ABSTRACT
La falta de información sobre el uso de la tecnología en niños con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) de diferentes perfiles puede dificultar que docentes y alumnos se estén beneficiando del apoyo tecnológico más eficaz y ajustado a sus necesidades. El objetivo de esta revisión fue analizar y sintetizar la evidencia científica sobre la eficacia de los recursos tecnológicos en la mejora de la comprensión emocional de estudiantes con TEA con perfiles de alto y bajo funcionamiento. Para ello se realizó una revisión sistemática de las publicaciones científicas indexadas en algunas de las bases de datos de mayor relevancia siguiendo los criterios establecidos en la declaración PRISMA. En total se analizaron 38 artículos que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión preestablecidos. Los resultados muestran la importancia de diseñar sistemas versátiles que puedan personalizarse y adaptarse en tiempo real y en contextos naturales con un enfoque claramente inclusivo. Pero también sugieren que la tecnología puede no ser una herramienta de intervención complementaria adecuada para todos los niños con TEA. Lo que subraya la necesidad de ensayos adicionales bien controlados sobre las características que permitan identificar qué estudiantes podrían o no beneficiarse de diferentes modalidades de tecnología. (AU)
The lack of information on the use of technology in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) of different profiles can make it difficult for teachers and students to benefit from the most effective technology support tailored to their needs. The aim of this review was to analyze and synthesize scientific evidence on the effectiveness of technological resources in improving the emotional understanding of students with high and low functioning ASD profiles. A systematic review of the scientific publications indexed in some of the most relevant databases was carried out following the criteria established in the PRISMA declaration. A total of 38 articles that met the pre-established inclusion criteria were analyzed. The results show the importance of designing versatile systems that can be customized and adapted in real time and in natural contexts with a clearly inclusive approach. But they also suggest that technology may not be an appropriate complementary intervention tool for all children with ASD. This underlines the need for additional well-controlled tests on the characteristics that would allow identifying which students might or might not benefit from different technology modalities. (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Educational Technology , Autism Spectrum Disorder , Autistic DisorderABSTRACT
La falta de información sobre el uso de la tecnología en niños con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) de diferentes perfiles puede dificultar que docentes y alumnos se estén beneficiando del apoyo tecnológico más eficaz y ajustado a sus necesidades. El objetivo de esta revisión fue analizar y sintetizar la evidencia científica sobre la eficacia de los recursos tecnológicos en la mejora de la comprensión emocional de estudiantes con TEA con perfiles de alto y bajo funcionamiento. Para ello se realizó una revisión sistemática de las publicaciones científicas indexadas en algunas de las bases de datos de mayor relevancia siguiendo los criterios establecidos en la declaración PRISMA. En total se analizaron 38 artículos que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión preestablecidos. Los resultados muestran la importancia de diseñar sistemas versátiles que puedan personalizarse y adaptarse en tiempo real y en contextos naturales con un enfoque claramente inclusivo. Pero también sugieren que la tecnología puede no ser una herramienta de intervención complementaria adecuada para todos los niños con TEA. Lo que subraya la necesidad de ensayos adicionales bien controlados sobre las características que permitan identificar qué estudiantes podrían o no beneficiarse de diferentes modalidades de tecnología. (AU)
The lack of information on the use of technology in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) of different profiles can make it difficult for teachers and students to benefit from the most effective technology support tailored to their needs. The aim of this review was to analyze and synthesize scientific evidence on the effectiveness of technological resources in improving the emotional understanding of students with high and low functioning ASD profiles. A systematic review of the scientific publications indexed in some of the most relevant databases was carried out following the criteria established in the PRISMA declaration. A total of 38 articles that met the pre-established inclusion criteria were analyzed. The results show the importance of designing versatile systems that can be customized and adapted in real time and in natural contexts with a clearly inclusive approach. But they also suggest that technology may not be an appropriate complementary intervention tool for all children with ASD. This underlines the need for additional well-controlled tests on the characteristics that would allow identifying which students might or might not benefit from different technology modalities. (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Child, Preschool , Child , Adolescent , Educational Technology , Autism Spectrum Disorder , Autistic DisorderABSTRACT
Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots provide a novel format for individuals to interact with large language models (LLMs). Recently released tools allow nontechnical users to develop chatbots using natural language. Surgical education is an exciting area in which chatbots developed in this manner may be rapidly deployed, though additional work will be required to ensure their accuracy and safety. In this paper, we outline our initial experience with AI chatbot creation in surgical education and offer considerations for future use of this technology.
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We evaluated the use of ChatGPT-4, an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) language model, in medical oral examinations, specifically in anesthesiology. Initially proven adept in written examinations, ChatGPT-4's performance was tested against oral board sample sessions of the American Board of Anesthesiology. Modifications were made to ensure responses were concise and conversationally natural, simulating real patient consultations or oral examinations. The results demonstrate ChatGPT-4's impressive adaptability and potential in oral board examinations as a training and assessment tool in medical education, indicating new avenues for AI application in this field.
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Artificial intelligence has experienced explosive growth in the past year that will have implications in all aspects of our lives, including medicine. In order to train a physician workforce that understands these new advancements, medical educators must take steps now to ensure that physicians are adequately trained in medical school, residency, and fellowship programs to become proficient in the usage of artificial intelligence in medical practice. This manuscript discusses the various considerations that leadership within medical training programs should be mindful of when deciding how to best integrate artificial intelligence into their curricula.
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INTRODUCTION: Open-source generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications are fast-transforming access to information and allow students to prepare assignments and offer quite accurate responses to a wide range of exam questions which are routinely used in assessments of students across the board including undergraduate dental students. This study aims to evaluate the performance of Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), a generative AI-based application, on a wide range of assessments used in contemporary healthcare education and discusses the implications for undergraduate dental education. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an exploratory study investigating the accuracy of ChatGPT to attempt a range of recognised assessments in healthcare education curricula. A total of 50 independent items encompassing 50 different learning outcomes (n = 10 per item) were developed by the research team. These included 10 separate items based on each of the five commonly used question formats including multiple-choice questions (MCQs); short-answer questions (SAQs); short essay questions (SEQs); single true/false questions; and fill in the blanks items. Chat GPT was used to attempt each of these 50 questions. In addition, ChatGPT was used to generate reflective reports based on multisource feedback; research methodology; and critical appraisal of the literature. RESULTS: ChatGPT application provided accurate responses to majority of knowledge-based assessments based on MCQs, SAQs, SEQs, true/false and fill in the blanks items. However, it was only able to answer text-based questions and did not allow processing of questions based on images. Responses generated to written assignments were also satisfactory apart from those for critical appraisal of literature. Word count was the key limitation observed in outputs generated by the free version of ChatGPT. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding their current limitations, generative AI-based applications have the potential to revolutionise virtual learning. Instead of treating it as a threat, healthcare educators need to adapt teaching and assessments in medical and dental education to the benefits of the learners while mitigating against dishonest use of AI-based technology.
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Artificial Intelligence , Students, Dental , Humans , Education, Dental , Learning , CurriculumABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: ChatGPT is a 175-billion-parameter natural language processing model that is already involved in scientific content and publications. Its influence ranges from providing quick access to information on medical topics, assisting in generating medical and scientific articles and papers, performing medical data analyses, and even interpreting complex data sets. OBJECTIVE: The future role of ChatGPT remains uncertain and a matter of debate already shortly after its release. This review aimed to analyze the role of ChatGPT in the medical literature during the first 3 months after its release. METHODS: We performed a concise review of literature published in PubMed from December 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. To find all publications related to ChatGPT or considering ChatGPT, the search term was kept simple ("ChatGPT" in AllFields). All publications available as full text in German or English were included. All accessible publications were evaluated according to specifications by the author team (eg, impact factor, publication modus, article type, publication speed, and type of ChatGPT integration or content). The conclusions of the articles were used for later SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. All data were analyzed on a descriptive basis. RESULTS: Of 178 studies in total, 160 met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated. The average impact factor was 4.423 (range 0-96.216), and the average publication speed was 16 (range 0-83) days. Among the articles, there were 77 editorials (48,1%), 43 essays (26.9%), 21 studies (13.1%), 6 reviews (3.8%), 6 case reports (3.8%), 6 news (3.8%), and 1 meta-analysis (0.6%). Of those, 54.4% (n=87) were published as open access, with 5% (n=8) provided on preprint servers. Over 400 quotes with information on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were detected. By far, most (n=142, 34.8%) were related to weaknesses. ChatGPT excels in its ability to express ideas clearly and formulate general contexts comprehensibly. It performs so well that even experts in the field have difficulty identifying abstracts generated by ChatGPT. However, the time-limited scope and the need for corrections by experts were mentioned as weaknesses and threats of ChatGPT. Opportunities include assistance in formulating medical issues for nonnative English speakers, as well as the possibility of timely participation in the development of such artificial intelligence tools since it is in its early stages and can therefore still be influenced. CONCLUSIONS: Artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT are already part of the medical publishing landscape. Despite their apparent opportunities, policies and guidelines must be implemented to ensure benefits in education, clinical practice, and research and protect against threats such as scientific misconduct, plagiarism, and inaccuracy.
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Artificial Intelligence , Data Analysis , Humans , Educational Status , Language , Natural Language ProcessingABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Technological advancements are reshaping medical education, with digital tools becoming essential in all levels of training. Amidst this transformation, the study explores the potential of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence model by OpenAI, in enhancing neurosurgical board education. The focus extends beyond technology adoption to its effective utilization, with ChatGPT's proficiency evaluated against practice questions from the Primary Neurosurgery Written Board Exam. METHODS: Using the Congress of Neurologic Surgeons (CNS) Self-Assessment Neurosurgery (SANS) Exam Board Review Prep questions, we conducted 3 rounds of analysis with ChatGPT. We developed a novel ChatGPT Neurosurgical Evaluation Matrix (CNEM) to assess the output quality, accuracy, concordance, and clarity of ChatGPT's answers. RESULTS: ChatGPT achieved spot-on accuracy for 66.7% of prompted questions, 59.4% of unprompted questions, and 63.9% of unprompted questions with a leading phrase. Stratified by topic, accuracy ranged from 50.0% (Vascular) to 78.8% (Neuropathology). In comparison to SANS explanations, ChatGPT output was considered better in 19.1% of questions, equal in 51.6%, and worse in 29.3%. Concordance analysis showed that 95.5% of unprompted ChatGPT outputs and 97.4% of unprompted outputs with a leading phrase were aligned. CONCLUSIONS: Our study evaluated the performance of ChatGPT in neurosurgical board education by assessing its accuracy, clarity, and concordance. The findings highlight the potential and challenges of integrating AI technologies like ChatGPT into medical and neurosurgical board education. Further research is needed to refine these tools and optimize their performance for enhanced medical education and patient care.
Subject(s)
Neurosurgery , Humans , Artificial Intelligence , Educational Status , Neurosurgical Procedures , LanguageABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Many health professions faculty members lack training on fundamental lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) health topics. Faculty development is needed to address knowledge gaps, improve teaching, and prepare students to competently care for the growing LGBTQ+ population. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a program evaluation of the massive open online course Teaching LGBTQ+ Health: A Faculty Development Course for Health Professions Educators from the Stanford School of Medicine. Our goal was to understand participant demographics, impact, and ongoing maintenance needs to inform decisions about updating the course. METHODS: We evaluated the course for the period from March 27, 2021, to February 24, 2023, guided by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework. We assessed impact using participation numbers, evidence of learning, and likelihood of practice change. Data included participant demographics, performance on a pre- and postcourse quiz, open-text entries throughout the course, continuing medical education (CME) credits awarded, and CME course evaluations. We analyzed demographics using descriptive statistics and pre- and postcourse quiz scores using a paired 2-tailed t test. We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of open-text responses to prompts within the course and CME evaluation questions. RESULTS: Results were reported using the 5 framework domains. Regarding Reach, 1782 learners participated in the course, and 1516 (85.07%) accessed it through a main course website. Of the different types of participants, most were physicians (423/1516, 27.9%) and from outside the sponsoring institution and target audience (1452/1516, 95.78%). Regarding Effectiveness, the median change in test scores for the 38.1% (679/1782) of participants who completed both the pre- and postcourse tests was 3 out of 10 points, or a 30% improvement (P<.001). Themes identified from CME evaluations included LGBTQ+ health as a distinct domain, inclusivity in practices, and teaching LGBTQ+ health strategies. A minority of participants (237/1782, 13.3%) earned CME credits. Regarding Adoption, themes identified among responses to prompts in the course included LGBTQ+ health concepts and instructional strategies. Most participants strongly agreed with numerous positive statements about the course content, presentation, and likelihood of practice change. Regarding Implementation, the course cost US $57,000 to build and was intramurally funded through grants and subsidies. The course faculty spent an estimated 600 hours on the project, and educational technologists spent another 712 hours. Regarding Maintenance, much of the course is evergreen, and ongoing oversight and quality assurance require minimal faculty time. New content will likely include modules on transgender health and gender-affirming care. CONCLUSIONS: Teaching LGBTQ+ Health improved participants' knowledge of fundamental queer health topics. Overall participation has been modest to date. Most participants indicated an intention to change clinical or teaching practices. Maintenance costs are minimal. The web-based course will continue to be offered, and new content will likely be added.
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The National Medical Commission (NMC) in India has introduced new guidelines for the eligibility qualifications of faculty in medical institutions in 2022, aimed at enhancing the quality of medical education and healthcare in the country. The guidelines include an increased minimum publication requirement for promotion to professorship, the consideration of various types of publications, and mandatory courses in biomedical research and medical education technology. The guidelines also recommend reputable indexing databases and journals to improve the quality of research work. The NMC's efforts are expected to promote research collaboration, evidence-based clinical practice, and consistent teaching standards. However, it is essential to ensure that the recommended databases and journals are legitimate and credible. Overall, the NMC's initiatives to improve medical education in India are commendable, and it is hoped that they will lead to significant improvements in the quality of healthcare in the country.
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Targets 12.4 and 3.9 aim to reduce deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and to achieve environmentally friendly management of chemical and wastes. Electronic wastes, which contain hazardous chemicals, are rapidly generated in poor countries due to demand for affordable near-end-of-life internet-enabled gadgets that soon wear out and are improperly disposed due to ignorance, throw-away mentality and dearth of waste management infrastructure. This study identified hazardous chemicals contained in significant quantities in e-waste items, described their public health challenges and suggested mitigation measures. Results showed that mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), cadmium, lead and beryllium oxide were hazardous chemicals contained in significant quantities in e-waste items. The study recommended the formulation of appropriate environmental health education technology policy (AEHETP) to guide stakeholders to design education, preventive, therapeutic and decontamination plans for awareness creation and raising to address the toxic effects of e-waste items on users in poor countries.
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O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar, por meio de uma revisão de literatura, a utilização da realidade virtual no processo de ensino-aprendizagem da graduação em Odontologia. Trata-se de um estudo de revisão integrativa da literatura, com buscas de alta sensibilidade, realizado nas bases de dados Medline (PubMed), EMBASE (Elsevier), Cochrane Library e Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, utilizando-se descritores relacionados à realidade virtual, ensino na Odontologia e educação, com termos correlatos recuperados no MeSH, DeCS e Emtree. A busca foi realizada em maio de 2022 por ensaios clínicos nas línguas portuguesa, inglesa ou espanhola. Após avaliação por meio dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão estabelecidos, 14 ensaios clínicos, publicados entre os anos de 2004 e 2021 em língua inglesa, foram incluídos. As finalidades mais testadas das tecnologias de realidade virtual foram para preparos cavitários para remoção de cárie (n=7) e no ensino teórico (n=2). Quanto aos instrumentos de avaliação dos participantes, a avaliação prática de destreza manual foi a mais usada (n=9). As limitações mais recorrentes (n=6) foram deficiências na avaliação ou nos métodos avaliativos dos estudos. Assim, conclui-se que a utilização da realidade virtual na área da Odontologiaapresenta o potencial de aprimorar habilidades técnicas e complementar o ensino de assuntos teóricos de disciplinas da graduação. Considerando esse potencial, sugere-se que mais estudos sejam realizados para uma melhor eficácia e aplicabilidade da realidade virtual na graduação (AU).
El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar, a través de una revisión de la literatura, el uso de la realidad virtual en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la carrera de Odontología. Se trata de un estudio de revisión integradora de la literatura, con búsquedas de alta sensibilidad, realizado en las bases de datos Medline (PubMed), EMBASE (Elsevier), Biblioteca Cochrane y Biblioteca Virtual en Salud, utilizando descriptores relacionados con la realidad virtual, la enseñanza en Odontología y la educación, con temas relacionados. términos recuperados de MeSH, DeCS y Emtree. La búsqueda se realizó en mayo de 2022 de ensayos clínicos en portugués, inglés o español. Tras la evaluación mediante los criterios de inclusión y exclusión establecidos, se incluyeron 14 ensayos clínicos, publicados entre 2004 y 2021 en inglés. Los usos más probados de las tecnologías de realidad virtual fueron la preparación de cavidades para la eliminación de caries (n=7) y la enseñanza teórica (n=2). En cuanto a los instrumentos de evaluación de los participantes, la evaluación práctica de la destreza manual fue la más utilizada (n=9). Las limitaciones más recurrentes (n=6) fueron deficiencias en la evaluación o métodos de evaluación de los estudios. Así, se concluye que el uso de la realidad virtual en el área de Odontología tiene el potencial de mejorar las habilidades técnicas y complementar la enseñanza de materias teóricas en los cursos de pregrado. Considerando este potencial, se sugiere realizar más estudios para mejorarla efectividad y aplicabilidad de la realidad virtual en los estudios de pregrado (AU).
The objective of this study was to investigate, through a literature review, the use of virtual reality in the teaching-learning process of undergraduate Dentistry. This is an integrative literature review study, with high sensitivity searches, carried out in the Medline (PubMed), EMBASE (Elsevier), Cochrane Library and Virtual Health Library databases, using descriptors related to virtual reality, teaching in Dentistry and education, with related terms retrieved from MeSH, DeCS and Emtree. The search was carried out in May 2022 for clinical trials in Portuguese, English or Spanish.After evaluation using the established inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 clinical trials, published between 2004 and 2021 in English, were included. The most tested purposes of virtual reality technologies were for cavity preparations for caries removal (n=7) and in theoretical teaching (n=2). Regarding participant assessment instruments, the practical assessment of manual dexterity was the most used (n=9). The most recurrent limitations (n=6) were deficiencies in the evaluation or evaluation methods ofthe studies. Thus, it is concluded that the use of virtual reality in the area of Dentistry has the potential to improve technical skills and complement the teaching of theoretical subjects in undergraduate courses. Considering this potential, it is suggested that more studies be carried out to improve the effectiveness and applicability of virtual reality in undergraduate studies (AU).
Subject(s)
Teaching , Education, Dental , Educational Technology , Health Human Resource TrainingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Prior studies have demonstrated the value of live streamed surgical procedures in surgical education and that learning is further enhanced with the use of 360-degree video. Emerging virtual reality (VR) technology now offers yet another advancement by placing learners in an immersive environment, which can improve both engagement and procedural learning. AIMS: The aim here is to test the feasibility of live streaming surgery in immersive virtual reality using consumer-level technology, including stream stability and impacts on case duration. METHODOLOGY: Ten laparoscopic procedures were live-streamed in a 360-degree immersive VR format over a 3-week period for viewing by surgical residents in a remote location wearing a head-mounted display. Stream quality, stability and latency were monitored, and operating room time was compared to non-streamed surgeries to quantify impacts on procedure times. CONCLUSIONS: This novel live streaming configuration was able to deliver high-quality, low-latency video directly to a VR platform, allowing complete immersion into the learning environment by remote learners. Live streaming surgical procedures in an immersive VR format provides an efficient, cost-effective, and reproducible way to teleport remote learners from any location directly into the operating room.
Subject(s)
Laparoscopy , Virtual Reality , Laparoscopy/methods , Operating RoomsABSTRACT
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the use of high-quality clinical research in making decisions about the care of patients. Its formal origin dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, and since then, it has continued to evolve. The best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values are described as the foundations of EBM. However, several tools and skills have been developed and added over time. EBM has faced a lot of criticism, and the pitfalls are widely discussed and published in the medical literature. The biggest challenge is the changing paradigm of healthcare, cost-effectiveness, and changing evidence which has led to controversies and challenges in the rapid adaptation of the EBM. This review article discusses the history, conception, and evolution of modern-day EBM. In addition, we discuss why EBM has been criticized and highlight the pitfalls.
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BACKGROUND: Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is a 175-billion-parameter natural language processing model that can generate conversation-style responses to user input. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of ChatGPT on questions within the scope of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 exams, as well as to analyze responses for user interpretability. METHODS: We used 2 sets of multiple-choice questions to evaluate ChatGPT's performance, each with questions pertaining to Step 1 and Step 2. The first set was derived from AMBOSS, a commonly used question bank for medical students, which also provides statistics on question difficulty and the performance on an exam relative to the user base. The second set was the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) free 120 questions. ChatGPT's performance was compared to 2 other large language models, GPT-3 and InstructGPT. The text output of each ChatGPT response was evaluated across 3 qualitative metrics: logical justification of the answer selected, presence of information internal to the question, and presence of information external to the question. RESULTS: Of the 4 data sets, AMBOSS-Step1, AMBOSS-Step2, NBME-Free-Step1, and NBME-Free-Step2, ChatGPT achieved accuracies of 44% (44/100), 42% (42/100), 64.4% (56/87), and 57.8% (59/102), respectively. ChatGPT outperformed InstructGPT by 8.15% on average across all data sets, and GPT-3 performed similarly to random chance. The model demonstrated a significant decrease in performance as question difficulty increased (P=.01) within the AMBOSS-Step1 data set. We found that logical justification for ChatGPT's answer selection was present in 100% of outputs of the NBME data sets. Internal information to the question was present in 96.8% (183/189) of all questions. The presence of information external to the question was 44.5% and 27% lower for incorrect answers relative to correct answers on the NBME-Free-Step1 (P<.001) and NBME-Free-Step2 (P=.001) data sets, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ChatGPT marks a significant improvement in natural language processing models on the tasks of medical question answering. By performing at a greater than 60% threshold on the NBME-Free-Step-1 data set, we show that the model achieves the equivalent of a passing score for a third-year medical student. Additionally, we highlight ChatGPT's capacity to provide logic and informational context across the majority of answers. These facts taken together make a compelling case for the potential applications of ChatGPT as an interactive medical education tool to support learning.
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Early childhood is an age of children whose learning tendencies rely on games, therefore this study aims to describe the IcanDO platform for early childhood in learning Arabic. The research was conducted with a qualitative approach, the data sources were early childhood teachers. Data collected by observation techniques, interviews and documentation studies. The result of the research is that IcanDO as a learning platform is interesting for early childhood, with this platform they can play to learn Arabic. In accordance with the data, it was found that the IcanDO platform used can stimulate early childhood learning, stronger memory, personalized learning can be implemented, children's thinking skills can be trained and children's multilingual abilities are also growing. Researchers recommend that the use of various platforms that support the implementation of education in difficult conditions continue to be developed. The limitation of this research is that IcanDO and its effectiveness have not been studied comprehensively, therefore the aspects that have not been touched in this research can be the work of future researchers.
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Educational technology is a discipline that has a lot of roles to play in the global education system yet, its services had been neglected over the years in Nigeria. The new global reality that was occasioned by the upsurge of COVID-19 has made educational technology a very consequential discipline with conspicuous roles to play in the face of such a global pandemic. COVID-19 has halted many human activities across the globe. Its effect in the education system has resulted to re-adjustment in the school calendar, prolonged graduation dates, and reduced research output. To combat this, many education systems now adopt the services of educational technology thereby changing the old norm. But for this new norm to be sustainable, this paper argues that the education system must show a pragmatic attitude towards the adoption of such innovation rather than a conservative attitude. Therefore, using the diffusion theory of innovation, this paper argues that necessity called for compulsory adoption of innovation in the Nigerian education system. This new opportunity, however, looks bleak as many educational practitioners lack the required skills and attitude to adopt the innovation. It, therefore, concludes that educational practitioners need in-service training to be part of these changes. The government is suggested to apply a systematic approach in procuring and installing ICT facilities that will enhance the diffusion of this innovation into the school system.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closure and loss of in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 academic year across the United States, which had a profound impact on the reading development of beginning readers. In this study we tested if a research-informed educational technology (EdTech) program-GraphoLearn-could help alleviate the COVID-19 slide. We also sought to understand the profiles of children who benefitted most from this EdTech program. Methods: We tested participants' (N = 172 K-2 children) early literacy skills using a standardized measure (STAR) before and after playing GraphoLearn, and used the pre to post difference as the dependent variable. We first compared children's STAR actual and expected growth. Then we conducted a multiple regression analysis with data about engagement with GraphoLearn included as predictors. Additional predictors were extracted from GraphoLearn performance at study onset to assess children's letter-sound knowledge, rime awareness, and word recognition. Results: The difference between actual average reading growth and expected growth in a regular school year was not statistically significant. This suggests that children in our sample seem to be gaining reading skills as expected in a regular school year. Our multiple linear regression model (which accounted for R2 = 48% of reading growth) showed that older children, with higher baseline GraphoLearn word recognition, who played more units in a fixed number of days, made significantly more early literacy progress. Discussion: While lacking a control group, our preliminary results suggest that an EdTech program such as GraphoLearn may be a useful reading instructional tool during school shutdowns. In addition, our results suggest that practice with GraphoLearn was more effective and efficient when foundational instruction was already in place.
