Classroom-based Course Research Articles

Self, other and transformative learning: pre-service teachers’ knowing in a Culture-Writing course at a Chinese university

ABSTRACT This article presents an ethnographic case study of pre-service teachers’ transformative learning in a Culture-Writing course at a Chinese university. In recounting three stories with fieldwork data gleaned from moments of students’ pre-class discussions, reflective writings, and reports on term-paper projects, this study showcases how a group of student-teachers transformed the self through getting to know and/or re-understanding other(s). Learning to ‘write culture’, as their teacher led them to see, is to appreciate the lifeworlds of others and further to destabilise taken-for-granted assumptions, beliefs, and understandings, thereby leading towards transformation. I argue that transformative learning takes place in the process of knowing and rebuilding the self in relationships with other(s). It constitutes moments of critical shift that place the self and identity in a more reflexive, relational, and reversible position within specific socio-cultural contexts. This study contributes to the ongoing discussions on transformative education by illuminating how other(s) play a role in promoting pre-service teachers’ transformation in a classroom-based course.

Improving global competence in classroom-based experiential learning activities

The purpose of this research was to develop learning activities to improve global competence for a classroom-based course in the field of clothing and textiles and explore how those activities affected the global competence of college students. To achieve this goal, the researchers proposed the following objectives: (a) develop learning activities on global competence and (b) explore the influences of newly proposed learning activities on the global competence of college students. The authors analyzed students’ reflective essays to identify themes through constant comparative analysis. The authors found participants learned about the Japanese culture through diverse aspects of global competence—affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions—throughout the semester via these learning activities. The authors also found informal writing could work as a starting point, where students were slowly exposed to a different culture, and reflective essays worked as a final summarizing phase where students could think further about their learning process related to global competence. This research is significant in terms of providing an empirical example of how to increase global competence in classroom-based courses. Additionally, scholars and teaching practitioners can gain insights from this study on how to improve global competence for the future workforce in a global economy.

Medical residents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the digital format of nation-wide didactic courses for psychiatry residents in Sweden: a survey-based observational study

BackgroundThis study aimed to explore residents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the digital format of Metis (a national education network in Sweden) didactic courses for psychiatry residents in Sweden to guide post-pandemic curriculum development.MethodsAn online attitude survey was developed and sent out to 725 residents in psychiatry and 237 course directors/teachers. Data were examined descriptively and group differences were analysed with independent sample t-tests.ResultsThe survey was completed by 112 residents and 72 course directors/teachers. Perceptions of digital formats were quite similar between the two groups with some significant differences i.e., residents agreed more strongly than directors/teachers with the statement that Metis courses in digital format were of the same quality (or better) than the classroom-based format. Residents perceived the positive effects of using interactive tools more than directors/teachers. More than 40% of the responders in both groups preferred a return to classroom-based course meetings. Responders in both groups suggested that different forms of digital elements (e.g., video-based and sound-recorded lectures, digital-group discussions, virtual patients) could be incorporated into different phases in the courses.ConclusionsThe study represents the current largest survey among residents in psychiatry and a teaching faculty in Sweden, to understand the impact of digitalization on the quality of residents’ education during the pandemic. The results point towards applying a mixed format for training and education going forward, incorporating digital aspects into the national curriculum.

Learning and satisfaction levels with online teaching methods among undergraduate dental students - A survey.

Taking an online course requires more motivation and self-discipline than taking a classroom-based course. One or more teachers and peers may keep a student responsible for their course work in a classroom. Online classes, on the other hand, enable us to set our own targets, chart our success, and follow deadlines. An awareness-based, self-administered questionnaire was created. The target audience for the study received a link to the questionnaire through Google Docs. The participants were given a thorough explanation of the survey's objectives. Pie charts with a frequency table were created after the survey findings were known. A Chi-square test was used to examine for associations in the statistics, and a P = 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The overall satisfaction level with online classes among students was, 57% were not satisfied with online classes, 31% were satisfied, and 12% were extremely satisfied. Most commonly students were not satisfied with both genders. However, majority of the females were not satisfied. This difference was statistically significant (Pearson's Chi-square value: 1.999, df = 2, P = 0.368 (>0.05) - significant). Eighty percent of the students have faced difficulties while attending online classes. However, 92% of the students have agreed that the technology helped them to attend their online classes.

Cultivation global business literacy in the classroom

Graduates of study fields focused on business and marketing face intense competition on the labor market, which is becoming more and more international. Hence, it is important to cultivate the ability of students to apply acquired knowledge and skills in key areas in the global context in order to know how to effectively analyze, justify and solve problems in different situations. The paper introduces the concept of global business literacy and evaluates it on a sample of students of the Corporate Business and Marketing master's degree study program at the Faculty of Business Economy of the University of Economics in Bratislava, with seat in Košice, who completed the course International Business. The aim of the paper is to identify, whether the completion of this classroom-based course contributed to cultivation of global business literacy of the affected students. For the purpose of the analysis, descriptive analysis as well as paired t-test are used. The results show positive shift toward higher level of global business literacy of the students after completing the course, especially in the dimension of international business competence. Implications for development of pedagogical activities in the global context are further discussed.

A Study of a Korean Speaking Class Using Online Platforms During COVID-19

Online education consists of courses conducted through the internet. In these courses, students generally conduct e-learning management and can view their course content and academic progress as well as communicate with their classmates and teachers. Although online classes require a greater amount of motivation compared to a classroom-based course, it became a necessity out of precaution concerning the coronavirus disease. Turkey, like other countries, wanted to continue students’ education, but COVID-19 required an educational shift to online systems to prevent the spread of the disease. Although online education does not require a specific space for learning, it does require students to be self-paced and have a peaceful environment. It also requires the preparation of all lecture materials. Teachers and students both should be attentive to facilitate successful delivery and acquisition of knowledge. Online education is an effective way of teaching, but is less effective in comparison to traditional education. In this study, the author would like to share some findings and suggestions for effective online classes for students studying Korean as a foreign language in Turkey while participating in an online Speaking Korean class during the coronavirus period.

The use of the online Inverted Classroom Model for digital teaching with gamification in medical studies.

Introduction: In 2014, a newly designed, case-based seminar was successfully implemented in the subjects of health systems, health economics and public health care (GGG). The seminar “The Lonely Patient” is based on a real patient case and deals with the German health care system from the perspective of a patient. In order to create more space for discussion and exchange among students, the seminar was redesigned on the basis of the Inverted Classroom Method (ICM). Project description: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new, purely digital teaching formats had to be developed quickly in the sense of Emergency Remote Teaching. Therefore, the Inverted Classroom concept of the seminar was transformed into an online ICM. In order to promote active learning based on the ICAP model (Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive), the online face-to-face part was designed as a synchronous interactive learner-centered course using the gamified audience response system Kahoot! Results: Evaluation results to date and feedback rounds with students indicate that the online ICM-version of the seminar leads to at least as good evaluation results as the previous face-to-face course. In particular, the students positively emphasize the use of Kahoot! as an activating digital medium. Discussion: Through the use of the ICM and the gamified audience response system Kahoot!, students could be activated in meaningful ways. The resulting discussions about the patient case and teaching content of the quiz questions in the synchronous online course could be implemented just as well as in the classroom-based course of previous semesters. Conclusion: The application of the online ICM, along with the consideration of the ICAP Model, has led to the successful implementation of a digital course within the context of the increased difficulty surrounding the emergency remote teaching. Additionally, students’ learning success has remained at a similar level as during traditional classroom-based courses of previous semesters.

Application of a classroom-based positive psychology education course for Chinese medical students to increase their psychological well-being: a pilot study

BackgroundAnxiety and depression have been increasing among Chinese medical students. The psychological well-being of Chinese medical students has become a critical focus of attention for the medical education community. Increasing evidence shows that positive psychology interventions can be effective in the enhancement of psychological well-being, and may help to prevent depressive symptoms in university students. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential effect of positive psychology education on improving the mental health of Chinese medical students.MethodsAn 8-week classroom-based positive psychology intervention workshop, which was established as an elective course embedded in the regular school curriculum, was conducted at the School of Medicine, South China University of Technology (SCUT), China. Undergraduate medical students of the institute in year-2 or year-3 of academic study participated in this training course voluntarily. The participants’ self-reported data on the hope scale, life satisfaction scale, subjective happiness scale, and depression and anxiety scale were collected and analyzed at pre-course (n = 61) and post-course (n = 49) times. The investigation was also validated with an independent cohort of students who enrolled in the course in the year following the preliminary study.ResultsThe analyses showed that the psychological well-being of the participants were improved after the intervention. Their mean scores on the hope scale, life satisfaction scale and subjective happiness scale were significantly improved (P < 0.05), while their symptom levels of depression and anxiety were significantly reduced (P < 0.01). A similar trend was observed in the validation cohort.ConclusionsThese preliminary findings suggest that positive psychology education holds promise for improving psychological well-being among Chinese medical students. Further investigations with larger and well-controlled sample cohorts may yield more convincing and reliable results.

THE IMPACT ON LEARNING OF AN ASYNCHRONOUS ACTIVE LEARNING COURSE FORMAT

Among the many differences between asynchronous interactions and traditional classroom communication, the most critical differences involve those that may affect a student’s ability to learn. The efficacy of courses in facilitating instruction and learning is a key concern of all educators involved in or contemplating conducting such courses. This paper explores the impact on learning in asynchronous internet courses compared to learning in a traditional classroom setting. Specifically, the study examines student perceptions of the effectiveness of an active-learning, asynchronous internet course relative to that of a traditional classroom-based course. Students were asked to compare effectiveness on a variety of dimensions. The study yields results consistent with previous research related to learning outcomes along several measures, particularly with regard to students’ positive attitudes about their learning in an online computer course. However, the findings here offer new evidence that learning can also be enhanced with an active learning format in an online course.

A team-based interprofessional education course for first-year health professions students

Background and purposeInterprofessional education (IPE) is required within pharmacy education, and should include classroom-based education along with experiential interprofessional collaboration. For classroom-based education, small-group learning environments may create a better platform for engaging students in the essential domain of interprofessional collaboration towards meaningful learning within IPE sub-domains (interprofessional communication, teams and teamwork, roles and responsibilities, and values and ethics). Faculty envisioned creating a small-group learning environment that was inviting, interactive, and flexible using situated learning theory. This report describes an introductory, team-based, IPE course for first-year health-professions students; it used small-group methods for health-professions students’ learning of interprofessional collaboration. Educational activity and settingThe University of Toledo implemented a 14-week required course involving 554 first-year health-sciences students from eight professions. The course focused on the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's (IPEC) Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaboration. Students were placed within interprofessional teams of 11–12 students each and engaged in simulations, standardized-patient interviews, case-based communications exercises, vital signs training, and patient safety rotations. Outcomes measured were students’ self-ratings of attaining learning objectives, perceptions of other professions (from word cloud), and satisfaction through end-of-course evaluations. FindingsThis introductory, team-based IPE course with 554 students improved students’ self-assessed competency in learning objectives (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.9), changed students’ perceptions of other professions (via word clouds), and met students’ satisfaction through course evaluations. Discussion and summaryThrough triangulation of our various assessment methods, we considered this course offering a success. This interprofessional, team-based, small-group strategy to teaching and learning IPE appeared helpful within this interactive, classroom-based course.

Short- and Long-term Retention of Challenge Course Outcomes: A Classroom-based Longitudinal Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the retention of challenge course outcomes with the addition of intentional follow-up activities. The Challenge Course Experience Questionnaire (CCEQ) was administered to 101 participants in an introductory college course. The sample was divided into two separate groups: experimental group (EG; n = 67) and control group (CG; n = 34). Both groups completed a classroom-based challenge course program. Participants in the EG also included guided reflection-based activities throughout the semester and a facilitator-led activity. The CG only participated in the initial challenge course program. All participants significantly increased in CCEQ variables immediately following the program. However, the three-month follow-up revealed that the majority of variables decreased to preprogram levels for both groups. However, the variables had larger decreases in the CG. These findings have implications for challenge course programming in terms of long-term outcome retention. Suggestions for facilitators and future research are provided.

Exploring challenges in implementing a health systems science curriculum: a qualitative analysis of student perceptions.

Although a critical component of educational reform involves the inclusion of knowledge of and skills in health systems science (HSS) (including population health, health system improvement and high-value care) many undergraduate medical education programmes focus primarily on traditional basic and clinical sciences. In this study, we investigated students' perceptions of the barriers to, challenges involved in and benefits of the implementation of a HSS curriculum. In 2014, we conducted 12 focus groups with 50 medical students across all years of medical school. Group interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used thematic analysis to explore students' perceptions of a planned HSS curriculum, which was to include both a classroom-based course and an experiential component. We then identified themes and challenges from the students' perspective and agreed upon results and quotations. Students identified four barrier-related themes, including (i) medical-board licensing examinations foster a view of basic science as 'core', (ii) systems concepts are important but not essential, (iii) students lack sufficient knowledge and skills to perform systems roles and (iv) the culture of medical education and clinical systems does not support systems education. Students also identified several perceived benefits of a systems curriculum, including acquisition of new knowledge and skills, enhanced understanding of patients' perspectives and improved learning through experiential roles. The major unifying challenge related to students' competing priorities; one to perform well in examinations and match into preferred residencies, and another to develop systems-based skills. Students' intrinsic desire to be the best physician possible is at odds with board examinations and desired residency placements. As a result, HSS is viewed as peripheral and non-essential, greatly limiting student engagement. New perspectives are needed to effectively address this challenge.

Flipped classrooms and student learning: not just surface gains.

The flipped classroom is a relatively new approach to undergraduate teaching in science. This approach repurposes class time to focus on application and discussion; the acquisition of basic concepts and principles is done on the students' own time before class. While current flipped classroom research has focused on student preferences and comparative learning outcomes, there remains a lack of understanding regarding its impact on students' approaches to learning. Focusing on a new flipped classroom-based course for basic medical sciences students, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate students' adjustments to the flipped classroom, their time on task compared with traditional lectures, and their deep and active learning strategies. Students in this course worked through interactive online learning modules before in-class sessions. Class time focused on knowledge application of online learning module content through active learning methods. Students completed surveys and optional prequiz questions throughout the term to provide data regarding their learning approaches. Our results showed that the majority of students completed their prework in one sitting just before class. Students reported performing less multitasking behavior in the flipped classroom compared with lecture-based courses. Students valued opportunities for peer-peer and peer-instructor interactions and also valued having multiple modes of assessment. Overall, this work suggests that there is the potential for greater educational gains from the flipped classroom than the modest improvements in grades previously demonstrated in the literature; in this implementation of the flipped classroom, students reported that they developed independent learning strategies, spent more time on task, and engaged in deep and active learning.

Pervasive Computing as a Classroom-Based Course

This article outlines a pervasive computing course taught at the University of Sussex. The author discusses how the content, delivery, and assessment are adapted to the students and their overall program of study. The taught-course approach-as opposed to research- or project-based courses-works for pervasive computing, introducing wider ideas such as engagement with research literature, experimental practices, and the use of sensors and advanced networks.

Before and after Lightfoot/León. Using rich pictures to illustrate an educational journey through the world of opera and ballet

In this article, we describe part of an action research project carried out during a classroom-based art course at a higher education institution. We gave the students themed collaborative drawing assignments, with the purpose of achieving a rich picture of what they associated with the notion of “going to the opera”. They completed assignments before and after attending a guided tour and a ballet performance at a famous opera house. We aimed to address two main research questions: a) How can the students’ understanding of opera and ballet develop through their experience of a ballet performance? and b) How can drawing activities in the classroom support collaborative learning and the students’ personal development? The data gathered involved three main elements: 1) the rich pictures themselves, 2) the teachers’ observations of the students and 3) the students’ reflections on the process. The study points towards a significant transformation of the students’ representation of the concept of opera, as illustrated in their drawings. We discuss how the students’ drawings may reflect their development in terms of attitude and their newly acquired knowledge of an artistic genre they knew little about, and suggest new avenues for further research.

Confounding and Interaction: An Interactive Self-Study Quiz

OPEN ACCESSSeptember 26, 2014Confounding and Interaction: An Interactive Self-Study Quiz Kelly Arps, David Schulman, MD, MPH, Stefan Tigges, MD, MSCR Kelly Arps Emory University School of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , David Schulman, MD, MPH Emory University School of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Stefan Tigges, MD, MSCR Emory University School of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9912 SectionsAbout ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail Abstract Introduction: The study of evidence-based medicine involves complex statistical concepts. One of the most challenging aspects for students is the transition from simplified explanatory examples of such topics to analysis of their application in clinical research. This module bridges that gap and guides the progression from following step-by-step examples to independently approaching open-ended questions. It is designed for use by medical and other professional students to reinforce the specific topics of confounding and interaction. Methods: Using examples taken from medical literature, the problem sets emphasize recognition of potential confounders, stratification to identify instances of confounding, and study design that minimizes risk of confounding. At every step, learners have the option to follow a link for applicable reference information. Therefore, students attempt to solve a problem independently, but if at any point they are stumped, they can immediately access progressively more detailed reminders of the core concept required to solve the problem until they reach the point from which they are able to approach the rest of the problem independently. This module is most effective as a self-study tool to assess and promote understanding. Results: The module was provided to Emory University School of Medicine first-year students to supplement their classroom-based course in evidence-based medicine. The students used the module as a self-study tool for the final exam as well as for preparation for future practical application. The final average examination grade for this course improved 5 percentage points from the previous average. Discussion: We also distributed this module to fourth-year medical students enrolled in an evidence-based medicine elective in spring 2014. A limitation of the module is that it is not designed as a primary resource for teaching the included material. Expanding the resource in the future to include more basic information may facilitate its use as an independent-learning tool. Educational Objectives By the end of this session, learners will be able to: Recognize confounding in medical research.Use stratification to determine whether confounding or interaction is present.Describe appropriate study methods to minimize confounding. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: Instructor's Guide.docx Confounding Interactive Module.pptx To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. CitationArps K, Schulman D, Tigges S. Confounding and Interaction: An Interactive Self-Study Quiz. MedEdPORTAL. 2014;10:9912. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9912 Copyright & Permissions© 2014 Arps et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license.KeywordsClinical ResearchIndependent StudyCohort StudiesBiomedical ResearchInteractionStudy DesignConfoundingStratificationEvidence-Based MedicineBiasConfounderConfounding Factors (Epidemiology) Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...

Student Outcomes from Experiential Learning on a Student-Run Certified Organic Farm

The USU Student Organic Farm was initiated in April 2008 on 1 acre (0.4 ha) of land at Utah State University (USU). Students plant, weed, harvest, and market the produce on campus. Proceeds support the student farm in terms of operating expenses, equipment purchases, and modest student stipends. Since 2009, the students have operated a community supported agriculture (CSA) program to fund summer internships. Each year the most dedicated volunteers are recruited for the internships and two of the most experienced former interns return as farm managers. Students can also take the Student Farm Practicum for credit. This variable-credit course is offered in the spring, summer, and fall and complements the classroom-based course Fundamentals of Organic Farming. There are no prerequisites for either course, and the goal is to attract students from all disciplines across campus. Both classes are registered as service learning classes with students required to participate in practical activities on the farm and reflect on their experience in writing. The essays were used for content analysis to demonstrate learning as a result of their involvement with the student farm. Students learned group work, decision making, personal initiative, research, and communication skills. Students working at other student-run organic farms could write journal entries or reflective papers that describe what they learn so that the benefits of experiential learning on student-run farms can be better documented.

Interaction with a Problem Solving Multi Video Lecture: Observing Students from Distance and Traditional Learning Courses

The recording of lectures has become common as a way to produce video-based instructional material. Even though the material is often produced using more than one video source - the instructor and the slide, for instance - the result is usually a single video stream.&#x0D; We built a system prototype that allows the recording of several video streams associated with a lecture, including the instructor, projected slides, and information presented by the instructor via a computer (software or other videos, for instance). The several video streams, orchestrated using contextual and control information, are used to produce an interactive multi video object.&#x0D; The interactive nature of our novel multi video object offers students several alternatives for watching the lecture. When the multi video is used by students of traditional and distance learning courses, is opportune to investigate if there are differences in how students watch and interact with the multi video.&#x0D; We captured a problem solving lecture in the theme of Database Design our system. The resulting interactive multivideo object was offered to two groups of students as extra learning material, in preparation for exams. One of the groups attended a traditional, classroom-based course, and the other group attended a distance learning course. In this paper we first give a brief overview of our system, and then we present observations of how both groups of students interacted with the multi video multimedia learning object. We could observe, for instance, that students from the traditional course used the alternative views allowed by multi video more than students from the distance learning course, while students from the distance learning course spent more time watching and interacted more with the interactive multi video.

Pilot undergraduate course teaches students about chronic illness in children: an educational intervention study.

Recent data question whether medical education adequately prepares physicians to care for the growing number of children with chronic medical conditions. We describe a 10-week course designed to provide undergraduate students with the knowledge and skills required to understand and care for children with chronic or catastrophic illnesses. The course presented the illness experience from the child's perspective and thus presented information in a manner that was efficient, conducive, and memorable. The curriculum was designed like a graduate-level seminar that included workshops, lectures, readings, writing, and lively discussions. This is an educational intervention study that used survey data to assess changes in attitudes among and between participants completing this course versus students not exposed to this course. We used Somers' D test and Fisher's z-transformation to perform both pre- and post-nonparametric comparisons. Course participants were more likely to change their attitudes and agree that chronically ill children "feel comfortable talking with their peers about their condition" (P=0.003) and less likely to agree that these children "want to be treated differently," "want more sympathy," or "care less about romantic relationships" (P = 0.003, 0.002 and 0.02, respectively). Controls were more likely to continue to agree that chronically ill children "want to be treated differently" (P = 0.009) and "care less about romantic relationships" (P = 0.02), and less likely to agree that these children "talk openly" or "feel comfortable talking with their peers about their condition" (P = 0.04). This classroom-based course serves as a feasible and cost-effective model for universities and medical schools to aid in improving student attitudes toward treating chronically ill children. The course provides the unique opportunity to learn directly from those who care for and those who have lived with chronic illness.

Are student peer assessments reliable? Analysis of a classroom-based management course

The purpose of this study was to investigate if undergraduate students could assess peer work in a school of business and economics course which involved several long essay-type reports. A key challenge was the volume of grading since there were three written assignments spread throughout the course. The secondary goal was to explore if the learning management system (LMS) could facilitate the peer assessment process and if it could calculate a fair grade representing the quality of peer assessment work. The techniques applied to examine the hypotheses were interrater reliability, correlation, and pair-wise t-test estimates. The results supported the hypotheses that students reliably assessed their peers; these scores were consistent with the professor, and with the LMS.