teach and if they feel equipped to teach the format. Results The initially high organizational and staff expenses were significantly reduced. The recruitment of GPs, their didactic contribution, and their joint creation of content went smoothly throughout the whole period. A total of 495 students participated in the regular evaluation. The analysis yielded a grade point average of 1.9, on a scale from 1 = very good to 6 = insufficient. In the free text answers students praised the educators, the format and the practical relevance. The interactive transfer of the content, the didactic competence of the educators and the spatial environment were viewed critically. Reasons for GPs to teach were the joy to pass on knowledge and experience, and to make the work of GPs more attractive to students. Most GPs felt prepared to teach through their experience as a physician although some felt unprepared to teach through their lack of didactic knowledge. Conclusion Despite reducing the costs of the format, a grade point average of 1.9 could be achieved in the long term. This supports the teaching concept of learning stations and its “mixture of discussion, scientific background and role play, combined with (…) experiences and exciting individual cases from (GPs) everyday life”, hopefully making general practice more attractive to the students.

Converting cumulative grade point average to an equivalent percentage value based on a fuzzy logic

The graduates who have finished their study program will be given a merit award and their award certificates will be graded in accordance with the degree of their academic accomplishment. The awards are generally offered using two methods; one is by the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and the other is by the average percentage of all marks for the students. The problem is when assigning a course final grade; each student's final percentage is translated to a letter, allowing the discrepancy within the same letter grade range in the final ranking. If two students have the same final score, that means equal results. However, this equality can be false if one student hits a percentage of the highest grade, while the second student earns a percentage of the lowest grade of the same letter grade. This paper introduced a new equation that transforms between the awarded cumulative grade point average and the awarded percentage ranking based on fuzzy system. The proposed approach was tested using three actual benchmarks collected from three different colleges in Beni-Suef university. The obtained results reflects the effect of the fuzzy logic in helping converting form CGPA measures to percentage measure in educational systems.

Evaluation of the Awareness of the Yazd Medical Students about Common Oral Diseases and its Relationship with General Health of the Body

Introduction: Considering the importance of oral health as a part of general health and the role of physicians in community health, the present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between common oral diseases and general body health from the perspective of medical students in Yazd City in 2018. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 210 internship and pre-internship students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd Cityin 2018 were selected randomly and their knowledge about common oral and dental diseases and its relationship with general body health was assessed through a valid and reliabile questionnaire consisted of 10 questions. Data were entered into SPSS version 16 statistical software and analyzed using descriptive statistics and T-test. Results: In the present study, 191 internship and pre-internship students completed the research questionnaire, of which 101 were female (52.8 %) and 90 were male (47.1%). The mean age of the students was 24.07 ±1.92. Their mean grade point average at the time of the study was 15/95±1/28. The mean score of their knowledge of oral diseases was 9.79 ± 3.27 with a range of 1 to 19. There was no statistically significant relationship between the mean score of knowledge in terms of age, sex, semester and grade point average (p˃0/05). Conclusion: The results showed that the mean score of knowledge of the internship and pre-internship students about common oral diseases and its relationship with general health is low. Therefore, it seems necessary to improve the level of knowledge of medical students in this regard by adding the mentioned topics to the educational curriculum of medical students.