Investigating the self-study phase of an inverted biochemistry classroom - collaborative dyadic learning makes the difference.

BACKGROUND: The inverted classroom approach is characterized by a primary self-study phase for students followed by an on-site, face-to-face teaching phase that is used to deepen the prior acquired knowledge. Obviously, this teaching approach relies on the students preparing before the on-site phase, which in turn requires optimized preparatory material as well as defined working instructions. The major aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the effect of different preparatory materials and working instructions for the self-study phase of an e-learning-based inverted classroom on the knowledge gained by medical students in biochemistry. Furthermore, we analyzed whether collaborative dyadic learning during the self-study phase is more effective than individual learning with respect to knowledge gain. METHODS: The study was performed in a biochemistry seminar for second semester medical students at Ulm University in Germany. This seminar was held using an e-learning-based inverted classroom. A total of 196 students were divided into three homogeneous study groups that differed in terms of the working material and instructions provided for the self-study phase. Knowledge gain was measured by formative tests at the beginning of the on-site phases. Questionnaires were also handed out asking about motivation, interest and learning time in the self-study phases. RESULTS: Students who were told to prepare in collaborating dyads during the self-study phase performed better in formative tests taken at the beginning of on-site phases than learners who were told to prepare individually. The study material that was provided was of minor importance for the differences in formative testing since almost all students prepared for the on-site phases. With the dyadic learning approach, both students benefited from this collaboration, characterized by a higher motivation and interest in the topic, as well as a longer time spent on task. CONCLUSION: Our study provides strong evidence that the study material, but more importantly the instructions provided for the self-study phase, affect students` knowledge gain in an e-learning-based inverted classroom. The instructed collaboratively working group was the most successful.

Concept and benefits of the Inverted Classroom method for a competency-based biochemistry course in the pre-clinical stage of a human medicine course of studies.

Background: Medical students often have a problem recognising the relevance of basic science subjects for their later professional work in the pre-clinical stage of their studies. This can lead to a lower motivation to learn biochemical content and dissatisfaction in the courses amongst the students. Alternative teaching methods such as the Inverted Classroom (IC) method can address this deficiency. The goal of this study was: to analyse the motivation and satisfaction of the students in a biochemistry seminar through the use of the e-learning-based IC method, to investigate the acceptance against the IC teaching method in biochemistry, and to compare the learning success achieved using the IC approach with that of a traditional course. We also investigated how a biochemistry course in the pre-clinical stage of a human medicine course of studies can be successfully organised according to the IC method. Furthermore, we examined the benefits of the IC method over conventional teaching formats. Method: The IC method was implemented in accordance with the guidelines of the GMA committee "New Media" [30] in a biochemistry seminar for two student IC intervention groups with 42 students. A part of the factual knowledge from the on-site phase in the form of teaching videos together with self-learning control tasks were provided online before the seminar for both IC intervention groups. Exporting content to the self-learning phase creates new free time in the on-site phase, during which the content can be critically considered and processed and additional competency-based learning objectives can be taught. Identical biochemistry teaching content was taught in parallel control groups (14 student groups with n=299 students), but no material was handed out beforehand for a self-learning phase. These students only received the materials after the on-site phase. Motivation and satisfaction as well as the acceptance for the teaching methods were recorded by questionnaires, the acquisition of knowledge by MC exams. Results: On a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), the students in the IC intervention groups could be seen to be much more motivated (5.53) than students in the control group (4.01). Students in the IC intervention groups also recognised the relevance of the learning content much more clearly (5.44) than students in the control group (4.01). Furthermore, the IC group also observed that additional competencies were trained in addition to the biochemistry content. In addition, the IC intervention group award the event a school grade of 1.53, the traditional control group a grade of 2.96. The teaching videos were rated very positively by both groups with an average school grade of 1.3 in each case. A qualitative analysis showed that the motivation and a positive attitude of the lecturers played a decisive role in the successful implementation of the IC method. Discussion and conclusion: Pre-clinical students display a high acceptance of the e-learning-based IC method. Teaching communication competencies in a biochemistry seminar was also rated very positively by the students. The quality of the teaching video and the motivation of the lecturers were shown to be a critical parameter for the successful performance of the IC method. What's more, the IC method can contribute to implementing a competence orientation in medical studies.