Creating and running an escape room for healthcare curricula: AMEE Guide No. 168

In this guide we provide instructions and recommendations about creating and running escape rooms for healthcare education. In recent years there has been a growing interest in adopting escape rooms as an educational tool to be included in healthcare curricula, and we attempt to explain why and how these tools are fit for the particularities of this type of education. We first describe the steps that a design team will have to follow to create an educational escape room from scratch, from core characteristics like target audience and learning goals to actual puzzle design and testing. We then continue by providing recommendations to operators and lecturers about how to run such escape room as part of an overall teaching session that also includes a lecture, briefing, debriefing and evaluation. We finalise this guide by listing a set of tools for validating and evaluating these types of escape rooms.

Promising score for teaching and learning environment: an experience of a fledgling medical college in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Professional competency of graduates of an institute reflects its teaching and learning environment (TLE). This study aimed to provide a preliminary assessment of the TLE at the College of Medicine at Majmaah University.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the 2019-20 academic year among students at the College. A validated scoring tool "the Experience of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire" (available at https://bit.ly/3sVBuEw ) was used. The mean score of each section and statement, the difference between the mean scores of different demographic groups, and correlations between sections were analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 234 (72.2%) enrolled students participated in this survey, with a male-to-female ratio and a ratio of participants from basic to clinical years being 2:1 and 1:1, respectively. Most participants reported a GPA of above 3/5. The overall mean score was 3.52/5 points. Section one "approaches to learning and studying" has the highest mean score (3.68), and no section scored a mean below three, though section three "demands made by the course" scored a borderline mean of 3.08. Students in clinical years had a significantly higher overall mean score compared to their counterparts (3.66 vs. 3.39, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Students at the College had a positive perception of the TLE, but face challenges in coping with the demands of acquiring knowledge and subject-based skills, and in appreciating the TLE especially during basic science years, highlighting the need for an atmosphere that allows them to meet demands and develop greater appreciation.

The situational analysis of teaching-learning in clinical education in Iran: a postmodern grounded theory study

BACKGROUND

Clinical teaching-learning is a context-bound phenomenon. One of the problems related to field of medical education research is the lack of sufficient attention to context-appropriate methodologies. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry is to explain and represent teaching-learning in the clinical education of general medicine in Iran using the three types of maps situational, social worlds/arenas, positional, in combination with discourse analysis.

METHODS

In this study, the authors used the situational analysis approach as a postmodern version of grounded theory. The data collection was undertaken in three stages. In the first stage, a mini literature review was conducted to highlight a possible gap in applying situational analysis in medical education research and the development of this methodology. In the second stage, the latest and most up-to-date documents of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) of Iran, the general medicine curriculum, and related documents were analyzed. Finally, the remote semi-structured interviews (web-based and telephone) were undertaken in the third stage. Participants in this stage included expert clinical teachers, medical education specialists, and students. In this study, the notes and transcripts were analyzed for the emergence and categorization of sub-themes and themes, represented in three maps.

RESULTS

Thirty-one participants were involved in the web-based interviews, while seven participants took part in the telephone interview. Based on this research, the teaching-learning situation in clinical education on general medicine in Iran was represented in three maps; situational, social worlds/arenas, and positional. In addition, the results showed, clinical education of general medicine in Iran in six positions (curriculum; culture, behavior and attitude; management and leadership; environment, space and time; financial; and technology) has serious problems and challenges. Finally, based on the horizontal axis of the positional map, recommendations were provided to develop and support effective clinical teaching.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical learning environment is a complex and multi-layered social environment in which should be considered these numerous social layers, arenas, social worlds, and discourses while developing curricula and teaching.

Learner involvement in the co-creation of teaching and learning: AMEE Guide No. 138

This AMEE guide aims to emphasize the value of active learner involvement in the design and development of education, referred to as co-creation, and provides practical tips for medical educators interested in implementing co-created educational initiatives at their own institutions. Starting with definitions of co-creation and related terms, we then describe its benefits and summarize the literature in medical and higher education to provide an appropriate context and a shared mental model for health professions educators across the world. Potential challenges and barriers to implementation of co-creation in practice are described in detail from the perspective of learners, teachers, and institutions. Challenges are linked to relevant principles of Self-Determination Theory, Positioning Theory and theory on Psychological Safety, to provide direction and fundamental reasons for implementation of co-creation. Finally, solutions to listed challenges and practical approaches to education design and implementation using co-creation are described in detail. These tips include strategies for supporting learners and teachers in the process, enhancing the collaboration between them, and ensuring appropriate support at the organizational level.