scholarly journals It’s what you do, not the way you do it – online versus face-to-face small group teaching in first year medical school

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Torda ◽  
Boaz Shulruf
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
First Year ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Small Group Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Major disruptions imposed on medical education by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid shift to online teaching in medical programs, necessitated need for evaluation of this format. In this study we directly compared knowledge outcomes, social outcomes, and wellbeing of first year student small group teaching in either face to face (f2f) or online format. Methods At the end of the first course of our medical program, students were invited to participate in an online questionnaire with 10 quantitative items and 1 qualitative item. These were analysed using Factor Analysis Pattern Matrix and linear regression to group items and assess relatedness. Qualitative responses were thematized using Qualtrics software (Qualtrics, Provo, UT, USA). Summative assessment results were compared, both between current cohorts to historical cohorts. Results From a cohort of 298 students there was a 77% response rate. Overall, there were no differences in knowledge gains, either between groups or when compared to historical cohorts. Questionnaire items fell reliably into groups that related to either learning outcomes, social outcomes, or wellbeing. Independent T tests showed that format for teaching (online versus f2f) had an impact on social outcomes but no direct impact on learning outcomes. Linear regression revealed that the social outcomes have a direct impact on wellbeing and almost the double the impact on learning outcomes than mode of learning i.e.. F2f or online (β = .448 and β = .232 respectively). Conclusion In this study, we were able to show with statistical strength that social outcomes for students such as engaging with peers and facilitator, contributing to the group, and making friends have a direct impact on wellbeing and indirectly impact learning outcomes (such as motivation, satisfaction, integration of knowledge). In a rapidly changing educational landscape, in our opinion, it is vital that these aspects are a focus of design and delivery of medical education. The data from this study supports the notion that activity design and the expertise of the teacher in facilitating the small group activities, has greater impact than the mode of educational delivery itself on students’ learning processes.

It’s what you do, Not the way that you do it – Online Versus Face to Face Small Group Teaching in First Year Medicine.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne Torda ◽  
Boaz Shulruf
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
First Year ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Small Group Teaching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BackgroundMajor disruptions imposed on medical education by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid shift to online teaching in medical programs, necessitated need for evaluation of this format. In this study we directly compared knowledge outcomes, social outcomes, and wellbeing of first year student small group teaching in either face to face (f2f) or online format.MethodsAt the end of the first course of our medical program, students were invited to participate in an online questionnaire with 10 quantitative items and 1 qualitative item. These were analysed using Factor Analysis Pattern Matrix and linear regression to group items and assess relatedness. Qualitative responses were thematized using Qualtrics software (Qualtrics, Provo, UT, USA). Summative assessment results were compared, both between current cohorts to historical cohorts.ResultsFrom a cohort of 298 students there was a 77% response rate. Overall, there were no differences in knowledge gains, either between groups or when compared to historical cohorts. Questionnaire items fell reliably into groups that related to either learning outcomes, social outcomes, or wellbeing. Independent T tests showed that format for teaching (online versus f2f) had an impact on social outcomes but no direct impact on learning outcomes. Linear regression revealed that the social outcomes have a direct impact on wellbeing and almost the double the impact on learning outcomes than mode of learning ie. F2f or online (β=.448 and β=.232 respectively). ConclusionIn this study, we were able to show with statistical strength that social outcomes for students such as engaging with peers and facilitator, contributing to the group, and making friends have a direct impact on wellbeing and indirectly impact learning outcomes (such as motivation, satisfaction, integration of knowledge). In a rapidly changing educational landscape, it is vital that these aspects are a focus of design and delivery of medical education. The data from this study supports the notion that activity design and the expertise of the teacher in facilitating the small group activities, is more important than the mode of educational delivery itself.

Replicating Anatomical Teaching Specimens using 3D Modelling Embedded within a Multimodal E-Learning Course: A Pre/Post Study Exploring the Impact on Medical Education during COVID-19 (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Stunden ◽  
Sima Zakani ◽  
Avery Martin ◽  
Shreya Moodley ◽  
John Jacob
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
First Year ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had significant effects on anatomy education. During the pandemic, students have had no access to cadavers, which has been the principal way of learning anatomy. We created and tested a customized congenital heart disease e-learning course for medical students that contained interactive 3D models of anonymized pediatric congenital heart defects. OBJECTIVE To assess if a multimodal e-learning course contributed to learning outcomes in a cohort of first year undergraduate medical students study congenital heart diseases. Secondarily, we assess student attitudes and experiences associated with multimodal e-learning. METHODS The pre/post study design involved 290 first year undergraduate medical students. Recruitment was conducted through the course instructors. Data were collected before using the course and after using the course. The primary outcome was knowledge acquisition (test scores). The secondary outcome included attitudes and experiences, as well as time to complete the modules, and browser metadata. RESULTS A total of 141 students were included in the final analysis (N=141). Students’ knowledge significantly improved by an average of 44.6% when using the course (SD 1.73, Z = -10.287, p < 0.001). 88.26% of students were highly motivated to learn with the course and 93.5% of students reported positive experiences with the course. There was a strong correlation between attitudes and experiences, which was statistically significant (rs = 0.687, p<0.001, N = 122). There were no relationships found between change test scores and attitudes or experiences (p>0.05). Students most frequently completed the e-learning course with Chrome (77.3%), and on Apple MacOS (61.0%) or Windows 10 (36.9%). Most students had devices with high-definition screens (83.0%). Most students (58.9%) completed the course in under 3 hours. CONCLUSIONS Multi-modal e-learning could be a viable solution to improving learning outcomes and experiences for undergraduate medical students, who do not have access to cadavers. Future research should focus on validating long-term learning outcomes. CLINICALTRIAL n/a

scholarly journals The Impact of Feedback on Students’ Autonomous ESP Learning Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-339
Author(s):  
Natalia Yevheniivna Dmitrenko ◽  
Iuliia Oleksiivna Budas
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Peer Observation ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
University Course ◽  
Learning Competence ◽  
The Impact

The present paper provides the results of the feedback influence on students’ autonomous ESP learning. It is aimed to study the impact of feedback on autonomous learning outcomes of first-year students, who are studying a two-year university course of “English for Specific Purposes (ESP)”, the significant part of which is dedicated to self-regulated learning. The aim of the course is to improve the students’ proficiency in professionally oriented English communication to the level of B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The investigation has proved the importance of teachers’ support in students’ autonomous ESP learning. The outcomes of those students who received the feedback regularly signify that even being self-sufficient, students strive for teachers’ or peer observation and feedback in the educational process. In the article, the interdependence between the level of students’ autonomous ESP learning competence and students’ feedback literacy is presented. The results of the study suggest that students’ autonomous ESP learning outcomes are considerably influenced by supportive external written feedback if it is sought, and their feedback literacy level is at least moderate or higher. A higher level of students’ feedback literacy is observed among students with a more advanced level of autonomous ESP learning competence and who demonstrate better academic achievements in professionally oriented English communication. The coherence of the elaborated levels of Ukrainian students’ feedback literacy and the ways of its enhancing can be significant for educators in other countries.

scholarly journals Inquiry-based learning to improve student engagement in a large first year topic

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masha Smallhorn ◽  
Jeanne Young ◽  
Narelle Hunter ◽  
Karen Burke da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Multiple Choice Exam ◽  
The Impact

Increasing the opportunity for students to be involved in inquiry-based activities can improve engagement with content and assist in the development of analysis and critical thinking skills. The science laboratory has traditionally been used as a platform to apply the content gained through the lecture series. These activities have exposed students to experiments which test the concepts taught but which often result in a predicted outcome. To improve the engagement and learning outcomes of our large first year biology cohort, the laboratories were redeveloped. Superlabs were run with 100 students attending weekly sessions increasing the amount of contact time from previous years. Laboratories were redeveloped into guided-inquiry and educators facilitated teams of students to design and carry out an experiment. To analyse the impact of the redevelopment on student satisfaction and learning outcomes, students were surveyed and multiple choice exam data was compared before and after the redevelopment. Results suggest high levels of student satisfaction and a significant improvement in student learning outcomes. All disciplines should consider including inquiry-based activities as a methodology to improve student engagement and learning outcome as it fosters the development of independent learners. 

11 Filling the void: preparing future junior doctors for challenging conversations

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 363.3-364
Author(s):  
Hannah Costelloe ◽  
Alice Copley ◽  
Andrew Greenhalgh ◽  
Andrew Foster ◽  
Pratik Solanki
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Small Group ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
List Type ◽  
The Impact

Evidence demonstrates that medical students have limited experience in developing ‘higher-order communication skills’ (Kaufman et al. 2000). Anecdotally many do not feel confident in their ability to conduct difficult conversations often due to a lack of exposure to such scenarios in practice or a pervasive notion that these scenarios are inappropriate for students and beyond the scope of a junior doctor’s role and thus not a focus of curriculums (Noble et al. 2007). There is however a correlation between level of clinical experience and improved confidence for medical students (Morgan and Cleave-Hogg 2002).We surveyed a group of final year medical students to assess their confidence using a 10-point Likert scale in tackling common palliative and end of life care scenarios. Our intervention comprised a study day of 10 practical small-group teaching simulation and OSCE-style stations designed to provide exposure to common experiences in a controlled setting. We reassessed the confidence of students after delivery and objectively explored the impact of the day by asking participants to complete a validated assessment before and after the course. All results showed significant improvement on t-testing: confidence in end of life communication in an OSCE setting improved by 42.2% and assessment marks improved by 24.7% (p=0.039).Palliative care is an area in which students approaching the end of undergraduate training feel underprepared. Our findings demonstrate that small group sessions improve confidence by facilitating communication practice in a controlled environment and providing crucial exposure to common palliative care scenarios they will face as doctors.References. Kaufman D, Laidlaw T, Macleod H. Communication skills in medical school: Exposure confidence and performance. Academic Medicine [online] 2000;75(10):S90–S92. Available at https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2000/10001/Communication_Skills_in_Medical_School__Exposure.29.aspx [Accessed: 30 May 2018]. Morgan P, Cleave-Hogg D. Comparison between medical students’ experience confidence and competence. Medical Education [online] 2002;36(6):534–539. Available at https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2002.01228.x [Accessed: 30 May 2018]. Noble L, Kubacki A, Martin J, Lloyd M. The effect of professional skills training on patient-centredness and confidence in communicating with patients. Medical Education [online] 2007;41(5):432–440. Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2007.02704.x [Accessed: 30 May 2018]

scholarly journals Adapting a Small Group Communication Quality Assessment to New Contexts

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Jodi Van Scoy ◽  
Whittney Darnell ◽  
Tara Watterson ◽  
Vernon M Chinchilli ◽  
Emily J Wasserman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Communication Quality ◽  
Small Group Communication ◽  
Group Settings ◽  
Communication Assessment ◽  
Communication Goals ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Objectives: Small group learning is a well-established medical education strategy for cultivating essential communication skills. Yet, how best to measure communication quality in these groups remains understudied. This study aimed to adapt a communication assessment to medical education small group settings. Methods: This was an observational study of Preclinical Medical Humanities group discussions. Audio-recordings of 12 sessions (3 groups; n=22 students and 3 facilitators) were analyzed using Communication Quality Analysis. Three coders assessed communication quality by assigning numeric scores based on how well participants accomplished communication goals within five domains: content, engagement, relationship, emotion and identity. Coder reliability was assessed using intra-class correlations. Variance components were assessed using a generalized linear model.Results: High inter-rater reliability was established for each of five communication quality domains (ICC range 0.875 to 0.98). Variability in content, emotion, and engagement domains was primarily driven by the individual subjects (nested within the three communication groups)–accounting for 49%, 57% and 78% of the variability respectively; relational and identity domain score variability was accounted for by duration of class (accounting for 66% and 47% of the variability, respectively). Considerable variability was observed between participants, suggesting that the assessment is sensitive enough to detect nuanced differences between participants.Conclusions: Our study shows that CQA is reliable when adapted to medical education small groups.With further refinement, CQA provides an important measure that could be used in medical education to evaluate the impact of novel curricular activities or varied facilitation techniques on communication quality and other educational outcomes.

Integrating Cloud-Based Strategies and Tools in Face-to-Face Training Sessions to Increase the Impact of Professional Development

2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Gradel ◽  
Alden J. Edson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Solution Sets ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Technology Tools ◽  
Interactive Product ◽  
Training Resources ◽  
Collaborative Publishing ◽  
The Impact

This article is based on the premise that face-to-face training can be augmented with cloud-based technology tools, to potentially extend viable training supports as higher education staff and faculty implement new content/skills in their jobs and classrooms. There are significant benefits to harnessing cloud-based tools that can facilitate both engagement and learning outcomes of trainees in face-to-face opportunities. These same tools—if used planfully—can build “cookie crumb trails” that facilitate trainees' post-training access to and interaction with training resources. Two primary solution sets are proposed, outlining both tools and use of (a) cloudbased “launch pads” and (b) interactive product building, with collaborative publishing. After reviewing solutions, an integrated picture of their use is presented, followed by implementation recommendations.

scholarly journals Course-Integrated Learning Outcomes for Library Database Searching: Three Assessment Points on the Path of Evidence

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Cmor ◽  
Alison Chan ◽  
Teresa Kong
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
First Year ◽  
Database Searching ◽  
Final Project ◽  
Simulated Environment ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Multiple Assessment ◽  
The Impact

Objective - This study aims to assess student learning with respect to basic database searching at three different points within a required first year course. Methods - Three methods were employed at three different points to identify evidence of successful learning: 1. Analysis of in-class exercises from the initial library workshop, e.g. how many students showed evidence of satisfactorily achieving the stated learning outcomes. 2. Participant observation of student presentations, noting themes, strengths and weaknesses of student research strategy; written observation reports from librarians were coded and quantified to identify major themes. 3. Interviews with course instructors responsible for grading the final submitted projects, focusing on both student achievement and instructor perceptions of the impact of library involvement. Results - Though performance on in-class exercises showed evidence of successful learning in over 70% of students, observational data indicated that very few students showed evidence of applying new knowledge and new search skills to their own topics two weeks later. Instructor interviews revealed a perception of similar difficulties in final project submissions, and instructors suggested that students did not appreciate the need for library resources. Conclusion - In this study, students showed evidence of learning in a simulated environment, but were unable or unwilling to demonstrate this learning in authentic situations. Multiple assessment methods reveal a lack of student ability to apply search skills.

Teaching Planning Studios: An Online Assessment Task to Enhance the First Year Experience

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tooran Alizadeh ◽  
Deanna Tomerini ◽  
Samantha Colbran
Keyword(s):  
Learning By Doing ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Assessment Task ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Catch Up ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework ◽  
The Impact

Planning studios, through learning by doing, introduce students to relevant practical skills. The problem is that not all students, especially in the first-year, spend the required time on task, so they fall behind and fail to catch up. The article is based on the Community of Inquiry framework and proposes an online assessment to ensure that teaching, social, and cognitive elements are present when there is no face-to-face contact between the teaching team and students. The article follows a planning cohort across their first two studios that adopted the online assessment, and it provides an opportunity to evaluate the impact on the first-year experience.

scholarly journals The Need to Balance the Blend: Online versus Face-to-Face Teaching in an Introductory Accounting Subject

10.28945/3324 ◽  
2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Wong ◽  
Arthur Tatnall
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Accounting Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Introductory Accounting ◽  
Accounting Unit

To remain globally competitive, there is increasing pressure for universities to incorporate a greater use of technology and innovation into their curriculum. In response, many higher education institutions have adopted a blended learning approach, which combines traditional face-to-face delivery with online teaching resources, to deliver course content. This paper documents the implementation of online resources in a first-year accounting unit, outlines subsequent changes and monitors its impact on learning outcomes. Whilst in its early stages, this preliminary work on action research will form the basis of determining an optimal blend of traditional and online learning environments for introductory accounting students. This research will endeavour to improve the structure of the curriculum and to positively impact on student learning outcomes.

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