To lecture or not to lecture, that is the question! Modern medical and nursing students' perceptions regarding lectures and lecture attendance at the University of Ottawa

Lecture has historically been a core method used for content delivery in healthcare profession education. However, lecture attendance has decreased within the recent generations of students. The current study focus was to assess the medical and nursing students’ perceptions regarding lecture attendance. To assist with this, second year medical (110/320) and nursing students (95/215) were requested to answer a 10-item survey. The results show that the top reasons why medical and nursing students attended lectures, respectively included: “lectures were mandatory” (81.8% and 68.8%), “socializing with peers” (68.2% and 30.1%), and “professor emphasized important points” (67.3% and 90.3%). While some reasons for students not attending lectures were that the lecture format was not effective (63.5% and 67.7%), students preferred to use recordings of the lectures (43.3% and 18.1%). Overall, 64.6% of medical students and 63.4% of nursing students agree that traditional lectures are an effective way of learning. Sixty two percent of medical students (62% n=68) of medical students stated that traditional lectures is their preferred method of learning compared to flipped classroom (27%), small group learning (30%), and online learning (31%). While (39%) of nursing students stated that traditional lectures is their preferred method of learning compared to flipped classroom (21.5% ), small group learning (3.2%), and online learning (7.4%). The results suggest that there is variability in students’ preferred learning style. While some prefer the face-to-face interaction with the professor, other students favour studying at their own pace. The majority of medical and nursing students think traditional lectures continue to play a major educational role.

Multi-inquiry hybrid e-learning: Instructor-learner experiences

Background: Hybrid teaching methodologies involve the purposeful combination of traditional teaching with technology advances. Despite some challenges, they have gained popularity recently, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. This study evaluated hybrid e-learning with multiple inquiries involving students’ receptiveness, preferences, behaviours and instructor observations. Method: The methodology involved a mixed-method approach with a qualitative observational case study, surveys and interviews for problem-based learning alternatives to traditional lectures. Instruction included: 1) Assigned primary literature reading with study questions to be completed before class; 2) Out-of-class online video-clips with visual, practical application (i.e. lithium and non-lithium induced tremor assessment) and online discussion in CANVAS Learning Management System; 3) Start-of-class quiz in ExamSoft, in-class team-based application questions with instructor-led discussion; 4) Out-of-class team final exam review assignment in CANVAS. Results: Qualitative themes were student engagement, flexibility, preferences, academic and non-academic stressors, etiquette, and defining responsibility for academic success. The majority of students preferred primary literature review, video clips, followed by online CANVAS discussions. Written assignments were the least desirable. Conclusion: These experiences are useful for qualitative evaluation of teaching and learning methods.

Experiences with alternative online lectures in medical education in obstetrics and gynecology during the COVID-19 pandemic—possible efficient and student-orientated models for the future?

Purpose The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic posed an eminent challenge for medical teachers worldwide. Face-to-face lectures and seminars were no longer possible, and alternatives had to be found. E-learning concepts quickly emerged as the only practicable solutions and also offered the opportunity to evaluate whether traditional face-to-face lectures could be translated into an online format, independent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We offered an e-learning program consisting of lecture notes, screencasts with audio narration, and online webinars that covered topics normally taught in traditional lectures and seminars. To evaluate the learning behavior and quality of our e-learning program, we drafted a questionnaire that students completed at the end of the 2020 summer semester that had been designed to enable a comparative analysis of the different e-learning modules. Results Voluntary participation in the online courses was high. Survey analysis revealed high satisfaction with and a distinctive preference for the format, even under regular, COVID-19-independent conditions. In general, a positive appraisal of e-learning—especially as a substitute for regular lectures—was found. Students also reported higher studying efficiency. Exam results were equal to those of previous semesters. Conclusion Both acceptance of and satisfaction with our e-learning modules were high, and students displayed increased demand for this kind of e-learning format. We, therefore, conclude that e-learning offerings could serve as reasonable, efficient, student-orientated substitutes for certain medical courses, especially lectures. These curricular adaptations would correlate with the high digitalization seen in students’ everyday lives. This correlation may also hold true independent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

USING ACTIVE LEARNING METHODOLOGIES IN AN INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE

In general, engineering students show little interest in the activities inherent in statistics subjects. This claim may be partly explained by the competition with other subjects in the first years of undergraduate courses, or by student perceived low attractiveness of the classes. In this context, several studies indicated that methodologies where the student is the protagonist of the learning process lead to greater engagement during the activities and better scores in the assessments. This work describes the use of active learning methodologies in an introductory probability and statistics course for Engineering classes at a Brazilian public institution. Two classes were monitored during one term: in the first one (control class) traditional lectures were used, in the second one (experimental class) three different active methodologies were applied, namely: Jigsaw, Peer Instruction and Think-Pair-Share. On the one hand, the results indicated slightly better performances in the experimental class, as well as an increase in attendance. On the other hand, dropout rates were similar in both classes. This study is part of a renewal proposal of the mathematics subjects, based on the use of active learning methodologies and the review of curricular content to meet current pedagogical demands. Abstract: Portuguese Em geral, os alunos de Engenharia demonstram pouco interesse nas atividades inerentes à disciplina de Estatística. Tal constatação pode ser em parte explicada pela concorrência com outras disciplinas do ciclo básico, ou ainda, pela pouca atratividade das aulas. Nesse contexto, diversos estudos apontam que metodologias onde o aluno é o protagonista do processo de aprendizagem acarretam maior engajamento durante as atividades e melhores escores nas avaliações. Este trabalho descreve o uso de metodologias de aprendizagem ativa em um curso introdutório de Probabilidade e Estatística para turmas de Engenharia, numa instituição pública brasileira. Duas turmas foram monitoradas ao longo de um semestre: na primeira, fez-se uso de aulas expositivas dialogadas (turma controle) e, na segunda, aulas com três metodologias ativas diferentes, a saber: Jigsaw, Peer Instruction e Think-Pair-Share (turma experimental). Os resultados indicam um desempenho acadêmico levemente melhor da turma experimental, assim como na frequência dessa turma. Por outro lado, a taxa de evasão manteve-se semelhante em ambas as turmas. Este estudo é parte de uma proposta de renovação para as disciplinas de cunho matemático da instituição, baseada no uso de metodologias de aprendizagem ativa e na revisão de conteúdos curriculares para atender às demandas pedagógicas atuais.

Developing a Digital Learning Community

Norwegian universities cancelled all campus activity as a response to a nationwide increase in Covid-19 cases. Lectures were moved to online platforms. The pandemic regulations forced us to redesign our teaching for a group of adult learners at the vocational lecturer education. Moving away from traditional lectures and discussion seminars, we designed new collaborative ‘work packages’ accompanied with various practical tasks. Our analysis is based on our teaching material, written student feedback and in-depth interviews. A combination of asynchronous teaching, collaborative groups and online meetings with supervisors created a confidence-building learning community and a safe learning environment. The study shows how students mastered the situation during a national lockdown and took responsibility for their own progress in the course. In the discussion, we highlight how an active two-way communication can foster an online learning community that has a positive impact on students’ learning experiences, and how our strategies led to student empowerment.

Mining and crafting a game to teach research methodology

Gamification is used in various disciplines to elucidate complex problems. These disciplines are typically the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. It is not known whether gamification can be used to teach research methodology. MinecraftEDU was used to create games to explain the various concepts within research methodology. The purpose was to force students to engage with the theory and literature and create a game based on their insights. An analysis of the students’ feedback indicates that they preferred this method to more traditional lectures. Although they experienced initial problems with the MinecraftEDU environment, the overall experience was perceived as positive. The results indicate that gamification can be used to teach research methodology, but more research is needed to determine how game elements can be incorporated into a research methodology game.

A mixed method evaluation of cooperative learning using jigsaw classroom model in clinical pharmacology course

Purpose To evaluate use of cooperative learning using jigsaw classroom model in clinical pharmacology course for undergraduate university students. Methods A sequential mixed method study design was used. Jigsaw learning was used for teaching selected topics in clinical pharmacology course in addition to traditional lectures used to conduct the remaining topics. At the end of the course, students completed the Jigsaw learning assessment instrument that measured attitude, knowledge, skills and satisfaction. In-depth interviews were conducted to explore their experiences. Test scores of teaching content taught by Jigsaw learning was compared to the content delivered by traditional lectures. Results Lowest mean score depicting strongly positive response were observed for survey item-3 (1.9±0.98), item-13 (1.9±0.88) and item-19 (1.8±0.86) within the subscales measuring attitude, skills and satisfaction respectively. Difference between the test performance in course content delivered by jigsaw classroom technique compared to traditional lectures was statistically significant (p<0.001). Difference between mean responses of high and low test scoring students was significant for survey item-4 (p=0.04), item-8 (p=0.001), item-11, 12 (p=0.01, 0.02) and item-16 (p=0.03). Conclusion Jigsaw classroom model had positive effects on the attitude, knowledge, skills, satisfaction and test performance of students in clinical pharmacology course.

The benefits of incorporating active learning into online, asynchronous coursework in Dental Physiology

The COVID-19 pandemic required a shift to online learning that posed particular challenges for the education of dental students. Basic science courses were presented in an online, asynchronous format to facilitate small group rotations through pre-clinical work. The success of active learning was previously examined in a Dental Physiology course, and it was desired to reassess those methods in an online environment. Students were provided with pre-recorded lectures containing learning activities, and the effectiveness was compared to traditional lecture recordings. On surveys, dental students had more positive perceptions of online recordings that incorporated active learning strategies, with higher perceived effectiveness of the lecturer, ability to pay attention, motivation to study, and confidence with the material. This was similar to the previous study, in which face-2-face (F2F) active learning was more positively reviewed than traditional lectures. Compared to these past sections, the online cohort expressed similarly positive perceptions of the active learning sections, but the online traditional lectures were perceived to be less effective than F2F lectures. Despite the differences in student perceptions, unit exam scores were similar for didactic lectures in both online and F2F settings. Unit exam scores were significantly higher when active learning strategies were employed, with the highest performance levels in the F2F cohort. While active learning strategies continue to be effective, further research is needed to optimize these methods and engage students in online coursework. The results suggest the importance of active and collaborative learning opportunities in the education of students in physiology coursework.

Festival of Audiovisual Micro-Stories in Psychology (Microfest): An Innovative Teaching Project for Students of Audiovisual Communication and Journalism

Introductory psychology courses can be demotivating for students of social sciences degrees such as Audiovisual Communication and Journalism. Although the importance of this subject is more than justified, it is essential to design and apply innovative strategies that stimulate the teaching–learning process among first-year students, so that, through activities other than traditional lectures, their interest in behavioural sciences is aroused and they understand the importance of this subject for the future development of their professional careers. The aim of this paper is to present MICROFEST, a PIEU-UMH teaching innovation project, which has been applied as part of the continuous evaluation of students of the Fundamentals of Psychology course, taught in the first year of the Audiovisual Communication, Journalism and Joint Honours degree programmes at the Miguel Hernández University, during the 2020/21 academic year (n = 167). Through a format similar to that of a short film festival, an activity was proposed that involves the development of a series of sequential tasks aimed at creating, in pairs, a fictional audiovisual micro-story that addresses content or a theme directly related to psychology. The results obtained after the implementation of the project during the four months of the course show that the students of the three degree programmes presented a high level of performance in this part of the course, have favourable attitudes towards it and valued the initiative very positively. The indicators of satisfaction with the project were found to be good predictors of motivation towards the subject as a whole. Thus, continuance of the design and application of teaching innovation strategies that favour the teaching–learning process is recommended, and students’ satisfaction and attitudes toward it.