Attainment Of Learning Outcomes Research Articles

Revitalizing Medical Education Delivery through Teacher-Led Curriculum Critiques: A Narrative Review

ABSTRACT A teacher in a medical college is like a compass who has the responsibility and the power to guide budding medical students in their educational journey to become effective and efficient members of the healthcare team. The purpose of the current review is to justify the significance of curriculum evaluation, explore the role of teacher in the capacity of curriculum evaluator, enlist various methods and tools to perform curriculum evaluation, and identify the challenges and suggest potential solutions to overcome them. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out on the PubMed and Google Scholar search engines and a total of 16 articles were selected based upon their suitability with the current review objectives and analyzed. Keywords used in the search include curriculum evaluation in the title alone only (viz. curriculum [ti] AND medical [ti]; curriculum evaluation [ti] AND methods [ti]; curriculum evaluation [ti] AND approaches [ti]; curriculum evaluation [ti]). A number of strategies can be employed to perform the evaluation of the medical curriculum, ranging from obtaining feedback from medical students at the end of each professional phase to assessing content, teaching methods, assessment, and attainment of learning outcomes. The process of evaluation of medical curriculum by teachers is a complex and challenging one and needs careful planning and execution of different aspects. These identified challenges clearly provide evidence that teachers have to be given the necessary training, resources, and institutional support to enable them to conduct effective medical curriculum evaluation. In conclusion, teachers in their capacity as curriculum evaluators remain the most important stakeholder in ensuring continuous improvement in the quality of education delivered to students. Owing to their in-depth awareness of classroom dynamics, the learning process, and the awareness about unique needs of students, their involvement in curriculum evaluation can ensure alignment between the delivered curriculum and the needs of the society.

Enhancing German language learning through interactive tools

This article explores the utilization of interactive tools in the creation of interactive exercises for German language lessons and the assessment of learners' performance. The concept of didacticization, which involves adapting educational materials and authentic texts, is examined in detail. The article outlines the essential steps for didacticizing authentic texts and provides examples of how digital tools can be employed to accomplish this task, thereby facilitating their integration into the educational process. The primary objectives of employing these tools are to foster language competence development and evaluate the attainment of learning outcomes. The study establishes that the utilization of mobile applications and Web 2.0 interactive tools effectively organizes students' work both within and outside the classroom, leading to the enhancement and refinement of their language competence.

Curriculum and NEP 2020: Perspectives and Inter-connections

There cannot be a more appropriate time for infusing the education system of India with flexibility, innovativeness and quality. National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, is a step in this direction which emphasises on inclusiveness, equity and quality with a clear focus on the attainment of learning outcomes. NEP 2020 promotes the adoption of learner-centric education which develops critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills and discourages rote learning methods. An effective education policy relies on strong curricular foundations for optimum results. An enriched curriculum should be rooted in India’s diverse culture, knowledge systems and traditions embracing local knowledge and cultural practices, on the one hand, and at the same time, should incorporate the modern-day learning perspectives developed by the curriculum theorists over the last century. This article analyses the idea of curriculum as conceived by different learning perspectives and how NEP 2020 draws inferences from them.

The Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality-Assisted Experiential Learning on Enhancing Empathy in Undergraduate Health Care Students Toward Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: Multiple-Methods Study.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR)-assisted experiential learning has the potential to foster empathy among undergraduate health care students toward older adults with cognitive impairment by facilitating a sense of embodiment. However, the extent of its effectiveness, including enhancing students' learning experiences and achieving intended learning outcomes, remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of IVR-assisted experiential learning on the empathy of undergraduate health care students toward older people with cognitive impairment as the primary outcome (objective 1) and on their learning experience (objective 2) and their attainment of learning outcomes as the secondary outcomes (objective 3). A multiple-methods design was used, which included surveys, focus groups, and a review of the students' group assignments. Survey data were summarized using descriptive statistics, whereas paired 2-tailed t tests were used to evaluate differences in empathy scores before and after the 2-hour IVR tutorial (objective 1). Focus groups were conducted to evaluate the impacts of IVR-assisted experiential learning on the empathy of undergraduate health care students toward older people with cognitive impairment (objective 1). Descriptive statistics obtained from surveys and thematic analyses of focus groups were used to explore the students' learning experiences (objective 2). Thematic analysis of group assignments was conducted to identify learning outcomes (objective 3). A total of 367 undergraduate nursing and occupational therapy students were recruited via convenience sampling. There was a significant increase in the students' empathy scores, measured using the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale, from 78.06 (SD 7.72) before to 81.17 (SD 8.93) after (P<.001). Students expressed high satisfaction with the IVR learning innovation, with a high satisfaction mean score of 20.68 (SD 2.55) and a high self-confidence mean score of 32.04 (SD 3.52) on the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence scale. Students exhibited a good sense of presence in the IVR learning environment, as reflected in the scores for adaptation (41.30, SD 6.03), interface quality (11.36, SD 3.70), involvement (62.00, SD 9.47), and sensory fidelity (31.47, SD 5.23) on the Presence Questionnaire version 2.0. In total, 3 major themes were identified from the focus groups, which involved 23 nursing students: enhanced sympathy toward older adults with cognitive impairment, improved engagement in IVR learning, and confidence in understanding the key concepts through the learning process. These themes supplement and align with the survey results. The analysis of the written assignments revealed that students attained the learning outcomes of understanding the challenges faced by older adults with cognitive impairment, the importance of providing person-centered care, and the need for an age-friendly society. IVR-assisted experiential learning enhances students' knowledge and empathy in caring for older adults with cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that IVR can be a valuable tool in professional health care education.

Reflecting on gamified learning in medical education: a systematic literature review grounded in the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy 2012—2022

BackgroundThe acquisition of in-depth medical knowledge, skills, and competencies is of utmost importance when training future medical professionals. This systematic literature review delves into the empirical connection between gamified learning in medical education and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy.MethodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted in seven databases to identify empirical studies related to gamification and medical education. The literature search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published between January 2012 and December 2022. Articles focusing on games or learning technologies in a broader sense as well as research focusing on nursing or pharmacy education were excluded.ResultsUpon reviewing 23 qualified empirical studies that applied gamified learning strategies in medical education, 18 (78%) studies are associated with the second lowest level (uni-structural) of the SOLO taxonomy. The mid-level (multi-structural) learning outcomes are associated with three (13%) of the reviewed studies. There are five (22%) studies focusing on the second highest (relational) level of the SOLO. Only one study (4%) is associated with the highest SOLO level (extended-abstract). Finally, three (13%) studies were identified with multiple levels of the SOLO. In addition to the SOLO levels, the review found six (26%) studies emphasizing motivational and engagement support of gamified learning strategies in facilitating intended learning outcome attainment. A total of three (13%) studies, across three SOLO levels, suggested that gamified learning strategies can improve students’ soft skills in medical education programs.ConclusionThese findings collectively emphasize the need for future research and development to design gamified learning experiences capable of fostering higher SOLO taxonomy attainment in medical education. Moreover, there is potential to extend the SOLO framework to encompass motivational and affective learning outcomes, providing a comprehensive understanding of the impact of gamified learning on medical students.

Educational Data Mining in Outcome-Based Education: An Analysis of Predictive Models for Program Learning Outcome Attainment

Outcome-based Education (OBE) is a student-centered strategy that focuses on students' performance in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitude to address academic gaps. Educational Data Mining (EDM) utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze student data and boost academic achievements. Experimenting with student academic data of 397 first-year students of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, covering nine courses and spanning two semesters, this research proposes a prediction mechanism to help anticipate student academic outcomes at an early stage during their university degree. The aim of this research is threefold. First, an exploration of EDM-based classification to predict OBE-based Program Learning Outcome (PLO) attainment. Second, the investigation of imbalanced class distribution and the benefits of using the Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling Technique on educational data. Third, a comprehensive performance evaluation of eleven classifiers is explored in this research. The evaluation entailed the use of accuracy, Kappa, recall, and precision to assess classifier performance on both balanced and unbalanced class distributions. Although several classifiers were found to be competent in handling educational data for OBE-PLO prediction, the Random Forest exhibited superior performance with an accuracy of 76.88% and a Kappa score of 0.727.

An accelerated dispensing course for grad entry students - Can we teach dispensing skills over a day?

Background and purposeThis study aimed to evaluate an accelerated dispensing course for graduate entry (GE) pharmacy students with prior science-related degrees to join undergraduate (UG) students in year three of the Monash Pharmacy degree. Educational activity and settingA one day accelerated dispensing course using MyDispense software was delivered to 59 GE students. The accelerated dispensing course was identical to the standard three-week dispensing course delivered to UG students. The same assessment of dispensing skills was conducted after course completion for both UG and GE students and included dispensing four prescriptions of varying difficulty. The assessment scores of the UG and GE students were compared. Perception data from the accelerated course were also collected. FindingsThe accelerated dispensing curriculum was well received by students. They found the simulation relevant to practice, easy to navigate, and helpful for preparing them for assessment. Overall, 5.1% of GE students failed the assessment, which was lower than the 32.6% failure rate in the UG cohort. Comparison of assessment grades between UG and GE students showed no notable disadvantage to attainment of learning outcomes with the accelerated curriculum. However, UG students were more likely to provide unsafe instructions compared to GE students in their labeling for three out of four prescriptions. SummaryAn accelerated dispensing curriculum can be effectively delivered to mature learners with a prior science-related degree as no notable deficiencies were identified when comparing the assessment results of GE students against UG students when both student cohorts undertook the same dispensing assessment.

Twelve tips for creating online learning units for the health professions in low-and middle-income countries

Health professions educators in low-and middle-income countries are often sceptical about developing online learning units. This scepticism stems from the belief that online programmes are limited in developing clinical competence, and there are concerns about digital proficiency and resource availability. A social constructivist approach in designing online work-based learning units may overcome such scepticism. In this article, we use our experience in developing an online learning unit for healthcare education to suggest 12 tips for developing online learning units in a low-and middle-income context. The tips are nested in a ‘promoting theory-practice integration framework’ and include context, establishing communities of learning and practice, establishing foundational knowledge, practise in a work-based environment, and showcasing attainment of learning outcomes. By integrating the guidelines and framework, healthcare educators will be better equipped to develop online learning units and contribute to learning.

Developing Virtual Field Trips for Agriculture

Field trips play an important role in teaching and learning, from stimulating students’ motivations to allowing students to connect in-class concepts and the real world. Including field trips within an agricultural curriculum is essential as concepts are highly interdisciplinary, and knowledge application to a range of production systems and environments is critical. Despite their importance, many factors, such as high enrolments, present challenges to its successful integration. Virtual field trips (VFT) allow universities to leverage the affordances of technology to mitigate some of the associated challenges while maintaining quality course delivery. In this pilot study, an experiential learning activity was designed around a VFT application, and the student experience and outcome were investigated. The student experience measures indicated satisfaction with multimedia elements, although it is noted that improvements to the user interface would enhance the experience. Students had positive reflections on the learning experience, including an increased interest in the field of study but did not see VFTs as replacing actual field trips. Paired t-tests showed students’ attainment of learning outcomes. This pilot implementation provides an activity design for other courses with similar challenges and highlights the value of VFTs to the curriculum for undergraduate agricultural courses.

The Origin and Evolution of an Anomalous Academic Credential: The Ontario College Advanced Diploma

The Ontario College Advanced Diploma requires three years of post-secondary education and the attainment of learning outcomes like those of a three-year baccalaureate degree. Except for one other Canadian province, no similar academic credential is awarded by colleges in Canada or the United States. For these reasons it has been viewed by some as an anomalous academic credential. This article relates how Ontario colleges came to offer such a rare credential and how the credential survived for over half a century. Employing the concept of path dependence, the origins of the advanced diploma are traced back to the institutes of technology that were first established in Ontario in the 1940s. The article employs a mix of historical inquiry, document analysis, enrolment trend analysis, and literature review methodologies.

Scrutinizing Outcome Assessment of Outcome-based Education using Q-OBE in Engineering Education

Educational institutions constantly strive to meet accreditation requirements which demand continuous improvement in the quality of education. As a consequence, there has been an active shift in strategizing pedagogical processes towards an outcome-based approach of learning. To effectively implement the Outcome Based Education (OBE) framework in Pakistan, universities need to ensure that the OBE system is fully understandable to the faculty members and students; confirm the implementation of the OBE system according to the guidelines set forth by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC); and acquire the accreditation of engineering programs, formalized through the Washington Accord and governed by the PEC. A key challenge in implementing OBE is in its assessment process. Education programs have to compute students’ attainment of learning outcomes as measured by multiple courses offered within each program. Q-OBE was implemented to automate the process of assessment and to produce detailed reporting of each student’s aggregated outcomes in a visually effective format. Q-OBE takes the assessment marks as the input and accurately tracks how well the students attain the intended learning outcomes in terms of both Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) and Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). This study reports on the implementation of Q-OBE in engineering education. The main aim is to show how Q-OBE, a GUI-based software, automates calculating students’ outcomes incorporating both CLOs and PLOs achievements. An attempt has also been made to make explicit the OBE implementation via well-documented and reliable procedures across the institutions.&#x0D; Keywords: Outcome Based Education (OBE), Assessment and Evaluation, Automation System, Course Learning Outcome (CLO), Program Learning Outcome (PLO)

Comparison of the effectiveness of exclusively facilitated clinical teaching as an alternative to traditional practice-based primary care placements

ABSTRACT Introduction COVID-19 presented major challenges to undergraduate GP placement capacity and there was an increased reliance on clinical training using facilitated simulation. The authors present a novel comparison of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of delivering a one-week primary care course using entirely GP-facilitated clinical teaching outside the GP setting against traditional practice-based GP clinical education. Methods A one-week GP placement was redeveloped from a traditional teaching model (TT-M) to an exclusively facilitated teaching model (FT-M) delivered outside the GP practice setting, using principles of blended learning, flipped classroom methods, e-learning and simulation. Both teaching models, delivered in different locations during 2022 to pre-clinical students, were evaluated using student feedback surveys for attainment of learning outcomes and course satisfaction. Results The students reported their consultation skills and clinical knowledge (amalgamated mean score 4.36 for FT-M versus 4.63 for TT-M; P = 0.05), as well as preparation for the clinical phases (mean scores 4.35 for FT-M versus 4.41 for TT-M; P = 0.68), were well developed and similar for both courses. Students reported similar enjoyment across both teaching models (FT-M mean score 4.31 versus 4.41 for TT-M; P = 0.49). The costs for delivering teaching per 4-h session for 100 students were £1,379 and £5,551 for FT-M and TT-M, respectively. Conclusion Delivery of a one-week primary care attachment to third year medical students using an FT-M was similarly effective and more cost effective than delivering it by a TT-M. FT-M potentially offers an important adjunct to clinical learning and resilience to capacity challenges for GP placements.

Integrated-Based Curriculum of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms (ICPDF): What Factors Affect the Learning Outcome Attainment?

This study aimed to evaluate pharmacy students' perceptions regarding the correlations among the quality of faculty members, institutional resources, an integrated-based curriculum of pharmaceutical dosage forms (ICPDF), and learning outcome attainment. The current study participants have attended courses (semesters 2 to 6) through the ICPDF in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia. We distributed survey instruments to 212 pharmacy undergraduate students after one year of the curriculum implementation. We asked the students to fill in the instrument in which the indicators consist of a 7-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS, which included measurement and structural models through PLS-SEM. The findings informed that the quality of faculty members and institutional resources significantly predict ICPDF. Similarly, ICPDF plays a significant role in affecting learning outcome attainment. The quality of faculty members and institutional resources were not related to learning outcome attainment. Significances of differences were informed among students' years in university regarding learning outcome attainment and ICPDF. However, insignificant differences emerged based on gender. The findings demonstrate the benefits of using the PLS-SEM approach to create a valid and reliable model, assessing the correlations between independent variables with the ICPDF and learning outcome attainment as two dependent variables.

An Effective Instructional Design to Enhance Learning Outcomes of Information Security Course in Online Mode

The course on Information Security deals with the processes and tools for protecting sensitive digital data from disruption, modification and destruction in cyber space. This course is offered as a programme core during the third year of study in the undergraduate curriculum of various engineering programmes such as Computer Science and Engineering and Information Technology. The demand for graduating engineers with the technical skills to detect, respond to, and prevent cyberattacks is at an all-time high. Having understood the potential job market for Cyber Security Professionals, the syllabus of the Information Security course at Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai has been carefully designed in collaboration with industrial experts. The course also provides the necessary foundation for certification exams like Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and for pursuing a master’s degree with specialization in Information Security. Because of pandemic, the course has to be delivered in online mode with no compromise in quality. A wide variety of simulation tools, programming assignments, active and collaborative learning techniques, Problem based Learning have been included in the instructional design to create an effective online learning environment. Exclusive rubrics were created for assessing teamwork, ethics and communication. The paper presents a detailed impact analysis of the customized instructional design in improving the attainment of learning outcomes, student engagement and satisfaction. The experimental study has been carried out in a student group of 138 members from the undergraduate programme on Information Technology at our institute in the academic year 2020-21. Adoption of multiple teaching learning strategies has shown significant improvement in the performance of learners in continuous assessment tests and terminal examinations. The satisfaction index of the learners analysed from course end surveys and informal feedback and is found to be significantly high. Keywords— Active Learning; Collaborative Learning; Information Security; Higher Order Thinking Skills; Learning Outcome Attainment; Student Engagemen

Pursuit of Agile Transformation in the Attainment of Learning Outcomes of Civil Engineering Courses: A case study in Bangladesh

Pursuit of Agile Transformation in the Attainment of Learning Outcomes of Civil Engineering Courses: A case study in Bangladesh

Learning Styles and Its Role in the Attainment of Learning Outcomes

Learning Styles and Its Role in the Attainment of Learning Outcomes

Integrating Literature with Technology and Use of Digital Tools: Impact on Learning Outcomes

The teaching of literature involves understanding of emotions and feelings of the characters, plot constructions, setting, themes and drawing picturesque images. The aesthetics of teaching literature though lies in reading and understanding the text in its natural way; however, with the advent of technology and compulsive transition to online teaching, integration of technology and digital tools with teaching of literature has become a necessity. This study aimed at examining how to incorporate technology and digital tools in literature classrooms, to ensure attainment of learning outcomes.  Digital tools currently adopted to teach literary texts include visualizations, digital editions of classics, storytelling through videos, graphic novels, interactive hypertexts and distant reading of the texts. Visualization tools, for example, can explain word patterns and sentence structure in a story, build digital artifacts, create digital maps of a novel’s setting, and convert themes into images. This study utilized a questionnaire survey with two learner groups, control and experimental, identified through purposive sampling, and in-depth interviews with six instructors who taught literature courses in a leading Saudi university. The focus of this mixed method research study was to see whether technology had done justice with the literary texts and helped achieve the intended learning outcomes. The study found out that with the help of technology students learned literary texts from multiple dimensions; however, the primary concern while integrating technology with teaching of literature should be to help students achieve learning outcomes. The study reiterated that whatever the media or the means to teach literature, if the learning objectives are achieved, combining technology with literature teaching will rather be a paradigm shift.

An Assessment of the Impact of Distance Learning on Pupils’ Performance

Distance education has influenced the organization of education at the level of systems and schools, the change in the specificity of teachers’ activities, the change in pupils’ learning, and, undoubtedly, the attainment of learning outcomes. The aim of this study is to determine what factors have affected pupils’ learning outcomes in the course of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of pupils, pupils’ parents, and teachers. A quantitative study was conducted in order to reveal the impact of distance learning. The positive and negative aspects of distance education became clear. As regards the negative consequences of distance teaching/learning, the results of the study showed that in the teachers’ opinion, the pupils’ learning outcomes generally deteriorated. The positive factors of distance learning influencing the learning process and thus learning outcomes were a comfortable environment, the possibility to use a variety of learning aids available at home, and the possibility to view the lesson records at a time convenient for pupils.

Enhancing Attainment of Learning Outcomes Through Active Learning

This paper presents an experimental study conducted on employing Active Learning strategies towards enhancing the attainment of learning outcomes of a course "Linear Control Systems" in the undergraduate (UG) Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) programme. The existing UG programme curriculum is retrofitted into outcome-based curriculum. The Programme Outcomes (POs) for this programme are derived from the Graduate Attributes of Washington Accord (WA). In order to meet the POs, Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are written predominantly in the Cognitive (Revised Bloom's taxonomy) and Psychomotor (Dave's taxonomy) domains for lecture-based courses and laboratory courses, respectively and very few are written in Affective (Bloom's taxonomy) domain. In this paper, four CLOs (i) Discuss the various classification of control systems (K2), (ii) Define the time and frequency response of the system (K2), (iii) Derive the overall transfer function of the given Block diagram of a system (K3) and (iv) Derive the overall transfer function of a Signal Flow Graph (SFG) of a system (K3) are considered to measure the effectiveness of active learning methods in attaining the outcome. Active learning methods such as Jigsaw, Think-pair-share and Peer instruction, and traditional lecture-based methods were employed. In addition, ClassComm software with student interactive devices was used to measure the students' learning in the classroom and subsequently the attainment of CLOs. This study compares the effectiveness of active learning methods with the traditional lecture-based instruction method in relation to the attainment of CLOs. The overall analysis results reveal that both instructors and students received the active learning methods very well, and they are very effective in enhancing the attainment of learning outcomes. However, instructors are of the view that the duration of the contact period should be at least two hours. Keywords— active learning, Bloom's taxonomy, concept map, control systems, learning outcomes

Analysis of Industry based Experiential Learning for Undergraduate courses in Civil Engineering

Increased levels of communication and automation process indicates the onset of fourth Industrial Revolution. Production of industry ready professionals especially for the dynamic Civil Engineering domain will be an outcome of continuous implementation of interactive teaching-learning methods. Incorporation of industry-based experiential learning to supplement the classroom sessions have been attempted for two undergraduate courses in Civil Engineering programme namely Surveying and Computer Aided Building Drawing for first year learners. Simultaneously, conventional and standalone classroom teaching was implemented for the second year learners with respect to these two courses. This study attempts to compare and analyse the learner perceptions and measure the learning outcome attainment of the Industry based Experiential learning and conventional teaching method. The selected courses provided ample space and scope for the working of industrial methodologies such as use of modern laboratory equipment (Total Station) and software (AutoCAD) for real-time problems. The assessment patterns varied extensively between the two teaching methods as the first year learners had experimental assessments for solving critical scenarios in the construction site. The results and analysis of learners’ perception obtained through the internal assessments provided an insight that Industry based Experiential Learning was well ahead in the development of Industry ready professionals. However, the challenges in this novel method are also accounted for future adaption for other courses. Hence, this study provided a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the learning environments and identify specific benefits for both the teaching methods. Keywords: Industry based Experiential learning, Surveying, Computer Aided Building Drawing, Civil Engineering