ABSTRACT
With online examinations prevailing, academic integrity has become a concern. This study is to explore perceptions of online tests among students. An anonymous online survey was conducted among 156 students enrolled in the health professional courses from the CUHK Faculty of Medicine in the academic year 2019-2020. The majority preferred traditional onsite examination (75%) over online format type (25%) because of a less technical requirement (86%), immediate support from invigilators for unanticipated situations (74%), and easiness of focusing (64%);however, some prefer online examinations due to convenience (66%). The pressure and anxiety towards the study do not have significant differences. The reasons for cheating include the desire to pass (42%), peer influence (42%), outstanding grades (38%), and ease of browsing other websites (31%). The application of the blackboard system, Respondus LockDown Browser, with Zoom invigilation minimises the chance of cheating.
ABSTRACT
Anatomy education that traditionally relies on face-to-face delivery is disrupted by the outbreak of COVID-19. Due to suspension of face-to-face instruction in schools, our institution adopted a video conferencing system with peer-assisted learning (VCS-PAL). The study objectives are to: 1) report our institutional experience in adopting blended VCS-PAL in anatomy teaching;2) describe perceptions towards this pedagogy during the pandemic among student facilitators and learners. In the mixed-method educational research, 139 year-2 biomedical engineering and pharmacy students were surveyed regarding their VCS-PAL learning experience. A total of 85 returned the survey, with a response rate of 60.7% (85/139). Most students found the live demonstration of plastinated specimens helpful in learning anatomy (82%). The general feedback from both student learners and student facilitators are positive. The blended VCS-PAL approach in anatomy education provides an excellent adjustment opportunity amidst the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.