Ibn Sina’s Theory of the Soul: A Taxonomy of Islamic Education

Ibn Sina’s theory of the soul possesses a logical-metaphysical categorisation of that concept, which allows for the designing of a new taxonomy of educational objectives. Its unique alteration of Aristotelian philosophy creates both an understanding of the natural relationship between categories, species, varieties, etc., and powerful inventive philosophical arguments and principles supporting the structural basis of monotheistic belief (tawhid). When speaking of the goals and objectives of the contemporary Islamic educational world, this approach also embraces the demands of the twenty-first century knowledge economy and the holistic development of the human being, enabling people to become critical, creative, innovative, and ethical without leaving religion behind. However, the new scene has created volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity among educators as to how to liaise the new curriculum and apply new assessment methods in their classrooms. This study intends to develop a taxonomy that will enable curriculum designers and Islamic educators to easily identify hierarchal and categorical human faculties and relate them to specific curricular objectives, proper classroom assessments, and suitable teaching methods. The taxonomy is designed using a philosophical-descriptive analysis of Ibn Sina’s theory of the soul and a logic-argumentative description of his human categorisation. The end result is a prototype taxonomy for future validity evaluation.

Educational Assessment Experiences of College Students during COVID-19

To better understand the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on today's college students and tomorrow's workforce, a survey was administered to 992 U.S. college students (Meanage=22.36 years, SDage=5.24; %female=53.3) between February and June 2021 on academic assessment practices they experienced before and after COVID-19. Females reported greater test anxiety and lower computer self-efficacy; neither varied based on race/ethnicity nor parental education. Most reported a transition to an online modality during the COVID-19 outbreak with a decrease in classroom assessments. Though classroom assessment formats appeared to change minimally, assessment administration changed markedly during the pandemic-affected period. Untimed and open-book assessments became more common. Assessments administered in-class and in-person proctored became less frequent. Interestingly, during spring 2021, as many colleges returned to in-person instruction, open-book, outside of class, and exams proctored online or unproctored remained common, suggesting a persistent shift in assessment administration practices. Students generally did not feel that exams covered any less content, however cheating was a concern. Most indicated it was difficult to concentrate and reported the idea of taking an exam was stressful during the pandemic, though many still believed that it is important to have assessments to demonstrate learning. Some noted they no longer planned to take certain standardized exams (e.g., GRE) given changes in admission requirements of post-baccalaureate academic programs. Some felt deterred from pursuing further education, yet others felt more inclined given perceptions of a highly competitive job market. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The Everyday Creativity of Authentic Classroom Assessments

This paper examines the everyday creativity embedded within authentic classroom assessments. While not all authentic assessments are necessarily creative (i.e., novel, innovative, and contextually appropriate), I demonstrate everyday creativity in two authentic classroom assessments I have adopted in my TESOL courses. In revealing the everyday creativity of these tasks, and in light of their desired learning outcomes, I seek to demystify the role everyday creativity can play in student demonstrations of knowledge and skill.

Listening and Speaking for Real-World Communication: What Teachers Do and What Students Learn From Classroom Assessments

Even though standardized international communication tests have been frequently studied, very little research has explored how teachers planned listening and speaking classroom assessments or which classroom-based tests were more beneficial for teaching real-world English communication. A qualitative inquiry was undertaken to investigate these assessment issues among five English as foreign language teachers and 24 of their students through the collection and analysis of classroom observation and post assessment interview data. While teachers tended to draw on textbook listening and speaking activities to assess those skills, how they graded students focused heavily on the students’ communicative competence as listeners and speakers of English rather than on their ability to answer comprehension questions correctly in the classroom assessments. Students identified a mismatch between classroom instruction and assessments and also a mismatch between the English used in assessments and the English used in real-world communication.

Predictor Analysis of Middle and Low Achieving Students in Cell Biology Online Course in Health Nutrition Undergraduate Program

Background Lack of direct contact with the students in online courses can result in lower lecturer’s awareness of their engagement and progress. Examination scores generally have the highest proportion in determining students’ grades. Predicting examination scores from the earliest point of the course may be useful in designing timely and appropriate interventions. Aim To analyze the predictors of midterm and final examination scores in an online cell biology course of health nutrition in the undergraduate program at the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta Indonesia. Methods The learning materials including texts, PowerPoints, videos and miniquizzes were uploaded in a course management system before conducting online meetings. In total, 10 different topics were delivered. Pretest and posttest, both not used for grading, were given at the first and last online meeting. Components of the final score were classroom assessments, group assignments, midterm and final examinations. Students (n = 154) were divided into three groups based on their final examination scores, i.e., low, middle and high score. Each component of the final score was reported as mean ± standard deviation and the mean difference between groups was analyzed. Linear regression analysis was performed to reveal the main predictors of the midterm and final exam scores. Two-step cluster analysis determined by the earliest-obtained scores was performed to identify low achieving students. Results Students with higher final examination scores had significantly higher scores for pretest, posttest, pre and post-midterm class assessments, midterm exam and group assignments (p < 0.05). Premidterm class assessment was the main predictor of the midterm exam score. Midterm exam score was the strongest predictor of final exam score and clustering using midterm-premidterm scores identified 75% of low achieving students. To assist students with low and middle achievement, several modifications were considered such as providing longer and multiple access to the learning and formative test materials, facilitating a communication platform with fellow students and sending personal encouraging messages. Conclusion Scores obtained in various activities during the course potentially predict student grades. The activities should be optimized to improve students’ achievement especially for the less privileged students.

PEMAHAMAN GURU KIMIA SMA TENTANG PENILAIAN KEMAMPUAN BERPIKIR TINGKAT TINGGI DAN IMPLEMENTASINYA

HIGH-SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TEACHERS' UNDERSTANDING OF HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS AND ITS IMPLEMENTATIONAbstractTeachers play an essential role in attempts to develop students' higher-order thinking skills through the implementation of classroom assessments. This study explores chemistry teachers' understanding of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) assessments, how they implement the assessments, and what obstacles they face. This study employed a qualitative approach that involved 12 high-school chemistry teachers in South Jakarta. Data collection was conducted in August and September 2019 through semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study show that the chemistry teachers have a different understanding of higher-order thinking assessments. The majority of teachers associate HOTS with the three highest levels of the cognitive dimension of Revision of Bloom's taxonomy, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The levels of implementation of HOTS assessments among teachers vary. Among obstacles faced by the teachers are the lack of teachers' knowledge and experience in applying HOTS assessments, variability in students' cognitive abilities, the scarcity of learning facilities, and the lack of guidance and training about HOTS assessments in chemistry. AbstrakGuru memegang peranan penting dalam upaya mengembangkan kemampuan siswa dalam berpikir tingkat tinggi melalui penerapan penilaian kelas.Penelitian ini menggali pemahaman guru kimia tentang penilaian kemampuan berpikir tinggi tinggi (HOTS), penerapannya, dan hambatan-hambatan yang dihadapi. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif yang melibatkan 12 orang guru kimia SMA di Jakarta Selatan. Pengumpulan data dilakukan pada bulan Agustus dan September 2019 melalui wawancara semi-terstruktur. Temuan dalam penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa para guru kimia memiliki pemahaman yang beragam tentang penilaian HOTS. Mayoritas guru mengaitkan penilaian HOTS dengan tiga jenjang tertinggi dimensi kognitif pada taksonomi Bloom yang telah direvisi, berpikir kritis, dan penyelesaian masalah. Tingkat penerapan penilaian HOTS di kalangan guru bervariasi. Hambatan yang dihadapi para guru Kimia SMA dalam melaksanakan penilaian HOTS, antara lain keterbatasan pengetahuan dan pengalaman guru dalam menerapkan penilaian HOTS, kemampuan kognitif siswa yang bervariasi, keterbatasan fasilitas pembelajaran, dan kurangnya panduan dan pelatihan tentang penilaian HOTS untuk mata pelajaran kimia.

Assessments and Accommodations for English Language Learners: A Literature Review

While research in how English language learners (ELLs) use assessment accommodations is lacking, there are some general conclusions that one can draw. First, teachers must know their students’ abilities. This includes knowledge of their English proficiency, knowledge of their first language skills, especially as it pertains to literacy skills, and knowledge of their content area understanding. If teachers are aware of areas of weakness in students’ assessments, they should work to compensate for them by either changing their instruction or providing assessment accommodations. Second, it is important for teachers to recognize the various types of assessment accommodations that are available in their teaching situation. More vitally, teachers must be able to assign assessment accommodations appropriately to their students and know differences between ELL accommodations and Special Education accommodations. If accommodations are applied without regard to individual student differences, it can cause more harm to the assessment procedures and evaluations than benefits. Finally, there is a difference between high-stakes standardized tests and classroom assessments. While content-area teachers may have more freedom in modifying their classroom assessments, standardized tests are usually more constrained in their testing format and accommodations they are allowed to offer. Identifying gaps in research related to assessments for ELLs will benefit the field as content-area teachers continue to increase their work with students of diverse backgrounds.

Student's Perceptions of Assessment Legitimacy in TVET Sector in South Africa

Assessing student performance is one of the most critical aspects of the job of a classroom teacher. Therefore, this study seeks to explore student's perceptions of assessment practice in TVET colleges. The quantitative case study approach through questionnaire was used to discover students' perceptions of assessment practice. Random sampling method was used to select 105 males and 89 females with a total of 194 students with four TVET colleges in the Limpopo Province. The data were analysed through excel spread sheet in order to determine the specific and overall percentage of students' perceptions and four principles of PATI. The theory of assessment legitimacy was used as a lens. In order to explore student's perceptions, the study exposed learners to nine questions. The findings indicated that lecturers' classroom assessments don't reflect content validity or apply real-life experience and real-life context. However, lecturers are able to give them various assessment tasks.