Online Assessment Using a Secured Open-Source Platform in a Malaysian Public University Medical School: Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and Acceptance

Background: Educational institute adopted online teaching and assessment method during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue the students’ studies and to minimize the spread of disease in the community. Medical education did a good and energetic effort in these circumstances, students satisfaction feedback about the quality of online teaching and assessment is still not evaluated. Method: The study was conducted on 250 phase-I MBBS students, after taking permission from the institutional research review board. The Google feedback form was shared on the student WhatsApp group, the participation was voluntary, total 212 students gave the response, that was analyzed in the excel sheet. Statistical analysis was done by primer version 7 and P-value <0.05 was considered as a significant. Result: One in every 3 students accepted the effectiveness of online assessment while the remaining 2 students were neutral and disagree, respectively. The internet assess was a major barrier for e-lectures and when comparing it with online assessment significant difference was observed (p = 0.001). Students’ satisfaction with online classes and assessment also statistically differs (p = 0.001). At the same time, students’ satisfaction for online assessment was not influenced by students’ residential area. Conclusion: Medical students’ satisfaction was 40% with the online mode of assessment. The students’ satisfaction towards online classes and online assessment has a statistically significant difference, that was not influenced by geographical settlement. Internet connectivity was a barrier for online classes and assessment with a statistically significant difference.

Online assessment in medical education-current trends and future directions.

The current paper attempts to afford an evidence-based background on the prevalence, benefits, cons, challenges, and importance of online student assessment at higher educational level. This study is significant as it would assist teachers when applying online assessment. The COVID-19 pandemic compelled almost most universities and higher institutions to suddenly adopt online learning and assessment. In this spectrum, this research paper tries to answer the following question: to what extent the application of the appropriate online assessment is challenging in higher educational institutions? The central set hypothesis states that adopting the practical online assessment meets several challenges that hinder its application in higher educational institutions; however, they do not make its use impossible. To gain empirical data, an emailed questionnaire was sent to the sample. The sample of this research comprises 183 higher education teachers from Algeria. They belong to different faculties and departments. Their selection was based on cluster sampling techniques. The obtained results were treated using the statistical package for social sciences SPSS. The findings prove the existence of some hindrances that harden the application of the online assessment. Also, teachers reveal that they adopted several online assessing techniques and both formative and summative assessments. Ultimately, teachers recommend the organization of courses to improve their use of the online assessment in general. Besides, teachers highly approve of using anti-plagiarism detectors to ensure academic integrity and limit learners’ potential misconduct in online assessment.

Event Abstract Back to Event Acute stress induces voluntary alcohol intake in mice through anxiety mitigated by toll-like receptor 4 antagonist Huei G. Chuang1, Sangu Muthuraju1*, Nur Naznee H. Abd Aziz2, Mustapha Muzaimi2, Jafri M. Abdullah1, 2 and Zamzuri Idris1, 2 1 Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia 2 Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia Background Evidences previously supporting the functional involvement of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the mediation of neuroimmune system, further promoting the emergence of alcohol drinking behaviour following stress exposure. Thus, this study focused to investigate the effect of TLR4 antagonist Lipopolysaccharide-Rhodobacter Sphaeroides(LPS-RS) on the stress-induced voluntary alcohol drinking behaviour, neuronal component, and genes expression associating with stress and addiction. Methods This study involved the exposure of restraint and social isolation stress using Swiss Albino mice. Two-bottle choice ethanol exposure method was used in the evaluation of voluntary ethanol drinking behaviour. Several behavioural assessments including elevated plus-maze, light-dark box exploration, open field maze, beam walking test, and wire hanging test were carried out to assess the fear and anxiety-like behaviour, locomotion, motor coordination, and neuromuscular ability. Morphological and immunoreactivity analysis and genes expression analysis were done after the completion of behavioural assessments. Results TLR4 antagonist LPS-RS treated stressed-mice showed a significant decrease in the ethanol intake compared to stressed mice. Behaviourally, acute stress did not cause any significant deficits on the motor coordination, neuromuscular ability, locomotion, exploratory behaviour and risk-assessment behaviour. Behavioural results proved that acute stress exposure causing the emergence of fear and anxiety-like behaviour in the stressed mice. Morphological analysis showed no significant changes in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus among all groups, while in immunoreactivity analysis, stressed-mice showed a significant increase immunoreactivity of c-FOS in both prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, significant increase immunoreactivity of TLR4 in prefrontal cortex and GFAP in hippocampus. Stressed-mice too showed significant increase in the TLR4, NF-Kappa, iNOS, DRD2, CREB-1, and OPRM-1 genes expression compared to control and LPS-RS treated mice. Conclusion TLR4 suppression using antagonist LPS-RS could be effective in reducing the ethanol intake among stress-exposed mice suggested that TLR4 suppression might provide a therapeutic value in the treatment of stress-induced alcohol addiction. Acknowledgements We thank the School of Medical Sciences, Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan (PPSP), Universiti Sains Malaysia. This work has been supported by project number 304/PPSP/61313158 from the Short-term Grant received by Dr. Sangu Muthuraju. Keywords: Toll-like recepter 4 (TLR4), acute stress, Addiction, Alcohol drinking behavior, Lipopolysaccharide-Rhodobacter Sphaeroides(LPS-RS) Conference: International Conference on Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine 2018 (ICDDTM '18) “Seizing Opportunities and Addressing Challenges of Precision Medicine”, Putrajaya, Malaysia, 3 Dec - 5 Feb, 2019. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Miscellaneous Citation: Chuang HG, Muthuraju S, Abd Aziz NH, Muzaimi M, Abdullah JM and Idris Z (2019). Acute stress induces voluntary alcohol intake in mice through anxiety mitigated by toll-like receptor 4 antagonist. Front. Pharmacol. Conference Abstract: International Conference on Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine 2018 (ICDDTM '18) “Seizing Opportunities and Addressing Challenges of Precision Medicine”. doi: 10.3389/conf.fphar.2018.63.00073 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Sep 2018; Published Online: 17 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: Dr. Sangu Muthuraju, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan Darul Naim, 16150, Malaysia, muthuraju67@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Huei G Chuang Sangu Muthuraju Nur Naznee H Abd Aziz Mustapha Muzaimi Jafri M Abdullah Zamzuri Idris Google Huei G Chuang Sangu Muthuraju Nur Naznee H Abd Aziz Mustapha Muzaimi Jafri M Abdullah Zamzuri Idris Google Scholar Huei G Chuang Sangu Muthuraju Nur Naznee H Abd Aziz Mustapha Muzaimi Jafri M Abdullah Zamzuri Idris PubMed Huei G Chuang Sangu Muthuraju Nur Naznee H Abd Aziz Mustapha Muzaimi Jafri M Abdullah Zamzuri Idris Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

The devastating effect of Covid-19 have prompted educational practitioners to maximise efforts for ensuring continuous teaching, learning and assessment, by making use of instructional and assessment methods that do not involve human contact. The use of eLearning has since gained momentum, used for curriculum instruction and assessment. The purpose of this study was to establish the authenticity online assessment as used in higher education institutions, with the aim of advancing a model for ensuring an effective online assessment of curriculum content during and post-Covid-19 era. A desktop research methodology was used to gather data for the study. Published research articles on the challenges and effectiveness of online assessment were traced, reviewed and analysed according to predetermined topics of research interests. The findings from the review informed the themes that were interpreted and discussed as ultimate answers for the study. The interpretation of the themes draws insights from literature evidence and current observations in the field of online assessment. The study established that online assessment was characterised by challenges that compromised its authenticity, thus not contributing to the effective mastery of learning outcomes by students. As students attempt assessment tasks on their own, it was difficult to establish if the submitted work was indeed their own or not. In addition, assessment tasks were too many and impractical for students to handle in a given time. Covid-19 pandemic requires that higher education institutions consider employing online instruction and assessment. However, online assessment methods should be authentic in design and implementation to reflect good quality teaching and learning. The study recommends that higher educational institutions should use online assessment methods that enhance objective and credible assessment such as administering synchronous activities and by customising assessment tasks for students.

Development and validation of a computer-based situational judgement test to assess medical students’ communication skills in the field of shared decision making

Curriculum Management and Governance Structure ♦ The Educational Policy Committee (EPC) establishes all significant curricular policies (Figure 1).FIGURE 1:: Educational Management Structure♦ The EPC defines and revises the goals, objectives, structure, and content of the undergraduate medical curriculum. In fulfillment of these responsibilities, it is charged with approving the creation or removal of courses from the educational program, determining the duration and order of courses, appointing course directors, analyzing and distributing data from the Evaluation Committee, and formulating educational policies. ♦ The EPC consists of the following 15 voting members: six appointed faculty members (three basic sciences and three clinical), four elected students (one from each component), the four Component Directors, and the Associate Dean for Medical Education, who also serves as chair. ♦ In addition, the following serve as ex officio, nonvoting members: the Dean of the School of Medicine, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the Assistant Deans for Medical Education, the Director of the Bioinformation Center, and the Chair of the Evaluation Committee. Faculty committee members are appointed by the Dean of the School of Medicine, based on their educational experience and the need for balance among disciplines. The committee meets once per month. ♦ The Medical Education Management Team (MEMT) meets twice monthly to prioritize EPC agenda items, monitor overall compliance with educational goals and objectives, and provide guidance to the Administration regarding policies and procedures. ♦ The Medical Education Management Team is composed of the Associate and Assistant Deans for Medical Education, the Component Directors, along with the Director of Medical Education Development and Assessment and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. ♦ The Evaluation Committee is responsible for the evaluation of all courses and clerkships and reports to the EPC. ♦ The Evaluation Committee is composed of four faculty (two basic sciences and two clinical), two students (one each from the third and fourth years), the Director of Medical Education Development and Assessment, and the evaluation staff. The Evaluation Committee meets monthly. ♦ The Associate Dean for Medical Education is the chief education officer for the medical education program. Each of the four Component Directors oversees the day-to-day management of the educational program and directs Component Committees (composed of Course/Clerkship Directors and two student representatives from a given year of the curriculum). ♦ The Component Committees regularly review course/clerkship content and grading practices, develop componentwide evaluation and grading policies, and monitor content omissions and redundancies. Course and clerkship faculty are made aware of schoolwide policies on curriculum through the Course/Clerkship Director, who sits on the Component Committee. ♦ The education mission is supported administratively by the Office of Medical Education, particularly for Components 1 and 2, and from the academic departments in Components 3 and 4. Office of Medical Education ♦ The Office of Medical Education (OME) facilitates medical student education by providing educational support and services to faculty and students and by managing and coordinating the curriculum. ♦ The OME consists of two full-time faculty—the Associate Dean for Medical Education and the Director of Medical Education Development and Assessment. In addition, there are four Component Directors (faculty) and two Assistant Deans for Medical Education (faculty). ♦ The OME also includes Medical and Education Directors for the Clinical Assessment Center (CAC) and staff to support curriculum, technology, evaluation, and educational research activities. ♦ Areas of responsibility for the Office of Medical Education include management of the medical curriculum, student testing, preparation of student learning materials, curriculum and program evaluation, academic computing, faculty development for teaching, assessment of clinical skills, medical education research and consultation, strategic planning for education, support for medical education committees, preparation and maintenance of educational data and reports, management of medical education space, and oversight of LCME compliance. Financial Management of Educational Programs ♦ Creighton University, like all universities, has felt the impact of the current financial crises. ♦ Despite this, our tuition increases have been minimal, new scholarship opportunities have been found, and the School of Medicine is in better shape financially now than it was before the current recession began. Valuing Teaching ♦ All faculty, and new faculty in particular, are invited to participate in the annual Summer Initiative for Teaching Excellence (SITE), a two-day, intensive workshop to improve teaching, assessment, and educational scholarship. Participants continue to meet throughout the following year to discuss effective teaching strategies and complete a scholarly project related to their teaching. ♦ The promotion and tenure process now recognizes a Clinician–Educator category as an additional option for career advancement. Evaluation of the candidate's performance by the School of Medicine and subsequently by the University Rank and Tenure Committee specifically includes the evaluation of teaching achievement, which plays a central and critical role in tenure and advancement in rank. ♦ A Dedicated Teacher Award is presented annually by the School of Medicine ♦ Golden Apple awards are presented annually by medical students to faculty members and residents for excellence in teaching and dedication to patient care Curriculum Renewal Process ♦ A new curriculum was implemented in 1996, and 2000 marked the graduation of the first class to complete the curriculum. ♦ Ongoing curriculum renewal has resulted in enhancement of the following courses or content areas: interviewing skills physical examination skills ethical and legal topics in medicine behavioral medicine ♦ To ensure the success of the new curriculum and ongoing curriculum revisions, additional resources were identified to add administrative and support staff; expand the operations of the Clinical Assessment Center (CAC); promote faculty development; renovate dedicated space to create additional small-group rooms, student space, and wellness areas; provide new computer resources; and provide wireless Internet access in learning, wellness, and student activity areas. Learning Outcomes/Competencies ♦ The school's official curriculum document, “The Creighton Medical Curriculum,” contains goals for the curriculum and student learning objectives. The document is available online: http://med-docs.creighton.edu/Administration/docs/CUMedicalCurri.pdf. New Topics in the Curriculum Since 2000 ♦ The medicine, pediatrics, and surgery clerkships use simulation to teach clinical skills and reinforce instruction for medical knowledge and clinical reasoning. ♦ An interclerkship course, Dimensions of Clinical Medicine, was introduced in 2002-03 to present clinically relevant interdisciplinary content to third-year students. Modules are offered at the midpoint of each clerkship period. Examples of topics addressed since 2000 include the following: complementary and alternative medicine end-of-life care and spirituality bioterrorism methamphetamine use and dependence ♦ Prescription Drug Abuse was added to the curriculum for the Ambulatory Primary-Care clerkship in 2009. ♦ Clinical Reasoning was added to the Applied Clinical Skills small group sessions ♦ Sleep Disorders were added to the Behavioral Medicine III course ♦ Nutrition coverage was expanded throughout the Component II curriculum Changes in Pedagogy ♦ The faculty at our medical school continue to reduce the amount of lecture time and increase time for active learning. For example, Component II lectures were restricted to mornings only, with a maximum of four lectures per day. Student course evaluations provided positive feedback about this change, and course performance was not affected negatively. ♦ Case-based learning and team-based learning have been implemented in pre-clinical courses. ♦ Radiology faculty lead CT sessions in the Gross Anatomy course. ♦ Increased time is devoted to hands-on learning for physical examination skills. ♦ Simulation is used primarily in clinical clerkships, and faculty are developing methods to compare the effectiveness of simulation with traditional teaching methods. ♦ Neurology Grand Rounds are conducted in the first-year Neuroscience course. ♦ Experiential learning (examples include a nutritional assessment activity and site visits at local agencies that serve underserved or socially marginalized populations) occurs in preclinical courses. ♦ Podcasts of heart sounds are used to promote the development of listening and identification skills. ♦ Podcasts of lectures and other lecture materials are available online. ♦ Online computer exercises and examinations are used throughout the curriculum. ♦ An online course and curriculum management system is used to manage academic calendars and course materials and facilitate the exchange of small group assignments. ♦ Changes in pedagogy are assessed during the curriculum evaluation process. ♦ Faculty involved in the design and implementation of new pedagogy are encouraged to conduct scholarly investigations of their educational innovations. ♦ Lecture Capture is available in primary lecture halls and classrooms. Changes in Assessment ♦ Students are assessed in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, with an emphasis on formative evaluation throughout the course or clerkship, providing frequent feedback to the students. ♦ OSCEs are used in Components 1–3. ♦ The Junior Clinical Competency Examination (JCX), a required summative assessment, was enhanced to promote assessment of medical knowledge, communication, and professionalism competencies. ♦ Personal Response Systems (clickers) are used for in-class, formative assessment. ♦ Digital video recording is used for formative assessment of interviewing skills. ♦ Interactive Study Supplements were developed using SoftChalk, the Web-based authoring tool that allows users to create and edit interactive content for eLearning. ♦ Multimedia (typically audio files) files are used in computer-based assessment. ♦ Computer-based assessment is used for quizzes and examinations. Clinical Experiences ♦ Student learning occurs at multiple clinical sites: Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska Omaha VA Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska Alegent Health Hospitals, Omaha, Nebraska St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona St. Mary's Medical Center, San Francisco, California Rural primary care sites International clinical sites ♦ There are two primary challenges related to students' clinical education: ensuring comparability of learning and assessment at multiple sites recognizing faculty contributions to the teaching mission Regional Campus ♦ Beginning in fall 2010 Creighton will offer students two primary clinical campuses: Creighton University Medical Center and our new campus Creighton University School of Medicine at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. ♦ Both are outstanding facilities with long-standing histories of educating both medical students and residents. ♦ The Creighton campus in Phoenix is the only Catholic medical school campus located west of Omaha. Highlights of the Program/School ♦ The Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC). Founded by Creighton, ILAC is a real-world demonstration of service to others. Every summer, Creighton health sciences students and faculty provide hands-on health care and community service to the citizens of the Dominican Republic. ♦ Magis Clinic. Creighton medical students founded the Magis Clinic in Omaha to provide medical services to residents in the Omaha area who are homeless or underserved. The Magis Clinic provides acute care, physical examinations, mental health care, immunization clinics, laboratory services, and referral services at no charge to those in need. ♦ Project CURA. Project CURA has been involved in health education through health screenings, health and science fairs, and other projects within the Omaha community, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and internationally in South America, Asia, and India. ♦ Vital Signs Mentoring Program. The Vital Signs Mentoring Program incorporates ethical principles and philosophy into training and prepares students for clinical practice. The program allows students to learn from fellow students, faculty, and alumni physicians and emphasizes the value of maintaining balance and a healthy lifestyle.

Background: Online learning became a popular mode of education in the recent Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. For medical field in India, online mode of learning and assessment is novel. Aims and Objectives: This study aims at determining the attitude of students, identifying unacknowledged problems and their possible solutions associated with online learning, and to explore the future scope of online learning and assessment for medical education in India. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 199 medical students who had taken continuous six months of online learning and assessment in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic period over varzious platforms such as Google Classroom, Zoom Meet, Cisco Webex etc. A questionnaire was made on Google form and distributed through online platforms, and students’ responses with informed consent were collected and analyzed. Responses were in form of Likert scale that ranged from “Strongly agree” to “Strongly disagree.” Results: About 41.4% of participants agreed that online learning and assessments save time and resources. About 78.3% of students agreed that technical errors make it difficult to continue online classes. About 78.3% of students agree that responsibility of learning is on students. About 77.7% of students agreed that academic integrity and honesty are vital in online assessment. Conclusion: If online classes can be improved by solving technical errors, better infrastructure, and faculty training, it may be continued as a supplement to classroom education for lectures, but not for practicals.

With the operationalisation of lockdowns and restrictions on public gatherings, education systems across the entire globe were confronted with an urgent need to reconsider alternative forms of teaching, learning and assessment. Some institutions in developing countries were especially hard-hit by the shift owing to inadequacies in training and infrastructure because unlike their more developed counterparts who had already made inroads into adopting online technologies, some institutions in the developing world had no such technologies in place. As such, the shift to online learning was rushed and somewhat a “learning on the job” experience for students and educators. While remote online teaching, learning and assessment are novel experiences for many higher education institutions, developing countries are incessantly presented with many challenges, particularly when safeguarding academic integrity. Invigilated assessments, which are often considered more secure, are not an option given the current situation, thus detecting any cheating would be significantly challenging. As a result, this study examined assessment security in the digital domain and critically evaluated the practices to safeguard academic integrity in developing countries across three Southern African universities, including associated challenges. Underpinned by the pragmatist paradigm, the study employed a mixed-methods research approach that utilised in-depth qualitative and quantitative data from university managers, lecturers and students to investigate how academic integrity is safeguarded in the advent of online learning. Our findings revealed that although the transition to online learning and assessment was abrupt, higher education institutions have generated creative strategies to secure and ensure the continuity of learning and assessment. Such strategies include administering several versions of the same examination, as well as the use of “text-matching” software to detect the originality of work done by students. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that to guarantee the authenticity of online assessment, institutions must ensure that assessment practices relate to real-world needs and the context in which students can apply acquired knowledge.

Background and objectives Considering the increasing utilization of online educational tools in medical education, it is essential to evaluate the reliability and validity of online assessments to accurately assess student proficiency and predict academic success. This study investigated the predictive efficacy of different online assessment methods in comparison to standard offline methods within the medical educational setting. Methods This study utilized a mixed-methods crossover design, involving 125 first-year medical students who were randomly assigned to either online or traditional examinations. The students then crossed over to the other type of assessment. The assessments consisted of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), viva voce, objective structured clinical examinations, and written theory examinations. Quantitative data on results, finishing times, and academic metrics were analyzed, along with qualitative data from student interviews exploring perceptions of each format. Results The online MCQs had the highest average scores and a moderately positive correlation with performance on the theory examination (r=0.326). Regression models indicated that online and offline MCQs were moderate positive predictors of theoretical marks (R2=0.106 and 0.107, respectively). Qualitative responses emphasized advantages such as flexibility and accessibility for online examinations but also concerns regarding technological challenges, interaction, and integrity compared to traditional formats. Conclusions Online MCQ assessments showed promise as indicators of medical student academic performance. However, additional online forms require improvement to match conventional assessments reliably. As medical education involves digital technologies, cautious implementation of online evaluations substantiated by further research is needed to preserve educational quality standards.

Computer-based Test (CBT) is a form of assessment method using a set of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). CBT has been applied by many educational institutions to evaluate their student’s competencies, one of those institutions is medical school. The standard of the CBT examination in medical school is arranged according to the Indonesia Medical Licensing Examination which listed that the examination must be contained of 200 MCQs in 200 minutes without a break session. This standard causes academic stress on the CBT participants and able to affect the CBT score. Aims: demonstrated the total ergonomic approach CBT redesign in reducing academic stress and improving participant’s CBT score compare with the Indonesia Medical Licensing Examination CBT design. Method: this was an experimental study employed a two-period cross-over design. The study variable was the academic stress measured by the salivary cortisol level and participant’s CBT score. Result: the salivary cortisol level in the middle of CBT was decrease significantly (p<0.05) as much as 9.88 (38.98%) from the initial salivary cortisol level of 25.34 ng/mL on the Indonesia Medical Licensing Examination CBT design becoming 15.46 ng/mL on the total ergonomic approach CBT redesign. The CBT score also increase significantly as much as 5.23 points (p<0.05) or increasing 16.20% from the 32.28 points on the Indonesia Medical Licensing Examination CBT design which become 37.51 points on the total ergonomic approach CBT redesign. Conclusion: the total ergonomic approach CBT redesign was able to reduce 38.98% of the academic stress and improving 16.20% participant’s CBT score compare with the Indonesia Medical Licensing Examination CBT design.
 Index Terms— ergonomic, Computer-based Test (CBT), academic stress

The unprecedented wake of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to move teaching and learning processes to online platforms. Although several studies have investigated aspects of online assessments, the benefits of online assessments have been a scarce area. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to explore the benefits of online assessment in HEIs in the Maldives from the lecturers’ and students’ perspective. This study used mixed methods with triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data. Purposive sampling was used to collect qualitative interview data from full time lecturers (N=30) and students (N=30) from 10 different HEIs and from 11 different disciplines. Data was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Simple random sampling was used to collect survey data from 85 lecturers and 312 students. SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the survey data using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study revealed that both lecturers and students found online assessments as an opportunity for self-growth. The data revealed that the lecturers learnt the very basics of technology and pedagogy, a variety of assessment methods and efficient ways of marking test papers and providing feedback to students. Students reported they got more acquainted with ICT basics and research skills. The study showed that online assessments were flexible, convenient and economical. In addition, the psychological issues faced in online assessments were less compared to physical examinations. However, some lecturers highlighted that physical exam answer scripts were easier to mark than online exam answer scripts. In light of the findings, it is recommended to incorporate technology driven pedagogy and assessments in the continuing professional development programs in HEIs so that lecturers are competent and well versed with the contemporary online assessments. In addition, the study implies the room for future programs on online modalities in a more structured manner for the access to higher education across the nation.

The purpose of this study was to determine university students’ perception and satisfaction with online formative assessment. The study involved students who took online formative assessment for the first time and with minimal prior training and exposure to online assessment. Online assessment is an evaluation of a person's abilities, behaviors, and traits that takes place over the Internet using web technologies such as Learning Management Systems (LMS). Online assessments offer a wide range of question kinds and provide immediate personalized feedback that can help learners improve their learning and academic accomplishment. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching and assessment had not been popular in some parts of the world. However, with the pandemic, many parts of the world who knew nothing or very little about online learning, started teaching online necessitating the move towards computerization of assessment. In Kenya, learning was taken online in a hurry without training learners on how to handle both online learning and assessment. In some institutions there was no policy to anchor online learning since many Kenyans didn’t approve nor appreciate online learning. As a result, many students were apprehensive about online learning and assessment and were resisting the shift. This changed when the government openly and officially announced that education institutions should go online to prevent learning loss and to keep learners busy during lockdown. This study provides University of Kabianga second year students’ perspective and satisfaction with online formative assessment. The Constructivist Theory of Learning, which claims that learners learn best when actively engaged in learning situations rather than passively collecting information, served as the foundation for this study. The only thing that can help pupils build their own knowledge is experience. Students in this study experienced online assessment for the first time, and a feedback survey instrument modified for the LMS allowed them to express their perceptions and satisfaction.  Analysis of students’ feedback indicated that they were satisfied and had positive perception towards online formative assessment compared to face-to-face written assessments.

A cross-sectional study to assess job strain and its associated factors among lecturers of the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) was undertaken between August 2001 and May 2002. The original English version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) version 1.7 (revised 1997) by Robert Karasek based on the Job Strain Model was self-administered to 73 (response rate 58.4%) and 80 (response rate 41.7%) lecturers in the medical faculties of USM and UKM respectively. The prevalence of job strain (defined by low decision latitude and high psychological demand) in USM and UKM was 23.3% and 17.5%, respectively; the difference was not significant (p 2 0.05). Analysis showed that the associated factors of job strain in USM lecturers were psychological stressors (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.4), created skill (adjusted OR 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2, 0.8), working in clinical-based departments (adjusted OR 18.9, 95% CI: 1.6, 22.7). The risk factors of job strain in UKM lecturers were created skill (adjusted OR 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1, 0.9), psychological stressors (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.5) and co-worker support (adjusted OR 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1, 0.9). We conclude psychological stressors and created skill were nonprotective and protective, respectively, against job strain in both USM and UKM lecturers.

The human body has many rhythms, one of which is biorhythms. Biorhythms consist of three cycles namely physical, emotional and intellectual cycles. Each cycle has positive, negative and critical phases. When taking an exam, a person needs good physical, mental, and intellectual condition. By using the biorhythms cycle, one can see these conditions in order to prepare for the exam. This research is an observational analytic study with cross sectional design. The sample consisted of 386 students of the Medical Education Study Program of Sriwijaya University in 2014 and 2015 in total sampling that met the inclusion criteria. Data taken in the form of secondary data consisting of CBT scores, exam dates, and entry points obtained from the academic section of the Faculty of Medicine, Sriwijaya University, while data on birth dates, BMI and IQ scores were taken from the questionnaire. Biorhythm cycle data is retrieved using biorhythm software. Data processing was performed using Kruskal Wallis test analysis and Linear Regression. From the results of bivariate analysis with the Kruskall Wallis test it is found that IQ scores have a relationship with CBT values (p = 0.010), university entrance has a relationship with CBT values (p = 0,000), and the physical cycle of biorhythms is related to CBT values (p = 0.011), However, in multivariate analysis (Linear Regression) the physical cycle of biorhythms has no relationship with the value of CBT. There is no correlation between biorhythms cycles and CBT scores in the Medical Education Study Program students at the Faculty of Medicine, Sriwijaya University.