Is the Socratic method a flexible kind of evaluation

With the use of quizzes, questions, and reflection prompts, Socrative is a formative assessment tool that enables instructors and students to monitor learning and advancement in real time throughout class.

Does it improve language proficiency and skills?
Although Socrative doesn’t directly improve skills, it indirectly does so by assisting instructors in determining whether or not their students are comprehending anything. Let’s imagine that students are reading a text from their course book, for instance. The questions you want students to respond to might be turned into a quiz.

They read the content, take the exam on Socrative, and you can view each student’s responses right away. To assist the class read more effectively, you may spot issues and then work to solve them together. When teaching a language, you may use the Quick Socrative answer and Question feature to confirm that each student is aware of the language’s meaning, structure, and use.

Teachers may design tests
Whatever the instructor and students are working on in class, this tool is made to be utilized. That indicates that Socrative doesn’t provide any material. Although quizzes must be created in advance, they may be utilized again afterwards. Teachers may send a link to a quiz to a colleague, but there is presently no way to look for quizzes created by other teachers. Tests are private until they are shared. Teachers must create their own questions for the Quick Question and Exit Ticket features since they are tailored to the current lesson’s material.

It tracks your learning, right?
Socrative’s main objective is to monitor learning. It may be used by teachers to evaluate the whole class, not just the students who raise their hands. As a result, instructors have a greater understanding of what the whole class knows rather than just a select few, which allows them to provide better feedback and decide how to proceed with the lesson or course. The Exit Ticket option on Socrative is my favorite feature. At the conclusion of a session or module, students respond to three questions that encourage them to be more introspective in order to assess their progress and set new objectives.

Introducing social interaction
Although Socrative does not explicitly allow for social interaction, it may be utilized in a group setting in the classroom. A real-time team game is called the Space Race. Quizzes and the Exit Ticket, which asks students to reflect collectively on their learning, may both be completed in pairs or groups. Socrative gives more choice over how students work and get feedback, allowing pairs or teams to work at their own speed and receive either instant feedback or wait for instructor input, even if other tools are better at adding a fun element to their assessment tools.

Educating yourself with language
Socrative offers several chances for students to pick up new abilities while honing their language use. It may be used to evaluate students’ comprehension of other English-language courses, such arithmetic or history. Exit Ticket encourages students to evaluate their education more critically. I don’t intend to be critical of the teachings, but rather of how they performed or went about a task. Students who are more critical start to comprehend how they learn, which may help them do their jobs more successfully in the future.

How Can Researchers Identify Q1 Journals in Their Area of Study

Q1 journals are highly regarded in the academic community and can boost a researcher’s reputation and help them secure funding or tenure. Additionally, these journals typically have a wider readership and greater visibility than lower-ranked journals.

Fortunately, there are several ways that researchers can identify Q1 journals in their area of study. In this article, we will discuss how to do so using a few different methods.

Ask Your Colleagues or Mentors
If you have colleagues or mentors in your field, they may be able to help you identify a journal that is likely to be of interest. In particular, they can help you understand what criteria are important when selecting a journal.

For example, some people use a journal’s SJR or h-index score to determine whether it is considered top-ranked. Others use a combination of factors, such as the journal’s impact factor and number of citations, to make their selection.

Another metric that can be helpful is the journal’s turnaround time. This metric indicates how long it takes from when an article is first submitted until it is published online.

In general, Q1 journals are those that are in the top 25% of journals in their category or field based on a citation impact factor. You can find this information in bibliographic databases such as Scopus and Web of Science. Alternatively, you can also find it on the publisher’s website.

Look at the Journal’s Website
Often, Q1 journal can be identified by their ranking in the most prestigious academic databases such as Scopus and Web of Science. These databases provide a thorough list of journals in various categories along with their quartile ranking and other important metrics like impact factor and citations.

In general, Q1 journals are those that rank among the top 25% of journals in a particular category or field. This means that publishing in a Q1 journal can help boost a researcher’s reputation and might even assist them in getting funding or tenure.

Researchers can check the quartile rating of a journal by searching the publication list in Web of Sciences or Clarivate’s JCR. Then they can click on a journal title and view the information that is available about that article. The quartile ranking will be indicated in the lower left corner of the article information window.

Look at Journal Citation Reports (JCR)
Q1 journals are considered high-quality in their respective fields. They publish research of interest to the scientific community, are highly cited, and have a broad readership. Publishing in a Q1 journal can help researchers enhance their academic reputation, secure funding and tenure, and advance the field of knowledge.

The Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is a database that provides citation information and other data on journals, articles, authors, and institutions. It also includes a number of metrics and indicators, such as impact factors, Immediacy Index, and Subject Category Rankings. It is available through Clarivate Analytics, which manages the Web of Science and other products for Thomson Reuters.

JCR can be accessed by selecting the appropriate option on our library homepage under the Databases tab, then clicking on the letter J. Once on the Journal Citation Reports website, select a year, edition (SCIE for sciences and SSCI for social science), discipline, and quartile. You can further filter by publisher and other criteria to narrow your search.

Check the Journal’s Impact Factor
Q1 journals are the highest-ranking journals in a field or category based on their citation impact factor. This is a measure of how frequently articles published in the journal are cited by other researchers. It’s important to understand how this ranking is calculated and what factors influence it before using it to guide your journal selection decisions.

A great resource for identifying Q1 journals in your field is the JCR database, which provides metrics and rankings for journals across many topics. You can access JCR through your library or by purchasing a personal subscription. Once you have access, you can search for journals by category or quartile ranking to find the best option for your research.

To check the journal’s quartile rating, click on the journal name in the results list and then select “Journal Citation Reports”. You will be brought to a page that shows the quartile ranking for that journal in different subject categories.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2024: A Comprehensive Guide for Aspiring Civil Servants

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of India’s most prestigious and challenging exams. It is the gateway to a coveted career in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service (IFS), and various other Central Services.

Cracking the UPSC CSE requires meticulous planning, unwavering dedication, and a thorough understanding of the syllabus. This comprehensive guide to the UPSC prelims syllabus 2024 will equip you with the knowledge needed to navigate your UPSC preparation journey effectively.

UPSC Syllabus for CSE Prelims

The IAS Prelims is the initial stage of the Civil Services Examination. In 2023, over 11 lakh candidates applied for the UPSC Prelims, while approximately 10 lakh candidates applied in 2022.

Understanding the syllabus for IAS Prelims is crucial as it serves as a screening test that qualifies candidates for the next stage, the Mains. All UPSC exam aspirants must familiarize themselves with the exam pattern and IAS Exam syllabus before beginning their preparation.

Aspirants preparing for the UPSC 2024 should ideally start their preparation by February 2023. A year-long preparation period is essential for scoring well in the UPSC 2024 exam. This timeline is critical for a planned and smooth preparation phase, allowing aspirants to strengthen their concepts and resolve any doubts related to the topics.

UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper (Prelims Paper I)

Current events of national and international importance.
History of India and Indian National Movement.
Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation.
General Science.
UPSC Syllabus for CSAT Paper (Prelims Paper-II)

Comprehension
Interpersonal skills including communication skills
Logical reasoning and analytical ability
Decision-making and problem solving
General mental ability
Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)

Detailed syllabus of mains examination as per UPSC official syllabus

The Mains test is the second step of the Civil Services Exam. Only after passing the prelims test applicants will be permitted to appear for the main exam.

The Mains exam assesses the candidate’s academic skills in depth as well as his or her ability to articulate his or her understanding in accordance with the requirements of the question in a timely way.

The rank of a candidate in the UPSC Civil Service Exam is determined by the marks obtained in the Main and Interview.

Pattern and marking scheme of main examination

The UPSC Mains exam has nine papers for a total of 1750 marks. Out of nine papers, two papers are qualifying, 300 marks each.

The two qualifying papers are as follows:

Any Paper in the Indian Language
Language Paper in English
A candidate must qualify in these language papers to ensure that the marks obtained by such candidates will not be considered or counted. Candidates can write Paper I to Paper VII in English or any of the languages mentioned in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Paper I to Paper VII will be taken for evaluation only if the candidate obtained 25% of the marks in Paper A and Paper B. There are 48 Optional Subjects in the UPSC exam. The candidate has to select any one subject among them. Two papers (Paper VI and Paper VII) will be conducted from that for 250 marks each.