Support or subversion? � The reasons that medical students use online discussion forums.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Roberts ◽  
Jananee Sivanandan
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

scholarly journals Uncovering cynicism in medical training: a qualitative analysis of medical online discussion forums

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e022883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Peng ◽  
Chantalle Clarkin ◽  
Asif Doja
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Hidden Curriculum ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Groups ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Formal Curriculum ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Student Discussion ◽  
Insight Into

ObjectiveThe development of cynicism in medicine, defined as a decline in empathy and emotional neutralisation during medical training, is a significant concern for medical educators. We sought to use online medical student discussion groups to provide insight into how cynicism in medicine is perceived, the consequences of cynicism on medical trainee development and potential links between the hidden curriculum and cynicism.SettingOnline analysis of discussion topics in Premed101 (Canadian) and Student Doctor Network (American) forums.Participants511 posts from seven discussion topics were analysed using NVivo 11. Participants in the forums included medical students, residents and practising physicians.MethodsInductive content analysis was used to develop a data-driven coding scheme that evolved throughout the analysis. Measures were taken to ensure the trustworthiness of findings, including duplicate independent coding of a sub-sample of posts and the maintenance of an audit trail.ResultsMedical students, residents and practising physicians participating in the discussion forums engaged in discourse about cynicism and highlighted themes of the hidden curriculum resulting in cynicism. These included the progression of cynicism over the course of medical training as a coping mechanism; the development of challenging work environments due to factors such as limited support, hierarchical demands and long work hours; and the challenge of initiating change due to the tolerance of unprofessionalism and the highly stressful nature of medicine.ConclusionOur unique study of North American medical discussion posts demonstrates that cynicism develops progressively and is compounded by conflicts between the hidden and formal curriculum. Online discussion groups are a novel resource to provide insight into the culture of medical training.

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>

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