scholarly journals Online monthly discussion module of simulation-based teaching: Effect on knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
Niket Verma ◽  
Maria Thomas ◽  
Dinesh K Badyal
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Average Score ◽  
P Value ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Higher Level Thinking ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Knowledge Levels

Online discussion forums engage learners in higher-level thinking, allowing them to explore topics in much greater depth. One such formal online professional discussion platform is the two-year Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) Fellowship offered by the Christian Medical College Ludhiana (CMCL) - FAIMER Regional Institute (CMCL-FRI). In this study, we report the results of a survey conducted among FAIMER fellows after attending online discussions on Simulation-based teaching (SBT) to evaluate their change in knowledge levels on the topic. This was a retrospective analysis of pre-moderation and post-moderation questionnaire responses. The questions/statements were designed to cover the entire range of topics planned to be discussed during the moderation month.: While the median score between the pre-moderation and post-moderation month questionnaires remained the same, the average score showed an increase from 9.5 to 10.37. The number of fellows who scored the maximum possible score of 12 showed a significant increase from 2.94% to 23.33% between the pre-session to the post-moderation month questionnaires (p-value=0.015). The percentage of respondents who answered the questions correctly in the post-moderation month questionnaire showed an increase over the pre-moderation month questionnaire in 10 out of 12 questions, with the increase being highly significant in 2 out of these 10 questions. Attending online ML web discussions leads to an increase in knowledge levels among participants and is an effective way to introduce medical educationists to essential concepts in medical education.

scholarly journals Validity of the Diabetes, Hypertension and Hyperlipidaemia (DHL) Knowledge Instrument among Medical Students of Karachi

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal ◽  
Abdul Haseeb ◽  
Aleena Zehra Merchant ◽  
Muhammad Ahad Sher Khan ◽  
Arsalan Majeed Adam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
P Value ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Knowledge Levels

BACKGROUND: While there have been a number of studies on DM, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, an instrument which assesses knowledge based on all three conditions has neither been established nor authorized in Pakistan. Hence, the focus of this study was to establish a pre- tested extensive questionnaire to evaluate medical students’ understanding of DM, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and their medications for use.METHODS: A pre-validated and pre-tested DHL instrument was employed on 250 students of Dow Medical and Sindh Medical College and on 45 physicians working in a leading teaching hospital of Karachi. The DHL knowledge instrument was then distributed a second time to the very same set of students, after a period of 2 months, at the end of the foundation module, once they had received some basic formal medical education including diabetes and CVS diseases.RESULTS: The overall internal consistency for the DHL instrument failed to comply with the set standard of more than or equal to 0.7 as our results yielded Cronbach’s α of 0.6. Overall the average difficulty factor of 28 questions is 0.41, which highlighted that the instrument was moderately tough. The mean scores for all domains were substantially lower in the students section in comparison to that of the professional section, which had remarkable impact on the overall mean(SD) knowledge score (40.58 ± 14.63 vs. 63.49 ± 06.67 ; p value = 0.00).CONCLUSION: The instrument can be used to recognize people who require educational programs and keep an account of the changes with the passage of time as it could help in differentiating the knowledge levels among its participants based on their educational status.

The Effects of Website Traits and Medical Skepticism on Patients’ Willingness to Follow Online Medical Advice (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Claggett ◽  
Brent Kitchens ◽  
Maria Paino ◽  
Kaitlyn A. Beisecker Levin
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Advice ◽  
Average Score ◽  
P Value ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Online Sources ◽  
Medical Situation

BACKGROUND As people increasingly turn to online sources for medical information, we offer some insight into what website traits influence patient’s credibility assessment. Specifically, we control for brand and content length, while manipulating three website traits: (1) authorship, (2) format, and (3) tone. Further, we focus on medical skepticism to understand how patients with high levels of medical skepticism may react to online medical information differently. Medical skepticism is related to a patient’s doubts about the value of conventional medical care, and therefore skeptics may have different practices and criteria when conducting their own online medical searches. OBJECTIVE This study evaluates how website traits impact the likelihood that patients follow online medical advice and how this varies in patients with differing levels of medical skepticism. METHODS This experiment presented participants with a hypothetical medical situation about leg cramps and offered a website with treatment advice. We varied the websites the participants observed across three traits: (1) authorship: patient or physician, (2) format: article or discussion forum, (3) tone: objective or experience-based. The 2,305 participants were randomly assigned one of eight possible conditions and then asked the extent to which they would follow the advice. Healthcare patterns and coverage, demographics, and their level of medical skepticism were captured. RESULTS Our panel data was selected to be demographically representative of the population of internet users in the United States. The 2,305 complete responses were analyzed with OLS regression. Our analysis reveals that people are more likely to accept online medical advice authored by a physician (P-value<.001) and presented with an objective tone (P-value<.001), but those preferences erode as levels of medical skepticism increase. Medical skepticism was measured via a previously established index on a 0-4 scale, and the average score was 2.26 with a standard deviation of 0.84. Individuals with higher levels of medical skepticism were more likely to follow online medical advice in our experiment (P-value<.001). Individuals with low levels of medical skepticism found online discussion forums more credible, while those with high levels of medical skepticism preferred articles (P-value<.01). We discuss the interactions between medical skepticism and all three website traits manipulated in the experiment. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that, generally, physician authorship and an objective tone create more persuasive online medical advice. But, there are differences in how patients with high levels of medical skepticism react to online medical resources. Medical skeptics are less discerning regarding the author’s credentials and the presentation tone of the information. Further, those with higher levels of medical skepticism prefer article format presentations, whereas those with lower levels prefer forum-style formatting.

scholarly journals Using Design-Based Research to Develop Meaningful Online Discussions in Undergraduate Field Experience Courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Johnson ◽  
Laurie Hill ◽  
Jennifer Lock ◽  
Noha Altowairiki ◽  
Christopher Ostrowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Organizational Design ◽  
Field Experience ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Group Structures

<p class="3">From a design perspective, the intentionality of students to engage in surface or deep learning is often experienced through prescribed activities and learning tasks. Educators understand that meaningful learning can be furthered through the structural and organizational design of the online environment that motivates the student towards task completion. However, learning engagement is unique for each student. It is dependent on both how students learn and their intentions for learning. Based on this challenge, the design of online discussions becomes a pedagogical means in developing students’ intentionality for the adoption of strategies leading to deep learning. Through a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach, iterative design of online learning components for undergraduate field experience courses were studied. For this paper, the focus of the research is on examining factors that influenced deep and surface levels of learning in online discussion forums. The results indicate that design factors (i.e., student engagement, group structures, and organization) influence the nature and degree of deep learning. From the findings, two implications for practice are shared to inform the design and scaffolding of online discussion forums to foster deep approaches to student learning.</p>

Motivators of Student Contribution in Peer-Facilitated Online Discussion Environments

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57
Author(s):  
Hew Khe Foon
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Personal Gain ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Student Contribution ◽  
Discussion Topic

Online discussion forums are increasingly being utilized to provide a means for student-to-student interaction in e-learning environments. There is comparatively little research that examines peer-facilitated asynchronous online discussions compared to instructor-facilitated ones. This paper reports three studies on the motivators of student contribution in online discussions conducted within the context of peer-facilitation. These three studies involved the following samples: (a) full-time undergraduates (n = 47), (b) full-time graduates (n = 41), and (c) working adults in corporate settings (n = 62). Cross-comparison of the three studies revealed six major motivators: discussion topic, performance-linked incentive, personal gain, social capital, enjoyment, and response from other participants. Interestingly and contrary to expectations, the most common motivator was not performance-linked incentive such as marks for contribution but (a) the type of discussion topic followed by (b) the types of responses from other participants. Further analyses revealed that more graduate students reported being motivated by personal gain motives compared to undergraduates and working adults, and fewer undergraduates reported being motivated by the enjoyment of the discussion compared to graduates and working adults. More undergraduate and graduate students reported being motivated by marks compared to working adults. Synthesizing the findings of this study and those reported in other previous studies produces a more updated and comprehensive understanding of what motivates students to contribute in peer-facilitated online discussions. Implications of the findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Enhancing learning through the discussion forum

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nantha Kumar Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Collaborative Discussion

Asynchronous online discussion forums play an important role in adult online courses, and have many possible functions. Our experience in using the discussion forums in online courses for task-based collaborative discussion has led us to many questions about the optimal ways of using online discussion to support collaborative learning, such as how should instructors structure online discussions in a way that it promotes collaborative learning? What should instructors do to enhance learners' reflective thinking, critical thinking, or problem solving in online collaborative discussions? The challenges of using forum in learning have also been highlighted by many researchers. In this paper, we present a so-called “smart” discussion forum to support, monitor and facilitate task-based collaboration for the learning process of adult learners to advance their development of critical thinking.

Fostering Higher Knowledge Construction Levels in Online Discussion Forums

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khe Foon Hew ◽  
Wing Sum Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Student Facilitation ◽  
Facilitation Techniques

Prior research has suggested that higher levels of knowledge construction (e.g., where opinions are argued, challenged, or negotiated) have rarely been demonstrated in student online discussions. In this study, the authors replicate prior research on group size, discussion duration, and student facilitation techniques to examine the influence of these factors on the attainment of higher level knowledge construction. Data were collected from 12 online discussion forums involving undergraduate students and students’ reflection logs. Analysis of the data confirms a significant positive correction between higher level knowledge construction occurrences and group size. No correlation is found between the discussion duration and the occurrences of higher level knowledge construction. Further analysis between the higher and lower performing forums suggests that a certain critical mass, which appears to be a group size of about 10 participants, may be required to direct the discussion to advanced levels of knowledge construction. In addition, results show that students in higher performing forums used the facilitation technique of pointing, highlighting unanswered or unresolved issues statistically significantly more than their counterparts in lower performing forums.

scholarly journals An Exploration of Metacognition in Asynchronous Student-Led Discussions: A Qualitative Inquiry

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha M. Snyder ◽  
Laurie P. Dringus
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Socially Situated ◽  
Study Student

Research is limited on how metacognition is facilitated and manifested in socially situated online learning environments such as online discussion forums. We approached metacognition as the phenomenon of interest partly through a methodological objective to evaluate the relevance of a metacognition construct and partly through a content objective to study student-led facilitation of discussions as a strategy in promoting metacognition. Results revealed that the metacognition construct was useful in helping us understand and organize the data and student-led online discussions can be an effective strategy for helping students develop dimensions of metacognition including knowledge, monitoring, and regulation. However, in order for students to use these skills effectively, instruction, motivation, and guidance are needed particularly related to regulation of metacognition and co-construction of meaning.

scholarly journals Automatic assessment of online discussions using text mining

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette Awuor ◽  
Robert Oboko
Keyword(s):  
Latent Semantic Analysis ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Automatic Assessment ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Management Forum ◽  
Heavy Burden

Online discussion forums have rapidly gained usage in e-learning systems. This has placed a heavy burden on course instructors in terms of moderating student discussions. Previous methods of assessing student participation in online discussions followed strictly quantitative approaches that did not necessarily capture the students’ effort. Along with this growth in usage there is a need for accelerated knowledge extraction tools for analysing and presenting online messages in a useful and meaningful manner. This article discussed a qualitative approach which involves content analysis of the discussions and generation of clustered keywords which can be used to identify topics of discussion. The authors applied a new k-means++ clustering algorithm with latent semantic analysis to assess the topics expressed by students in online discussion forums. The proposed algorithm was then compared with the standard k-means++ algorithm. Using the Moodle course management forum to validate the proposed algorithm, the authors show that the k-mean++ clustering algorithm with latent semantic analysis performs better than a stand-alone k-means++.

Fostering Higher Knowledge Construction Levels in Online Discussion Forums

2012 ◽  
pp. 74-85
Author(s):  
Khe Foon Hew ◽  
Wing Sum Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Student Facilitation ◽  
Facilitation Techniques

Prior research has suggested that higher levels of knowledge construction (e.g., where opinions are argued, challenged, or negotiated) have rarely been demonstrated in student online discussions. In this study, the authors replicate prior research on group size, discussion duration, and student facilitation techniques to examine the influence of these factors on the attainment of higher level knowledge construction. Data were collected from 12 online discussion forums involving undergraduate students and students’ reflection logs. Analysis of the data confirms a significant positive correction between higher level knowledge construction occurrences and group size. No correlation is found between the discussion duration and the occurrences of higher level knowledge construction. Further analysis between the higher and lower performing forums suggests that a certain critical mass, which appears to be a group size of about 10 participants, may be required to direct the discussion to advanced levels of knowledge construction. In addition, results show that students in higher performing forums used the facilitation technique of pointing, highlighting unanswered or unresolved issues statistically significantly more than their counterparts in lower performing forums.

(Re)Assessing Student Thinking in Online Threaded Discussions

2013 ◽  
pp. 265-280
Author(s):  
Felicia Saffold
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Threaded Discussions ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

A teacher educator examines the level of critical thinking of her preservice teachers participating in an urban education course through online discussions. The objective was to see if online discussions, which were the heart of the learning process, could be an effective strategy to promote critical thinking skills. Using the revised version of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) as a guide, participants’ posts and responses were assessed to determine the quality of thinking that occurred in the online discussion forum. Results show that utilizing online discussion forums can be an effective pedagogy for classes where complex, often controversial issues such as social justice, equity, and white privilege are discussed.

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