Student Response Systems and Learning: Perceptions of the Student

To assess student perception of learning and use of a student response system (SRS) as a teaching/learning strategy. Survey methods were used to explore student perceptions of learning and use of student response systems as a pedagogical strategy. Fifty-nine graduate students participated in the survey post completion of two graduate intervention courses. Overall, there was a positive response to the use of SRS's in the classroom. All of the students (100%) recommended the continued use of the clickers for various reasons. The primary benefit reported by students related to providing immediate feedback, the opportunity to manipulate and revisit the content, and the ability to check for understanding within a class session. Students recommended the continued use of the SRS in classes to support acquisition of content and exam preparation. The student reported technology difficulties as the only the negative to SRS use in the classroom. Instructor perception was that the addition of the SRS devices added a new way to interact with the students. Suggestions for incorporating the use of a SRS devices into classroom instruction are offered.     

Does teaching style matter? A randomised trial of group discussion versus lectures in orthopaedic undergraduate teaching

OBJECTIVES: Educational theory suggests that lectures may not be the best way to impart knowledge to students. The aim of this study was to compare the use of didactic lectures with that of interactive discussion sessions in undergraduate teaching of orthopaedics and trauma. METHODS: A total of 77 medical students were assessed in 3 consecutive cohorts. The students were randomised into 2 groups. The first group received a series of 12 formal lectures. The second group covered the same topics in 12 group-discussion sessions with self-directed learning. RESULTS: The students in the interactive discussion group rated the presentation of their teaching more highly than those in the lecture group (P = 0.003). However, there was no difference in their rating of the content of the sessions. The students in the discussion group also performed better on their end-of-placement written test (P = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: We found that interactive teaching styles are more popular than didactic lectures in undergraduate orthopaedic and trauma teaching. We also found some evidence that knowledge retention is better following an interactive teaching style.     

The Use of Audience Response System Technology With Limited-English-Proficiency,Low-Literacy,and Vulnerable Populations

Audience response systems (ARS) have long been used to improve the interactivity of educational activities. Most studies of ARS have addressed education of literate trainees. How well these devices work with low-literacy subjects is not well studied. Information gathering on the training audience is an important use of ARS and helpful in improving the targeting of training information. However, obtaining demographic information from vulnerable populations with reasons to be concerned about divulging information about themselves has not been tested. In addition, a culturally competent method to effectively collect demographic and evaluation data of this growing population is essential. This project investigated the use of ARS to gather information from Hispanic immigrant workers, many of whom are socially vulnerable and have limited English proficiency (LEP) and low-literacy. Workers attended focus groups and were asked to use ARS devices or clickers to respond to questions. Questions were both categorical (multiple choice) and open-ended numerical (text entry), and varied from simple queries to more sensitive points regarding immigration. Most workers answered the one-key response categorical questions with little difficulty. In contrast, some participants struggled when responding to numerical questions, especially when the response required pressing multiple clicker keys. An overwhelming majority of participants reported that the clickers were comfortable and easy to use despite the challenges presented by the more complex responses. The error rate increased as question complexity increased and the trend across three ordered categories of response complexity reached statistical significance. Results suggest that ARS is a viable method for gathering dichotomous or higher-order categorical information from LEP and low-literacy populations in a group setting while assuring anonymity. However, it is recommended that clickers be developed and tested with fewer, bigger, and more widely separated buttons, and less printing on the buttons for these populations. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of using clickers with simplified configurations in the workplace as a tool to collect data for surveys and assessments and to better engage LEP and low-literacy workers in training sessions.     

Student utilization of health services at a university hospital in Turkey.

This paper gives the results of the first pilot study of health care utilization by Turkish university students who receive much of their student health-related services from an affiliated university hospital. The survey was distributed to 393 students and a response rate of 59.8% was obtained. In general students did not report satisfaction with the health services they received. This finding is significant because the hospital concerned is considered 'state of the art' in Turkey. Significant levels of dissatisfaction were noted across several treatment and provider variables, and comparisons with American health services are made. Suggestions for improving the student health services in the country are generated and future research recommendations are highlighted.     

Measuring what Medical Students Think about Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): A Pilot Study of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Survey

With increasing national and international support for the development of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) curricula in American medical schools, it is essential to measure what learners know and believe about CAM in order to assess outcomes of new teaching efforts. This paper describes the development and initial results of a survey designed for those purposes. The survey is constructed so that earlier single-institution studies of students’ attitudes toward CAM topics, preferred ways of learning about CAM, and students’ use of CAM therapies for self-care might be replicated and extended. A pilot test of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( CAM) Survey was conducted with third-year medical students at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Validity and reliability studies of the survey were conducted. Findings were compared to those of previously published studies. Interpretable subscales were constructed from survey questions. Students’ attitudes toward CAM-related topics were generally favorable. More students were familiar with biological-based therapies than with other CAM therapies. The majority of respondents listed lectures as their preferred way to learn about CAM. Respondents’ own CAM use varied; minority and economically-disadvantaged students were more likely to use CAM therapies than other students. The survey is a promising assessment of student attitudes toward and knowledge of CAM therapies.     

Brief or New: The Benefits of On-Line Learning in Occupational Therapy

SUMMARY

This paper discusses the benefits of incorporating an on-line program, such as Blackboard, into occupational therapy education to enhance the learning experience. An occupational therapy department at a midwestern university piloted the use of Blackboard in two classes in the spring semester of the junior year. Students (n = 16) ranging in age from 20–28 years participated in the pilot study, which lasted a period of 12 weeks. The students were given various assignments on Blackboard involving discussions, answering questions related to the lecture topic, and sharing evidence-based practice. Overall, the student perceptions of incorporating Blackboard into a traditional classroom were positive. Eighty-one percent of the students felt that Blackboard was easy to access, 75% felt that they could share thoughts and stories that they would not necessarily have shared in a classroom setting, and 81% felt that Blackboard expanded on lecture topics and relevant practice information. Data suggest that on-line learning can enhance the educational experience by building upon student fieldwork experiences, evidence-based practice, discussion of key concepts in the profession, and clinical reasoning.     

The Baltimore pregnancy prevention program for urban teenagers. II. What did it cost?

An experimental pregnancy prevention program for junior and senior high school students consisted of classroom lectures, informal discussion groups and individual counseling in the schools and group education, individual counseling and reproductive health care in a nearby clinic. The structure of the program allowed for extensive individual counseling for students who desired it, and the reported costs are thus considered generous. School-based services utilized 40 percent of a total three-year budget of $409,250, and clinic services, 60 percent. The average cost per student served was $122, with the average per female student almost four times that per male and the average per senior high student more than twice that per junior high student. Students who utilized more expensive types of services, such as individual counseling and medical services in the clinic, also used other program offerings more frequently. Services to students who attended only class lectures cost an average of $13.20 to deliver, while students who utilized all services cost the program an average of $546 each.     

Medical students' evaluation of tutors in a group-learning curriculum

This study focused on students' evaluation of tutors' effectiveness during an academic term, using a nineteen-item questionnaire. The study took place within an integrated problem-solving medical course. Four major factors in the tutor's behaviour were identified as having importance in the rating process: the ability to care for students, a knowledge of course structure and teaching staff philosophy, the ability to encourage independent thinking in students and a knowledge of the specific medical problems being studied. Further analysis suggested that students distinguish between good and bad tutors, those in different medical strands and with differing status. In general, the findings complement those dealing with student evaluation of lectures and to some extent, patient satisfaction with doctors.     

The television, school, and family project. V. The impact of curriculum delivery format on program acceptance

Social psychological interventions have been successful in preventing drug and tobacco use in adolescents, but target audience involvement has not been well documented. Examination of program acceptance is necessary to avoid ambiguity when interpreting findings within and across studies. This report presents results from a program acceptance study of a seventh-grade smoking/drug-use prevention and cessation field trial. The research design is an assessment of two experimentally manipulated variations in program delivery on the program acceptance of all provider and target groups involved. Experimental manipulations included classroom and mass broadcast television demonstrations of social resistance skills against pressures to smoke and use drugs. Three aspects of target audience program acceptance were assessed: participation, satisfaction, and perceived program efficacy. Respondents included the target audience (seventh-grade students and parents), instructors, classroom observers, and school administrative staff. Strong main effects of television delivery on student and parent participation were observed. The findings suggest the usefulness of student homework assignment to view television segments with parents at home as a strategy to achieve family involvement in school-based programs. Both television and classroom delivery separately demonstrated significant positive effects on overall program acceptance with moderate interactive effects on perceived program efficacy. While classroom teacher/observers and school administrators reported strong preferences for the experimental (social resistance) classroom curriculum, acceptance of experimental and comparison (information-based) curricula by the student/parent target audience was equivalent.     

Teens Teach Skin Cancer Prevention

Abstract: Cumulative sun exposure has been linked to about 95 percent of all skin cancers. Farmers and their families, by nature of their occupations, are exposed to an abundance of sun over a long period of time and, therefore, are at an increased risk for skin cancer. Because education is known to be a primary means of health, Future Farmers of America (FFA) peer facilitators (teen educators) provided third graders in rural communities sun protection education with the hope that the message would reach the entire family. The FFA facilitators (n=217) from 39 FFA organizations throughout Wisconsin were trained with skin cancer and sun protection information. The FFA facilitators then gave presentations on sun protection to third graders (n=2,007) in their school districts. Control schools included 57 facilitators and 669 third graders. Evaluation involved pre-, post-, and six-month follow-up surveys testing knowledge gained by the third graders. Students who correctly responded to a question on the post-survey after incorrectly answering it on the pre-survey were said to have had a knowledge gain for that question. By using chi-square tests, the intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant (P<0.001) higher proportion of students experiencing knowledge gain than did the control group from pre- to post-surveys for nine of the 10 questions. Summary statistics were used to describe the study population. In addition to skin cancer knowledge questions, the survey of facilitators included sun protection behavior and attitude questions. This intervention was able to use peer educators as instructors to demonstrate knowledge gain in the youths of the target population. The pilot project materials costs were $0.55 per third grade student and $3.50 per facilitator. Using a school-based organization such as FFA provided a cost-effective means of reaching the rural population.     

上海市某高校学生生殖健康知识、态度与需求调查

目的了解上海市在校一年级大学生生殖健康知识、态度和需求状况,为开展大学生生殖健康教育提供依据。方法采用整群随机抽样方法,应用自行设计的问卷对上海市某高校大学生进行调查。结果调查对象对生殖健康一般知识和其他性传播疾病的了解欠佳,对艾滋病相关知识的认知较好,参加过生殖健康教育讲座的学生仅在少数知识点上的知晓率高于未参加者,差异不明显。大学生选择获取生殖健康知识方式的前三位是：健康讲座、健康咨询和短信。结论大学生生殖健康知识水平不全面,针对大学生对生殖健康教育的需求,教学内容需要不断改进,学校可以采用讲座、咨询和短信的方式有针对性地开展生殖健康教育。     

Educational intervention for preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases among teenagers in the city of Toledo, Spain

BACKGROUND: No-one doubts the need of effectively providing teenagers with information about birth control and sexually-transmitted diseases. This study is aimed at evaluating the results of an educational intervention related to these matters. METHODS: Before-and-after study of an educational intervention (based on lectures and handing out documentation) without a control group. A questionnaire was passed out before and after the intervention to assess changes in knowledge and attitudes of the 4th-year Compulsory Secondary Education students at five schools in Toledo. RESULTS: The questionnaire was answered by 238 of the 268 students. The average age was 15.59. A total of 54.66% were females. In all, 24.03% had had some sexual relation. The birth control method used most often was the condom (98.24%). The girls more refuse more unprotected relations (76.5% vs. 48.6%; p<0.001) and share the same classroom with a student having AIDS (80.47% vs. 60.38%; p<0.001). Six months following the start of the intervention, a total of 197 students answered the second questionnaire. Proper condom use rose from 62.13% to 73.46%. CONCLUSIONS: Following the intervention, an improvement has been noted in the degree of knowledge related to birth control methods and AIDS transmission and a more positive attitude regarding HIV.     

Adaptive feedback and student behaviour in computer-assisted instruction

Medical Education 2010: 44 : 1185–1193 Objectives Two packages of adaptive computer‐assisted instruction (CAIs), both offering questions and subsequent feedback, were compared in terms of amount of feedback offered, learning efficiency and appreciation. Feedback was either barely more than knowledge of result (‘minimal’) or consisted of a complete additional learning path (‘elaborate’). The CAIs differed in the way the type of feedback given was triggered. Methods A total of 97 Bachelor of Science students were stratified based on a pre‐test before the experiment and were allocated randomly to two groups to receive either a ‘programme‐assessed’ or a ‘student‐assessed’ treatment. In the former, the feedback provided by the CAI (either elaborate or minimal) was completely determined by the objective correctness of the student’s response. In the student‐assessed treatment, elaborate feedback was provided only to students who stated explicitly that they did not know the answer. Afterwards, students completed a post‐test and an appreciation questionnaire. Results Both CAIs resulted in a significant learning effect, but overall the effect was significantly higher in the programme‐assessed treatment. Students using the student‐assessed CAI hardly ever used the ‘I don’t know’ option and therefore received mostly minimal feedback. There was no difference in students’ appreciation between treatments. An interaction between the learner’s prior knowledge and treatment was found: for learners with a high level of prior knowledge the programme‐assessed treatment resulted in significantly higher learning effectiveness compared with the student‐assessed treatment, whereas for learners with a low level of prior knowledge there was no significant difference. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that learners achieved a significantly higher learning effectiveness in the programme‐assessed treatment in which the received feedback was fully controlled by the correctness of the answer, compared with the student‐assessed treatment. In the latter, students hardly ever admitted to not knowing the answer. Therefore, student‐initiated use of the tool in a student‐assessed CAI requires to be improved.     

Nutrition education for medical students: evaluation of the relative contribution of freshman courses in biochemistry and nutrition to performance on a standardized examination in nutrition

An examination previously developed and used for assessment of nutrition knowledge of medical students in the Southeastern Regional Medical-Nutrition Education Network was used to compare the effectiveness of a basic medical biochemistry course and a 58-hour required nutrition course. The examination was administered to a cohort of freshman students upon entry to medical school, after biochemistry, and then after nutrition. Two other student groups took the examination at the end of the sophomore and senior years, respectively. In the freshman cohort, mean nutrition knowledge scores increased slightly after biochemistry, (52% to 56%), which contained 37 nutrition-related lectures. The mean score of the cohort was 75% after the nutrition course. The sophomores scored 75% and the seniors 73%. These findings suggest 1) basic science courses such as biochemistry cannot be relied upon to add significantly to nutrition knowledge, and 2) a required freshman course can be an effective way to introduce basic and clinical nutrition with good retention of knowledge in subsequent years.     

Development and Use of an Evaluation Tool for Taste-Testing Activities by School-Aged Children

We describe the development and application of a teacher-administered tool for routine program evaluation of food-tasting activities among low-income children and adolescents in a classroom or afterschool setting. This six-item evaluation tool is intended to capture student willingness to try new foods and ask for them at home. Phase 1 involved one-on-one interviews to determine the feasibility of the taste test tool among nine elementary school teachers in 2009 (168 students) and a validation pilot study in 2010 among 114 school-aged students participating in a University of California Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nutrition Education (UC SNAP-Ed) summer program. Phase 2 determined instrument reliability and compared student response by grade level and food category in a convenience sample of 514 UC SNAP-Ed classrooms in 2010-2011. The mean proportion of the classroom ever having tried the foods before was 0.62±0.33, and 0.77±0.27 were willing to ask for the foods at home (P<0.0001). Compared with younger students (preschool through sixth grade), older students (seventh through 12th grade) were less likely to try the foods in class and less willing to try them again or ask for them at home (P<0.05). Students reported significantly greater previous exposure and willingness to try the food again for fruits than for vegetables (P<0.0001). A teacher-administered taste test tool is feasible to use in a group setting and capable of yielding valid, reliable information to evaluate student response and to guide SNAP-Ed program delivery.     

AIDS: Questions from Fifth and Sixth Grade Students

Family Medicine resident physicians gave a slide show of information on AIDS to fifth and sixth grade students and their teachers. Throughout the program, students were encouraged to ask questions, which were recorded and categorized. Information on the presentation process, program content, and nature of the questions asked is presented. Through this pilot program, physicians in residency were trained and placed in a setting which allowed them to discuss AIDS with young people. Teachers were exposed to knowledge and techniques useful to their future role as educators concerning AIDS. The use of residents as co-educators in public school classrooms was shown to be an asset in the sometimes difficult, but necessary task of educating this age group about AIDS. More importantly, a unique insight into student perceptions was gained through the careful examination of 400 student questions about AIDS and other sexuality related issues.     

Occupational Therapy Master-Level Students' Evidence-Based Practice Knowledge and Skills Before and After Fieldwork

ABSTRACT

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has become a universal standard for practice among healthcare professions, but due to barriers to EBP, the most effective ways of teaching EBP are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to report students’ EBP knowledge and skill gained from an entry-level Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy course in EBP. The Adapted Fresno Test of EBP was administered at the beginning and end of the course and after fieldwork experience. Results indicated that EBP knowledge and skills increased between the precourse and postcourse measurements (t = ?7.98; p < 0.001), but declined between postcourse and postfieldwork measurements (t = 6.65; p < 0.001) indicating that the course improved basic EBP skills and knowledge, but was ineffective in giving the students the strategies to retain and use those skills beyond the classroom. Suggestions are made to strengthen the student retention and use of EBP skills and knowledge after graduation.     

A Strategy to Standardize the Learning of Core Clerkship Objectives

Background: Consistent and effective implementation of clinical clerkship objectives remains elusive. Using the behavioral principles of self assessment, active learning and learner differences, we designed an objectives checklist to ensure that all students mastered a core body of internal medicine (IM) knowledge and to facilitate self-directed learning. Methods: We developed a 54-item learning objectives checklist card in the IM clerkship. In a randomized controlled trial by clerkship site and block, students in the intervention group received the checklist card and were instructed to obtain sign off on objectives by faculty and housestaff and to seek teaching, literature, and clinical experiences to satisfy objectives unmet through routine activities. Intervention group faculty and housestaff were oriented to the use of the checklist. Both intervention and control groups received the course syllabus. We assessed learning with faculty and housestaff evaluations, student knowledge self-assessment, and a written examination. Satisfaction with the cards was assessed with written evaluations. Results: There were no significant differences in ward evaluations, examination scores or self-assessed knowledge between students using the learning objectives cards and control groups. Faculty were more likely than students to agree that objectives cards improved education. Conclusions: An intervention designed to guide students in the use of a learning objectives card did not enhance learning as assessed by ward evaluations, a written examination, and satisfaction surveys. It is possible that more sensitive outcome measures could detect differences in knowledge for students using learning objectives checklist cards. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Epidemiology for medical students: a controlled trial of three teaching methods

Medical students taking a course in epidemiology for clinical practice were taught by either lectures, small group seminars or self-learning packages. Examination performances were no different for the three groups, but self-perceived mastery of learning objectives, and satisfaction with the course were higher for students who received self-learning packages. Sixty per cent of self instruction students found the teaching method was successful compared with 37% of the seminar students and only 19% who received lectures. A combination of self-instructional package and seminar would seem to hold most promise for a workable and effective course.