Perceptions of learning as a function of seminar group factors

How do veterinary students perceive and prepare for compulsory slaughterhouse visits?

BACKGROUND

Veterinary students in the UK must visit a slaughterhouse as part of their studies. There is currently limited evidence exploring how students perceive these visits or which activities have been implemented to support learning during a visit that may be emotionally challenging.

METHODS

Veterinary students at the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Glasgow were invited to complete an online survey and participate in follow-up focus groups.

RESULTS

Participants appreciated the important role that veterinarians play in the slaughterhouse. Most (69%) agreed that in-person visits are important and would choose to visit, with around half (49%) thinking it should be optional. Previous slaughterhouse experience improved students' views towards compulsory in-person visits. Teaching events covering the slaughter process, videos and discussion sessions were perceived as useful preparatory activities. Anxiety was the most common emotion associated with visits.

LIMITATIONS

The response rate was low, at 15.6%, and a small number of students participated in focus groups. Data on diets and gender were not collected.

CONCLUSION

Slaughterhouse visits are valued by students, although they can cause negative emotions. Managing expectations and increasing awareness of visitation requirements during the application process and subsequent studies may improve the educational and emotional experience of visits.

A small‐group activity to enhance learning of cardiovascular drugs for health science students

This small‐group activity provides two cases in cardiovascular pharmacology to engage students in a medical or other health professions curriculum. The goal of this activity is to apply students' basic knowledge of physiology and pharmacology to clinical case scenarios. Students were provided with the cases 1 week in advance and were encouraged to use their lecture notes and/or other references of their choosing to answer as many of the questions as possible and prepare to discuss the answers with their classmates at the session. Facilitators were provided with detailed notes and a video that explain the answers and provide suggestions for engaging and challenging the students. For the 2021 academic year, 201 students (139 first‐year medical students and 62 second‐year pharmacy students) at UC San Diego participated in the small‐group activity. Eighteen facilitators were recruited to lead this 110‐min session. Students' performance was assessed on the final exam of their integrated cardiovascular physiology‐pharmacology course. Students achieved 84% (SD 17.54) on questions related to the small‐group session compared to 78% (SD 15.60) on other cardiovascular pharmacology questions not related to the activity. Student perceptions of the facilitators leading the small‐group activity were very positive (average of 4.7 on a 5‐point Likert Scale). Using this approach, we demonstrate that a small‐group activity with clinical scenarios helps students master the pharmacology content related to cardiovascular drugs. The small‐group activity included constructed response questions to foster conceptual understanding.

Medical students' perception and academic performance after team-based and seminar-based learning in human anatomy

Objectives

Student-centered educational strategies like problem-based learning (PBL), case-based learning (CBL), team-based learning (TBL), and seminars enhance group and self-learning. This study was carried out to evaluate students' achievements in anatomy topics delivered through TBL sessions and seminars and to survey student preferences regarding these two modalities in anatomy learning.

Methods

TBL was conducted through individual readiness assurance tests (IRATs), group readiness assurance tests (GRATs), mini-lectures, and application exercises. Seminars included pretests, peer lecturing, and posttests. The performance of 117 students in three TBL sessions and three seminars was compared after standardizing the questions. The students were second-year (42), third-year (40), and fourth-year (35) students at the College of Medicine, University of Bisha, KSA, during the 2019/2020 academic year.

Results

A gradual increase in the means of TBL grades was noticed among second-, third-, and four-year students (means ± SD: 68.6 ± 9.56, 82.8 ± 12.25, and 92.7 ± 4.70, respectively), but their seminar grades were nearly stationary (means ± SD: 80.0 ± 9.66, 85.11 ± 10.16, and 85.9 ± 8.80, respectively). Cohen's d-test to check the strength of the relationship between the two activities showed 1.03, 0.16, and 0.74 in the same order. We statistically analyzed perception and preference questionnaire results received from 39, 35, and 28 second-, third-, and four-year students, respectively. The majority of the students selected TBL as their preferred learning modality. However, their acceptance of the seminars was very poor

Conclusions

It can be concluded that TBL is more beneficial to the students, even in practical sciences like anatomy, most likely because group peer teaching enhances the sense of collegial competition, as opposed to the self-learning nature of seminars, which might suppress the sense of competition.

Effectiveness of seminar-case learning for use in practice teaching of statistics for undergraduates majoring in preventive medicine: a prospective cluster-randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The seminar-case learning (SCL) method is a case-oriented teaching model, with teachers and students as the main body of teaching, characterized by communication, interaction, and mutual inspiration. This study explored the effects of the SCL method versus traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) in the statistics curriculum for undergraduate students majoring in preventive medicine. Research questions were: 1) whether the scores of students in the experimental group (the SCL model) were higher than those in the control group (the LBL model); 2) whether the students' satisfaction in the experimental group was better than that in the control group; and 3) whether the self-report benefit of students in the experimental group was better than that in the control group.

METHODS

We conducted a two-armed cluster-randomized education intervention trial in practice teaching of health statistics among undergraduates majoring in preventive medicine. Two administrative classes (classes 1-4 and classes 5-8) were divided into the experimental group and the control group according to the principle of drawing lots. The students in two groups received the same statistical theory course. For the arrangement of statistical practice course, the experimental group adopted the SCL model, and the control group used the LBL model. The teaching effect was evaluated via an examination and an anonymous questionnaire survey.

RESULTS

Scores for noun explanation questions in the experimental group showed no statistical significance with that of the control group(U = 2911.0, P = 0.964). The scores of single choice, calculation, and case analysis questions, and the total scores were significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Students' satisfaction with arrangements of the practice course in the experimental group (92.41%) was significantly higher than that of in the control group (77.03%), the difference was statistically significant (χ² = 7.074, P = 0.008). The self-report benefit of students in the experimental group was better than that in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

As an effective method of high-quality education, the SCL model is worthy of further promotion in the practice teaching of preventive medicine.

What Use is Anatomy in First Opinion Small Animal Veterinary Practice? A Qualitative Study

Despite the uncontested importance of anatomy as one of the foundational aspects of undergraduate veterinary programs, there is still limited information available as to what anatomy knowledge is most important for the graduate veterinarian in their daily clinical work. The aim of this study was therefore to gain a deeper understanding of the role that anatomy plays in first opinion small animal veterinary practice. Using ethnographic methodologies, the authors aimed to collect rich qualitative data to answer the question "How do first opinion veterinarians use anatomy knowledge in their day-to-day clinical practice?" Detailed observations and semi-structured interviews were conducted with five veterinarians working within a single small animal first opinion practice in the United Kingdom. Thematic analysis was undertaken, identifying five main themes: Importance; Uncertainty; Continuous learning; Comparative and dynamic anatomy; and Communication and language. Anatomy was found to be interwoven within all aspects of clinical practice; however, veterinarians were uncertain in their anatomy knowledge. This impacted their confidence and how they carried out their work. Veterinarians described continually learning and refreshing their anatomy knowledge in order to effectively undertake their role, highlighting the importance of teaching information literacy skills within anatomy curricula. An interrelationship between anatomy use, psychomotor, and professional skills was also highlighted. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for veterinary anatomy curriculum development. This study provides an in-depth view within a single site small animal general practice setting: further work is required to assess the transferability of these findings to other areas of veterinary practice.

Effects of seminar teaching method versus lecture-based learning in medical education: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

The aim of this review is to explore the effects of the seminar teaching method versus lecture-based learning (LBL) in the education of medical students by meta-analysis.

METHOD

Data and information available on PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, China Science Periodical Database, and Chinese BioMedical were searched and examined from the inception up to January 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of the seminar teaching method versus LBL in medical education were included.

RESULTS

A total of 16 RCTs were included, with a total sample size of 1122 medical students. The seminar teaching method significantly improved knowledge scores (SMD = 1.38, 95%CI 0.92-1.84; p < 0.001) and skill scores (SMD = 1.46, 95%CI 1.00-1.91; p < 0.001) and the seminar teaching method significantly improved teaching effects, including active learning ability, learning interest, scientific innovation, and independent thinking ability, expression and communication ability, clinical thinking ability, teamwork, teacher-student interaction, and classroom atmosphere.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis showed that the seminar teaching method is an effective method for improving knowledge scores, skill scores, active learning ability, student collaboration, classroom atmosphere, and interaction between teachers and students.

Medical Student And Faculty Perceptions Of Undergraduate Surgical Training In The South African And Swedish Tertiary Institutions: A Cross-Sectional Survey

PURPOSE

To evaluate and compare medical student and faculty perceptions of undergraduate surgical training and compare results between South Africa and Sweden.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

An electronic, online questionnaire was anonymously distributed to medical students and surgical faculty at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, and the Karolinska Institutet (KI), Sweden. The questionnaire explored the perceptions of medical students and surgical faculty regarding the current undergraduate surgical curriculum, as well as existing clinical and theoretical instructional methods.

RESULTS

A total of 120 students (response rate of 24.4%) and 41 faculty (response rate of 74.5%) responded. Students believed they ought to receive significantly more teaching when compared to surgical faculty (p=0.018). Students and faculty generally agreed that students should expect to study approximately six to 20 hrs per week outside of clinical duty. There was general agreement that "small-group tutorials" was the area students learn the most from, whereas students reported "lectures" least helpful. Registrars were reported as the first person students should consult regarding patient care. Fifty-one (42.5%) medical students believed that faculty viewed students as an inconvenience, and 42 (35.0%) students believed that faculty would rather not have students on the clinical team. The majority of faculty (68.3%) reported significantly more negative views on the current undergraduate surgical curriculum when compared to students (p=0.002). UCT faculty reported giving significantly less feedback to students during their surgical rotation when compared to KI faculty (p=0.043).

CONCLUSION

Significant differences exist between surgical faculty and medical student perceptions regarding undergraduate surgical training in developing and developed countries. In order to increase surgical interest among undergraduate medical students, it is imperative for surgical educators to be aware of these differences and find specific strategies to bridge this gap.

Student perception of peer teaching and learning in pathology: A qualitative analysis of modified seminars, fishbowls, and interactive classroom activities

Context

Peer-assisted teaching and learning (PTL) is being experimented in different medical universities worldwide. It is a learner-centered approach involving students through active learning strategies.

Aims

To study the student perception of PTL in methods such as group-led seminars and fishbowls, in classroom through various interactive activities; compare and find out the student acceptability and efficacy of each of these methods in learning conceptual topics such as various types of anemia.

Subjects and Methods

Medical students of second-year professional course were subjected to PTL in classroom during allotted teaching hours for 10 successive sessions using group-led modified seminars, fishbowls, and different formality-level interactive activities such as street plays, prop sessions, quiz sessions, to make them understand the clinical features and presentation of different types of anemia through understanding of etio-pathogenesis. To ascertain the aspects that influenced learning, focus group discussions were conducted in small groups consisting of 14 students and one facilitator in each group. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed on transcripts of the audio recordings by authors.

Results

The emerging themes from qualitative analysis of transcripts were pertaining to teacher, student, and organization. We found motivation, interest, and involvement of peer teacher, student behavior and collaboration, contact time between students and facilitator, preparation time, coherence with other curricular activities, group size and composition, suitability of topic for the kind of activity, and availability of material for preparation as few sub-aspects affecting learning.

Conclusion

For PTL to be effective, adequate transfer of knowledge through good peer teacher involvement, learner receptiveness, and adequate contact time is needed. Proper preparation with suitability of topics for the type of activity, alignment of seminars with other activities, and course coherence are prerequisites for the same.

Poetry as an engagement strategy: A novice teacher experience of its use within lectures

It has been acknowledged the traditional lecture format is a familiar teaching methodology and that there is still much to be learnt from using this in class room based lectures. Whilst the first author was a postgraduate student undertaking a programme in Nurse Education at a University in the Republic of Ireland, poetry was used to challenge undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards older persons in a large group format. The students were in Year 3 of a Bachelor of Nursing Science General and Intellectual Disability Programmes. Feedback was obtained from the students that comprised of three main themes; Aids Recall of Information; Enriched Learning Experiences, Challenges Attitudes to Person Centred Care. Thus, the paper aims to evaluate using poetry as an engaging teaching strategy within a lecture format for the first time as a novice teacher when drawing out nursing students' attitudes towards older persons with a focus on supporting them in embracing key care skills in the clinical setting. This paper should provide other student educationalists the opportunity to see the value of poetry as a teaching strategy and provide practical tips on its use within the classroom.

Peer-instructed seminar attendance is associated with improved preparation, deeper learning and higher exam scores: a survey study

BACKGROUND

Active engagement in education improves learning outcomes. To enhance active participation in seminars, a student-centered course design was implemented and evaluated in terms of self-reported preparation, student motivation and exam scores. We hypothesized that small group learning with intensive peer interaction, using buzz-groups followed by plenary discussion, would motivate students to prepare seminar assignments at home and to actively engage in the seminars. Active engagement involved discussion of the preparatory assignments until consensus was reached.

METHODS

In total seven seminars were scheduled in a 10-week physiology course of an undergraduate Biomedical Sciences program. After each seminar, students were asked to fill out their perceptions of preparation and quality of the seminar (deepening of knowledge and confidence in answers) on a five-point scale using electronic questionnaires. Student motives were first collected using open questions. In the final questionnaire students were asked to indicate on a five-point scale how each motive was perceived. Students overall explanations why they had learned from seminars were collected via open questions in the final questionnaire. One hundred and twenty-four students of the cohort from November 2012 to February 2013 (82.6 %) voluntarily participated. Students' motives to prepare and attend seminars were analyzed by inspection of descriptive statistics. Linear regression analysis was conducted to relate student preparation to the quality of seminars, seminar attendance to exam scores, and exam scores to the quality of seminars. Answers to open questions were deductively clustered.

RESULTS

Studying the material, training for exams and comparing answers with peers motivated students to prepare the seminars. Students were motivated to participate actively because they wanted to keep track of correct answers themselves, to better understand the content and to be able to present their findings in plenary discussions. Perceived preparation of peers was positively associated with the perceived quality of seminars. Also, seminar attendance was positively associated with exam scores. Students' overall explanations suggest that discussing with peers and applying knowledge in pathophysiology cases underlies this association.

CONCLUSION

Discussion with well-prepared peers during seminars improves student perceptions of deeper learning and peer-instructed seminar attendance was associated with higher exam scores.

Do Veterinary Students See a Need for More In-Course Discussion? A Survey

Rather than merely transferring information, veterinary education should stimulate and motivate students and encourage them to think. Currently in veterinary education, most curricula use the method of frontal teaching (e.g., in lectures). A student-centered critical approach to information is rarely used. Our research sought to determine if students consider in-course discussion useful and if sufficient possibilities for discussion are provided and supported by their lecturers. In December 2013, we conducted a survey of fourth-year students. Specifically, we wanted to know if students consider in-course discussion about course content useful for successful learning and if students wish to have more opportunities for discussion during class time. Finally, we wanted to identify barriers that limit the students' motivation and ability to engage in discussion of course content. In total, 105 students completed the survey. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that clinical topics should be discussed during class time. Frequently stated reasons were improved learning (85.7%) and the opportunity to look at topics from different perspectives (92.4%). In conclusion, we found a considerable dearth of and request for discussion within veterinary education. In light of these findings, we emphasize the need for new teaching strategies that promote independent thinking and critical questioning. We suggest the implementation of more discussion opportunities in well considered and moderated settings in veterinary teaching.

Factors Influencing Seminar Learning and Academic Achievement

Many veterinary curricula use seminars, interactive educational group formats in which some 25 students discuss questions and issues relating to course themes. To get indications on how to optimize the seminar learning process for students, we aimed to investigate relationships between factors that seem to be important for the seminar learning process, and to determine how these seminar factors account for differences in students' achievement scores. A 57-item seminar evaluation (USEME) questionnaire was administered to students right after they attended a seminar. In total, 80 seminars distributed over years 1, 2, and 3 of an undergraduate veterinary medicine curriculum were sampled and 988 questionnaires were handed in. Principal factor analysis (PFA) was conducted on 410 questionnaires to examine which items could be grouped together as indicators of the same factor, and to determine correlations between the derived factors. Multilevel regression analysis was performed to explore the effects of these seminar factors and students' prior achievement scores on students' achievement scores. Within the questionnaire, four factors were identified that influence the seminar learning process: teacher performance, seminar content, student preparation, and opportunities for interaction within seminars. Strong correlations were found between teacher performance, seminar content, and group interaction. Prior achievement scores and, to a much lesser extent, the seminar factor group interaction appeared to account for differences in students' achievement scores. The factors resulting from the present study and their relation to the method of assessment should be examined further, for example, in an experimental setup.

The perceived effects of faculty presence vs. absence on small-group learning and group dynamics: a quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Medical education increasingly relies on small-group learning. Small group learning provides more active learning, better retention, higher satisfaction, and facilitates development of problem-solving and team-working abilities. However, less is known about student experience and preference for different small groups teaching models. We evaluated group educational dynamics and group learning process in medical school clerkship small group case-based settings, with a faculty member present versus absent.

METHODS

Students completed surveys after cases when the faculty was present ("in") or absent ("out") for the bulk of the discussion. 228 paired surveys (114 pairs) were available for paired analysis, assessing group dynamics, group learning process, student preference, and participation through self-report and self-rating of group behaviors tied to learning and discussion quality.

RESULTS

Ratings of group dynamics and group learning process were significantly higher with the faculty absent vs. present (p range <0.001 to 0.015). Students also reported higher levels of participation when the faculty member was absent (p = 0.03). Students were more likely to express a preference for having the faculty member present after "in" case vs. "out" case discussions. (p < 0.001). There was no difference in reported success of the case discussion after "in" vs. "out" cases (p = 0.67).

CONCLUSIONS

Student groups without faculty present reported better group dynamics, group learning processes, and participation with faculty absent. Students reported that they feel somewhat dependent on faculty, especially when the faculty is present, though there was no significant difference in students reporting that they obtained the most they could from the discussion of the case after both "in" and "out" cases.

Investigating teaching performance in seminars; a questionnaire study with a multi-level approach

BACKGROUND

Teachers play an important role in seminars as facilitators and content experts. However, contextual factors like students' preparation, group size, group interaction, and content appear to influence their performance. Understanding the impact of these contextual factors on students' perception of teaching performance may help to further understand seminar teaching. Besides that, it may help curriculum organisers and teachers to get more insight in how to optimise their versatile role in seminars. The aim of this study is to investigate how students' perception of teaching performance in seminars is explained by students' extent of preparation, seminar group size, group interaction, and content.

METHODS

The Utrecht Seminar Evaluation (USEME) questionnaire was used to collect information on teaching performance and the aforementioned explanatory variables. To account for intra-student, intra-seminar, and intra-teacher correlation in the data, multilevel regression was used to analyse 988 completed questionnaires in 80 seminars with 36 different teachers.

RESULTS

Group interaction and seminar content had large (B = 0.418) and medium (B = 0.212) positive effects on perceived teaching performance scores, whereas the effects of students' preparation (B = -0.055) and group size (B = -0.130) were small and negative.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides curriculum organisers and teachers indications on how to optimise variables that influence perceived teaching performance in seminars. It is suggested that teachers should search for the most appropriate combination of motivating and challenging content and facilitation method within seminars to optimise discussion opportunities between students.

Remediation of at-risk medical students: theory in action

BACKGROUND

Previous work has shown that a programme that draws on a blend of theories makes a positive difference to outcomes for students who fail and repeat their first semester at medical school. Exploration of student and teacher perspectives revealed that remediation of struggling medical students can be achieved through a cognitive apprenticeship within a small community of inquiry. This community needs expert teachers capable of performing a unique combination of roles (facilitator, nurturing mentor, disciplinarian, diagnostician and role model), with high levels of teaching presence and practical wisdom. Yet, despite participants' convergent opinions on the elements of effective remediation, significant differences were found between outcomes of students working with experienced and inexperienced teachers. The current study explores the actual practice of teachers on this remediation course, aiming to exemplify elements of our theory of remediation and explore differences between teachers.

METHODS

Since it is in the classroom context that the interactions that constitute the complex process of remediation emerge, this practice-based research has focused on direct observation of classroom teaching. Nineteen hours of small group sessions were recorded and transcribed. Drawing on ethnography and sociocultural discourse analysis, selected samples of talk-in-context demonstrate how the various elements of remediation play out in practice, highlighting aspects that are most effective, and identifying differences between experienced and novice teachers.

RESULTS

Long-term student outcomes are strongly correlated to teacher experience (r, 0.81). Compared to inexperienced teachers, experienced teachers provide more challenging, disruptive facilitation, and take a dialogic stance that encourages more collaborative group dynamics. They are more expert at diagnosing cognitive errors, provide frequent metacognitive time-outs and make explicit links across the curriculum.

CONCLUSIONS

Remediation is effective in small groups where dialogue is used for collaborative knowledge construction and social regulation. This requires facilitation by experienced teachers who attend to details of both content and process, and use timely interventions to foster curiosity and the will to learn. These teachers should actively challenge students' language use, logical inconsistencies and uncertainties, problematize their assumptions, and provide a metacognitive regulatory voice that can generate attitudinal shifts and nurture the development of independent critical thinkers.

Teachers' perceptions of aspects affecting seminar learning: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Many medical schools have embraced small group learning methods in their undergraduate curricula. Given increasing financial constraints on universities, active learning groups like seminars (with 25 students a group) are gaining popularity. To enhance the understanding of seminar learning and to determine how seminar learning can be optimised it is important to investigate stakeholders' views. In this study, we qualitatively explored the views of teachers on aspects affecting seminar learning.

METHODS

Twenty-four teachers with experience in facilitating seminars in a three-year bachelor curriculum participated in semi-structured focus group interviews. Three focus groups met twice with an interval of two weeks led by one moderator. Sessions were audio taped, transcribed verbatim and independently coded by two researchers using thematic analysis. An iterative process of data reduction resulted in emerging aspects that influence seminar learning.

RESULTS

Teachers identified seven key aspects affecting seminar learning: the seminar teacher, students, preparation, group functioning, seminar goals and content, course coherence and schedule and facilities. Important components of these aspects were: the teachers' role in developing seminars ('ownership'), the amount and quality of preparation materials, a non-threatening learning climate, continuity of group composition, suitability of subjects for seminar teaching, the number and quality of seminar questions, and alignment of different course activities.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study contribute to the unravelling of the 'the black box' of seminar learning. Suggestions for ways to optimise active learning in seminars are made regarding curriculum development, seminar content, quality assurance and faculty development.

Methods for evaluating educational programs: does Writing Center participation affect student achievement?

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the introduction of a Writing Center at a university, which aims at improving students' scientific writing abilities. In order to deal with the presumed limited utility of student feedback surveys for evaluating the effectiveness of educational programs, we use students' actual learning outcomes as our quality measure. Based on this objective measure, different statistical evaluation methods established in the labor market treatment literature are applied. We present and discuss the validity of these methods to evaluate educational programs and compare the results of these approaches to implications obtained using corresponding student surveys. Although almost all students reported the writing courses to be helpful, we find no significant effect of course participation on students' grades. This result highlights the need for institutions not to rely solely on student course evaluations for evidence-based policy decisions.

Students' perceptions of aspects affecting seminar learning

BACKGROUND

Many medical and veterinary schools have curricula in which they use seminars of approximately 25 students to achieve their learning goals. There is not much research on seminar learning.

AIM

To explore students' views regarding aspects that affect seminar learning.

METHODS

Twenty-four second-year students of a 3-year bachelor curriculum participated in semi-structured focus group interviews. The sessions were audio-taped and transcribed. Two researchers independently coded the data using qualitative methods. An iterative process of data reduction resulted in emerging aspects. The participating students were asked to comment on the preliminary results.

RESULTS

Course schedule, coherence and alignment of the different educational methods, the amount and type of seminar questions and the amount and clarity of the preparation materials affected seminar learning. Also, the didactic approach and facilitating methods used by the teachers, the group composition, size and atmosphere, the amount of active student participation and interaction and assessment influenced seminar learning according to students.

CONCLUSION

Most aspects that affect seminar learning are consistent with aspects affecting small group learning. Course schedule and alignment seem to have a stronger impact on seminar learning.

The role of the teacher in remediating at-risk medical students

BACKGROUND

Previous work identified complex ingredients of a remediation programme for at-risk medical students: mandatory, stable, facilitated small groups promote both cognitive and affective developments, with improved self-regulation, metacognition and reflection resulting in significant performance gains.

AIM

We explore the teachers' role in this intervention, aiming to expand and deepen understanding of remediation methods in medical education.

METHODS

Extensive qualitative data from student surveys and in-depth teacher interviews, along with quantitative student performance data, produced a rich description of remediation processes.

RESULTS

Remediation should support emotional needs and foster cognitive and metacognitive skills for self-regulation and critical thinking. Teachers of remediation need to motivate, critique, challenge and advise their learners, applying teaching and contextual expertise in a constructivist, student-centred environment that fosters curiosity and joy for learning. Teachers of remediation can mediate these processes through embodiment of five core roles: facilitator, nurturing mentor, disciplinarian, diagnostician and modeller of desired skills, attitudes and behaviours.

CONCLUSION

Remediation of struggling medical students can be achieved through a cognitive apprenticeship within a small community of inquiry that motivates and challenges the students. This community needs teachers capable of performing a unique combination of roles that demands high levels of teaching presence and practical wisdom.

Changing the student clerkship from traditional lectures to small group case-based sessions benefits the student and the faculty

BACKGROUND

Attempts to improve the third year surgery clerkship led to the implementation of faculty-led small group teaching instead of large group lecture-style dissemination of the general surgical curriculum. The intent was to facilitate better faculty-to-student relationships, provide more favorable balance between classroom and clinical surgery, and enhance overall surgical education.

METHODS

Didactic student sessions were reduced from 33 lectures to 8 small group sessions and surgical specialty lectures. A case-based surgical curriculum was utilized and students were organized into small groups led by assigned faculty members. A uniform schedule of topics was prearranged to ensure continuity and avoid duplication of material. The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) surgery subject examination raw score and percentile rank assignments were analyzed for 1 medical graduating class taught using the traditional method and compared with the subsequent class taught in small groups. A survey was administered to assess student and faculty regarding the new format.

RESULTS

Average NBME percentile rank score for students educated in small groups versus lecture-only groups improved significantly (61.2 vs 55.9, p = 0.04, Student t test). The students reported increased time spent preparing for small group over lecture and more satisfaction with the small group teaching environment. Faculty members reported an increase in time needed to deliver the session but otherwise gave strong positive feedback.

CONCLUSIONS

Concerns that student performance on standardized testing would suffer from the proposed change were not substantiated as performance on NBME subject examinations actually improved. Additional preparation time, method preference, favorable balance of classroom to clinical exposure, and direct interactions with faculty may be responsible for the observed increase in NBME examination percentile scores. Faculty members were overwhelmingly in favor of the new model and the additional direct contact with students may prove beneficial in junior faculty promotion and career development.

Effective teaching methods for geriatric competencies

This study assesses how effective classroom sessions are at teaching geriatric competencies to medical students. At Stony Brook Medical School, most geriatric competencies are taught in the Ambulatory Care Clerkship during small-group educational sessions. Clinical exposure to reinforce these specialized skills varies with preceptor assignment. A student's ability to perform geriatric assessments was evaluated by scores on an Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) with a geriatric patient. Scores from students who received additional clinical practice of these skills were compared with scores from students who did not. No significant difference in OSCE scores were seen between the two groups.

Students' and teachers' perceived and actual verbal interactions in seminar groups

OBJECTIVES

This study set out to examine how much time students and teachers devote to different learning-oriented interactions during seminar sessions and students' and teachers' perceptions about the occurrence and desirability of these interactions.

METHODS

Students and teachers participating in eight seminar group sessions in Year 4 of an undergraduate veterinary curriculum completed an 11-item questionnaire which asked them to rate, on a 5-point Likert scale, the frequency of occurrence and level of desirability of three learning-oriented types of interaction: exploratory questioning; cumulative reasoning, and handling of conflict about knowledge. The questionnaire also invited positive and negative responses to aspects of group interactions and an overall mark (1-10) for the seminars and group interactions. Four group sessions were video-recorded and analysed using a coding scheme. The amount of time devoted to the different interactions was calculated.

RESULTS

Both students and teachers gave scores of 3.0-3.5 for frequency of occurrence of exploratory questioning and cumulative reasoning and < 3.0 for occurrence of handling of conflict about knowledge. The desired occurrences of all interaction types were significantly higher than the actual occurrences according to students and teachers. Teachers were responsible for the majority of the interactions (93%). The percentages of session time devoted to teacher-centred cumulative reasoning, exploratory questioning and handling of conflict about knowledge were 65.8%, 15.6% and 3.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Group interactions in seminar groups are dominated by the posing of questions by teachers to students. The moderate occurrence of group interactions as perceived by students and teachers may be explained by the inadequate preparation of teachers and students to stimulate group interactions.