An Evaluation on Dental Students’ Performance during the First Year of Covid-19 Pandemic

As with other university programs, dental school has been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic due to physical distancing and clinical restriction. Covid-19 pandemic changes the original method of study with the swift shift to online learning, which may affect students’ performance. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of online learning methods on the final examination performance for dental undergraduate students in their clinical years in a public university in Malaysia. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Tukey tests were conducted to compare the effect of learning methods on the mean examination score, by comparing clinical students from the year of 2018 and 2019 face-to-face (f2f) learning method as compared to fully online learning in 2020. The analysis shows that there is a statistically significant difference on final exam performance at p < 0.05 for Year 3 [F (2, 102) = 11.68] and Year 5 [F(2, 95) = 22.32]. Post-hoc Tukey HSD test indicates that the mean examination result for 2019 is significantly different from 2020 and 2018 even though the same learning method was employed for the latter. There was also no statistically significant difference for when the 2020 cohort is compared to the 2018 cohort for both Year 3 and Year 5. There was no statistically significant difference in mean examination score across all cohorts for Year 4 students. Although limited in scope, the conclusion of this study was that, f2f learning method has no significant difference with online learning in terms of final examination performance.

Are Nursing Students’ Early Course and Perceived Performance Related to Their Final and Actual Course Performance?

Background: Assessing the academic performance of students is imperative for nursing educators. While it is commonly accepted that performance in quizzes is linked with final examination performance, little published empirical data is available among nursing student samples.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between performance in regular short lecture quizzes and long quiz on the final examination performance of nursing students in a nursing course. Likewise, this study ascertained whether there is a significant relationship between perceived performance and actual performance in the final examination of the course.Methods: A descriptive-correlational study design was used. All 138 second-year nursing students enrolled in the Community Health Nursing course were included in this study. Grades in short quizzes, long test, and final examination were analyzed, and a one item global scale was utilized to determine students’ perceived performance in the final examination. Pearson’s r was employed to determine the relationship between variables.Results: Results revealed that performance in regular short lecture quizzes (p=0.000) and long quiz (p=0.000) were significantly correlated with final examination performance. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between perceived performance and actual performance in the final examination (p=0.000).Conclusion: This study suggests that early performance in the lecture course can significantly influence students’ performance in the final assessment of the course. Nurse educators are encouraged to be proactive in identifying students who are at risk of performing poorly early in the course so that prompt remediation and guidance may be provided to students who are not performing well.

The Roles of Online Placement Test in English Language Teaching

The influence of technology in the world today and most especially by students have made it paramount for learning institutions to inculcate technology in the English language teaching curriculum. Could it be that there is a dire need to dive away from the traditional way of chalkboard teaching system to a more interactive whiteboard teaching system? It is worth-noting that constant attraction of students to the internet has made it important for learning institutions to keep abreast with the changes with no exception to context of the study. Thus, on the one hand through literature, this study will review the innovative strategies behind the use of online placement test to determine the course level of students enrolled in English language courses. On the other hand, the study will compare the final examination performance of students to determine the effectiveness of the online placement test. This study intends to address the following research questions: (a) what criteria are used to determine the course level of students before commencing any English language course? (b) Do students prefer the use of online placement test for English course leveling? And (c) how does the English online placement test affect students’ overall performances in the course? The study will adopt a triangulation approach which will comprise the use of surveys, in terms of questionnaires and the use of semi-structured interviews. Thus, the study on the roles of online placement test in English language teaching will shed new light on the importance of technology to enhance learning performances especially amongst students who live in a globalised and digitalised age in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

CONTINUOUS ASSESMENT AS A MEDIATING VARIABLE BETWEEN CLASS ATTENDANCE AND STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE

In higher education, besides final examination, students’ performance will also be measured throughout 14 weeks of lecture that contains tests, projects, quizzes and assignments as their continuous assessment. In UiTM, the continuous assessment for statistical subject is in range of 40% to 60% that contributes to their performance. This percentage is considered high and students cannot neglect this factor if they want to get good grades. With this belief, the effect of continuous assessment as mediating variable to determine relationship between final examination performance and students’ classroom participation throughout one semester in UiTM Kuala Terengganu among Diploma of Computer Science (CS110) students and Bachelor of Business Computing (CS244) students from Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics who undertook a statistics course will be studied. Positive correlation was reported indicating that there exists positive relationship between classroom attendance and final examination grades. Students then were grouped into two groups according to the ‘80% rule’. Furthermore, Sobel Test indicates that there exists mediating effect of continuous assessment between class attendance and final mark. As a conclusion, participation and understanding the lecture in a statistics class is an important indicator that contributes to their performance. Keywords: Student performance, Learning statistics, Continuous assessment, Correlation, Mediating variable

Cumulative learning and sustained engagement in an introduction to accounting course

Purpose Due to its technical focus, the introductory accounting course has a hierarchical knowledge structure that requires students to master and integrate abstract knowledge which builds on itself over time. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between engagement and examination performance for students enrolled in a hierarchically structured course. Design/methodology/approach This research involves a retrospective study of an introduction to accounting course examining the relationship between increased engagement and examination performance. Students are provided opportunities for engagement through assigned homework and optional ungraded assignments. Performance is measured by scores on each of three examinations conducted throughout the semester. Findings The study finds that additional engagement in assignments has no significant impact on mid-semester examination performance; however, sustained engagement throughout the semester has a cumulative impact on final examination performance. Moreover, students that perform well on mid-semester examinations do not benefit from additional engagement, whereas students that perform poorly on the mid-semester examinations exhibit substantially higher final examination scores from sustained engagement. Practical implications This study illustrates the complex interplay between engagement and performance and the timing of performance gains. The implication for educators is that increased sustained engagement is likely to result in increased but delayed student performance gains in disciplines with hierarchical knowledge structures. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature in its examination of the timing of performance benefits gained from increased engagement in courses with a cumulative knowledge base.

IMPLSE course: a near-peer simulation course

BackgroundNear-peer teaching is recognised for its benefit to both students and facilitators when used as an adjunct to traditional teaching. Simulation is an effective tool for teaching acute management. There are currently no published long-term objective data of the efficacy of near-peer simulation teaching.MethodsWe designed the ‘Immediate Management: Peer Led Simulated Emergencies’ course, a near-peer simulation course for medical students run by junior doctors covering common medical and surgical emergencies. Participants and teachers were objectively tested before and after sessions, and participant confidence in various areas was self-assessed. Participants were followed up at 18 months with both repeat testing and analysis of finals examination results.ResultsParticipants’ mean test scores improved significantly postcourse and remained significantly higher than baseline at 18-month follow-up. There was no difference between participants’ and non-participants’ final examination performance. Participant confidence increased in all areas immediately and at 18-month follow-up. Junior doctor facilitator test scores significantly improved after teaching on the course.ConclusionsNear-peer simulation courses can be effectively designed and run by junior doctors and our results suggest that they result in long-term improvement in test scores. Larger studies with randomised control groups are required to confirm the efficacy of such teaching.