Higher-order Questions Research Articles

Content Analysis of the EFL Textbook Units According to Bloom’s Taxonomy: Between Theory and Practice

This study analyzed the units of the textbook “Just Imagine” for 9th grade Arab students for English teaching in Israel. The study was conducted to understand whether the Wh-Questions used in the textbook emphasized high-level thinking and cognitive skills development (HOTS). The research question of this study was: To what extent do the Wh-Questions in the textbook “Just Imagine” emphasize higher order thinking skills? Content Analysis was performed. Wh-Questions were chosen as the unit of analysis for this research. Percentages and frequencies of each cognition level were calculated for each book unit separately. The results showed that 167 out of the 219 questions emphasized cognition levels that develop Low-Order Thinking Skills, while only 52 questions emphasized the three levels that use High-Order Thinking Skills. Findings of this research recommended that the textbook authors should further develop the textbook’s content, and maintain a balance between the lower-order and higher-order questions. Evaluating and choosing a good textbook that fits the goals of the curriculum is also recommended.

The impact of near-peer virtual agents on computer science attitudes and collaborative dialogue

Virtual learning companions, or pedagogical agents situated as “near peers”, have shown great promise for supporting learning, but little is known about their potential to scaffold other practices, such as collaboration. We report on the development and evaluation of a first-of-their-kind pair of virtual learning companions, designed to model good collaborative practices for dyads of elementary school learners, that are integrated within a block-based coding environment. Results from a study with fifteen dyads of children indicate that the learning companions fostered more higher-order questions and promoted significantly higher computer science attitude scores than a control condition. Qualitative analyses revealed that most children perceived the virtual learning companions as helpful, felt that the companions changed their interaction with their partners, and wanted to have the companions in their future work. These results highlight the potential for virtual learning companions to scaffold collaboration between young learners and provide direction for future investigation on the role that near-peer agents play in collaborative and task support.

Is ChatGPT ‘ready’ to be a learning tool for medical undergraduates and will it perform equally in different subjects? Comparative study of ChatGPT performance in tutorial and case-based learning questions in physiology and biochemistry

Purpose Generative AI will become an integral part of education in future. The potential of this technology in different disciplines should be identified to promote effective adoption. This study evaluated the performance of ChatGPT in tutorial and case-based learning questions in physiology and biochemistry for medical undergraduates. Our study mainly focused on the performance of GPT-3.5 version while a subgroup was comparatively assessed on GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 performances. Materials and methods Answers were generated in GPT-3.5 for 44 modified essay questions (MEQs) in physiology and 43 MEQs in biochemistry. Each answer was graded by two independent examiners. Subsequently, a subset of 15 questions from each subject were selected to represent different score categories of the GPT-3.5 answers; responses were generated in GPT-4, and graded. Results The mean score for physiology answers was 74.7 (SD 25.96). GPT-3.5 demonstrated a statistically significant (p = .009) superior performance in lower-order questions of Bloom’s taxonomy in comparison to higher-order questions. Deficiencies in the application of physiological principles in clinical context were noted as a drawback. Scores in biochemistry were relatively lower with a mean score of 59.3 (SD 26.9) for GPT-3.5. There was no statistically significant difference in the scores for higher and lower-order questions of Bloom’s taxonomy. The deficiencies highlighted were lack of in-depth explanations and precision. The subset of questions where the GPT-4 and GPT-3.5 were compared demonstrated a better overall performance in GPT-4 responses in both subjects. This difference between the GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 performance was statistically significant in biochemistry but not in physiology. Conclusions The differences in performance across the two versions, GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 across the disciplines are noteworthy. Educators and students should understand the strengths and limitations of this technology in different fields to effectively integrate this technology into teaching and learning.

Performance of Large Language Models on a Neurology Board–Style Examination

Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have shown potential in a wide array of applications, including health care. While LLMs showed heterogeneous results across specialized medical board examinations, the performance of these models in neurology board examinations remains unexplored. To assess the performance of LLMs on neurology board-style examinations. This cross-sectional study was conducted between May 17 and May 31, 2023. The evaluation utilized a question bank approved by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and was validated with a small question cohort by the European Board for Neurology. All questions were categorized into lower-order (recall, understanding) and higher-order (apply, analyze, synthesize) questions based on the Bloom taxonomy for learning and assessment. Performance by LLM ChatGPT versions 3.5 (LLM 1) and 4 (LLM 2) was assessed in relation to overall scores, question type, and topics, along with the confidence level and reproducibility of answers. Overall percentage scores of 2 LLMs. LLM 2 significantly outperformed LLM 1 by correctly answering 1662 of 1956 questions (85.0%) vs 1306 questions (66.8%) for LLM 1. Notably, LLM 2's performance was greater than the mean human score of 73.8%, effectively achieving near-passing and passing grades in the neurology board examination. LLM 2 outperformed human users in behavioral, cognitive, and psychological-related questions and demonstrated superior performance to LLM 1 in 6 categories. Both LLMs performed better on lower-order than higher-order questions, with LLM 2 excelling in both lower-order and higher-order questions. Both models consistently used confident language, even when providing incorrect answers. Reproducible answers of both LLMs were associated with a higher percentage of correct answers than inconsistent answers. Despite the absence of neurology-specific training, LLM 2 demonstrated commendable performance, whereas LLM 1 performed slightly below the human average. While higher-order cognitive tasks were more challenging for both models, LLM 2's results were equivalent to passing grades in specialized neurology examinations. These findings suggest that LLMs could have significant applications in clinical neurology and health care with further refinements.

The performance of ChatGPT on orthopaedic in-service training exams: A comparative study of the GPT-3.5 turbo and GPT-4 models in orthopaedic education

IntroductionThe rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly the development of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as Generative Pretrained Transformers (GPTs), has revolutionized numerous fields. The purpose of this study is to investigate the application of LLMs within the realm of orthopaedic in training examinations. MethodsQuestions from the 2020–2022 Orthopaedic In-Service Training Exams (OITEs) were given to OpenAI's GPT-3.5 Turbo and GPT-4 LLMs, using a zero-shot inference approach. Each model was given a multiple-choice question, without prior exposure to similar queries, and their generated responses were compared to the correct answer within each OITE. The models were evaluated on overall accuracy, performance on questions with and without media, and performance on first- and higher-order questions. ResultsThe GPT-4 model outperformed the GPT-3.5 Turbo model across all years and question categories (2022: 67.63% vs. 50.24%; 2021: 58.69% vs. 47.42%; 2020: 59.53% vs. 46.51%). Both models showcased better performance with questions devoid of associated media, with GPT-4 attaining accuracies of 68.80%, 65.14%, and 68.22% for 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively. GPT-4 outscored GPT-3.5 Turbo on first-order questions across all years (2022: 63.83% vs. 38.30%; 2021: 57.45% vs. 50.00%; 2020: 65.74% vs. 53.70%). GPT-4 also outscored GPT-3.5 Turbo on higher-order questions across all years (2022: 68.75% vs. 53.75%; 2021: 59.66% vs. 45.38%; 2020: 53.27% vs. 39.25%). DiscussionGPT-4 showed improved performance compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo in all tested categories. The results reflect the potential and limitations of AI in orthopaedics. GPT-4's performance is comparable to a second-to-third-year resident and GPT-3.5 Turbo's performance is comparable to a first-year resident, suggesting the application of current LLMs can neither pass the OITE nor substitute orthopaedic training. This study sets a precedent for future endeavors integrating GPT models into orthopaedic education and underlines the necessity for specialized training of these models for specific medical domains.

Performance evaluation of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Bard on the official board examination of the Japan Radiology Society.

Herein, we assessed the accuracy of large language models (LLMs) in generating responses to questions in clinical radiology practice. We compared the performance of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Google Bard using questions from the Japan Radiology Board Examination (JRBE). In total, 103 questions from the JRBE 2022 were used with permission from the Japan Radiological Society. These questions were categorized by pattern, required level of thinking, and topic. McNemar's test was used to compare the proportion of correct responses between the LLMs. Fisher's exact test was used to assess the performance of GPT-4 for each topic category. ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Google Bard correctly answered 40.8% (42 of 103), 65.0% (67 of 103), and 38.8% (40 of 103) of the questions, respectively. GPT-4 significantly outperformed ChatGPT by 24.2% (p < 0.001) and Google Bard by 26.2% (p < 0.001). In the categorical analysis by level of thinking, GPT-4 correctly answered 79.7% of the lower-order questions, which was significantly higher than ChatGPT or Google Bard (p < 0.001). The categorical analysis by question pattern revealed GPT-4's superiority over ChatGPT (67.4% vs. 46.5%, p = 0.004) and Google Bard (39.5%, p < 0.001) in the single-answer questions. The categorical analysis by topic revealed that GPT-4 outperformed ChatGPT (40%, p = 0.013) and Google Bard (26.7%, p = 0.004). No significant differences were observed between the LLMs in the categories not mentioned above. The performance of GPT-4 was significantly better in nuclear medicine (93.3%) than in diagnostic radiology (55.8%; p < 0.001). GPT-4 also performed better on lower-order questions than on higher-order questions (79.7% vs. 45.5%, p < 0.001). ChatGPTplus based on GPT-4 scored 65% when answering Japanese questions from the JRBE, outperforming ChatGPT and Google Bard. This highlights the potential of using LLMs to address advanced clinical questions in the field of radiology in Japan.

Creativity development through questioning activity in second language education

IntroductionCreativity is an important 21st-century skill that also plays an important role in second language use and development. This study examined the effects of creative pedagogy centered on student questioning activities for second language learners’ creativity, language proficiency, and questioning ability.MethodsIn the Japanese second language course, a creative activity intervention involving questioning activities was conducted for 81 university students. The students were taught how to ask higher-order questions, and they performed questioning activities and discussions about their questions after reading articles for eight lectures in 4 weeks.ResultsAfter the intervention, the quantity and quality of questions asked by participants increased and improved in the Questioning ability test. In the Creative thinking test, the three subscales of creative thinking (fluency, flexibility, and originality) improved after the intervention. In the Language proficiency test, there were also significant changes in vocabulary, grammar, and total scores after the intervention compared to before the intervention.DiscussionThe creative pedagogy significantly improved learners’ creativity, second language performance, and questioning ability, with a particularly positive impact on questioning ability, representing innovative thinking skills. The findings of this study not only contribute to future research on the development of creativity in second language instruction and deepen the exploration of the development of questioning ability for innovative thinking skills.

Performance of ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Google Bard on a Neurosurgery Oral Boards Preparation Question Bank.

General large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT (GPT-3.5), have demonstrated the capability to pass multiple-choice medical board examinations. However, comparative accuracy of different LLMs and LLM performance on assessments of predominantly higher-order management questions is poorly understood. We aimed to assess the performance of 3 LLMs (GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and Google Bard) on a question bank designed specifically for neurosurgery oral boards examination preparation. The 149-question Self-Assessment Neurosurgery Examination Indications Examination was used to query LLM accuracy. Questions were inputted in a single best answer, multiple-choice format. χ 2 , Fisher exact, and univariable logistic regression tests assessed differences in performance by question characteristics. On a question bank with predominantly higher-order questions (85.2%), ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) and GPT-4 answered 62.4% (95% CI: 54.1%-70.1%) and 82.6% (95% CI: 75.2%-88.1%) of questions correctly, respectively. By contrast, Bard scored 44.2% (66/149, 95% CI: 36.2%-52.6%). GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 demonstrated significantly higher scores than Bard (both P < .01), and GPT-4 outperformed GPT-3.5 ( P = .023). Among 6 subspecialties, GPT-4 had significantly higher accuracy in the Spine category relative to GPT-3.5 and in 4 categories relative to Bard (all P < .01). Incorporation of higher-order problem solving was associated with lower question accuracy for GPT-3.5 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.80, P = .042) and Bard (OR = 0.76, P = .014), but not GPT-4 (OR = 0.86, P = .085). GPT-4's performance on imaging-related questions surpassed GPT-3.5's (68.6% vs 47.1%, P = .044) and was comparable with Bard's (68.6% vs 66.7%, P = 1.000). However, GPT-4 demonstrated significantly lower rates of "hallucination" on imaging-related questions than both GPT-3.5 (2.3% vs 57.1%, P < .001) and Bard (2.3% vs 27.3%, P = .002). Lack of question text description for questions predicted significantly higher odds of hallucination for GPT-3.5 (OR = 1.45, P = .012) and Bard (OR = 2.09, P < .001). On a question bank of predominantly higher-order management case scenarios for neurosurgery oral boards preparation, GPT-4 achieved a score of 82.6%, outperforming ChatGPT and Google Bard.

High-Order Questions Improve Students' Critical Thinking Skills In Elementary Schools

Critical thinking is an essential and well-established skill for meeting workers' demands in the 21st century. In today's era, teaching and training students in critical thinking skills, even from elementary school, is essential. However, there are still many students who have low critical thinking skills. This study aims to analyze and describe the effect of the effectiveness of high-level questions in developing students' critical thinking skills in elementary schools. The research method used a one-group pretest and posttest experimental design, which was carried out in three elementary schools. The population of this study was three teachers and 102 students. Instruments in this quantitative research include questionnaires, observations, and interview guidelines. Data analysis techniques in this study are descriptive qualitative and quantitative analysis and inferential statistics. The study results showed a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of the students obtained from the results of studying the high-level questions. Second, high-level questions are practical for developing elementary school students critical thinking skills. It is concluded that high-order questions can improve critical thinking skills in elementary school students.

Evaluating ChatGPT's Ability to Solve Higher-Order Questions on the Competency-Based Medical Education Curriculum in Medical Biochemistry.

Background Healthcare-related artificial intelligence (AI) is developing. The capacity of the system to carry out sophisticated cognitive processes, such as problem-solving, decision-making, reasoning, and perceiving, is referred to as higher cognitive thinking in AI. This kind of thinking requires more than just processing facts; it also entails comprehending and working with abstract ideas, evaluating and applying data relevant to the context, and producing new insights based on prior learning and experience. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence-based conversational software that can engage with people to answer questions and uses natural languageprocessing models. The platform has created a worldwide buzz and keeps setting an ongoing trend in solving many complex problems in various dimensions. Nevertheless, ChatGPT's capacity to correctly respond to queries requiring higher-level thinking in medical biochemistry has not yet been investigated. So, this research aimed to evaluate ChatGPT's aptitude for responding to higher-order questions on medical biochemistry. Objective In this study, our objective was to determine whether ChatGPT can address higher-order problems related to medical biochemistry.​​​​​​ Methods​​​ This cross-sectional study was done online by conversing with the current version of ChatGPT (14 March 2023, which is presently free for registered users).It was presented with 200 medical biochemistry reasoning questions that require higher-order thinking. These questions were randomly picked from the institution's question bank and classified according to the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum's competency modules. The responses were collected and archived for subsequent research. Two expert biochemistry academicians examined the replies on a zero to five scale. The score's accuracy was determined by a one-sample Wilcoxon signed rank test using hypothetical values. Result The AI software answered 200 questions requiring higher-order thinking with a median score of 4.0(Q1=3.50, Q3=4.50). Using a single sample Wilcoxon signed rank test, the result was less than the hypothetical maximum of five (p=0.001) and comparable to four (p=0.16). There was no difference in the replies to questions from different CBME modules in medical biochemistry (Kruskal-Wallis p=0.39). The inter-rater reliability of the scores scored by two biochemistry faculty members was outstanding (ICC=0.926 (95% CI: 0.814-0.971); F=19; p=0.001)​​​​​​ Conclusion The results of this research indicate that ChatGPT has the potential to be a successful tool for answering questions requiring higher-order thinking in medical biochemistry, with a median score of four out of five. However, continuous training and development with data of recent advances are essential to improve performance and make it functional for the ever-growing field of academic medical usage.

Status of Enhancing Learners’ Higher Order Thinking Skills in the Teaching of Reading Skills at Ethiopian Higher Education: Analyzing Reading Exercises and Learners’ Perceptions

Abstract In the twenty-first century, the broad availability of information and technological innovation has resulted in a paradigm shift in the goal of education. As a result, in order to produce engaged citizens capable of facing the demands and obstacles of the century, boosting learners' higher cognitive skills has become a priority in modern education. Language teachers' responsibilities in modern language teaching have expanded to include improving students' thinking skills. In line with this idea, this study was aimed at examining the role teaching reading skills at a higher education institution has in enhancing learners’ higher-order thinking skills. In order to achieve the main objective of the study, an analysis was carried out on the levels of thinking that questions in reading exercises aim to elicit from the learners and how the students perceive the reading exercises from the perspective of enhancing higher-order thinking skills. The findings of the study show that the reading exercises are dominated by lower-order questions; there are fewer higher-order questions in the exercises. Thus, the reading exercises are not capable of enhancing learners’ higher-order thinking skills. The students also have the perception that the reading exercises are not meant to develop their higher-order thinking skills. There is no statistically significant difference between male and female participant students among their perceptions identified in the study.

Using Online Tools to Develop Higher Order Learning Among Tertiary Students

It is widely recognised that the development of higher order thinking skills is a fundamental goal of higher education. There are a variety of online tools that assist the development of student higher order thinking. In this paper, a process of scaffolding for the writing of higher-order questions enabled through peer learning activities is explored. Data collected over two years across five cohorts shows that there was an overall statistically significant improvement in the number of higher-order questions produced by students at the end of each unit. The findings reveal a viable peer teaching tool that can easily be embedded into existing programmes to develop the necessary critical thinking skills for higher education students.

Faculty and its Impact on Critical Thinking Abilities of Undergraduate Medical Students – A Delphi Study

Aim: To identify individual skills/attitude of faculty which influence fostering of critical thinking in undergraduate medical students Study Design: Modified Delphi Study Place and Duration of study: This study was carried out at University of Lahore from October 2018 to April 2019. Methodology: Delphi Study was used to develop consensus. Experts were MME/MHPE/ MCPS HPE qualified faculty members with 03 years of teaching experience. A draft questionnaire was developed on Google Forms after thorough literature review and sent to 05 experts for Pilot Study, construct validation and cognitive pretesting. A Wait Time of 04 weeks, rating of questions on 5 point Likert Scale and consensus criteria of 80% were defined before the start of study. SPSS 25 was used for data analysis. During 1st Round, draft questionnaire was amended in the light of opinion of experts to open ended questions and was sent to all the participants for their response. During 2nd Round, a new questionnaire was developed after data analysis and duly amended questionnaire was sent to the participants of Round 1. Results: A total of 27 experts were enrolled in the study. 17 experts (62.96%) responded during the first round. Consensus was achieved for 13 items (65%) out of 20. In the 2nd round, 15(88.23%) out of 17 responded. Consensus was achieved for all 7 items (100%). The study revealed that majority of our faculty lacks proper training and does not possess knowledge about various educational theories / principles and their application. They do not know how to act as facilitator, conduct tutorials, ask high order questions, reflect and provide constructive feedback. They do not give enough wait time to students after asking an open ended / higher order question. They are over committed with administrative work besides teaching. Conclusion: Individual skills / attitude of faculty hamper fostering of CT in undergraduate medical students. They are mainly due to lack of formal faculty training which should be addressed not only in the medical institutions but in the pre-medical schools as well to inculcate higher order critical thinking skills in students. Keywords: Critical Thinking (CT), Undergraduate Medical Students, Faculty, Reflections, Feedback

Faculty and its Impact on Critical Thinking Abilities of Undergraduate Medical Students – A Delphi Study

Aim: To identify the individual skills / attitude of faculty which influence fostering of critical thinking in undergraduate medical students Study design: Modified Delphi Study Place and Duration of study: This study was carried out at University of Lahore from October 2018 to April 2019. Methodology: Delphi Study was used to develop consensus. Experts were MME/MHPE/ MCPS HPE qualified faculty members with 03 years of teaching experience. A draft questionnaire was developed on Google Forms after thorough literature review and sent to 05 experts for Pilot Study, construct validation and cognitive pretesting. A Wait Time of 04 weeks, rating of questions on 5 point Likert Scale and consensus criteria of 80% were defined before the start of study. SPSS 25 was used for data analysis. During 1st Round, draft questionnaire was amended in the light of opinion of experts to open ended questions and was sent to all the participants for their response. Results: A total of 27 experts were enrolled in the study. 17 experts (62.96%) responded during the first round. Consensus was achieved for 13 items (65%) out of 20. In the 2nd round, 15 (88.23%) out of 17 responded. Consensus was achieved for all 7 items (100%). The study revealed that majority of our faculty lacks proper training and does not possess knowledge about various educational theories / principles and their application. They do not know how to act as facilitator, conduct tutorials, ask high order questions, reflect and provide constructive feedback. Conclusion: Individual skills / attitude of faculty hamper fostering of CT in undergraduate medical students. They are mainly due to lack of formal faculty training which should be addressed not only in the medical institutions but in the pre-medical schools as well to inculcate higher order critical thinking skills in students. Keywords: Critical Thinking (CT), Undergraduate Medical Students, Faculty, Reflections, Feedback

The effect of curricular reform on gross anatomy laboratory examination performance: An institutional analysis.

Many medical schools have undergone curricular reform recently. With these reforms, time spent teaching anatomy has been reduced, and there has been a general shift to a pass/fail grading system. At Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), a new curriculum was implemented in fall 2016. The year-long human gross anatomy course taught in 2015 was condensed into an integrated, semester-long course starting in 2016. Additionally, the grading scale shifted to pass/fail. This study examined first-year medical student performance on anatomy practical laboratory examinations-specifically, among lower-order (pure identification) questions and higher-order (function, innervation) questions. Participants included medical students from a pre-curricular reform cohort (year 2015, 34 students) and two post-curricular reform cohorts (years 2016, 30 students and 2017, 33 students). A Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test was used to determine differences of these questions among the three cohorts. Additionally, 40 of the same lower-order questions that were asked on gross anatomy laboratory examinations from medical student cohort year 2015 and year 2016 were further analyzed using an independent samples t-test. Results demonstrated that the pre-curricular reform cohort scored significantly higher on both lower-order (median=81, p < 0.001) and higher-order questions (median=82.5, p < 0.05) than both post-curricular reform cohorts. Additionally, when reviewing the selected 40 similar questions, it was found that the pre-curricular reform cohort averaged significantly higher (82.1 ± 16.1) than the post-curricular reform cohort from 2016 (69.3 ± 21.8, p=0.004). This study provides evidence about the impact of curricular reform on medical student anatomical knowledge.

Application of High-Order Questions as an Objective Assessment Tool During Distance Learning

The article discusses the impact of the pandemic on the quality of knowledge and the psychological state of students studying at the CIS accredited international Nazarbayev Intellectual School in UstKamenogorsk. The analysis was carried out on the example of biology, physics, and English in grade11. It was found that in the online learning environment, the principles of academic honesty on the partof students are not fully observed. For more honest results, it is necessary to use specialized programsthat block the desktop and limit time, etc. During the pandemic, the time allocated to each subject formastering the curriculum was halved, but the program itself was not reduced. These facts led to an aggravation of the psychological state of the students. It was found that during the pandemic, referrals to aschool psychologist increased by an average of 9%. The main problems on the part of the students arethe lack of live communication, family conflicts, and withdrawal. Most students have a problem withtime management. According to the research conducted, student activity falls from 40% to 24% duringoffline learning to 16% during online learning. The students’ mood is also reduced by 4%.Key words: pandemic, high-order questions, open-ended questions, online learning, stress resistance, academic integrity, communication skills.

Coming to Class Will Improve Your Grade: An Examination of Lecture Attendance and Lecture Exam Scores in an Undergraduate Human Anatomy Class

At the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, many traditional in‐person courses were converted to synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid online formats. Instructors of a large undergraduate Basic Human Anatomy course at Indiana University ‐ Bloomington leveraged these changes to convert the lecture portion of the course to a flipped‐classroom model with two components: asynchronous online course content delivery, and live in‐person interactive learning sessions. The in‐person interactive learning sessions introduced students to active learning strategies and techniques (drawing, memory matrices, flow charts, diagrams, etc.), and the students actively participated in these sessions through the use of an online interactive learning platform ‐ TopHat. Here we sought to assess the efficacy and outcomes of the active learning sessions on student performance in the course.Basic Human Anatomy (ANAT‐A215) is a 5 credit hour undergraduate (baccalaureate) course that has an enrollment of 480 students with 1 large lecture section and 12 smaller lab sections. In Fall 2021, the instructors modified the lecture component of the course into a flipped classroom format. Lecture content was delivered via asynchronous online lectures, and the F2F class time was listed as optional (but strongly encouraged) for attendance. To facilitate greater student‐instructor interaction, one half of the class attended on Mondays and the other half attended on Fridays, and participated in similar interactive sessions. Wednesday F2F interactive lecture sessions were open to the entire class. To encourage attendance and participation in the optional F2F interactive lecture sessions, extra credit points could be earned through participation in TopHat anatomy questions. Points were earned for participation only (.5 points per question). TopHat questions were created by the instructors and consisted of both lower order and higher order questions that tested lecture and lab anatomical content. At the end of each lecture exam block of material, the instructors selected multiple TopHat questions at random for extra credit, with a range of 2‐4 extra credit points that could be earned per exam block.We found a statistically significant positive correlation between the number of points accumulated for participating in the F2F active learning lecture session questions and lecture exam scores. Using the number of points accumulated via the TopHat questions as a proxy for lecture attendance, we found that more TopHat points accumulated by students resulted in higher mean lecture exam scores – the greatest benefits occurring if students participated in multiple (&gt;3) F2F lecture sessions per block. Students who regularly attended F2F interactive sessions saw the greatest gains in their lecture exam scores. These findings indicate that active learning strategies could be efficacious in supplementing an asynchronous lecture content delivery format. We shared our findings with the class to encourage them to attend the active learning sessions, but encouraging some student populations to attend these sessions remains a challenge. Future research should be conducted on methods to encourage student involvement and participation in the course.

Examining Turkish Course Exam Questions in Terms of Originality, Page Layout, Item Type, Item Writing Criteria and Cognitive Level

The aim of this study was to examine Turkish course exam questions in terms of originality, page layout, item types, item writing criteria and cognitive level. The research was conducted with the document analysis method, and to determine the data source, the maximum variation sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used. The data source of the research consisted of exam questions prepared by Turkish teachers employed in secondary schools in a medium-sized city in the Black Sea region. Exam questions from each of the school levels determined on the basis of High School Entrance Exam achievements, from each district within the provincial borders, and from each type of school at the secondary school level were included in the research. Within the scope of the research, 747 questions in 51 exam papers were analysed. Descriptive analysis was carried out for the research data, and the obtained findings were summarised using frequencies and percentages. When the research findings were examined, it was concluded that the exam papers had similarity rates ranging from 11% to 91%, and that several exam papers and questions were taken from different internet sources as they were without making any changes. Other obtained findings were that more than half of the Turkish course exam papers did not have the page layout features that should be found in an exam paper, that the most frequently used item type in the exam papers was the multiple-choice item type, and that teachers did not pay attention to the item writing criteria. Another striking finding of the study was that about four-fifths of the questions examined were prepared for the understand level and one-fifth for the remember and apply level, and that while very few questions were prepared for the analyze and create levels, no questions were prepared for the evaluate level. Moreover, it was concluded that the majority of the questions examined were prepared for the middle cognitive level, while higher-order questions were included only at a rate of eight per thousand. The obtained results are discussed within the scope of the literature and a number of recommendations have been made.

Cultivating Gender Sensitivity &amp; Critical Reading Skills Using Fiction

The importance of Critical Reading Skill (CRS) and gender sensitivity to support every individual’s success in academic, personal, and social life has long been acknowledged. The accelerating advancement of technology makes the need for CRS &amp; gender sensitivity more crucial. However, due to various factors, CRS development through the educational process has not been satisfactory. This research reviews current ideas and studies on the nature of CRS, gender sensitivity, the nature of fiction, and their role in developing CRS. To get ideas about how to implement using fiction to promote CRS &amp; gender sensitivity, this study ends with the practical description of a step by step of using fiction with gender sensitivity to promote CRS through an instructional model. This study employs Classroom Action Research (CAR). Action research designs are systematic procedures used by teachers to gather qualitative data to address improvements in their educational setting, their teaching, and the learning of their students. Action research enables teachers to keep track and take account of the many aspects of their work with students through a systematic routine. This study aims to investigate gender sensitivity &amp; the critical reading strategies employed by Indonesian English as Foreign Language (EFL) students. To achieve the aim of the study, the Stringer’s Action Research Model that is a cyclical and repetitive process of inquiry i.e. Look, Think, and Act was utilized. This study used Bloom’s taxonomy as useful reference tool to describe the ability of thinking simply for undergraduate EFL students. Indonesian EFL students are encouraged to employ critical reading strategies systematically thorough their reading process to engage in critical reading &amp; gender sensitivity. The instruction of the critical reading strategies based on cognitive domain of Bloom’s taxonomy is also explicit and direct so that students are able to ask many organized and higher order questions. Throughout the study, students are also encouraged to believe that their reading difficulties were due to lack of strategies &amp; gender sensitivity rather than a lack of their ability and skills.

Languaging dynamics in interactive lecturing: exploring an embodied approach to deep learning in L2 higher education contexts

ABSTRACT The present study aims to explore an embodied approach to students’ deep learning; specifically, how deep learning is interactively achieved through teachers’ languaging dynamics and multimodal representations in interactive lecturing in L2 higher education (HE) contexts. The purpose is to understand how an instructor’s embodied and multimodal pedagogical practices of interactive teaching facilitate students’ active classroom engagement in lecture sessions that are often considered a form of passive knowledge transmission. The case study focuses on the languaging dynamics mobilised by the target teacher participant, who has been recognised as a representative of teaching excellence due to an international background and rich localised teaching experience. Aligned with the theoretical underpinnings of an embodied approach to learning from a constructivist perspective, this study focuses on the multimodal repertoire employed by the teacher’s use of gestures to stimulate students’ responses to the pedagogically designed high-order questions. We argue that this complementarity encourages thinking and active learning in the knowledge transfer. Further, this embodied interactive teaching mode with the affordances of gestures not only supports learning potential for information transmission but also affords action potentials for cognitive thinking and projected interaction for knowledge transformation in the active learning process.