OBJECTIVE: The goal of this research was to examine the clinical utility of the digital Clock in the Box (dCIB), a novel digitized cognitive screening test. This was accomplished by (1) creating cutoff scores for the dCIB, (2) evaluating performance on the dCIB relative to established cognitive screening and standardized neuropsychological measures, and (3) determining the efficacy of the dCIB to screen for subtle cognitive deficits associated with poor vascular health. Metabolic Syndrome (MetS; clinical syndrome of three or more cardiovascular risk factors) is a rising health epidemic associated with an increased risk for cerebrovascular disease and vascular dementia. Early detection of subtle deficits associated with MetS may assist in regulation of disease progression and prevention of future vascular dementia. METHODS: A community-based sample of adults with no self-reported history of cognitive impairment was recruited for a cross-sectional study in which they completed a metabolic assessment, blood draw, and a brief neuropsychological battery consisting of the dCIB, the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and measures of executive function, memory, and attention. For part of the analysis, participants were separated into MetS (n=21) and non-MetS (n=42) groups based on current diagnostic criteria for MetS. RESULTS: Participants (N=63) were older (62.49 ± 9.16 years), educated (16.46 ± 2.76 years), and diverse with 44.4% female (n=28) and 28.6% non-White (n=18). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and Youden’s J statistic determined the optimal cutoff value for the dCIB as 5.5 (dCIB score ≤ 6 indicating suspected impairment; dCIB score ≤ 5 indicating probable impairment). Performance on the dCIB (6.32 ± 2.32) was significantly correlated with the MMSE (28.19 ± 2.06); (Pearson’s r = 0.437, p = 0.000). The dCIB had better sensitivity (72.7%) but poorer specificity (65.4%) compared to the MMSE (sensitivity 45.5%; specificity 94.2%). Using regression modeling, the dCIB significantly predicted performance on measures of executive function, memory, and attention. In a sample stratified by vascular risk, the dCIB successfully differentiated MetS (5.33 ± 2.75) and non-MetS (6.81 ± 1.93) groups, with lower dCIB scores in the MetS group relative to the non-MetS group (F = 8.975, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: The dCIB is a novel digitized clock drawing task designed to screen for cognitive impairment. Clinical utility for the dCIB was established by determining its test validity and demonstrating its sensitivity to detect subtle cognitive deficits in a sample with vascular risk. Because the dCIB is simple to administer and brief to complete, it may be an ideal option for routine cognitive screening in primary care settings.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a two-step verification process that aims to provide an additional layer of security by requiring the user to authenticate himself/herself using a secondary means (ownership factor or inheritance factor). Without the use of 2FA, an attacker could gain access to a person’s devices or accounts solely by knowing the victim’s password, while with 2FA knowing only this password is insufficient to pass the authentication check. In this project, we analyze different methods in which 2FA could be implemented by a Digital Assessment Platform. These platforms allow test assessments to be built directly into digital content; therefore, an important requirement of these systems is secure authentication. Moreover, it is important to securely protect teachers’ account in order to avoid unauthorized people gaining access to those accounts. We investigate how 2FA could be used to add an extra layer of security to teachers’ accounts, focusing on cost, user experience, ease of use, and deployment of the solution. We arrived at the conclusion that 2FA through an ownership factor is a suitable method and we implemented a solution based upon One-Time Passwords. This thesis project will hopefully benefit Digital Assessment Platforms who wish to implement 2FA by providing broader knowledge regarding this subject. The project should also benefit society by increasing the general knowledge of 2FA, hence leading to more secure services. / Tvåfaktorsautentisering (2FA) är en tvåstegs verifieringsprocess som syftar att ge en extra nivå av säkerhet, i och med att den kräver användaren att autentisera sig själv genom en sekundär faktor (något man äger eller har ärvt). Utan användning av 2FA, kan en förövare få åtkomst till en persons mobila enhet eller konto endast genom att kunna offrets lösenord. Att enbart kunna lösenordet är inte tillräckligt för att en autentiseringsprocess ska vara godkänd om 2FA är implementerad. I det här projektet analyseras olika 2FA som skulle kunna implementeras av en digital utvärderingsplattform. Sådana plattformar  förvandlar tester och prov till digitalt innehåll och kräver därför en säker autentisering. Dessutom är det viktigt att säkra lärarnas konton för att undvika att icke auktoriserade personer loggar in på deras konton. Vi undersöker hur 2FA kan användas för att lägga till en extra nivå av säkerhet på lärarnas konton, med fokus på kostnad, användarupplevelse, lättanvändlighet och utplacering av lösningen. Vi kom fram till att 2FA via en faktor man äger är en passande metod  och vi implementerade sedan en lösning grundad på engångslösenord. Detta projekt kan förhoppningsvis vara till förmån för digitala utvärderingsplattformar  som vill implementera 2FA,  genom att ge en bredare kunskap inom detta område. Projektet skulle kunna gynna allmänheten genom att bidra till ökad generell kunskap om 2FA, och därav leda till säkrare tjänster.

The development of AI (artificial intelligence) and AI tools has advanced rapidly and has affected teaching in many ways. For example, The Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) now recommends teachers to not use written assignments for grading to ensure that the students have not used AI tools. The purpose of this study was to better understand teachers’ attitudes towards AI tools, their knowledge of them and their experiences of AI tools in relation to their subject specific education and exam methods. The research questions were striving to investigate teachers’ knowledge and use of AI tools in their professional practice, their attitudes towards AI tools, how they have adapted exams and assignments, and how the characteristics of the subjects that the teachers teach affects potential differences in attitudes and exam methods. Seven subject teachers teaching various subjects at the upper secondary and lower secondary levels were interviewed about their attitudes and experiences of AI tools in relation to their teaching through semi-structured interviews. The results showed that teachers generally had limited knowledge about AI tools, despite several of them having participated in professional development regarding AI at their workplaces. The teachers discussed their opinions and experiences regarding AI tools as a tool for cheating, their views on AI tools as a source of knowledge, how AI tools have or will affect schools and the society, how AI tools challenge the teaching role, and their views on using AI tools for assessing student assignments. The teachers also talked about how they have adapted, or not adapted, their exam methods to the development of AI tools and the new recommendations from Skolverket. The results from the interviews were analyzed using the theoretical framework TPACK to break down the teachers' knowledge of AI tools in relation to teaching. In the discussion, the results are compared with previous research, AI tools in relation to teaching are discussed, and suggestions for future research are given. / Utvecklingen av AI (artificiell intelligens) och AI-verktyg har gått snabbt framåt och påverkat skolan och undervisningen på flera sätt. Exempelvis rekommenderar Skolverket numera att lärare inte använder skriftliga inlämningsuppgifter som betygsunderlag för att säkerställa en rättssäker betygssättning. Syftet med denna undersökning var att få mer kunskap om lärares attityder till, kunskaper om och erfarenheter av AI-verktyg i relation till deras ämnesundervisning och betygsgrundande moment. Frågeställningarna var kopplade till att undersöka lärarnas kunskaper och användning av AI-verktyg i sin yrkesutövning, vilka attityder de har till AI-verktyg, hur de anpassat betygsgrundande moment och provtillfällen och hur lärares ämnestillhörighet påverkar eventuella skillnader i attityder och provmetoder. Till undersökningen intervjuades sju verksamma ämneslärare i olika ämnen på gymnasiet och högstadiet om deras attityder och erfarenheter av AI-verktyg i relation till deras undervisning genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet visade att lärarna hade låga kunskaper om AI-verktyg, trots att flera av dem fått tagit del av kompetensutveckling på arbetsplatsen. Lärarna berättade bland annat om deras åsikter och erfarenheter kring AI-verktyg som ett fuskverktyg, hur de ser på AI-verktyg som källa till kunskap, hur AI-verktyg har eller kommer påverka skolan och samhället, hur AI-verktyg utmanar lärarrollen och hur de ser på att använda AI-verktyg för att bedöma elevuppgifter. Lärarna berättade också om hur de anpassat, eller inte anpassat, sina provmetoder till utvecklingen av AI-verktyg och Skolverkets nya rekommendationer. Resultatet analyserades med det teoretiska ramverket TPACK för att bryta ner lärarnas kunskap om AI-verktyg i relation till undervisningen. I diskussionen jämförs resultatet med tidigare forskning, AI-verktyg i relation till undervisning diskuterad och förslag på framtida forskning ges.

Externe Repräsentationen sind für das Verständnis und die Vermittlung chemischer Phänomene und Konzepte essenziell. Lernende werden mit einer Vielzahl an Darstellungen konfrontiert, mit denen sie geeignet umgehen müssen, um die darin transportierten Inhalte zu erfassen. Eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die flexible Verwendung mehrerer Repräsentationen im Lehr- und Lernprozess stellt die sogenannte Translationsfähigkeit dar, welche das Überführen verschiedener Darstellungsformen ineinander beschreibt. Empirische Studien weisen dahingehend auf Defizite bei Lernenden hin. Demzufolge untersucht die vorliegende Arbeit in einer quantitativen Querschnittstudie, inwiefern (a) Übersetzungswege und (b) zu übersetzende Stoffklassen die Übersetzungsschwierigkeit beeinflussen und (c) welche Zusammenhänge zwischen personenbezogenen Eigenschaften und der Translationsfähigkeit bei Lernenden bestehen. Die Stichprobe umfasst Lernende der 10. und 11. Jahrgangsstufe des Bundeslandes Berlin. Für die Erfassung der Translationsfähigkeit wurde ein Erhebungsinstrument konzipiert, dessen Aufgaben in einem Think-Aloud-Setting (N = 10) und in einer quantitativen Vorstudie (N = 225) pilotiert wurden. Die Auswertung der Daten erfolgte unter Anwendung von Item-Response-Theorie sowie Zusammenhangsanalysen. Die Ergebnisse (N = 629) zeigen, dass sich Übersetzungswege zwischen Moleküldarstellungen geringfügig in der Übersetzungsschwierigkeit unterscheiden und ähnlich hohe Anforderungen an die Translationsfähigkeit stellen (a). Zu übersetzende Stoffklassen zeigen Unterschiede in den Übersetzungsschwierigkeiten und damit in den Translationsanforderungen an Lernende (b). In einer multiplen Regression konnten personenbezogene Eigenschaften wie deklaratives Fachwissen und Mental Load als Prädiktoren der Translationsfähigkeit identifiziert werden (c). Die Befunde bieten damit Ansatzpunkte zum Umgang mit Lerngelegenheiten mit Translationsanforderungen und Möglichkeiten für Anschlussforschung. / External representations are important to understand and teach chemical phenomena and concepts. Students are faced with a multitude of representations, which they have to deal with appropriately to comprehend the content conveyed to them. An important prerequisite for the flexible use of several representations in teaching and learning processes is the so-called translation ability, which includes switching from one form of representation to another. However, empirical work reveals deficits among students. To shed light on these deficits, this work uses a quantitative cross-sectional study to investigate how the variables (a) translation path and (b) chemical class influence the translation difficulty, and (c) which correlations exist between students’ personal characteristics and their translation ability. The sample consists of 10th and 11th grade students from high schools in Berlin. To assess translation ability, a multiple-choice test was developed and validated in a think-aloud setting (N = 10) and a quantitative pre-study (N = 225). The data were analyzed using item response theory, as well as correlation and regression analyses. The results (N = 629) indicated that translation paths between molecular representations differ only slightly in terms of translation difficulty and have similarly high translation ability requirements (a). Regarding chemical classes, differences in translation difficulty and thus translation requirements for students could be identified (b). In a multiple regression, person-related variables such as declarative knowledge and mental load could be identified as predictors of translation ability (c). Thereby, these findings provide first principles for dealing with learning opportunities that have translation requirements and possibilities for follow-up research.