Peer instruction in a physiology laboratory course in China

The effectiveness of combining e-learning, peer teaching, and flipped classroom for delivering a physiology laboratory course to nursing students

The Internet and 5G era makes e-learning a vital part of modern education, and extensive evidence has shown that peer teaching and flipped classroom contribute to increased success in medical teaching. However, the applicability of these pedagogies in laboratory courses remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the academic performance, proficiency in procedural skills, and perception of nursing students in physiology laboratory classes delivered with nontraditional classroom (NTC) pedagogies comprising the combination of e-learning, peer teaching, and flipped classroom. Each class was subdivided into two equal halves by successive student identification (ID) number and randomly assigned to the control or NTC group. Compared to the control class, NTC teaching significantly enhanced mean score of six preclass tests (67.77 ± 9.83 vs. 62.94 ± 9.70), with "B" graders increased obviously, suggesting that preclass e-learning was more effective than textbook-based preview, especially for general grasp of the topic. Similarly, average scores on postclass quizzes in the NTC group were improved (79.40 ± 9.12 vs. 74.43 ± 8.88). Lesser time cost and higher success rates were observed in trachea, artery, and heart catheterizations in the NTC group, although no disparities were found in ureteral intubation. The majority (∼74%) of students supported the reform and shared positive experiences with NTC methodology. They reported that virtual experiments and self-paced procedural skill videos affected pre- and in-class learning outcomes most, respectively. These findings indicated that NTC pedagogy was workable to improve students' subject scores and proficiency in complicated and direct-viewing procedural skills and was favorable to students.

Practice and exploration of the "student-centered" multielement fusion teaching mode in human anatomy

Purpose

Human anatomy is a core course of basic medicine and the first professional course for medical students. Traditional teaching includes "teacher-centered" instruction, passive learning, and a lack of interaction between teachers and students as well as between students. The aim of this study was to develop a "student-centered" multielement fusion teaching mode to address the mentioned drawbacks.

Methods

A total of 141 clinical medical students from grades 2016 and 2017 of Chengde Medical University participated in this study. The students were randomly divided into four classes: two experimental classes and two control classes. The experimental classes experienced a "student-centered" multielement fusion teaching mode, while the control classes experienced a traditional teaching method. Formative assessments and questionnaires were used to assess the students' preferences and obtain feedback. Theoretical and experimental tests were carried out to detect the students' scores at the end of the semester.

Results

The results of the questionnaires demonstrated that 100% of the students agreed that the multielement teaching mode was better. In the experimental test, the students in the experimental group achieved a mean score of 16.50 ± 0.3203, which was significantly higher than that of the control group 12.65 ± 0.4731 (P < 0.01). In the theoretical test, the average score of the experimental group was 45.86 ± 0.6273 and that of the control group was 46.59 ± 0.6636; thus, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The application of a "student-centered" multielement fusion teaching mode obtained strong approval from the students. This teaching mode not only improved students' interest in learning and increased the interaction between teachers and students as well as between students but also enhanced students' competence and will lay a solid foundation for their future careers.

Staff-student interactions in a physiology laboratory class: What do they involve and are they important?

Although considerable staff resources are often allocated to the teaching of undergraduate laboratory classes, there is a paucity of discussion regarding the extent and substance of the staff-student interactions that occur within classes and also whether these interactions benefit student learning in any way. Performed across four undergraduate laboratory sessions, this exploratory study aimed to quantify the interactions in terms of frequency, duration, and initiation of interactions, as well as gathering staff and student perceptions of the impact of the interactions. Staff gathered descriptive data by completing an observation checklist after each interaction and also provided their own perceptions of the interaction focus and outcome. Student perceptions were collected using an online survey after each class. Staff perceived that the most frequent achievement of the interactions was to enable students to progress with work. However, students' perceptions suggested that staff may underestimate the impact of staff-student interactions on conceptual learning. The most striking findings were the students' perceptions of the impact of interactions on their affective domain. On average, 93% of students agreed that when staff take an interest in their work, it motivates them to work hard, and 78% agreed that interactions with staff made the classes more enjoyable. With evidence that positive affect such as enjoyment is positively associated with aspects of learning, this is a salient finding. The study underscores the value of staff availability within the laboratory class and provides impetus to reevaluate how we perceive these interactions and their impact on student learning.

Outcome-based student assessment enhances academic performance in basic medical laboratory course

Basic medical laboratory courses (BMLCs) play an important role in medical educational courses helping the student acquire three important skills of surgical operating, collaborative learning, and problem solving. The outcome-based student assessment (OBSA) is a learning evaluation method that establishes specific evaluation points based on performance of students in three aspects: surgical operating, collaborative learning, and problem solving in the BMLC curriculum practices. The purpose of the present randomized controlled trial study is to explore the efficiency of OBSA program in BMLCs. The 233 students attending BMLCs were randomly divided into 2 groups, 118 in the OBSA group and 115 in the control group. We conducted multiple-choice examination questions (MCQs) test and two questionnaires with the method of two-sample t test for statistics. The results of MCQs in total eight BMLC blocks showed that the academic performance of the OBSA group was significantly better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the average scores of direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) and mini-experimental evaluation exercise in OBSA group were significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.05). The majority of the medical students preferred the OBSA and considered OBSA could effectively improve their surgical operating skills (83.9%), collaborative learning skills (92.1%), and problem-solving skills (91.1%). From the above, OBSA is an effective evaluation method for the implementation of the BMLC curriculum.

Structured oral examination as an effective assessment tool in lab-based physiology learning sessions

Traditional oral examination (TOE) is criticized for the shortage of objectivity, standardization, and reliability. These perceived limitations can be mitigated by the introduction of structured oral examination (SOE). There is little evidence of the implementation of SOE in physiology laboratory courses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of SOE in laboratory-based learning sessions. Second-year medical students (n = 114) attended a 16-wk physiology laboratory course. They were initially assessed by TOE in the middle of the academic term. The students' perspectives on this assessment were measured by a modified three-point Likert-type scale questionnaire. Following this, faculty members prepared topics for SOE; nine topics were included from each laboratory course. The correct answers and scoring criteria were discussed among the faculty before the SOE event. One week after the last laboratory course, SOE was carried out for each student. As with the TOE process, student feedback was collected via a modified three-point Likert-type scale questionnaire. The mean laboratory homework score from the first four and last four laboratory courses was also calculated. Paper exams were also conducted after TOE and SOE. The results show that SOE is more acceptable to students than TOE. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in terms of uniformity of questions asked, syllabus coverage, and anxiety levels. In addition, SOE improved students' performance in the laboratory course explored here. We contend that SOE shows promise as an effective assessment tool in laboratory-based physiology learning sessions.

Blended learning in basic medical laboratory courses improves medical students' abilities in self-learning, understanding, and problem solving

Blended learning, is a teaching approach that integrates online self-learning and classroom teaching. When designed well, blended learning courses in medicine can facilitate students to improve themselves in self-learning, understanding, and problem solving, ultimately enhancing their learning efficiency. However, blended teaching methods are usually used in only a single course, so it is unclear whether these methods can work well in a variety of basic medical courses. The goal of this study is to explore students' perceptions of whether blended laboratory courses are helpful for them in overcoming the difficulties they experience. Blended laboratory courses were taken by medical students at Guilin Medical University. Approximately 71.1% of the students agreed that online lecture courses improved their understanding of threshold concepts and the underlying theories. The majority of the students (63.01%) held the opinion that the blended laboratory courses were more effective than other types of courses in achieving the knowledge goals. The majority of the teachers believed that students' interest in experimentation operations, hands-on abilities, confidence, and other factors were greatly improved compared with those of students taught using the traditional teaching model (face to face). In addition, the average scores for the quizzes of laboratory courses were significantly improved in the blended learning method compared with the traditional learning method. Blended laboratory courses are successful and welcomed by both students and teachers in undergraduate laboratory courses.

Muscle metaboreflex activation via postexercise ischemia as a tool for teaching cardiovascular physiology for undergraduate students

The cardiovascular responses to exercise are mediated by several interactive neural mechanisms, including central command, arterial baroreflex, and skeletal muscle mechano- and metaboreflex. In humans, muscle metaboreflex activation can be isolated via postexercise ischemia (PEI), which increases sympathetic nerve activity and partially maintains the exercise-induced increase in arterial blood pressure. Here, we describe a practical laboratory class using PEI as a simple and useful technique to teach cardiovascular physiology. In an undergraduate exercise physiology class ( n = 47), a traditional 4-h lecture was conducted discussing the neural control mechanisms of cardiovascular regulation during exercise. Thereafter, eight students (4 men and 4 women) were selected to participate as a volunteer of a practical laboratory class. Each participant performed 90 s of isometric handgrip exercise at 40% of maximal voluntary contraction, followed by 3 min of PEI. Arterial blood pressure and heart rate were measured by digital monitors at rest and during isometric handgrip, PEI, and recovery. In addition, blood samples were collected from the tip of the exercising finger for blood lactate analyses. After the laboratory class, a survey was given to determine the perceptions of the students. The findings demonstrate that this laboratory class has proved to be highly popular with students, who self-reported a significant improvement in their understanding of several aspects of cardiovascular regulation during exercise.