Assessing Students’ Approaches and Perceptions to Learning in Physics Experiments Based on Simulations and At-Home Lab Kits

Our study evaluates students’ approaches to and perceptions of the use of hands-on at-home laboratory kits (HALK) experiments, open-source computer-based simulations (OSCBS), and their combination (OSCBS-HALK) in undergraduate introductory asynchronous online physics courses. Anonymous survey data from students who had completed online physics courses with labs based on simulations, at-home lab kits, or both were collected using a modified version of the Learn Questionnaire (MVLQ). Findings in this study indicate that among the six scales (interest and relevance; peer support; staff enthusiasm and support; teaching for understanding; alignment; and constructive feedback) used to measure students’ perceptions of the teaching and learning environments, interest and relevance, peer support, and teaching for understanding had statistically significant different means across the three lab types. Post-hoc comparisons using the Tukey HSD test for the interest and relevance scale indicated that students viewed using a combination approach of OSCBS and HALK labs (M = 3.98, SD = 0.61) more significantly positive than using computer-simulated labs only (M = 3.56, SD = 0.75). Compared to other labs, computer-simulated labs were perceived to lead to a deep approach to learning. However, they had the lowest interest and relevance, peer support, and alignment ranking among the three lab groups. Thus, developing strategies to improve students’ engagement and ability to translate the simulations into physical processes is recommended for OSCBS.

Triad of rubric assessment, constructive feedback and video recorded surgeries key assessment for competent ophthalmic surgeon

Ophthalmic surgery involves very precise surgical skill, which is difficult to teach and even more cumbersome in assessment of resident’s surgical skill. Hence it’s a need of time to adopt newer tool for transferring as well as assessing surgical skill. With this concept in mind International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) has developed various tools for assessing surgical skills. If we use this tool not only as learning tool but also to give constructive feedback on the surgical skills of resident doctors it will help in creating a competent ophthalmic surgeon and eventually help society in general. 1To develop more standardized surgical training; 2. To assess efficacy and feasibility of new tool in improving surgical skills of Post Graduate(PG) student; 3. To know the effect of constructive feedback on surgical performance. Small incision cataract surgery training is done by Rubric designed by ICO- OSCAR. The same tool was used to assess video recorded cataract surgery of residents by different faculties and assess their surgical skill. The assessor simply circled the observed performance description at each step of the procedure. The ICO-OSCAR score was completed. At the end of the case assessor immediately discussed operated case with student to provide timely, structured, specific performance feedback. Oscar score was recorded and analysed with inter rater agreement. OSCAR TOOL has very good inter rater agreement i.e.(0.96). Analysis of student & Observer feedback infers that OSCAR Tool is best tool for learning as well as assessment tool and is easy to use. Recorded surgeries & constructive feedback from assessor helped Post Graduate students to improve surgically. This resulted in best outcome for patient in terms of good visual acuity post operatively. The formative assessment of surgical skills becomes an integral part of our formal residency, training framework, it would be in the interest of our trainees and trainers that we should adopt the OSCAR tools to train and assess. These tools can add immense value to our residency as well fellowship surgical training and possibly help create a generation of competent trainee.Formative Assessment and constructive feedback in surgical training will improve the competency of new ophthalmic surgeons.Structured surgical training will be relatively easy to observe and perform, as trainee learns what is required to be competent.This will ultimately improve the overall quality of patient care.

Teachers' Perceptions of Netiquette Practices by undergraduate Dental Students During Online Classes in Covid-19 Pandemic

Netiquettes are general rules and customs governing social and professional interactions that are considered acceptable. Objectives: To explore Teachers' perceptions of netiquette practices by undergraduate dental students during online classes in COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional Study. Methodology: Research was conducted in two leading private dental colleges of twin cities. Convenience sampling was done to obtain data. A self-constructed questionnaire comprising of open and close ended questions was disseminated to the dental faculty of both colleges through What’s App groups. Statistical analysis: SPSS software, v 21 analyzed data. Results: Responses from ninety-seven participants showed that students exhibited a casual attitude in online classes and showed lack of interest and motivation. Issues like absenteeism, distraction during classes and use of unfair means during exams were prevalent. Teachers were of the opinion that students should be guided properly on how to attend online classes and provided with constructive feedback. Faculty had a general idea about "netiquettes., however, there was a significant lack of formal knowledge regarding netiquette rules and standards. On account of this, most of the participants reported the lack of institutional guidelines for netiquette standards and practices. Therefore, a need for documented netiquettes policy in educational institutes was suggested. Conclusion: We concluded that accrediting bodies and medical institutions should formulate a policy of netiquette practices. Implementation of netiquette practices in the undergraduate curriculum is the need of time. Key Words: Netiquette Practices, Undergraduate Students, E-learning and Online Teaching.

Cadets' Perception in English Online Learning during Covid - 19 Pandemic

Indonesia has implemented online learning as part of its education reforms in an effort to contain the spread of the Covid – 19 virus. Study participants' perceptions of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic are examined in this research. It was a descriptive quantitative study. Questionnaires (Google forms) and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. One hundred fifty-five cadets responded to the survey. Covid–19 pandemic showed that the cadets had an excellent view of online learning. Amid this pandemic, they discovered that online learning was helpful but not entirely efficient. Online learning by lecturers was effective, efficient, varied, helped cadets understand the material, independent learning, and increased students' involvement in learning activities. Additionally, this study gathered information from students in the form of constructive feedback on how to improve online learning. Covid – 19 pandemic cadets also discovered a number of obstacles related to online learning, such as barriers to students' accessing online learning platforms. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for further research into the extent of the digital divide is necessitated by this study.

POMACS V5, N3, December 2021 Editorial

The ACM Proceedings of the ACM on Measurement and Analysis of Computing Systems (POMACS) focuses on the measurement and performance evaluation of computer systems and operates in close collaboration with the ACM Special Interest Group SIGMETRICS. All papers in this issue of POMACS will be presented during the ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2022 conference. The issue contains papers selected by the editorial board via a rigorous review process that follows a hybrid conference and journal model, with reviews conducted by the 93 members of our POMACS editorial board. Each paper was either conditionally accepted (and shepherded), allowed a "one-shot" revision (to be resubmitted to one of the subsequent two deadlines), or rejected (with resubmission allowed after a year). For this issue, which represents the summer deadline, POMACS publishes 17 papers out of 71 submissions. All submitted papers received at least 3 reviews and we held an online TPC meeting. Based on the indicated primary track, roughly 37% of the submissions were in the Theory track, 30% were in the Measurement & Applied Modeling track, 20% were in the Systems track, and 14% were in the Learning track. Many people contributed to the success of this issue of POMACS. First, we would like to thank the authors, who submitted their best work to SIGMETRICS/POMACS. Second, we would like to thank the TPC members who provided constructive feedback in their reviews to authors and participated in the online discussions and TPC meetings. We also thank the several external reviewers who provided their expert opinion on specific submissions that required additional input. We are also grateful to the SIGMETRICS Board Chair, Giuliano Casale, and to past TPC Chairs, Anshul Gandhi, Negar Kiyavash, and Jia Wang, who provided a wealth of information and guidance (including a template for writing this editorial note!). Finally, we are grateful to the Organization Committee and to the SIGMETRICS Board for their ongoing efforts and initiatives for creating an exciting program for ACM SIGMETRICS/Performance 2022.

The Role of Mentoring in Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM Education and Research

Mentoring success is derived from active and respectful listening and the willingness to learn and accept opportunities for personal growth. Mentoring shapes every trainee and their career path in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Productive mentoring relationships cultivate rapport, stimulate moments of introspection, and provide constructive feedback. Effective mentoring in STEM allows trainees, especially underrepresented minorities (URMs), to flourish in welcoming and supportive environments. However, URM trainees often experience inadequate mentoring due to their mentors inexperience with URM groups, poor mentorship training, or a lack of understanding of their mentees journey. To promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM education and research, it is essential for mentors and mentees to work together with creativity, authenticity, and networking. In this workshop, we will focus on mentees perspective on how mentors can enhance their training, professional and career development, and improve their focus. We analyzed data on feedback obtained from students interested in pursuing graduate education who attended a recent workshop. Our results show that despite low initial expectations for the workshop, many students were satisfied with the knowledge they learned. The future of increasing the URM representation in STEM lies in providing adequate community support and mentorship throughout the careers of URM professionals.

Application of the PRECEDE -PROCEED model in prevention of brucellosis focused on livestock vaccination process

Background This article reports the steps of an educational intervention, which is designed to change livestock breeders’ preventive behavior in terms of vaccinating their livestock against brucellosis. The study has been conducted in a rural area in a country with the second highest brucellosis prevalence in the world. Methods In a quasi-experimental study and applying PRECEDE-PROCEED model, 45 livestock breeders were trained through basket method, accompanied with constructive feedback from researchers and peers and a brief interactive lecture at the end. The livestock breeders’ awareness, attitude and practice level in the intervention group was compared with those of other 45 livestock breeders in a control group, 1 and 6 months after the intervention. According to the results of the Rose Bengal tests (RBTs), as a rapid and simple screening test, the presence or absence of Brucella antibodies in the animals’ serum was investigated. Results Immediately and 1 month after the intervention, the mean scores of knowledge, awareness and practice of livestock breeders in the intervention group were significantly higher. Six months after the intervention, the results of the RBTs were positive in more livestock in the intervention group compared to the animals in the control group. The positive result of RBT after educational intervention, in livestock whose test results were negative immediately before intervention, accompanying the results of observation indicating a good general condition of livestock was considered as a probable evidence of the success of the educational intervention. Conclusion The model-driven educational intervention could significantly increase livestock breeders’ awareness, attitude and practice regarding prevention of brucellosis and vaccination of their livestock against brucellosis; however, a period of non-continuous reinforcement and gradual reduction of the number of the reinforcements by health educator workers is recommended in order to increase the maintenance of the learnt behavior. Trial registration Conducting this study was registered at Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20180304038945N1). Registered 24 December 2018. The proposal was registered before enrollment of the first participant.

The Impact of Using Automated Writing Feedback in ESL/EFL Classroom Contexts

It is undeniable that attempts to develop automated feedback systems that support and enhance language learning and assessment have increased in the last few years. The growing demand for using technology in the classroom and the promotions provided by automated- written-feedback program developers and designers, drive many educational institutions to acquire and use these tools for educational purposes (Chen & Cheng, 2008). It remains debatable, however, whether students’ use of these tools leads to improvement in their essay quality or writing outcomes. In this paper I investigate the affordances and shortcomings of automated writing evaluation (AWE) on students’ writing in ESL/EFL contexts. My discussion shows that AWE can improve the quality of writing and learning outcomes if it is integrated with and supported by human feedback. I provide recommendations for further research into improving AWE tools to give more effective and constructive feedback.

The Effects of Implementing Clinical Supervision Model on Supervisors’ Teaching Perspectives and Qualifications: A Case Study in an EFL Context

This study set out to determine the possible impacts of implementing the Clinical Supervision Model (CSM) on supervisors’ philosophy of teaching, in both theory and practice. In order to gather the required data, two highly experienced supervisors were recruited according to the degree of homogeneity of the educational context in which they were working. By applying qualitative case study design, the required data were collected by conducting two distinct phases of classroom observations, accompanied by semistructured interviews. Considering the nature of the investigation, it was decided to employ the Transcendental Phenomenology (TPh) approach to analyze the data in order to determine the supervisors’ accurate perceptions and lived experiences regarding the nature of taking on a supervisory role and the effects of implementing CSM on their teaching career. The empirical findings in this investigation provided a new understanding of the probable effects of implementing CSM on supervisors’ general attitudes towards both teaching and supervisory careers. The results of the study indicated that CSM can be potentially effective in encouraging critical thinking, providing more constructive feedback in postobservation meetings, and improving the teaching quality of both teachers and supervisors.