Student Anonymity Research Articles

Student Ratings and Course Modalities

This article examines the impact of course modality on student evaluation of courses and professors. Data were collected through the Student Perception of Instruction end of course rating form at the University of Central Florida (UCF), which contains nine items and maintains student anonymity. The findings indicate that while course modality accounts for only 1% of the variance in student evaluations, there is strong internal consistency and reliability in the rating scale. The distribution of ratings showed a concentration of scores at the high end, resulting in a high variability coefficient. However, when the long tail of low ratings was removed, the mean increased and the distribution became more symmetric, affecting various psychometric indices. The correlation matrices among the items revealed a single factor solution for each modality, suggesting that students tend to rely on a general impression when rating their courses. The multidimensional scaling process identified underlying categories such as structure, course climate, engagement, and consideration, even though students did not explicitly differentiate these elements in their responses. The study concludes that course modality has minimal influence on overall student ratings, a finding consistent across different time periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Although a single factor captures students' general evaluations, underlying categories shape their responses. The article also presents a classification model that predicts student ratings based on the scale items. This research addresses the complex dynamics of student evaluations, highlighting the nuanced relationship between course modality, student perceptions, and the underlying factors influencing their ratings.

Active Student Responding and Student Perceptions: A Replication and Extension

Background: This study examined students’ perceptions of and engagement with active student responding (ASR) techniques as they relate to student performance. Objective: We replicate Zayac et al.'s study on ASR methods and expand on it by using an upper-level psychology course at multiple institutions and additional measures of engagement. Method: The current study used a within-subjects, counter-balanced design, with data collected from 103 students at four universities. Results: Though no differences in exam scores across ASR conditions were observed, there were differences in student perceptions and engagement. ASR techniques providing increased anonymity resulted in greater student perceptions and engagement than control conditions. Additionally, extraverted students reported greater cognitive and emotional engagement with nonanonymous ASR techniques. Conclusion: Findings support some positive impacts of ASR techniques, especially for those that allow for increased student anonymity. Implications for Teaching: Instructors should be selective and critical about adopting ASR techniques in the classroom, as anonymous ones may allow for increased student engagement and accommodations for some but have the potential for distraction or disengagement for others.

Chatbots and Flipped Learning: Enhancing Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes through Personalised Support and Collaboration

Objective: This paper explored the relationship between chatbots and flipped learning in an educational setting. It also identifies the benefits and drawbacks of using chatbots in a flipped learning context and the ethical and privacy concerns related to their use. Method: The study utilized a theoretical analysis approach, which included a comprehensive review of relevant literature from Scopus and World of Science databases. The data collected from the literature review was analyzed using a qualitative approach. Results: The study found that chatbots can potentially enhance student engagement and learning outcomes in a flipped learning context by providing personalized support, facilitating group discussions and collaborations, providing feedback and assessment on student work, supporting self-directed learning, and enhancing student engagement and motivation. However, using chatbots in a flipped learning context also raises ethical and privacy concerns, including data privacy, data security, and student anonymity. Novelty: Contributes to the existing research on using chatbots in education by providing insights into the potential benefits and drawbacks of using chatbots in a flipped learning context. The study highlights the importance of considering the ethical and privacy concerns and the future potential of chatbots in a flipped learning context and proposes future research directions.

Actively Engaging Large Classes in Tanzanian Universities

Abstract The prevalence of large classes in African universities is the result of increasing student enrolment which does not match the teaching and learning resources that are available. Tensions for individual pedagogues emanate from excessively large classes including the constraints of inadequate resources, anonymity of students, poor participation of students and difficulties with timely continuous assessment of huge quantities of written work. University authorities appointed to leadership roles should hold themselves responsible for enhancing lecturers’ pedagogy skills to order to improve both teachers’ and students’ commitment to the learning process. Strategies to promote active engagement of students include regularly updating lecturers’ competency in producing well-organized lectures and active learning strategies, strengthening seminar discussions, designing pre-lecture activities, and devising strategies to learn students’ identities.

Teaching Radiographic Caries Detection and Treatment Planning: A Seminar Using an Audience Response System

This study presents a seminar model for teaching radiographic caries detection and treatment planning at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo. The seminar is based partly on an audience response system (ARS) and uses patient cases to focus on caries risk assessment and treatment planning. This paper describes the seminar design, implementation, learning outcomes, and observational study of variability in caries registrations and students’ attitudes to use of ARS. Dental and dental hygiene students participate in two seminar modules. Module 1 aims to develop and increase individual student skills in radiographic caries lesion detection, scoring, and differential diagnosis. Students perform trial registrations on bitewings using an ARS with anonymous live polling, and scorings are discussed in plenum. Students then perform individual registrations on 12 bitewing pairs. Using digital scoring, students detect and grade caries lesions on all approximal and occlusal tooth surfaces. After the session, students use the ARS to repeat scorings on selected tooth surfaces, and results are again discussed in plenum. Module 2 involves group exercises on 4 patient cases that are later presented with plenary discussions. In total, 1,624 caries registrations performed by 150 students attending the seminar between 2016 and 2018 were assessed for variability between students. As expected, variations in caries registrations were observed between students, mostly related to restored surfaces or tooth surfaces that were otherwise difficult to register. In 2022, 63 dental and dental hygiene students attending the seminar answered a questionnaire about use of ARS. The responses were scored using a five-point Likert scale. Overall, no significant difference in satisfaction with the ARS-based module was observed between dental and dental hygiene students (χ² test, p > 0.05). The majority of the students were positive toward the use of ARS (94%), but some disagreed on the role of ARS in usefulness for understanding the seminar content (3.2%), and in increasing their confidence in radiographic registration of caries (3.2%). The ARS-based module provides a positive learning environment that ensures student anonymity, interactivity, and engagement, and combined with the other seminar module gives students basic skills in caries detection and treatment planning.

ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN THE LIFE QUALITY AND CONSUMPTION LEVEL OF STUDENTS UNDER THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC IN POLAND AND UKRAINE

Abstract. The aim of the empirical study was to determine how the quality of life (housing conditions and level of consumption) changed during the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. The impact of the epidemiological situation on economic changes is undoubtedly a longterm phenomenon and concerns various areas of economic life, and one of the main areas is the quality of life. The study was conducted using the survey method, and the use of this form of measurement was determined by the possibility of its implementation during lectures and exercises and control of the course while ensuring the anonymity of students completing the questionnaire. The research instrument was a standardized survey questionnaire, which was divided into three thematic blocks. The first part of the questionnaire contains questions on the housing conditions of students, in the second part – issues related to consumption. The survey was conducted among Polish and Ukrainian students. The software module PROFIT was used in the analysis, which allows for segmentation and assessment of market perception and consumer sentiment. The occurrence of the COVID19 pandemic and the change of the form of teaching in the case of students to remote (both in Poland and Ukraine) was caused by the reason for the change of their place of residence. This was probably related to the feeling of the need for better sanitary and epidemiological conditions. Sociodemographic features vary relatively little in student preferences in terms of the frequency of purchases. In the case of Polish students, gender statistically significantly differentiates their preferences as to the frequency of purchases both before and during the pandemic. Keywords: COVID19, consumption, quality of life, housing conditions

Using Behavioral Primitives to Model Students’ Digital Behavior

The rapid and intense development of distance learning in recent years has led to increasingly comprehensive solutions, recording students’ activity in the form of learning traces. Adapted learning systems can exploit this data to analyze students’ behavior and help them be more successful in their learning process. In this paper, we propose an approach that is new in data mining, which consists of representing the behavioral dynamics of a set of students through Behavioral Primitives. A Behavioral Primitive represents the temporal evolution of learning indicators to model the behavior of a group of students. The primitive then corresponds to a dynamic distribution, representing both the mean values and the variance of specific indicators over time. We experiment this method on a known, widely used, and open dataset (OULAD). Our results confirm the relevance of the proposed methodology to characterize students’ behaviors intelligibly and visually while respecting each student's anonymity. Our work provides a powerful and explainable tool for educational actors. It allows them to analyze learners’ behaviors and perform pedagogical actions.

Effectiveness of Online E-Teaching among Dental Students during COVID-19: A Study from North India

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of instructor in conducting online e-teaching during COVID-19 among dental students across North India. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of an online teaching effectiveness scale comprising 12 items was shared among dental students pursuing undergraduation from various dental colleges across North India. Virtual sampling was used for inclusion of students and students shared an online questionnaire among their peers via WhatsApp and e-mail. Anonymity of students' responses was maintained. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis by SPSS Version 21.0 Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Descriptive statistics was generated in frequency and percentage. The mean scores were obtained and comparison of students response was done using one-way analysis of variance. Results: About 96.4% responded to the online questionnaire. Students from 3rd year and 4th year perceived online e-teaching more effective when compared to mean scores obtained from 2nd year students with a significant difference. Students rated high with significant differences in teacher's ability to clear their expectation (P < 0.01), explanation of teaching content with meaningful examples (P < 0.02), and teaching seamlessly with planned schedule (P < 0.00). Conclusion: Therefore, preplanning and thorough training could further accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness of online e teaching.

Education in Online Environment from Students’ and Teachers’ Perspective

The pandemic related to COVID-19 has affected education particularly in terms of the massive shift towards online teaching and study. Students and teachers had to face new challenges they had not met before. The aim of the paper is to research how both, students and teachers perceive the online educational process, to identify advantages and disadvantages of online teaching, as well as to analyze and evaluate the quality of online teaching in comparison with the attendance form of education from both students’ and teachers’ perspective. In order to fulfill this purpose, we carried out two separate questionnaire surveys (among students and teachers at the Faculty of Economic Informatics at the University of Economics in Bratislava). Based on conclusions resulting from our research, we can affirm that both students and teachers prefer the attendance form of education rather than online teaching, students mainly because of need of socialization, personal contact with teachers and classmates, better and faster communication with teachers, and active class discussion. The attendance form of education eliminates technology related problems, such as outages of the Internet, electricity, missing technology equipment, and this form of education is performed on higher quality level in comparison with online education. Among the most frequently limitations of online education mentioned by teachers were anonymity of students, complexity of preparation of study materials, and cheating during exams and tests. There are also some advantages the online education offers, such as time savings, more effective, creative and flexible modern way of teaching, and recording lectures.

Partnership with a Theater Company to Amplify Voices of Underrepresented-in-Medicine Students

Partnership with a Theater Company to Amplify Voices of Underrepresented-in-Medicine Students

Assessment of elementary students’ understanding of differences in viral and bacterial infections, and education of proper antibiotic use

Intro This project aimed to teach third grade students the differences between viral and bacterial infections through active learning. Presentation effectiveness and students’ retention of information were assessed using a game and post-quiz. This project addresses the school’s concern about the misunderstanding of causes and treatments of illnesses. Methods Students took a pre-quiz in order to establish their base knowledge of bacterial and viral infections. A question and answer style presentation was utilized to teach differences between viral and bacterial illnesses, as well as the appropriate management of each. An interactive game of “doctor and patient” was then played, during which students were given a bacterial or viral infection scenario and choose associated symptoms and management utilizing pre-made answer cards. Finally, a post-quiz was administered to determine short-term change in knowledge. Students were given an informational magnet and flyer to share with parents or guardians to re-enforce the information. Results Of the 20 participants that took the pre-quiz, only a subset of 18 were available to take the post-quiz. The overall analysis of post-test questions portrayed an increased number of correct answers after the presentation and game. Individually, question two was trending towards significance, with a p value of .08. Despite a lack of significance, students overall scored higher on the post-quiz and were better able to distinguish between types of infections and determine proper management. Conclusion Parents often seek the use of antibiotics for their children even when viral infections are present, which do not warrant antibiotic interventions. Understanding the signs, symptoms, and differences between viral and bacterial infections may help community members seek appropriate care and may reduce requests for antibiotics. It is more likely that community members will use antibiotics correctly if they have a better understanding of when they are warranted. In future studies, with larger parameters, a significant difference can be made in children and their families’ understanding of antibiotics, reducing misuse and misunderstanding within the community as a whole. Limitations Given the overall small sample size in our study, the data were limited statistically and may not be generalizable. Additionally, two students that took the pre-test quiz were not available to take the post- test, further limiting our sample size. We did not pair data between the pre-test and post-test due to a desire to preserve student anonymity. This pairing may have allowed for further analysis of specific results.

Protecting Student Anonymity in Research Using a Subject-Generated Identification Code.

Within nursing education research, protection of students as human subjects must be the highest priority. This protection can be provided via student anonymity. A subject-generated identification code, comprised of responses to a series of questions, can link data across time points while protecting student anonymity. Two studies, focused on palliative care education, used a subject-generated identification code to link student data across multiple time points. Refinements to the code were made between studies to further enhance anonymity and response consistency. The subject-generated identification code fostered linking of student responses across three time points in study one and two time points in study two. There are many benefits to utilizing a subject-generated identification code in nursing education studies. Researchers must consider the need for a data management expert and balancing transposition errors and the power to differentiate between responses.

Empowerment in a Controlling Place: Youth Program Facilitators and Resistance to School Discipline

Research has described a nearly monolithic culture of control that shapes the disciplinary practices and experiences of youth in urban schools. However, existing research does not adequately account for the diverse actions of school-based adults in relation to school discipline. Drawing on four years of fieldwork in violence prevention programs implemented in classrooms throughout Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), this study explores how program facilitators create and sustain a cultural frame of empowerment within the context of the culture of control. As the findings reveal, facilitators narrowed and refined empowerment, emphasizing student anonymity and leveling classroom authority. This enactment of empowerment temporarily subverted disciplinary and punitive mechanisms in ways that meaningfully impacted individuals. This article applies the theoretical framework of cultural heterogeneity to educational contexts, arguing that while schools are sites of an overarching culture of control, school-based adults enact multiple, often conflicting cultural frames.

A model of influences on the clinical learning environment: the case for change at one U.S. medical school

BackgroundThe learning environment within a school of medicine influences medical students’ values and their professional development. Despite national requirements to monitor the learning environment, mistreatment of medical students persists.MethodsWe designed a program called WE SMILE: We can Eradicate Student Mistreatment In the Learning Environment with a vision to enhance trainee and faculty awareness and ultimately eliminate medical student mistreatment. We provide a description of our program and early outcomes.ResultsThe program has enhanced student awareness of what constitutes mistreatment and how to report it. Faculty members are also aware of the formal processes and procedures for review of such incidents. Our proposed model of influences on the learning environment and the clinical workforce informs the quality of trainee education and safety of patient care. Institutional leadership and culture play a prominent role in this model. Our integrated institutional response to learning environment concerns is offered as a strategy to improve policy awareness, reporting and management of student mistreatment concerns.ConclusionsOur WE SMILE program was developed to enhance education and awareness of what constitutes mistreatment and to provide multiple pathways for student reporting, with clear responsibilities for review, adjudication and enforcement. The program is demonstrating several signs of early success and is offered as a strategy for other schools to adopt or adapt. We have recognized a delicate balance between preserving student anonymity and informing them of specific actions taken. Providing students and other stakeholders with clear evidence of institutional response and accountability remains a key challenge. Multiple methods of reporting have been advantageous in eliciting information on learning environment infringements. These routes and types of reporting have enhanced our understanding of student perceptions and the specific contexts in which mistreatment occurs, allowing for targeted interventions. A common platform across the healthcare professions to report and review concerns has afforded us opportunities to deal with interprofessional issues in a respectful and trustworthy manner. We offer a model of learning environment influences with leadership and institutional culture at the helm, as a way to frame a comprehensive perspective on this challenging and complex concern.

The evolution and evaluation of an online role play through design-based research

<p>This paper presents selected findings from a 5-year design-based research case study of the evolution of an online role play that allows postgraduate students to explore the complexities inherent in land rights negotiations between indigenous peoples and others. In the context of Laurillard’s (2002) conversational framework and a design-based research methodology, diverse private and public discussion forum spaces were created for group negotiations on a learning management system (LMS) platform. Our analysis of the conversational framework structure in the evolved role play showed that all four stages – discursive, adaptive, integrative, and reflective – were evidenced, with the adaptive and integrative stages cycling through multiple times. The online role play, whilst implemented as a simple virtual world, facilitated personal, deep and socialised learning experiences focused on consultation, negotiation and decision-making. We also found that student anonymity was not necessary for full engagement in role play, and that students chose to incorporate communication technologies outside the LMS into their learning activities. This research shows that with a strong pedagogical design, and attention paid to an evidence-based iterative improvement cycle, online role plays can provide powerful collaborative learning experiences.</p>

The Effect of a Front‐Loaded Curriculum on Student Preparedness for the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship

APGO Advisor: Sonya Erickson, MD PURPOSE: To assess the effect of a front-loaded curriculum on the students' sense of preparedness for the clerkship. BACKGROUND: Studies show that when students are deemed competent, faculty are more likely to give them greater responsibility and more learning opportunities. With this in mind, a curriculum consisting of skills labs and case-based learning was given during the first week of the student obstetrics and gynecology clerkship at the University of Arizona. METHODS: Students received two 33-item clerkship readiness surveys by e‐mail: one before and one after the didactic week. Basic demographic information was collected. All information was received and reviewed in aggregate to protect student anonymity after grades were assigned. 5‐point Likert scales were used ranging from extremely unacceptable (1) to high (5) levels of competence. Results were analyzed by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Competency domains, with five items per domain. The study was institutional review board–exempt. RESULTS: Fifty-four students were surveyed; 29 participated. Gender respondents were equally divided. 22.3% were under age 27, 33.3% between 27 and 29, and 44.4% age 30 and over. Significant mean improvements were demonstrated in the domains of patient care (pre: 2.4; post: 3.1); problem‐based learning and improvement (pre: 3.0; post: 4.1), and medical knowledge (pre: 2.3; post: 3.0). No significant changes were found in the domains of System Based Practice or Interpersonal and Communication Skills. DISCUSSION: A front-loaded curriculum improves students' sense of preparedness in patient care, problem‐based learning and improvement, and medical knowledge. Next steps include determining the effect on faculty perceptions and on student clinical experiences.

Seeking learning outcomes appropriate for ‘education for sustainable development’ and for higher education

This article shares and extends research-based developments at the University of Otago, New Zealand, that seek to explore how students’ worldviews change as they experience higher education with us. We emphasise that sustainability attributes may be described in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies but that these are underpinned by affective attributes such as values, attitudes and dispositions; so that ‘education for sustainable development’ is substantially a quest for affective change. We describe approaches to categorise affective outcomes and conclude that ‘education for sustainable development’ objectives comprise higher order affective outcomes (leading to behavioural change) that are challenging for higher education to address. Our own work emphasises the need for student anonymity as these higher order outcomes are assessed, evaluated, monitored, researched or otherwise measured using research instruments that focus on worldview. A longitudinal mixed-effects repeat-measures statistical model is described that enables higher education institutions to answer the question of whether or not ‘education for sustainable development’ objectives are being achieved. Discussion links affect to critical reasoning and addresses the possibility of documenting and assessing the development of lower and mid-order affective outcomes. We conclude that ‘education for sustainable development’ objectives need to be clearly articulated if higher education is to be able to assess, or evaluate, their achievement.

What’s in a Name? The Experience of the Other in Online Classrooms

Educational research has explored the potentials and problems inherent in student anonymity and pseudonymity in virtual learning environments. But few studies have attended to onymity, that is, the use of ones own and others given names in online courses. In part, this lack of attention is due to the taken-for-granted nature of using our names in everyday, “face-to-face” classrooms as well as in online learning situations. This research explores the experiential significance of student names in online classrooms. Specifically, the paper reports on one relational thematic that surfaced in a phenomenological study investigating experiences of teaching and learning online.

How Competent Are Emergency Medicine Interns for Level 1 Milestones: Who Is Responsible?

The Next Accreditation System (NAS) of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) includes the implementation of developmental milestones for each specialty. The milestones include five progressively advancing skill levels, with Level 1 defining the skill level of a medical student graduate, and Level 5, that of an attending physician. The goal of this study was to query interns on how well they thought their medical school had prepared them to meet the proposed emergency medicine (EM) Level 1 milestones. In July 2012, an electronic survey was distributed to the interns of 13 EM residency programs, asking interns whether they were taught and assessed on the proposed Level 1 milestones. Of possible participants, 113 of 161 interns responded (70% response rate). The interns represented all four regions of the country. The interns responded that the rates of Level 1 milestones they had been taught ranged from 61% for ultrasound to 98% for performance of focused history and physical examination. A substantial number of interns (up to 39%) reported no instruction on milestones such as patient disposition, pain management, and vascular access. Graduating medical students were less commonly assessed than taught the milestones. Skills with technology, including "explain the role of the electronic health record and computerized physician order entry," were assessed for only 39% of interns, and knowledge (USMLE) and history and physical were assessed in nearly all interns. Disposition, ultrasound, multitasking, and wound management were assessed less than half of the time. Many entering EM interns may not have had either teaching or assessment on the knowledge, skills, and behaviors making up the Level 1 milestones expected for graduating medical students. Thus, there is a potential gap in the teaching and assessment of EM interns. Based on these findings, it is unclear who will be responsible (medical schools, EM clerkships, or residency programs) for ensuring that medical students entering residency have achieved Level 1 milestones.

Learning in Action: Academic Communities and First-Year Interest Groups

Carroll Community College connects students to their peers and to educators who share similar academic, personal, and career interests. Students get involved in hands-on experiences inside and outside of the classroom. The results include higher retention, reduced student anonymity, and an institutional commitment to student success.