Digital Teaching Formats Research Articles

Experiences with digital teaching formats during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Department of Spatial Design at the Faculty of Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, as illustrated by the course Einführen in das Entwerfen (Introduction to Design)

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Central Europe in March 2020, all of the courses offered by the Department of Spatial Design at the Faculty of Architecture, RWTH Aachen University up to that point immediately had to be converted into digital formats. How was this supposed to work in a discipline that is particularly characterized by analog work (drawings and models) and intensive exchange? The following text is a retrospective experience report describing the possibilities and limitations of digital formats in architectural education, using the course Einführen in das Entwerfen (Introduction to Design) as an example. After a brief outline of the module, both the analog teaching concept and its conversion to a digital teaching format during the COVID-19 pandemic are described. This is followed by a personal evaluation by the author about lessons learned and developments for the future of the course.

German national survey of lecturers in ophthalmology on student teaching in the 2020/21 corona pandemic

HintergrundDie Corona-Pandemie hat einen erheblichen Einfluss auf die Bedingungen der universitären studentischen Lehre. Durch die pandemiebedingten Kontaktbeschränkungen kamen vielerorts digitale Lehrformate anstatt der bisherigen Präsenzlehre zum Einsatz. Diese wurde im Sommersemester 2020 durch die Studierenden in bisher vorliegenden Veröffentlichungen teils schon gut angenommen und positiv evaluiert. In dieser Arbeit wurde das Hauptaugenmerk auf die Erfahrungen und Einschätzungen der Lehrenden in der Augenheilkunde während des Wintersemesters 2020/21 gelegt.MethodikAnhand zweier anonymisierter Befragungen mittels Online-Fragebögen wurden zum einen die Lehrbeauftragten der Augenheilkunde der deutschen Universitätskliniken sowie zum anderen interne und externe Dozierende und Mitarbeitende in der studentischen Lehre der Augenklinik der Universitätsmedizin Mainz zu ihren Erfahrungen mit der Implementierung der digitalen Lehre befragt.ErgebnisseHierbei gaben 95 % der Lehrbeauftragten der Augenkliniken der Universitätskliniken in Deutschland an, spätestens seit der Corona-Pandemie digitale Lehrkonzepte etabliert zu haben. Bei 68 % kamen Hybridformate mit anteiliger Präsenzlehre zum Einsatz. Es wurden vielfältige Lehrformate angewendet. Hierbei traten auch Schwierigkeiten, insbesondere in der Interaktion mit den Studierenden sowie durch unzureichende technische Ausstattung der Kliniken, auf. Trotz überwiegend digitaler Lehre wurden weiterhin erprobte Prüfungskonzepte in Präsenzform angewendet, nur 18 % der Befragten gaben an, Online-Prüfungen durchgeführt zu haben. Künftig wollen 86 % der Befragten digitale Formate in ihre Lehrkonzepte integrieren und als Ergänzung der bisherigen Präsenzlehre etablieren.DiskussionDie Entwicklung der studentischen Lehre während der Corona-Pandemie kann als Chance für die Gestaltung der zukünftigen Ausbildung von Medizinstudierenden in der Augenheilkunde dienen.

Recommendations of nursing students to improve nursing curriculum in Germany: Current results of a study with mixed methods design

AbstractBackgroundDigitalization is key to face socio‐demographic change accompanied by an increasing care demand of people with dementia and a shortage of skilled healthcare workers. The project Digital Training of Nursing and Health Management (DigiCare) aims to involve people affected by dementia in the development of digital teaching formats that meet the needs of all stakeholders in dementia care. Here, we explored the needs of nursing students which already have practical experience in dementia care to identify gaps in the existing curricula and subjective improvement suggestions.MethodWe used a mixed methods design consisting of a quantitative survey with a questionnaire and semi‐structured qualitative interviews. We analysed the quantitative data descriptively and the qualitative data with qualitative content analysis approach according to Mayring.ResultSeventeen nursing students took part in the quantitative survey (agemean = 37.1 years; male: 29.4%) and five nursing students were interviewed qualitatively (agemean = 38.0 years; male: 40.0%). Participants named nursing care especially dealing with challenging behaviour in dementia and care management as gaps in the existing curricula in nursing courses. Participants wished for a practical orientation of the course or an internship during the training. In their daily working routines, smartphones and computer were the most frequently used technological devices. Barriers to use technological devices in care were additional effort for nurses, mistrust among patients and loss of a close relationship to patients. Although participants saw blended learning concepts as an opportunity to improve their training, they criticised the lack of a contact person for specific questions on the implementation of digital learning.ConclusionThe survey indicated that digital teaching methods in combination with a practical orientation of the curriculum could provide effective training in dementia care for nursing students. The existing doubts of nursing students about digital learning methods and the usage of technological devices must be taken into account when integrating new technologies into the curriculum and working routine.

Teaching alcohol and smoking counselling in times of COVID-19 to 6th-semester medical students: experiences with a digital-only and a blended learning teaching approach using role-play and feedback.

Objectives: Digital teaching formats have seen increased use, and not just since the beginning of the pandemic. They can also be used to teach cognitive, practical and communicative learning objectives effectively. We describe the implementation of an online-only course on alcohol/smoking counselling in the COVID-19 summer semester (SS) 2020 and an inverted classroom (IC) concept in the winter semester (WS) 2020/21 at the University Hospital of Würzburg. Methodology: The interdisciplinary subject of “prevention” teaches students about high-risk alcohol consumption/smoking and how to conduct a brief verbal intervention. All 143 (SS) and 131 (WS) 6th-semester medical students completed a 90-minute course: module 1 included a Prezi® presentation on alcohol/smoking basics. Module 2 introduced a counselling concept (alcohol or smoking) online or classroom-based (WS only), depending on the participants’ choice. In the online practical component, each student created a counselling video and reflections at home, and later received written feedback from lecturers/tutors. Supervised role-playing was used in the classroom-based format in the WS. There were 2 exam questions on module 1 at the end of each semester.Results: The students surveyed (11%) were satisfied with module 1. Practical exercises and feedback received praise in the evaluation of the classroom-based format (response: 97%). It was not possible for all students to perform counselling due to time constraints. A majority of participants filmed live role-playing in the online practical component. The exam questions were answered correctly by 31% (SS) and 36% (WS) respectively.Conclusions: Counselling can also be taught digitally: creating one’s own videos with delayed written feedback is an innovative form of teaching. We are now aiming for a mix of both aspects as an IC with 90 minutes of classroom-based practical exercises.

Students\u2019 attitudes toward digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey conducted following an online course in gynecology and obstetrics

PurposeThe purpose of this survey was to assess medical students’ opinions about online learning programs and their preferences for specific teaching formats during COVID 19 pandemic.MethodsBetween May and July 2020, medical students who took an online gynecology and obstetrics course were asked to fill in a questionnaire anonymously. The questionnaire solicited their opinions about the course, the teaching formats used (online lectures, video tutorials featuring real patient scenarios, and online practical skills training), and digital learning in general.ResultsOf 103 students, 98 (95%) submitted questionnaires that were included in the analysis. 84 (86%) students had no problem with the online course and 70 (72%) desired more online teaching in the future. 37 (38%) respondents preferred online to traditional lectures. 72 (74%) students missed learning with real patients. All digital teaching formats received good and excellent ratings from > 80% of the students.ConclusionThe survey results show medical students’ broad acceptance of the online course during COVID 19 pandemic and indicates that digital learning options can partially replace conventional face-to-face teaching. For content taught by lecture, online teaching might be an alternative or complement to traditional education. However, bedside-teaching remains a key pillar of medical education.

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.

Digitalization in Higher Education as a Means to Ensure Student Access and Inclusion in Global Learning Space with Regard to COVID-19 World Crisis

The article provides an aspect analysis of the concept «digitalization» and the peculiarities of its functioning in higher education as the one that provides comprehensive access to global educational space during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the research an attempt has been made to articulate the link between the notions of «digitalization», «internationalization», «collaborative online international learning» as a new educational paradigm enhancing intercultural competence of all actors of educational process within jointly established multicultural academic environment. The focus of empirical research is centred on the «internationalization-at-home» paradigm, which is viewed as the nexus of international and intercultural dimensions integrated into formal, non-formal, and informal learning (learning environment) with the application of digital teaching formats such as E-pedagogy, international virtual exchange and virtual mobility projects, etc. The analysis has been conducted with regard to the internationalisation process at Polish and Slovak higher education based on the empirical data provided by online open platforms of Jagiellonian University in Krakow, the Republic of Poland, and Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. As such, the research has been aimed at outlining theoretical and methodical basis for application of the basic digitalization process principles in present-day higher education with the emphasis on the roles of academic staff in promoting campus-based international academic environment.

Interculturalism and Higher Education: The Role of Academic Staff in Promoting Campus-Based International Academic Environment

The paper presents an attempt to articulate the link between the notions of «interculturalism», «internationalization», «collaborative online international learning» as a new educational paradigm enhancing intercultural competence of all actors of educational process within jointly established multicultural academic environment. The focus of empirical research is centered on the «internationalization-at-home» paradigm, which is viewed as the nexus of international and intercultural dimensions integrated into formal, non-formal, and informal learning with the application of digital teaching formats such as international virtual exchange and virtual mobility projects, etc. The analysis has been conducted with regard to the internationalisation process at Slovak higher education based on the empirical data provided by online open platforms of Commenius University in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. The collected data have showed that the enhancement of interculturalism in higher education should be aimed at developing more of an education for all in the spirit of recognizing the differences that exist within the same society, and less an education for different cultures, which would involve isolation of cultural groups. Among the results of the research the ways of achieving interculturality at higher educational institution are highlighted, such as: simultaneous learning of at least two foreign languages; integration in twinning European programmes; obtaining scholarships for academic mobility (including virtual one), etc.

Radiation oncology as part of medical education\u2014current status and possible digital future prospects

PurposeEducation as part of medical education is currently changing rapidly. Not least because of the corona crisis, more and more digital teaching formats and innovative teaching concepts such as the flipped classroom model are finding their way into teaching. We analyzed the acceptance and effectiveness of traditional teaching methods as well as the interest in innovative e‑learning methods among medical students in the field of radiation oncology at the medical school of the Technical University of Munich.MethodsWe carried out an online-based survey as well as a knowledge test on all students from two terms who had completed the seminar series of radiation oncology. The survey comprised seven questions on the frequency of participation, acceptance, and judgment of the effectiveness in terms of learning and on a potential use of e‑learning methods using a six-point Likert scale. The test consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions.ResultsTraditional teaching methods are largely accepted by students and most students consider the current learning format to be effective in terms of the teaching effect in the field of radiation oncology. However, only about 50% of all knowledge questions were answered correctly. The possible use of e‑learning methods was judged critically or desired in roughly equal parts among the students.ConclusionTraditional seminars enjoy a high level of acceptance among students. Effectiveness with regard to the internalization of content taught, however, should be increased. After all, the future seems to lie in the integration of e‑learning in the form of educational videos and practical seminars.

Teaching load - a barrier to digitalisation in higher education? A position paper on the framework surrounding higher education medical teaching in the digital age using Bavaria, Germany as an example.

This position paper describes the legal framework requirements when crediting digital teaching formats towards the teaching load in higher education medical teaching, as exemplified by the Federal State of Bavaria in Germany. It reveals the need for precise rules adapted to the advances in technology, if the process of digitalisation in higher education (HE) is not to come to a halt.If HE institutions are to act as centres of innovation with respect to the implementation of digital teaching and learning formats, then structural and strategic positioning with regard to e- and blended learning above all is called for in addition to financial resources, as well as the distribution and sustainable incorporation of digital offerings in faculties and HE institutions. There is a great deal of insecurity however with respect to the legal framework requirements and how best to count digital teaching towards one’s own teaching load. This results to some extent from the complexity of current laws and regulations partially overtaken by didactic and methodological changes in education, with decentralised educational federalism only adding to the complexity.Bearing in mind teaching and learning formats that are undergoing change or have already been transformed, ways of adapting the (legal) framework to the digital shift need to be found, last but not least in order to offer enthusiastic teaching staff incentives to develop and expand digital formats.