Comparison of faculty and student evaluations of the hybrid teaching of orthopedics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background@#In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and a country-wide lockdown, the University of the Philippines College of Medicine halted face-to-face teaching in exchange for online learning for its students. For the Learning Unit VI students, clinical rotations shifted to hybrid activities to continue learning activities while minimizing exposure risk. The Philippine General Hospital Department of Orthopedics introduced the following hybrid activities in its curriculum for Learning Unit VI students: 1) Online Lectures, 2) Online Departmental Conference, 3) Online Division Rounds, 4) Online SGDs, 5) Written Case, 6) Online Exams, 7) Preceptorship, Demo, Return Demo, and 8) Online OSCE. The department used a variety of platforms including synchronous sessions, asynchronous pre-recorded lectures, and face-to-face teaching, as appropriate. @*Objectives@#The study compared the faculty and student course evaluations of activities in the hybrid ORTHO 251 course. @*Methodology@#Faculty and students were asked to evaluate each activity according to the Course Evaluation By Students (CEBS), the standard questionnaire used by the college, to determine the overall rating of each activity as well as any differences between the two groups. @*Results@#The hybrid activities conducted in the ORTHO 251 course were rated as good or excellent by the faculty and students, with differences in a few activities. Consultants rated online exams as being less effectively integrated and that there was inadequate time allotment for online SGDs, written cases, and online exams. Meanwhile, students rated all activities higher in terms of stimulating self-directed learning. @*Conclusion@#With good to excellent outcomes, this study found that it has at least satisfactorily matched the learning platform to the learning component. While knowledge may be taught via asynchronous recorded lectures or reading materials, attitude and thinking processes are better formed through synchronous discussion. Skills in medical education, including Orthopedics, are still best taught via face-to-face demoreturn demo. With this information, the department can investigate the causes of these differences and improve on the identified weaknesses.

Comparison of faculty and student evaluations of the hybrid teaching of orthopedics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background@#In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and a country-wide lockdown, the University of the Philippines College of Medicine halted face-to-face teaching in exchange for online learning for its students. For the Learning Unit VI students, clinical rotations shifted to hybrid activities to continue learning activities while minimizing exposure risk. The Philippine General Hospital Department of Orthopedics introduced the following hybrid activities in its curriculum for Learning Unit VI students: 1) Online Lectures, 2) Online Departmental Conference, 3) Online Division Rounds, 4) Online SGDs, 5) Written Case, 6) Online Exams, 7) Preceptorship, Demo, Return Demo, and 8) Online OSCE. The department used a variety of platforms including synchronous sessions, asynchronous pre-recorded lectures, and face-to-face teaching, as appropriate. @*Objectives@#The study compared the faculty and student course evaluations of activities in the hybrid ORTHO 251 course. @*Methodology@#Faculty and students were asked to evaluate each activity according to the Course Evaluation By Students (CEBS), the standard questionnaire used by the college, to determine the overall rating of each activity as well as any differences between the two groups. @*Results@#The hybrid activities conducted in the ORTHO 251 course were rated as good or excellent by the faculty and students, with differences in a few activities. Consultants rated online exams as being less effectively integrated and that there was inadequate time allotment for online SGDs, written cases, and online exams. Meanwhile, students rated all activities higher in terms of stimulating self-directed learning. @*Conclusion@#With good to excellent outcomes, this study found that it has at least satisfactorily matched the learning platform to the learning component. While knowledge may be taught via asynchronous recorded lectures or reading materials, attitude and thinking processes are better formed through synchronous discussion. Skills in medical education, including Orthopedics, are still best taught via face-to-face demoreturn demo. With this information, the department can investigate the causes of these differences and improve on the identified weaknesses.

Immediate psychological responses and coping styles of tertiary school employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

@#BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak broadly affected not only the physical but also the psychological wellbeing of the people. However, few studies have been conducted concerning its psychological impact specifically on employees from the academe. OBJECTIVES: To determine the psychological responses and coping styles of employees of the School of Health Sciences at the University of the Philippines - Manila during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study sought to determine the association between participants’ socio-demographic characteristics and their psychological responses, and between participants’ psychological responses and their coping styles used. METHODS: We employed a cross-sectional design and self-selection or volunteer sampling to recruit 46 academics and support staff employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected in April 2020. Psychological responses were determined with the 10-item Kessler’s Psychological Distress Scale. Coping styles were assessed with the short-form Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Likelihood ratio chi-square tests and Spearman rho tests were conducted to test the hypotheses. Statistical significance was determined at p < .05. RESULTS: The majority of participants reported low levels of psychological distress in the early stage of the pandemic (n=44; 95.65%). We found a statistically significant relationship between psychological responses and coping styles characterized by rumination (rs = 0.454; P = 0.002) and catastrophizing (rs = 0.408; P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed the significance of psychological responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrated a specific association with coping styles characterized by rumination and catastrophizing but are unsuitably less adaptive. Hence, the application of less adaptive techniques when psychologically distressed from the pandemic need to be corrected or modified.

Immediate psychological responses and coping styles of tertiary school employees during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background@#The COVID-19 outbreak broadly affected not only the physical but also the psychological wellbeing of the people. However, few studies have been conducted concerning its psychological impact specifically on employees from the academe.@*Objectives@#To determine the psychological responses and coping styles of employees of the School of Health Sciences at the University of the Philippines - Manila during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study sought to determine the association between participants' socio-demographic characteristics and their psychological responses, and between participants' psychological responses and their coping styles used. @*Methodology@#We employed a cross-sectional design and self-selection or volunteer sampling to recruit 46 academics and support staff employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected in April 2020. Psychological responses were determined with the 10-item Kessler's Psychological Distress Scale. Coping styles were assessed with the short-form Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Likelihood ratio chisquare tests and Spearman rho tests were conducted to test the hypotheses. Statistical significance was determined at p < .05.@*Results@#The majority of participants reported low levels of psychological distress in the early stage of the pandemic (n=44; 95.65%). We found a statistically significant relationship between psychological responses and coping styles characterized by rumination (rs = 0.454; P = 0.002) and catastrophizing (rs = 0.408; P = 0.005).@*Conclusions@#Our study confirmed the significance of psychological responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrated a specific association with coping styles characterized by rumination and catastrophizing but are unsuitably less adaptive. Hence, the application of less adaptive techniques when psychologically distressed from the pandemic need to be corrected or modified.

Exercise Science Academic Programs and Research in the Philippines.

In this invited editorial, professors from leading institutions in the Philippines, share information regarding their programs relating to Exercise Science. They have provided information on academic components such as entrance requirements, progression through programs, and professional opportunities available to students following completion; as well as details regarding funding available to students to participate in research, collaboration, and specific research interests.

Our 3-year community immersion in Barangay Tinajero, Bacolor, Pampanga: Hope in the land of survivors

Barangay Tinajero is one of the most depressed barangays (barrios) among the 21 barangays of Bacolor, Pampanga. Two UPCM (University of the Philippines, College of Medicine) Class 2012 Regionalization Program (RP) students conducted their three consecutive summer immersions (2008-2010) in Barangay Tinajero, Bacolor, the student's activities and their reflection on their experiences in the barangay.