Can medical students teach? A near-peer-led teaching program for year 1 students

The General Medical Council states that United Kingdom graduates must function effectively as educators. There is a growing body of evidence showing that medical students can be included as teachers within a medical curriculum. Our aim was to design and implement a near-peer-led teaching program in an undergraduate medical curriculum and assess its acceptability among year 1 students. Students received six tutorials focusing on aspects of cardiac, respiratory, and blood physiology. Tutorials ran alongside standard module teaching. Students were taught in groups of ～30 students/group, and an active teaching approach was used in sessions where possible. Using anonymous evaluations, student feedback was collected for the program overall and for each tutorial. The program was voluntary and open to all first-year students, and 94 (of 138) medical students from year 1 at Brighton and Sussex Medical School were recruited to the study. The tutorial program was popular among students and was well attended throughout. Individual tutorial and overall program quantitative and qualitative feedback showed that students found the tutorials very useful in consolidating material taught within the module. Students found the small group and active teaching style of the near-peer tutors very useful to facilitating their learning experience. The end-of-module written examination scores suggest that the tutorials may have had a positive effect on student outcome compared with previous student attainment. In conclusion, the present study shows that a near-peer tutorial program can be successfully integrated into a teaching curriculum. The feedback demonstrates that year 1 students are both receptive and find the additional teaching of benefit.     

Creating a surgery clerkship in a changing environment: reality, simulation, and the rules of engagement

This review describes the current challenges associated with creating a successful surgical clerkship and the ways in which teacher-focused and curriculum-focused initiatives can address these challenges. The challenges are both systemic (reflected by changes in our health care system and training programs) and institutional (reflected by factors that affect curriculum design and faculty advancement). Particular attention is paid to residents as teachers, faculty as mentors, the educational impact of the operating room, and the role of simulation. Strategies for engaging students, residents, and faculty are explored. The premise and impact of a comprehensive simulation course on the clinical education of medical students is detailed. Emphasis is placed on the educational validity of accountability and engagement of both the teachers and the learners.     

The teaching house officer

Although medical students on clinical ward rotations receive a large part of their education from house officers, very often house officers themselves have had little formal preparation as teachers. Because students and teachers work closely together under special conditions, unique educational situations are created where much more than factual information is conveyed. Although some house officers are "natural" teachers, others find such activities uncomfortable or burdensome. Most people, however, can be taught to be effective teachers, and preparation for teaching and teaching itself are beneficial for house officers and their patients as well as their students. House officers who teach enjoy the rewards that all teachers know as well as several others which are particular to the setting in which they teach. Mechanisms are suggested to maintain and develop interest in house staff teaching.     

八年制医学生妇产科临床实习教学法探讨

八年制医学生临床实习是理论应用于临床实践的过程,是八年制医学生教学的重点。传统”填鸭式”的教学方法限制了八年制医学生的进一步发展,不能满足高素质教育的要求。PBL教学法是以问题为基础的教学方法。大多研究表明,PBL影响知识的应用而不影响知识的获得,而EBM一循证医学的思维恰好是医学生获取知识的最佳指导思想。本文将PBL教学法和EBM思维结合到八年制医学生妇产科实际临床教学中发现,虽然在理论考试成绩上无明显差异,但在临床病例分析能力、临床证据采集能力、教学方式满意程度等方面均优于仅用PBL或者是仅用EBM的教学组。PBL教学法联合EBM思维更能提高八年制医学生分析问题、解决问题的能力,值得进一步推广应用。     

提高临床实习教学质量的实践与体会

临床实习是医学生大学教育阶段的重要组成部分,是医学生向临床医生转型的过渡时期。临床实习质量的高低直接关系到医学生的培养质量。在实习期间培养出扎实的临床基本功、科学的临床思维和高尚的医德医风对于医学生而言是非常重要的。同时,临床实习教学也是医学院校及教学医院的工作重心。作为教学医院,我院多年来积极推进教学改革,不断探索提升临床实习质量的方法,部分科室率先开展了PBL等新的教学模式,并取得了卓越的成效。我院领导阶层也通过抓好教学准备、提升带教质量、严格实习考核等方面的工作,全面提升了临床实习教学质量,从而提高了医学生的综合素质,也为提高执业医师考试通过率打下了坚实的基础。     

联合PBL和TBL教学法在胸外科临床实习教学中的应用研究

目的:通过实践教学、问卷调查和闭卷考试等方法探索以问题为中心教学法(PBL)与以小组为中心教学法(TBL)应用于胸外科临床实习教学的效果。方法:组织2013年2月至2014年2月期间在第四军医大学唐都医院实习的五年制临床医学专业学生共180人,其中教学改革组与传统教学组各90人,将所有学生随机分为12批,每批15人,每批学生的性别及入学成绩均无统计学差异,所有学生分批到胸腔外科实习。在学习结束时,采用不记名问卷调查和闭卷考试的形式,进行临床思维能力和教学效果的评价。结果:结果显示教学改革组的临床思维能力优于传统教学组,且教学改革组的教学效果也更受支持。结论:采用联合PBL和TBL的双轨教学法有助于提高学生的临床思维能力,可有效提高学习效果。     

Great Expectations: Teaching Ethics to Medical Students in South Africa

Many academic philosophers and ethicists are appointed to teach ethics to medical students. We explore exactly what this task entails. In South Africa the Health Professions Council's curriculum for training medical practitioners requires not only that students be taught to apply ethical theory to issues and be made aware of the legal and regulatory requirements of their profession, it also expects moral formation and the inculcation of professional virtue in students. We explore whether such expectations are reasonable. We defend the claim that physicians ought to be persons of virtuous character, on the grounds of the social contract between society and the profession. We further argue that since the expectations of virtue of health care professionals are reasonable, it is also sound reasoning to expect ethics teachers to try to inculcate such virtues in their students, so far as this is possible. Furthermore, this requires of such teachers that they be suitable role models of ethical practice and virtue, themselves. We claim that this applies to ethics teachers who are themselves not members of the medical profession, too, even though they are not bound by the same social contract as doctors. We conclude that those who accept employment as teachers of ethics to medical students, where as part of their contractual obligation they are expected to inculcate moral values in their students, ought to be prepared to accept their responsibility to be professionally ethical, themselves.     

A student-centred,problem-based curriculum: 5 years' experience.

In 1987, the University of Sherbrooke''s school of medicine implemented a student-centred, problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. The experience of the first 5 years is reviewed; program goals, the schedule of learning activities, the instructional format and assessment of student learning are described. The new program is more demanding of teachers and requires better faculty training in pedagogy. No new financial resources have been available. The preclinical reform has led to revision of the clerkship, where sessions on clinical reasoning are now based on the PBL philosophy. Student reactions to the program are reported. The Sherbrooke experience has demonstrated that it is both possible and feasible to shift from a traditional to a problem-based curriculum.     

Modified Team-Based Learning in an Ophthalmology Clerkship in China

ObjectiveTeam-based learning (TBL) is an increasingly popular teaching method in medical education. However, TBL hasn’t been well-studied in the ophthalmology clerkship context. This study was to examine the impact of modified TBL in such context and to assess the student evaluations of TBL.MethodsNinety-nine students of an 8-year clinical medicine program from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Centre, Sun Yat-sen University, were randomly divided into four sequential units and assigned to six teams with the same faculty. The one-week ophthalmology clerkship module included traditional lectures, gross anatomy and a TBL module. The effects of the TBL module on student performance were measured by the Individual Readiness Assurance Test (IRAT), the Group Readiness Assurance Test (GRAT), the Group Application Problem (GAP) and final examination scores (FESs). Students’ evaluations of TBL were measured by a 16-item questionnaire. IRAT and GRAT scores were compared using a paired t-test. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and subgroup analysis compared the effects among quartiles that were stratified by the Basic Ophthalmology Levels (BOLs). The BOLs were evaluated before the ophthalmology clerkship.ResultsIn TBL classes, the GRAT scores were significantly higher than the IRAT scores in both the full example and the BOL-stratified groups. It highlighted the advantages of TBL compared to the individual learning. Quartile-stratified ANOVA comparisons showed significant differences at FES scores (P < 0.01). In terms to IRAT, GRAT and GAP scores, there was no significant result. Moreover, IRAT scores only significantly differed between the first and fourth groups. The FES scores of the first three groups are significantly higher than the fourth group. Gender-specific differences were significant in FES but not the IRAT. Overall, 57.65% of student respondents agreed that TBL was helpful. Male students tended to rate TBL higher than female students.ConclusionThe application of modified TBL to the ophthalmology clerkship curriculum improved students’ performance and increased students’ engagement and satisfaction. TBL should be further optimized and developed to enhance the educational outcomes among multi-BOLs medical students.     

Determining undergraduate curriculum content in plastic surgery

The purpose of this study was to determine the cognitive knowledge and clinical skills related to plastic surgery that are essential for inclusion in an undergraduate curriculum. A questionnaire was distributed to surgical clerkship directors, plastic surgeons, and 1980 graduates of four medical schools. Respondents were asked to rate (0-3) the importance of 74 knowledge items and 28 clinical skills in relation to the knowledge/proficiency necessary for students to achieve prior to graduating from medical school (0 = unnecessary, 3 = indepth knowledge/proficiency important). Results of the questionnaire enabled the determination of mean response scores and the hierarchical ranking of questionnaire items. There was a high degree of correlation between the rankings of the three groups of respondents indicating agreement on knowledge and clinical skills in plastic surgery that are essential, as well as those nonessential, for the competent practice of medicine.     

开展临床指导教师对普通专科医师培训情况的调查结果分析

目的：调查我院专科医师培训开展的整体情况,为继续做好专科医师培训工作提供依据。方法：随机调查我院参与普通专科医师培训轮转科室的指导教师,发放自制调查表。结果：90％以上导师认为科室带教质量高;48．78％导师认为临床科室应为学员每月发放1000元以上生活补助;60．98％导师认为硕士研究生普通专科医师培训时间应为二年;60％以上导师认为应着重硕士研究生临床操作技能、医患沟通能力、病历书写能力及阅片能力等方面能力的培训;50％以上导师认为目前培训中存在的主要问题是生活无保障;图书馆国内外最新文献不足;监管力度不强;临床技能培训针对性不强等。结论：我院开展普通专科医师培训整体情况较好。但仍存在很多问题,在今后的培训过程中应继续为学员的生活提供更多保障,继续加强管理监督,保证培训按计划、按质量完成。     

开展临床指导教师对普通专科医师培训情况的调查结果分析

目的:调查我院专科医师培训开展的整体情况,为继续做好专科医师培训工作提供依据。方法:随机调查我院参与普通专科医师培训轮转科室的指导教师,发放自制调查表。结果:90%以上导师认为科室带教质量高;48.78%导师认为临床科室应为学员每月发放1000元以上生活补助;60.98%导师认为硕士研究生普通专科医师培训时间应为二年;60%以上导师认为应着重硕士研究生临床操作技能、医患沟通能力、病历书写能力及阅片能力等方面能力的培训;50%以上导师认为目前培训中存在的主要问题是生活无保障;图书馆国内外最新文献不足;监管力度不强;临床技能培训针对性不强等。结论:我院开展普通专科医师培训整体情况较好。但仍存在很多问题,在今后的培训过程中应继续为学员的生活提供更多保障,继续加强管理监督,保证培训按计划、按质量完成。     

生物化学在线课程建设的探索与应用

在疫情防控的特殊背景下,教师基于"超星学习通"平台构建了生物化学在线课程。教师通过利用优质丰富的教学资源,注重引入思政教育,构建合理有效的评价体系,保证教学活动顺利开展。在线学习实践和调查反馈显示,学生对在线课程大多持认可态度,并希望今后能继续开展线上教学方式。教师充分认识到线上教学由应急化转向常态化,需将传统教学的优势和线上学习的优势结合起来,充分发挥学生的主观能动性,达到最优的教育教学过程和最佳的学习效果。     

In the shadow of the Moon,what type of solar eclipse will we see?

Solar eclipses occur several times a year, but most people will be lucky if they see one total solar eclipse in their lifetime. There are two upcoming total solar eclipses that can be seen from different parts of the United States (August 21, 2017 and April 8, 2024), and they provide teachers with an amazing opportunity to engage students with a remarkable astronomical event. We summarize the science behind eclipses and describe an inexpensive activity for students from third grade up through middle school that will let them use models to see the differences between total, annular, and partial solar eclipses. The activity lets students explore why, during a solar eclipse, people in different areas will see different types of eclipses. The activity can be used as a way to get students excited about astronomy and the upcoming eclipses. We also give ideas for ways that teachers can engage their students during the eclipses.     

Exploring continuity equation via a modeling activity: in the context of crowd science

Abstract

Using problems from real life contexts which is related to learners’ environment or their culture plays an important role in their learning that concept. In this regard, science educators especially physics educators search for real-life domain of theoretical concepts for effective science teaching and they consider analogical and physical models as an opportunity in their instruction. In the presented activity, we worked with 66 senior pre-service science teachers from our science teaching methods course. We used crowd movements as a real-life domain of our analogical models to scientifically explain a stampede case, then utilized physical model to explore continuity equation. Real life problem based scenarios could be used while taking advantage of the 3?D modeling in teaching of scientific principle. As a result, we found that pre-service teachers were able to make scientific explanation for causes of stampedes by using modeling activity. High school teachers and upper-level instructors could benefit from including the modeling activity introduced in this study to help their students understand the concepts related to continuity equation by designing a physical model based on an analogical model. Via the physical model, students are able to make predictions, observations, interpretations and explanations of a complex and abstract scientific phenomenon.     

互动式课堂教学现状的调查（Ⅲ）

为加强课堂教学改革,提高人才培养质量,采取问卷调查的形式对互动式课堂教学现状进行了研究。结果表明：多数教师认为学生的兴趣和智力是影响师生互动的重要因素,其次学习态度和个人情绪也会影响互动式课堂教学效果;在调查互动式课堂教学对教师要求方面,27%的学生认为教师应该教学严谨且条理清晰,24%的学生认为教师应该幽默风趣且引人入胜,13%的学生认为教师应该知识渊博,36%的学生认为教师讲课不仅要教学严谨、幽默风趣、知识渊博,而且要综合能力较强;而在调查师生互动角色时,68%的教师认为需要师生双方面的共同努力,16%的教师认为重在教师,15%的教师认为重在学生,个别的选择了其他;另外,在调查师生互动的方式时,35%的学生认为采用“设置场景”进行课堂互动效果最好,28%的学生认为“辩论赛式”互动效果好,21%的学生选择“点名式”互动,只有少数学生选择了采取“留言薄”互动。本次调查获得的结果为高校进行互动式课堂教学改革提供了参考。     

Een carrière als specialist ouderengeneeskunde; iets voor de huidige geneeskundestudent?

Background

Due to the rise of older patients with multi-morbidity, we need more elderly care physicians. However, not all available training slots for the elderly care medicine specialty have been fully utilized in recent years. To assess medical student interest in this specialty as well as potential causes for this interest we explored the interest of medical students in the profession of elderly care physician, as well their perception of this profession, both in the ‘old curriculum’ and in a ‘new curriculum’, where the new curriculum had a mandatory elderly care medicine clerkship and more competency-related learning.

Method

At VUmc 120 final year medical students were asked to complete a questionnaire in 2014 about professional preferences and professional characteristics. The same questionnaire had been presented five years earlier, in 2009, to 150 medical students at the end of their final year.

Results

The response rates were 100% and 85% respectively. Of the students in the new curriculum 16,7% considered a career in elderly care medicine. This percentage was 9,4% for students in the old curriculum (p?=?0,087). The characteristics of the profession that appealed most to the students, but were not considered applicable to elderly care medicine were: diagnostics skills, acute complaints, visible results. The professional characteristics that students found to be very much applicable to this specialty, but less attractive for their future profession were: psychosocial, chronic and terminal conditions.

Discussion

We observe a trend that students in the new curriculum are more interested in the profession of elderly care physician, even though this interest remains limited. We recommend that the basic medical training, both in the bachelor phase and in a mandatory elderly care medicine clerkship, focus more on demonstrating that the characteristics students find appealing in the medical profession are indeed present in this speciality. Also, the basic training should concentrate more on guidance and treatment of patients with chronic and terminal conditions.

     

Issues in performing arts teacher preparation program evaluation policy

Solid, well-grounded teachers can be instrumental in solving the problems facing our schools and students because it is successful teachers who are the most valuable, in-school contributors to our students' success. The importance of teacher preparation programs (TPPs) in developing quality teachers has been reinforced by researchers who have demonstrated that preparation linked directly to practice benefits teachers in their first year of teaching. In contrast, federal legislation and government officials' statements suggest that TPPs are responsible for many of the problems facing public education, which has resulted in additional regulations and systems designed to evaluate TPPs' success in preparing effective teachers, including graduates' knowledge of appropriate content. In order to analyze the status of TPP evaluation as it relates to arts education, past models for TPP assessment are reviewed, newer models are discussed, and the possible effects on teacher evaluation processes are outlined. Early research and scholarly writing into the noted and projected effect of these models are discussed as well as suggestions and implications for future models and research into TPP effectiveness.     

Using Yeast Genetics to Generate a Research Environment

Many of the same features of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that have made it so useful as a genetics and molecular biology research organism make it equally useful as a teaching organism. Furthermore, the fact that it is a modern research organism makes it all the more exciting to students and teachers. The unique characteristic of yeast as a unicellular, eukaryotic organism with a complete sexual life cycle is ideal for teaching. A simple monohybrid cross to explore dominance and recessiveness, a dihybrid cross to demonstrate independent assortment, pigmented adenine auxotrophs for investigating the fundamentals of gene action, and easily measured responses to ultraviolet readiation provide an array of appropriate laboratory tools that put real science in the hands of students and teachers. Direct collaborations between scientists and science teachers bring together complementing knowledge and experience, providing an effective and efficient way to adapt and simplify techniques and procedures to accommodate time and money constraints. Collaborations quickly identify technical and theoretical problems that must be solved for implementation in classrooms. They also provide a continuing stimulus to teachers and students to participate in the research process.     

Doing Philosophy Effectively: Student Learning in Classroom Teaching

An important aim of teaching philosophy in Dutch secondary schools is to learn about philosophy (i.e., the great philosophers) by doing philosophy. We examined doing philosophy and focused specifically on the relationship between student learning activities and teacher behavior; in doing so, a qualitative cross-case analysis of eight philosophy lessons was performed. The effectiveness of doing philosophy was operationalized into five learning activities comprising rationalizing, analyzing, testing, producing criticism, and reflecting, and scored by means of qualitative graphical time registration. Using CA we find a quantitative one-dimensional scale for the lessons that contrasts lessons that are more and less effective in terms of learning and teaching. A relationship was found between teaching by teachers and doing philosophy by students. In particular we found students to produce a higher level of doing philosophy with teachers who chose to organize a philosophical discussion with shared guidance by the teacher together with the students.