Small-group Learning Sessions Research Articles

Being a Competent Doctoral Student: A Reflection

Building a successful PhD program requires a sustained research environment. The successful completion of a PhD thesis depends on a working supervisor-student relationship built on respect, responsibility, and involvement. Supervisors who are also working researchers should get the training they need to improve their supervising abilities. They act as role models in academic life both scientifically and morally. The employment of a second supervisor in addition to the primary one is strongly advised in order to improve the effectiveness of tracking student development and resolve interpersonal problems. Regulations from the university should outline the obligations of the research supervisor. In medical education, small-group instruction and learning have achieved an admirable position and gained popularity as a way to support research students in their studies and foster deep learning. The primary qualities include active student participation throughout the whole learning cycle and a clearly defined task orientation with attainable specific goals and objectives within a set time frame. Preliminary considerations at the departmental and institutional levels, including educational strategies, group composition, physical environment, existing resources, diagnosis of the research needs, formulation of the objectives, and appropriate teaching learning outline, are crucial to the development of an ideal small group teaching and learning session. Small group instruction at medical schools boosts student motivation, collaborative abilities, knowledge and skill retention, idea transfer to novel problems, and self-directed learning. Investigating the problems enables the learner to put their higher-order thinking and skills to the test. It supports adult learning, taking ownership of one's own development, and fostering self-motivation. This research paper aims to study the scholar’s perception of effectiveness of teaching and learning process during the first and second years of doctoral study.

Facilitated Study Groups for Undergraduate Organic Chemistry: Experience from a Large Public Canadian University

Undergraduate organic chemistry courses have a reputation for being difficult among students in biological and physical sciences programs. Due to the extensive problem-solving, visualization, and depiction of chemical structures/reactions required, students may perceive learning such content as similar to learning a new language. Several interventions such as course-integrated tutorials or discussion sessions have aimed to assist students. Another effective approach that chemistry educators might consider is Supplemental Instruction (SI), a well-established program that emphasizes student-driven learning whereby student SI leaders facilitate discussions to help students arrive at solutions while also developing effective communication and study skills. A type of SI, Facilitated Study Groups (FSG), established by the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) in 2009, were introduced regularly into organic chemistry courses in 2012. This program provides semester-long optional small-group peer learning sessions, each of which corresponds to a course lecture. The aim of this paper is to provide comprehensive coverage detailing the structure of the organic chemistry FSG program, peer facilitation strategies employed, quantitative/qualitative synthesis of student outcomes indicating program uptake. We consistently find significantly higher grades and significantly lower attrition rates for students who regularly attend FSG sessions in comparison to those who do not (n=16 semesters). Given the growing diversity of undergraduate classes in terms of approaches to learning, language, and cultural barriers (international students, English second-language learners, learning and psychosocial disabilities), our FSG sessions seek to foster inclusion amongst our heterogeneous pool of attendees. Here, we describe strategies that tailored FSG sessions to a diverse group of undergraduate students as suggested by a sizable percentage of the class availing themselves of this resource and by a narrative synthesis of end-of-term surveys. Together, we demonstrate successful adoption of an SI-based model for organic chemistry and present a practical framework that includes pedagogically informed session strategies and cost estimates to guide design of similar programs for post-secondary students at other institutions.

User experiences of medical students with 360-degree virtual reality applications to prepare them for the clerkships

For medical students, the transition from the preclinical to the clinical phase of their curriculum (clerkships) can result in increased levels of stress and anxiety. This is partly caused by low self-perception of preparedness. By using 360° video-based virtual reality it is possible to provide learners virtual access to clinical situations ahead of time. This technique can provide active and contextual user experiences and offers opportunities to demonstrate both behavioral skills and subject knowledge. We developed two 360° video-based virtual reality applications for medical students transitioning to the clerkships. In this study, we describe the development and evaluated the user experiences. Two virtual reality applications were developed for use in a small group learning session. One of the applications is an interactive virtual tour of a hospital ward, in which learners explore the Internal Medicine ward and learn about the roles of different health care professionals and their mutual interactions. In each room, the learners listen to a voice-over and look at hotspots to gather additional information. The other application has been developed to train students in observing (un)professional behavior of healthcare providers in their daily activities. An evaluation was performed by an anonymous explorative questionnaire with open and closed questions (Likert scales) regarding the user experience and cybersickness symptoms. In our study, 171 students used the applications and completed the questionnaire. For 63% of the respondents, this was their first experience with a virtual reality headset. Qualitative analysis showed that students evaluated the learning method as realistic, informative and enjoyable. Most students evaluated virtual reality as a good (59%) or excellent (26%) tool for learning. Forty-five percent of the students experienced physical discomfort, such as nausea, dizziness, headache and disorientation. In most cases, these complaints were mild, although a small number experienced severe nausea (n = 6) or severe headache (n = 2). Students suggested several areas of improvement including increase of display resolution and decrease of ambient noise causing distraction. 360° video-based virtual reality can successfully be implemented in the medical curriculum to create a realistic learning experience to prepare students for the clerkships.

Time Does Matter: Reduced Internal Medicine Clerkship Clinical Experiences Due to COVID-19.

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected medical education in many ways.The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) temporarily suspended clinical student rotations, calling for a transition to remote learning. Unfortunately, due to the heavy impact of COVID-19 in our South Florida community, medical students were not able to return to in-person activities for a significant time.During this period,students hadremote clerkship learning activities, didactic sessions, narrative projects, and small-group learning sessions, which were front-loaded using Zoom technology (Zoom Video Communications, Inc.,San Jose, California, United States) and web-based learning tools. Once in-person clinical experiences resumed, the duration of all third-year clerkships for the remainder of the year wasreduced to five weeks to allow for timely graduation.The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) Internal Medicine (IM) clerkshiphas traditionally beenan eight-week-long rotation.Other clerkships that varied from six to eight weeks were similarly reduced to five weeks.We hypothesized that the shortened duration of the IM clerkship would have negative impacts on National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) exam performance and clerkship clinical experiences would likely be affected. Methods We compared the NBME subject exam results and end of clerkship evaluations from the Class of 2021 (CO2021) which had the traditional eight weeks of patient care, with the CO2022, which had only five weeks of in-person patient care.A T-test analysis was performed comparing performance on the NBME medicine clinical subject exam between students who completed the usual eight-week rotation versus those who completed a five-week rotation.We also evaluated the IM clerkship course evaluation and analyzed student responses and ratings to assess any areas that were statistically significant when comparing the traditional eight-week IM clerkship to the shortened five-week clerkship. Results There was no statistically significant difference (t=0.68,p<0.4951) in mean NBME subject exam performance between cohorts. Students who completed the shortened five-week IM clerkship indicated there waslimited volume and diversity of patients, which consequently affected their ability to complete all the required clinical experiences for the IM clerkship.These results indicated a statistically significant difference between the two cohorts (t =3.33, p<.001). Conclusion Students with shortened IM clerkship clinical care time (five weeks) were found to have no significant statistical differences in NBME subject exam performance compared to the traditional eight-week cohorts. However, students felt there was a decreased volume and diversity of patients, and they reported greater difficulties in completing the required clinical experiences, with diminished clinical confidence. Time does matter, and clinical time is very valuable for a student's undergraduate medical education.If another pandemic were to arise, the durationof differentclerkships should be carefully assessed and individualized, and methods to assess and reclaim lost clinical time during the advanced clinical and postgraduate years should be considered.

Using A Community of Inquiry in the Design of Histology Curriculum for First Year Medical Students

Histology faculty in the Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine revised the delivery methodology of first‐year histology content in order to improve student performance, increase social interaction among students and faculty, shift to an all‐distance learning environment, and align curricula across our three campuses. This abstract describes an Action Research approach to implementing a Community of Inquiry (CoI) model of learning during a time of unprecedented change at both the program and the global level. An Action Research approach is a pragmatic methodology for improving medical education practice by incorporating change in a collaborative, reflective, cyclical, planned, and practical manner. We chose the CoI model of learning as it is a collaborative‐constructivist approach to instruction and well suited for online and team‐based learning. This model encompasses three prongs to delivering content: a teaching, social, and cognitive presence. In our curriculum, the teaching presence is composed of curated content in the form of self‐guided learning activities (videos, text, assessments) delivered through the Tophat learning platform and organized to support retrieval, interleaving, and spaced learning; the social presence involves student interactions online and in the classroom through discussion boards and team‐based learning activities (independent and faculty‐led); and the cognitive presence takes place with students interacting with learning modules, posting and responding to discussion threads, taking assessments, receiving feedback from assessments and engaging in problem solving exercises during the small‐group learning sessions. Within this model, students are encouraged to take responsibility for self‐directed learning, allowing for personalized investment in life‐long learning. CoI provides a platform to implement the best evidence‐based practices for histology instruction across three campuses with varying student population sizes and educational needs. Early data suggests an increase in student engagement and an improvement in student performance. We believe our model provides insight into effective curricular design for the ever‐changing face of undergraduate medical education.

To debate or not to debate? Examining the contribution of debating when studying medical ethics in small groups

BackgroundMedical ethics is a significant learning topic for medical students, and often studied through small group learning (SGL) to encourage critical thinking (CT) and tolerance for ambiguity, both considered particularly important when coping with medical ethics dilemmas. However, a previous study about CT and tolerance for ambiguity in medical ethics SGL produced mixed results. Debating is a pedagogical tool known to enhance CT but never used before in medical ethics learning. This paper examines whether the use of debate may enhance medical ethics SGL by contributing to the CT of students and their tolerance of ambiguity.MethodsIntervention study using the qualitative microanalysis research method, based on videotaped observations that were analyzed through Kamin’s model of CT and non-CT. The study was conducted at Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Medicine in the years 2017–2019. Forty-four students and 4 facilitators participated, equally split between 4 small groups. Twenty-four medical ethics SGL sessions at the beginning and end of the year were videotaped, 2 groups – with no intervention, 1 group included partial debate intervention and 1 group fully used debates. Results were compared for changes in CT and ambiguity before and during the intervention period.ResultsThe full intervention (debating) group had the highest increase in utterances reflecting CT, thus actually doubling the median number of CT utterances at the end of the year in comparison to the median number at the beginning of the year. In a similar manner, the debate group exhibited the only group in which there was an increase in the median utterances of tolerance to ambiguity. Nevertheless, the debate group also exhibited the largest increase in the median non-CT utterances and the lowest decrease of intolerance to ambiguity, when comparing the end of the year to the beginning of the year sessions.ConclusionsDebating is an important enhancement to SGL in medical ethics; however, it does not guarantee a complete absence of non-CT.

Encouraging Medical Students to Become Self-Directed Learners through Conduction of Small-Group Learning Sessions

In the field of medical education, learning among medical students is found to be deeper and more effective, when it happens in small groups. This is primarily because the small-group learning environment enables students to become self-directed learners and also gives them an opportunity to collaborate with other members of the group. An effective small-group learning session will depend upon the discussion skills of the teacher and the students and essentially includes appropriate questioning, listening patiently to the responses of others, responding to the raised questions in a polite and meaningful manner, explanation of the given problem, ensuring active preparation for the session, and smart opening and closure of the sessions. In conclusion, the conduction of an effective small-group learning sessions helps the medical student to become self-directed learner and improve their critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. It is quite essential that all the medical colleges should include small-group learning sessions within their teaching schedule and help the students to acquire subject competencies.

Effectiveness of Whatsapp as a Teaching Learning Tool for Problem Based Learning in Pharmacology: A Quasi-experimental Study

Introduction: Instant Messaging Applications (IMAs) like Whatsapp has changed our lives including medical education in many ways. Aim: To explore and compare the effectiveness and acceptability of Whatsapp as a Teaching Learning (TL) tool for Small Group Learning (SGL) sessions when compared with traditional classroom based learning SGL sessions, for a specific topic (pharmacokinetics) in Pharmacology in Problem Based Learning (PBL) sessions. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in a tertiary care government medical college in Eastern India on second phase Bachelors of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students in the year 2021 over a period of five weeks (from March to April 2021). After Didactic Lecture (DL) on the topic, the willing students were randomly divided into two groups, group A (n=46) and group B (n=45). Then group A and group B students attended classroom based and Whatsapp based SGL sessions, respectively, for a period of five consecutive days on "Pharmacokinetics" using PBL method. Students appeared for a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) based examination (predecided and prevalidated) of 30 marks before and after the SGL sessions. Next, group A students attended Whatsapp based PBL session on the same topic in the same manner as group B and vice-versa. Finally the students filled in a feedback form using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: The post-test scores for both the groups were significantly better compared to the pretest scores; however, there were no significant differences in the post-test scores of both the groups. Regarding students’ feedback on the type of SGL, except for enjoyment (p-value=0.0345) and interactiveness (p-value=0.022), there were no significant differences between the two group scores. The students significantly preferred combination of both types of SGL to either of them (p-value=0.001). Conclusion: In this study, Whatsapp based SGL showed comparable effectiveness as classroom based SGL as measured in terms of MCQ based examination scores. Except for interactiveness and interest, classroom based SGL was equally acceptable to the students as Whatsapp based SGL. Interestingly, the students preferred a combination of both the type of SGL to either of them on the particular topic of Pharmacology.

Impact of Resident-Led Small-Group Learning Sessions on Preclinical Students' Perceptions of Ophthalmology

Abstract Introduction Resident physicians have a significant role in the education of medical students, and limited research has demonstrated that positive interactions with residents are linked with enhanced students’ perceptions of a specialty. Minimal research on residents as teachers has been done in ophthalmology, and no research has examined the impact of residents as teachers on the perceptions of preclinical students. This is an important area of interest because ophthalmology conducts an early match. The competitiveness of the field increases the importance of early involvement in research and clinical activities. This study aimed to assess the role of a resident-led workshops as a vehicle for exposing preclinical students to ophthalmology. Methods A 2-hour workshop on the Ophthalmology Clinical Skills was held at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in November 2018. The workshop was conducted by seven ophthalmology residents, and the learners were 15 first-year and 11 second-year medical students. The workshop format consisted of a 30-minute introductory lecture on the field of ophthalmology, followed by a 60-minute small-group clinical skills’ session focusing on direct ophthalmoscopy and slit lamp examination. Preworkshop and postworkshop surveys were administered to the medical students, and Student’s paired sample t-test was used to assess the differences in responses before and after the workshop. Results Students’ average interest in ophthalmology rose (p = 0.049) as did their likeliness to approach a resident for career advice (p = 4.65 × 10−6) and their likeliness to attend the Secrets of the Match Lunch talk, a yearly talk held by a student matched into ophthalmology (p = 0.002). Conclusion These results suggest that resident intervention can have a positive impact on preclinical students’ perceptions of ophthalmology and may be a good educational strategy to foster their positive attitudes toward the field.

Peer assessment of professionalism in undergraduate medical education

BackgroundFostering professional behaviour has become increasingly important in medical education and non-traditional approaches to assessment of professionalism may offer a more holistic representation of students’ professional behaviour development. Emerging evidence suggests peer assessment may offer potential as an alternative method of professionalism assessment. We introduced peer assessment of professionalism in pre-clerkship phases of undergraduate medical education curriculum at our institution and evaluated suitability of adopting a professional behaviour scale for longitudinal tracking of student development, and student comfort and acceptance of peer assessment.MethodsPeer assessment was introduced using a validated professional behaviours scale. Students conducted repeated, longitudinal assessments of their peers from small-group, clinical skills learning activities. An electronic assessment system was used to collect peer assessments, collate and provide reports to students. Student opinions of peer assessment were initially surveyed before introducing the process, confirmatory analyses were conducted of the adopted scale, and students were surveyed to explore satisfaction with the peer assessment process.ResultsStudents across all phases of the curriculum were initially supportive of anonymous peer assessment using small-group learning sessions. Peer scores showed improvement over time, however the magnitude of increase was limited by ceiling effects attributed to the adopted scale. Students agreed that the professional behaviours scale was easy to use and understand, however a majority disagreed that peer assessment improved their understanding of professionalism or was a useful learning experience.ConclusionsPeer assessment of professional behaviours does expose students to the process of assessing one’s peers, however the value of such processes at early stages of medical education may not be fully recognized nor appreciated by students. Electronic means for administering peer assessment is feasible for collecting and reporting peer feedback. Improvement in peer assessed scores was observed over time, however student opinions of the educational value were mixed and indeterminate.

Design and Implementation of “AugMedicine: Lung Cases,” an Augmented Reality Application for the Medical Curriculum on the Presentation of Dyspnea

Introduction: Augmented Reality is a technique that enriches the real-life environment with 3D visuals and audio. It offers possibilities to expose medical students to a variety of clinical cases. It provides unique opportunities for active and collaborative learning in an authentic but safe environment. We developed an Augmented Reality application on the clinical presentation of shortness of breath (dyspnea), grounded on a theoretical instructional design model. Methods: A team of various stakeholders (including medical teachers and students) was formed to design the application and corresponding small group learning session, grounded on principles of instruction as described by Merrill. Evaluation was performed by an explorative questionnaire, consisting of open and closed questions (Likert scales), covering user experience, content and physical discomfort. Results: Multiple interactive cases of dyspnea were designed. The application plays back audio samples of abnormal lung sounds corresponding to a specific clinical case of dyspnea and displays a 3D model of the related pulmonary pathologies. It was implemented in the medical curriculum as an obligatory small group learning session scheduled preceding clinical clerkships. Prior knowledge was activated prior to the learning session. New knowledge was acquired with the application by solving an authentic problem based on a real patient case. In total 110 students participated in the study and 104 completed the questionnaire. 85% of the students indicated that the virtually auscultated lung sounds felt natural. 90% reported that the augmented reality experience helped them to better understand the clinical case. The majority of the students (74%) indicated that the experience improved their insight in the portrayed illness. 94.2% reported limited or no physical discomfort. Discussion: An Augmented Reality application on the presentation of dyspnea was successfully designed and implemented in the medical curriculum. Students confirm the value of the application in terms of content and usability. The extension of this Augmented Reality application for education of other healthcare professionals in currently under consideration.

Medical Student Engagement and Educational Value of a Remote Clinical Radiology Learning Environment: Creation of Virtual Read-Out Sessions in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The need for social distancing has resulted in rapid restructuring of medical student education in radiology. While students traditionally spend time learning in the reading room, remote clinical learning requires material shared without direct teaching at the radiology workstation. Can remote clinical learning meet or exceed the educational value of the traditional in-person learning experience? Can student engagement be matched or exceeded in a remote learning environment? To replace the in-person reading room experience, a small-group learning session for medical students named Virtual Read-Out (VRO) was developed using teleconferencing software. After Institutional Review Board approval, two student groups were anonymously surveyed to assess differences in student engagement and perceived value between learning environments: "Conventional" students participating in the reading room (before the pandemic) and "Remote" students participating in VRO sessions. Students reported perceived frequency of a series of five-point Likert statements. Based on number of respondents, an independent t-test was performed to determine the significance of results between two groups. Twenty-seven conventional and 41 remote students responded. Remote students reported modest but significantly higher frequency of active participation in reviewing radiology exams (p < 0.05). There was significantly lower frequency of reported boredom among Remote students (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in perceived educational value between the two groups. Students report a high degree of teaching quality, clinical relevance, and educational value regardless of remote or in-person learning format. Remote clinical radiology education can be achieved with equal or greater student interaction and perceived value in fewer contact hours than conventional learning in the reading room.

220TF A Didactic Curriculum for the Emergency Medicine Sub-internship, Designed to Be Delivered by Residents

The emergency medicine (EM) sub-internship at OHSU is a popular and well-established four-week elective rotation for fourth-year medical students. The students are largely taught both on-shift and in didactic sessions by a third year EM resident on their “teach rotation,” which is also an educational experience for the residents. We aimed to create a didactic curriculum for the medical student rotation that provides an improved didactic experience for the medical students while still being feasible for the residents to facilitate. We sought to develop a curriculum that would prepare the students to: 1) demonstrate knowledge of introductory clinical concepts of EM; and 2) perform basic emergency department procedures under direct supervision. A secondary aim was to incorporate residents in small group didactic session and interactive workshop facilitation as part of our resident-as-teacher curriculum. We used Kern’s six-step approach to curriculum development. We started by reviewing the existing didactic material to identify opportunities for improvement and to develop strategies to optimize the materials for student learning (problem identification and targeted needs assessment). We tailored the material to meet the stated goals and objectives of the course; namely, to introduce basic clinical concepts of EM, and to teach suture, splint, and ultrasound skills. For our educational strategies, we combined a skills workshop with small group learning sessions. The workshop occurs on the first day of the clerkship and covers suture, splint, and ultrasound skills. We provide the teach resident with a PowerPoint that intersperses lecture-based teaching with opportunities for students to practice each skill. We also provide the resident with an outline of suggested teaching points that complements the slides and helps to ensure students are getting a consistent and comprehensive experience each time. After the workshop, students have a total of four two-hour didactic sessions led by the teach resident. We provide the teach resident with a repository of one-hour PowerPoint-based lectures from which they and students can choose based on interest and gaps of knowledge in the group. The expectation is that the resident will teach most, though not necessarily all, of the lectures included. The lectures are designed to be interactive in the small group setting, with many including a “pass the pointer” component to encourage student participation. We designed the slides to be self-explanatory with additional information provided in the “presenter’s comments” section so minimal advance preparation is required by the resident. The new curriculum was implemented in January 2020, and has been feasible to implement and acceptable to the learners. Student learning will be assessed on the clerkship final exam and in their shift assessment forms. Curriculum evaluation will be performed by collecting anonymous feedback from students using surveys distributed to students after they complete the clerkship, and the curriculum will be iteratively revised based on learner assessment and program evaluation data. This didactic curriculum developed for the EM sub-internship provides a consistent didactic experience for the medical students while being feasible to implement for the teach residents who are delivering the content.

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Emory University School of Medicine.

Emory University School of Medicine.

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

Small Group Discussion; Medical Students Perspective

Introduction: Small group discussion teaching is a key instructional strategy being incorporated in medical education and is aimed at enhancing the personal, social and cognitive skills of students. Learning in small groups helps the students to enhance the acquisition, processing and retention of the medical knowledge. Aims &amp; Objectives: To assess medical student’s perception about small group discussion at a medical college. Place and duration of study: September 2019 at the University College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore. Material &amp; Methods: This cross- sectional survey was conducted during September 2019 at University College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Lahore. Convenient sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 322 students from the first three years of MBBS. A pre validated questionnaire was distributed and the students were asked to record their experience about small group discussion using a 5-point Likert scale. Data was analyzed by using SPSS22 and reported as percentage distribution and mean± s.d. Results: Regarding quality of these small group discussion sessions, 25.8% of the students appeared satisfied, 24.8% of the students were neutral, whereas, 49.4% of the students remained unsatisfied. When asked about being clear of their role in a SGD session, 55.9% of the students agreed, 22.7% were unclear and 21.4% neutral. As regards the benefits from small group sessions, majority (35.1%) agreed that activities taught lifelong learning, 8.7% strongly agreed. 27% remained neutral with 16.5% disagreeing and 12.75% strongly disagreeing. With reference to assessment of tutors, majority of students found SGD facilitators enthusiastic about process with 13.4% strongly agreeing and 36.3% agreeing, 28% stayed neutral while 9.6% disagreed and 12.75% strongly disagreed. Majority of students, (35.1% agreed, 13.4% strongly agreed) to that tutors just gave mini lecture, 27.6% responded neutral to statement while 11.2% disagreeing and 12.7% strongly disagreeing to the enquiry. Conclusion: The study reveals that majority of the students are clear about their role in small group discussion sessions and majority (35.1%) also agreed that activities taught them lifelong learning. Tutors are helpful and enthusiastic, however, they provide plenty of information and need retraining for conducting a small group learning session.

Effectiveness of blend-in syndicate group method in practical classes among medical students in the subject of microbiology

Introduction: The core discussion skills of small group learning are questioning, listening, responding, and explaining. These skills provide the basis for the development of teamwork and collaborative learning. In the longer term, they can aid the development of communication competency with patients and colleagues. These benefits include the development of discussion skills and thinking, exploration of attitudes, and sharing and reflecting on experiences. With this view, this present study was carried out to enhance the importance of small group learning in the form of syndicate groups in practical classes. Materials and Methods: The study was prospective interventional study carried out in the department of microbiology. The study population included of 2nd year MBBS students attending microbiology practical class. A total of 54 students were included in the study. These students were divided into two groups, a study group and a control group by random sampling method. Pretest was given to all the students before the start of practical class. The control group was taught with the traditional method by one facilitator. The study group was engaged by other facilitator in syndicate small groups. Results: The posttest scores showed significant increase over the pretest in both exercises for both the groups. Posttest scores were compared using Student's t-test, between the study group and control group for both exercises, it showed significant difference implying syndicate group was effective for learning. The feedback from the students was also encouraging for the blend in syndicate group method. Conclusion: The primary purpose of the small group method is to develop discussion skills and thinking. Both tutors and students have roles and responsibilities in small group learning sessions. Blend-in syndicate group serves this purpose.

Improving Student Performance in Medical Pharmacology

PurposeTeaching Medical Pharmacology in a “traditional” curriculum is a challenge. Although, previous metrics for our student outcomes were acceptable, we were concerned about ensuring continuity and continuous quality improvement amidst ongoing and future changes. To pre‐emptively address these concerns, we implemented several significant changes to our Medical Pharmacology course and in its structure.MethodsHistorically, Medical Pharmacology at The University of Mississippi Medical Center has consisted of roughly 150 course hours spread over the Fall and Spring semesters. Six examinations comprised the majority of the final grade with 20% of the final grade derived from student scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Pharmacology Subject Exam. In 2013, we reorganized the course to not only try to improve outcomes as measured by NBME scores, but to also increase faculty accessibility and interactions with students. In addition, we strived to link together and reinforce major concepts that were being built upon throughout the course. To accomplish this, we made several changes. We eliminated one of the six examinations, consolidated similar materials, and reduced any redundancies in the course. Hours that were freed up, were used for more interactive sessions such as Small Group Learning sessions, Thematic Case Based Studies, and Clinical Correlations. Perhaps most importantly, we implemented an end of the course STEP I review session. We were able to accommodate this by using the hours gained by streamlining the course. We created 10 hours near the end of the course for a directed, systems/topic‐driven review of the course content with emphasis on the NBME Subject/STEP I exam material. All faculty involved were charged with reviewing the material they had covered during the year; preparing a succinct summary of the most important topics to be made available to students; writing STEP‐style review questions in a format where the personal response units of the students could be used to poll results, give instantaneous feedback, and guide the reviews; appearing at the appropriate review session to present the materials; and perhaps most importantly fielding any questions from students concerning any of the content areas.ResultsStudent feedback was obtained after each year. It has been increasingly very positive. This was further reflected by a significant increase in overall satisfaction with the Medical Pharmacology course. In addition, the NBME Pharmacology Subject exam scores have steadily increased. Relative to the most appropriate comparison cohort mean, the percentage above that mean for students in Medical Pharmacology has increased from ~5% in 2013 to ~15% above in 2017.ConclusionsThe approaches that we used to improve student performance have been successful based on the available indicators including student satisfaction and NBME outcomes. In addition, these changes have greatly improved the faculty/student interactions. Student feedback also indicates that the course helps them with their national examinations. We are continuing to adapt and adjust the Medical Pharmacology course to continue and enhance these positive and exciting trends.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Medical School Musculoskeletal Curriculum at an Academic Medical Center

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders are common medical problems encountered by physicians and affected 126.6 million Americans in 2012. Musculoskeletal education has inadequate in United States medical schools.&#x0D; Objective: To determine the musculoskeletal competency of third year medical students.&#x0D; Methods: A cross-sectional 25-question nationally validated musculoskeletal competency exam was given to the third year medical students. A survey was given to second and third year medical students to assess students’ level of interest in musculoskeletal medicine and their feedback regarding the curriculum.&#x0D; Results: The mean score of the competency exam was 69.0%. There was 48/107 (44.9%) students’ who reached the minimum passing score of 70%. Free-response feedback from both classes featured themes of more hands-on learning, a longer clinical block, and more small-group learning sessions.&#x0D; Conclusions: Third year medical students scored relatively well on the exam. Student feedback suggests the 2-week musculoskeletal block is useful and relevant to their future careers.