Remote proctoring: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic effect on the large scale on-line assessment at Tel Aviv University

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic turned the adoption of on-line assessment in the institutions for higher education from possibility to necessity. Thus, in the end of Fall 20/21 semester Tel Aviv University (TAU)-the largest university in Israel-designed and implemented a scalable procedure for administering proctored remote examinations. This procedure is applicable to different kinds of examinations in diverse disciplines and to disparate degree levels. Objectives: This study aims to deepen the knowledge with respect to the design and adoption of remote proctoring at an institutional level Methods: First, based on lessons learned from the first semester of COVID-19, we describe the development and implementation of an institution-wide protocol for conducting on-line proctored assessment. We show the large-scale applicability of the protocol for administering examinations via Moodle with remote proctoring via Zoom. The accurately designed procedures that included careful consideration of all parties involved-academic staff members, students, administrative staff and proctors- enabled TAU to successfully assess the learning outcomes of its 25,000 students, while maintaining validity, compatibility and reliability of the assessment. Second, we report combined data from surveys of 4380 students and 188 faculty-members (18% and 12% response rate respectively), conducted at TAU following these examinations. Results and Conclusions: With over 90% of the students experiencing at least one, and 80% of faculty-members administering at least one proctored remote examination, these heterogeneous sources of data allow us to investigate a unique and complementary perspective of the process. Some of the significant findings consist of the over-all perception of the students' integrity by both groups surveyed;the discrepancy in the groups' perspectives of the adequate form of learning-assessment- with the instructors preferring proctored examinations and the students-formative assessment;and the influence of the pedagogical challenges on the perception of validity that outweighed other factors, for example, the pandemic-related stress, the on-line assessment challenges and other. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Student satisfaction with use of an online peer feedback system

We contribute to the growing evidence of the positive effect of use of online peer feedback tools on students' teamwork skills development. We do so by exploring individual and contextual factors underlying satisfaction with using a peer feedback system alongside team projects. Employing path analytical framework and bootstrap methods, we analysed data from an international sample of 100 project teams in management studies. Drawing on procedural justice theory, we theorised and found support that students' uncertainty avoidance orientation and virtuality in collaboration were positively related to their satisfaction with use of a peer feedback system. Such satisfaction in turn allowed them to be more effective team members. Our findings provide evidence for higher education institutions and instructors considering the adoption of online peer feedback systems alongside teamwork in their curricula. Specifically, peer feedback appears to be effective in the development of teamwork skills and students appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback to their peers in a structured and dedicated environment. Our findings are timely and of important practical significance as educational institutions increasingly rely on the use of computer-mediated technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Mental health and psychological assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Systematic review

This study aimed to identify the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of adult populations and verify the assessment resources employed. From a systematic review according to PRISMA recommendations, 1,158 articles were identified in the databases Pubmed, PsycINFO, PePSIC and Scielo, of which 54 met the eligibility criteria for analysis. The populations surveyed included adults in general, health professionals and elderly adults;symptoms of anxiety and depression were the most reported;there was expressive diversity in the assessment resources applied online. Prevention policies, promotion of mental health for the most vulnerable populations, as well as the development of evaluation tests with evidence of validity for on-line application, are a pressing reality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Portuguese) Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar os efeitos da pandemia de COVID-19 na saude mental de populacoes adultas e verificar os recursos de avaliacao empregados. A partir de uma revisao sistematica, segundo as recomendacoes do PRISMA, foram identificados 1.158 artigos nas bases de dados Pubmed, PsycINFO, PePSIC e Scielo, dos quais 54 atenderam aos criterios de elegibilidade para analise. As populacoes pesquisadas contemplaram adultos em geral, profissionais de saude e adultos idosos;sintomas de ansiedade e depressao foram os mais relatados;houve expressiva diversidade nos recursos de avaliacao aplicados on-line. Politicas de prevencao, promocao de saude mental para populacoes mais vulneraveis, assim como o desenvolvimento de testes de avaliacao com evidencias de validade para aplicacao on-line, sao uma realidade premente. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Teaching and learning Arabic as a second language online: A case study of Dubai during COVID-19 pandemic

Enrollment into Arabic as a second language (ASL) in Dubai has increased steadily due to the high influx of expatriates' populations. Although Arabic is the primary language in Dubai, the government has mandated that Arabic be taught in all private schools for non-native Arabic speakers from grades one to nine. This was at the time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and it threw this mandated study into the world of teaching and learning via online means. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the teaching and learning of ASL online in Dubai during the COVID-19 pandemic by exploring the role of innovation and technology infusion in teaching ASL, assessing how education stakeholders can motivate students in online learning, and investigating ways of effectively assessing students' progress in online learning. The study utilized a qualitative case study where ten teachers and ten learners in 20 private schools in Dubai were interviewed, having been selected through the purposively sampling technique for the administration of unstructured interviews. The researcher analyzed the data using thematic analysis.There were three major findings in this study. First, the adoption of online digital technologies for the teaching and learning of ASL has a positive influence on online teaching. The adoption of such technologies was successfully carried out with the support of capable infrastructure and efforts by the Dubai government, parents, leaders, and teachers of Dubai schools. Second, students are motivated by their parents and teachers for the adoption of online learning techniques where the learning was made interesting, flexible, manageable, autonomous, and generalized. Third, online learning shifted the focus from quantifiable assessment means such as grades, credits, rankings, and markets to the achievement of learning and teaching outcomes and acquiring the needed skills. The study concluded with recommendations, implications for practitioners, and limitations of the study. It also identified suggestions for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Online mental health survey for addressing psychosocial condition during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: Instrument evaluation

Background: Regular monitoring of the pandemic's psychosocial impact could be conducted among the community but is limited through online media. This study aims to evaluate the self-rating questionnaire commonly used for online monitoring of the psycho-social implications of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The data were taken from the online assessment results of two groups, with a total of 765 participants. The instruments studied were Self-Rating Questionnaire (SRQ-20), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale- 10 (CESD-10), used in the online assessment. Data analysis used Rasch modeling and Winsteps applications. Validity and reliability were tested, and data were fit with the model, rating scale, and item fit analysis. Results: All the scales for outfit mean square (MnSq) were very close to the ideal value of 1.0, and the Chi-square test was significant. Item reliability was greater than 0.67, item separation was greater than 3, and Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.60;all the instruments were considered very good. The raw variance explained by measures for the SRQ-20, PTSD, and CESD-10 was 30.7%, 41.6%, and 47.6%, respectively. The unexplained eigen-value variances in the first contrast were 2.3, 1.6, and 2.0 for the SRQ-20, PTSD, and CESD-10, respectively. All items had positive point-measure correlations. Conclusion: The internal consistency of all the instruments was reliable. Data were fit to the model as the items were productive for measurement and had a reasonable prediction. All the scales are functionally one-dimensional. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Maximizing learning while minimizing cheating: New evidence and advice for online multiple-choice exams

The sudden and unexpected need to transition all university courses to online formats as a result of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 highlighted the challenges of developing and administering online multiple-choice exams. Because many more courses are expected to be taught online in the future, we sought to develop evidence-based recommendations for online multiple-choice exams. We analyzed data from our Spring 2019 and Spring 2020 introductory psychology courses to examine the impact of the shift from seated to online exams on exam grades and overall learning, as well as students' perceptions of online multiple-choice exams. Data from the COVID-19 Spring 2020 semester suggest that students performed better on online exams (open-note/open-book exams with no time limit) than they did on traditional face-to-face closed-note/closed-book exams. However, indices of learning suggested students learned less when the course content and exams were online. Using these data and the existing literature on best practices, we developed a set of recommendations for administering online multiple-choice exams designed to minimize cheating and maximize learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Current advances in digital cognitive assessment for preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

There is a pressing need to capture and track subtle cognitive change at the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) rapidly, cost-effectively, and with high sensitivity. Concurrently, the landscape of digital cognitive assessment is rapidly evolving as technology advances, older adult tech-adoption increases, and external events (i.e., COVID-19) necessitate remote digital assessment. Here, we provide a snapshot review of the current state of digital cognitive assessment for preclinical AD including different device platforms/assessment approaches, levels of validation, and implementation challenges. We focus on articles, grants, and recent conference proceedings specifically querying the relationship between digital cognitive assessments and established biomarkers for preclinical AD (e.g., amyloid beta and tau) in clinically normal (CN) individuals. Several digital assessments were identified across platforms (e.g., digital pens, smartphones). Digital assessments varied by intended setting (e.g., remote vs. in-clinic), level of supervision (e.g., self vs. supervised), and device origin (personal vs. study-provided). At least 11 publications characterize digital cognitive assessment against AD biomarkers among CN. First available data demonstrate promising validity of this approach against both conventional assessment methods (moderate to large effect sizes) and relevant biomarkers (predominantly weak to moderate effect sizes). We discuss levels of validation and issues relating to usability, data quality, data protection, and attrition. While still in its infancy, digital cognitive assessment, especially when administered remotely, will undoubtedly play a major future role in screening for and tracking preclinical AD.