Application of flipped classroom combined with virtual simulation platform in clinical biochemistry practical course.

BACKGROUND: The study explores an innovative teaching mode that integrates Icourse, DingTalk, and online experimental simulation platforms to provide online theoretical and experimental resources for clinical biochemistry practical courses. These platforms, combined with flipped classroom teaching, aim to increase student engagement and benefit in practical courses, ultimately improving the effectiveness of clinical biochemistry practical teaching. METHODS: In a prospective cohort study, we examined the impact of integrating the Icourse and DingTalk platforms to provide theoretical knowledge resources and clinical cases to 48 medical laboratory science students from the 2019 and 2020 grades. Students were assigned to the experimental group using an overall sampling method, and had access to relevant videos through Icourse before and during class. Using a flipped classroom approach, students actively participated in the design, analysis, and discussion of the experimental technique. For the experimental operation part, students participated in virtual simulation experiments and actual experiments. Overall, the study aimed to evaluate students' theoretical and operational performance after completing the practical course. To collect feedback, we distributed a questionnaire to students in the experimental group. For comparison, we included 42 students from the grades of 2017 and 2018 who received traditional instruction and were evaluated using standard textbooks as the control group. RESULTS: The experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group on both the theoretical and experimental operational tests (82.45 ± 3.76 vs. 76.36 ± 3.96, P = 0.0126; 92.03 ± 1.62 vs. 81.67 ± 4.19, P < 0.001). The survey revealed that the experimental group preferred the teaching mode that combined the flipped classroom with the virtual simulation platform. This mixed method effectively promoted understanding of basic knowledge (93.8%, 45/48), operative skills (89.6%, 43/48), learning interest (87.5%, 42/48), clinical thinking (85.4%, 41/48), self-learning ability (91.7%, 44/48), and overall satisfaction compared with traditional methods (P < 0.05). This study demonstrates that an innovative teaching approach significantly improves the quality of clinical biochemistry practical courses and promotes students' professional development and self-directed learning habits. CONCLUSION: Incorporating virtual simulation with flipped classrooms into clinical biochemistry practical teaching is an efficient and well-received alternative to traditional methods.

Certainty in Uncertain Times: Dental Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: The restrictions concerning social contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic implied a rethinking of teaching methods at universities in general, and for practice-oriented teaching such as dental education in particular. This qualitative study aimed to assess aspects of feelings of certainty and uncertainty during this specific education process, incorporating the perspectives of teaching staff and dental students. METHODS: Qualitative methods based on interviews were used for data collection. Dental students from different academic years (second, third, fourth, and fifth) and teaching staff responsible for the content and implementation of courses within the dental curriculum were recruited. The data analysis was performed by qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 39 dental students and 19 teaching staff participated. When students and staff dealt positively with this specific situation, certainty was achieved. The availability of presentations and clear communication enhanced feelings of certainty. The participants often felt unsure about how to handle such a challenging situation and felt insecure when planning for the semester. The students missed contact with other students and argued that the information policy on their dental studies was not transparent enough. In addition, dental students and teaching staff were nervous about the risk of infection from COVID-19, especially in practical courses with patient contact. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic situation leads to a rethinking of dental education. Feelings of certainty can be strengthened by clear and transparent communication as well as training in online teaching methods. To reduce uncertainty, it is crucial to establish channels for information exchange and feedback.

Teaching Medical Microbiology With a Web-Based Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Before-and-After Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed unprecedented hurdles on health care systems and medical faculties alike. Lecturers of practical courses at medical schools have been confronted with the challenge of transferring knowledge remotely. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the effects of a web-based medical microbiology course on learning outcomes and student perceptions. METHODS: During the summer term of 2020, medical students at Saarland University, Germany, participated in a web-based medical microbiology course. Teaching content comprised clinical scenarios, theoretical knowledge, and instructive videos on microbiological techniques. Test performance, failure rate, and student evaluations, which included open-response items, for the web-based course were compared to those of the on-site course from the summer term of 2019. RESULTS: Student performance was comparable between both the online-only group and the on-site comparator for both the written exam (n=100 and n=131, respectively; average grade: mean 7.6, SD 1.7 vs mean 7.3, SD 1.8; P=.20) and the oral exam (n=86 and n=139, respectively; average grade: mean 33.6, SD 4.9 vs mean 33.4, SD 4.8; P=.78). Failure rate did not significantly differ between the online-only group and the comparator group (2/84, 2.4% vs 4/120, 3.3%). While lecturer expertise was rated similarly as high by students in both groups (mean 1.47, SD 0.62 vs mean 1.27, SD 0.55; P=.08), students who took the web-based course provided lower scores for interdisciplinarity (mean 1.7, SD 0.73 vs mean 2.53, SD 1.19; P<.001), opportunities for interaction (mean 1.46, SD 0.67 vs mean 2.91, SD 1.03; P<.001), and the extent to which the educational objectives were defined (mean 1.61, SD 0.76 vs mean 3.41, SD 0.95; P<.001). Main critiques formulated within the open-response items concerned organizational deficits. CONCLUSIONS: Web-based courses in medical microbiology are a feasible teaching option, especially in the setting of a pandemic, leading to similar test performances in comparison to on-site courses. The lack of interaction and the sustainability of acquired manual skills warrant further research.

Application of the teaching model of massive open online course combined with small private online course in the teaching of Fundamentals of Surgery / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To investigate the application effect of the teaching model of massive open online course (MOOC)+small private online course (SPOC) in the undergraduate clinical teaching of Fundamentals of Surgery.Methods:A total of 30 undergraduate medical trainees in the five-year program were randomly divided into experimental group and control group, with 15 trainees in each group. With the chapter of basic surgical procedures as an example, the trainees in the control group received traditional teaching, and those in the experimental group received MOOC+SPOC teaching. Theoretical assessment and surgery simulation were performed at one week after the course to evaluate the teaching effect. SPSS 17.0 was used for the t-test and the chi-square test. Results:The experimental group had a theoretical assessment score of (92.5±6.4) points and a basic skill operation score of (91.7±2.2) points, while the control group had a theoretical assessment score of (85.3±7.3) points and a basic skill operation score of (83.6±6.4) points. The experimental group had an excellent rate of 60% (9/15) in theoretical assessment and 66.7% (10/15) in basic skill operation test, while the control group had an excellent rate of 40% (6/15) in theoretical assessment and 33.3% (5/15) in basic skill operation test. The experimental group had significantly higher scores and grades than the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:MOOC+SPOC teaching can significantly enhance the understanding of theoretical knowledge and the mastery of operational skills among trainees and improve teaching effect, and therefore, it has a good application prospect.

Covid-19: teaching and learning in practical courses under special regulations - a qualitative study of dental students and teachers.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus pandemic led to a lockdown of public life. For universities, this meant suspensions or corresponding adaptations of practical courses. In Germany, Kiel Dental Clinic received special permission to start practical courses under appropriate hygiene conditions. The study aimed at recording the experiences and associated challenges of course implementation under the special regulations from the perspective of students and teachers. METHODS: Qualitative guided interviews were conducted with students and teachers at Kiel in the summer semester 2020. Students (4th, 6th, 8th, 10th semesters) were recruited and lecturers responsible for conducting the practical courses within the dental clinic's four departments. Evaluation was carried out by means of qualitative content analysis, whereby deductive procedures were supplemented by inductive ones. RESULTS: Thirty-nine students and 19 lecturers took part. The flow of information at the start of the course was welcomed by students and teachers across the board. The lack of or limited adjustment to the scope tended to be assessed positively by students. The majority of both groups suspected there had been no reduction in learning, and learning had been improved due to the smaller group sizes. Regarding the necessary conditions for conducting the course, positive and negative aspects became apparent. CONCLUSION: Students and teachers felt very relief to start the practical courses under special conditions although the implementation was very challenging for both groups. The structural and content-related course adaptations required a high degree of flexibility on the part of students and lecturers alike, but also meant that courses were able to be conducted without serious deficits in learning gains.

E-Learning Is Not Inferior to On-Site Teaching in a Psychiatric Examination Course.

Background: Implementing e-learning into medical education is a growing field of research. Researchers have had positive experiences so far, and evidence suggests it to be no less effective than offline teaching. However, there are a few findings concerning psychiatric education and the use of simulated patients online. Methods: We developed an online workshop for medical students at our psychiatric clinic, including group work exercises, lectures, and interviews with simulated patients. To compare the learning outcome, a cohort of students learning online was compared with a previous cohort that learned on-site. The same objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was used in both cases. Evaluation questionnaires were gathered from students and lecturers and were compared with the former semesters along with the exam results. Results: The exam grades did not significantly differ between on-site and online teaching, even though students rated their own communication skills better with online teaching. We also found that the connection experienced between students and teachers was impaired without on-site contact. Discussion: We conclude that an online course may be an effective alternative to on-site teaching but requires further improvement to maintain a dependable student-teacher relationship.

[A microsurgical wet lab for medical students increases interest in ophthalmology]. / Ein mikrochirurgisches Wetlab für Studierende steigert das Interesse an der Augenheilkunde.

BACKGROUND: Practical contents are gaining in importance in medical curricula in Germany. In times of a lack of applicants, practical courses provide an increased level of interest for students in the respective disciplines. A practical appeal of ophthalmology is microsurgical procedures. A microsurgical suture wet lab can be an introduction for medical students. OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the increased interest in ophthalmology through evaluation of a suture wet lab course, including suturing under a microscope. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data were obtained from the practical course in ophthalmology during the sixth semester for medical students at the university medical center in Mainz in April 2019. In a questionnaire developed in collaboration with the Center for Quality Assurance and Development various statements had to be answered and evaluated using ordinal scales. RESULTS: A total of 64 evaluation questionnaires from 8 groups each with 8 medical students supervised by different tutors were analyzed. The wet lab was rated with 1.24 ± 0.5 (mean ± SD) on a German school grade scale (1 = best, 6 = worst). There was agreement (1 = total agreement, 7 = total disagreement) concerning the desire for further microscopic wet labs (1.86 ± 1.28) as well as learning more ophthalmological surgical techniques (2.02 ± 1.13). The interest in ophthalmology (1 = very high interest, 7 = very low interest) increased from 3.66 ± 1.55 before the course to 2.52 ± 1.00. CONCLUSION: Interest in ophthalmology can be increased through a microsurgical wet lab. The interest of students can therefore be awakened, which can have advantageous effects in job application situations and in research work. In this way experience and practical skills in ophthalmology can already be acquired during medical studies.

An explorative vs. traditional practical course: how to inspire scientific thinking in medical students.

Recently, medical students' scientific thinking skills have been identified as an important issue in medical education. Scientific thinking cannot be imparted in conventional lectures, but rather requires actively involving students. We modified a practical course in physiology. A study was designed to test whether the new course fosters scientific thinking without impairing the transfer of physiological knowledge. The study group consisted of 226 first-year medical students at the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University. Written consent to participate in the study was obtained from all participants. The group was then randomly divided into two groups (traditional vs. modified course). The subject of both courses was a laboratory experiment in skeletal muscle physiology. In the traditional course, the students addressed topics already presented in lectures. In the modified course, students dealt with the same topics as in the traditional course, but the experiment was expanded to include one issue not taught before. When working on this issue, the students were instructed in scientific thinking. All participants filled out a questionnaire with 15 multiple-choice questions addressing the physiological subject matter and four open-ended questions addressing the criteria of scientific methodology. Physiological knowledge in both groups did not differ [F(1) = 2.08, P = 0.15]. Scores in scientific thinking in the modified course were higher (mean = 4.20, SD = 1.89) than in the traditional course (mean = 2.04, SD = 1.91) with F(1) = 70.69, P < 0.001, η2 = 0.24 (large effect). Our study demonstrates that small adjustments to courses in medical education can promote scientific thinking without impairing knowledge transfer.

Flipped classroom frameworks improve efficacy in undergraduate practical courses - a quasi-randomized pilot study in otorhinolaryngology.

BACKGROUND: Curriculum design and specific topic selection for on-site practical courses in clinical disciplines with limited teaching time is challenging. An electronic learning supported curriculum based on the flipped classroom principle has a high potential to effectively gain knowledge and education along with improving practical experience. Here, we demonstrate the introduction of a flipped classroom curriculum for practical courses in Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) in real world practice to improve the on-site time management and students' experience. METHODS: Educational aims of our practical curriculum were analysed and rearranged into a flipped classroom (FC) framework. Core knowledge was taught preliminary based on a moodle platform in predominantly interactive formats. Two quasi-randomized groups were formed with 212 participants either receiving or not receiving access to the e-learning program to reduce a potential allocation bias to the e-learning group. All students completed a questionnaire with learning related items. Focusing the study on the intervention group, we investigated if students using the flipped classroom more often felt better prepared for the practical course. RESULTS: The online learning platform was highly accepted and frequently used by 66% of participating students in the e-learning group. Students with frequent use of our e-learning platform significantly felt better prepared for the practical course (p = 0.001). The far majority of all students supports the idea of further development of e-learning. More than 70% were generally interested in ORL. Handouts were the overall most important learning resource and more than 50% relied solely on them. CONCLUSIONS: Flipped classroom curricula can save time and help improving the on-site experience in practical courses especially in smaller surgical disciplines. The acceptance of digital learning is high, and most students rely on handouts for learning ORL, emphasizing the need for guidance by the teacher e.g. through electronic learning. Our results underline the high potential of FC to address teaching challenges for smaller medical disciplines with limited teaching time like ORL.

Do students achieve the desired learning goals using open-book formative assessments?

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to examine whether medical students benefit from an open-book online formative assessment as a preparation for a practical course. METHODS: A between-subjects experimental design was used: participants - a whole cohort of second-year medical students (N=232) - were randomly assigned to either a formative assessment that covered the topic of a subsequent practical course (treatment condition) or a formative assessment that did not cover the topic of the subsequent course (control condition). Course-script-knowledge, as well as additional in-depth-knowledge, was assessed. RESULTS: Students in the treatment condition had better course-script knowledge, both at the beginning, t(212) = 4.96, p < .01, d = 0.72., and in the end of the practical course , t(208) = 4.80, p < .01, d = 0.68. Analyses of covariance show that this effect is stronger for those students who understood the feedback that was presented within the formative assessment, F(1, 213)=10.17, p<.01. Additionally, the gain of in-depth-knowledge was significantly higher for students in the treatment condition compared to students in the control condition, t(208) = 3.68., p < .05, d = 0.72 (0.51). CONCLUSIONS: Students benefit from a formative assessment that is related to and takes place before a subsequent practical course. They have a better understanding of the topic and gain more in-depth-knowledge that goes beyond the content of the script. Moreover, the study points out the importance of feedback pages in formative assessments.

The application of workshop teaching in practical operation of exercise therapy courses for reha-bilitation major students / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective To compare the differences in the practical operation of exercise therapy courses for rehabilitation major students between workshop teaching method and traditional teaching method, and to explore the teaching model and process of workshop teaching method. Methods We im-plemented traditional teaching method in 94 rehabilitation major students in grade 2012 from Xuzhou Medical University, while 96 students in grade 2013 were taught by workshop method, which is based on specific cases, combined with multi-angle evaluation methods and various treatment protocols, with the opti-mal therapeutic method carried out after learning different practical operations and comparing their indica-tions. Then we conducted course satisfaction survey and skills operation evaluation on students from both grades after the course, and the t test was performed with the use of SPSS 19.0. Results The survey showed that the satisfaction score was significantly higher in grade 2013 students with workshop teaching method (79.07±10.49), compared with that in grade 2012 students with traditional teaching method (72.59±13.56), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05); as for the skills operation evaluation, the average score was significantly higher in students from 2013 grade (95.04±2.98), compared with that in students from 2012 grade (92.33±1.97), and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions The work-shop teaching method can significantly improve students' satisfaction for the practical course of exercise therapy while improving their operation abilities.

An off-the-shelf, authentic, and versatile undergraduate molecular biology practical course.

We provide a prepackaged molecular biology course, which has a broad context and is scalable to large numbers of students. It is provided complete with technical setup guidance, a reliable assessment regime, and can be readily implemented without any development necessary. Framed as a forensic examination of blue/white cloning plasmids, the course is a versatile workbench, adaptable to different degree subjects, and can be easily modified to undertake novel research as part of its teaching activities. Course activities include DNA extraction, RFLP, PCR, DNA sequencing, gel electrophoresis, and transformation, alongside a range of basic microbiology techniques. Students particularly appreciated the relevance of the practical to professional practice and the authenticity of the experimental work.

Audio podcasts in practical courses in biochemistry - cost-efficient e-learning in a well-proven format from radio broadcasting.

INTRODUCTION: Audio podcasts are an e-learning format that may help to motivate students to deal with the contents of medical education more intensely. We adopted a well-proven format from radio broadcasting, the radio documentary, to direct the listeners' attention to information about practical courses in biochemistry over a period of 20 minutes at most. Information, original sounds, and a specific atmosphere allow listeners to perceive the contents intensely. METHOD: In order to organise the production of the podcast as cost-efficient and least time-consuming as possible, a student, a teacher, a clinician, and a technical assistant compile the core themes of their respective text blocks in an editorial conference first. After that, the speakers can elaborate on and record their blocks independently. Coordination is widely handled by the student. At two points of time, the podcasts were evaluated by the medical students by means of a questionnaire. RESULTS: With little cost and time expenses, eight podcasts were produced. They have been used by the students extensively and have also been evaluated very positively by non-student listeners. For long-term usage, a regular reference to the podcast offer is required in the courses. CONCLUSION: Involving students, successful podcasts can be produced to support classroom teaching with little expenses and contribute to the external presentation of the medical faculty.

The experiences of project pattern in practical course of neurobiology / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Neurobiology is to study the structure,function,development and regeneration of the nervous system at molecular,cellular and whole level.The objective of neurobiological teaching is to explore the importont and difficult points in teaching' the present article attempts to design a project pattern in practical course of neurobiology,which is suited to learning mode of medical college students.

A Practical Course in Team Health Care / 医学教育

This paper reports on the practical course in health care administration that our fifth-year medical students are required to take in order to facilitate team health care. The course is intended to give students an opportunity to review health care from various viewpoints, including those of patients and ancillary medical personnel. In the present study, we used students' reports and a survey carried out immediately after the course, to measure student reactions and to examine the usefulness and possible improvements for the course.<BR>Approximately 90% of the students acknowledged value in this method of teaching, and believed their experience would help them in the future when they are doctors. Furthermore, the results of an anonymous questionnaire given to doctors with up to five years of postgraduate experience revealed that more than 60% of them supported the continuation of this type of practical course in team health care as a part of medical education.