Asynchronous Lectures Research Articles

The Development and Implementation of a Parallel, Multi-Campus Medical Anatomy Curriculum Delivered with and without Cadavers

AbstractA parallel, multi-campus anatomy curriculum was developed that could be delivered with or without body donor cadaveric teaching resources. This blended program includes asynchronous lectures, e-Learning modules, formative self-assessment, independent study, and synchronous hands-on practical sessions. Practical sessions at the metropolitan campus utilise professionally prepared body donor cadaveric teaching resources, whereas rural campus practical sessions use a combination of non-cadaveric resources such as 3D models (physical and digital) and interactive multimedia to achieve identical learning outcomes. Here, we discuss the specific features of the practical sessions delivered in this novel cross-campus curriculum, with a focus on the non-cadaveric teaching resources deployed.

Does Lecture Style Matter in Asynchronous Online Interteaching?

Background Although substantial empirical evidence supports interteaching, few studies have investigated the clarifying lecture component, and none have evaluated it in an online course format. Objective This study evaluated the necessity of a clarifying lecture in an asynchronous online course and compared a clarifying lecture (based on student feedback) to brief standard lecture (covering material the instructor thought was difficult). Method Participants were undergraduates ( N = 116) across three sections of an online Psychology of Learning course. An alternating treatments design was used to vary the order of three brief lecture conditions across weeks in the courses: (a) clarifying lecture; (b) standard lecture; and (c) no lecture. Results There were no significant differences in exam scores across the three conditions. However, students scored significantly higher on weekly exams when the lecture conditions were collapsed and compared to no lecture. Most students reported a preference for the clarifying lecture. Conclusion Our findings suggest that both styles of asynchronous lectures positively impacted weekly (but not cumulative final) exam scores. Teaching Implications The efficacy of interteaching was not decreased by altering lecture style. This flexibility eases the course preparation burden on instructors given they could prepare lectures prior to gathering student feedback.

A Guide to Innovation in Physician Associate/Assistant Education: Using Instructional Technology for Improved Engagement.

For physician associate/assistant (PA) educators, the path of least resistance often is to focus our cognitive energies on topics with which we are most comfortable and to deliver content in the style in which we are most accustomed. The consequence of this approach is that many didactic curricula are delivered in a traditional, lecture-based format, which then aligns with how the faculty were taught. Studies show that lecture-based teaching may not be the most effective and that blending teaching modalities can improve knowledge acquisition. In addition, scheduling several classroom lectures week to week can be challenging, especially in a program that uses numerous guest lecturers to deliver the curriculum. One solution to this problem may be through innovative, engaging resources that enable faculty to deliver content asynchronously. Developing and implementing such tools can be challenging to PA faculty because they are often not formally trained in education nor are they up to date on the most current innovations in educational technology. Furthermore, change can be difficult, and it could seem an insurmountable feat to step outside the comfort zone of a traditional lecture. This work describes a collaboration between PA faculty and a University Instructional Support Specialist where the Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate ADDIE model, a widely used system for developing training tools, was used to create an asynchronous lecture for students in the form of an interactive series of modules to replace a traditional classroom lecture.

Contemporary educational methods in periodontology.

The 1st European Workshop on Periodontal Education in 2009 made recommendations regarding the scope of periodontal education at undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and continuing professional development (CPD) levels, defining competencies and learning outcomes that were instrumental at the time in helping to define periodontal teaching curricula. The 19th European Workshop on Periodontology and 2nd European Consensus Workshop on Education in Periodontology (Education in Periodontology in Europe) was held in 2023 to identify changes and future developments in periodontal education (including those informed by the COVID-19 pandemic) and embracing methods and formats of periodontal teaching and training. The aim of this review was to assess current knowledge regarding education methods in periodontology, including traditional face-to-face (F2F) teaching and the move to student-centred methods, virtual learning methods and use of digital technology, as well as blended teaching and learning (including teaching delivery and assessment) at UG, PG and CPD levels. Systematic searches were conducted to identify relevant studies from the literature. Data were extracted and descriptive summaries collated. The pandemic was a major disruptor of traditional F2F teaching but provided opportunities for rapid implementation of alternative and supplementary teaching methods. Although online learning has become an integral part of periodontal education, teachers and learners alike favour some form of F2F teaching. Blended teaching and learning are feasible in many areas of periodontal education, both for knowledge and skills acquisition as well as in assessment. Student-centred methods and blended approaches such as the flipped classroom seem highly effective, and online/virtual classrooms with both synchronous and asynchronous lectures are highly valued. Learning with haptic methods and virtual reality (VR) enhances the educational experience, especially when VR is integrated with traditional methods. The quality of the teacher continues to be decisive for the best knowledge transfer in all its forms. Live F2F teaching continues to be highly trusted; however, all types of student-centred and interactive forms of knowledge transfer are embraced as enhancements. While digital methods offer innovation in education, blended approaches integrating both virtual and traditional methods appear optimal to maximize the achievement of learning outcomes. All areas of periodontal education (UG, PG and CPD) can benefit from such approaches; however, more research is needed to evaluate their benefits, both for knowledge transfer and skills development, as well as in assessment.

Assessing First-Year (M1) Medical Students’ Understanding of Blood Glucose Control Using a “Backward Design” Asynchronous Physiology Lecture

Introduction: Backward design, an instructional model outlined by Wiggins and McTighe, emphasizes identifying key learning outcomes (LOs) that students must be able to perform after learning about a topic. It requires educators to first develop authentic assessments aligned with the key LOs, which form the basis of course content and activities. The majority of medical students across the United States encounter lecture-based learning in their first two years of basic sciences curriculum with little opportunity for hands-on training to build on necessary learning skills for future application in the clinic. Compared to traditional lecturing, a backward-designed session with planned activities may better develop medical students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Our goal was to redesign a traditional first-year medical school lecture using the backward design model, and compare student perceptions and understanding of key concepts. Methods: We redesigned a traditional lecture on the topic, “Blood Glucose Control” from Fall 2022, using a backward design framework, and delivered it in Fall 2023. For redesign, we re-evaluated our LOs, and ensured that they aligned with the four assessment questions that we developed, which were used to build session content. We then compared student perceptions of learning and their performance on assessments between the two years. In both years, this topic was delivered asynchronously along with four assessment questions in the foundational course offered to 125 first-year medical students (M1s). Results: LOs were edited to include specific concepts that were tested on the four assessment questions. Upon mapping, we found that certain learning objectives were not adequately covered in the lecture, so we followed an iterative process to edit lecture content and created two activities, such as a clinical case branching scenario and a drag-and-drop activity. Of the 125 M1s, the four assessment questions in the years 2022 and 2023 were completed by a total of 50 and 60 students respectively. The average score for M1 students in Fall 2022 was 68.3562 (SEM=4.241577536) while those for students in Fall 2023 was 72.76966667 (SEM=3.655350463) ( p=0.617). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate an upward movement of the average score among students from Fall 2023 when a backward-design framework was used, compared to that of Fall 2022 students who received the traditional lecture. Although not statistically significant, the backward-design framework benefitted medical student performance when compared to traditional lecturing. Additionally, our research introduces innovative ways of incorporating interactive student activities in an asynchronous lecture that medical educators can implement into their own courses. Our future directions include comparing student perceptions between the two lecturing styles and correlating it with their performance. No funding sources to disclose. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 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.

Anatomy beyond the pandemic: A Q-methodology study exploring student perceptions toward a hybrid curriculum.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, anatomy education was forced to adopt online modes of delivery. Previous research on student views revealed areas of strong preference (asynchronous lectures) and strong dislike (virtual specimens) in online anatomy courses. The current study seeks to compare the views of a single cohort of students experiencing both online and in-person undergraduate introductory anatomy and physiology courses. This comparison can highlight what students consider beneficial to their education and can inform future hybrid course offerings. Q-methodology was used to assess the opinions of students. Students sorted 41 statements on anatomy education in a quasi-normally distributed grid based on their degree of agreement with the statements. The rankings underwent a by-person factor analysis which categorized students with shared perceptions into groups. Data were collected from 246 students in the primarily online fall semester and 191 students in the primarily in-person winter semester. Analysis revealed three distinct factors (groups) in the cohort. Factor one (n = 113 (fall), n = 93 (winter)), was satisfied overall with the course materials and delivery. Factor two (n = 52 (fall), n = 18 (winter)) had a deep dislike of online learning, and factor three (n = 37 (fall), n = 49 (winter)) had a strong preference for online learning. While many students were comfortable in both online and in-person learning environments, this was not the case for all learners. The strengths and weaknesses of each teaching modality suggest the opportunity to explore hybrid learning as an option for future course offerings and specifically highlight valuable aspects to incorporate from each environment.

Exploring Students’ Learning Experience and Engagement in Asynchronous Learning Using the Community of Inquiry Framework through Educational Design Research

Students’ learning experience and their engagement in online learning environments are becoming increasingly important as blended learning grows more prevalent in tertiary education. In this study, asynchronous lectures for applied sciences courses, offered to polytechnic students of Applied Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Science at Nanyang Polytechnic, were designed using the Community of Inquiry framework. Students’ perceptions of their learning experience and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement in asynchronous lectures were determined through a survey study. The results showed that students were engaged and had positive learning experiences. Through an educational design research methodology, this survey study also determined and provided design features important for designing asynchronous lectures. Further research could explore the possibility of expanding the scope of the research to other institutions with students of different cultural backgrounds, learning preferences, and learning abilities.

Asynchronous lecture participation negatively predicts exam scores for females and students of color in an introductory physiology course during COVID-19.

In response to COVID-19, educators rapidly pivoted to new and innovative ways of delivering lecture material. The ability to host synchronous lectures on platforms like Zoom gave students continued access to classroom material in the face of an ongoing pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in exam scores between students attending a physiology class (PHSL3051) synchronously via Zoom or asynchronously by viewing recorded lectures posted after class. Students in PHSL3051 were evaluated with four unit exams and one cumulative final exam. Although pooled analysis of all students showed that synchronous lecture viewing positively predicted exam scores, this positive association was even larger when the data were analyzed by gender and ethnicity. For female-identified students and students of color (SOC), attending lectures synchronously was associated with average scores on every unit exam that were higher by 2.7-7.4 percentage points. Moreover, the greater a student's synchronous participation in the course throughout the semester, the better that student's performance on the cumulative final exam was likely to be. These data highlight the need to better understand how different groups of undergraduate students select and respond to different assessment methods used in the same course, which may have long-term effects on their overall performance at 4-year institutions.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study examined the relationship between lecture attendance (synchronous or asynchronous) and exam scores throughout the semester. Although everyone in the course benefited from synchronous lecture attendance, our data indicated that students of color (SOC) and female-identified students benefited most. SOC and female-identified students who participated synchronously had even higher mean scores on all exams within the course compared with SOC and female-identified students who participated asynchronously by watching recordings of the same lectures.

Students’ Perceptions of Asynchronous Lectures via the Community of Inquiry Framework and Its Relationship with Learning Performance

Students’ Perceptions of Asynchronous Lectures via the Community of Inquiry Framework and Its Relationship with Learning Performance

Let teachers decide: The effects of matching and mismatching students' online lecture preference with lecture participation

AbstractEfforts to tailor instruction to match students' purported learning style continue to be used in higher education despite evidence challenging their value. Students were matched and mismatched to their self‐reported online learning preference to investigate the impact on academic outcomes. A total of 114 graduate health students were randomly assigned to an online lecture either matching or mismatching their previously reported preference (synchronous or asynchronous lecture participation). All students took the same multiple‐choice examination following the lecture. Independent t‐test analysis revealed no significant differences between students who were matched and mismatched to their participation preference. Asynchronous groups achieved significantly higher scores than synchronous groups. Analysis via two‐way ANOVA revealed no significant interaction between method of participation and compatibility with learning preference on examination scores. Based on the results of this study, method of participation impacted examination performance; however, matching or mismatching to students' stated learning preference did not impact performance.

Podcasts and videos and slides…oh my!: Traditional vs. nontraditional teaching methods in remote settings

IntroductionNontraditional teaching methods are student-centered and motivate students to participate in class activities. Some studies have shown benefit in using various teaching activities; however, data are limited regarding students' perspective and performance after implementation of nontraditional learning strategies. The study compared student preference and performance assessment with traditional and nontraditional presentation methods. MethodsThis study included first-year pharmacy students enrolled in a course at a research-intensive, public university. Students in 2020 received traditional lectures while students in 2021 were presented three topics as nontraditional activities, including a podcast, an escape room, a video inspired by Khan Academy, and a traditional asynchronous lecture using slides with voice-over. First-year pharmacy students were surveyed in 2021 regarding their perspective on the nontraditional presentations. Students' performance was compared between 2020 and 2021. ResultsNinety-eight students in 2020 and 89 students in 2021 were enrolled in the course. Sixty-seven students completed the 2021 survey. Most students (71.6%) preferred the traditional lecture; the Khan Academy and escape room activities were the least favored. Most students (86.5%) responded they learned “quite a bit” or a “tremendous amount” with the traditional lecture, and 59.7% of students felt they would perform better on assessments with the traditional lecture compared to nontraditional. Students in 2021 only performed better on all exam questions related to the nontraditional podcast activity. ConclusionsStudents preferred traditional lectures and also seemed to perform better on assessment, with the exception of the nontraditional presentation podcast style. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

International health initiative: Development and pilot testing of a molecular diagnostics training program in Romania.

The implementation of nucleic acid testing in laboratory medicine has revolutionized clinical diagnosis. Unfortunately, incorporation of these technologies in less developed countries remains a challenge. Despite Romania's recent economic growth, the country is in dire need of medical and laboratory staff trained in modern technologies. The aim of the study was to develop a curriculum that could easily be delivered to laboratory professionals in Romania and to pilot test the effectiveness of the training in increasing their understanding of molecular tests. The program was developed in accordance with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) quality training standards. It was offered to 50 laboratory professionals and consisted of online, asynchronous lectures and optional synchronous review sessions. Training effectiveness was evaluated using CDC guidelines based on pre- and postassessment questions answered anonymously. Forty-two people participated in the program, and 32 (81%) completed the training successfully. Based on 16 participants' self-assessment, the course was successful in improving learners' overall knowledge of molecular diagnostics-specifically, their understanding of molecular techniques and how to interpret results. Those participants were highly satisfied with the overall training. The piloted platform presented here is promising and can be a foundation for future larger-scale studies in countries with developing health systems.

171 Enrollment and participant satisfaction in online horse courses for adult learners

The University of Minnesota Equine Extension Program offers 7 online courses to help equip horse owners and professionals with practical knowledge, research updates, and resources to improve horse care and management on their farms. The courses include Basic Nutrition, Carcass Composting, Growing and Feeding Hay, Horse Biosecurity, Managing Overweight Horses, Manure Management, and Pasture Establishment and Management. Each course is offered annually in January and runs for 6 weeks. An online platform is used to facilitate a semi-self-paced format. Learners meet course objectives by viewing weekly asynchronous lectures, exploring additional resources, and completing weekly assignments (e.g., quizzes). Participating in assignments and scoring at least 70% on quizzes is needed to earn a certificate of course completion. Since 2016, 1,256 learners have taken the courses. The objective of this presentation is to evaluate enrollment and assess participant satisfaction in recent years. The data were analyzed using ANOVA models (α = 0.05) followed by Tukey HSD tests with enrollment and certificate completion as response variables and year and course as fixed effects. From 2021 to 2023, the courses had a total of 697 registrations generating an income of $52,050. Registrants were from 10 countries and 39 states, with many from Minnesota (39%). While enrollment numbers did not vary by year (P = 0.06), they didvary among courses (P < 0.001). On average, Basic Nutrition had the highest annual enrollment (81 enrolled) followed by Pasture Establishment and Management (49 enrolled). For 2021 and 2022, course (P = 0.09) and year (P = 0.06) did not affect the proportion of learners that earned a certificate (59 to 85%). Feedback evaluations that asked Likert questions were used to assess participant (n = 12) satisfaction of the newly added Carcass Composting course. All agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the course and the information taught was useful for their farm. Perceived learner knowledge increased 41% during the course. Most learners agreed or strongly agreed (58%) they planned to make at least one management change on their farm based on content knowledge. Overall, consistent enrollment numbers from 2021 to 2023 indicate that the courses continue to be valuable resources for horse owners and professionals. Learners were particularly interested in areas of nutrition and pasture management, which suggests efforts to implement similar programs regionally could be worthwhile. Positive feedback from newly added courses highlights the success of a variety of topics that can be taught online to improve outreach efforts.

PENGEMBANGAN BAHAN AJAR DIGITAL-TERPADU UNTUK PERKULIAHAN ONLINE PADA MAHASISWA PROGRAM STUDI PGSD

This study aims to provide an overview of how the design for developing digital-integrated teaching materials (Bahan Ajar Digital-Terpadu – BADT) and the effectiveness of its application in supporting online lectures for students of the PGSD study program is carried out. This study used the ADDIE method (Analysing, Designing, Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating) to design various BADT equipment to support the implementation of learning evaluation courses in elementary schools at PGSD UPI Kampus Sumedang; Which is carried out in 2 modes, namely synchronous and asynchronous. The results obtained are that learning evaluation lectures in elementary schools can be carried out well and students can achieve maximum competence with the support of BADT teaching materials developed from various platforms and appropriate digital content. The results of this study also recommend that to anticipate the optimal implementation of online lectures, it is better to prepare BADT to support the continuity of synchronous and asynchronous lecture activities.

The Comparing the Impact of Asynchronous Online Quizzes on Student Learning Outcomes in a Computer Communication and Networking Course

This study investigates the effectiveness of asynchronous online quizzes in improving student learning outcomes in higher education. Specifically, we compare the impact of two teaching methods - Synchronous Lecture and Asynchronous Tutorial pair (SLAT) versus Asynchronous Lecture and Synchronous Tutorial pair (ALST) - in delivering weekly quizzes to 70 undergraduate computer science students. Our results show that the SLAT outperformed the ALST method in enhancing students' academic performance after each learning unit. The findings highlight the potential of asynchronous quizzes as a valuable learning tool, particularly when combined with live lecture classes and asynchronous tutorials. These results have implications for educators looking to implement blended learning models that prioritize student engagement and academic achievement.

The enjoyable online learning model for vocational students during COVID-19 pandemic

&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;The COVID-19 outbreak has forced all courses to be carried out online. This study aims to explain the characteristics of an enjoyable online learning model based on the platform, the content, and the learning strategy for vocational students. Data was collected using closed-ended and open-ended questionnaires which were responded to by 110 students in 2019/2020. The closed-ended questionnaire revealed the most preferred learning elements, and the open-ended questionnaire was to clarify their reasons. The data were arranged sequentially from the quantitative data to the qualitative data. The results of the study showed that: i) The preferred online platforms were Moodle, Google Meet, and WhatsApp. They like Moodle because the content is well structured, Google Meet is easily accessible, and WhatsApp is their daily routine application; ii) The learning content consists of two to three resources namely: 6-10 pages of papers, 11-15 pages PowerPoint, and 6-10 minutes videos. Too much content causes a heavy learning burden; iii) Most students preferred the blended learning strategy. The synchronous lectures for 60-75 minutes can motivate them because they can interact with lecturers and other students. Asynchronous lectures are more flexible that can be done anytime and anywhere so that the students become more independent in their learning.&lt;/span&gt;

Reflection on feasibility and usability of interactive online international exchange program for occupational therapy students

The COVID-19 pandemic affected international exchange programs due to travel restrictions. There are few reports of online international exchange programs in medical area and no report of interactive activities among students together for several months. To the best of our knowledge, we needed to seek the feasible approach to conduct online exchange program. We experienced online collaboration works to promote internationalization in occupational therapy (OT) undergraduate education. The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility and usability of an interactive online international exchange program, and discuss its challenges and advantages. The three-month program was newly developed, and aimed at cultivating an international perspective, understanding OT, and learning basic research skills. Students’ interests and the development of their motivation were considered in the program consisting of synchronous and asynchronous lectures, a collaboration research project, group work, and report assignments. Through the program, students were satisfied with the program contents and had the precious experience to develop international relationships. The online exchange program provided students with the opportunity to experience and learn OT education internationally at an economical cost, and to achieve program goal during the regular semester. In this program, students not only acquired knowledge in their professional field, but also cultivated their international communication skills in English from small group activities and social activities. Considering various communication methods was an important aspect in the virtual environment leading to a successful program. In medical education, an online program can be an effective and practical measure for international exchange.

Designing an Asynchronous Information Literacy Lecture to Change Learning Styles in ICT Utilization

With the development of information technology, various forms of lectures have been implemented in higher education institutions in addition to traditional face-to-face lectures, such as asynchronous and remote synchronous lectures. In recent years, various educational materials have become available on the Internet, allowing students to learn freely according to their interests. Consequently, we believe that it is necessary to respond to students' learning styles as students increasingly seek these materials and continuously learn on their own. In this paper, we conducted asynchronous lectures that prioritized student autonomy to promote self-directed learning and analyzed students’ learning activities. Furthermore, we gathered and analyzed the learning records of students who took this course during the latter semester to verify whether their learning styles were sustained. We report the results of this analysis.

Teacher-Made Videos as Learning Tool in Elementary Statistics during the Pandemic: A Developmental Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected education institutions around the world which has forced them to abruptly shift to online learning to address educational challenges with limited resources. Hence, this developmental research aimed to develop teacher-made videos as a learning tool for online learning in elementary statistics. This was utilized as an asynchronous lecture material during the pandemic and its acceptability was evaluated using the ADDIE Model. However, this paper focused only on the development and evaluation phase. It included 104 freshmen university students and five experts as participants of the study. Mean, standard deviation, frequency count, correlation analysis, and test of difference were used as data analysis tools. The developed videos consist of the following elements: title, learning objectives, overview, content discussion, assessment, and answer key. The teacher-made videos were highly acceptable in terms of learning objectives, content, organization and presentation, format and design, learning activities, and assessment as evaluated by the students and experts. In addition, when the participants were grouped according to sex and specialization, their overall acceptability mean did not exhibit significant differences. It was also found that the evaluation factors in the acceptability questionnaire all have a strong, positive correlation with the overall acceptability mean. Thus, technology-enhanced instructional materials like videos and other learning media are helpful learning resources in maximizing learning outcomes amid the pandemic.

The impact of the transition from flipped classroom to online lectures on learning outcomes and student satisfaction in a rehabilitation medicine clerkship during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe flipped classroom (FC) is a well-known active learning module that activates the prior knowledge of students and promotes their cognitive skills during in-class activities. However, most on-site teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic had to be conducted online. The FC in our rehabilitation medicine clerkship curriculum was also shifted to online asynchronous lectures (OLs), without real-time interactions. There is no previous comparison of effectiveness between these two methods. Therefore, this study aimed to compare learning outcomes and student satisfaction in both FC and OL models.MethodsThe study design was a historically controlled study. A physical modality was chosen for the content. The FC group (n = 233), in the academic years 2018 and 2019, was assigned to perform a pre-class activity consisting of reading study materials. Thereafter, the in-class activity comprised a small-group case-based discussion. The OL group (n = 240) in the academic years 2020 and 2021 followed an online model during the COVID-19 lockdown. They were also asked to read the online materials and then watch a self-paced recorded lecture video on Learning Management Systems. The learning outcomes, including their multiple-choice questions (MCQs) scores, final exam scores, grade points, and letter grades, were evaluated. Their overall course satisfaction ratings were also collected.ResultsThe OL group had an overall higher MCQ score for the physical modality portion than the FC group (p = 0.047). The median (lower quartile, upper quartile) of the total 50-MCQ scores were 34 (31, 37) in the OL group and 33 (29, 36) in the FC group (p = 0.007). The median final exam scores of the OL and FC groups were 69.5 and 68.3, respectively (p = 0.026). The median grade points and the letter grades were not significantly different between the groups. The proportions of satisfaction were significantly higher in the FC group than in the OL group.ConclusionsThe OL group revealed significantly higher learning outcomes than the FC group. However, the FC group showed more satisfaction with interactivity than the OL group. The authors are of the view that a combination of both FC and OL methods will likely result in better outcomes.