ABSTRACT
The transition from traditional to digital teaching has led to several challenges for students and educators under the COVID-19 pandemic. Most universities are experiencing remote online delivery and assessment for the first time, which creates several issues, particularly for delivering courses efficiently and evaluating the outcomes without students compromising academic integrity. In this study, we take a closer look at a cross-campus case in delivering a programming course that switched to digital teaching due to COVID-19. We focus on the transition in assessment forms and the gradual adaptation to portfolio evaluation over two years. This form of assessment is more aligned with the constructive alignment theory, and hence contribute to increased learning outcomes as the students receive feedback along the way. Furthermore, we introduced a task where students had to reflect on the answers and solutions. This reflection note may help the teacher to better understand to which level the student has actually understood the theories and skills applied in the solution, and hence reassure that the solution is produced by the student. Observations from our data provide promising direction that it can increase learning benefits and reduce possibilities or the need for cheating and contributes to increased learning outcomes. However, this form of assessment requires a significant effort from teachers and is both time and resource consuming. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Background and purpose: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia is a major threat to global public health because it is very contagious and spreads quickly by human-tohuman transmission. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients infected with COVID-19 in Saveh, Iran. Materials and methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 1537 patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from 18 February-2 June 2020. Medical records were studied and a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of demographic information, epidemiological, and clinical manifestations were used to collect the data. Results: There were significant differences between patients tested positive and negative for COVID-19 in terms of gender, age, duration of hospitalization, and contact with a patient with confirmed COVID-19 (P<0.05). The main symptoms of patients included cough (43.8%), fever (41.4%), and dyspnea (40.3%). The most common chronic diseases in these patients were cardiovascular disease (12.9%), diabetes (11.5%), and hypertension (9.7%). The mean age of death due to COVID-19 was 70.2±15.6 years and higher rate of mortality was seen in men (66.2%). Conclusion: While responding to COVID-19, health authorities should consider vulnerable groups (older patients and those with underlying diseases) and provide them with more information on the modes of transmission of COVID-19 and the risks of infection.
ABSTRACT
Background and purpose: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia is a major threat to global public health because it is very contagious and spreads quickly by human-to-human transmission. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients infected with COVID-19 in Saveh, Iran. Materials and methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 1537 patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from 18 February- 2 June 2020. Medical records were studied and a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of demographic information, epidemiological, and clinical manifestations were used to collect the data.