Success and Satisfaction with Virtual Hematology Curriculum Implemented in Response to COVID-19

Introduction: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oregon Health and Science University Blood & Host Defense medical school pre-clinical block was reformatted to a completely online curriculum. In previous years, the curriculum consisted of traditional 1-hour lectures from Monday to Wednesday, with small group review sessions on Thursday prior to weekly assessments on Friday. Changes for the virtual curriculum included shortened, pre-recorded lectures divided into modules by topic, with follow-up questions to test comprehension in real-time. These were followed by live, 1-hour Q&A sessions each day. Weekly, 2-3-hour case-based review sessions were also held virtually in real-time. We aimed to study student performance in this new curriculum, and to learn about the satisfaction of both students and instructors with these changes. Methods: To measure performance, class testing averages across graded components were compared to previous years. To measure satisfaction, first-year medical students and course instructors were polled via anonymous, voluntary Qualtrics® surveys after course completion. Answers were given on a 5-point Likert scale. Students were also asked to answer four free-response questions. Results: Class testing averages were similar to previous years across all graded components of the curriculum. Following remediation, the pass rate for the course was 100%. Fifty eight out of 150 students completed the satisfaction survey, a response rate of 39%. Most students found pre-recorded lectures and weekly live review sessions "useful" or "very useful," but responses were more varied for daily Q&A sessions. Most students either "somewhat preferred" or "greatly preferred" the module-based format over hour-long lectures and indicated they would like a similar format in future virtual blocks. Themes from qualitative questions included a preference for virtual curriculum for its increased flexibility. A small subset of students described a preference for in-person lecture due to increased engagement. Thirteen out of 31 instructors completed the survey, for a response rate of 42%. Six of the respondents indicated that they would prefer the traditional version of the curriculum for the following year, while 5 selected the new virtual-only format. Twelve instructors completed Likert-scale questions comparing the two curriculums. There was no statistically significant difference in satisfaction with lecture format, time and effort to prepare lectures, amount of interaction with students, and overall teaching experience. However, there was a significant increase in dissatisfaction with the quality of student interaction and student engagement with the new virtual curriculum. Conclusions: Students successfully learned in the new, virtual curriculum as demonstrated by summative assessments. Trends that emerged from student feedback included a preference for module-based format over hour-long lectures, and pre-recorded lectures over live sessions. Most respondents enjoyed the weekly live review sessions, but were mixed regarding daily live Q&A sessions. We suspect this mixed feedback for the daily reviews was due to constraints on the schedule and the necessity of viewing all modules each morning prior to the session. From the perspective of instructors, there was perhaps unsurprisingly decreased satisfaction with student engagement in the virtual setting. However, overall, there was no meaningful difference in preference regarding lecture format. When combining this with the diverse needs and preferences of medical students, future versions of the course should consider incorporating more virtual elements. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

ROLE OF CASE SCENARIOS IN IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS OF LARGE GROUP LECTURE FORMAT: DATA FROM UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS

Teaching practices are being modified over time to more student centered approaches to improve the learning. Lecture being the corner stone of the teaching, need techniques to improve its effectiveness thus emphasizing “learning” rather than “teaching.” One of the main problems with long lectures is the low attention span of students. This study was undertaken to assess the role of adding case scenarios to the lectures, thus improving its learning outcomes. It is a descriptive study conducted in 3 rd year and 4th year students at CMH Multan Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) from 1st October 2018 to 1st April 2019. The focus of this study was to know impact of case scenarios in improving learning of the students in a lecture. During study period, on average two lectures per months of department of medicine, were taken with addition of case scenarios. The outcome measurement of this technique was done by two methods, feedback by the students and peer review from colleagues. There were a total of 61 participants who gave feedback on the lecture. Analysis of feedback performa revealed that almost 64% of students had a low attention span after 20 minutes into a well prepared and interesting lecture. Fifty to 90 percent of students agreed or completely agreed that adding aids like videos, graphics, algorithms or case scenarios etc improved the learning of students. More than ninety percent of participants completely agreed or agreed that the case scenarios are relevant, provide sufficient information, improve learning outcome and serve the purpose. The second part of the data collection was peer review; five colleagues attended the lectures during this period and in addition to filling feedback performa, gave valuable reviews on this. All the peers supported the idea of using case scenarios during lectures. We can conclude that adding case scenarios to the large group lecture format makes it more interactive, improved attention span and keeps attention of students which is difficult to achieve in a class of almost hundred.

University Mathematics Lecturing as Modelling Mathematical Discourse

The lecture format, while being the subject of much criticism, is still one of the most common formats of university mathematics teaching. This paper investigates lecturing as a means of modelling mathematical discourse, sometimes highlighted in the literature as one of its most important functions. The data analysed in the paper are taken from first-semester lectures given by seven mathematics lecturers at three Swedish universities, all concerning various aspects of the function concept. Analysis was carried out from a commognitive perspective, which distinguishes between object-level and meta-level discourse. Here I focus on two aspects of meta-level discourse: introducing new mathematical objects; and what counts as valid endorsement of a narrative. The analysis reveals a number of metarules concerning the modelling of mathematical reasoning and behaviour, both more general rules such as precision and consensus, and rules more specifically concerning construction and endorsement of narratives. The paper contributes to a small but growing body of empirical research on university mathematics teaching, and also lends empirical support to previous claims about the modelling aspect of mathematics lecturing, thus contributing to a deepened understanding of the lecture format and its potential role in future university mathematics teaching.

PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF ONLINE LECTURES DURING THE PANDEMIC: A CASE STUDY IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

The educational process changed significantly in the context of the pandemic generated by the Coronavirus. University students had to move from the traditional classes and laboratories to the online platform. As extant research shows, this shift to online education has both advantages and drawbacks. The objective of this research is to analyze the advantages of online lectures as perceived by engineering students from a Romanian technical university in Bucharest. The analysis has been done on a sample of 109 university students. The results revealed two kinds of benefits: educational and personal. The most important educational benefits were the online participation and the possibility to record and review courses or seminars any time and from anywhere. The most important personal benefits were time-saving, comfort, and money-saving. Overall, the perceptions of engineering students are suggesting a relative acceptance of the online lecture format which contrasts with the results of similar studies in the literature

Does Lecture Format Matter? Exploring Student Preferences in Higher Education

This article offers an important contribution to understanding students’ perceptions of lectures based on different formats of lecture delivery. The growth in the use of blended, flipped, synchronous and asynchronous learning for lecture delivery raises questions as to whether students prefer these innovative modes of delivery over the traditional face-to-face lectures. Furthermore, the contemporary debates over recording lectures and whether this impacts on student attendance requires further exploration by comparing recorded face-to-face lectures with other methods of lecturing. This article draws on data that explored students’ preferences for lectures by comparing students’ experiences on three different types of lectures. The main findings demonstrate that there is no one preferred method of lectures, with student feedback reporting positive experiences with all three. However, the strengths and limitations of each mode of delivery are provided by the students which indicate that flexibility, interaction and choice enhance participation in lectures. The data indicates that student attendance is only slightly affected by lecture recordings and that other factors need to be considered if lecturers are concerned about attendance. This paper suggests that courses ought to offer a range of different lectures to meet the needs of varied populations of learners and that ensuring the delivery is student-focused will empower students and increase their participation.

Effectiveness of delivery methods in the transfer of soft skills

Accounting education has in recent years increasingly emphasised the need for developing soft skills. To this end, various delivery methods have been advocated other than the conventional lecture format during the academic programme. This paper reports on a study of the perceptions of graduates on the effectiveness of delivery methods during the academic programme in transferring soft skills. A questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions was administered. Graduates reported that soft skills were most effectively developed when using case studies, followed by collaborative learning. Surprisingly, graduates also indicated lectures as an effective method in soft skills development, by ranking this method after collaborative learning. However, the method of computer-based activities, was reported as the least effective method in developing soft skills. This is a concern, given the prevalence and use of computers and technology in the accounting profession. Educators need to do more in inculcating soft skills, by using additional methods such as mentorship programmes and self-assessment.

Using a Mock Trial: An Experiential Learning Opportunity

Experiential learning opportunities are significant supplements to the traditional lecture format. Among experiential learning methods, mock trials have been proven to be effective. Experiential learning provides the students with a platform from which they can integrate and apply concepts gleaned from class. Students are challenged to write and orally communicate these concepts at a level that would be clear to those involved in the experience. Kolb’s model of experiential learning provides four stages through which students may become genuine learners. This study illustrates how the authors implemented a mock trial experience into their classes to create an experiential learning opportunity.