Assessment under Covid-19: Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes towards Their Online Thesis Proposal Presentations vs. Face-to-face

This study conducted in an EFL setting investigates students’ perception of the thesis proposal presentation in an online format due to safety concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fifty-five students aged 20-22 years old, level B2-C1 in English, in their fourth year of a Business Informatics Bachelor’s programme at HSE University, Moscow, were surveyed regarding their end-of-course assessment experience, which involved a Skype online presentation, rather than the usual face-to-face presentation. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire consisted of 3 sections and 12 items. A mixed-method approach using quantitative and qualitative data was employed. The findings indicate that emergency transition to the new format did not affect students’ satisfaction or results of the presentation. Overall, students were more than satisfied with the online format, and the results were similar, if not better, than in previous years. To minimise the disadvantages of this format, recommendations for teachers and students were offered. This study might offer new insight on the most appropriate and beneficial oral testing system for students and staff.

Cumulative assessment: Does it improve students’ knowledge acquisition and retention?

AIMS: Cumulative assessment has been used as a tool to steer students’ study behavior, since it increases students’ self-study time while spreading their study time more evenly throughout the span of the course. However, little is known about the impact of cumulative assessment on students’ knowledge growth. Therefore, our study compared the growth of knowledge of students who attended a course with cumulative assessment with those with end-of-course assessment. We hypothesized that students in the cumulative assessment condition would have a higher increase in knowledge compared to students in the end-of-course assessment condition.METHODS: This is a follow-up study of a previous randomized experiment that compared students’ performance between students who attended a course with cumulative assessment with those with end-of-course assessment. We gathered data of the first four subsequent Dutch interuniversity progress test after the experiment from 62 students. Of those, 37 students were in the end-of-course assessment condition and 25 were in the cumulative assessment condition. The questions were classified as part of the teaching block or not. To analyze students’ knowledge growth, we conducted a General Linear Model.RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that there was a significant increase in students’ knowledge of the four subsequent progress tests. Additionally, our general linear model showed no difference between both groups, indicating that cumulative assessment and end-of-course assessment produced similar outcomes when comparing students’ knowledge growth.CONCLUSIONS: So far, little evidence has supported the use of cumulative assessment as a tool for increasing students’ knowledge growth. The lack of finding a positive effect of cumulative assessment on knowledge retention may be explained by the repetitive character of our (spiral) curriculum.

The elephant in the classroom: a comparative study of civics end-of-course assessment

Purpose Over the last 40 years, K-12 education has seen a continuous and significant increase in the amount of mandated standardized testing. This rise in standardized testing has led many in the field to question the extent to which these tests are affecting students, teachers and schools. The purpose of this paper is to explore the results of a social studies standardized test, specifically, the Florida Civics End-of-Course assessment. Design/methodology/approach Researchers used population data for seventh grade students and aggregated countywide proficiency rates from 2013–2016 for comparative statistical measures. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were utilized to identify emerging trends using mean proficiency percentages when accounting for race, gender and socioeconomic status. Findings Initial findings indicated disparity within each subgroup (R2=0.511 (2013–2014), 0.500 (2014–2015) and 0.456 (2015–2016)). Following an analysis of the results, the conclusion and implications discuss the influence of standardized testing in social studies education. Originality/value This is a large-scale project that has never been done.

Current Approaches on Forming the Assessment Tools Stock for Basic University Curricula

The paper presents the experience of the Volgograd State Pedagogical University in elaborating the assessment tools stock for the basic university educational programs for the current, midterm and end-of-course assessment. The role of disciplinary and interdisciplinary assessment toolkits in the structure of the basic university curriculum is defi ned. Also suggested is the author�s vision on how the assessment toolkits should be structured and also the techniques for developing such toolkits. Based on the specifi c examples, the authors show some possible approaches to assessing the level of students� competences formedness in the course of the current, midterm and end-of course certifying in the higher school institutions. The features, indicating various levels of competencies formedness are described. The technology for development of the End-of-Course Assessment Program is presented. The paper is focused mainly on the new approaches to selecting appropriate assessment tools for the state exam. Potential problems, arising while developing the assessment tools for the end-of-term exam on the �Education and Pedagogy� training program are identifi ed. Also presented are the examples of practice-oriented assignments, allowing, on the authors� opinion, to identify the level of formedness of the professionally signifi cant competences.

ULTRASOUND ASSISTED LUMBAR PUNCTURE; THE NOT-SO-STEEP LEARNING CURVE

Lumbar puncture is a frequently undertaken procedure in Neurology and Acute Medical settings. It can at times be challenging requiring several attempts causing patient discomfort and anxiety.Ultrasound assisted Lumbar Puncture/Epidurals are currently undertaken by Anaesthetists trained in the technique but not by Neurologists or Medical Physicians in the United Kingdom.Our goal was to train non-Anaesthetic doctors to use ultrasound to assist lumbar punctures through a short training course. The Sonography Assisted Lumbar puncture Training (SALT) course was conducted at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS trust which consisted of 80 minutes of didactic teaching and 160 minutes of supervised scanning.A total of 31 candidates of which 35.48% (n=11) were Neurology trainees and consultants undertook this course. The end of course assessment revealed that 87.09% were able to stabilize the probe and optimize the ultrasound image independently, whereas 93.54% were able to identify the relevant sonoanatomy independently. The remaining candidates demonstrated these skills with minimal prompting.Ultrasound assisted lumbar puncture is a useful technique, which improves the success rate in difficult lumbar punctures. This study shows that it can be taught in a controlled environment through a focussed short training programme.