Self-directed Learning Process Research Articles

Effect of self-directed learning process on multimedia competencies of educational technology students

The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Self-directed Learning (SDL) process on multimedia competencies of educational technology students at Arak university in Iran. The sample of the study consisted of all educational technology students studying at Arak university. The sample included students who were selected for project courses in the second semester of academic year 2014-2015. The quasi-experimental research, pre-test, post-test design was used for the study. Before the treatment, the pretest of multimedia competencies was employed, then students in the project course received education through the SDL process. The period lasted for 13 weeks, then the post-test was conducted. For data collection, the researchers prepared a questionnaire of multimedia competencies with three subscales (multimedia instructional design, multimedia production skills, and multimedia production tools). The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts in the field of Educational Technology, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was obtained as a reliability of 0.90. The data were analyzed with independent and paired-samples t-test. The results showed that there was a significant difference between students’ scores in pre-test and post-test; and there was no significant difference between male and female students’ scores on multimedia competencies.
 Keywords: educational technology, self-directed learning process, multimedia competencies

Utility of Interobserver Agreement Statistics in Establishing Radiology Resident Learning Curves During Self-directed Radiologic Anatomy Training

The aim of the study was to ascertain the learning curves for the radiology residents when first introduced to an anatomic structure in magnetic resonance images (MRI) to which they have not been previously exposed to. The iliolumbar ligament is a good marker for testing learning curves of radiology residents because the ligament is not part of a routine lumbar MRI reporting and has high variability in detection. Four radiologists, three residents without previous training and one mentor, studied standard axial T1- and T2-weighted images of routine lumbar MRI examinations. Radiologists had to define iliolumbar ligament while blinded to each other's findings. Interobserver agreement analyses, namely Cohen and Fleiss κ statistics, were performed for groups of 20 cases to evaluate the self-learning curve of radiology residents. Mean κ values of resident-mentor pairs were 0.431, 0.608, 0.604, 0.826, and 0.963 in the analysis of successive groups (P<.001). The results indicate that the concordance between the experienced and inexperienced radiologists started as weak (κ <0.5) and gradually became very acceptable (κ >0.8). Therefore, a junior radiology resident can obtain enough experience in identifying a rather ambiguous anatomic structure in routine MRI after a brief instruction of a few minutes by a mentor and studying approximately 80 cases by oneself. Implementing this methodology will help radiology educators obtain more concrete ideas on the optimal time and effort required for supported self-directed visual learning processes in resident education.

A systematic review on educational interventions for learning and implementing evidence-based practice in nursing education: The state of evidence

The aim of this systematic review was to gather, assess and synthesize evidence on educational interventions promoting learning and implementation of evidence-based practice in nursing education and their outcomes. Literature was sought from the Cochrane, CINAHL and PubMed databases. The data (10 articles) were analysed by applying qualitative content analysis. The analysis of the interventions produced five main categories: Theoretical foundations, Teachers and partnerships, Learning contents, Learning/teaching methods, and Learning tools. Outcomes of the evaluations were divided into three categories. A Web-based EBP learning module supplemented by help sessions, a program including the Self-Directed Learning Process for EBP Basics and a Workshop for Critical Appraisal of Literature, and an Evidence-Based Practice Project as a group work were interventions that had gained ‘excellent’ outcomes. When supporting nurse students’ learning of EBP, it is recommended to use a combination of self-directed learning and a consultation by a teacher when needed, different learning tools, as well as partnerships in planning and conducting interventions.

논리 시뮬레이션을 기반으로한 체험형 자동차 정비 훈련 시스템

Recently, researches on the application of IT technology to various fields including traditional industries are becoming more popular. One challenge in the field of education is to understand the way how technology may support learning, and research on self-directed learning has been accelerated by integrating education and IT technology. The process of self-directed learning in e-learning applications such as Car Maintenance Training is very difficult and complicated. Previous studies on car maintenance training applications provided simple training scenarios with predetermined action sequences. To incorporate self-directed learning in car maintenance training, however, trainees must be able to perform various maintenance operations himself and experience various situations. To provide such functionality, it is necessary to obtain an accurate response for various operations of trainees, but it requires complicated calculations with respect to varieties in the electrical and mechanical processes of a car. In this paper, we develop a logic simulation agent using JESS inference engine in which self-directed learning is achieved by capturing the behavior of trainees and simulating car operations without complicated physical simulations in car maintenance training.

A framework to facilitate self-directed learning, assessment and supervision in midwifery practice: A qualitative study of supervisors’ perceptions

BackgroundSelf-directed learning is an educational concept that has received increasing attention. The recent workplace literature, however, reports problems with the facilitation of self-directed learning in clinical practice. We developed the Midwifery Assessment and Feedback Instrument (MAFI) as a framework to facilitate self-directed learning. In the present study, we sought clinical supervisors’ perceptions of the usefulness of MAFI. MethodsInterviews with fifteen clinical supervisors were audio taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using Atlas-Ti software for qualitative data analysis. ResultsFour themes emerged from the analysis. (1) The competency-based educational structure promotes the setting of realistic learning outcomes and a focus on competency development, (2) instructing students to write reflections facilitates student-centred supervision, (3) creating a feedback culture is necessary to achieve continuity in supervision and (4) integrating feedback and assessment might facilitate competency development under the condition that evidence is discussed during assessment meetings. Supervisors stressed the need for direct observation, and instruction how to facilitate a self-directed learning process. ConclusionThe MAFI appears to be a useful framework to promote self-directed learning in clinical practice. The effect can be advanced by creating a feedback and assessment culture where learners and supervisors share the responsibility for developing self-directed learning.

Accessing the Self in Self-Access Learning: Emotions and Feelings in Language Advising

The importance of the affective dimension and the role of beliefs, self-efficacy and learners’ voices in language learning are recognized in the literature (Arnold, 1999; Brewer, 2006; Ogasa, 2010). Although emotions and feelings seem to play an important role in self-directed language learning (Bown &amp; White, 2010; Candas &amp; Eneau, 2010), little is still known about how to support the affective dimension throughout the self-directed learning process (Aoki, 1999). Clearly, the cognitive and the metacognitive, the subjective and affective dimensions of learning need to be addressed, in a self-access centre, in order to support learners on their road to autonomy. Language advising provides the appropriate arena for this. Within the professional and interpersonal relationship between advisors and learners (Ciekanski, 2007), it is easier to reflect on the affective implications of learning and to help learners to cope with them. Ongoing research into emotions and feelings in advising contexts shows that affect and subjectivity occupy a large proportion of learners’ (and advisors’) discourse. This paper makes a case for integrating reflection on the affective and subjective dimensions of learning, both in the research and in the practice of language advising.

The Relationships Between Problem Design and Learning Process in Problem-Based Learning Environments: Two Cases

Some researchers have argued that the design of problems used in a Problem-based Learning (PBL) course or curriculum could have an impact on student learning cognitively or psychologically, such as students' self-directed learning process or engagement. To investi- gate the relationship between PBL problem design and students' self-directed learning as well as mindful engagement in the problem solving and learning process, this study explored two cases of PBL implementation in a Midwest university in the United States. Two classes of upper class college students participated in this study, including one wildlife management class and one class- room management class. The two classes underwent PBL instruction and solved a number of PBL problems. After the instruction, the students were surveyed about their perceptions toward the PBL problems. The data analysis and interpretation focused possible relationship between various elements of the problems and the students' self- directed learning process as well as their engagement during the PBL process. The similarities and differences between the two majors in terms of the students' percep- tions were also discussed.

Modulare Weiterbildung in der Chirurgie - ein nationales Konzept mit Zukunft

The quality of postgraduate training is an important motivating factor for the career decisions of young doctors and has an impact on the satisfaction of postgraduate trainees. In Germany, we still lack a postgraduate training programme in surgery that defines the competency profile at the time of certification. This article describes the development of a national modular competency-based core curriculum for postgraduate surgery training as well as first experience and evaluation data from the initial period of implementation. The curriculum was developed in a group of highly motivated surgeons according to the "Kern-cycle", a conceptual framework for curriculum development in medicine, and includs considerations from the "CanMEDS"-competency framework for physicians. The curriculum follows a "blended learning" concept with modular attendance courses and associated preparatory online courses. The didactics follows the principles of adult learning and are characterised by learner-centred, self-directed learning processes in small groups with feedback. The initial implementation phase was accompanied by a detailed evaluation of the general concept as well as the quality of content and didactics of the attendance courses. Seven of the planned 12 attendance courses have been designed, 6 courses have been implemented2q1. Altogether 562 participants from hospitals of all levels of patient care took part in the attendance courses, some of them in several courses. The gender distribution was almost balanced with a slight female surplus. The majority of participants were supported by their clinics through exemption from clinical work or financial sponsoring. 80 % of the participants completed the evaluation of the attendance courses. The data show a high degree of participant satisfaction with the content and didactic concept of the courses, as well as with the surrounding conditions and the commitment of the trainers. The evaluation data on the attendance courses implemented reveal a high acceptance among participants concerning the overall concept of the modular postgraduate training programme as well as the support of the programme by surgeons responsible for postgraduate training.

The Individualized Learning Plan: Supporting the Self-Directed Learning Process

The ability of physicians to identify strengths and weaknesses, formulate learning goals, and track progress is relevant throughout training and practice. The importance of these skills has been recently explicitly incorporated into requirements for resident and subspecialty training and for maintenance of board certification. The individualized learning plan is a tool that can be utilized both in training and in practice to support and document the lifelong learning process.

The promotion of critical thinking in baccalaureate nursing English programs

This study investigates whether or not the incorporation of critical thinking skills into English communication classes could generate positive effects in the learning outcomes of baccalaureate nursing students. An experimental design for experimental group and control group was used in this study. 59 nursing students were randomly selected and distributed into an experimental group (29 students) and a control group (30 students), who were freshmen at Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan. To collect data and verify the feasibility of applying the critical thinking model to nursing English programs, a critical thinking skill pre-test and post-test, a student satisfaction questionnaire, and individual / focus group interviews were conducted in the study. Research results indicated that students participating in an English communication class incorporating critical thinking skills attained significantly better critical thinking skills than other students. In addition, these students were more satisfied with their class. The findings demonstrate that when used effectively, the critical thinking model can facilitate a systematic critical thinking process, empower student reflections, lead to a self-directed learning process, and create an analytic dialogue between teachers and students in clinical nursing situations. Key words: Banking education, nursing education, critical thinking.

Semantic and structural analysis of web-based learning resources

Semantic and structural analysis of web-based learning resources

Is learning in problem-based learning cumulative?

Problem-based learning (PBL) is generally organized in three phases, involving collaborative and self-directed learning processes. The hypothesis tested here is whether learning in the different phases of PBL is cumulative, with learning in each phase depending on that of the previous phase. The scientific concepts recalled by 218 students at the end of each PBL phase were used to estimate the extent of students’ learning. The data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results show that our hypothesized model fits the data well. Alternative hypotheses according to which achievement is predicted either by collaborative learning alone or by self-directed learning alone did not fit the data. We conclude that the learning in each PBL phase is cumulative, and strongly influenced by the earlier phase, thus providing support for the PBL cycle of problem analysis, self-directed learning, and a subsequent reporting phase. We also demonstrate an efficient method to capture and quantify students’ learning during the PBL process.

Competency-based continuing professional development

Competence is traditionally viewed as the attainment of a static set of attributes rather than a dynamic process in which physicians continuously use their practice experiences to “progress in competence” toward the attainment of expertise. A competency-based continuing professional development (CPD) model is premised on a set of learning competencies that include the ability to (a) use practice information to identify learning priorities and to develop and monitor CPD plans; (b) access information sources for innovations in development and new evidence that may potentially be integrated into practice; (c) establish a personal knowledge management system to store and retrieve evidence and to select and manage learning projects; (d) construct questions, search for evidence, and record and track conclusions for practice; and (e) use tools and processes to measure competence and performance and develop action plans to enhance practice. Competency-based CPD emphasizes self-directed learning processes and promotes the role of assessment as a professional expectation and obligation.Various approaches to defining general competencies for practice require the creation of specific performance metrics to be meaningful and relevant to the lifelong learning strategies of physicians. This paper describes the assumptions, advantages, and challenges of establishing a CPD system focused on competencies that improve physician performance and the quality and safety of patient care. Implications for competency-based CPD are discussed from an individual and organizational perspective, and a model to bridge the transition from residency to practice is explored.

The role of simulator-based assessments in physician competency evaluations

Members of a self-regulating profession such as medicine have an obligation to their professional body to ensure that their performance meets the expectations of a competent professional. The professions and the regulatory bodies that govern them have an obligation to the public to ensure that the members possess the necessary competencies for safe practice and to make certain that they are engaged in developing and updating these competencies. In the past, it was assumed that physicians in practice participated in professional development through a process of self-assessment and self-directed learning. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that many physicians made little effort to do so. Perhaps many of them perceived no deficiencies in their knowledge base or practice patterns. However, people tend to hold overly favourable views of their own knowledge and abilities, and the least competent tend to have the most inflated self-assessments. As well, there is a poor correlation between physicians’ selfassessments and those provided by external reviewers, indicating a limited ability on the part of physicians to selfdetermine their true personal need for education. Physicians with more experience are generally believed to have accumulated knowledge and skills during their years in practice, and such experience is thought to be equated with enhanced care. In fact, there may be an inverse relationship between the number of years that a physician has been in practice and the quality of care that is provided. Choudry et al. performed a systematic review of studies that compared the medical knowledge of physicians and the health care they provided with their age and years in practice, and they concluded that the quality of care delivered may deteriorate rather than improve with increasing physician age and duration of practice. Obviously, a mechanism is needed both to ensure continuing competency among practicing physicians and to meet the public’s insistence that this process be realized. The question is not whether periodic practice assessments and re-validation will become a fact of life for medical practitioners; they are already. However, the metric will no longer be the number of hours of continuing medical education that a practitioner can lay claim to, as this approach was in the early iterations of maintaining competency programs. As well, the simple and subjective selfassessments that have been the staple of many competency assurance programs are likely to give way in the near future to programs that include norm-referenced self-audits and assessments by peer reviewers. To achieve the goals of public accountability, practice assessments must be carefully structured and externally audited, with considerable rigor given to the establishment of appropriate norms for benchmarking. To be fair to physicians, efforts must be made to ensure that expectations for practice are measured against accurate norms. Arbitrary or unvalidated benchmarks for care, even if agreed to by selfor externally appointed reviewing bodies, serve no one well in this process. In addition to being fundamentally fair and affording the participants the expectation of an appropriate process for assessment, a system of review will be required that is valid, reliable, and reasonable. In this issue of the Journal, Borges et al. reported that experienced anesthesiologists demonstrated major E. Crosby, MD (&) Department of Anesthesiology, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital – General Campus, Suite 1401, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada e-mail: ecrosby@sympatico.ca

Dynamic Training Elements in a Circuit Theory Course to Implement a Self-Directed Learning Process

This paper reports on the implementation of a self-directed learning process in a circuit theory course, incorporating dynamic training elements which were designed on the basis of a cybernetic model of cognitive process management. These elements are centrally linked in a dynamic learning frame, created on the monitor screen, which displays the properties of the object being designed. This design, based on a mathematical model of the object or its real properties, is carried out by means of software connected to the user's PC via the Internet. The student, considered in this case as the subject of his/her learning-cognitive activity management, has an opportunity to change object parameters at each iteration and thus to control the dynamics of the learning frame. The major feature of this model is the feedback between the subject of management (object of training) and the dynamic learning frame.

釧路高専専攻科における競争試作方式を適用したPBL型演習の実践例

This paper describes the PBL (Project-Based Learning) method which is applied to the seminar class at the Advanced Course of Electronic and Information Systems Engineering in Kushiro National College of Technology. The PBL method is an educational technique used for students to develop problem-solving skills through a self-directed learning process, in which students are responsible to identify problems and explore possible solutions. A small team-based competition approach which is applied by companies in developing trial product is employed in the seminar, aiming at developing students′ problem-solving skills. Subjects which contain two solutions or more are applied for the seminar class. During the problem-solving process, the students are also expected to learn the practical knowledge and skills.

Introducing Dental Students to Evidence‐Based Decisions in Dental Care

Practicing evidence-based dentistry is a process of lifelong and self-directed learning. Teaching evidence-based dentistry to dental students is the key to increasing the uptake of evidence-based treatments and practices in dentistry. This article describes the procedures undertaken to teach undergraduate dental students at the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry how to produce systematic reviews as a module in clinical epidemiology. Nine selected reports have been summarized as examples of the outputs of this module. At the end of the module, students are asked to participate in a survey and anonymously fill out a questionnaire to evaluate the module. Students' evaluation of the module in the 2005-06 (n= 64) and 2006-07 (n=57) academic years were extracted for data analysis. Overall, the majority of students found the module an enjoyable way of learning that has improved their ability to gather information, apply existing evidence to a clinical question, evaluate information, and further develop their communication skills. This module was also effective in raising students' awareness of the importance of evidence-based clinical practice. It is essential to establish the fundamentals of evidence-based practice during the undergraduate curriculum to assist dental students in learning the skills to practice evidence-based dentistry.

Technology for care as a self-directed learning process

Over the last decade innovative economic processes have developed that were impossible before the advent of modern information and communication technologies (ICT). Successful applications of ICT, for instance internet banking, show how such innovative processes inevitably change tasks, roles and responsibilities of the participants in these processes. Telehealth and telecare aim at exploiting the potential of ICT to improve the quality of life of the client, his/her immediate environment and the quality of work of the care professional. This paper presents a vision of how ICT can support client centered care. It proposes a care process that encourages clients to become more independent from professional care and take more responsibility for managing health problems. The design of this process assumes that care is a self-directed learning process and that tasks, roles and responsibilities of all actors and ICT tools can be defined accordingly.

Revival of the case method: a way to retain student-centred learning in a post-PBL era

Background: In current renewal of medical education, problem-based learning (PBL) is the predominant approach. PBL is afflicted with limitations, which cause uncertainness about its future. A profoundly different approach is the case method, developed a century ago and today attracting much less interest in developmental work than PBL.Aim: To compare the characteristics of PBL and the case method and ask the question of whether the case method may serve as an alternative approach to student-centred learning.Method: The comparison was literature-based.Results: PBL implicates fostering of self-directed learning and its prospects deal with depth and retention of knowledge and clinical reasoning skills. Problems are used to define learning goals and to stimulate students’ interest in various aspects of an item, rather than just for problem-solving. In the small-group tutorials of a PBL curriculum, the teacher is assigned to facilitate the process of self-directed learning and needs not necessarily be a subject-matter expert. In spite of its exciting philosophy and an increased input of students’ and teachers’ time, the superiority of PBL as a mode of learning has not been convincingly demonstrated, either in terms of acquisition of knowledge or in clinical performance. Moreover, dysfunction is a well-recognized phenomenon. In some PBL tutorials, indifference towards the group discussion is encountered, including individual quietness or dominant behaviour and incomplete attendance. To cope with dysfunctional problems, efforts are recommended aiming to increase PBL tutors’ and students’ understanding of the group process. As opposed to PBL, the case method relies strongly on teacher-directed learning. Students are placed in a dilemma or a problem to be solved. After preparatory work, they meet for a discussion, lead by a subject-matter expert, who preferably has experienced the case in reality. As a chairperson, the teacher is supposed to stimulate the discussion and detect gaps and misunderstandings. Due to its teacher-dependent approach to learning, the case method is less susceptible to group dysfunction. The case method is also less resource consuming, primarily because it can be practised in groups several times larger than those of PBL.Conclusion: A revival of the case method seems warranted as an alternative means of interactive learning, which is simpler, easier to realize and less time-consuming with regard to both institutions and students.

The Self-Directed Learning Process of Older, Rural Adults

Medical advances and lifestyle changes have resulted in older adults living longer and healthier lives. Nevertheless, older adulthood, as other life stages, requires change in work, family, and health. Self-directed learning (SDL) is one way of negotiating these transitions. The purpose of this study was to understand this process of learning. This study employed a general qualitative design incorporating in-depth, semi-structured interviews for data collection. The sample of 10 purposefully selected adults from a rural area reflected diversity in gender, race, education, and employment. The age of the participants ranged from 75 to 87. Data analysis guided by the constant comparative method revealed the following process: Self-directed learning begins with an incentive to learn plus an interest, leading to accessing resources; with systematic attention in their learning, some projects ended whereas others remained ongoing. There is also a catalyst, usually another person, interspersed in this process. The findings indicated changes in late life, especially those related to time, family, and loss are integral to the process of self-directed learning. Also, the rural setting of the participants was seen as a positive environment for learning.