Real-Life Scenario Blended Teaching Approach for Nurturing Inquisitive Learning of Central Nervous System in Medical Students

Abstract

Among the various systems taught in the preclinical phases, the nervous system is more challenging to learn than other systems. In this report, a novel teaching methodology, ‘real-life scenario (RLS) blended teaching’ is described and its effectiveness in facilitating inquisitive learning in undergraduate medical students was evaluated. This mixed-method study was conducted among three groups (Group 1; n=83, Group 2; n=85, and Group 3; n=79) of undergraduate medical students (18-20 years) in the neurology and behavioral sciences module. RLS was presented to students in the form of demonstrations, role-plays, videos, and group activities. Group-1 students underwent traditional teaching-learning sessions. Group-2 students underwent RLS blended sessions and were provided with multiple mini-assignments in a vignette format. Group-3 students received RLS blended sessions, multiple mini-assignments, peer discussions, multiple formative assessments, and facilitator feedback sessions. The student performances on different exams were compared in terms of their Group, and their perceptions of RLS were documented. Students exposed to RLS sessions blended with multiple assignments, peer discussions, multiple formative assignments, and facilitator feedback sessions performed well in the final summative assessments (67.87%) compared to those exposed to RLS sessions and assignments (50.21%) or exposed to traditional teaching alone (50.34%). RLS sessions increased students’ curiosity and motivated them to learn the subject well. RLS sessions stimulated student interest and facilitated their learning. RLS along with effective use of multiple assignments, formative assessments and/or feedback sessions significantly improved student learning. This demonstrates the effectiveness of this active method in teaching various subjects with appropriate modifications. No funding was received for this research work. The data presented in this abstract is from the original work carried out at the Department of Physiology, Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University, UAE and a manuscript containing the same data is under consideration for publication in Advances in Physiology Education journal. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.