Designing and Evaluating the Use of Smartphones to Facilitate Online Testing in Second-Language Teacher Education (SLTE): An Auto-Ethnographic Study

This paper reports on an auto-ethnographic study aiming to identify insights into the practice of using smartphone to facilitate online testing in context of second language teacher education (SLTE). In total of fifty-four pre-service teachers participated in the study. Two methods were employed to collect data, including observation and written-reflection. Additional data gathered from interview and students’ activity logs on the website were also used to triangulate the data collected through the initial methods. A thematic analysis were carried out to analyse the qualitative data. Findings of the study show that smartphone is viable as an electronic tool to facilitate online testing in SLTE context. More importantly, the use of Moodle as an online test platform fits both the teacher and the students’ needs on several aspects such as design, test structure, and online test activity. The study also highlights benefits and challenges of employing sequential and multiple attempt test modes and delayed feedback on online tests. Implications of the findings on the practice of online testing using smartphone in context of SLTE and further research in the field are also discussed.

Relationships in the Flipped Classroom

This study examines the effectiveness of flipped classrooms in chemistry, and identifies relationships as a major factor impacting the success of flipped instruction methods. Examination of student interview data reveals factors that affect the development of peer-peer, peer-peer leader, and peer-expert relationships in first-year general chemistry and second-year organic chemistry flipped classrooms. Success was measured in terms of student perceptions of the effectiveness of the instruction, as well as student academic development. Furthermore, analysis of research participant interviews reveals that academic reading circles, open-response multiple-attempt group quizzes, and peer leaders are important elements of a text-centric flipped approach at a small-classroom, commuter-campus university. Student reflections and classroom observations provide further support for these conclusions. Cet étude examine l’efficacité des salles de classe inversées en chimie et identifie la création de liens en tant que facteur important qui affecte la réussite des méthodes d’instruction inversée. L’examen des données provenant d’entrevues avec les étudiants révèle les facteurs qui affectent le développement des rapports d’étudiant à étudiant, d’étudiant à leader et d’étudiant à expert dans un cours inversé de chimie générale de première année et dans un cours de chimie organique de deuxième année. La réussite a été mesurée en termes de perceptions des étudiants de l’efficacité de l’instruction, ainsi que du développement académique des étudiants. De plus, l’analyse des entrevues des participants à la recherche révèle que les cercles de lecture universitaires, les tests de groupes à essais multiples et à réponses ouvertes, ainsi que les leaders de groupes sont des éléments importants d’une approche inversée centrée sur un texte en petite salle de classe, dans une université de banlieusards. Les réflexions des étudiants et les observations en salle de classe soutiennent également ces conclusions.

Do regulated resident working hours affect medical graduate education? Trends in the American psychiatry board pass rates pre- and post-2003 duty hours regulations

Aims and methodTo assess trends of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology examination pass rates before and after the 2003 duty hours regulations (DHR). We obtained the pass rates for part I and II for years 2000–2010. Data were divided pre-DHR (2000–2003) and post-DHR (2007–2010).ResultsDuring the pre-DHR period, first- and multiple-attempt group pass rates were 80.7% and 39.0% which changed in the post-DHR period to 89.7% and 39.1% respectively. Similarly for the part II exam, the pre-DHR first- and multiple-attempt group pass rates were 60.2% and 43.5% respectively, which increased to 78.7% and 53.8%, among the post-DHR group. Overall, there was a significant increase in the first-attempt candidates pass rates for parts I and II, whereas multiple-attempt candidates did not benefit as strongly.Clinical implicationsThe results suggest that the 2003 DHR may have had a positive impact on examination-based medical knowledge in psychiatry.