Measures Of Student Performance Research Articles

Case-based EBM instruction for Osteopathic Medical Students: A Case Report

Background: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is an important part of graduate medical education and a learning outcome necessary for preparing students to become effective residents. However, many medical educators and librarians struggle to offer EBM instruction that is contextualized, relevant, and engaging. Case-based learning (CBL) can establish the relevance of EBM instruction sessions by using clinical scenarios that link theory to practice. Experience: This case report describes how a college of osteopathic medicine (COM) liaison librarian redesigned a large cohort, lecture-based learning approach to EBM instruction into interactive, relevant, and contextualized CBL labs. CBL labs with smaller student groups were designed to provide an active learning environment and encourage peer-to-peer learning. The CBL format has been previously applied to EBM instruction but not quantifiably evaluated. A modified rubric was created to provide a quantifiable measurement of student performance in future evaluations. Discussion: First-year osteopathic medical students participated in CBL sessions, integrating EBM into their curriculum. The small groups facilitated personalized guidance, peer-to-peer learning, and critical thinking. Clinical scenarios that were mapped to the students’ curriculum provided relevance to the learning experience. The CBL format allowed the librarian to support students individually and increased engagement compared to lecture-based learning. Challenges included assessing the students’ prior EBM knowledge and the time commitment for a solo librarian. However, group assignments and a grading rubric helped to minimize the challenge. Conclusion: The initial pilot testing of this instructional design format and rubric has shown promise in reaching the objectives of providing a relevant and active learning platform with quantifiable results. A future randomized controlled trial is planned to provide quantifiable evidence supporting CBL labs for EBM instruction when compared to lecture-based learning

The effect of a belongingness strategy on online higher education student performance measures

The effect of a belongingness strategy on online higher education student performance measures

Online physiology teaching for nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic – strengths, challenges and reinforcement measures

Objectives: The forced shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic posed several challenges to Indian nursing education, especially with a complex subject like physiology. The objective of the study was to assess the apprehensions, expectations, and challenges perceived by nursing students and physiology faculty about the online mode of learning physiology, to evaluate the utility of reinforcement measures during the constraints of the pandemic, and to compare the online, offline, and blended modes. Materials and Methods: First-year nursing students (n = 100) underwent online and blended modes of physiology learning, with added reinforcement measures, during the pandemic. Beginning, mid, and end of course feedback was taken from students on the expectations and perceptions of the online mode. Feedback was obtained from students and faculty to understand the strengths and challenges of both modes. Quantitative data of student feedback were analysed using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test. Thematic content analysis was used for qualitative data. Objective measures of student performance were compared using unpaired t-tests. Results: Online learning was perceived to be more difficult than anticipated by students. ‘Comfort’ in learning and ‘time management’ were the major strengths, while ‘reduced internet connectivity,’ ‘lack of interactions’ and ‘health issues’ were the biggest challenges expressed by students and faculty. The planned reinforcement measures were ‘sometimes’ helpful in revising and improving students’ confidence. The final summative assessment scores of students showed a better performance compared to the preceding academic batch. Conclusion: Students and faculty expressed some advantages and several disadvantages of online learning. They preferred offline or well-designed blended learning. The reinforcement measures seemed to aid student learning. The objective measures of assessment showed that students adapted well to the online mode. A model for blended learning for 1st-year nursing education, that utilises the advantages of both modes of learning, has been proposed, which requires further validation.

A Deep Learning Model Using CNN & LSTM to Forecast Student Learning Outcomes in Learning Management System

The administration, monitoring, and reporting of educational activities are being done more and more with Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Blackboard is one such extensively utilized LMS at universities all over the world. This is because it may be used to match learning material pieces, student-teacher and student-student interactions, and assessment activities to predetermined objectives and student learning outcomes. This study aimed to determine the predictive power of various KPIs obtained from students' Blackboard interactions in order to forecast students' learning outcomes. Deep learning algorithms to forecast academic achievement were looked at as part of a mixed-methods study design. The degree of linear relationship between these factors and measures of student performance was ascertained by correlational tests. Out of the four models that were assessed, the CNN-LSTM predictive model proved to be the most effective because it combined long short-term memory with convolutional neural networks. The primary inference made from this data is that the CNN-LSTM technique might result in solutions that maximize and enhance how universities use the Blackboard LMS.

Higher education responses to accountability

This paper estimates the impact of accountability scores on Brazilian higher education. We implement a regression discontinuity design to explore a natural experiment resulting from the federal rules for assigning quality levels to undergraduate programs. We test whether program quality is sensitive to negative reinforcement, such as punishments imposed when a minimum threshold is not attained. The findings indicate that program administrators exhibit a positive response to the prospect of punishment by enhancing program quality in the subsequent evaluation cycle. The primary drivers of this advancement – infrastructure, teaching and learning evaluations, faculty dedication, and the proportion of faculty with a Ph.D. degree – are largely under the administrators’ direct control. However, quality indicators less subject to administrative manipulation, such as student performance and value-added measures, exhibit minimal change.

Boosting student performance with inclusive writing-to-learn assignments through graphic organizers in large enrollment undergraduate biology courses.

Logistical challenges in large enrollment classes are often mentioned as obstacles to active learning. Writing is an integral part of being a scientist and is often one of the first tools considered by STEM instructors to increase student engagement, but iterative writing assignments in large classes require creativity on the part of the instructor. We found an association between writing-to-learn assignments designed to be consistent with inclusive learning pedagogies and student performance measures in a large enrollment undergraduate biology course. They provide ample opportunity for deliberate practice and inclusive engagement, components of the "heads and hearts" hypothesis posed to explain the variation in active learning impacts on the performance of minoritized students.

Special Education Needs: Disorder and Disability in India in the light of National Education Policy 2020

India’s first education policy of the twenty-first century is the National Education Policy 2020. The policy has been structured with the objectives of addressingand ensuring lots of developmental imperatives in our country.It has opened a new vista to guide the minds of people for developing the level of reason and logic. It has fixated on almost all of the targets and goals of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. The NEP 2020 has pinpointed to provide quality education system for all students with particular focus on historically marginalised, disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. The Policy has also endeavoured to pave the all-possible ways for educating the children with disabilities as equal to any other child and also in consonance with the RPWD Act, 2016. For the children with disabilities to introduce an effective system of education, that is to say, special education is crying need and it has had its due place in the NEP-2020.Special education is an important part of society’s response to the needs of exceptional children and the rights of individuals with disabilities—a response brought about by parent advocacy, litigation, legislation, and, increasingly, self-advocacy by people with disabilities. It is a profession with its own history, cultural practices, tools, and research base focused on the learning needs of exceptional children and adults. But at the level where exceptional children most meaningfully and frequently contact it, special education is individually planned, specialized, intensive, goal-directed instruction. When practiced most effectively and ethically, special education is also characterized by the use of evidence-based teaching methods, the application of which is guided by direct and frequent measures of student performance. To perceive what lies at the root of a ‘learning difficulty’ in school is somewhat intricate. Over the years, different social or psychological understandings have given rise to different deliberations. Research confirms that strategies recommended for particular special educational needs are useful for most students.

Evaluation from the Perspective of Standardized Tests (Pisa) at the Pre-University Level of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic faces great challenges in pre-university education and one of them is the evaluation culture. Evaluation as a systemic process is an added value to educational quality to a large extent, to its human capital, and to achieve success in a changing world. Recent studies have shown that achieving better educational outcomes and measurements provides considerable benefits for individuals and for society as a whole (OECD 2010a, 2010c). This ensures the achievement of effective measures of student performance and development and, therefore, educational performance. Reliable and valid measures of school performance can serve as a basis for educational policies and programs and their accountability, school improvement processes, and so that families and society as a whole have more information about the effectiveness of educational systems.

Predictive Value of In-Program Academic Variables for Future Clinical Education Performance in Physical Therapist Education: An Exploratory Study

Introduction. The purposes of this study were to (1) explore the relationship of preclinical assessment outcomes and grade point averages (GPAs) with full-time clinical education experience (CEE) performance and (2) determine the predictive value of associated variables to full-time CEE performance. Review of Literature. In-program academic variables such as performance tests, comprehensive examinations, and GPAs reflect a measure of student performance before clinical education. Limited and conflicting physical therapist education research exists examining the relationship between preclinical in-program academic variables and CEE performance. Subjects. A retrospective convenience sample of 130 graduated PT student academic records with expected graduation years of 2018, 2019, and 2020. Methods. Academic records related to performance test outcomes, cumulative program GPAs, utilization of a practical retake appeal policy, and comprehensive examination performance were correlated with CEE performance. A dichotomous ordinal rating scale quantified CEE performance per full-time experience based on the presence of a learning contract. Overall CEE performance was defined as the percentage from the combined CEE performance scores across all experiences. Data analyses included Pearson's correlation coefficient, Spearman's rho, and a multiple linear regression analysis. Results. Ten of 25 course-specific performance tests had significant associations with CEE performance. Cumulative GPA and the practical retake appeal were significantly associated with the CEE III score and overall CEE performance. The practical retake appeal was a significant contributor to clinical performance, explaining 5.3% of the variance (β = 0.24, P = .01, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.09, part correlation = 0.23, tolerance = 0.91). Discussion and Conclusion. These findings support the use of performance tests as an effective assessment strategy before CEEs but only represent one aspect of the full picture of readiness to practice. Academic progression policies can offer a mechanism for early identification to support at-risk students before the CEEs.

The interplay between Teachers’ Efficacy, Effectiveness, Attitudes and Students' Academic Achievement in Biology

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between teachers' efficacy, teachers’ effectiveness, attitude toward biology, and students' achievement in biology among lower secondary schools in Nyamagabe district, Rwanda. The study used an ex-post-facto research design to accomplish this. Eighty-eight respondents including 44 head teachers and 44 biology teachers were purposively selected from 46 schools as a sample. Data were collected using the Teacher Efficacy Scale (TE), Teachers Attitude towards Teaching Biology Questionnaire (TATBQ) for teachers, and Biology Teacher Effectiveness Questionnaire (BTEQ) for headteachers. Besides, the 2018 Biology National Examination 2018 results were used as a measure of student academic performance in biology. The Pearson Correlation and Multiple Regression analyses were used in the data analysis. Correlation results revealed a positive and significant relationship between the teachers’ attitudes towards teaching biology, efficacy and effectiveness, and student's academic performance in biology. Multiple regression analysis indicated that teachers’ attitudes, efficacy, and effectiveness have a positive contribution to the model. It was concluded that good biology knowledge, efficacy, and effectiveness, as well as biology teachers' positive attitudes, are key elements that, when combined, are thought to lead to greater academic success in biology in lower secondary schools. It was recommended, among other things, that school officials should monitor and supervise classroom teaching and learning at their schools regularly to ensure that teachers are performing their tasks properly. Teachers should be exposed to professional advancement programs such as seminars, workshops, and retraining to develop a more positive attitude towards the teaching of Biology and to improve their teaching strategies.

Student Performance Outcomes and Perceptions in Two Content Areas in Conventional Versus Integrated Pharmacy Curricula

Objective. To compare student performance measures and perceptions of learning in 2 content areas, conventional and integrated pharmacy curricula, at a single institution.Methods. Prospective cohort study of pharmacy students enrolled in either conventional (cohort C) or integrated (cohort I) curricula. Summative examination performance in the neuropsychiatric and infectious diseases courses, student self-rating of confidence and comfort in integrating and applying knowledge, and performance on a delayed knowledge assessment were compared between cohorts.Results. Cohort I students performed significantly lower on summative assessments compared to cohort C (78.4±9.1 vs 84.5±8.3, respectively). Prior to the integrated course, cohort I students rated themselves as significantly less confident and comfortable in knowledge integration, application, and communication compared to cohort C students; these differences were attenuated in a follow-up survey, although some remained significant. There was no difference between cohorts in performance on objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) or on a delayed knowledge assessment of neuropsychiatric and infectious diseases content.Conclusion. Pharmacy students in an integrated curriculum initially performed modestly worse in summative assessments and self-assessed their baseline knowledge as lower than did students in a conventional curriculum. However, differences in self-rated knowledge decreased at follow-up, and performance of the two cohorts on OSCEs and a delayed examination was similar. As pharmacy curricula shift towards integrated models, institutions should also consider evaluating experiential performance outcomes and student motivation to fully assess the impact of these transitions.

Skipping steps

The authors of “Vascular surgery integrated resident selection criteria in the pass or fail era”1 have thoughtfully taken the pulse of our vascular surgery gatekeepers. They have shown that the numeric value of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 1 score, used in the process of screening, and ranking vascular surgery integrated residents (VSIR), will now be supplanted with an increased emphasis on step 2 examination scores and letters of recommendation (LOR).1 There will likely be an ongoing evolution of medical student performance measures toward pass/fail grading systems, and residency programs will have to formulate a new method to differentiate candidates.

Analysis of Grade Eight Examination Subjects in the Banadir Region of Somalia

Item analysis is essential in the development of assessment tools and in standardised computing measures of student performance. This study was conducted to analyse the questions of grade eight examination subjects in the Banadir region of Somalia with respect to the instructional objectives, the difficulty level, and their impact on the student’s achievement. The population of the study was grade 8 students of the Banadir region of Somalia who sat for the national examinations in 2022. A purposive sampling technique was followed for the selection of subjects and the subject experts. A random sampling technique was used to select 10% of question papers for study in every subject examined in Banadir. Also, the view of 16 subject experts was taken into consideration regarding the design of the question paper, instructional objectives, alignment with the syllabus, and difficulty level. The findings of the study revealed the effect of the difficulty level and instructional objectives on students’ achievement was apparent. However, the study found a severe mismatch between the distribution of the items in the original table of specifications and the analysed items. The study recommended for post examinations analysis to improve the quality of the questions and to conduct separate analyses for each subject in the syllabus.

What Do You Mean by ‘Good’? the Search for Exceptional Primary Schools in South Africa's No-Fee School System

This paper describes a rigorous data collection process to find and verify the quality of what could potentially be high-functioning or high-performing schools accessible to the poor in three of South Africa’s nine provinces. A potential sample of outlier schools is selected using system-wide Universal Annual National Assessment data corroborated against school recommendations collected from a variety of system actors expected to be informed about school quality. Unfortunately, literacy testing in 31 purposively selected schools yields no example of high-performing, no-fee schools. However, we identify outlier or resilient students even in under-performing schools. Furthermore, within the no-fee school system there exists a continuum of functionality. Schools exist that while far from reaching good (or even adequate) median levels of English literacy, exhibit relatively higher literacy levels than other sample schools after controlling for student background differences. The presence of these relatively better performing sample schools (and performance variation more generally in the no-fee system) suggests that there is a middle-ground, a rightward movement away from dysfunction that can be reached. However, it is not clear that all system actors are able to detect variations in school quality. Our sample of respondents recommending ’good’ schools are only able to identify slightly better performing no-fee schools. For certain groups, specifically education district officials, enrolment growth appears to be a better indicator of their perceptions of ‘good’ than measures of student performance.

Addressing telehealth education in a family nurse practitioner program through simulation-based learning.

Telehealth usage increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care agencies responded by increasing existing platforms and implementing new telehealth platforms. Despite the demand, health care providers may have had little training in the telehealth care delivery model in the workplace or embedded in school. Based on educational theory, evidence, and best practice, the authors crafted a learning module that focused on telehealth medical skills followed by a summative standardized patient simulation. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of the learning module and the summative simulation assessment. The learning module and the simulation provided a teaching strategy that resulted in an objective measurement of student clinical performance, which may be elusive in a traditional face-to-face practicum. Additionally, the simulation-based learning resulted in increased student satisfaction with simulation and increased self-confidence to apply the information in the clinical setting.

Average Rank and Adjusted Rank Are Better Measures of College Student Success than GPA

AbstractI show that there are better measures of student college performance than grade point average (GPA) by undertaking a fine‐grained empirical investigation of grading within a large public university. The value of using GPA as a measure of comparative performance is undermined by academically weaker students taking courses where the grading is more generous. In fact, college courses composed of weaker performing students (whether measured by their relative performance in other classes, SAT scores, or high school GPA) have higher average grades. To partially correct for idiosyncratic grading across classes, alternative measures, student class rank and the student's average class rank, are introduced. In comparison to a student's lower‐division grade, the student's lower‐division rank is a better predictor of the student's grade in the upper‐division course. Course rank and course grade are adjusted to account for different levels of academic competitiveness across courses (more precisely, student fixed‐effects are derived). SAT scores and high school GPA are then used to predict college performance. Higher explained variation (R2) is obtained when the dependent variable is average class rank rather than GPA. Still higher explained variation occurs when the dependent variable is adjusted rank.

Implementation of a Telemedicine Student Clinical Experience.

Background: As part of a curricular change, an academic medical center implemented a medical student telemedicine clinical experience for first-year medical students in October 2020. This research is a process evaluation of the implementation of a preclerkship medical student telemedicine clinical experience. Methods: Patients with two or more chronic diseases were recruited from affiliated primary care practices. We monitored the recruitment and retainment of patients throughout the curriculum. We used surveys to evaluate patient, student, and primary care overall experience with the program. We tracked referrals to higher levels of care and assessed skills students' felt they practice with each encounter. We followed progression of notes through chart review as the year progressed. Results: Of the 408 patients contacted, 150 agreed to participate in this program (36%). Of 1,053 scheduled visits, 686 (65%) were successfully completed. Seventy-five percent of patients were seen two or more times. Nearly 70% of surveyed patients felt that the clinical experience enhanced their communication with their primary care provider, and nearly 90% stated that students were "somewhat" or "extremely" professional. The majority (97%) of students reported an "excellent" or "good" view of the medical student telemedicine clinical experience. Qualitative measures of student performance, such as note writing, showed improvement over the course of the curriculum. Conclusions: Our data suggest that patients, students, and primary care providers were widely accepting of the curriculum, patients were successfully recruited and retained, and students successfully practiced key clinical skills on a telemedicine platform.

Practice makes perfect? Association between students' performance measures in an advanced dental simulation course.

This study examines the relationship between student performance measures during practice and exams using advanced dental simulation. Data from 11 classes of first-year dental students were extracted from Advanced Simulation software (DentSim™) related to Class I and Class II preparations including: total number of practice sessions, average practice score, exam scores, average time preparing teeth during practice/exam, and average time self-evaluating preparations during practice/exam. Comparisons of average practice and exam scores were examined using paired t-test. Relationships between practice/exam measures and exam scores were determined with multiple linear regression. Practice mean and exam scores were significantly associated; exam scores were significantly higher in both procedures. Class I: a significant positive relationship exists between both practice and exam measures: The average practice score was significantly associated with exam score (p<0.001); time spent preparing the exam tooth was negatively associated with the exam score (p<0.001); conversely, time spent self-evaluating the exam tooth was significantly associated with an increase in exam score (p=0.0135). Class II: exam score was significantly associated with two practice measures but neither of the exam measures: exam score for Class II mesioocclusal preparation was significantly associated with average practice score (p<0.001) and the number of practice attempts (p=0.025). This study emphasizes the predictive value of novice learners' deliberate, repetitive practice using advanced dental simulation, which enhances self-assessment in early stages of psychomotor skill development. Future studies are needed to demonstrate the translation of these skills into a patient care setting.

Psychiatry Residency Directors' Attitudes Toward and Uses of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation and Other Potential Tools for Residency Selection.

A survey was conducted to determine US psychiatry residency directors' attitudes regarding current measures of medical student performance and their preferences for the future. A team of psychiatry medical student educators and residency program directors developed a 23-question survey. In July 2021, links to the survey were sent out to all program directors registered with the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training. Seventy program directors out of 223 initiated the survey, resulting in a response rate of 31.4%. Forty percent of respondents reported that the most important use of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) is in screening out applicants for interviews, and only 26.1% reported that the MSPE in its current form could be trusted to provide a valid and reliable assessment of a student's medical school performance. Most respondents agreed that in the absence of United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 1 numerical scores, the existing MSPE format/content requirements should be modified, use a set of ranking categories that are uniform across all medical schools, and be supplemented with additional measures of the student's character and ability specific to psychiatry. US psychiatry program directors are eager for change when it comes to the MSPE and how it reports rankings, grades, and professionalism. The transition of the USMLE step 1 score reporting to pass/fail presents an opportunity to pursue this change and for stakeholders from all medical specialties to work together toward a shared goal of an improved residency selection process.

Allocating Resources for COVID-19 Recovery: A Comparison of Three Indicators of School Need

ABSTRACT As students return to in-person instruction in the 2021–2022 school year, local education agencies (LEAs) must develop resource allocation strategies to support schools in need. Federal programs have provided resources to support restart and recovery. However, there is little consensus on how LEAs can target resources to support those schools most in need. This study investigates the relationship between three school need indicators (i.e., pre-COVID student performance and progress, school and community poverty, and pandemic vulnerability) and measures of student performance and progress throughout the pandemic to determine which indicators support valid school need inferences. We find that school poverty more strongly predicts performance and progress during the pandemic than pre-COVID academic measures. In elementary schools, we find that pandemic vulnerability independently predicts achievement even when conditioning on poverty and pre-pandemic achievement. Of the indicators of poverty we investigated, the percentage of free and reduced-price lunch-eligible students is the strongest predictor.