Development and Validation of a Comprehensive Tool for Assessing Postgraduate Students’ Oral Presentations: Importance of the Role of Ergonomics

@#Introduction: The aim of this exploratory sequential mixed methods study was to develop an oral presentations assessment tool for postgraduate students’ oral presentations. Methods: First, a literature review and the ideas of 319 experienced professors were used to identify domains and potential items to develop the desired tool. Then the psychometric properties of the preliminary tool were measured using face and content validity, inter-rater agreement and test-retest reliability. Results: The qualitative phase indicated there should be four domains in the developed Oral Presentations Assessment Tool: subject knowledge, delivery, content and organization, and ergonomics, and that items in the developed tool should be weighted according to importance for the efficacy of a presentation. The final version included 19 items across four domains. Mean content validity index and content validity ratio scores were 0.93 and 0.76, respectively. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient for the two evaluation periods was 0.92. The intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.78. Conclusion: The Oral Presentations Assessment Tool has appropriate psychometric properties and can be used as a valid and applicable instrument to assess postgraduate students’ oral presentations. Important cognitive factors in oral presentations in the form of an ergonomic domain was included for the first time, as part of this new comprehensive tool.

Medical students' academic emotions: the role of perceived learning environment

Introduction: Research shows that there is a relationship between students' perceptions of classroom and learning environment and their cognitive, affective, emotional and behavioral outcomes, so, in this study the relationship between medical students' perception of learning environment and academic emotions was examined

Methods: The research method used was descriptive-correlativeÒ Stratified sampling method was used to select 342 participants. They completed self-report questionnaires of Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure [DREEM] and Achievement Emotions Questionnaire [AEQ]. All descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations and simultaneous multiple regression were performed using SPSS 14 software

Results: Simultaneous multiple regression of the students'perceived learning environment on their academic achievement emotions showed that the perceived learning environment predicts the students' academic emotions

Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that caring for and supportive learning environment can increase the students'positive emotions and decrease their academic negative emotions [i.e. anxiety, shame, and hopelessness]. Implications of the results are discussed

Evaluation of information literacy status among medical students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: The information literacy status and the use of information technology among students in the globalization age of course plans are very momentous. This study aimed to evaluate the information literacy status and use of information technology among medical students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2013

Methods: This was a descriptive-analytical study with crosssectional method. The study population consisted of all medical students [physiopathology, externship and internship] studying at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The sample size [n=310] was selected by systematic random sampling. The tool of data gathering was LASSI questionnaire [assigned by America research association] with 48 closed items in five-point LIKERT scale. The questionnaire included two distinct parts of demographic questions and the information literacy skills based on the standards of information literacy capacities for academic education. The content validity was acquired by professors' and experts' comments. The reliability was also calculated by Cronbach's alpha [0.85]. Data were analyzed in both descriptive [frequency- mean] and analytical level [t-test, analysis of variance] using SPSS 14 software

Results: 60.3% of the participants were females, and the remaining [29.7%] were males. The mean score of information literacy and its five subgroups among the students weren't at a desirable level. The mean scores of information literacy for educational grades from the highest to lowest belonged to the internship, physiopathology and externship. The results showed that the highest average was related to the effective access ability to information among interns [9.27+/-3.57] and the lowest one was related to the ability of understanding legal and economical cases related with using information among externs [3.11+/-1.32]. The results of ANOVA showed that there wasn't a significant difference between educational grades and information literacy. Finally, the result of independent t-test did not show a significant difference between the two genders in information literacy

Conclusion: Regarding the importance of information literacy for medical students and undesirable status of information literacy among students, the current educational plans will need to be revised

Assessment of the interns' ability based on Dundee model in Shiraz university of medical sciences

Introduction: The importance of medical profession and the role of the physician in society is no secret to anyone. Skills and competencies in clinical practice are necessary for the medical profession. In fact, in patient care, doctors require practical skills in addition to scientific knowledge. This study examines the potentials of medical school students in three areas of doing the right thing, doing the right thing in an intermediate range, and doing the right thing by the right person

Methods: This study was done in a descriptive-analytical and sectional model. The population of this study was all interns of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences who were passing internship at Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Emergency wards. About 100 persons were selected were selected by simple randomization. In order to collect data, a questionnaire with 12 questions was designed in two parts. The questionnaire was approved by 7 Faculty members of Clinical Medicine and Medical Education, and its reliability was approved by test-retest method on 20 medical students in the form of a pilot study and through Cronbach's alpha [82%]. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version 14 using descriptive statistical methods

Results: Results showed that within the inner circle, interns evaluated their skills in surgery, internal medicine, and gynecology wards, intermediate and at other wards as weak. Also within the center circle, interns evaluated adequate educational evidence-based training in the field of medicine, and sufficiency of educational training in the field of clinical decision making and clinical care as suitable

Conclusion: According to the results, it seems that medical interns' skills in performing most medical skills are moderate. So teaching students by new educational methods and workshop techniques, using experienced teachers will be effective. The use of clinical skills training centers and objective assessment methods for the students' skills, especially before entering the clinical departments, is very important

Role of organizational citizenship behavior in promoting knowledge sharing

Introduction: Organizational citizenship behavior has been linked to overall organizational effectiveness, thus these types of employee behaviors have important consequences in the workplace. One of the important consequences of these types of behaviors is knowledge sharing. Thus, the current study examined the role of organizational citizenship behavior in promoting knowledge sharing

Method: A descriptive correlation design was employed in this study. We collected the data from Kharazmi University employees in city of Tehran in 2014. The statistical population consisted of 484 Kharazmi University employees from which 210 persons were selected randomly [using simple random sampling] by the Krejcie and Morgan [1978] sample size determination table. Data were collected through organizational citizenship behavior questionnaire and knowledge sharing questionnaire. To examine the reliability of the questionnaires, Cronbach alpha coefficient was used. These coefficients were 0.80 for attitude toward knowledge sharing and 0.77 for intention to share knowledge. Also, for organizational citizenship behavior it ranged from 0.71 [courtesy] to 0.82 [altruism]. To determine the validity, content validity method was applied. All descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation and multiple regression were performed using SPSS 19

Results: The results of t-test indicated that the means of organizational citizenship behavior [mean=2.50] and all its dimensions [altruism: 2.60, conscientiousness: 2.52, sportsmanship: 2.41, courtesy: 2.49, civic virtue: 2.45] among employees were at the moderate level. The results showed that the correlation between organizational citizenship behavior and knowledge sharing was significant [r=0.50, P<0.001]. Other results showed that the correlations between knowledge sharing and organizational citizenship behavior dimensions - Altruism [r=0.35], Conscientiousness [r=0.19], Sportsmanship [r=0.46], Courtesy [r=0.39], Civic virtue [r=0.18] - were significant [p<0.001]. Finally, results of multiple regression analysis showed that organizational citizenship behavior dimensions - Sportsmanship [beta= 0.53] - could predict knowledge sharing

Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that with improvement in each of the research variables, other variables will improve. For example, as the result of improvement in organizational citizenship behavior, knowledge sharing will increase and the organization could use its competitive advantage