scholarly journals Impact of guided self-study on learning success in undergraduate physiotherapy students in Switzerland – a feasibility study of a higher education intervention

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Slavko Rogan ◽  
Jan Taeymans ◽  
Stefan Zuber ◽  
Evert Zinzen

Abstract Background Guided self-study (G-SS) can be used as a self-directed learning method or self-determined learning that fosters changes in knowledge and skills in a higher physiotherapy education setting. Until now, there has been no empirical evidence for the use of G-SS in higher physiotherapy education. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility to establish a G-SS program in a fulltime undergraduate physiotherapy degree course. In addition, the effectiveness of the G-SS was assessed on changes in knowledge and skills. Method Fifty-one first-semester physiotherapy students were randomly divided into a G-SS group or control group (CG). The G-SS group received six clinical cases. Each case was processed in an eight-day cycle. One week in advance, the clinical case were provided to the students electronically (day 1). The students prepared the cases in groups and were guided by the tutor during this preparation time (day 2 to 7). Group work results were presented and reflected on during a moderated plenum session at day 8. A priori criteria of success were defined based on empirical experience for the primary outcome parameters i) exposure, ii) responsiveness of students and iii) program differentiation. The secondary outcome was the total score in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and written exams. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS. Results The responsiveness of students as willing to participate in the G-SS program was 23%, clearly below the a priori set 83%. No differences in program differentiation were found. G-SS as compared to the CG scored significantly better on OSCE (p = 0.003) and on the written exam (p = 0.004). Conclusion The results showed that this higher education G-SS program in its current form was not feasible. Slight modification of the study protocol (e.g. better time planning in the academic calendar) is needed to improve the student’s responsiveness. The adjustments to the timetable must allow the physiotherapy students to prepare the clinical cases under conditions of lower workload. G-SS has the potential to promote change in knowledge and skills in undergraduate physiotherapy students when students prepare and present the clinical case solutions and reflect upon their actions. Trial registration Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies, Registry ID: #1726.1 Registered on February 26th, 2019.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slavko Rogan ◽  
Jan Taeymans ◽  
Stefan Zuber ◽  
Evert Zinzen

Abstract Background: Guided self-study (G-SS) can be used as a self-directed learning method (andragogy) or self-determined learning (heutagogy) that fosters changes in knowledge and skills in a higher physiotherapy education setting. Until now, there has been no empirical evidence for the use of G-SS in higher physiotherapy education. Furthermore, and to the best of our knowledge, no practical guidelines for G-SS exist for physiotherapy undergraduate students to foster changes in knowledge and skills. This higher education feasibility study aimed to investigate the feasibility to establish a G-SS program in a fulltime undergraduate physiotherapy degree course at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), Switzerland. In addition, the effectiveness of the G-SS was assessed on changes in knowledge and skills. Method: Fifty-one first-semester physiotherapy students volunteered from BFH. They were randomly divided into a G-SS group or control group (CG). The G-SS group received six cases. Each case was processed in an eight-day cycle. One week in advance, the clinical case (i.e. description of a patient and the symptoms) and learning goals were provided to the students electronically (day 1). The students prepared the cases in groups and were guided (e.g. via Skype) by the tutor during this preparation time (day 2 to 7). The results of the group work were presented and reflected on during a moderated plenum session (90 minutes) at day 8. The primary outcome parameters were i) exposure as the number of G-SS sessions performed over 90 minutes, ii) the responsiveness of students with a previously determined 83% willingness to participate in the G-SS program iii) program differentiation, to illustrate the difference between G-SS content and the curriculum and the total score in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and written exams. Statistical analyses were conducted using an Intention-To-Treat (ITT) approach. Results: All six G-SS sessions on day 8 were performed over 90 minutes. The responsiveness of students as willing to participate in the G-SS program was 23%, clearly below the set 83%, and in terms of program differentiation, no differences were found between G-SS program and normal curriculum content. G-SS as compared to the CG scored significantly better on OSCE (p < 0.01) and on the written exam (p < 0.04). Conclusion: The results showed that this higher education G-SS program in its current form was not feasible. Slight modification of the study protocol (e.g. better time planning in the academic calendar) is needed to improve the student’s responsiveness. The adjustments to the timetable must allow the physiotherapy students to prepare the clinical cases. G-SS have the potential to promote change in knowledge and skills in undergraduate physiotherapy students when students prepare the case, present the case solutions and reflect upon their actions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slavko Rogan ◽  
Jan Taeymans ◽  
Stefan Zuber ◽  
Evert Zinzen

Abstract BackgroundGuided self-study (G-SS) can be used as a self-directed learning method (andragogy) or self-determined learning (heutagogy) that fosters changes in knowledge and skills in a higher physiotherapy education setting. Until now, there has been no empirical evidence for the use of G-SS in higher physiotherapy education. This higher education feasibility study aimed to investigate the feasibility to establish a G-SS program in a fulltime undergraduate physiotherapy degree course. In addition, the effectiveness of the G-SS was assessed on changes in knowledge and skills.Method51 first-semester physiotherapy students were randomly divided into a G-SS group or control group (CG). The G-SS group received six cases. Each case was processed in an eight-day cycle. One week in advance, the clinical case and learning goals were provided to the students electronically (day 1). The students prepared the cases in groups and were guided by the tutor during this preparation time (day 2 to 7). The results of the group work were presented and reflected on during a moderated plenum session at day 8. The primary outcome parameters were i) exposure, ii) the responsiveness of students iii) program differentiation, and the total score in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and written exams. Statistical analyses were conducted using an Intention-To-Treat (ITT) approach.ResultsThe responsiveness of students as willing to participate in the G-SS program was 23%, clearly below the set 83%, and in terms of program differentiation.No differences were found between G-SS program and normal curriculum content. G-SS as compared to the CG scored significantly better on OSCE (p < 0.01) and on the written exam (p < 0.04).ConclusionThe results showed that this higher education G-SS program in its current form was not feasible. Slight modification of the study protocol (e.g. better time planning in the academic calendar) is needed to improve the student’s responsiveness. The adjustments to the timetable must allow the physiotherapy students to prepare the clinical cases. G-SS have the potential to promote change in knowledge and skills in undergraduate physiotherapy students when students prepare the case, present the case solutions and reflect upon their actions.Trial registrationRegistry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies, Registry ID: #1762.1 Registered on February 26th, 2019


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 238212052094492
Author(s):  
Slavko Rogan ◽  
Jan Taeymans J ◽  
Stefan Zuber ◽  
Evert Zinzen

Background: Self-directed learning (andragogy) or self-determined learning (heutagogy) can be implemented in guided self-study (GSS) with the aim to foster changes in the knowledge and skills of physiotherapy students in a higher education setting. To date, there is a lack of evidence for the use of GSS in higher education for physiotherapy. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of developing and implementing GSS in an undergraduate physiotherapy educational program in Switzerland. In addition, the effectiveness of GSS in bringing changes in knowledge and skills was assessed. Method: Full-time undergraduate physiotherapy students (n = 49) from the third semester volunteered in this feasibility study. Students were randomly allocated into a GSS group or a control group (CG) in the period from October to November 2019. The GSS group prepared a total of 3 clinical cases. Each case was processed in an 8-day cycle. On day 1, the clinical case (ie, description of a patient and symptoms) and learning goals were provided to the students electronically. The students prepared the cases in groups from days 2 to 7. They were guided 2 times by the tutor (physical meeting and via Skype) during this preparation phase. The results of group work were presented and reflected on during a moderated plenum session (90 minutes) on day 8. The feasibility of this higher education study was operationalized as follows: exposure (“dose,” ie, the number of GSS sessions performed over 90 minutes, as well as the content of the cases and the learning objectives); students’ responsiveness, with an a priori set 100% willingness to participate on day 8; program differentiation, to illustrate differences between the content of GSS cases and the curriculum; and degree of acceptability. In addition, an assessment was made of the total scores in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and written examinations, as well as the amount of GSS. Statistical analyses were conducted using an intention-to-treat approach. Results: All 3 GSS sessions on day 8 lasted the scheduled 90 minutes. The content of the presented cases was aligned with the learning objectives. The responsiveness of students willing to participate on day 8 was 42%. In program differentiation, no differences in content were found between the GSS presentation content and the usual curriculum content when compared with the learning aims. Objective structured clinical examination grades and written examination grades were similar for the GSS and CG. The analysis of the focus group interview showed a low degree of acceptability indicating that the students’ workload was high during the GSS period. Conclusions: This study showed that this GSS program for undergraduate physiotherapy students in its current form is “feasible with modification.” Modification of the study protocol (eg, better time planning in the academic calendar) is needed to improve the students’ responsiveness. Alternatively, classroom hours may be reduced to favor self-study time. Such adjustments to the timetable should allow the physiotherapy students to better prepare the clinical cases. The effectiveness of the GSS and normal curriculum on OSCE and written examination scores was similar, probably due to the observed low students’ acceptability


Author(s):  
Mustafa S. Abd ◽  
Suhad Faisal Behadili

Psychological research centers help indirectly contact professionals from the fields of human life, job environment, family life, and psychological infrastructure for psychiatric patients. This research aims to detect job apathy patterns from the behavior of employee groups in the University of Baghdad and the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. This investigation presents an approach using data mining techniques to acquire new knowledge and differs from statistical studies in terms of supporting the researchers’ evolving needs. These techniques manipulate redundant or irrelevant attributes to discover interesting patterns. The principal issue identifies several important and affective questions taken from a questionnaire, and the psychiatric researchers recommend these questions. Useless questions are pruned using the attribute selection method. Moreover, pieces of information gained through these questions are measured according to a specific class and ranked accordingly. Association and a priori algorithms are used to detect the most influential and interrelated questions in the questionnaire. Consequently, the decisive parameters that may lead to job apathy are determined.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-128
Author(s):  
Martin Nakata ◽  
Vicky Nakata ◽  
Andrew Day ◽  
Gregory Martin ◽  
Michael Peachey

This article presents an analysis of statements from Indigenous students in an Australian university that describe how they use supplementary tutors. The analysis provides some evidence that students use tutors for much more than the prescribed remedial purpose to assist with gaps in assumed academic knowledge and skills to prevent subject failures. Students also use tutors to access hidden knowledge and develop capabilities that assist their progress from dependence on assistance to independence in learning. Our analysis has implications for the conceptualisation and management of supplementary tutoring for Indigenous students.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Bogdanova

The textbook is prepared in accordance with the curriculum for the discipline "Tax Audit". It reveals the basics of tax audit in accordance with the methodology of the audit of calculations with the budget for taxes and fees, contains recommended methods of auditing basic taxes, practical tasks, a list of recommended literature for self-study of the discipline and topics for abstracts. Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation. For students of educational institutions of higher education, studying in the areas of training 38.04.01 and 38.03.01 "Economics".


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charis-Olga Papadopoulou

<p>The present paper explores the extent to and the ways in which European mandates for teacher education for inclusion can inspire post-graduate teacher education for inclusion in the context of Greek higher education. With means of a longitudinal self-study on such a course for language teachers the empowering effects of teacher education for inclusion are identified, barriers to it are looked into and suggestions for improvement, as exemplified by the Greek context, are made. The present research aims to contribute to our thinking on inclusive education in that the Profile of Inclusive Teachers, so far related mainly to initial teacher education, is related to post-graduate education and language teacher education, so far minimally explored in self-studies, is explored.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0628/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Ashraf Elsafty ◽  
Hanaa El Sayad ◽  
Ibrahim Shaaban

This work examines engineering education in Egypt provided by state (government funded) universities. There have been concerns from all stakeholders about the graduates’ knowledge and skills. The chronic problems with higher education in Egypt in general have been previously reported in the Literature, but this paper provides insights form engineering academics with many years of experience in Egyptian engineering education and a fresh look from a business perspective at the phenomenon. In this manuscript, the institutions are analyzed using the integrated business anatomy model, in order to identify the underlying causes of the problems observed. The structural, operational and environmental (both external and internal) challenges that lead to the current status are clearly detected. The analysis highlighted several constraints that hinder radical reforms. Amongst these constraints is the legal and organizational framework in which the state funded universities operate. Other social, technological and economic factors also play important parts. The recipe for improvement provided by the authors has taken all these elements into consideration. This work hopes to provide focus and direction for future reform efforts.


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