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

Relationship between Didactic Attendance and Average Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program Performance

Background The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's ophthalmology-specific program requirements indicate that a resident must participate in 360 hours of educational activities over the course of residency. The requirements allow a variety of options by which this educational process may occur. Furthermore, the current generation of learners has used a large array of learning tools in their careers: digital media, online resources, question banks, flipped classrooms, problem-based learning, and asynchronous lectures in addition to the traditional face-to-face didactic lectures.

Objectives This article determines if the traditional face-to-face didactic lectures play a significant role in the education of ophthalmology residents, attempts to quantitate this role, and estimates the relative importance of this method.

Methods Lecture hours beginning immediately after an Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP) examination and up to the subsequent exam was tabulated for 40 residents over 8 years. From 2012 through 2019 each of the residents took the OKAP exam one to three times. The average overall OKAP score for each resident was then regressed against his or her logged hours of didactics that year. This rate of average OKAP score to lecture hours was then evaluated for significant differences on the basis of postgraduate year (PGY). “STATA 13.1 IC,” was used for all statistical analysis.

Conclusion Traditional synchronous didactic lectures play a statistically significant role in the education of ophthalmology residents. For each 3.5 hours of lectures per year there is a 1% increase in the average OKAP score, p = 0.0064. However, the amount of variability explained by this single factor is low, R 2 = 0.067, and other factors are presumed to play a large part in learning. PGY subgroup analysis showed significant difference in the OKAP performance to lecture hour relationship, the number of lecture hours attended, and the OKAP performance.

The stress of success: An online module to help first-year dental students cope with the Impostor Phenomenon

CONTEXT

Professors often spend a great deal of time counseling poorly performing students, which limits the time dedicated to high achievers. This may be problematic, as psychiatrists have determined that gifted students may be susceptible to feelings of inadequacy despite positive external evidence. Dr. Pauline Clance coined the term "Impostor Phenomenon" (IP) to describe these traits.

OBJECTIVE

Dental students, while academically successful, may be prone to IP and lack appropriate coping strategies. The goal of this project was to create and publish an online module to educate dental students about IP and provide 6 coping mechanisms.

DESIGN

After viewing the video at the beginning of the semester, students completed the Clance IP Scale to determine the prevalence of IP thoughts. This was repeated at the end of the semester to determine the impact of the online training module.

RESULTS

There was a decrease in postsemester scores from 63.44 (±14.92) to 59.12 (±14.56), n = 103, 86% response rate, dependent samples within subjects t-test, P < 0.001). The percentage of students reporting intense impostor experiences decreased from 13.6% to 4.9%. Females exhibited significantly higher scores than males, but there was no statistically significant impact of age or race on results. The most common reported coping strategies were a reduction in time spent on nonessential tasks and the use of scheduling to prevent procrastination.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that an online training module can improve awareness of the Impostor Phenomenon and help high-achieving students to cope with their stress and feelings of inadequacy.

The in's and out's of science outreach: assessment of an engaging new program

Many professors are interested in providing science outreach to local K-12 students, but may not have the time or resources needed to create an engaging presentation. The American Physiological Society supports outreach initiatives through programs such as the Physiology Understanding (PhUn) Week. Building on these activities, it was desired to create and assess an immersive and engaging Outreach Program in a disadvantaged K-12 student population. Three distinct modules were created on cardiovascular physiology, respiratory physiology, and oral health. All resources for these modules underwent peer review and publication, allowing other professors to easily execute their own outreach programming. The outreach modules were presented to 288 students in 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th grade classes. Implementation of the modules resulted in significant increases in student content knowledge, ranging from 32 to 57% improvement ( P < 0.001, dependent t-test), with an average increase of 46%. K-12 science teachers reported that the program was at an appropriate educational level, increased students' enthusiasm for science, and increased students' exposure to science careers. Additionally, the presenters of the Outreach Program were perceived to be enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and proficient at interacting with the students. On open-response survey items, the science teachers indicated a high level of satisfaction with the program and an enthusiasm for continued collaborations. These results indicate the importance of organized and interactive science activities for the success of a new Outreach Program.

An Online Module to Understand Body Fluid Status in Clinical Cases

INTRODUCTION

A thorough understanding of body fluid alterations is essential for the success of both practicing dentists and physicians. However, the time constraints of professional school curricula often limit the time available in physiology courses to address this material.

METHODS

The primary goal of this resource was to improve student comprehension of body fluid status by using three online videos that explain volume-osmolality diagrams. An additional goal was to improve students' ability to apply their physiological knowledge by showcasing real-life clinical situations in medicine and dentistry. The videos were created using custom-designed PowerPoint animations, video recordings, and Camtasia video-editing software.

RESULTS

On assessment of exam performance, students performed similarly in sections of the course that were taught using the online modules versus face-to-face lectures. Student performance was extremely high on the body fluid assessment-questions, with an average of 95%. This high level of student performance was notable, particularly given the complexity of the questions.

DISCUSSION

These results indicate that this online volume-osmolality module enabled students to improve their comprehension of body fluid concepts in physiology. Furthermore, the data indicates the feasibility of replacing lectures with online modules, freeing valuable class time for active learning or more advanced physiological concepts.

A comparison of professional-level faculty and student perceptions of active learning: its current use, effectiveness, and barriers

Active learning is an instructional method in which students become engaged participants in the classroom through the use of in-class written exercises, games, problem sets, audience-response systems, debates, class discussions, etc. Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of active learning strategies, minimal adoption of the technique has occurred in many professional programs. The goal of this study was to compare the perceptions of active learning between students who were exposed to active learning in the classroom (n = 116) and professional-level physiology faculty members (n = 9). Faculty members reported a heavy reliance on lectures and minimal use of educational games and activities, whereas students indicated that they learned best via the activities. A majority of faculty members (89%) had observed active learning in the classroom and predicted favorable effects of the method on student performance and motivation. The main reported barriers by faculty members to the adoption of active learning were a lack of necessary class time, a high comfort level with traditional lectures, and insufficient time to develop materials. Students hypothesized similar obstacles for faculty members but also associated many negative qualities with the traditional lecturers. Despite these barriers, a majority of faculty members (78%) were interested in learning more about the alternative teaching strategy. Both faculty members and students indicated that active learning should occupy portions (29% vs. 40%) of face-to-face class time.