Interactive Online Modules Research Articles

Perceptions of D.M.D. student readiness for basic science courses in the United States: can online review modules help?

There can be a disconnect between the level of content covered in undergraduate coursework and the expectations of professional-level faculty of their incoming students. Some basic science faculty members may assume that students have a good knowledge base in the material and neglect to appropriately review, whilst others may spend too much class time reviewing basic material. It was hypothesised that the replacement of introductory didactic physiology lectures with interactive online modules could improve student preparedness prior to lectures. These modules would also allow faculty members to analyse incoming student abilities and save valuable face-to-face class time for alternative teaching strategies. Results indicated that the performance levels of incoming U.S. students were poor (57% average on a pre-test), and students often under-predicted their abilities (by 13% on average). Faculty expectations varied greatly between the different content areas and did not appear to correlate with the actual student performance. Three review modules were created which produced a statistically significant increase in post-test scores (46% increase, P < 0.0001, n = 114-115). The positive results of this study suggest a need to incorporate online review units in the basic science dental school courses and revise introductory material tailored to students' strengths and needs.

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Introduction: The need to improve team work in medicine has long existed and it has been only after years of residency and practice as an attending physician that collaborative practice is best realized in nurses and physicians. In the current teaching models students in medicine and nursing learn their roles in patient care individually and seldom to never practice clinical care in team settings. Despite current improved clinical learning through use of simulation of acute and chronic patient care situations, team learning with combined health professionals is not performed at out institution. Methods: The project will combine interactive on-line teaching modules of team work and be followed up with practical simulation session and a brief post- simulation joint review with medical and nursing students and a post- simulation on line follow up tutorial. 5 separate on line modules were required of all participants: 20 minute teaching lessons on nursing and physician team approach, advanced team interaction and successful patient focused care, effective team communication, collaborative skill performance and barriers to successful medical team-work. In addition, video examples of effective and in-effective team resuscitation scenarios on cardiac arrest and ICU resuscitation will be made available with a review of critical actions, highlighted for each of the two scenarios. The simulation session will then follow with a team de-briefing for each team. Each patient focused collaborative simulation scenario will take 30 minutes which includes 15 minutes of actual team testing and similar time for review of the critical actions and areas of needed improvement. Outcomes will be determined by comparing the performance of 8 critical actions for each resuscitation scenario as del as time to successful completion of the resuscitation. participants will be measured as individual medical and nursing teams with the MD and RN role filled in by faculty without providing input and then these teams will be compared to a colaborative team of one med and one nursing student. for the pre-established critical criteria and time measures. Results: The mean scores as individual teams for Nursing and medical students achieved 3.5 (std dev 2.5) and 4.3 (std dev 3.1) of the designated critical action in the ICU resuscitation scenarios. The mean time to completion were 25.2 and 24.8 min. The collaborative team achieved significant improvement in critical actions achieved 6.5 of the 8 critical actions in a mean time of 19.4 min. All these changes had p< 0.01 by student’s t-test. Feedback was also greatly positive although not yet quantified. Conclusions: Team integration in clinical practice is relatively new, and is contrary to what is traditionally taught,---the physician directs the ship, with little collaboration, especially in the emergency situation. However, interdisciplinary cooperation is a more effective model of care and obtaining student assessment of the process is important in terms of measuring learning outcomes. This pilot project demonstrated great improvement in clinically simulated success and future follow up on actual outcomes will need to be followed to confirm such improvements.

The integration of anatomy and radiology through interactive online modules

Medical undergraduate programs require anatomy to be taught in a clinically relevant context. One natural fit for anatomy teaching is to integrate it with radiology. For this purpose anatomists and radiologists at UBC developed an integrated modular course that is tightly correlated with the anatomy curriculum, incorporating applicable anatomical structures with clinical radiology. We have created interactive modules and quizzes that correlate radiological anatomy to the relevant gross anatomy, and provide basic clinical applications. The regions covered include: spine, shoulder and elbow, thorax, abdomen, pelvis and head. Students are encouraged to participate interactively with mix and match, fill in the blank, and labeling activities. Feedback from the students allows faculty to assess which areas of the current integration process are less effectual and demonstrate avenues for potential improvement to the curriculum. Currently this project is focused on the first year of the UBC curriculum, but the format lends itself to expansion across all four years as well as continuing integration through the postgraduate years. Future anatomy teaching will likely move away from dedicated blocks of time and towards an approach integrated with clinical disciplines. Integration with the radiology program demonstrates the effectiveness of comprehensive anatomy teaching as it relates to a clinical discipline.Grant Funding Source: N/A

Applying the scholarship of teaching and learning: student perceptions, behaviours and success online and face-to-face

This study compares student perceptions, learning behaviours and success in online and face-to-face versions of a Principles of Microeconomics course. It follows a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) approach by using a cycle of empirical analysis, reflection and action to improve the learning experience for students. The online course design involves 58 interactive narrated online modules, interactive online quizzes and biweekly online meetings with the instructor via video and voice-over-IP technology. Findings indicate that schedule flexibility motivates students to choose the online course format. Students in both learning environments felt they had high-quality communication with the instructor, while online students indicated limited peer-to-peer communication. Online students report studying more at home than face-to-face students, but not enough to compensate for the time face-to-face students spend in class. Reflecting on the findings, the authors suggest actions to improve the online course experience.

Improving education in primary care: development of an online curriculum using the blended learning model

BackgroundStandardizing the experiences of medical students in a community preceptorship where clinical sites vary by geography and discipline can be challenging. Computer-assisted learning is prevalent in medical education and can help standardize experiences, but often is not used to its fullest advantage. A blended learning curriculum combining web-based modules with face-to-face learning can ensure students obtain core curricular principles.MethodsThis course was developed and used at The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and its associated preceptorship sites in the greater Cleveland area. Leaders of a two-year elective continuity experience at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine used adult learning principles to develop four interactive online modules presenting basics of office practice, difficult patient interviews, common primary care diagnoses, and disease prevention. They can be viewed at . Students completed surveys rating the content and technical performance of each module and completed a Generalist OSCE exam at the end of the course.ResultsParticipating students rated all aspects of the course highly; particularly those related to charting and direct patient care. Additionally, they scored very well on the Generalist OSCE exam.ConclusionStudents found the web-based modules to be valuable and to enhance their clinical learning. The blended learning model is a useful tool in designing web-based curriculum for enhancing the clinical curriculum of medical students.

Computer-based animations and static graphics as medical student aids in learning home safety assessment: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Although animations may intuitively seem more effective than static graphics for teaching, there is no clear-cut evidence for the superiority of simple computer-based animations in medical education.Aims: We investigated whether simple animations are better than static graphics as an aid to medical students in learning home safety assessment, an important part of geriatric curriculum.Methods: We used two versions of an interactive online module, one that depicted common home safety issues in static graphics and the other in animations. We randomized first-year medical students who agreed to participate into two groups. After the module, students completed a cognitive burden scale and a standardized competency assessment test in which they had to identify the salient home safety issues and give recommendations based on the hazards. We also captured time spent on task.Results and conclusions: We found no significant differences between the groups in the cognitive burden level, competency assessment scores, and time spent on task. The much cheaper-to-produce static graphics were equally effective as simple animations in this medical education scenario.