Students’ Academic Performance (SAP) is an important metric in determining the status of students in any academic institution. It allows the instructors and other education managers to get an accurate evaluation of the students in different courses in a particular semester and also serve as an indicator to the students to review their strategies for better performance in the subsequent semesters. Predicting SAP is therefore important to help learners in obtaining the best from their studies. A number of researches in Educational Psychology (EP), Learning Analytics (LA) and Educational Data Mining (EDM) has been carried out to study and predict SAP, most especially in determining failures or dropouts with the goal of preventing the occurrence of the negative final outcome. This paper presents a comprehensive review of related studies that deal with SAP and dropout predictions. To group the studies, this review proposes taxonomy of the methods and features used in the literature for SAP and dropout prediction. The paper identifies some key issues and challenges for SAP and dropout predictions that require substantial research efforts. Limitations of the existing approaches for SAP and dropout prediction are identified. Finally, the paper exposes the current research directions in the area.

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex inflammatory disease of the skin that has a significant impact on the well-being of patients and their families. The prevalence of AD has increased in developing countries and regions, including the Middle East. Despite similarities in the presentation of the disease, there is a lack of consistent management and treatment guidelines for AD. The objective of this survey was to develop further insight into the management patterns of AD from dermatologists, pediatricians, and primary care/family medicine physicians in the Middle Eastern nations of Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Methods: The survey was composed of 47 closedended, multiple-choice questions. These questions assessed physician and patient characteristics and treatment familiarity and approach. Results: A total of 400 physicians, including 200 dermatologists, 100 pediatricians, and 100 primary care physicians, participated in the survey. The findings provide insight into the management of AD by physician specialty within the region. A diverse array of management approaches was observed for both referral patterns and treatments for AD in the Middle East. Conclusion:The diversity of management tactics highlights the lack of a standard approach for the management of AD throughout the Middle East.

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The findings revealed that the medical students with advanced computer skills were well prepared and disposed to IT based medical education. Therefore, high level of computer skill is required for them to be prepared and favorably disposed to IT based medical education.

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