Effects of a Virtually Delivered Reading and Embedded Mindset Intervention on Reading Performance for Fourth-Grader Struggling Readers

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a virtual intensive reading intervention embedded with mindset training compared to typical reading instruction in a business-as-usual (BAU) condition delivered to fourth grade students with or at-risk for reading disabilities. After screening, the 59 participants were stratified and assigned randomly to condition. Highly trained interventionists delivered the intervention one-to-one with high fidelity and student engagement during the intensive intervention. Classroom teachers delivered the BAU. We examined the effects of the intervention on a variety of standardized timed and untimed measures of word reading and decoding, reading fluency, comprehension, and mindset. We addressed two research questions: What are the effects of intensive virtual reading intervention embedded with mindset training relative to a business-as-usual comparison (BAU) on the reading outcomes of fourth grade students with or at-risk for reading disabilities? Was initial mindset related to student response to intervention? Data analyses examined the main effect and moderation using linear mixed effects models. Significant differences in reading favored the virtual treatment condition for letter and word identification (g = 0.38). No other significant effects were observed. We note limitations in our study and offer directions for future research, including the need to explore additional moderators.

Development of a Formative Assessment Rubric for Peer Evaluation of Teaching (FARPET) and Pilot Use in Veterinary Online Teaching

Peer evaluation of teaching (PET) serves an important role as a component of faculty development in the medical education field. With the emergence of COVID-19, the authors recognized the need for a flexible tool that could be used for a variety of lecture formats, including virtual instruction, and that could provide a framework for consistent and meaningful PET feedback. This teaching tip describes the creation and pilot use of a PET rubric, which includes six fixed core items (lesson structure, content organization, audiovisual facilitation, concept development, enthusiasm, and relevance) and items to be assessed separately for asynchronous lectures (cognitive engagement-asynchronous) and synchronous lectures (cognitive engagement-synchronous, discourse quality, collaborative learning, and check for understanding). The instrument packet comprises the rubric, instructions for use, definitions, and examples of each item, plus three training videos for users to compare with authors' consensus training scores; these serve as frame-of-reference training. The instrument was piloted among veterinary educators, and feedback was sought in a focus group setting. The instrument was well received, and training and use required a minimum time commitment. Inter-rater reliability within 1 Likert scale point (adjacent agreement) was assessed for each of the training videos, and consistency of scoring was demonstrated between focus group members using percent agreement (0.82, 0.85, 0.88) and between focus members and the authors' consensus training scores (all videos: 0.91). This instrument may serve as a helpful resource for institutions looking for a framework for PET. We intend to continually adjust the instrument in response to feedback from wider use.

The psychosocial work environment among educators during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The education sector has been heavily impacted by COVID-19. While the impact on school-aged children has received much attention, less attention has focused on the experiences of educators.

AIMS

To compare various dimensions of the psychosocial work environment and health outcomes between educators engaged in online learning to those engaged in in-person learning in the Canadian province of Ontario.

METHODS

Responses from 5438 educators engaged in either online or in-person learning were collected between 23 November and 21 December 2020; three months after the start of the 2020/21 academic year in September 2020. Psychosocial outcomes included quantitative demands, work pace, predictability, role conflicts, and social support from supervisors and co-workers; assessed using an abbreviated version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included burnout and sleep troubles. Ordinary Least-Squares regression models examined adjusted mean differences in the levels of outcomes for respondents in in-person versus online learning, after adjustment for a variety of covariates.

RESULTS

Compared to respondents engaged in in-person learning, respondents engaged in online learning reported less predictability, higher role conflicts and less support from supervisors and co-workers. Statistically significant differences in work pace, burnout and sleep troubles were also observed across learning modes, although these differences did not exceed previously suggested thresholds for minimum important differences.

CONCLUSIONS

Important differences in the psychosocial work environment were observed between respondents engaged in in-person learning versus online learning. Addressing these differences is required, given the potential continued importance of online learning within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Effects of virtual and lecture-based instruction on learning, content retention, and satisfaction from these instruction methods among surgical technology students: A comparative study

BACKGROUND

There are various instructional methods worldwide and virtual instruction is one of them. This widely used method involves online instruction and e-learning. The present study compares the effects of lecture-based and virtual instruction on student learning, satisfaction, and content retention among surgical technology students at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The population of this two-stage, quasi-experimental study consisted of 40 surgical technology students at the School of Nursing and Midwifery. After fulfilling inclusion criteria, they were randomly assigned to the virtual instruction group (VG, n = 20) and the traditional, lecture-based instruction group (TG, n = 20). Data were collected via a researcher-made student satisfaction questionnaire and two learning examinations. Their validity and reliability had been confirmed. The data were analyzed using SPSS 13 and analytical and descriptive tests (P < 0.05).

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference between the TG and the VG with respect to the mean score in the first examination (P = 0.89). However, the two groups were significantly different in terms of the mean score in the second examination (P = 0.03). Regarding content retention and recall performance, the VG outperformed the TG. Furthermore, the mean satisfaction score of the VG (132.24 ± 17.92) was higher than that of the TG (115.56 ± 17.57) (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Virtual instruction and lecture-based instruction had comparable short-term learning outcomes. Nevertheless, with the passage of time, it was revealed that virtual instruction could result in better learning performance and higher content retention and satisfaction.