Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Implementing Common Assessment: Lessons And Models From Amac Developed By The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration, Daniel Edwards

Higher education research

The aim of this document is to provide insight into the implementation of common assessments in higher education in order to assist in future work on conducting these kinds of projects. The discussion here draws heavily on the AMAC experience, attempting to broaden the learning from this project for use in future collaborations. The focus of this project has been on medical education, and as such, much of the detail is related to this field. However, it is hoped that the general ideas discussed here can be seen as informative for other fields and disciplines in higher education and at …

Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration: From Proof Of Concept To Proof Of Sustainability: Final Report 2014, Daniel Edwards, David Wilkinson

Higher education research

This is the final report for AMAC-2, entitled Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration: from proof of concept to proof of sustainability (OLT project ID12-2482). This project advanced previous work funded by the ALTC and was undertaken from early 2013 to mid 2014. AMAC-2 took the proof of concept achieved through the initial AMAC project with the aim of building an ongoing, sustainable and successful collaboration between medical schools in Australia and New Zealand.

Determining The Quality Of Assessment Items In Collaborations: Aspects To Discuss To Reach Agreement Developed By The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration, Lambert Schuwirth, Jacob Pearce

Higher education research

The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (AMAC) project, funded by the Office of Learning and Teaching, seeks to provide an infrastructure and a road map to support collaboration between Australian medical schools in matters of assessment. This may not seem very new perhaps, because there are already several collaborations taking place in Australia, and, typically, they relate to joint item banks, (such as the IDEAL consortium), or joint test administration, (such as the International Foundation of Medicine tests). The AMAC project seeks to build on these existing collaborations in two ways: first, by tying these initiatives together and thus bundling the …

Resisting Pressure From Peers To Engage In Sexual Behavior: What Communication Strategies Do Early Adolescent Latino Girls Use?, Anne E. Norris, Jonathan Pettigrew, Michelle Miller-Day, Michael L. Hecht, Janet Hutchison, Kristi Campoe

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

A content analysis of early adolescent = 12.02 years) Latino girls’ (n = 44) responses to open-ended questions embedded in an electronic survey was conducted to explore strategies girls may use to resist peer pressure with respect to sexual behavior. Analysis yielded 341 codable response units, 74% of which were consistent with the REAL typology (i.e., refuse, explain, avoid, leave) previously identified in adolescent substance use research. However, strategies reflecting a lack of resistance (11%) and inconsistency with communication competence (e.g., aggression) were also noted (15%). Frequency of particular strategies varied depending on the situation described in the open-ended …

Psychosocial Food-Related Behavior And Food Intake Of Adult Main Meal Preparers Of Food For 9-10 Year-Old Children Participating In Icook, A Five-State Childhood Obesity Pilot Prevention Study, Ashley A. Miller

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding adult outcomes of programs aimed at childhood obesity prevention is necessary because parents/caregivers are the most important influence on a child’s physical activity and eating habits. Based on the principles of the social cognitive theory, the iCook 4-H pilot study taught dyads consisting of 9-10 year-old children and their primary meal preparers cooking skills, healthy shopping and meal habits, and easy ways to incorporate physical activity as a family. The program took place in five states, Maine, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia. In each state, adult-youth dyads (n = 54) were recruited by 4-H programs and nutrition …

Mental Health Of University Students: Perspectives For Intervention And Prevention: An Indo-Canadian Collaborative Project, Amresh Srivastava, Rahel Eynan, Ravi Shah, Laxaman Dutt, Shubhangi Parkar, Tss Rao, Dp Giridhar, Rakesh Bhandari, Nagesh Bhandari, Paul Link

Data and Test Instruments

Purpose: The study aimed to determine the levels of psychological distress of university students and examine teachers’ awareness and opinions concerning suicide prevention. Methods: The study used a two-phase, sequential mixed-method approach of converging quantitative and qualitative methodologies. In the quantitative study the 1a2-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to measure psychological wellbeing in a student sample ( n=110 ). The qualitative study consisted of a focus group with students (n=200) and faculty members. (n=25). Results: The scores for the sample ranged between 0- 33 with a mean score of 10.25 (SD= 6.14). The majority of respondents (70.6%) endorsed …

Hand Function Evaluation For Dental Hygiene Students, Sara Taft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dental hygiene students may struggle in dental hygiene curriculum in regards to hand function. Currently, this is not an aspect dental hygiene programs screen for or have protocol in place to help students. The research in the study examined if hand function could improve with hand function exercises and if exercises improved instrumentation scores. During a 6-week pilot study, an occupational therapist tested the hand function of a cohort of dental hygiene students. The results were recorded and the students began a 6-week hand function exercise regimen. After 6 weeks the same evaluations were preformed and the pre- and posttest …

The Effect Of Early Head Start On Child Welfare System Involvement: A First Look At Longitudinal Child Maltreatment Outcomes, Beth L. Green, Catherine Ayoub, Jessica Dym Bartlett, Adam Von Ende, Carrie Jeanne Furrer, Rachel Chazen-Cohen, Claire Vallotton, Joanne Klevens

Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services Publications

The high societal and personal costs of child maltreatment make identification of effective early prevention programs a high research priority. Early Head Start (EHS), a dual generational program serving low-income families with children prenatally through age three years, is one of the largest federally funded programs for infants and toddlers in the United States. A national randomized trial found EHS to be effective in improving parent and child outcomes, but its effectiveness in reducing child maltreatment was not assessed. The current study used administrative data from state child welfare agencies to examine the impact of EHS on documented abuse and …

A Holistic Review Of The Medical School Admission Process: Examining Correlates Of Academic Underperformance, Terry D. Stratton, Carol L. Elam

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background : Despite medical school admission committees' best efforts, a handful of seemingly capable students invariably struggle during their first year of study. Yet, even as entrance criteria continue to broaden beyond cognitive qualifications, attention inevitably reverts back to such factors when seeking to understand these phenomena. Using a host of applicant, admission, and post-admission variables, the purpose of this inductive study, then, was to identify a constellation of student characteristics that, taken collectively, would be predictive of students at-risk of underperforming during the first year of medical school. In it, we hypothesize that a wider range of factors than …

Traumatic Brain Injury: The Efficacy Of A Half-Day Training For School Psychologists, Susan C. Davies, Ashlyn M. Ray

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

The incidence rates of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are increasing, yet educators continue to be inadequately trained in assessing and serving students with TBIs. This study examined the efficacy of a half-day TBI training program for school psychologists designed to improve their knowledge and skills. Results of quantitative and qualitative survey analysis indicated there was little increase in knowledge and skills from pre-training to one-year follow-up, although participants did increase in confidence related to their decision-making abilities in working with students with TBI. The data indicate a need for future study of more effective training models.

Comparison Of Academic Achievement For A Rn-Bsn Program Course Using Online And Traditional Face-To-Face Classroom Learning Environment Delivery Methods, Misty Lilley, Donell Murray

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

An applied project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Specialist at Morehead State University by Misty Lilley and Donell Murray on January 9, 2016.

Beyond The Pencil: Expanding The Occupational Therapists’ Role In Helping Young Children To Develop Writing Skills, Hope K. Gerde, Tricia D. Foster, Lori E. Skibbe

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists (OTs) play an important role in early childhood classrooms as vital members of the educational team, particularly for young children’s writing development. Children’s emergent writing is a foundational literacy skill, which begins to develop well before they enter elementary school. However, early childhood classrooms are lacking in supports for early writing development. OTs are experts in guiding the development of early writing skills in young children and, therefore, should be considered as critical members of the early literacy curriculum team. This paper identifies the critical role emergent writing plays in early childhood literacy development and how to effectively …

Governance Models For Collaborations Involving Assessment, Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration (Amac), Ben Canny, Hamish Coates

Higher education research

This paper is driven by a desire to improve assessment in higher education to yield better outcomes for communities, professions and individuals. The analysis unfolds within the field of medicine but is conceptualised to be of much broader relevance to other professional fields and academic disciplines. The focus is on assessment during the course as opposed to assessment for admissions or licensing purposes. The interest in assessment is not simply to produce practitioners, but to develop better practitioners. As well, the remarks are bounded by the context of universities in Australia and hence the complex but important assumption of academic …

Aac Camp As An Alternative School-Based Service Delivery Model: A Retrospective Survey, Janet L. Dodd, Darla K. Hagge

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

School-based speech-language pathologists are obligated to apply evidence-based practice and document progress of their students’ response to intervention in compliance with federal law. The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the effects of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)–based intervention provided in a camp format and begin the exploration of examining strategies to monitor and document progress. Through the use of a survey, data were also collected regarding the demographics of camp attendees and their response to the camp-based intervention model. Results indicated children with autism and intellectual disability comprised a significant portion of the children referred for …

Taking Measure, Janet L. Dodd

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

"And then they—the Common Core State Standards— arrived, with 46 states committed to them by 2010. Now that many states have implemented the language arts and math standards—science standards are still being developed—some of our questions have been answered. But many more have surfaced (see article on page 46). One question still foremost in many of our minds is: How will the standards change speech-language assessment practices--or will they?"

Does The Sequence Of Instruction Matter During Simulation?, Jill E. Stefaniak, Carman L. Turkelson

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Introduction: Instructional strategies must be balanced when subjecting students to full-immersion simulation so as not to discourage learning and increase cognitive overload. The purpose of this study was to determine if participating in a simulation exercise before lecture yielded better performance outcomes among novice learners.

Methods: Twenty-nine participants were divided into 2 groups as follows: group 1 participated in simulation exercises followed by a didactic lecture and group 2 participated in the same learning activities presented in the opposite order. Participants were administered a multiple-choice cognitive assessment upon completion of a workshop.

Results: Learners who participated in the simulated exercises …

Agpt Registrar Satisfaction Survey 2013, Rebecca Taylor, Hamish B. Coates

Higher education research

The General Practice Education and Training Limited (GPET) Registrar Satisfaction Survey (RSS) is used for ensuring continuous improvement in the training of doctors in General Practice. Designed by the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) in conjunction with GPET and advisors from the Association of Chief Executives (ACE), the RSS gauges the level of registrar satisfaction with the quality of their training, with training providers, and with career progression. It was designed and implemented to help ensure that professional training programs delivered by Regional Training Providers (RTPs) meet the standards and requirements of both the Royal Australian College of General …

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Debriefing Methods In High Fidelity Simulation In A Nursing Baccalaureate Program, Jihad Jawad Kadhim

Nursing Master Theses

The experiential learning process is a key concept in gaining and analyzing knowledge, which involves participation in those experiences. In nursing education, these experiences can occur through high-fidelity simulation. The most important component of this learning process is the post-experience critical analysis or debriefing. During the debriefing phase, students must reflect upon the experiences, identify key points, and discuss the main concern related to patient care. The debriefing phase helps students to be able to develop and refine knowledge and experiences. Methods of debriefing include verbal feedback or video-assisted verbal discussion that allows students to reflect and discuss on what …

An Evaluation Of The Quality Assurance Plan At East Tennessee State University’S Dental Hygiene Program, Jennifer E. Fielden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quality assurance in healthcare is fundamental in ensuring the achievement of desired outcomes for patients. In 2011 a quality assurance plan was created at the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) dental hygiene program in order to meet accreditation standards. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this plan in order to determine its effectiveness in improving the quality of patient care indicators. One hundred fifty patient charts were selected and audited. Deficiencies were counted in the categories of assessment, treatment, documentation, referral, caries management, perio management, patient education, and follow-up. Research findings were varied; however, external variables with the …

Develop A Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Sids) Education Package In Jordan: Using Participatory Action Research Approach To Create Ripple Of Change, Shereen Hamadneh, Jehan Hamadneh

eCULTURE

IInfant mortality is high in Jordan, a developing country in the Middle East, at 19 per 1000 live births. Most mortality risk factors are preventable. The SIDS incidence rate has also been extrapolated as 11.22 per 1000 live births [1]. This is much higher than the United State of America (USA), a developed country (0.54 per 1000 live births) [2]. Most of modifiable SIDS risk factors can be reduced by increasing knowledge, change behaviors and practices regarding SIDS risks and prevention measures.

There has not been a major investment in educating Jordanians about SIDS. Heath care providers are identified …

Ethical Challenges And Solutions Involved In Reviewing A Protocol With Sex Offenders As Participants: The Concerns And Solutions Identified For Protecting A Highly Controversial Population, Hila Berger, Amy Krenzer, Nicole Bryan

Presentations and Proceedings

In reviewing research, the three basic tenets IRBs are expected to abide by are beneficence, justice and respect for persons. The IRB was challenged in meeting these tenets during the course of a recent review. Given the highly controversial participant population of sex offenders and the methodology initially proposed, there were a multitude of ethical challenges uncovered that required unique solutions. The protocol presented to the IRB was developed to investigate the use of networked technologies and communications for the purpose of human trafficking. To do so the researchers proposed recruiting “Johns” or individuals convicted of soliciting sex and interviewing …

The Predictive Validity Of Selection For Entry Into Postgraduate Training In General Practice: Evidence From Three Longitudinal Studies, Fiona Patterson, Filip Lievens, Maire Kerrin, Neil Munro, Bill Irish

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Background: The selection methodology for UK general practice is designed to accommodate several thousand applicants per year and targets six core attributes identified in a multi-method job-analysis study. Aim: To evaluate the predictive validity of selection methods for entry into postgraduate training, comprising a clinical problem-solving test, a situational judgement test, and a selection centre. Design and setting: A three-part longitudinal predictive validity study of selection into training for UK general practice. Method: In sample 1, participants were junior doctors applying for training in general practice (n = 6824). In sample 2, participants were GP registrars 1 year into training …

Empowering Students With Assessment Data, Jane M. Souza, Karen D.C. Bobak

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

Students’ perspective on assessment may be limited to summative grades for semester performance. However, providing access to data tracking their progress formatively could empower them to be more proactive in preparing for success. Examples of empowering students through access to data will be shared from two campuses. One campus will demonstrate how requiring students to reflect on longitudinal reports of their performance on learning outcomes can assist in targeting their studies. The second campus will exhibit how assessment data can be linked to peer mentoring. Participants will strategize how to engage students actively in the use of assessment data.

Using Embedded Assessments To Track Accreditation Standards And Generate Evidence-Based Curriculum Maps, Jane M. Souza

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

St. John Fisher College mined existing course-level assessments to address accreditation standards at the course, curricular, and student levels. This presentation demonstrated a strategy for coding existing test bank items to correspond to learning outcomes and accreditation standards and then using the data for multiple audiences. It also exemplified how an existing rich data source can simultaneously track student longitudinal progress, test bank item performance, and density of curriculum coverage. Strategies are offered to implement this embedded assessment approach to evidence-based curriculum mapping.

Averting Uncertainty: A Practical Guide To Physical Activity Research In Australian Schools, Jerome N. Rachele, Thomas F. Cuddihy, Tracy L. Washington, Steven M. Mcphail

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Preventative health has become central to contemporary health care, identifying youth physical activity as a key factor in determining health and functioning. Schools offer a unique research setting due to distinctive methodological circumstances. However, school-based researchers face several obstacles in their endeavour to complete successful research investigations; often confronted with complex research designs and methodological procedures that are not easily amenable to school contexts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a practical guide for teachers (both teacher educators and teaching practitioners) seeking to conduct physical activity-based research in Australian school settings, as well as discuss research practices. The …

First Year Baccalaureate Nursing Program Outcomes: Effects Of Prerequisite Courses And Preadmission Testing, Sonya House

Dissertations

Schools of Nursing are faced with the difficult task of selecting students for admission into nursing programs. This responsibility is challenging as the number of students applying to programs typically outweighs the number of students who can be admitted. As a result, faculty must identify methods for selecting students who have the greatest likelihood of being successful. As noted in the literature, attrition that occurs as the result of being academically underprepared is found in the beginning of nursing programs (Murray, Merriman, & Adamson, 2008). The central research question represents the purpose of the study: To what extent do prerequisite …

Teaching Qsen Competencies To Entry Level Nursing Students, Brianna Clouet, Melissa Glasper, Cheryl Perna

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public state university with a fully accredited School of Nursing (SON), which typically admits 48 students every trimester into their accelerated pre-licensure BSN program. UNLV is:

• Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

• Fully Approved by the Nevada State Board of Nursing (NSBN),

• Continuously working to meet and uphold external standards and to remain current and competitive.

A team consisting of two Level 4 BSN students and the BSN Coordinator identified the need to better integrate the QSEN competencies into current nursing curriculum. Although the competencies are embedded into …

The Impact Of Interdisciplinary Code Simulation On Perceptions Of Collaboration And Team Performance Among Internal Medicine Residents And Nursing Students, Cynthia Herrick, Michael Michael Nasiak, Aditi Singh, Sandhya Wahi-Gururaj, C. Sue Witt, Jessica Doolen, Kevin Gulliver

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

• Allows for inter-disciplinary training
• Provides safe environment to practice patient care with immediate feedback-quality improvement
• Results in better adherence to protocols
• Well received by learners
• In one study, almost half of IM residents surveyed felt ill- equipped to lead code teams even after ACLS training

Crisis Resource Management (CRM)

• Communication and cooperation
• Leadership and management
• Situational awareness
• Decision-making

Preliminary Results Of Using A Student Success Facilitator In An Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Program, Jennifer Bellsey, Cheryl Perna, Tish Smyer, Carolyn B. Yucha, Antonio Gutierrez,

Interdisciplinary Research Scholarship Day

Competing demands of work, family, friends, and the academic rigor while in an accelerated baccalaureate nursing program often lead to high levels of anxiety and may contribute to unsuccessful student progression. This phenomena is not unique to the UNLV School of Nursing but is an issue that nursing programs grapple with nationwide. While there is nursing research literature related to student success programs there are limited studies that describe the use of a Student Success Facilitator (SSF) coupled with a Student to Student Mentoring Program (SSMP). IRB Exempt #1205-4167

Embedded Assessment And Evidence-Based Curriculum Mapping: The Promise Of Learning Analytics, Jane M. Souza

Pharmacy Faculty/Staff Publications

At Wegmans School of Pharmacy, we have adopted an embedded assessment approach to curriculum mapping and data collection on student learning outcomes achievement. In essence, we capture the data from the course level exams that our faculty members craft to measure student learning.