Magic of Choosing Suitable Course Coordinator Based on Students’ Feedback: A Single Center Experience from Saudi Arabia

Background. Medical education is an unusual field whereby a teacher does not receive formal training to become a teacher and is usually marred by quality and effectiveness in imparting the curriculum. To add to the insult, the additive burden of administrating the implementation of the courses does affect the teaching capabilities of a particular teacher. At the College of Medicine (COM), a rigorous procedure for selecting suitable “course coordinators” is followed as they not only serve as administrators for the curriculum implementation but also serve as the role models for the students and their peers as well. Each course coordinator is an important cogwheel in the curriculum as each one can have a positive impact on the overall quality and success of the program. At COM, twenty-one courses are taught in the curriculum, and the execution of each course is led by the duo of coordinator and co-coordinator. The course coordinator is the one primarily involved in the execution, selection of faculty, ensuring smooth flow and delivery of objectives, finalizing and execution of the exam, and responding to students and faculty’s needs during and after the course execution and is the primary person to suggest an effective action plan based on needs to improve the course for the upcoming academic year. Aim. The aim of our study was to assess whether a good teacher can be an effective course coordinator and what the impact of a good teacher/course coordinator is on student satisfaction levels. Methods. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out for five academic years from 2013-14 till 2017-18. The sample included both male and female sections of the medical program, and the courses for the study were selected as consecutive sampling techniques. The data was retrieved from the evaluation units’ records for the period of 2013–18. SPSS version 20.0 was used for data analysis. Results. Our data reflects a strong positive correlation between course coordinator, course coordinator as a faculty, overall evaluation of the course, and mean faculty rating. Additionally, a strong positive correlation between the mean evaluation of all domains and overall course evaluation for both preclinical and clinical years of the medicine program was also found. Conclusions. Carefully selected effective teachers as course coordinators do have a positive impact on two domains of the course quality, that is, overall satisfaction and faculty ratings by medical students.

A Time-Course Study on a Food Contact Material (FCM)-Certified Coating Based on Titanium Oxide Deposited onto Aluminum

Aluminum is the second most widely used metal worldwide. It is present as an additive in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food, and food contact materials (FCM). In this study, we confirm the bactericidal effect of a special anodizing method, based on TiO2 nanoparticles (DURALTI®) deposited on aluminum disks with different roughness and subjected to two sanitizing treatments: UV and alcohol 70%. Consequently, we perform a time-course evaluation against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria to better frame the time required to achieve the best result. Approximately 106 CFU/mL of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922; Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 1402; Yersinia enterocolitica ATCC 9610; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27588; Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538; Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212; Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and Listeria monocytogenes NCTT 10888 were inoculated onto each aluminum surface and challenged with UV and alcohol 70% at 0, 15”, 30”, 1′, 5′, 15′, 30′, 1, 2, 4 and 6 h. DURALTI® coating already confirmed its ability to induce a 4-logarithmic decrease (from 106 to 102 CFU/mL) after 6 h. Once each sanitizing treatment was applied, an overall bacterial inhibition occurred in a time ranging from 15′′ to 1′. The results are innovative in terms of preventing microbial adhesion and growth in the food industry.

CELTA Course from the Perspective of EFL Instructors: A Case Study

The aim of this study is to explore the CELTA course from the perspective of EFL instructors. A single case study of qualitative research methods is employed in the study. The sample consists of 6 EFL instructors working for a private university in Turkey. The quantitative data of the research was obtained through course evaluation survey. Qualitative data was gathered by open-ended questions and interview forms developed by the researcher and also with the documents. Descriptive analysis was performed to show evaluation of the course in the quantitative phase of the research. On the other hand, the content analysis method was applied in the analysis of qualitative data. As a result of the study, the CELTA course is useful for EFL instructors’ careers; nevertheless the course components and content should be redesigned considering andragogic principles. Moreover, EFL instructors were pleased to take the course at the end of the course although the course’s weaknesses.

Critical Perspective Analysis of Higher Education Studies in the Online Mode – Emerging Challenges and Solutions

Many academic institutions that had previously hesitated to modify their old pedagogical method had to opt for completely online modules due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. This paper provides insight into the perception of students of higher education concerning the online mode of learning. Data was collected from 310 students pursuing different courses. A questionnaire, divided into 7 sections was administered including: general information of students, time management, understanding of course content, view of students on assignments and submissions, ease and comfort of study, skill development and motivation, and course satisfaction. The data was analyzed quantitative analysis. Results showed that 72.4% of students do not prefer the online platform for learning and this view is contributed by parameters like net connectivity, time, overall development of the candidate and evaluation of the course outcomes. Various parameters such as internet connectivity, parallel data users, unwanted anxiety, extra time, comfort, understanding of the concepts, interaction, information absorption and retainment, course evaluation and assignments, expense comparison, skill development, lecture participation and extracurricular growth were mentioned. It is suggested that an alternative to classroom learning must be used to maintain one's academic progress.

Evaluation of Professors’ Satisfaction with a Short-Term Course of Medical Education in Birjand University of Medical Sciences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the satisfaction of professors with the short-term course of medical education at Birjand University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Initially, needs assessment was conducted for the content of the course; after determining the content, the course was held online through Adobe Connect system and offline through Navid system. Following completing the course, evaluation was performed, and finally, satisfaction with the course was assessed based on a 34-item questionnaire whose validity and reliability were established. In total, 44 participants in the course answered the questionnaire. The data were analyzed using t-test and correlation coefficient by SPSS, version 18. Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.34 ± 5.64 years, and 56.8% (25 people) were female. In terms of academic rank, 75% were assistant professors. The average score of satisfaction was equal to 140.48, which indicates a high score of satisfaction with the course. In general, the score of satisfaction was higher than average in all fields. The average score of satisfaction in men was significantly lower than in women (P < 0.001). There was no significant relationship between satisfaction and degree, academic rank, age, and working experience (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Professors’ satisfaction with the online and offline medical education courses in the relevant systems is at a high level. Thus, it is suggested that combined in-person and online empowerment courses should be held in the post-COVID-19 era.

Information Literacy course, Evaluation and Impact

The Information literacy must be an innovative discipline, adapt to technology and the information requirements of the academic community. Introducing new chapters and then assessing their impact on students and their informational behavior is the best way to improve the content and way of teaching the course. The authors present a model for investigating the student perception from Transilvania University in Brasov. The paper was presented at the Romanian Librarians Association Conference in September 2021.

Learning how to engage with another's point of view by intercultural, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations

The paper argues that the different dimensions of collaboration - intercultural, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary - contribute to mutual understanding and empathy. Their intersection fosters self-reflection and reveals shortcomings, blind spots, and prejudices about other cultures, disciplines, and social groups. The course aimed to overcome technology-driven design practices that tend to (re)produce stereotypes or social exclusions - often unconsciously. To make students aware of such problems, we introduced them to Feminist Science and Technology Studies, which show how dimensions such as age, class, and gender affect socio-technological participation. Moreover, we introduced user-centered and participatory design methods (contextual interviews, scenario-based design, design forecasting) that the teams had to adapt to pandemic conditions to conduct participatory research and propose design scenarios. The empirical course evaluation by the students indicates that the pedagogical concept, which we conceptualized as an extended version of a 'Third Space', allowed for intercultural, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary learning experiences and improved collective student and team performance, transcending culturally- and disciplinary-specific situatedness. In our analysis, we reflect on the power of the different forms of collaborations and their contribution to teaching future researchers, designers, and engineers how to engage with another's point of view. We consider this ability a prerequisite for acting responsibly in a globalized digital world. Results from the study are contextualized in current debates on internationalization and digitalization in the educational sciences and translated into recommendations for practitioners.

E-learning in medical education during COVID-19 pandemic: experiences of a research course at Kenya Medical Training College

Background E-learning has been widely adopted as a teaching and learning approach in medical education internationally. However, its adoption in low- and middle-income countries is still at an infantile stage. The use of e-learning may help to overcome some of the barriers to access to quality education and provide flexible, low-cost, user-centred, and easily updated learning. To address the need for research education during the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed and implemented an e-learning course for students enrolled in higher diploma courses at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). In this paper, we report our experience teaching the online research course in resource-constrained settings to enable other medical educators, students and institutions in similar settings to understand the most appropriate approaches to incorporating e-learning interventions. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that reviewed the experiences of learners and lecturers on a research course at Kenya Medical Training College. All higher diploma students admitted to the college in the 2020/21 academic year were invited to take part in the study. We also included all lecturers that were involved in the coordination and facilitation of the course. We analysed qualitative and quantitative data that were collected from the e-learning platform, an online course-evaluation form and reports from course lecturers. Results We enrolled 933 students on the online research course. These students had joined 44 higher diploma courses in 11 campuses of the college. The students struggled to complete synchronous e-learning activities on the e-learning platform. Only 53 and 45% of the students were able to complete the pretest and the posttest, respectively. Four themes were identified through a thematic analysis of qualitative data (1) Students gained research competencies (2) Students appreciated the use of diverse e-learning technologies (3) Students felt overwhelmed by the research course (4) Technological challenges reduce the effectiveness of online learning. Conclusion Our results suggest that e-learning can be used to teach complex courses, such as research in resource-constrained settings. However, faculty should include more asynchronous e-learning activities to enhance teaching and learning and improve student experiences.