Basic Skills Curriculum Research Articles

Technical skill improvement with surgical preparatory courses: What advantages are reflected in residency?

IntroductionSustainability of skill acquisition gained from graduating medical student (GMS) preparatory courses remains uncertain. GMS skills were assessed before (T1) and after a preparatory course (T2) and then again 2 (T3) and 4 (T4) months into residency and compared to surgical interns without such a course. MethodsIn April, GMS took the preparatory course. In July–August all interns participated in a basic skills curriculum. Learners completed four technical exercises pre/post each course. Three surgeons scored performances. GMS scores were compared across the 4 time points. Control interns were compared at T3 and T4. ResultsThirty-two interns completed all pre/post course assessments (T3 and T4); seven of those were GMSs. GMS scores increased from 74.5%(T1) to 94.2%(T2) (p < 0.001), and were maintained into residency. Control interns also improved (65.8%(T3) to 91.8%(T4), p < 0.001). GMS-interns scored higher starting residency compared to control interns (T3, 89.08% vs 65.03%, p < 0.001). ConclusionsThese findings support existing literature and demonstrate that students maintain their skills into residency. Preparatory courses provide a head start. Without such course, interns require a steep learning curve.

Exploring Alignment of Community College Students for Preparedness and Achievement of Basic Skills

This mixed-method study explored the alignment of expected student learning outcomes (SLOs) and expected student entrance skills, as stated within “course outlines of record” (CORs), for basic skills courses in one California community college district. Researchers evaluated consistencies and discrepancies in course alignment. There were some occasional redundancies and gaps in skills across some course sequences. Still, the overall data suggested that across the majority of course sequences, expected SLOs and entrance skills align well between sequential courses and with the culminating college-level courses. These patterns of alignment within the basic skills curricula at this community college represent a well-conceived and logical progression of learning for students, which supports the “scaffolding” concept used as a theoretical foundation of this study. When actual enrollment patterns for students were examined, the intentional alignment of courses was not necessarily honored by students’ enrollment behavior. This finding suggests that faculty planning of course sequencing is not fully supported by institutional practice. To ensure that faculty intended course sequencing is not disregarded, the researchers offer recommendations for the entire system of community colleges to consider, rather than individual institutions. As such, this study puts forward a five-step ALIGN-model for community colleges to follow in order to integrate the basic skills curriculum that supports student learning and success in college.

A structured self-directed basic skills curriculum results in improved technical performance in the absence of expert faculty teaching

We developed a novel curriculum teaching 20 open surgical skills in 5 general domains (instrument handling, knot tying, simple wound closure, advanced wound closure, and hemostasis). The curriculum includes online didactics, skills practice, and defined performance metrics, but is entirely self-guided with no expert oversight or teaching. Subjects included first- and second-year medical students (n = 9). Subjects first viewed a demonstration video depicting proper technique. The pretest was video-recorded performance of each skill. Subjects then completed the self-guided skills curriculum at their own pace, returning for posttesting once they met defined self-assessment criteria. Performance was evaluated through both self-assessment and blinded video review by 2 expert reviewers using previously validated scales. After completion of the curriculum, performance improved significantly by both self-assessment (3,754 ± 1,742 to 6,496 ± 1,337; P < .01, Wilcoxon signed ranks) and expert assessment (10.1 ± 2.6 to 14.6 ± 2.7; P = .015). When analyzed by the 5 general domains, performance was significantly better for all domains by self-assessment (P < .05 for all domains) and in 4 domains by expert assessment (P < .04 for all domains other than instrument handling). Completion of a self-guided basic surgical skills curriculum allows novice learners to significantly improve performance in basic open surgical skills, without traditional expert teaching. This curriculum is useful for medical students and incoming junior residents.

Stuck in the Remedial Rut: Confronting Resistance to ESL Curriculum Reform

This article presents a case study of a university ESL program that was highly resistant to reform, despite substantial evidence that its curriculum and policies were ineffective. The author draws on surveys, interviews, and participant observation to show how remediation served not only as an instructional model, but as an institutional identity for the program. This remedial identity was reflected in a testing-heavy, basic skills curriculum focused primarily on lexico-grammatical issues, as well as in the program’s policies for placement, tuition, and course credit. Through data-gathering and cross-departmental collaboration, the program was able to construct an alternative identity for itself—one in which its role was to support diversity, rather than to eradicate deficiency. This study adds to the growing body of scholarship on the ideological and political conditions in which basic/ESL writing is situated, and offers insights on how programs can re-envision their role within institutions.

Completion of a Novel, Virtual-Reality-Based, Advanced Laparoscopic Curriculum Improves Advanced Laparoscopic Skills in Senior Residents

Virtual reality simulators contribute to basic laparoscopic skill acquisition. These trainers have not yet been shown to contribute to the acquisition of more advanced laparoscopic skills as measured by the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS). We have customized novel basic and advanced curricula for the LapSim trainer (Surgical Science, Göteborg, Sweden). Successful completion of these programs is required of our residents. We hypothesize that the successful completion of our advanced curriculum will result in the significant improvement of our residents' advanced laparoscopic skills as measured by the FLS skills scores. In all, 23 surgical residents (PGY 1-4), who had already passed our basic skills curriculum, completed our advanced LapSim curriculum. All individuals underwent FLS skills testing before and after completing the training. Laparoscopic case experience during the training period was documented for all trainees. FLS scores were analyzed by t test and controlled for case experience. Posttraining FLS scores demonstrate a significant increase for all residents from a mean of 57-66 (p < 0.02), especially for seniors (PGY 3-4): 56-68 (p < 0.01). The operative laparoscopic case volume ranged from 1-90 (mean, 30) for juniors (PGY 1-2) and 12-76 (mean 50) for seniors during the training period. Junior resident FLS improvement was dependent on case volume during the period of training; residents with less than 30 cases had a mean improvement of 0, whereas those with at least 30 cases had a 15 point improvement (p < 0.01). Senior resident FLS score improvement was independent of case numbers during the training period. Completion of our advanced LapSim curriculum results in improved advanced laparoscopic skills in senior residents as measured by FLS scores. This skill improvement is independent of laparoscopic case experience. Continuing to mandate the use of this skills curriculum should improve our residents' performance in advanced laparoscopic surgical procedures.

4-Year Curriculum for Urology Residency Training

A standardized curriculum for urology surgical training does not exist at this time. We propose a template for a cognitive and basic skills curriculum to cover the 4 years of urology residency training based on weekly 1-hour, year specific education sessions. Resident scores from the American Urological In-Service Examination were reviewed to assess resident performance before and 6 months after implementation of the 4-year curriculum. Resident and faculty questionnaires were used 6 months after incorporating the curriculum to evaluate the usefulness and value of the new curriculum. Average In-Service Examination results following the introduction of the 4-year curriculum were 10% to 27% higher than the previous 4 years of examination results. Most residents and faculty considered the weekly learning sessions to be mostly or completely valuable educational experiences. The initial experience with a structured 4-year curriculum for urology residency training has been favorable for residents and faculty. This preliminary 4-year urology residency curriculum is presented as a platform for future debate and a catalyst for new thoughts and discussion.

Teaching patient-centered tobacco intervention to first-year medical students.

The University of Wisconsin's Tobacco Intervention Basic Skills curriculum (TIBS) was inaugurated to begin training 147 first-year medical students in skills for promoting health behavior change. Learning activities included lecture, demonstration, reading, quiz, role-play exercises, and standardized patient interviews. After TIBS, the 69 students who provided pre- and postintervention data exhibited more therapeutic attitudes and increased knowledge and self-confidence in applying TIBS skills. Two months later, 52% of the 109 posttest respondents had applied TIBS in clinical settings, often for behaviors other than tobacco use. We conclude that medical students can gain from early training on promoting behavior change.

Taproots for a New Century: Tapping the Best of Traditional and Progressive Education

Each side of the progressivism-versus-traditionalism debate tries to advance its cause by ridiculing the other. Mr. Ackerman looks beyond the caricatures and finds valid ideas on both sides that can be synthesized into a new 10 of education. IN CALIFORNIA, a coalition of mathematically correct parents and university professors campaigns vigorously against progressive-style fuzzy and demands the return of a no-nonsense, basic-skills curriculum. In Massachusetts, the state department of education hires a consultant from New South Wales to argue for the importance of learning science content, thus doing battle with the schools of education and think tanks closer to home and their fervently espoused gospel of hands-on or process science. With such a belligerence evident from coast to coast and with valid insights from one side in these wars canceling out those of the other, might it be time to call a truce and search for common ground? These battles in math and science and in many other areas (e.g., history versus social studies, speaking versus grammar in foreign- language learning) are manifestations of a fundamental debate between progressive educators and traditionalists that has been going on for more than a century. While individual practitioners make pragmatic accommodations (a stiff dose of phonics alternating with fragrant whiffs of whole language), for the profession as a whole the progressivism-versus-traditionalism debate has reached a stalemate. Characteristically, even where one side seems to have the upper hand (for example, progressivism is dominant in most schools of education), the gospel is largely rejected elsewhere (for example, in most actual high schools). It is easy to write off this debate as an all-too-predictable exercise in rhetorical wheel spinning, but to do so would be sad and foolish, for these two traditions represent the best we know about teaching and learning. They are the intertwined taproots of our professional outlook, the warp and woof of the fabric of beliefs that guide us when we walk into a classroom. In the best tradition of traditional education, we need to articulate the content of this debate, and in the best tradition of Deweyan progressivism, we need to work to derive useful insights. Our aim should be to break the philosophical logjam that has been obstructing us as a profession. But how can this be done? While there can be no pat formula, there is a promising pathway, rooted in the intuition that we are dealing not with educational good and evil but with dual virtues that need to be boldly and imaginatively combined. The validity of this intuition would be demonstrated by the hybrid vigor of the synthesis that results. The problem is figuring out how to get to the point where points of view long at war can be recognized as essentially complementary. I see three steps as necessary for depolarizing the debate and achieving a unified outlook. First, those who temperamentally or philosophically lean toward one side of the debate need to resist the temptation to claim the high ground by simply caricaturing the other side. Specifically, traditionalists need to stop ridiculing progressives as anti- intellectual bleeding hearts, and progressives need to stop deriding traditionalists as pedantic, insensitive crushers of freedom. Second, we need to articulate the enduring and valid insights of both camps and engrave them on the two tablets of our new educational 10 commandments. And neither tablet is to be given mere lip service! Third, we need to recognize and imagine educational practices in which all these commandments are alive and well, in which the actions inspired by traditionalism and those sparked by progressivism are orchestrated so as to produce classrooms and schools characterized philosophically by breadth of vision and functioning as learning communities that make us want to sing and shout. …

The JSEP Learning Skills Training System

The Army Job Skills Education Program (JSEP) is a dual curriculum that reminds soldiers to use learning skills while they take CAI lessons that train basic math and verbal job competencies. Prior to entering the JSEP basic skills curriculum, soldiers are taught self-motivational techniques and strategies for studying and solving problems. Each type of learning skill is represented and trained by a different character model. These characters appear as prompts throughout the basic skills curriculum to remind soldiers to recall and use their new learning skills. In this article, the rationale for the curriculum model is overviewed and preliminary field trial data are reported.

An Evaluation of a Computer-Assisted Education System in an Untraditional Academic Setting — A County Jail

AbstractThis study analyzed the effectiveness of a computer-assisted educational system within an untraditional academic setting — a jail. The paper addresses itself to four issues: (a) the overall role of CAE in a jail setting; (b) an evaluation of a particular curriculum in basic skills within the context of a detention center; (c) a description and evaluation of the reading segment of the basic skills curriculum; and (d) the potential usefulness of CAE in this type of setting. Results showed that CAE was a tool that could be used effectively in this type of setting, provided that its capabilities and limitations were properly understood.

Computer-Based Education in Prison Schools

The PLATO Corrections Project (PCP) is implementing PLATO computer-based education in Illinois prisons. Since October 1975, the PCP staff has assembled a pre-GED and GED curriculum of over 400 already available PLATO lessons; has developed the PCP instructional management, communications, and evaluation system; has designed an instructor training package; and more recently has developed forty hours of mastery-based instruction in adult reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Some 2,000 students and 120 staff in three Illinois prisons have used the system for over 32,000 hours. The PCP network also has expanded to the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Data collected on student/instructor usage, attitudes, and achievement demonstrate that the PCP System is feasible, attractive, and effective in corrections education. Moreover, educational strategies employed in PCP's current curriculum development program will form the basis for a comprehensive basic skills curriculum for educationally disadvantaged youth and adults.

Effectiveness of a General Basic Skills Curriculum for Junior High School Girls

Abstract Two seventh grade classes were chosen at random to receive experimental basic skills instruction which emphasized problem solving and student understanding of simplified mechanics prior to instruction in volleyball, basketball, and softball. Three seventh grade classes constituted the control group. With less instruction in volleyball and basketball and an equal amount in softball, the experimental group surpassed the control group on eight sport skill tests (three significant at the 1 percent level). Their mean total sport skill score was also significantly higher. These differences were not due to superiority of the experimental group in motor ability, physical development, or intelligence.

Evaluation of a Basic Skills Curriculum for Women Students of Low Motor Ability at the University of Washington

Abstract This study deals with the value of a general basic skills curriculum for Freshman women of low motor ability. A group of these students received instruction in the special curriculum previous to entering the regular service program. Follow-up procedures included testing of motor ability after the special instruction, attitude toward physical education throughout the physical education experience, and skill and knowledge achieved at the end of a beginning course in badminton, bowling, or folk dancing. When this group is compared to a matched group, results indicate that the instruction was effective in improving general motor ability and attitude toward physical education, and in gaining skill and knowledge in specific activities.