Foundation Course Research Articles

Blended learning at scale: co-designing a large postgraduate finance course

PurposeThis paper aims to identify and evaluate resolutions to key learning and teaching challenges in very large courses that involve practical mathematics, such as foundational finance.Design/methodology/approachA design-based research approach is used across three semesters to iteratively identify practical problems within the course and then develop and evaluate resolutions to these problems. Data are collected from both students and teachers and analysed using a mixed-method approach.FindingsThe results indicate that key learning and teaching challenges in large foundational finance courses can be mitigated through appropriate consistency of learning materials; check-your-understanding interactive online content targeting foundational concepts in the early weeks; connection points between students and the coordinator to increase teacher presence; a sustained focus on supporting student achievement within assessments; and signposting relevance of content for the broader program and professional settings. Multiple design iterations using a co-design approach were beneficial to incrementally improve the course and consider multiple perspectives within the design process.Practical implicationsThis paper develops a set of design principles to provide guidance to other practitioners who seek to improve their own courses.Originality/valueThe use of design-based research and mixed-method approaches that consider both student and teacher perspectives to examine the design of very large, foundational finance courses is novel.

An Evaluation of Medical Students' Perceptions, Knowledge, and Attitudes About People With Disability After Attending the Learning Session on Disability Competency: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and objective The Medical Council of India [now replaced by the National Medical Commission (NMC)] has implemented a new competency-based curriculum for medical education. Eight competencies in the curriculum are related to the principles of disability-inclusive compassionate care. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudesamong undergraduate medical students about people withdisability after attending learning sessions on disability competency. Materials and methods After they attended the learning session during the foundation course, participants were evaluated by using a questionnaire involving 26 questions, of which 17 were based on the Likert scale to assess general perceptions towards the person with a disability, while three questions aimed to assess attitudes, and six closed-ended questions tried to assess knowledge about disability. Results In the present study, 79.7% (n=157) of the students thought that people with disabilities faced problems getting involved in society, and 81.2% (n=160) felt that it was harder for them to make friends than others. The majority of the students disagreed with the idea that people with disabilities are a burden on society (n=149, 75.6%) or their families (n=119, 60.4%); 65% (n=128) of the students thought that people with disabilities are more determined than others to reach their goals and achieve more owing to their disability (n=104, 52.85%). A total of 161 (81.7%) students disagreed with the statement that people with disabilities should not be optimistic about their future. A comparison of the pre- and post-test data revealed that students' knowledge regarding disability increased and they gained a more positive attitude towards people with a disability after attending teaching and learning sessions (p<0.0001). Conclusion Our findings showed a significant improvement in the undergraduate medical students' understanding and empathy toward individuals with disabilities followingsessions on disability competency. Teaching and learning sessions on disability competencies for newly admitted students in medical school can sensitize, orient, increase knowledge, and develop positive attitudes toward people with disabilities. Further studies on the topic are needed involvingdifferent phases of clinical teaching.

Implementing a longitudinal poster project to engage pharmacy students beyond the classroom in a foundational sciences course

Introduction: Poster projects and presentations can provide engagement and skill-building opportunities for students. A group poster project was incorporated into a first-year required genetics and pharmacogenomics course. Rough drafts were due for the project throughout the term, which coincided with course topics. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a longitudinal poster project on pharmacy students' perceptions of learning, presentation skills, and success in future presentations. Methods: Students in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme were surveyed via Google Forms in 2018 before and after completing the poster project. The original cohort of students were surveyed again in 2020. Data were analysed with Graphpad Prism software. Results: Students responded positively to survey questions gauging their perception of the project’s value as a learning tool, especially for reinforcing and applying course concepts. Overall, students saw the benefit of completing poster rough drafts and believed the poster was helpful in preparing and/or presenting future posters. Conclusions: A similar project could be built into any foundational course in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme. However, care should be taken to provide appropriate feedback and mentorship to students to optimise the benefits of learning and development of poster presentation skills.

A Comparative Analysis of Physical Therapy Anatomical Knowledge and Retention: Human Donor Dissection Versus Virtual Laboratory.

Despite a long history of using human donor dissection (HDD) for physical therapy (PT) anatomy education, there are no PT guidelines that require HDD. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine if Doctor of Physical Therapy students who used HDD had different grades both within anatomy and within courses that require retention and application of anatomical knowledge (kinesiology and a foundational musculoskeletal course) compared with those who used virtual 3-dimensional anatomical software (VAS). Numerous factors affect the decision to use HDD within PT anatomy, and few PT studies have compared the effectiveness of VAS to HDD. All students who took anatomy in an entry-level PT program from 2018 to 2021 (232 total students, 115 who used HDD in 2018-2019 and 117 who used VAS in 2020-2021). Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare anatomy grades (course, written examination, and practical examination) and future grades in kinesiology and a foundational musculoskeletal course for students who used HDD or VAS. Physical therapy students who used VAS had statistically significant higher anatomy course grades (VAS 93.81% ± 4.99% to HDD 92.20% ± 4.53%) and higher practical examination grades (VAS 97.43% ± 2.91% to HDD 93.55% ± 4.39%) compared with those who used HDD. However, there were no significant differences between groups on written anatomy examinations (VAS 89.42% ± 7.21% to HDD 90.40% ± 4.94%), kinesiology grades (VAS 91.86% ± 4.52% to HDD 92.80% ± 4.27%), or foundational musculoskeletal grades (VAS 89.50% ± 3.89% to HDD 89.77% ± 3.83%). The causal-comparative study design prevents concluding that PT student grade differences were due exclusively to either anatomy laboratory method. It does provide preliminary evidence that the PT anatomy laboratory method did not practically affect anatomy performance or long-term application of anatomy knowledge in future coursework.

Nurturing Untapped Integration Expertise of MS4 Assessment Writers.

Creating original, integrated multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is time-consuming and onerous for basic science and clinical faculty. We demonstrate that medical students are co-experts to overcome assessment challenges of the faculty. We recruited, trained, and motivated medical students to write 10,000 high-quality MCQs for use in the foundational courses of medical education. These students were ideal because they possessed integrated knowledge (basic sciences and clinical experience). We taught them how to write high-quality MCQs using a writing template and continuous monitoring and support by an item bank curator. The students themselves also benefitted personally and pedagogically from the experience.

Reflective writing by medical students on the newly implemented foundation course in MBBS curriculum: An in-depth analysis

Abstract Objective: An analysis of reflective writing by medical students on the newly implemented foundation course under the Competency-based Medical Education (CBME). Materials and Methods: A month-long foundation course was conducted for the newly enrolled Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students by the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines. After the program, 150 anonymous reflections were collected from the students. These reflections were evaluated, and common themes were identified using the thematic analysis method. Results: Students were highly appreciative of sessions such as communication and ethics, basic life skills and first aid, vaccination, hand hygiene, biomedical waste disposal, skills labs, yoga and sports, and appreciated how this course helped them seamlessly transition from school to college life and helped ease their anxieties about this significant change in their lives. Campus tours and sessions facilitated by experienced and valued faculty members gave students great insight into the profession and helped familiarize them with the hospital setup. It also made the students more comfortable with the faculty members and better acquainted with each other. Introduction to topics new to them, such as community and family medicine, was greeted with great appreciation. Students also appreciated the free form of reflective writing and how it helped them express their experience in their own words, without restrictions. Students suggested that the duration of the course be shortened or perhaps it occurs simultaneous to their syllabus but also noted that this is a beautiful addition to the curriculum set by NMC. Language sessions are region-specific and need to be validated by other studies. Change is the only constant in our lives, and this change in the curriculum seems to be a positive step toward educating empathetic and wholesome medical professionals of the future generation. Conclusion: Introducing the foundation course under CBME is a revolutionary step toward enhancing our country’s medical education system. Student reflections on the course and its sessions serve as a mirror for us to enhance and refine our curriculum. The reflections analyzed showed a significantly positive response towards the course by the students. Future studies analyzing the impact of foundation courses on their medical school journey would yield exciting insights.

Evaluate the impact of foundation course conducted at the level of 1st-year MBBS students at Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh – A student perspective

Background: Since 2019, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has started to introduce Competency-based Medical Education, which highlighted the importance of an 1-month duration foundation course. This period is considered necessary for the students to adapt to the new environment in the college. The present study was done to evaluate the impact of foundation course conducted at the entry level of MBBS students. Aims and Objectives: The objectives of the study are as follows: 1. Evaluate the input of the students on all the topics of the Foundation course modules and 2. Based on student’s input, improve the course for future sessions. Materials and Methods: All the new 1st-year medical students admitted in November 2022 were the study subjects. The guidelines laid down by the MCI were followed when implementing the foundation program. A pre-designed Google Form questionnaire, which included items that were appropriate to the research question, was circulated among the students, and input from them was used to evaluate the program. Feedback was received from students using a three-point Likert Scale. Results: It was observed that after the implementation of the 1-month duration foundation course, knowledge of the students as well as the need and the importance regarding all the modules increased and was found to be extremely significant statistically (P &lt; 0.0001). Conclusion: Overall, the sessions in the foundation were positively received by the students. The information thus gathered will enable us to enhance the program for the following year and fulfill the objectives of the course.

Effectiveness of a Competency-based Foundation Course in Enriching Medical Education: Insights from First year MBBS Students

Background: The medical profession requires extensive knowledge and skills, making it a demanding and challenging profession. To help 1st-year medical students from diverse cultural and social backgrounds transition from a highly protected school environment to a professional course, a 1-month orientation program has been introduced by the National Medical Council in India. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the feedback of 1st-year medical students on the competency-based medical education foundation course. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 525 1st-year MBBS students from the 2022 to 2023 batch in various medical colleges across different states. A predesigned, structured, and validated questionnaire was used to obtain feedback from students on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: The feedback of 525 students was obtained and analyzed. The majority of students in all states reported 75%–100% orientation on the role of doctors in society, family practice, and national health policies. Basic life support skills were highly appreciated by most students (&gt;55%) in all states. Computer skills were also found to be useful by the majority of students (61%). Most students (100%) reported sensitization and awareness of medical ethics and the availability of student support systems after attending the course. Field visits were rated as extremely useful, and the majority of students (52.9%) had exposure to sports and extracurricular activities. Conclusion: The foundation course aims to develop the necessary skills and leadership qualities that are essential for the overall development of an individual and an efficient doctor. Majority of the students rated the foundation course as very useful, indicating it to be a useful teaching program aiding in a smooth transition and adaptation to the various challenges throughout their professional course.

Programmatic Assessment of Foundation Course for Undergraduate Medical Student’s Immediately following the Course and One-year thereafter: A Post-test Quasiexperimental Study

Introduction: The National Medical Commission (NMC) introduced a one-month “Foundation Course (FC)” at the commencement of medical school to promote better adaptation to the new competence-based medical education curriculum starting from the academic year 2019. The effectiveness of the program was studied in previous researches conducted over one month, and it was found to be effective. However, the effectiveness with which students could implement the acquired basic knowledge and skills in subsequent years of study has not been reported. Aim: To explore the effectiveness of various modules and their competencies in the FC immediately at the end of the program and to assess the usefulness of the acquired competencies in subsequent academic years. Materials and Methods: A post-test quasi-experimental study was conducted at SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Kattangulathur, South India, within the education department over a period of three academic years. A total of 450 student participants from the academic years 2019 to 2022 were involved in two stages. A total of 36 competencies were evaluated across the six prescribed modules by the NMC. A five-point Likert scale was used for the evaluation. Feedback questionnaires were administered immediately at the end of the program and again at the completion of the academic year. Analysis was conducted using the non parametric “Wilcoxon signed-rank test” to determine the usefulness of the program in subsequent years by comparing immediate feedback with responses after one year. Results: The mean scores for various competencies ranged between 3.5 and 4.5 out of 5, indicating that the overall competencies in the FC were very effective. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a p-value of &lt;0.0001, indicating high significance regarding the effectiveness of usage in subsequent years. Out of the 36 competencies, 16 were most frequently used by the students in the following year, 12 were moderately used, and 8 were least used. Conclusion: The evaluation of the NMC-mandated FC program, in terms of overall immediate performance and its effectiveness in subsequent years, yielded very promising results.

Initiatives on Stratified Teaching in Public Foundation Courses from the Perspective of High-Quality Development of Vocational Education

Developing high-quality vocational education is particularly vital on the path to China’s new century and new journey. It is essential to establish a teaching strategy[1] that is tiered[2] by students’ needs and teachers’ instructional techniques in order to fully reflect the significance of public foundation courses and the challenges they confront. This will help foster the development of high-quality vocational education.

A cross-sectional study on attitude and feedback of phase-II medical students on competency-based medical education

Background: Competency-based undergraduate curriculum has been introduced by MCI and it has been applicable since the 2019 batch of Indian medical graduates (IMG). There has been prototype move in learning from teacher centered to student centered. Aims and Objectives: The study intended to determine the attitude and feedback of Phase-II medical students regarding competency-based medical education (CBME). Materials and Methods: This research was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted online. Phase II medical students were required to complete an online survey through a Google form. The questions requested of the participants were to be answered on a Likert scale. The survey includes information regarding students’ perceptions of the foundation course’s framework, innovations in assessment methods, additional components of medical education based on competency, and overall study population attitude scores for diverse CBME components. Results: This study involved a total of 151 medical students. Regarding the perceptions of the framework of the foundation course, where 86.7% of participants supported basic life support training, 96% of participants supported field/health center visits, 83.4% of students were happy with their time management, and 92% of participants informed early clinical exposure was beneficial. The perception about innovations in assessment methods, where 83.4% were able to understand the assessment and feedback schemes, 58% supported questions with multiple choices in the curriculum, 75.5% stated that Objective Structured Practical Examination and Objective Structured Clinical Examination practical sessions were fruitful, 77.5% felt that medical college’s first phase is demanding intellectually, and 74.9% were accepted that vertical and horizontal integration lectures are helpful. Conclusion: The majority of students showed positive attitudes and feedback toward CBME but there are certain challenges such as difficulty with theory examination time management, having to maintain separate log books for each department, and expressing relevance about sports activities during weekdays.

Team and leadership training in medical students

The effectiveness of health care depends on core knowledge and competencies such as professional approach, team building, and leadership skills. A qualified doctor has to be a member of the health-care team and a leader of the health-care team at times. The ability to adapt as a team member and lead the team are two different roles to which medical students should be exposed at the beginning of the course. Medical students are subjected to a foundation course in their 1st year, which includes various topics such as ethics, professionalism, and team and leadership skills. However, these students are young adults directly entering medical college from school, and specific topics can be sensitized in a gamified/activity-oriented mode to improve learning. This review focuses on these gamified/activity-oriented methods to teach team and leadership skills to students straight from school.

Designing and Implementing an Integrated Occupational Therapy Foundations Course: Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Perspectives

Designing and Implementing an Integrated Occupational Therapy Foundations Course: Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Perspectives

Exploration and Practice of Ideological and Political Education in Vocational Education Curriculum Based on Learning as the Center

Anti mold technology in aviation material storage is an important foundational course for aviation material management majors. In order to effectively play the role of the main channel for classroom education, curriculum ideological and political reform has been carried out in the course of curriculum teaching, effectively integrating curriculum ideological and political concepts into professional classrooms. Based on learning as the center, curriculum ideological and political goals have been established, curriculum ideological and political elements have been explored, and the entire process of education mode has been explored. Implementation precautions have been proposed, and ideological and political education has been implicitly embedded in various stages of the teaching process. Through students’ independent participation and self-awareness, ideological and political internalization has been achieved, providing reference and inspiration for the ideological and political reform of other courses.

Research on Curriculum Construction in the Background of New Engineering Disciplines—Exploring Interdisciplinary Training through the Foundation Course of Data Analysis Technology

Research on Curriculum Construction in the Background of New Engineering Disciplines—Exploring Interdisciplinary Training through the Foundation Course of Data Analysis Technology

Family Adoption Program for Undergraduate Medical Students at a New Medical School of Jharkhand: An Experience and SWOC Analysis.

Family adoption program (FAP) incorporated into the undergraduate medical education curriculum is beneficial to all stakeholders involved. Many medical colleges have started FAP at different times and various levels based on resources availability, feasibility, and accessibility. This article is intended to cover the process of FAP implementation, the strength, weakness, opportunities, and challenges at various levels, and its scope in future. FAP was launched by adopting a hamlet 17 km away from the college. During the foundation course, orientation lessons and logbook discussions were conducted online before the actual field visit. During the initial visit, families were assigned, which was followed by collecting sociodemographic information, a plantation drive, and organizing medical camp/ door to door screening in the last visits for phase one students. The strengths perceived were early community exposure of students and leadership skills, and the weaknesses were allocating adequate number of slots in the curriculum, adopting families far away, etc., Similarly, FAP has an opportunity to achieve the larger goal of Heath for All in terms of identifying, following up, and managing various socio clinical cases in the adopted families. However, few challenges can pose as it progresses across other phases, such as language problem, allotment of problem families, existing social pathology in family, cultural taboos, etc. The article suggests that once a student leaves, another student should continue the cycle of adoption and provide continuum care of services to prevent the family from being orphaned.

Development and implementation of chemistry mindset modules in two general chemistry courses at a hispanic-serving institution: an exploratory study

Retention and underrepresentation of diverse ethnic groups have been and continue to be problematic in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in the United States. One foundational course that is required for all STEM majors is general chemistry. One way to increase retention and diversity in STEM majors is by targeting students’ social-psychological beliefs about their academic success through the implementation of social-psychological interventions. These short impactful exercises aim to change students’ thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about their academic success and affective characteristics. In this exploratory study, we designed and implemented two chemistry specific growth-mindset modules (GMMs) in two first-year chemistry courses (general chemistry 1 (GC1) and general chemistry 2 (GC2)) at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Students worked on the GMMs asynchronously at two specific time points throughout the semester. Using a mixed-methods approach, we assessed students’: (i) changes in mindset beliefs, chemistry self-efficacy (CSE), and chemistry performance, (ii) perceptions towards failures and challenges, and (iii) perceptions on growth-mindset modules (GMM) after participation in GMMs. Overall, GC2 students shifted towards a growth mindset and away from a fixed mindset, with small to medium effect sizes detected. No statistically significant changes in GC1 students’ mindsets were detected throughout the study period. For both courses, students increased in CSE by the end of semester. Furthermore, GC1 students who participated in any portion of the GMM intervention achieved higher scores on the ACS exam compared to those who didn’t participate. Additionally, students’ written responses highlighted an improved attitudinal change towards failures and challenges after participating in GMMs. For both courses, over 95% of the students agreed that the GMMs were valuable, over 95% students indicated they developed more positive attitudes and perspectives towards challenges, and over 96% students believed they could learn challenging topics with effort, determination, and persistence. While these results show differences in performance, CSE, mindset scores, and attitudinal change after participation in GMMs, it is also important to acknowledge that self-selection into the study may be one of the factors for explaining such differences. Results and implications for practice are discussed.

A Preliminary Exploration of Comprehensive Interventional Methods for Cultivating National Confidence in the Teaching Process

The professional English course for undergraduate students majoring in Electrical Engineering and Automation is one of the important foundational courses. In order to fully utilize the educational function of the curriculum, combined with the characteristics of the curriculum itself and the corresponding learning stages of students, this paper explores the method of integrating “professional confidence, national confidence” ideological and political elements into professional knowledge learning in the course teaching process. On the basis of elucidating the necessity of “cultivating national confidence spirit” as an ideological and political element reflected in this course, this paper discusses the specific methods of integrating this ideological and political element into the classroom from the perspectives of knowledge, skills, and emotions. The aim is to improve the educational effect of electrical engineering English classroom teaching, stimulate students’ learning motivation to “serve the country professionally”, and enhance their professional confidence and national pride.

Effect of short-term yoga on psychological well-being of 1st-year MBBS students: A pilot study

Background: Medical course is quite demanding and this often leads to stress in the students pursuing MBBS course. The National Medical Council of India has introduced yoga in the foundation course as a part of the new curriculum. Aims and Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of the 10-day yoga (1 h session each day) on the psychological distress of MBBS students. Materials and Methods: First-year MBBS students in the age group of 18–22 years of Subharti Medical College were recruited for the study. 49 males and 62 females participated in the study (n = 111). Brief symptom inventory was used to assess nine psychological symptom dimensions and distress index at baseline and after 10 days of yoga session. Pre and post-session mean scores for each dimension and index were compared using paired student t-test. Results: Data analysis revealed a significant decrease in reported anxiety, obsession-compulsion, and paranoid ideation (P &lt; 0.001) as well as depression, psychoticism, interpersonal sensitivity, and hostility (P &lt; 0.05) after yoga. Scores of global severity index as well as positive symptom distress index also decreased (P &lt; 0.001) significantly. A decrease in reported somatization and positive symptom total was also seen though not significant. Conclusion: Even short-term yoga program may be helpful in reducing stress level of the students.

Research on Ideological and Political Teaching Reform of Big Data Foundation and Application Course under the Background of New Business

Comprehensively promoting the construction of ideological and political courses is a strategic measure to implement the fundamental task of moral education. Colleges and universities should actively carry out the reform of ideological and political courses and integrate them into the whole process of classroom teaching construction. With the development of information technology and the popularization of the Internet, global data shows the characteristics of explosive growth and mass accumulation. With the development of data science and big data technology, China’s big data has made remarkable progress in technology, industry, application and other levels. In this paper, the author studies how to integrate moral education elements into the big data classroom, through in-depth excavation of the ideological and political education elements contained in the professional curriculum, to promote the organic combination of knowledge imparting, ability training, ideals and beliefs, values and beliefs, and moral education, and to integrate ideological and political education into all aspects of professional curriculum teaching, so as to achieve moral education and moisten things silently.