Dataset Information

A Longitudinal Assessment of Self-directed Learning Readiness and Development in Medical Students.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Self-directed learning (SDL) competency is important for physicians to stay abreast of advances in their field and to provide the best available evidence-based care to their patients. Therefore, an essential responsibility of medical educators is to ensure the development of SDL skills in their students. The first objective of this study was to investigate longitudinally the degree to which medical students were ready to engage in SDL. The second objective was to examine students' perceptions of their SDL development throughout training.

Methods

A 2-part study of preclinical and clinical medical students was carried out at a midwestern U.S. university. In Study A, a longitudinal assessment of preclinical medical students' readiness to engage in SDL was conducted by administering an SDL readiness survey (SDLRS). In Study B, third- and fourth-year medical students were asked to reflect on their SDL development, in addition to completing the SDLRS.

Results

After validating the Hendry and Ginns version of the SDLRS in preclinical medical students during Study A, we found that 3 of the 4 subscales remained constant over the 3 iterations of the survey while the self-determination subscale increased significantly between the first and third iteration of the survey. In Study B, an analysis of the clinical medical students' comments indicated a perceived increase in their SDL abilities and a growing appreciation of SDL. However, the SDLRS scores of clinical students did not differ from the results observed in preclinical students in Study A.

Conclusions

The results of the SDLRS indicated that the experience of students in our medical school has a positive influence on self-determination by the end of the preclinical years. Furthermore, analysis of the reflections of clinical students indicated ongoing development of SDL skills throughout their medical school training that were influenced by a wide range of experiences.

SUBMITTER: Roberts M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10976489 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

A Longitudinal Assessment of Self-directed Learning Readiness and Development in Medical Students.

Roberts Megan M Darden Alix A Wiskur Brandt B Hill Molly M

Journal of medical education and curricular development 20240101

<h4>Objectives</h4>Self-directed learning (SDL) competency is important for physicians to stay abreast of advances in their field and to provide the best available evidence-based care to their patients. Therefore, an essential responsibility of medical educators is to ensure the development of SDL skills in their students. The first objective of this study was to investigate longitudinally the degree to which medical students were ready to engage in SDL. The second objective was to examine stude ...[more]

PMID: 38550668

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Project description:BackgroundMedical educators have promoted self-directed learning (SDL) as an important means of enabling students to take responsibility for their own learning throughout their training and practice. While SDL has been well-studied in classroom settings, it remains a story half told: barriers to and facilitators of SDL in the clinical setting are not yet well described. The goals of this study were to explicate student experiences of SDL in their clinical training and to identify the roles that local social and cultural contexts play in shaping their experiences of SDL.MethodsTo understand students' conceptualization and experiences of SDL in the clinical setting, we carried out a qualitative study with 15 medical students at Harvard Medical School. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed. Using an interpretivist approach, data were analyzed both deductively and inductively using the Framework method of content analysis.ResultsParticipants described patient care activities as primary motivators for engagement in SDL in the clinical setting. Participants' descriptions of SDL aligned with Knowles' steps in SDL, with an additional step of consolidation of learning related to their patients' diagnosis and management. Participants described using a range of cognitive, social-emotional, and peer learning strategies to enhance their SDL. Participants who described a growth mindset appeared to engage in SDL more easily. Learning environments that fostered SDL were those in which faculty and residents demonstrated an educational orientation, promoted psychological safety, and invited student engagement. Teams with perceived excessive work demands were perceived to be less supportive of SDL.ConclusionsOur study enhances previous classroom-based models of SDL by providing specific, practical implications for both students and faculty in the clinical training setting. Participants described SDL in the clinical setting as patient-centered, and when effectively implemented, SDL appears to support a mastery rather than performance orientation. Our study paves the way for improving medical students' clinical SDL and helping them become lifelong learners in the field of medicine.

Project description:BackgroundIt is unlikely that applications of artificial intelligence (AI) will completely replace physicians. However, it is very likely that AI applications will acquire many of their roles and generate new tasks in medical care. To be ready for new roles and tasks, medical students and physicians will need to understand the fundamentals of AI and data science, mathematical concepts, and related ethical and medico-legal issues in addition with the standard medical principles. Nevertheless, there is no valid and reliable instrument available in the literature to measure medical AI readiness. In this study, we have described the development of a valid and reliable psychometric measurement tool for the assessment of the perceived readiness of medical students on AI technologies and its applications in medicine.MethodsTo define medical students' required competencies on AI, a diverse set of experts' opinions were obtained by a qualitative method and were used as a theoretical framework, while creating the item pool of the scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were applied.ResultsA total of 568 medical students during the EFA phase and 329 medical students during the CFA phase, enrolled in two different public universities in Turkey participated in this study. The initial 27-items finalized with a 22-items scale in a four-factor structure (cognition, ability, vision, and ethics), which explains 50.9% cumulative variance that resulted from the EFA. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.87. CFA indicated appropriate fit of the four-factor model (?2/df?=?3.81, RMSEA?=?0.094, SRMR?=?0.057, CFI?=?0.938, and NNFI (TLI)?=?0.928). These values showed that the four-factor model has construct validity.ConclusionsThe newly developed Medical Artificial Intelligence Readiness Scale for Medical Students (MAIRS-MS) was found to be valid and reliable tool for evaluation and monitoring of perceived readiness levels of medical students on AI technologies and applications. Medical schools may follow 'a physician training perspective that is compatible with AI in medicine' to their curricula by using MAIRS-MS. This scale could be benefitted by medical and health science education institutions as a valuable curriculum development tool with its learner needs assessment and participants' end-course perceived readiness opportunities.

Project description:ProblemPhysicians are playing a growing role as clinician-innovators. Academic physicians are well positioned to contribute to the medical device innovation process, yet few medical school curricula provide students opportunities to learn the conceptual framework for clinical needs finding, needs screening, concept generation and iterative prototyping, and intellectual property management. This framework supports innovation and encourages the development of valuable interdisciplinary communication skills and collaborative learning strategies.ApproachOur university offers a novel 3-year-long medical student Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Elective in Biodesign (MSLIEB) that teaches medical device innovation in 4 stages: (1) seminars and small-group work, (2) shared clinical experiences for needs finding, (3) concept generation and product development by serving as consultants for biomedical engineering capstone projects, and (4) reflection and mentorship. The MSLIEB objectives are to: create a longitudinal interdisciplinary peer mentorship relationship between undergraduate biomedical engineering students and medical students, and encourage codevelopment of professional identities in relation to medical device innovation.OutcomesThe MSLIEB enrolled 5 entering cohorts from 2017 to 2021 with a total of 37 medical student participants. The first full entering cohort of 12 medical students produced 8 mentored biomedical engineering capstone projects, 7 of which were based on clinical needs statements derived from earlier in the elective. Medical student participants have coauthored poster and oral presentations; contributed to projects that won WolfieTank, a university-wide competition modeled after the television show Shark Tank; and participated in the filing of provisional patents. Students reflecting on the course reported a change in their attitude towards existing medical problems, felt better-equipped to collaboratively design solutions for clinical needs, and considered a potential career path in device design.Next stepsThe MSLIEB will be scaled up by recruiting additional faculty, broadening clinical opportunities to include the outpatient setting, and increasing medical student access to rapid prototyping equipment.

Project description:PurposeOne of the aims of medical education is to generate lifelong learners, leading to the identification of self-directed learning (SDL) as an essential component of medical education. While SDL is focused on an individual learner, collaboration is critically important in medicine. We developed an online course using the collaborative SDL (CSDL) framework. A goal for the course was for students to gain a better appreciation for the SDL process by exploring the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe utilized CSDL to implement a 2-week elective attended by fifteen M3 and M4 medical students. Students submitted short videos reflecting on their course experience and the relevance of the material to their future training. Qualitative analysis of reflections was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the CSDL framework, and an assessment of the course evaluations was performed to explore student perceptions of the course and its effectiveness at preparing them for practice. A survey regarding student perceptions of SDL was offered to M3 and M4 students in order to explore their experiences with SDL and perceptions of its importance in the context of the school curriculum.ResultsThe CSDL framework was effective in making students aware of the importance of SDL in medical practice. Students gained basic and clinical knowledge about the subject, experienced increased confidence, and appreciated collaborating with their peers. The survey offered to the general student body reflected that all students perceived that they employed SDL in their time as medical students. However, many students indicated that they had not utilized components of SDL beyond synthesizing and assessing their learning needs.ConclusionCSDL is an effective method for promoting self-directed learning. Undergraduate medical course constructs utilizing CSDL will benefit students as they continue their career development.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01493-7.

Dataset Information

A Longitudinal Assessment of Self-directed Learning Readiness and Development in Medical Students.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

A Longitudinal Assessment of Self-directed Learning Readiness and Development in Medical Students.

Similar Datasets

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