ABSTRACT
The paper describes the results of the case study where the students’ outcomes in the mathematics midterm exams were compared regarding the type of teaching method used during the course: in-class or online. In the analyses, various factors such as prior knowledge of math from secondary school, engagement in learning activities, and success in e-lessons were taken into account. The results of the case study could not confirm any significant difference in the average outcomes of students from both groups. We can therefore conclude that the type of teaching method (in-class or online), as well as the method of knowledge examination, have no significant impact on students’ outcome. Furthermore, the results also showed that the students who took the course online expressed a higher level of engagement in comparison to those who participated in class. Their greater engagement in learning activities can be explained through the fact that the online course took place during lock-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia. Namely, the strong lock-down measures disable the students to perform various extracurricular activities, which can result in their stronger motivation to perform study activities on a regular basis. © 2021 Samo Drobne – Lidija Zadnik Stirn – Mirjana Kljajić Borštnar – Janez Povh – Janez Žerovnik
ABSTRACT
Introduction: In Germany, foreign physicians are a fixed component of the medical profession. According to the German Medical Licensure Act, physicians having completed their qualification in another country are required to pass a knowledge examination which falls within the competence of examination offices or the regional governments. Project outline: The preparatory course consists of 10 modules. On Fridays, individual cases are discussed in small groups and specific examination techniques are trained. On Saturdays, illnesses are simulated by simulated patients. After each encounter, faculty experts, psychologists and peer group members provide the participants with 360° feedback. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course which had been established 2 years beforehand has now been switched to an online class within one week. Friday units were visualized in power-point presentations and tutorial videos were discussed. On Saturdays, the cases were simulated by simulated patients and transmitted via a telemedicine platform. Results: The course could be conducted without interruptions (75 hours of in-class tuition and 75 hours of online tuition). In the oral evaluation the participants criticized telemedicine as a medium for imparting of practical skills. 7/22 (32%) of the participants underwent the knowledge examination and 6/7 (86%) of them passed it (versus 18/19 of the participants of in-class tuition (95%)). Discussion: There was a clear preference for in-class tuition. It was noted that the telemedical setting entailed some restrictions. However, the switch to online classes did not affect the pass rate. Conclusion: The switch from in-class to online units was feasible. The gained insights were taken into account when conceiving the online semester at our faculty and especially the tuition with the support of simulated patients.