Presentation 1 - Effectiveness of Small Group Discussions (SGD) in Pharmacology Course at Avalon University School of Medicine
Best Oral Presentation Award Nominee

Sireesha Bala Arja

Avalon University School of Medicine
 

Purpose Small group discussions (SGD) are used in medical education to foster self-directed learning (SDL), communication skills, and professionalism. Small group discussions can involve a variety of tasks such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and brainstorming. The objective of this study is to find out if SGD can improve the students' learning and their performance in assessments than individual SDL and lectures. Methods This is a quasi-experimental study to investigate if SDL in groups (SGD) is better than individual SDL and lectures. Students were required to watch videos and do the self-directed learning before coming to lecture. Students attended the lecture for fifty minutes.  At this point, students were assessed by a pre-test. After the test, students were involved in SGD. A post-test was given after the SGD. The data were collected for six topics in Pharmacology course. At the end of the course, students received an evaluation containing quantitative questions and open-ended questions to gather feedback. Results The students' performance was compared between pre-test and post-test for six topics, and significant improvement was demonstrated in five topics (paired t-test, p<0.05). Student performance on the topics which were taught using SGD was compared with overall performance on pharmacology final exam, demonstrated a significant difference (paired t-test, p=0.031). Students' overall performance in Pharmacology with SGD was also improved compared to the overall performance of the previous class of students who didn't have SGD (unpaired t-test, p=0.025). Finally, the questions on the Likert scale were analyzed for descriptive statistics, including mean, median, and mode. Student responses to the SGD were satisfactory. Conclusion The small group discussions for the Pharmacology course improved students' learning and their performance in assessments at Avalon University School of Medicine. As the sample size is small, we plan to continue evaluating SGDs with larger sample size in future.

 

Presentation 2 - Changing the medical narrative: incorporation of illness stories into gross anatomy
Best Oral Presentation Award Nominee

Carrie Elzie

Eastern Virginia Medical School
 

PURPOSE Narrative medicine is an important and expanding new field that recognizes the value of storytelling.   It involves recognizing, absorbing, metabolizing, interpreting and being moved by the stories of illness.   This valuable aspect of medicine was introduced into a medical gross anatomy course by transforming the illness stories of a living anatomical donor into interactive cases and discussions to complement the basic science and provide early patient exposure. METHODS The illness stories and medical records of a living anatomical donor were collected and used to create interactive cases to teach anatomy.  Each case allowed the students to delve into the patient's perspective while learning the underlying basic science and clinical principles. A follow-up session provided the students with the opportunity for personal connection and a forum to ask questions with the patient.  Students' reflections on the principle takeaways were collected.  Exam questions and knowledge retention were analyzed compared to other case modalities. Qualitative feedback was collected from focus groups and course evaluations. RESULTS One hundred fifty students completed five cases with Mr. Clark.  Thematic analysis of the students' responses revealed two of the top three take-aways from each case were consistently humanistic rather than scientific/clinical with a focus on the patient's feelings, reactions and lifestyle.  Performance on exams was similar to content taught in other modalities.  Retention rates of patients' diagnoses were 50% higher for cases that contained personal narratives.  Feedback was overwhelmingly positive with an appreciation for the humanistic elements of this teaching modality. CONCLUSIONS: Changing the curriculum to include illness stories has shifted the medical narrative toward a more compassionate and humanized conversation without sacrificing medical knowledge.  The addition of illness narratives has the potential to foster interpersonal development in affective, cognitive, and experiential domains thereby positively shaping the hidden curriculum into a more humanistic and empathetic message.

 

Presentation 3 - Examining strategies to promote cognitive integration of basic and clinical sciences in novice learners
Best Oral Presentation Award Nominee

Kristina Lisk

Humber College
 

Purpose: The importance of integrated basic and clinical science knowledge is well recognized; however, supporting the development of learners' integrated knowledge continues to be an educational challenge. Previous work suggests that learning strategies, such as self-explanation, might promote and support the development of cognitive integration. In this study, we examined the relative impact of two basic science instructional approaches (integrated and segregated instruction) and a learning strategy (self-explanation) on novices' diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Allied health students (N=71) were taught the clinical features of four musculoskeletal pathologies. Students randomly assigned to the integrated group were presented with descriptions that explicitly integrated the clinical features with basic science mechanisms. The segregated group were taught the basic science mechanisms and clinical features separately. The self-explanation group received the same learning materials as the integrated group, but were also prompted to engage in a self-explanation task immediately after learning each pathology. The self-explanation task required that they articulate why certain clinical features arose.  All participants completed a diagnostic accuracy and memory test immediately after learning and 1-week later. Results: The integrated group outperformed the self-explanation and segregated learning groups on the diagnostic accuracy and memory test. Diagnostic accuracy declined across all three groups after 1-week and the largest drop in performance was observed in the self-explanation group. Conclusion: Explicitly integrating basic and clinical science instruction positively impacts novices' diagnostic performance and ability to recall clinical features associated with different pathologies. However, generating self-explanations while learning with integrated basic science materials did not enhance novices' diagnostic performance. We hypothesize that the structure of the self-explanation task may not have supported the development of a holistic understanding of each disease. These findings highlight the importance of carefully considering how learning strategies are structured and applied in order to optimize learning of the basic and clinical sciences.

 

Presentation 4 - Using Peer Evaluation to Promote Student Understanding and Satisfaction during Team-Based Learning Exercises
Best Oral Presentation Award Nominee

Ziyodakhon Abdujabborova
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University

 

PURPOSE While initially recognized as an essential element in team-based learning (TBL) exercises, peer review is often omitted in biomedical TBL design due to minimal and often contradictory supportive evidence. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of peer evaluation on student performance, participation and group dynamic during TBL sessions within a summer enrichment program at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU).  METHODS Students enrolled in the CMSRU summer enrichment program participated in 3 TBL exercises within a traditional 6-week Biochemistry section. TBL teams of 5-6 students were established randomly and remained consistent throughout the program. Group dynamic was evaluated via audio recording and an anonymous survey (27 question, Likert scale).  3 cohorts of students were evaluated in the study: a control group (n=31); a group (n=34) exposed to graded peer review (25% of TBL) that required self-assessment and evaluation of group members on preparation, participation, teamwork, professionalism and overall production; and a group (n=30) subject to ungraded peer assessment (0% of TBL) using the aforementioned peer review tool.  RESULTS Addition of ungraded peer evaluation TBL incentive structure resulted in a significant increase in average iRAT scores compared to either no peer evaluation or graded peer evaluation. Moreover, student satisfaction and group dynamic, as assessed on an anonymous survey, were maintained with the inclusion of peer evaluation.  Results also indicated a positive correlation between iRAT performance and self/peer reviews advocating the accuracy of the peer assessment mechanism.  CONCLUSIONS Evidence-based evaluation of TBL design and implementation of innovative modifications is necessary for advancements in medical pedagogy. Preliminary evidence suggests that inclusion of ungraded peer review results in improved TBL performance and preserves student satisfaction. Continued appraisal of the positive outcomes of peer evaluation will help shape future student-centered learning practices.