Examining the evidence that testing benefits subsequent information retrieval

This study examines the effect of frequent testing on students’ ability to retain the vocabulary and grammar materials learned in the classroom. A quasi-experimental research was employed, involving a sample of 50 Thai vocational students that was purposively recruited for this study. They were divided into two groups, each comprising 25 students. The experimental group received a test and corrective feedback after each unit of the course while the control group did not receive any unit test. The retention test scores were then compared to gauge the performance of the experimental and control groups. In doing this, the experimental group significantly outscored the control group in the retention test. The study found that frequent testing of the students in the course of their study had helped them retain vocabulary and grammar knowledge. The frequent testing may, therefore, be considered as one of the teaching methods to help students to have better retention of vocabulary and grammar knowledge

Treatment outcome of tuberculosis patient of Samtse General Hospital, Bhutan

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major public health problems in Bhutan. Evaluation of treatment outcomes of TB and identification of the risk factors are important components for the success of National TB control program. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess the TB treatment outcome and factors associated with it in Samtse General Hospital

Electricity Demand Forecast of College of Science and Technology, Royal University of Bhutan by 2030

Increase in the number of students and staff in the campus has led to increase in the consumption of electricity from the gird. It is important to have reliable electricity plan to meet the future needs and to become self-sufficient. This paper presents a forecast of the electricity demand of the College of Science and Technology until 2030. The historical electricity consumption data from January 2014 until December 2018 was used for the forecast. The future electricity consumption was forecasted using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model in XLSTAT. ARIMA was specified by three order parameters (p, d, q). To identify the model of ARIMA, the autocorrelation function (ACF), and partial autocorrelation function (PACF) were used. The efficiency of the model was checked using root mean square error (RMSE), mean square error (MSE), and the sum of square error (SSE). The forecast was also validated using the best fit comparison of raw data with the predicted data. The total electricity consumption of the college is forecast to increase from 1.09 MWh in 2018 to 5.75 MWh in 2030 with an average increase of 14.67 % per year. Similarly, electricity consumption in the staff residential zone is projected to increase from 166 MWh in 2018 to 295 MWh in 2030. In the case of student residential zone, the electricity consumption is forecast to increase from 273 MWh in 2018 to 361 MWh by 2030. Keywords: Time series analysis, ARIMA model, electricity demand, demand forecasting. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-30-05 Publication date:October 31st 202

The effect of unit tests on language development

Thesis ((M.A., Teaching English as an International Language))--Prince of Songkla University, 2019Prince of Songkla Universit

FAIRifying STEM Data Ecosystem to Enhance Data Reuse

In the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community, academic and research workflows and work practices are increasingly mediated and informed by data. However, making digital materials and resources findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) for teaching, learning, and research is an under-researched area. Thus, it is vital to examine the current data practices of STEM students and faculties and acquaint them with the FAIR data concept. FAIR Data Principles is a set of guidelines that underscore metadata, vocabularies, licences, and standards to enhance data reuse. A study was conducted among students and faculties in the STEM community of the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) to unpack their current data practices and explore areas for improvement using the FAIR Data Principles. The STEM students and faculties of the RUB share and reuse digital materials and resources for teaching, learning, and research. Nevertheless, their data practice is not as widespread or desired in the literature on optimum data reuse. Moreover, the compliance of current data practices to the tenets of FAIR Data Principles is not satisfactory. A pragmatic solution is complementing data practices with policies and infrastructural systems that underscore FAIR Data Principles. A sensitisation programme such as seminars and hands-on exercises on data FAIRification is crucial to familiarise people with the essentialness of FAIR data, and doing so will provide a platform to develop their repertoire for FAIRifying data and encourage systematic sharing and reuse of data. An in-depth account of the FAIRifying STEM data ecosystem in the study contributes to the growing knowledge base on adopting FAIR Data Principles in other areas of data-informed work and life

FAIRifying STEM Data Ecosystem to Enhance Data Reuse

In the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community, academic and research workflows and work practices are increasingly mediated and informed by data. However, making digital materials and resources findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) for teaching, learning, and research is an under-researched area. Thus, it is vital to examine the current data practices of STEM students and faculties and acquaint them with the FAIR data concept. FAIR Data Principles is a set of guidelines that underscore metadata, vocabularies, licences, and standards to enhance data reuse. A study was conducted among students and faculties in the STEM community of the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) to unpack their current data practices and explore areas for improvement using the FAIR Data Principles. The STEM students and faculties of the RUB share and reuse digital materials and resources for teaching, learning, and research. Nevertheless, their data practice is not as widespread or desired in the literature on optimum data reuse. Moreover, the compliance of current data practices to the tenets of FAIR Data Principles is not satisfactory. A pragmatic solution is complementing data practices with policies and infrastructural systems that underscore FAIR Data Principles. A sensitisation programme such as seminars and hands-on exercises on data FAIRification is crucial to familiarise people with the essentialness of FAIR data, and doing so will provide a platform to develop their repertoire for FAIRifying data and encourage systematic sharing and reuse of data. An in-depth account of the FAIRifying STEM data ecosystem in the study contributes to the growing knowledge base on adopting FAIR Data Principles in other areas of data-informed work and life

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice on tuberculosis among teacher trainees of Samtse College of Education, Bhutan.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem in Bhutan despite the implementation of directly observed treatment short-course since 1997. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice on TB among the teacher trainees of Samtse College of Education.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted among the teacher trainees of Samtse College of Education. A standardized pretested questionnaire was distributed and self-administered. The participants were selected randomly using randomization. The data was entered in Epi-data 4.4.2.1 and analysed using STATA version 13. A score of 1 point for a correct answer and 0 for wrong/don't know answer was given. The knowledge, attitude and practice score were divided into good and poor based on 50% cut off. Logistic regression was used for the analysis to identify the significant covariates.ResultsA total of 420 trainees responded to the survey questionnaire. The average knowledge score on TB was 10.7 (Range = 0-21). Two hundred and forty respondents (58.6%) had low knowledge (mean score 7.8±2.5) on TB. Cough, chest pain and weight loss were correctly reported as the symptoms of TB by 306 (72.9%), 187(44.5%) and 187 (44.5%) participants. Eighty-nine-point five percent (376) of participants reported coughing as the main route of TB transmission and 85% (357) of the participants said that it could be prevented by covering the mouth while coughing. In multivariable analysis; the trainees in the junior years of college had good knowledge of TB compared with the senior years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-3.5; p-value 0.011). Respondents previously treated for TB were more likely to have good knowledge on TB compared to those who never had TB in the past (AOR 2.39; 95% CI 1.07-5.31; p-value 0.033). The majority (93%) of respondents had a good attitude towards TB cases. Female trainees were 2.4 (95% CI 1.02-5.62; p-value 0.045) times more likely than male trainees to have a positive attitude towards TB. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents reported that they would visit the hospital if they had TB symptoms. The mean score for the practice on TB was 1.33±0.59 (Range:0-2).ConclusionIn this study, the majority of the trainees had poor knowledge on TB, especially among the trainees in senior years of college and those who had never suffered from TB. The attitude towards TB was good especially among the female trainees. However, the overall practice was poor among the participants. Therefore, the Ministry of Health should collaborate with relevant stakeholders especially the Ministry of Education to incorporate topics on TB in the syllabus of students and colleges to create awareness on it

Factors Influencing Teachers’ Intention to Use Technology: Role of TPACK and Facilitating Conditions

The behavioral intention (BI) of teachers to use technology is an important factor in the success of technology use in classrooms. Many models have been developed and extended in different contexts by adding various independent variables to the two initial variables of the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis,1989): Perceived usefulness (PU) and Perceived ease of use (PEOU) to determine teachers' BI to use technology. However, not many have attempted to investigate the role of Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and Facilitating Conditions (FC) in determining teachers’ BI to use technology. Further, mediation through PU and PEOU from TPACK and FC to determine BI remains untested. To address these gaps, this study used an extended TAM (eTAM) model to investigate factors influencing teachers' BI to use technology. Employing convenience sampling technique, an electronic survey questionnaire consisting of 22 items was distributed across the schools in two western districts of Bhutan. A total of 207 in-service school teachers voluntarily responded to the survey. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data; first, to examine whether there is any direct influence of TPACK and FC on BI or not, and then the mediating effects of PU and PEOU from TPACK and FC to BI. The findings revealed that there was no evidence of a direct influence from TPACK and FC on BI, though there was a significant effect of TPACK and FC on teachers’ BI when mediated through PU and PEOU

The Weight of Schoolbags and Musculoskeletal Pain in Children of Selected Schools in Thimphu, Bhutan: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: The carriage of loads on the back in children, >10% of one’s body weight (BW), induces postural change and morbidity related to spinal pain. We studied the weight of schoolbags and the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain related to carrying schoolbags among children in Thimphu, Bhutan. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, with a multistage cluster sampling, conducted amongst grade 8 and 10 students. Data were collected using a standardized self-administered questionnaire and weights of students and schoolbags were measured. Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings. Means were compared using t test and risk factors were identified using logistic regression. Results: There were 131 students whose schoolbags weighed >10% body weight (BW). The mean weight of schoolbags was 4.6 ±1.5 kg for grade 8 students and 4.0 ±1.5 kg for grade 10 students. Musculoskeletal pain in at least one body region was reported by 411 students. Schoolbags weighing >10% BW and carrying the bags over only one shoulder were significant risk factors for reporting musculoskeletal pain. There were 197 students whose schoolbags did not have any safety feature; students did not use them consistently even if they were present. Conclusions: The weight of school bags that were more than the recommended ?10% BW was a strong factor in reporting musculoskeletal pain. Parents and students may be educated on the use of schoolbags with safety features. Measures such as providing storage facilities in schools may reduce the weight of bags