Biomedical Science Students Research Articles

Practitioner capability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of creative activity and storytelling in assisting development of students’ reflective ability and critical thinking. Design/methodology/approach – Eight biomedical science students undertaking year-long work-based placements took part in this action research study. A coding scheme was designed to assess students’ reflections initially and at each stage of the study. Intervention activities involved students using mood boards, images and storytelling to assist development of creative learning spaces with a thematic approach employed to analyse both personal and collective reflections. Post-intervention evaluation considered possible long-term impact on students’ reflective ability. Findings – Students’ pre-intervention reports showed little reflection focusing mainly on competence demonstration and descriptive situation summaries. During the intervention workshops, all students demonstrated both identification of self as a practitioner and a critically reflective approach. However, this was not maintained long term as initial post-intervention reports tended to revert to a more descriptive style of writing suggesting longer-term support is required. Research limitations/implications – The importance of further research into the long-term usefulness of creative collaborative learning spaces in work-based programmes is suggested. Originality/value – This is the first study investigating the approach to supporting critical reflection during work placement in biomedical scientists. It is suggested that the current competence-based training programme provides limited opportunities for developing and embedding critical reflection. Where opportunities are provided, such as creative learning spaces, students’ critical reflection was greatly enhanced. However, it appears essential that this approach is maintained throughout training as critically reflective skills developed during collaborative learning have limited transferability to subsequent reflective report writing.

Peer feedback enhances a ‘journal club’ for undergraduate science students that develops oral communication and critical evaluation skills

Effective science communication is one of the key skills undergraduates must achieve to meet the science communication threshold learning outcome (TLO 4.1: ( Jones, Yates, & Kelder, 2011 )). In addition, presenting published research to their peers allows students to critically evaluate scientific research (TLO 3.1) and develop a deeper appreciation for the link between experimental methodologies and the contestable nature of scientific knowledge. Although it is well recognised that feedback given to students has positive impacts on student learning ( Hattie & Timperley, 2007 ), increasing workload pressures may restrict academics’ capacity to provide effective feedback. An alternate approach is to facilitate the exchange of feedback between peers, where gaining experience in providing feedback can further develop students’ skills in critique, which enhances their learning outcomes (Liu, Lin, Chiu, & Yuan, 2001; Liu & Carless, 2006). In this study, 3 rd year undergraduate biomedical science students were asked to provide anonymous, written feedback on the quality of an oral ‘journal club’ presentation of a primary research article by a group of their peers. Students gave extensive, rich and detailed feedback to their peers. The quality of the feedback given was high, with most students receiving a grade of distinction or higher for the feedback they provided. In addition, the improvement in student learning outcomes was significantly greater with peer feedback than with academic feedback alone, suggesting that students peer-reviewing provides students with additional benefits.

Evaluation of Biomedical Science Students Use and Perceptions of Podcasting

AbstractThe use of podcasting in higher education has escalated in recent years. The aim of this case study was to analyse undergraduate student use and perceptions of lecture audio recordings in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds. Students completed an online survey over a two-week period based on their use of lecture audio recordings in semester one of the 2011/2012 academic session (n = 131 responses). Of the podcasts available, 77% of students reported to have listened to at least 50% of recordings. The majority of students accessed podcasts using the virtual learning environment (91%) often in combination with either a media player (30%) or podcatching software (21%). Students usually listened to podcasts in private accommodation (83%) on a personal computer or laptop, with fewer listening whilst undertaking other activities e.g. walking (16%). Interestingly, 93% of respondents perceived podcasts to be important or very important to their studies, with 90% stating that conce...

Status of Emotional Intelligence (EI) Level of Biomedical Science Programme in Kuala Lumpur

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is part of those who regulate their emotions according to a logically consistent of emotional functioning. This cross-sectional study is carried out among year 1 to 3 students of Biomedical Science Programme in Kuala Lumpur The questionnaire is based on three criteria which are intrapersonal ability, stress management and general mood. The sample size is 135 students by using stratified random sampling. The general objective of this study is to determine the emotional intelligence level of Biomedical Science students among socio demographic factor. The results showed the mean of EI male students (111.84±12.92 S.D.) is lower than that in female students (112.02±10.23 S.D.), the mean of EI among student staying in campus (112.55±10.947 S.D.) are higher than cam us student staying off-campus (110.76±10.274 S.D.) and the mean of EI among first year (114.35±13.32 S.D.) is the highest compared to that in Year 2 (113.16±9.592 S.D.) and Year 3 (109.93±10.169 S.D.). However there was no significance mean difference of EI between gender, year of study and residences (p>0.05). In conclusion, Emotional Intelligence (EI) is at average level (79.7%) and it was not depending on gender year of study and residences.

Use of Content Based Instruction and Socratic Discussion for ESL Undergraduate Biomedical Science Students to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Content based language instruction can assist English as a second language (ESL) students to achieve better learningand teaching outcomes, however, it is primarily used to understand content, and may not help to develop criticalanalysis skills. Here we describe a pilot study that used a ‘Socratic’ small-group discussion in addition to contentbased instruction, to enhance critical thinking skills in ESL Biomedical Science students. Students were provided adetailed protocol for the analysis of a research journal manuscript and participated in a Socratic discussion. Studentswrote evaluative pieces to summarize the manuscript’s topics, both before and after the small-group discussion.Overall, a third of all students displayed an improved critical thinking score based on Bloom’s taxonomy. However,only 20% of ESL students improved their critical thinking score, while 42% of non-ESL students improved. Despitethis, students agreed that the Socratic discussion improved their understanding of science and enhanced their abilityto review scientific literature. Importantly, ESL students believed that the discussion made them feel positive abouttheir ability to read scientific literature. Thus, specific tools for enhancing critical thinking in the ESL student groupshould further be developed, with investigation of the retention of these skills warranted.

Learning beyond the classroom: biomedical science students' narratives of volunteering and developing employability skills.

This case study focuses on a work that developed from a Higher Education Academy (HEA) teaching development grant which investigated biomedical science undergraduate students experiences of engaging with health related volunteering opportunities and the link with maximising employability skills in a North London university.Biomedical students recognise theoretical knowledge and practical skills as essential to employability but have limited opportunity to apply these with sparse placement opportunities especially within hospital or laboratory environments. Graduate employability skills are generally accepted as the knowledge, skills and attributes to be effective in the workplace. Reports on graduate employability highlight communication skills, team-working, integrity, intellectual ability and self confidence as the five most important attributes sought by employers (Archer and Davidson, 2008). UCAS (2012) expands this (biomedicine profile) by including creativity, initiative and flexibility and with what could also be argued as important: wisdom, (Schwartz, 2012). This is a tall order for any curriculum and in reality embraces more than classroom or laboratory learning environments but the whole undergraduate experience. This particular work was a partnership endeavour with undergraduate students to seek science related volunteering opportunities and the potential for developing the skills for biomedical employability.The methodology in this case study was primarily action research with its iterative cycles. These were: identification and development of science or health volunteering opportunities, employers' perceptions of the use and value of such volunteering and articulation of the skills and qualities from such experiences. One key 'data' output was a record of students' reflections and narratives as they contributed and drove the volunteering activity. Students maintained diaries of their experiences, skill development, personal growth and achievements and of working in partnership with staff and independently. Students' reflective blogs revealed several benefits and challenges and their approaches to address these illustrate their creativity, endurance and flexibility. This is a 'snap-shot' but presents 'voices' or 'narratives' of partnerships which enhance the students' learning (and teaching) experience. It also presents students' attitudes to volunteering and how they feel this contributes to their employability potential. Insights gained are invaluable to academic staff in appreciating the social constriction of learning and the extension of formal academic provision into the third sector

The effect of a daily quiz (TOPday) on self-confidence, enthusiasm, and test results for biomechanics.

Many students in Biomedical Sciences have difficulty understanding biomechanics. In a second-year course, biomechanics is taught in the first week and examined at the end of the fourth week. Knowledge is retained longer if the subject material is repeated. However, how does one encourage students to repeat the subject matter? For this study, we developed ‘two opportunities to practice per day (TOPday)’, consisting of multiple-choice questions on biomechanics with immediate feedback, which were sent via e-mail. We investigated the effect of TOPday on self-confidence, enthusiasm, and test results for biomechanics. All second-year students (n = 95) received a TOPday of biomechanics on every regular course day with increasing difficulty during the course. At the end of the course, a non-anonymous questionnaire was conducted. The students were asked how many TOPday questions they completed (0–6 questions [group A]; 7–18 questions [group B]; 19–24 questions [group C]). Other questions included the appreciation for TOPday, and increase (no/yes) in self-confidence and enthusiasm for biomechanics. Seventy-eight students participated in the examination and completed the questionnaire. The appreciation for TOPday in group A (n = 14), B (n = 23) and C (n = 41) was 7.0 (95 % CI 6.5–7.5), 7.4 (95 % CI 7.0–7.8), and 7.9 (95 % CI 7.6–8.1), respectively (p < 0.01 between A and C). Of the students who actively participated (B and C), 91 and 80 % reported an increase in their self-confidence and enthusiasm, respectively, for biomechanics due to TOPday. In addition, they had a higher test result for biomechanics (p < 0.01) compared with those who did not actively participate (A). In conclusion, the teaching method ‘TOPday’ seems an effective way to encourage students to repeat the subject material, with the extra advantage that students are stimulated to keep on practising for the examination. The appreciation was high and there was a positive association between active participation, on the one hand, and self-confidence, enthusiasm, and test results for biomechanics on the other.

Students’ motives for using online formative assessments when preparing for summative assessments

Background: Formative assessments intend to provide feedback on student performance in order to improve and accelerate learning. Several studies have indicated that students using online formative assessments (OFAs), have better results on their exams.Aims: The present study aims to provide insight in student reasons for using or not using available OFAs.Method: Three OFAs with feedback were available in a second year undergraduate course in physiology for biomedical sciences students (N = 147). First, students received an open questionnaire about why they did (not) complete the first two OFAs. Based on this data, a closed questionnaire was developed and distributed among students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied.Results: The results indicate reasons why students do (not) use the OFAs. The EFA for using the OFAs indicated three factors, that were interpreted as collecting (1) feed up, (2) feed forward, and (3) feed back information. The main reasons for not using the OFAs were lack of time and having completed the questions before.Conclusions: Students’ reasons for using OFAs can be described in terms of collecting feed up, forward and back information and students’ reasons for not using OFAs can be student-, teacher-, or mode-related.

Multiple choice questions are superior to extended matching questions to identify medicine and biomedical sciences students who perform poorly.

In recent years, medical faculties at Dutch universities have implemented a legally binding study advice to students of medicine and biomedical sciences during their propaedeutic phase. Appropriate examination is essential to discriminate between poor (grade <6), moderate (grade 6–8) and excellent (grade ≥8) students. Therefore, we compared the discriminatory properties of extended matching questions (EMQs) versus multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and identified the role of sex, age and examination preference on this score. Data were collected for 452 first-year medical and biomedical science students during three distinct course examinations: one examination with EMQ only, one with MCQ only and one mixed examination (including EMQ and MCQ). Logistic regression analysis revealed that MCQ examination was 3 times better in identifying poor students compared with EMQ (RR 3.0, CI 2.0–4.5), whereas EMQ better detected excellent students (average grade ≥8) (RR 1.93, CI 1.47–2.53). Mixed examination had comparable characteristics to MCQ. Sex and examination preference did not impact the score of the student. Students ≥20 years had a 4-fold higher risk ratio of obtaining a poor grade (<6) compared with students ≤18 years old (RR 4.1, CI 2.1–8.0). Given the strong discriminative capacity of MCQ examinations to identify poor students, we recommend the use of this type of examination during the propaedeutic phase of medicine and biomedical science study programmes, in the light of the binding study advice.

Increasing First Year Student’s Attitude and Understanding towards Biomedical Research

When you want to teach students academic and scientific skills, why not start in their first week at University? In a 7 day course, students in biomedical sciences go through the full process of doing research. The theme of the course is skin cancer, and students work in pairs, starting from pre-formulated research questions. A systematic literature search is the main source of information for the answers. Other educational activities range from lectures, group discussions, e-learning module to visiting a foreign laboratory by virtual meeting. The course ends with an oral presentation of the results and the presentations are marked for scientific quality. Grading is based on scientific quality of the presentation and the literature research. Following completion of this course, improvement of first year student’s attitude and understanding towards biomedical research is remarkable.

Development and Evaluation of a Novel Interprofessional Learning Activity Addressing the Management of Phenylketonuria

This new initiative across the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences at Robert Gordon University focuses around students from the Overseas Pharmacist’s Assessment Programme (OSPAP) and 3rd year Nutrition and Dietetics students working in an interprofessional setting to manage the care of individuals with Phenylketonuria (PKU). A problem based learning approach was employed which involved small group interprofessional working to solve a series of simulated case studies concerned with the management of phenylketonuria. The session was further enhanced by an expert patient narrative and the opportunity to test a series of commercially available low protein/low phenylalanine food substitutes provided by SHS-Nutricia and Vitaflo which are used in the disease management. Group evaluation of the activity was generally positive with all groups indicating that the learning objectives had been achieved in a setting which promoted collaborative interprofessional working, acquisition of knowledge pertaining to the management of PKU and a format which enabled a breadth and depth of material to be covered in a relatively short time. The contributions of the expert patient and availability of test samples enhanced the interactivity of the session and provided a meaningful insight into the real life scenario of PKU patients. Limitations of the session included the rather narrow range of healthcare professional students involved in the activity and the need for better signposting of preparatory reading material. Planned future developments of this initiative aim to involve health visiting, biomedical science and social work students to enable a more holistic approach to the health and social care issues of PKU to be considered and the inclusion of an Articulate quiz activity for student self evaluation pre event. In conclusion this initiative addressed the 6 learning objectives in an interactive manner which received positive learner feedback and the academic team has identified a clear strategy for future development.

Exploring graphic pathographies in the medical humanities

While diagrams and visual aids are often used to help patients understand and remember information, the teaching of visual literacy skills in medical education curricula is still in its infancy....

Attitudes toward becoming a veterinarian in a group of undergraduate agriculture and biomedical sciences students

To assess the level of interest of university students enrolled in veterinary science courses toward becoming a veterinarian, reasons supporting or discouraging their interest, when those attitudes were formed, and future plans for those pursuing veterinary medicine as a career. Cross-sectional study. 585 university students in South Dakota enrolled in 2 veterinary science courses over a 6-year period. Each year, students enrolled in the 2 courses answered survey questions pertaining to their interest in becoming a veterinarian, background, and future plans. Most students enrolled in these courses desired to become a veterinarian at some time in their lives. Females were more likely than males to indicate veterinary medicine as their current career choice. Most students developed their interest during grades 10 to 12. Females developed an interest in veterinary medicine earlier than did males. Enjoyment of animals, intellectual stimulation, and the opportunity to actively work outdoors were cited frequently as reasons for interest in veterinary medicine. Increased duration of education, high educational costs, and preveterinary coursework difficulty were major reasons for disinterest in becoming a veterinarian. Of students pursuing the profession, desired practice type correlated strongly with previous animal experience. Considering that most students, especially males, developed their interest in veterinary medicine during grades 10 to 12, elementary school may be the best starting point for exposing students to veterinary medicine. To increase interest in large animal practice among students entering veterinary school, livestock experiences should be provided to children with no farm experience during their elementary, middle, and high school years. In our survey population, cost and duration of veterinary education had a significant negative influence on student interest in the profession.

The Relationship between Time Spent on Facebook and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) Among Third Year Biomedical Science Students in Faculty Health Sciences, UKM

Social networking site Facebook is the latest online avenue for social interactions. Facebook commands a lot of popularity among the students. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between time spent on Facebook and the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of third year Biomedical Science students in the Faculty Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. A cross sectional study was carried out and the tools to collect information were close ended questionnaire. The study found that there was no significant correlation between time spent on Facebook and students CGPA; r= 0.152, p= 0.185.There is no significant difference CGPA between gender p>0.05 and there is significant difference between race p<0.05. It can be concluded that the FSK student's CGPA achievement was not significantly associated with the time spent on Facebook.

An Experiential Transition Day for the Biosciences - Preparing Second Level Students for Entry to University Life

The first year at university is regarded as instrumental in laying the foundations for future academic success. It is widely acknowledged as a time of great change, both socially and academically, as pupils leave school and encounter a new curriculum and pedagogy. Despite this, the majority of students still enter university with a poor appreciation of what university life and work entails. We organised a Transition Day for prospective Biomedical and Biological Science students to emphasis the adjustments required to successfully bridge the gap between school and university.

Strategies for Diversifying the Pool of Graduate Students in Biomedical Sciences

As part of our National Cancer Institute-sponsored partnership between New Mexico State University and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, we implemented the cancer research internship for undergraduate students to expand the pipeline of underrepresented students who can conduct cancer-related research. A total of 21 students participated in the program from 2008 to 2011. Students were generally of senior standing (47%), female (90 %), and Hispanic (85 %). We present a logic model to describe the short-, medium-, and long-term outputs of the program. Comparisons of pre- and post-internship surveys showed significant improvements in short-term outputs including interest (p<0.001) and motivation (p<0.001) to attend graduate school, as well as preparedness to conduct research (p=0.01) and write a personal statement (p=0.04). Thirteen students were successfully tracked, and of the nine who had earned a bachelor's degree, six were admitted into a graduate program (67 %), and four of these programs were in the biomedical sciences.

BiotecVisions 2012, February

BiotecVisions 2012, February

Evaluation of user acceptance of mixed reality technology

&lt;span&gt;This study investigates users' perception and acceptance of mixed reality (MR) technology. Acceptance of new information technologies has been important research area since 1990s. It is important to understand the reasons why people accept information technologies, as this can help to improve design, evaluation and prediction how users will respond to a new technology. MR is one of the potential technologies that has gained attention in recent time, offering a unique environment as it combines real and virtual objects, interactive in real time and registered in three dimensions. This paper discusses a study into users' acceptance of a mixed reality prototype, named &lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mixed Reality Regenerative Concept&lt;/em&gt;&lt;span&gt; (MRRC). MRRC was developed using mixed reality technology to provide Biomedical Science students with exposure to regenerative concepts and tissue engineering processes. MRRC integrates situated learning as the model of instruction, emphasising authentic context and activities. Volunteer sampling was used in this study to obtain 63 participants comprising 2nd, 3rd and 4th year Biomedical Science students in two public universities in Malaysia, who had not previously experienced mixed reality technology. In this study, the constructs used to determine acceptance of mixed reality technology were personal innovativeness (PI), perceived enjoyment (PE), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), and intention to use (ITU). Results from simple correlation analyses showed positive linear correlations between the constructs. However, findings from regression analysis suggested that perceived usefulness was the most important factor determining users' intention to use this technology in the future. Findings from this study also suggested that tertiary level science students showed a high willingness to use mixed reality technology in the future.&lt;/span&gt;

Improving Graduate Education to Support a Branching Career Pipeline: Recommendations Based on a Survey of Doctoral Students in the Basic Biomedical Sciences

Today's doctoral programs continue to prepare students for a traditional academic career path despite the inadequate supply of research-focused faculty positions. We advocate for a broader doctoral curriculum that prepares trainees for a wide range of science-related career paths. In support of this argument, we describe data from our survey of doctoral students in the basic biomedical sciences at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Midway through graduate training, UCSF students are already considering a broad range of career options, with one-third intending to pursue a non–research career path. To better support this branching career pipeline, we recommend that national standards for training and mentoring include emphasis on career planning and professional skills development to ensure the success of PhD-level scientists as they contribute to a broadly defined global scientific enterprise.

A participatory learning approach to biochemistry using student authored and evaluated multiple‐choice questions

A participatory learning approach, combined with both a traditional and a competitive assessment, was used to motivate students and promote a deep approach to learning biochemistry. Students were challenged to research, author, and explain their own multiple-choice questions (MCQs). They were also required to answer, evaluate, and discuss MCQs written by their peers. The technology used to support this activity was PeerWise--a freely available, innovative web-based system that supports students in the creation of an annotated question repository. In this case study, we describe students' contributions to, and perceptions of, the PeerWise system for a cohort of 107 second-year biomedical science students from three degree streams studying a core biochemistry subject. Our study suggests that the students are eager participants and produce a large repository of relevant, good quality MCQs. In addition, they rate the PeerWise system highly and use higher order thinking skills while taking an active role in their learning. We also discuss potential issues and future work using PeerWise for biomedical students.