Long-term Knowledge Retention Research Articles

The Vision Detroit Project: Integrated Screening and Community Eye-Health Education Interventions Improve Eyecare Awareness

ABSTRACT Purpose Poor eye-health knowledge and health literacy are pervasive, contributing to worse outcomes. This study aims to examine short- and long-term eye-health knowledge retention following eye-health education interventions in adults. Methods Vision Detroit was an outreach vision screening program that integrated a 5-Point Teaching Intervention (5PTI), at a Southwest Community Center (SW-CC) from 2015–2017. The 5PTI consists of eye-health learning points developed to verbally educate patients. During vision screenings, eye-health knowledge tests were administered before and after 5PTI (Test 1 and Test 2, respectively). In 2016, Community Eye-Health Education Interventions (CHEI) were initiated at the SW-CC. During CHEI, bilingual healthcare students taught voluntary SW-CC members the 5PTI learning points, regardless of participant interest to attend future screenings. CHEI sessions occurred on separate dates prior to vision screening events. Test 1 and Test 2 scores were compared for all participants. Test 1 scores were compared for those who underwent CHEI prior to vision screening (CHEI positive) versus those who did not (CHEI negative). Results Two-hundred-seventeen adult patients met inclusion criteria, with 75.8% women, 82.6% Hispanic, mean age 50.4 ± 16.2 years, 74.6% had high school or less education, and 49.2% had health insurance. Test 1 to Test 2 scores improved after 5PTI (71.2 ± 26.4% vs. 97.2 ± 9.9%, p < .00001). Forty-eight participants attended CHEI and subsequent vision screening. Test 1 scores were higher among those CHEI positive versus CHEI negative (81.1 ± 2.1% vs. 68.3 ± 3.4%, p = .0027). Conclusion Simple eye-health education interventions, delivered during vision screenings and via community-based education, can improve eye-health knowledge.

Liber Domus: Development of a Prototype RPG for 6th Grade Mathematics and Science Learning

Recent studies shed an unfavourable light on existing tools that support at-distance learning in pre-university students. Concerns revolve around motivation, focus, engagement as well as long-term knowledge retention rates. Multiple attempts were made to connect digital games with education, designated by Game-Based Learning, although educational outcomes have been mixed. Possibly due to ad-hoc experimentation, the effects seem related to relationships between specific game mechanisms and structural design. This research project focused on potential effects of a digital 3D role-playing game in learning. A multidisciplinary team built a prototype, named Liber Domus, using game developing techniques and mechanisms that have never been used or explored in the area on this scale. Preliminary results show the game presents students with a more dynamic approach to learning inside the classroom, increasing motivation and fun levels and allowing for a less repetitive revision of subjects, and the flexibility of the tool for both classroom and at-home learning. Further development is ongoing.

Gains in multiple sclerosis knowledge following completion of the Understanding Multiple Sclerosis online course are maintained six months after course completion

BackgroundParticipation in the Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (MS) massive open online course (MOOC) significantly increases MS knowledge in both people living with MS (pwMS) and not living with MS at course completion. We also observed modest increases in health literacy, self-efficacy, and quality of life. ObjectiveTo examine long-term participant knowledge retention over a six-month follow-up period following completion of the Understanding MS MOOC, a freely available six-week online health education intervention. MethodsWe conducted pre-post analysis using paired t-tests to determine the effect of the course on MS knowledge (primary outcome), health literacy, resilience, self-efficacy, quality of life, and MS symptom severity among pwMS and not living with MS. We assessed the effect of participant characteristics on the change in MS knowledge using linear regression. ResultsBoth pwMS (N=139) and not living with MS (N=164) significantly increased MS knowledge over the follow-up period. PwMS also showed increases in health literacy and self-efficacy. These increases were largely maintained from the post-course assessment. There was no effect on resilience or quality of life. ConclusionsThe Understanding MS MOOC significantly increased MS knowledge and this knowledge was maintained six months after course completion. Our results reinforce the importance and potential impact of health education in the MS community.

Are Psychophysiological Wearables Suitable for Comparing Pedagogical Teaching Approaches?

This study describes how wearable devices can be used in elementary schools to compare some aspects of different teaching approaches. Upper arm wearables were used as an objective tool to compare three approaches when teaching science: (i) classical frontal teaching, (ii) embodied (kinesthetic) teaching, and (iii) a distance teaching approach. Using the wearables, the approaches were compared in terms of their impact on students’ psychological arousal and perceived well-being. In addition, short-term and long-term knowledge gain and physiological synchronization between teacher and students during the lecture were assessed. A synchronization index was defined to estimate the degree of physiological synchronization. During distance teaching, by means of measurements with wearables, students were significantly less physically active and significantly less psychologically aroused. Embodied teaching allowed significantly higher physical activation than during the other two approaches. The synchronization index for all three teaching approaches was positive with the highest values for distance and frontal teaching. Moreover, knowledge gain immediately after the embodied lessons was higher than after frontal lessons. No significant differences in the long-term knowledge retention between the three different teaching methods were found. This pilot study proved that wearables are a useful tool in research in the field of education and have the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved in learning, even in complex environments such as an elementary school classroom.

Retention of students' knowledge of immunizations following a one-day or a five-week course

IntroductionThe American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate Program is commonly used by schools of pharmacy to train student pharmacists in immunizations. This study compared student pharmacists' knowledge retention of immunization content when the live seminar of the APhA Program was delivered as a one-day co-curricular activity or as a five-week required course. The impact of immunization experience on students' knowledge retention was a secondary objective. MethodsA 45-question knowledge assessment about immunizations was administered to second and third-year student pharmacists eight months after completing either a five-week course (second-year students) or a one-day seminar (third-year students). Students were also asked about their experience providing patient education, screening, and administering immunizations. ResultsKnowledge assessment scores declined by an average of 26.3% from the initial to the eight-month assessment, and declines were similar for second and third-year students. However, students who reported immunizing over 50 patients had significantly higher knowledge retention than those who reported never immunizing. ConclusionsA live immunization training given over one day or five weeks did not impact the retention of immunization knowledge eight months later. However, students who immunized >50 patients had greater knowledge retention. These findings indicate the importance of including the application of immunization knowledge in pharmacy curricula to enhance long-term knowledge retention.

Voluntary participation in flipped classroom application sessions has a negligible effect on assessment outcomes in an accelerated pass-fail course.

Increasingly, basic science educators at medical and health science programs are faced with the challenge of delivering fundamental science content using evidence-based pedagogical approaches that build students' fund of knowledge while also supporting their development as self-regulated learners. This has led to an increased use of active learning-based pedagogies such as flipped classroom teaching. However, there are many open questions about the conditions necessary for successful flipped classroom sessions. In particular, the role of student compliance (i.e., participation, engagement, attendance) in mediating performance needs to be evaluated. This is especially important in accelerated curricula where multiple basic science disciplines are integrated together in pass-fail courses, presenting challenges to both students' time and cognitive load. Data on prematriculation performance, in-class participation, weekly quiz performance, and summative assessment performance from three cohorts of medical students (n = 146) at a new medical school were collected and analyzed. We found that historically high-performing students more readily participated in flipped classroom application sessions compared with historically lower-performing students. Correlational analysis of performance on weekly formative quizzes and the summative course exam was not related to in-class participation. However, performance on weekly formative quizzes played the most significant role in students' performance on summative exams. Efforts to understand the benefits of in-class participation beyond short-term assessment performance, such as long-term knowledge retention or development of noncognitive skills, should be undertaken to justify using such time- and human resource-intensive pedagogies.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study explores the use of flipped classroom teaching in a voluntary and accelerated medical school course. We found that historically high-performing students attend class, whereas historically low-performing students do not attend class as readily. Formative assessment performance appears to be more important than participation in determining the final grade. Correlation of high performance (>90%) with participation may differentiate students who excel in our curriculum from those who simply pass with superficial knowledge.

Mobile application adjunct to the WHO basic emergency care course: a mixed methods study

ObjectivesThe WHO developed a 5-day basic emergency care (BEC) course using the traditional lecture format. However, adult learning theory suggests that lecture-based courses alone may not promote long-term knowledge retention....

학습자 주도 질문 활동에 대한 대학생들의 인식 탐구

Objectives This study aims to explore the meaning of college students' experience on the leaner-led questioning activity performed in general English classes. Methods Purposeful sampling which is a technique widely used to a qualitative research was used and in-depth interviews were conducted for the data collection. And a phenomenological method was used for data analysis. Results The essential theme clusters were derived, that is, qualitative change in learning habits, improvement of learning ability, overcoming the limitations of non-face-to-face classes, and transformation from immaturity to maturity. And the contents of the main themes were as follows. First, participants focused on lectures more than usual and engaged in various learning activities on their own. Second, they were able to recognized and supplement the shortcomings and their led questioning activity helped them to improve their knowledge retention and to expand their knowledge. Third, they perceived that there are active interactions between teacher and students and they became more and more active learners. Fourth, they could further develop their question quality by trial and error. Conclusions It was found that learner-led questioning activity helped students to have high willingness to their learning and to improve their long-term knowledge retention as well as to expand their knowledge and to increase their level of academic performance. Although participants had difficulty on generating their own questions, their level of question quality was higher and higher for teachers to teach students to create their own questions. Consequently, this study shows that learner led questioning activity contribute to teachers' practice of Constructivist education and teachers need to encourage students to ask more questions maximizing their learning in the classroom.

Pilot study to explore the use of mobile spaced learning as a digital learning platform when teaching symptom management to undergraduate nursing students: SPLENdidS study.

The management of patients' holistic symptom needs are often complex and challenging. The education needs of undergraduate nursing students must be optimally addressed to have a significant positive impact on patient care. Mobile spaced learning has been recognised as a form of online education which can provide a novel approach to delivering effective evidence based healthcare education to undergraduate students. The objective of this pilot study was to explore the experiences of undergraduate nursing students in a university setting, of using mobile spaced learning as a digital platform for symptom management education. This pilot study used a mixed methods approach. Online spaced learning material, which utilised both case based scenarios and multiple choice questions, was delivered to first year undergraduate nursing students over a period of 2 weeks. Participants were then invited to participate in an online survey related to the usability of mobile spaced learning. A focus group was conducted to further explore the participants' views. Findings conveyed that students viewed mobile spaced learning as an acceptable platform that enhanced both their learning and their ability to transfer knowledge into clinical practice. Implementation of a digital spaced learning intervention would be acceptable to undergraduate nursing students learning about holistic symptom management. Further research is needed to explore the feasibility of implementing this intervention within the undergraduate nursing curriculum, and also to explore the impact on long-term knowledge retention.

Evaluation of change in emergency care knowledge and skills among front-line healthcare providers in Ukraine with the Basic Emergency Care course: a pretest/post-test study

ObjectiveEvaluate the change in participant emergency care knowledge and skill confidence after implementation of the WHO-International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course.DesignPretest/post-test quasi-experimental study.SettingMechnikov Hospital...

Which Performs Better: Open Book Versus Closed Book Online Gross Anatomy Practical Examination

The COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in rapid changes to delivery of medical school exams during the height of the pandemic. Remote, online exams quickly became the norm, with many schools initially allowing open book (OB) exams due to a lack of policies and resources to monitor for cheating and as a means of reducing student anxiety that was heightened by the uncertainty of the pandemic and its effect on their education. A 2016 review by Durning, et al. concluded that there was no significant difference in exam performance between OB and closed book (CB) exams; however, a recent study found significantly higher scores on an OB exam, compared to a CB exam (Eurboonyanun, et al., 2021).At Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), gross anatomy practical examinations are taken using cadavers and are CB. As a result of the pandemic, the Class of 2023 was administered the Skin and Musculoskeletal (SMS) midcourse and final practical examinations as remote, online OB exams. The next year, the Class of 2024 took the same exams remotely online, as CB exams. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of OB exam conditions on students' online practical exam performance. We hypothesized that the Class of 2023’s mean score on both exams would be significantly higher than the Class of 2024.We compared the Class of 2023’s (n = 111) remote, online OB mean scores for the midcourse and final gross anatomy practical summative exams to the Class of 2024’s (n = 110) remote, online CB exam scores for the same practical exams. The SMS course is the last course for 1st year medical students at CMSRU. For both classes, the midcourse and final practical exam questions were delivered remotely online using cadaveric atlas images. Questions were open‐ended and consisted of a mixture of 1st, 2nd and 3rd order questions. The number of questions on the midcourse and final practical exams for both classes were equivalent. A one‐tailed, non‐paired t‐test was used to compare mean class performance on both the midcourse and final practical exams.The Class of 2023 had a significantly higher summative mean score on the midcourse practical exam, compared to the Class of 2024 (96.91 v 90.24, p&lt;0.000). The summative mean score for the final practical exam was significantly higher for the Class of 2023 compared to the Class of 2024 (93.21 v 89.26, p&lt;0.000).First year medical students who took remote online OB midcourse and final practical exams in the SMS course outperformed 1st year medical students who took equivalent exams that were CB.The COVID‐19 pandemic has opened a window for educators to give greater consideration to and allow for exploration of the use of OB exams in anatomy, regardless of whether exams are delivered online or in‐person. In a world where knowledge is available instantaneously with just a few strokes of a keypad, why is it we still expect students to commit detailed anatomical knowledge to memory for testing? As practicing clinicians, they will have access to resources to help them answer questions they are unsure about. Why not afford students the same opportunity when taking an exam? The time has come to determine the feasibility of OB exams in anatomical sciences education and determine how best they can be used to enhance the learning and long‐term retention of anatomical knowledge.

How Do Physical Therapists Perceive Anatomy Education?

INTRODUCTIONThere is a significant gap in the existing literature as to the long‐term retention or sufficiency of anatomical knowledge learned in physical therapy school. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the perceptions of the sufficiency and relevancy of the anatomy education received in physical therapy school, with a specific focus on its sufficiency and relevancy for clinical practice among early, mid, and late‐career physical therapists. Similar studies have been conducted among medical doctors and medical students (Ahmed et al., 2010; Rowland et al., 2011), but to our knowledge, there have been no studies surveying physical therapists in the United States focused on post‐graduate outcomes.METHODSThis survey was approved by the Moravian University IRB, #20‐0061. The survey was distributed via email through multiple clinical networks in the greater Mid‐Atlantic region, through the American Physical Therapy Association Pennsylvania chapter (APTA‐PA) and through the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) Educational Research division. The survey included demographic questions, questions regarding how the survey respondents learned anatomy in physical therapy school, and a series of Likert scale questions to investigate their opinions about the sufficiency and relevancy of their anatomy education. Participants who were teaching or previously taught anatomy were not asked to participate in the study. Descriptive statistics were performed on the demographic variables and frequencies were calculated to determine the methods of anatomy education and Likert scale responses. One‐way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare the Likert scale responses from the groupings of survey participants. Participants were classified by their year of licensure: early‐career (2015‐2021), mid‐career (2005‐2014), and late‐career (2004 and earlier).RESULTSEighty‐seven percent of respondents participated in dissection in their anatomy courses and 62.4% studied from prosected materials. Surface anatomy/palpation was included in 76.3% of anatomy courses. Less than 7% of respondents utilized newer methods such as a virtual cadaver table, augmented reality headsets, clay modeling, and body painting. There were no significant differences in Likert scale responses among early, mid and late‐career physical therapists. Respondents all agreed that dissection helps to develop practical clinical skills, is superior to prosection, and that the use of cadavers for anatomy education is essential (4.37, 4.13, and 4.32 on a 5‐point Likert scale, respectively).CONCLUSIONPhysical therapists’ perceptions should be a key component in the development of standard learning objectives for physical therapy (PT) anatomy education. In this investigation, length of time in practice did not influence the opinions on the sufficiency or relevancy of anatomy education. Dissection continues to be included in most physical therapy anatomy courses and perceived to be essential for learning. We intend to further this research by conducting focus groups and by examining the relationship between methods of learning anatomy, PT specialty, and opinions of anatomy education.

The Effect of a Sepsis Interprofessional Education Using Virtual Patient Telesimulation on Sepsis Team Care in Clinical Practice: Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundImproving interprofessional communication and collaboration is necessary to facilitate the early identification and treatment of patients with sepsis. Preparing undergraduate medical and nursing students for the knowledge and skills required to assess, escalate, and manage patients with sepsis is crucial for their entry into clinical practice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures have created the need for interactive distance learning to support collaborative learning.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of sepsis interprofessional education on medical and nursing students’ sepsis knowledge, team communication skills, and skill use in clinical practice.MethodsA mixed methods design using a 1-group pretest-posttest design and focus group discussions was used. This study involved 415 undergraduate medical and nursing students from a university in Singapore. After a baseline evaluation of the participants’ sepsis knowledge and team communication skills, they underwent didactic e-learning followed by virtual telesimulation on early recognition and management of sepsis and team communication strategies. The participants’ sepsis knowledge and team communication skills were evaluated immediately and 2 months after the telesimulation. In total, 4 focus group discussions were conducted using a purposive sample of 18 medical and nursing students to explore their transfer of learning to clinical practice.ResultsCompared with the baseline scores, both the medical and nursing students demonstrated a significant improvement in sepsis knowledge (P<.001) and team communication skills (P<.001) in immediate posttest scores. At the 2-month follow-up, the nursing students continued to have statistically significantly higher sepsis knowledge (P<.001) and communication scores (P<.001) than the pretest scores, whereas the medical students had no significant changes in test scores between the 2-month follow-up and pretest time points (P=.99). A total of three themes emerged from the qualitative findings: greater understanding of each other’s roles, application of mental models in clinical practice, and theory-practice gaps. The sepsis interprofessional education—particularly the use of virtual telesimulation—fostered participants’ understanding and appreciation of each other’s interprofessional roles when caring for patients with sepsis. Despite noting some incongruities with the real-world clinical practice and not encountering many sepsis scenarios in clinical settings, participants shared the application of mental models using interprofessional communication strategies and the patient assessment framework in their daily clinical practice.ConclusionsAlthough the study did not show long-term knowledge retention, the use of virtual telesimulation played a critical role in facilitating the application of mental models for learning transfer and therefore could serve as a promising education modality for sepsis training. For a greater clinical effect, future studies could complement virtual telesimulation with a mannequin-based simulation and provide more evidence on the long-term retention of sepsis knowledge and clinical skills performance.

Improving Pediatric/Neonatology Residents' Newborn Resuscitation Skills With a Digital Serious Game: DIANA.

BackgroundSerious games, and especially digital game based learning (DGBL) methodologies, have the potential to strengthen classic learning methodology in all medical procedures characterized by a flowchart (e.g., neonatal resuscitation algorithm). However, few studies have compared short- and long-term knowledge retention in DGBL methodologies with a control group undergoing specialist training led by experienced operators. In particular, resident doctors' learning still has limited representation in simulation-based education literature.ObjectiveA serious computer game DIANA (DIgital Application in Newborn Assessment) was developed, according to newborn resuscitation algorithm, to train pediatric/neonatology residents in neonatal resuscitation algorithm knowledge and implementation (from procedure knowledge to ventilation/chest compressions rate). We analyzed user learning curves after each session and compared knowledge retention against a classic theoretical teaching session.MethodsPediatric/neonatology residents of the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana (AOUP) were invited to take part in the study and were split into a game group or a control group; both groups were homogeneous in terms of previous training and baseline scores. The control group attended a classic 80 min teaching session with a neonatal trainer, while game group participants played four 20 min sessions over four different days. Three written tests (pre/immediately post-training and at 28 days) were used to evaluate and compare the two groups' performances.ResultsForty-eight pediatric/neonatology residents participated in the study. While classic training by a neonatal trainer demonstrated an excellent effectiveness in short/long-term knowledge retention, DGBL methodology proved to be equivalent or better. Furthermore, after each game session, DGBL score improved for both procedure knowledge and ventilation/chest compressions rate.ConclusionsIn this study, DGBL was as effective as classic specialist training for neonatal resuscitation in terms of both algorithm memorization and knowledge retention. User appreciation for the methodology and ease of administration, including remotely, support the use of DGBL methodologies for pediatric/neonatology residents education.

Self-reported Learning and Study Strategies in First and Second Year Medical Students.

Medical school presents a unique challenge to the average learner as the instructional strategies used in medical curricula are often different than what the student has experienced prior. The large volume of information taught in medical school is delivered with a variety of techniques. After the educational material has been delivered, it is the student's responsibility to study and learn the information for future exams and for their future patients. The current study aims to explore what learning activities and teaching strategies first (M1) and second year (M2) medical students use and prefer. Additionally, the study aims to determine if there are cohort differences in classroom and study habits. A group of 95 M1 students and 109 M2 students were recruited to participate in this online survey study. The analyses indicated statistical differences between M1 and M2 student cohorts with M1 students preferring group work and small group discussions more than M2 students. Classic didactic lecturing was preferred by 71.6% of students surveyed. M1 students reported a greater tendency for self-testing and group study versus M2 students. GPA and study technique preference were not correlated. These findings indicate that medical students are not using research-based learning and study strategies at the possible detriment of long-term knowledge retention. Modeling of research-based learning and study strategies by medical educators is one possible solution to encourage medical students to change their study practice. Future work should focus on how medical student learning preferences change as they progress through medical school.

High-Fidelity Patient Simulation Incorporated Into a Flipped Classroom Improves Students' Long-Term Knowledge Retention of Acute Organophosphorus Pesticide Poisoning.

The flipped classroom (FC) approach and high-fidelity patient simulation (HFPS) training have shown promising effects in short-term acquisition or long-term retention of knowledge in medical education. In this study, we aimed to explore the incorporation of HFPS into the FC and the impact on the long-term (3 months after classes) knowledge retention of medical undergraduate students learning about acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning (AOPP). Eighty-two fifth-year medical students were randomly divided into an HFPS group (HG, n = 40) and an FC group (FG, n = 42). A postclass quiz and preinternship quiz were performed to assess the short-term knowledge acquisition and long-term (3 months after classes) knowledge retention of both groups of students. Feedback questionnaires were administered immediately after the class and before the internship to assess the students' self-perceived competency. In the postclass quiz, the scores achieved by the students from the HG and FG were 15.58 ± 2.69 and 14.62 ± 2.19, respectively. No significant difference was found between the 2 groups (P = 0.19). In the preinternship quiz, the scores achieved by the students from the HG (14.50 ± 2.16) were significantly higher than those achieved by the students from the FG (11.40 ± 2.07, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the postclass quiz and preinternship quiz scores achieved by the HG students (P = 0.05). However, scores in the preinternship quiz showed a significant decline compared with the postclass quiz for the FG students (P < 0.001). Students in the HG gave significantly higher scores for self-perceived confidence in dealing with AOPP patients in the forthcoming internship on the postclass and preinternship questionnaires. The incorporation of HFPS into the FC approach could improve students' long-term knowledge retention of AOPP and enhance their confidence in caring for these patients in their internship.

Gauging Long-Term Knowledge Retention of Forensic Science: A Follow-Up Study of College Students Who Participated in a Crime Scene Simulation

This is a long-term follow-up to a prior study which found that simulations enhance knowledge retention of undergraduate students who had participated in a mock crime scene. Employing the qualitative method, three participants from the original research were interviewed 1- to 3-years later and asked a series of questions relating to their coursework on forensic science. Findings revealed that long-term knowledge of the major theories relating to the subject domain remained stable over time. It was only the responses to questions regarding specific terminology that presented a gradual decline which is consistent with the decay of semantic memory. Furthermore, each of the subjects were able to recall exactly when during the mock crime scene that they experienced or solved the interview question posited. The ability to trace back and pinpoint the task that prompted the learning and reinforcement of the concept is aligned with episodical memory. Overall, the results indicated that classroom simulations improve long-term knowledge retention of forensic science students.

The role of 3D printed heart models in immediate and long-term knowledge acquisition in medical education.

The long-term effect of three-dimensional printed heart model (3DPHM) on knowledge acquisition of congenital heart disease (CHD) remains unknown. This prospective cohort study aims to investigate the role of 3DPHM in improving immediate knowledge gain and long-term knowledge retention on CHD among the medical students. Fifty-three second and third year medical students were assigned into two groups to compare their immediate knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention after an education session on anatomy and pathophysiology of CHD. During the 1.5 hour-long education session, both the control (n = 25) and study groups (n = 28) had access to identical teaching materials: digital 3D heart models, 2D diagrams, and medical images, except for 3DPHM which were only used in the study group. The immediate knowledge gain was assessed via an online quiz, whereas the long-term knowledge retention was assessed using another quiz in 6-weeks' time post-intervention. A survey was also conducted to evaluate the participants' learning experience. There is no significant difference in the immediate knowledge acquisition and long-term knowledge retention between the groups (U = 272, p = 0.16 and r = -0.143, p = 0.15 respectively). Majority of the students (96% in control group and 85% in 3DPHM group) responded that the 3DPHM would have/had improved their learning experience. Despite that, there is no significant difference in the self-perceived knowledge improvement between the groups. This study concludes that the 3DPHM do not significantly improve both immediate knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention among the medical students. However, further research with larger sample size, as well as categorizing the type of questions in the quiz, is needed to better assess the role of 3DPHM in different educational components.

Retention of Knowledge and Skills After a Basic Life Support Course for Schoolchildren: A Prospective Study.

Courses on basic life support (BLS) and automated external defibrillator (AED) in schools lead to increase in knowledge but its retention is less well explored. We aimed to explore the long-term retention of knowledge and practical skills among schoolchildren after a BLS and AED course to be able to tailor future courses accordingly. Study was conducted in 3 parts and included 823 seventh and ninth graders from different elementary schools in Maribor, Slovenia. In Study 1 (n=611) we assessed students' baseline knowledge and immediate knowledge gain after our BLS and AED course with a validated questionnaire; in Study 2 (n=116) we assessed retention of gained knowledge and skills after 5 months with a modified Cardiff test and Little Anne QCPR manikin; in Study 3 (n=96) we assessed retention of knowledge 2 years after the course. Mean differences in knowledge before and after the course in Study 1 and between studies were analyzed using paired t-tests and independent t-tests. Differences between individual question scores at different time points were compared using Mann – Whitney U test. A two-sided P<0,05 was considered significant. Practical skills retention was presented with descriptive statistics. Knowledge gain was significant immediately after the course with 83% correct answers compared to 60% at baseline. Scores dropped significantly after 5 months (73%) and after 2 years (75%), but remained significantly better than at baseline (P<0.001). Practical skills perfomance score as per Cardiff test after 5 months was 63%. Overall BLS performance score as per QCPR app was 59%, with an overall cardio score of 77% (average compression rate: 124/min and depth: 52 mm) and ventilation score of 44%. This study showed that long term retention of theoretical knowledge was satisfying whereas poor practical skills performance after 5 months calls for a more intense practical training on repeat courses.

Effects of interleaved practice with cumulative schedule on Thai lower secondary students’ long-term retention of grammatical knowledge and their perception towards the instruction

Effects of interleaved practice with cumulative schedule on Thai lower secondary students’ long-term retention of grammatical knowledge and their perception towards the instruction