Traditional Lecture Format Research Articles

Medical students’ perceptions of live versus recorded pathology lectures at a South African medical school during the Covid-19 pandemic: unique lessons for undergraduate pathology education in a diverse student population

Abstract Introduction/Objective The morphological depiction and interactive learning vital to the core discipline of anatomical pathology posed specific challenges during emergency remote teaching (ERT) in the COVID 19 pandemic. Using voice-over PowerPoint presentations (VoPPPs) in anatomical pathology at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa during this time provided a unique opportunity to determine students’ perceptions of this teaching and learning modality. Objective To determine a South African medical students’ perceptions of live lectures vs online learning with VoPPPs during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods/Case Report A descriptive, cross-sectional, online survey was sent to 326 4th year medical students in 2020. The questionnaire consisted of closed- and open-ended questions. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were conducted on the quantitative data. Content analysis was performed on the open-ended responses. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) The survey response rate was 56.75%. Respondents preferred the traditional lecture format to the exclusive use of VoPPPs (48.6% to 34.6%) for pathology learning. Respondents appreciated the flexibility of learning from VoPPPs, resulting in blended learning being the preferred approach (45.9% vs 44.3 for live lectures only and 9.7% for VoPPPs only, respectively). Respondents indicated a need for more effective use of VoPPPs regarding the depiction of pathology images, more opportunities for feedback, and more online learning modalities in addition to VoPPPs. Some respondents from rural areas stated that their home study environments were not conducive to online learning modalities. Conclusion Blended learning combines the interactivity possible in contact sessions with the time benefits of online learning for undergraduate pathology education. However, educators should use various online methods rather than relying solely on VoPPPs. This is especially important when considering the visual nature of pathology lectures. Where VoPPPs are used, they should be used effectively, mainly using good quality, labelled images to depict morphology. The preference for blended learning offers exciting possibilities for developing integrated learning platforms in the future, however, these must be tailored to suit the needs of students from economically and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Gamification approach to addiction education for internal medicine residents

Background: People with a substance use disorder (SUD) outnumber the trained provider workforce. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recognized this gap in 2022 and now requires addiction education for internal medicine (IM) residents. However, traditional lecture formats struggle to deliver education on this stigmatized condition with meaningful retention and changes in attitudes. Gamification is an evidence-based educational strategy with positive outcomes in graduate medical education, but to our knowledge, has not been used for an entire addiction curriculum. Intervention: This six session IM-focused, stigma-free, interactive curriculum used published physician competencies for content selection. Games were matched to topics based on complexity and need for skill practice. Each hourly session included 10 minutes on introduction, 45 minutes on gameplay, and 5 minutes on feedback. This addiction curriculum was incorporated into existing didactics for IM residents where participants’ comfort, psychological safety, and learning expectations were pre-established. Methods: Sixteen IM residents participated in the curriculum. Curriculum evaluation was conducted using Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation. Resident feedback was obtained via online survey software at the conclusion of each session and behavior impact through an anonymous single question prompt. We used descriptive statistics and summative content analysis to evaluate findings, respectively. Results: All residents were highly satisfied with the curriculum design and use of gamification. Residents reported high levels of engagement and learning, despite use of various games. Findings support an increase in medication prescribing and utilization of harm reduction strategies following curriculum implementation. Conclusion: Gamification may be a preferred educational strategy for addiction curriculum for IM residents. We plan to distribute our curriculum widely for further evaluation in health professions’ programs.

When it’s all fun and games: gamification of child abuse medical education

Background and Objective Game-based learning has been used in medical education, but there are limited studies to date addressing the use of gamification in child abuse education. Child abuse is a content area that is undertaught in medical schools. This study aimed to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and perception among medical students of the online game-based platform Kahoot! for learning about child abuse. Materials and methods Kahoot! was utilized to deliver a 1-hour child abuse education session to 10 groups of medical students on their pediatric clerkship between 2021 and 2023. At each of the game-based sessions, medical students were asked whether they had used Kahoot! before, whether they preferred Kahoot! to a traditional lecture style, and whether they would like Kahoot! to be utilized for their education in other specialties. They were asked to describe this format of education in 20 characters or less and were given the opportunity to provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback through routine medical school course evaluations. A secondary outcome of this study sought to assess the enthusiasm of physicians in the field of child abuse for use of Kahoot! in medical education. We report descriptive statistics for the quantitative measures and a narrative summary supplemented by a visual representation of the qualitative feedback. Results A total of 346 students participated in the game-based education sessions. Ninety-three percent of participants preferred the game-based education compared to a traditional lecture format, and 90% wanted gamification to be utilized by other specialties. Qualitative feedback from the students described the format as engaging, fun, and interactive. Of 165 physicians in the field of child abuse who were surveyed about their interest in using Kahoot!, 159 (96%) responded affirmatively that they would consider incorporating it into their teaching regimen. Conclusion Our findings suggest the use of gamification was feasible and acceptable to medical students as well as physicians in the field of child abuse. Most medical students preferred the use of game-based education to traditional lectures and found the content to be fun, engaging, and interactive.

A Digital Single-Session Intervention (Project Engage) to Address Fear of Negative Evaluation Among College Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Increasingly, college science courses are transitioning from a traditional lecture format to active learning because students learn more and fail less frequently when they engage in their learning through activities and discussions in class. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a student's sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated while participating in a social situation, discourages undergraduates from participating in small group discussions, whole class discussions, and conversing one-on-one with instructors. This study aims to evaluate the acceptability of a novel digital single-session intervention and to assess the feasibility of implementing it in a large enrollment college science course taught in an active learning way. To equip undergraduates with skills to cope with FNE and bolster their confidence, clinical psychologists and biology education researchers developed Project Engage, a digital, self-guided single-session intervention for college students. It teaches students strategies for coping with FNE to bolster their confidence. Project Engage provides biologically informed psychoeducation, uses interactive elements for engagement, and helps generate a personalized action plan. We conducted a 2-armed randomized controlled trial to evaluate the acceptability and the preliminary effectiveness of Project Engage compared with an active control condition that provides information on available resources on the college campus. In a study of 282 upper-level physiology students, participants randomized to complete Project Engage reported a greater increase in overall confidence in engaging in small group discussions (P=.01) and whole class discussions (P<.001), but not in one-on-one interactions with instructors (P=.05), from baseline to immediately after intervention outcomes, compared with participants in an active control condition. Project Engage received a good acceptability rating (1.22 on a scale of -2 to +2) and had a high completion rate (>97%). This study provides a foundation for a freely available, easily accessible intervention to bolster student confidence for contributing in class. OSF Registries osf.io/4ca68 http://osf.io/4ca68.

Influence of the incorporation of small-group practical seminars to a traditional lecture for the understanding of root canal morphology classification systems.

This study aimed to assess if the incorporation of small-group practical seminars into a traditional lecture format improved the understanding and learning of the root canal classification systems in undergraduate students. A small-group practical seminar was designed for 3rd year undergraduate students. The seminar consisted of the analysis of a guided summary of root canal morphology classifications, a participative discussion of several cases and drawing exercises of several internal anatomies based on the different classifications in templates presenting the external anatomy of different dental groups. Students were inquired about their perspectives on the different classifications and the learning strategies with an anonymous questionnaire. The knowledge acquired was assessed in an exam. The scores obtained were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test with those obtained in the cohort of the previous year in which only the traditional lecture was delivered. Students' scores (mean = 7.7; SD = 2.5) were significantly higher (p = .006) than those from the previous cohort (mean = 6.9; SD = 2.3). Most students agreed that Ahmed's classification system was the most complete (98.8%) and intuitive (84%), but also the most difficult to understand (67%). All the students believed that the learning activity helped them understand the new classification system. The incorporation of small-group practical seminars into traditional lecture improved the understanding and learning of root canal configurations in undergraduate students. Students rated the classification system suggested by Ahmed etal. as the most complete and intuitive out of the three systems, but also the most difficult to learn.

Virtual Reality-based Methods for Training Novice Electrophysiology Trainees-A Pilot Study.

Developing an accurate and detailed 3-dimensional (3D) mental model of cardiac anatomy is critical for electrophysiology (EP) trainees. Due to its immersive nature, virtual reality (VR) may provide a better learning environment than traditional teaching methods for assimilating 3D cardiac anatomy. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the technical feasibility of an interactive, remote VR-based method for teaching cardiac anatomy to novice EP trainees. We created a shared, remote VR environment that allows the shared viewing of high-resolution 3D cardiac models. Eighteen trainees accepted for pediatric and adult EP fellowships were recruited. We performed a cohort study comparing the traditional teaching methods with the VR learning environment. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and a satisfaction survey. The adult EP trainees were given a multiple-choice pre- and post-test exam to assess their anatomical knowledge. Both the adult and pediatric EP trainee cohorts rated the VR experience positively and preferred the VR environment to the more traditional teaching method. All the participants expressed interest in incorporating the VR learning environment into the EP fellowship curriculum. The usability of the system was relatively low, with approximately one-third of participants rating the system as hard to use. The impact of the VR session on exam performance was mixed among the adult cohort. We demonstrated the feasibility of gathering geographically dispersed EP fellows in training with a shared VR-based environment to teach cardiac anatomy. Although we were not able to demonstrate a learning benefit over the traditional lecture format in the adult cohort, the training environment was favorably received by all the participants.

A Flipped Classroom Experiment in Growth Theory.

This study utilizes a classroom experiment to determine the effectiveness of the flipped classroom in a growth theory module of intermediate macroeconomics. We compare the performance of small section flipped groups to control groups at a liberal arts college. The treatment groups watched growth lecture videos before class, while the control groups followed a traditional lecture format. The results provide no evidence of superior performance by the treatment sections. They show that the main determinant of a student's performance is high school quality. The careful preparation to minimize differences across students from different socio-economic backgrounds is essential.

Unlocking learner potential: A course director's experience building an Educational Escape Room for Cancer Risk Assessment.

Using a traditional lecture format alone often limits students' opportunities to engage with and apply the concepts taught in a classroom. This report describes the design, curricular implementation, and application of an innovative educational escape room as an active learning tool for genetic counselor educators to teach cancer risk assessment skills. A Cancer Risk Assessment Escape Room is a novel way to offer experiential learning and to assess a learner's critical thinking and ability to apply cancer risk assessment models to evolving clinical scenarios. This successful implementation of an interactive escape room can be adapted to other genetic counseling competencies. The use of an escape room allows learners to actively engage in and apply content taught in lectures before entering clinical internships.

Effect of Metacognitive Instructional Strategy Using PEEDA on Biology Students Achievement in Delta State

The purpose of this research was to determine whether and how a metacognitive educational technique based on PEDDA (Prior knowledge, Exploration, Discussion, Dissatisfaction, and Application) will improve the performance of secondary school biology students in Delta State. The investigation was guided by three hypotheses and three research questions. The research used a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent pre-post test and control group setup. Students from the public secondary schools in the three (3) senatorial districts of Delta State were included in the research. A total of 30,813 SS II biology students and 436 overall participated. This research employed a sample of 300 SS II biology students and six biology professors from six different high schools in Delta State. Data was gathered using the researcher’s primary instrument, the Meta-Cognitive Biology Achievement Test (MBAT). Students in the experimental group were taught the biology concepts of “pollution,” “exploration of the different types of pollution,” “discussion on the causes of pollution as well as the effects of pollution,” “dissatisfaction with the experience,” and “application of the control measures for pollution” using a metacognitive instructional strategy, while students in the control group were taught using the lecture method. Statistical methods such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and mean and standard deviation (SEM) were used to compile and interpret the results (ANCOVA). It was shown that the metacognitive approach to teaching was more effective than the traditional lecture format. Furthermore, the research indicated that while using the metacognitive teaching technique, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean accomplishment scores of male and female students (PEDDA). The study’s results led to many recommendations, including the adoption of metacognitive teaching tactics by secondary school biology instructors to increase student engagement.

NEW APPROACHES TO MEDICAL AND NURSING EDUCATION

Medical educators tasked with curriculum reform may nd it difcult 1 to implement fresh pedagogical strategies . Although it may be attractive to accept new improvements to the curriculum, these attempts are frequently based on insufcient evidence. Despite the extensive use of innovative educational modalities, there are little direct comparative data and no explicit curriculum prescriptions. Although active learning methodologies are believed to be better to traditional lecture formats, the strategic deployment of specic active 2 learning components has been less precisely dened . Consequently, curriculum leaders are frequently uncertain about how to blend small groups, e-learning, and traditional lecturing to create the optimal 3,4 learning environment . Unfortunately, emerging modes of 5 information transmission can exacerbate uncertainty .

The effect of flipped classroom model on self-regulation skills of middle school students

One of the instructional model that can support student-centered environments is the flipped classroom model, which blends the positive aspects of technology in education with the advantages of traditional methods. This research aims to determine the effect of Flipped Classroom Model (FCM) in the science course on 7th-grade students' self-regulation skills. The design of the study is a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design. Participants of the study consisted of 67 7th-grade students from a public middle school located in the Mezitli district of Mersin, Turkey. The experimental group comprised 31 students, while the control group consisted of 36 students. Students' self-regulation skills were assessed through the implementation of "Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire" (MSLQ). Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-tests and paired samples t-tests. The comparison of post-test scores between the experimental and control groups indicated a significant mean difference for all subscales of learning strategies and motivation, except for extrinsic goal orientation and test anxiety. The results indicate that FCM develops students' motivation and their use of learning strategies. The results of this study support that the FCM is more effective in increasing 7th-grade students' self-regulation than traditional lecture format for science courses.

Preservice Teacher Perceptions of the Online Teaching and Learning Environment during COVID-19 Lockdown in the UAE

(1) Background: In March 2020, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education (MoE) closed all schools and universities in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. All lessons had to be delivered online. This mixed methods case study explores responses to this change in learning environment from 35 BA Education and Early Childhood Studies preservice teachers at a British university in Dubai. The research sought to understand the impact of the sudden move to home learning and the ways in which it affected student communities alongside student perceptions of the online learning environment. (2) Methods: Quantitative data was collected via questionnaires allowing students to consider past experiences while reflecting on their approaches to the online environment. Weekly focus groups were held online to track the student experience and understand the influence of different pedagogical approaches. (3) Results: The research found most students maintained a ‘deep’ or ‘strategic’ approach to learning. (4) Conclusions: Despite students declaring the period of emergency online learning as successful, there was a strong preference for the traditional lecture format over alternative approaches, stating subjective feelings of belongingness and connectedness to the physical campus.

FLIPPED LEARNING BY GOOGLE APPS IN SUPPORTING LEARNING AND TEACHING DURING PANDEMIC IN OMAN

The research study is commonly delivered using the traditional lecture format, followed by a question and answer session with students. Another approach is to divide students into groups, assign them themes to discuss, and then have them present the issues one by one. This learning technique, however, is not appropriate for use during a pandemic. In this study, students achieve the desired purpose of learning activities by utilizing the Active Learning approach and instructional strategy using Google Apps Learning Approach. Instructors can meet and talk with students both in-person and through the online system. This method is well-known as the Flipped Learning. This goal can be demonstrated by students arriving on time for individual discussion activities, explaining the topic, listening to other members' explanations, participating in conversations, exhibiting critical thinking, and leading physical or online discussion activities. However, because this activity takes place online, there are a number of challenges to overcome during the implementation phase, including internet network issues, data constraints, and device specs that do not allow learning activities—this study involved a total of five postgraduate students. This study was done from February to May 2022. The prior study used the questionnaire and got the expert's permission. The study was evaluated using descriptive quantitative statistics including standard deviation, percentage, frequency, and score. According to the report, students' average level of difficulty with Google Apps is 3.82.

Treatment Plan Evaluation Workshops for Residents: Learning the ROPES (Radiation Oncology Plan Evaluation School)

Background Plan evaluation is a key component of radiation oncology practice, yet many residents and new attendings are not comfortable with plan review due to insufficient experience during residency. According to a recent needs assessment of treatment planning education for residents, 24% of respondents were not at all or only slightly comfortable evaluating treatment plans. Several tools have been created to improve teaching of plan evaluation, yet a standardized curriculum for radiation oncology residency programs is lacking. We are creating disease site-specific educational material to teach plan evaluation, combining didactics and case-based questions. Methods Through a ROECSG GME Working Group collaboration, we will develop teaching material about treatment plan evaluation, utilizing Kern's Curriculum design. The material will be provided to individual residency programs to host a workshop for residents. Each workshop will focus on a single disease site and should be directed by an attending with expertise in reviewing radiation treatment plans for that site. Each teaching set will be organized according to the CB-CHOP paradigm. They will begin with informational slides, to be delivered in traditional lecture format, and will be followed by multiple case-based questions. The questions will include screenshots of treatment plans, dose volume histograms, and goal sheets, and will address the material covered in the didactic portion. To start, we will create workshop materials for the following: lung, head and neck, breast, and gynecologic malignancies. Results We will deliver pre- and post-surveys to residents among participating programs. Surveys will consist of a subjective portion to assess confidence level in independent plan review (evaluating plan, deciding treatment planning priorities, requesting changes to plans, etc.) and an objective section to evaluate impact on trainee knowledge about plan evaluation. We hypothesize that participation in these workshops will improve sense of preparation and knowledge about plan review. We aim to reduce the fraction of residents with little or no comfort evaluating treatment plans to less than 5%. Discussion This initiative represents the first attempt to provide standardized education for radiation treatment plan evaluation for residents. By creating the educational material in advance and disseminating among residency programs, we will facilitate more consistent training in plan review among radiation oncology residents. Improving plan evaluation can potentially ease the transition to practice for new attendings and may lead to better radiation treatments for patients. Plan evaluation is a key component of radiation oncology practice, yet many residents and new attendings are not comfortable with plan review due to insufficient experience during residency. According to a recent needs assessment of treatment planning education for residents, 24% of respondents were not at all or only slightly comfortable evaluating treatment plans. Several tools have been created to improve teaching of plan evaluation, yet a standardized curriculum for radiation oncology residency programs is lacking. We are creating disease site-specific educational material to teach plan evaluation, combining didactics and case-based questions. Through a ROECSG GME Working Group collaboration, we will develop teaching material about treatment plan evaluation, utilizing Kern's Curriculum design. The material will be provided to individual residency programs to host a workshop for residents. Each workshop will focus on a single disease site and should be directed by an attending with expertise in reviewing radiation treatment plans for that site. Each teaching set will be organized according to the CB-CHOP paradigm. They will begin with informational slides, to be delivered in traditional lecture format, and will be followed by multiple case-based questions. The questions will include screenshots of treatment plans, dose volume histograms, and goal sheets, and will address the material covered in the didactic portion. To start, we will create workshop materials for the following: lung, head and neck, breast, and gynecologic malignancies. We will deliver pre- and post-surveys to residents among participating programs. Surveys will consist of a subjective portion to assess confidence level in independent plan review (evaluating plan, deciding treatment planning priorities, requesting changes to plans, etc.) and an objective section to evaluate impact on trainee knowledge about plan evaluation. We hypothesize that participation in these workshops will improve sense of preparation and knowledge about plan review. We aim to reduce the fraction of residents with little or no comfort evaluating treatment plans to less than 5%. This initiative represents the first attempt to provide standardized education for radiation treatment plan evaluation for residents. By creating the educational material in advance and disseminating among residency programs, we will facilitate more consistent training in plan review among radiation oncology residents. Improving plan evaluation can potentially ease the transition to practice for new attendings and may lead to better radiation treatments for patients.

Surgical Device Representatives Preference for Experiential Learning via Immersive Virtual Reality

Background Surgical device representatives (SDRs) traditionally receive product training through didactic and hands-on learning. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) training effectiveness and user perceptions has not been studied in this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the learning efficiency of IVR for SDRs using a revision total knee arthroplasty system, determine SDR views on the use of IVR for training, and to perform a cost analysis of IVR training compared to traditional means. Methods A cross-sectional study of SDRs attending an anual sales meeting of a single orthopaedic implant company completed a revision total knee arthroplasty module using the Precision OS IVR System after a 1-hour traditional didactic lecture and small-group discussion training format. Immersive VR performance was tracked by the Precision OS software including repetitions, completion times, and performance measured using a previously validated performance metric, the Precision Score. An eight question survey was collected after IVR module completion. Results Two-hundred eighty-six SDRs completed over 1048 module repetitions for an average of approximately 4 module completions per SDR. The cumulative IVR training time was 18.3 minutes (SD 8.5). There was a high rate of critical injuries (n=458, 74%) measured including the medial and lateral collateral ligaments, popliteal artery, and amount of bony resection. The Precision Score had strong, inverse correlation to these injuries and were tracked over module repetitions. Two-hundred forty-five SDRs completed the post-training survery for a response rate of 86%. Most participants (91%) preferred IVR to standard training formats. Almost all participants (99%) intended to use their IVR learning in their current roles, and 99% felt the use of IVR was relevant to their roles. Similarly, 99% would recommend IVR training to others. The cumulative direct costs of IVR training compared to traditional didactic, in-person training formats for SDRs was 2.8x less costly, a lower bound as this did not account for lost productivity. Conclusion Immersive VR training is able to assess and track SDR learner performance and is valued by SDRs greater than traditional training formats. The cost of incorporating this technology is 2.8x less than current didactic and in-person learning formats. This is the first study of its kind to assess the use of IVR in the SDR population.

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....

Enhancing academic student engagement in vocational agricultural education: why course design matters

ABSTRACT This paper considers the influence of course design on the capability of a vocational college to implement a student-centred learning approach to enhance academic student engagement. It is based on an action research project involving a course redesign within a vocational agricultural education setting that created a more student-centred approach and in turn enhanced academic student engagement compared to its traditional delivery. Phase 1 of research looked at academic student engagement in a traditional lecture format utilising a multi-methodological analysis. This analysis identified that one type of module presented a significant challenge with 0/16 classes rated as ‘high engagement’, primarily due to the subject content. Phase 2 redesigned a module of this type using a more student-centred learning approach to evaluate if this could enhance academic student engagement. Observations carried out on 24 classes of the redesigned module rated 21/24 as ‘high engagement’. The redesign process enabled the use of a more student-centred learning approach albeit limited by requirements to comply with traditional quality assurance requirements of the current course design. This action research contributes a greater understanding of how the principles of course design need to be considered in seeking to enhance academic student engagement in vocational education.

Reflections on a Plague Academic Year: A Multiyear Comparison of Student Engagement, Investment, and Performance in Undergraduate Physiology Courses During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic continues to alter the landscape of higher education in the United States – even in highly vaccinated states like Connecticut. For example, in Fall 2020, the University of Connecticut operated remotely with most courses being offered in a distance learning format. In Fall 2021, students returned to campus for in person classes. Although there has been a great deal of speculation shared by students and faculty, the long‐term impact of these abrupt transitions on student learning is largely unknown. In the present study, we begin to explore the impact of the pandemic on student engagement, investment, and performance in several undergraduate physiology courses by comparing student data from the Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 semesters. We analyzed the time students spent accessing synchronous and asynchronous learning materials, the frequency of student‐instructor interactions, and scores on matched summative assessments. Furthermore, we explore the impact of course modality on these same metrics by comparing a flipped anatomy and physiology course to other courses offered in a traditional lecture and hybrid format. Our preliminary results indicate that while the overall student investment was comparable despite the instructional format, students engaged more consistently after returning to campus. However, the increased engagement does not correlate with assessment scores or other measures of student success (e.g., DFW rates). Our results contradict a widespread misconception that students were not adequately engaged by online learning during the 2020‐2021 academic year. As pressure mounts to undo student support measures put in place during the pandemic, they may also serve as a warning to academic departments, graduate programs, and other stakeholders that the effects of the pandemic on students are ongoing, despite strong institutional desires for normalcy.

Radiology resident education – Keys to successful workstation teaching

Resident education is a complex process that requires many inputs from both the learner and the educator. As teaching faculty, many radiologists rely on two main methods to impart knowledge to their residents; namely didactic/case-based lectures and workstation teaching. The traditional lecture format is well known to both the learner and the educator, as this has been the primary platform that has been used almost universally. In addition, there are a multitude of excellent recorded and live lectures that faculty members can access from national society meetings that can be used as an example of how to give an effective well-organized lecture. Workstation teaching, on the other hand, is instead a more individualistic endeavor that is quite heterogeneous across institutions. In addition, there is very little in the literature that describes effective strategies that can be used to optimize the educational experience for the resident. This discussion will focus on pre-readout, readout, and post-readout strategies that educators can use at the workstation. Implementation of these techniques can be extremely helpful in accelerating resident progression through their training.

Transforming a Didactic Lecture into a Student-Centered Active Learning Exercise—Teaching Equine Diarrhea to Fourth-Year Veterinary Students

Problem-solving abilities, creative and critical thinking, communication skills, and teamwork are now recognized as fundamental determinants of professional success, especially in vocational professions, such as veterinary science. Tertiary education is now obliged to provide opportunities for students to become proficient in these qualities. With this in mind, the principal author, an equine science senior lecturer, attempted to increase student engagement by developing a new active learning, student-centered one-hour teaching episode on ‘equine diarrhea’, to replace the traditional didactic lecture format. The aim of the study, therefore, was to share the principal author’s journey in the development and implementation of this active learning episode and to explain why it represents a simple but effective method of promoting student engagement. In addition, the adaptation of this method into an online teaching and learning format is briefly discussed. The effectiveness of this active learning method is also explored by comparing it with the traditional didactic method of delivery. Students in the active learning class reported that the learning activity had enhanced their skills in clinical reasoning, problem-solving, and communication. They also described themselves as active participants in the learning process. Students in the traditional didactic class reported that they were satisfied with the time allocated to the lecture, felt that the lecture was well organized and managed, and subsequently felt adequately prepared to answer conventional examination questions relating to equine diarrhea. Other issues, such as student resistance to changes in teaching formats, the effectiveness of group work or teamwork, levels of student confidence within an active learning environment, and the importance of high-quality facilitation during active learning activities, are also discussed in this paper. Although the active learning method described is not novel, the authors hope that fellow educators, across any tertiary discipline, might find that the method described represents a quick and simple method of transforming a single didactic lecture into an enjoyable and engaging learning activity.