Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice
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Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract · Dec 2010
Review Meta AnalysisTime and learning efficiency in Internet-based learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Authors have claimed that Internet-based instruction promotes greater learning efficiency than non-computer methods. ⋯ on average, Internet-based instruction and non-computer instruction require similar time. Instructional strategies to enhance feedback and interactivity typically prolong learning time, but in many cases also enhance learning outcomes. Isolated examples suggest potential for improving efficiency in Internet-based instruction.
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Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract · Oct 2010
ReviewExploring emerging issues in research higher degree supervision of professional doctorate students in the health sciences.
Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase in the number of students undertaking traditional research masters and doctor of philosophy courses in the health sciences. This paper reviews and summarizes several aspects of the literature related to supervision of students in these traditional research higher degree (RHD) programs in Australasia: elements of RHD supervision; use of information and communication technologies in RHD supervision; warning signs for non-completion of RHD candidature; and evaluation of RHD supervision. ⋯ It draws on earlier research which compared structures of such programs across Australia and grounded professional doctorate supervision firmly in the workplace. Further, the emerging small body of literature associated with professional doctorate supervision is used to highlight features shared with and those distinct from traditional RHD supervision, and to identify fertile topics for further research into this burgeoning area.
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Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract · Aug 2010
Building a competency-based curriculum: the agony and the ecstasy.
Physician competencies have increasingly been a focus of medical education at all levels. Although competencies are not a new concept, when the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) jointly agreed on six competencies for certification and maintenance of certification of physicians in 1999, it brought about renewed interest. ⋯ Building a competency-based curriculum is really about maintaining quality control and relinquishing control to those who care the most about medical education, our students. In the face of the many challenges that are facing undergraduate medical education (UME), including declining availability of teaching patients and over-burdened faculty, instituting quality control and relinquishing control will be necessary to maintain high quality.
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Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract · Aug 2010
What drives students' self-directed learning in a hybrid PBL curriculum.
Evidence supporting Problem-based learning (PBL) fostering students' self-directed learning (SDL) in hybrid PBL curricula is inconsistent. To explore the influence of PBL in a hybrid curriculum on students' SDL, the authors investigated the following: (1) students' self-assessed SDL ability, (2) students' perceptions of the influence of curricular components on SDL, and (3) the relationships between curricular elements and SDL. The research questions were explored both quantitatively and qualitatively. ⋯ Findings from students and faculty focus group supported the perceived positive influence of the curriculum on SDL. This study found that students' perceived SDL ability was positively influenced by several components of the hybrid PBL curriculum. However, further investigations are needed for a clearer understanding of the specific effects of the hybrid PBL curriculum on students' SDL.
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Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract · Aug 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialThe testing effect on skills learning might last 6 months.
In a recent study we found that testing as a final activity in a skills course increases the learning outcome compared to spending an equal amount of time practicing. Whether this testing effect measured as skills performance can be demonstrated on long-term basis is not known. The research question was: does testing as a final activity in a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills course increase learning outcome when assessed after half a year, compared to spending an equal amount of time practicing? The study was an assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial. ⋯ The difference between groups was not statistically significant, P = 0.06. This study suggests that testing as a final activity in a CPR skills course might have an effect on long-term learning outcome compared to spending an equal amount of time practicing the skills. Although this difference was not statistically significant, the identified effect size of 0.4 can have important clinical and educational implications.