Medical students' perception of online assessment at a private medical college

Introduction: During COVID-19 lockdown, Shalamar Medical College opted for an unproctored online formative assessment. Medical institutes have conducted online assessments before COVID-19 and literature presents contrasting views on its acceptability by teachers and students alike. Objective:  This study aims to determine medical students’ perception of the unproctored online assessments. Methods:  A survey questionnaire was disseminated through Google forms to all MBBS students of SMDC on WhatsApp. Consent to take part in the survey was added to the questionnaire and students consenting to be a part of the survey were requested to fill in the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of closed ended as well as open-ended questions. The data was analyzed by IBM SPSS 20. Results:  Network issues are believed to be a major issue in taking online tests (83%) and 45% of the students feel it is more difficult to take an online test. Fifty-eight percent of the students feel it is easy to cheat on online tests. A considerable number of students (P = 0.00) believe that MCQS are more reliable than SEQs. Conclusion:  The results of this study showed that students do not consider online tests as reliable and effective as classroom tests because of network issues, and unconducive environment at home, limited time, and academic dishonesty. However, if they are unavoidable, students would be more receptive to MCQs than SEQs. KEYWORDS: Reliability, cheating, effectiveness, online assessment  

Effect of Supplementation of Vitamin E in Combination of Selenium on the Immune Status of Human Subjects Against Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of mortality in Pakistan which is linked with malnutrition and weak immunity. Such people are more prone to chronic infections including TB. The current study aimed to assess the effect of supplementation of Vitamin E on the immune status of human subjects against pulmonary tuberculosis. A total of 80 patients with pulmonary TB were divided into treatment group (vitamin E) and control group (Anti-tuberculosis regime). Presence of acid fast bacilli in sputum sample, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, total leucocytes counts, body mass index and mid arm muscle circumference (MAMC) were recorded as per standard protocol. Levels of vitamin E, IgG, IgM and T-Cell count were determined before and after treatment. The results showed that 16% males and 33% females were underweight who consumed 1145 kcal energy instead of 2270 kcal per day and 19.5 gram protein instead of 78.6 grams. A non significant effect of vitamin E on ESR and TLC values was observed but significant increase in level of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM) and T-cell types (CD4+ and CD8+) was observed in patients as compared to control group. Results indicate that vitamin E plays important role in enhancing immunity of patients against TB.