Can peer mentoring improve online teaching effectiveness? An RCT during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hardt D
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9251909 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, medical educators have transformed pre-clerkship anatomy curricula into online formats. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and student perceptions of an online near-peer anatomy curriculum. The classes of 2022 and 2023 completed identical foundational anatomy curricula in-person, whereas the class of 2024 completed an adapted curriculum for remote online learning. Quantitative and qualitative responses were used to compare attitudes between instructional methods. Assessment scores and evaluation survey responses were collected from the classes of 2022 (n = 185), 2023 (n = 184), and 2024 (n = 183). Mean assessment scores (±SD) for the classes of 2022, 2023, and 2024 were 93.64% (±5.86), 93.75% (±4.09), and 92.04% (±4.83), respectively. Post hoc group comparisons showed the class of 2024 scored significantly lower than the two previous classes [2022: (H(1) = 18.58, P < 0.001), 2023: (H(1) = 18.65, P < 0.001)]. Mean survey results concerning curriculum quality were 4.06/5.00 for the class of 2023 and 3.57/5.0 for the class of 2024 (t(365) = 2.67, P = 0.008). Considering a small effect size (η2 = 0.034), there was no meaningful difference in student assessment scores. A potential drawback of online near-peer anatomy teaching remains in student perceptions of course quality; qualitative feedback suggested technological limitations and perceptions of online course instructors were partly responsible for lower student satisfaction. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, medical educators should incorporate the lessons learned from this unique educational inflection point to improve curricula moving forward.
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Project description:The shift to distance teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a real challenge for both instructors and students. To face these difficulties in teaching undergraduate Chemistry courses at the University of Santo Tomas, a blended learning strategy in the context of teaching and learning of Physical Chemistry 1 and Analytical Chemistry for Chemical Engineering students were employed. Here, we present an online strategy that facilitated the transition from traditional face-to-face learning to full online instruction. This is a five-component blended learning strategy referred to as Discover, Learn, Practice, Collaborate and Assess (DLPCA). In DLPCA, the asynchronous part of the teaching was achieved through broadcast of pre-recorded lecture videos on YouTube to allow students to study and progress with learning at their own pace. The synchronous part of the teaching was conducted using video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom or Google Meet. The DLPCA strategy was presented and discussed to the students prior to its implementation. The analysis of the teaching and learning experience based on three indicators (i) student’s learning experience, (ii) student’s academic performance and (iii) instructor observations showed that DLPCA had a positive impact on students and instructors. The identified challenges were stability of internet connection and instructor’s familiarity with readily available internet-based teaching tools, such as video conferencing software. Instructors must also find means to improve their interaction with students and maintain student interest and engagement during online classes. The survey also indicated that most of the students are satisfied with the DLCPA strategy. Hence, this strategy is considered a manageable and effective alternative that can be adapted to full online instruction to other undergraduate Chemistry lecture courses. Overall, the findings and insights in this study will add valuable resources for further hybrid instruction in the post-COVID-19 time in higher education.
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Project description:As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed in early 2020, social distancing rules and 'lockdowns' brought face-to-face teaching in universities in the UK, and globally, to a halt, leading to an abrupt move to online teaching and learning. This article details student feedback to a course on applied forensic medicine and pathology - framed as 'safeguarding vulnerable patients' - which was adapted for delivery online in response to restrictions imposed by the pandemic. That feedback indicated that the adapted online course was well-received and, overall, it compared favourably with pervious iterations of the blended learning course, which had included a substantial face-to-face teaching component. Students remained engaged with the teaching, and they continued to see the relevance of forensic medicine to their future clinical practice.
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Project description:BackgroundThe benefits of near-peer learning are well established in several aspects of undergraduate medical education including preparing students for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a paradigm shift to predominantly online teaching.ObjectiveThis study aims to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of an exclusively online near-peer OSCE teaching program in a time of significant face-to-face and senior-led teaching shortage.MethodsA teaching program was delivered to penultimate-year students by final-year students at Manchester Medical School. Program development involved compiling a list of salient topics and seeking senior faculty approval. Teachers and students were recruited on Facebook. In total, 22 sessions and 42 talks were attended by 72 students and taught by 13 teachers over a 3-month period. Data collection involved anonymous weekly questionnaires and 2 separate anonymous student and teacher postcourse questionnaires including both quantitative and qualitative components.ResultsOn a scale of 1-10, students rated the quality of the program highly (mean 9.30, SD 1.15) and felt the sessions were highly useful in guiding their revision (mean 8.95, SD 0.94). There was a significant increase in perceived confidence ratings after delivery of the program (P<.001). Teachers felt the program helped them better understand and retain the subject material taught (mean 9.36, SD 0.81) and develop skills to become effective clinical teachers (mean 9.27, SD 0.79).ConclusionsThis is the first study demonstrating the efficacy of a near-peer OSCE teaching program delivered exclusively online. This provides an exemplary framework for how similar programs should be encouraged given their efficacy and logistical viability in supplementing the undergraduate curriculum.
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Project description:Background and aimsProper nutrition to optimise immune function is mandatory as at present there is no specific medicine to cure COVID-19. Our study aimed to investigate the use of nutritional supplements and their key immunity enhancing components among Sri Lankans.MethodsThis current study was an online survey conducted during the period from 27th May to 2nd June 2021 disseminated via various social media platforms. Details were collected on highlighting the frequency and composition of nutritional supplements consumed.ResultsIn a total of 3707 responders, a proportion of 25.5% (944) of the participants took supplements regularly, and 32.6% (1210), 14.5% (538), 27.4% (1015) intake were occasionally, rarely and never respectively. Older participants (>40 years of age) had a significantly higher intake of supplements than the younger counterpart of 31-35 years age group (OR: 0.604; 95% CI, 0.451-0.809; p < 0.001). Almost half (46.0%) took vitamin C supplements and females tend to take more (OR: 1.325; 95% CI, 1.120-1.567; p < 0.001) of vitamin C when compared to males. Comparatively to the other groups regarding monthly income, the participants with the highest income category are more likely to take vitamin D (OR:1.899; 95% CI, 1.034-3.490; p = 0.039) and multivitamin (OR: 3.222; 95% CI, 1.737-5.977; p < 0.001). The most commonly used main ingredient in home-made remedy was coriander in Sri Lanka.ConclusionThe use of nutritional supplements and natural products to improve immunity during the pandemic were frequent among Sri Lankan adults. In general, older, female gender and high income was significantly associated with increased intake of the nutrient supplements.
| S-EPMC9015720 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to pause. One hundred and eighty-eight countries have imposed countrywide school closures, affecting more than 1.5 billion children and youths. The majority of academic leaders are currently encouraging online education to resolve this crisis. This study aimed to investigate international medical students' (IMS) experiences of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsData were collected online using a validated questionnaire and one open-ended question, presented on the Google forms platform. The study attracted responses from 1,107 IMS volunteer participants. IBM SPSS v. 25, GraphPad Prism v. 9, and MindManager v. 2018 were used for data analysis. All variables were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The Mann-Whitney U test was used in subgroup analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test was also applied for year-wise comparisons. Open-ended text responses were analyzed qualitatively, extracting themes by which responses were classified.ResultsAmong 1,107 respondents, a total of 67.8% were males, and the majority (63.1%) of the IMS were in the age group of 21-23 years. The results show that more than half of the respondents reported their Internet connection quality as poor to average. Poor Internet connection severely affected IMS online learning experience. Persistent and recurrent issues with Internet access became a significant concern for IMS. Lack of electricity is one of the factors that can contribute to poor learning output and dissatisfaction with online teaching. IMS perceive online medical education as unhelpful in several phases of the training, such as improving their clinical skills, knowledge, and discussion skills.ConclusionsDuring these unprecedented periods, online teaching has allowed medical education to continue. However, IMS are generally dissatisfied with online teaching. Medical students must visualize the human body, so supportive technologies are important to compensate for the lack of clinical practices. Medical institutions may need to invest in faculty training programs and continually adjust to enhance the content of online training and international partnerships. A switch from conventional face-to-face teaching to a fully functional virtual education framework in the medical education field will take time and experience.
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Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged undergraduate instructors and students in an unprecedented manner. Each has needed to find creative ways to continue the engaged teaching and learning process in an environment defined by physical separation and emotional anxiety and uncertainty. As a potential tool to meet this challenge, we developed a set of curricular materials that combined our respective life science teaching interests with the real-time scientific problem of the COVID-19 pandemic in progress. Discrete modules were designed that are engaging to students, implement active learning-based coursework in a variety of institutional and learning settings, and can be used either in person or remotely. The resulting interdisciplinary curriculum, dubbed "COVID-360," enables instructors to select from a menu of curricular options that best fit their course content, desired activities, and mode of class delivery. Here we describe how we devised the COVID-360 curriculum and how it represents our efforts to creatively and effectively respond to the instructional needs of diverse students in the face of an ongoing instructional crisis.
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Project description:ProblemIn March 2020, medical students at the University of Washington School of Medicine were removed from clinical settings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As subinternships are required for graduation and an important way to prepare for internship, a virtual subinternship was created to include practical elements of in-person learning and to address limited teaching faculty from COVID-19 inpatient surges.ApproachA virtual, interactive subinternship was developed with case-based teaching sessions, communication and critical literature evaluation skill building, professional development, and creation of independent learning plans. Near-peer teachers (NPTs) were selected from graduating senior medical students who matched into internal medicine. In addition to teaching topics from the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine curriculum, NPTs engaged in course development, recruited teaching faculty, gathered feedback, and facilitated small groups. Participating students completed pre- and post-course surveys.OutcomesThe 10 students (100%) enrolled in the course who completed both surveys indicated significant improvement in mean scores across 4 domains: evaluating medical literature (3.1/5 to 4.5/5; +1.4, P < .001); developing individual learning plans (3.6/5 to 4.7/5; +1.1, P = .001); perceived ability to efficiently evaluate patients with common internal medicine concerns (3.7/5 to 4.6/5; +0.9, P = .004); and formulating initial diagnostic and therapeutic plans (3.6/5 to 4.6/5; +1.0, P < .001). Themes extracted from open-ended responses included initial skepticism of an online format, the course exceeding expectations, and feeling prepared for internship.Next stepsAlthough a virtual subinternship lacks direct patient care, students reported improvement in all 4 domains studied. Future courses would benefit from greater use of simulation and role-playing scenarios for practical skills. The experience with NPTs was encouraging, aiding in the success of the subinternship. The role of NPTs should be cultivated to fill gaps in content delivery and enhance the development of students as educators.
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Project description:Universities worldwide have been conducting e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue education irrespective of faculties are familiar with e-education or not. This study assessed perception and preference for e-teaching amongst 438 faculty members. Results revealed that around half of teachers were conducting e-classes without any training, and they also had conducted examinations using online platforms. Teachers perceived e-teaching as effective during the pandemic, time-efficient, easy to share materials, unsuitable for monitoring or conducting practical classes and less effective for evaluation. More than three-fourths of the teachers preferred online teaching during the pandemic, and most preferred both physical and mixed teaching in the post-pandemic era. Their preferences were influenced by their age, teaching experience, academic discipline, current residency, training on online teaching, hours of online classes taught per week, internet connection used, types of classes and whether they had given online examinations. The major challenges in online teaching during COVID-19 were difficulty in practical work, difficulty in monitoring students and insufficient feedback. This study suggests online teaching during the pandemic and mixed teaching after the pandemic. Training faculty members on online teaching, designing e-platforms suitable for examinations and ensuring stable internet connections are also recommended for effective and smooth e-education.
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