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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to report on the design, implementation, use and evaluation of TELLme, an online platform with annotated multiple-choice questions (MCQs) for formative assessment of knowledge acquisition covering an entire undergraduate medical curriculum., Materials and Methods: We used the Educational Design Research (EDR) framework to develop TELLme as an online platform with 24/7 access for students in a co-creation process between educators, faculty and students. EDR cycle 1 focused on prototyping, while EDR cycle 2 focused on upscaling, usage analysis and evaluation. Database entries were analysed for TELLme usage. Online surveys evaluated platform usability and support for student learning., Results: At the end of EDR cycle 2, TELLme contained 6,713 fully annotated MCQs aligned with the cognitive learning objectives of the curriculum. Up to 600 students per day used TELLme to self-assess their knowledge, answering 3,168,622 MCQs in two semesters. Surveys indicated good usability of TELLme, 75% of students indicated that TELLme helped them to identify knowledge gaps, and 72% agreed that TELLme supported their learning., Conclusions: Medical students use TELLme extensively to formatively assess their learning in a self-directed manner across the entire curriculum. TELLme aligns with the existing summative and formative system of assessment of the study programme.

Over-consumption of high-fat diets (HFDs) is associated with several pathologies. Although the intestine is the organ that comes into direct contact with all diet components, the impact of HFD has mostly been studied in organs that are linked to obesity and obesity related disorders. We used Drosophila as a simple model to disentangle the effects of a HFD on the intestinal structure and physiology from the plethora of other effects caused by this nutritional intervention. Here, we show that a HFD, composed of triglycerides with saturated fatty acids, triggers activation of intestinal stem cells in the Drosophila midgut. This stem cell activation was transient and dependent on the presence of an intestinal microbiota, as it was completely absent in germ free animals. Moreover, major components of the signal transduction pathway have been elucidated. Here, JNK (basket) in enterocytes was necessary to trigger synthesis of the cytokine upd3 in these cells. This ligand in turn activated the JAK/STAT pathway in intestinal stem cells. Chronic subjection to a HFD markedly altered both the microbiota composition and the bacterial load. Although HFD-induced stem cell activity was transient, long-lasting changes to the cellular composition, including a substantial increase in the number of enteroendocrine cells, were observed. Taken together, a HFD enhances stem cell activity in the Drosophila gut and this effect is completely reliant on the indigenous microbiota and also dependent on JNK signaling within intestinal enterocytes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.