Implementing a challenge-based learning experience in a bioinstrumentation blended course.

BACKGROUND: Bioinstrumentation is essential to biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate education and professional practice. Several strategies have been suggested to provide BME students with hands-on experiences throughout the curriculum, promoting their preparedness to pursue careers in industry and academia while increasing their learning and engagement. This paper describes the implementation of challenge-based learning (CBL) in an undergraduate bioinstrumentation blended course over the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The CBL experience was implemented in a third-year bioinstrumentation course from the BME program at Tecnologico de Monterrey. Thirty-nine students enrolled in two sections formed fourteen teams that tackled blended learning activities, including online communication, lab experiments, and in-person CBL activities. Regarding the latter, students were challenged to design, prototype, and test a respiratory or cardiac gating device for radiotherapy. An institutional student opinion survey was used to assess the success of our CBL implementation. RESULTS: Student responses to the end-of-term survey showed that they strongly agreed that this course challenged them to learn new concepts and develop new skills. Furthermore, they rated the student-lecturer interaction very positively despite the blended format. Overall, students assessed their learning experience positively. However, implementing this CBL experience required a substantial time increase in planning, student tutoring, and constant communication between lecturers and the industry partner. CONCLUSION: This work provides an effective instance of CBL for BME education to improve students' learning experience despite decreased resource efficiency. Our claim is supported by the student's performance and the positive feedback from our industrial partner.

Supporting Implementation Through Online Learning Communities: Lessons Learned From a National Training and Technical Assistance Network.

Recent implementation science frameworks highlight the role of training and technical assistance (TTA) in building workforce capacity to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs). However, evaluation of TTA is limited. We describe three case examples that highlight TTA by three regional centers in the national Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) network. Each MHTTC formed Learning Communities (LCs) to facilitate connections among behavioral health professionals with the goals of sharing implementation strategies, discussing best-practices, and developing problem solving techniques. Data on outcomes were collected through a combination of self-report surveys and qualitative interviews. LC participants reported strong connectedness, gains in knowledge and skills, improvements in implementation capacity, and intentions to advocate for organizational and systems-level change. Furthermore, across the case examples, we identified LC characteristics that are associated with participant perceptions of outcomes, including tailoring LC content to workforce needs, providing culturally relevant information, engaging leaders, forming connections among participants and trainers, and challenging participants' current workplace practices. These findings are interpreted through the lens of the Interactive Systems Framework, which focuses on how TTA, such as LCs, can facilitate connections between the theoretical and empirical foundations of interventions and the practices of implementing interventions in real-world settings to advance workforce capacity.

Navigating Challenges and Seizing Opportunities in China's Era of Online Health Education.

The rapid growth of internet users in China presents opportunities for advancing the "Healthy China 2030" initiative through online health education. Platforms like "Shanghai Health Cloud" and "National Health Information Platform" improve health literacy and management, enhancing overall public health. However, challenges such as the digital divide and the spread of unverified health information hinder progress. Addressing these issues requires enhancing digital infrastructure, employing advanced technologies for information validation, and setting high standards for online health services. Integrated efforts from various sectors are essential to maximize the benefits of online health education in China.

The next frontier: utilizing eLearning as an innovative approach to advance and sustain interprofessionalism.

The challenges to sustaining interprofessional education (IPE) are numerous and well-documented. These challenges include crowded curricula, scheduling conflicts, lack of physical space, faculty availability, and financial considerations. In turn, IPE is often viewed and treated as an add-on rather than an integral part of healthcare education, leading to sporadic implementation and vulnerability to institutional changes. The concept of eLearning, utilizing electronic technologies for education, emerges as a potential solution to these challenges and could serve as the "next frontier" for IPE. eLearning offers a flexible and scalable platform to deliver IPE, transcending geographical and time constraints. Recent research highlights the benefits of eLearning-based IPE, including enhanced collaboration, learner satisfaction, and clinical application. eLearning allows learners to engage in virtual simulations, reflexive exercises, and collaborative problem-solving, fostering essential skills for future healthcare teams. Interprofessional eLearning courses can seamlessly integrate into existing health professions curricula, catering to busy professionals and students. Most importantly, eLearning promotes consistent and purposeful embedding of interprofessional values and competencies throughout education, training, and professional development. In this Short Report, we utilize the Center for Advancing Interprofessional Practice, Education, and Research (CAIPER) at Arizona State University as a rudimentary "critical instance" case study for advancing and sustaining IPE through eLearning program development. CAIPER exemplifies this approach by constructing engaging evidence-based eLearning IPE courses ranging from examining and applying interprofessionalism in primary care to empathy and humility team-based training. CAIPER's eLearning courses have reached a global audience of over 65,000 learners highlighting the reach, impact, and viability of eLearning for sustainable IPE. Although further research is needed, eLearning presents a promising solution to the systemic challenges of IPE, and by embracing eLearning and embedding interprofessional eLearning courses in existing curricula, institutions can ensure the consistent, accessible, and sustainable delivery of high-quality IPE experiences.

The impact of COVID-19 on medical education and training.

The COVID-19 pandemic social isolation policies have accelerated the shift to online teaching for medical students and doctors in training worldwide. Online learning is cost-effective, available, and flexible. However, it can be challenging due to the technical system errors, which results in the disruption of the learning process and social isolation yielding to less satisfaction among students and teachers. The above can have negative consequences on the mental health of medical students and trainees, which is an under-researched area. United Kingdom based medical students and doctors in speciality training encountered disruptions to medical education and training due to the pandemic. Medical school and deaneries had to endorse adjustments to teaching and training delivery methods, examination, and assessments to ensure the continued progression of learning and training. A successful e-learning model depends on motivated and well-prepared medical students and teachers and structured educational materials in supported learning environment and institutions. A blended model is likely to be utilised by medical institutions for medical training in the future, which will need to be researched.

Development of a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Activity.

Global mobility has made global health a priority within nursing curricula and health care organizations. A collaborative online learning activity could promote international perspectives of health care delivery. Including a collaborative online international learning activity in continuing education for practicing nurses is a viable strategy that is consistent with the internationalization at home movement. Use of a qualitative descriptive evaluation approach when teaching prelicen-sure nursing students and educating practicing nurses provides effective international collaboration, promotes a global mindset, and provides an exemplar for professional development specialists to teach practicing nurses. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(5):220-223.].

Using Collaborative Online International Learning to Support Global Midwifery Education.

BACKGROUND AND LOCAL PROBLEM: The COVID-19 pandemic created a gap in global health learning, requiring creative solutions to bridge the divide. Collaborative online international learning (COIL) is a program between universities located in different geographic areas that aims to build cross-cultural learning and collaboration. INTERVENTION: Faculty members from Uganda and the United States worked collaboratively to plan a 2-session COIL activity for nursing and midwifery students. Twenty-eight students from the United States and Uganda participated in the pilot quality improvement project. MEASURES: Students completed a 13-question REDCap survey measuring satisfaction, time commitment for the activity, and increase in knowledge about differently resourced healthcare systems. Students also were asked to provide qualitative feedback in that survey. RESULTS: Survey results indicate a high level of satisfaction and an increased understanding of a new healthcare system. The majority of students wanted more scheduled activity times, the opportunity to meet face to face, and/or more robust sessions in the future. CONCLUSION: This COIL activity between students in the United States and Uganda was a no-cost activity that provided global health learning opportunities for students during the global pandemic. The COIL model is replicable, adaptable, and customizable for a variety of courses and time spans.

Extended reality veterinary medicine case studies for diagnostic veterinary imaging instruction: Assessing student perceptions and examination performance.

Educational technologies in veterinary medicine aim to train veterinarians faster and improve clinical outcomes. COVID-19 pandemic, shifted face-to-face teaching to online, thus, the need to provide effective education remotely was exacerbated. Among recent technology advances for veterinary medical education, extended reality (XR) is a promising teaching tool. This study aimed to develop a case resolution approach for radiographic anatomy studies using XR technology and assess students' achievement of differential diagnostic skills. Learning objectives based on Bloom's taxonomy keywords were used to develop four clinical cases (3 dogs/1 cat) of spinal injuries utilizing CT scans and XR models and presented to 22 third-year veterinary medicine students. Quantitative assessment (ASMT) of 7 questions probing 'memorization', 'understanding and application', 'analysis' and 'evaluation' was given before and after contact with XR technology as well as qualitative feedback via a survey. Mean ASMT scores increased during case resolution (pre 51.6% (±37%)/post 60.1% (± 34%); p < 0.01), but without significant difference between cases (Kruskal-Wallis H = 2.18, NS). Learning objectives were examined for six questions (Q1-Q6) across cases (C1-4): Memorization improved sequentially (Q1, 2 8/8), while Understanding and Application (Q3,4) showed the greatest improvement (26.7%-76.9%). Evaluation and Analysis (Q5,6) was somewhat mixed, improving (5/8), no change (3/8) and declining (1/8).Positive student perceptions suggest that case studies' online delivery was well received stimulating learning in diagnostic imaging and anatomy while developing visual-spatial skills that aid understanding cross-sectional images. Therefore, XR technology could be a useful approach to complement radiological instruction in veterinary medicine.

A Virtual World: New Graduate Education in the Era of COVID-19.

In this article, the authors share strategies of adult learning principles for successful transition to virtual learning for new graduate clinical nurses. Knowles' theory was used to redesign a simulation-based education approach to fulfill the diverse learning needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The delivery of efficient, effective, and meaningful education was achieved by leveraging technology. This evidence-based strategy was delivered via a cost-effective virtual platform that offered improved accessibility and convenience of education without compromising the quality of the educational outcomes, participant engagement, or learner satisfaction. This virtual platform incorporating a variety of active learning strategies exhibited effective practices, engaging the new graduate clinical nurses and enhancing their acquiring, retaining, and applying knowledge in providing high-quality and safe patient care. It demonstrated the promise that virtual education holds for future programs to enhance professional development and build the nursing workforce. Nurse educators can be instrumental in advancing this virtual agenda. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(7):307-311.].

Solutions, enablers and barriers to online learning in clinical medical education during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid review.

AIMS: The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a major disruption to undergraduate and postgraduate clinical medical education. The aim of this rapid review was to identify and synthesize published literature relating to the solutions, enablers and barriers to online learning implemented in clinical medical education during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: All articles published before March 2021 in peer-reviewed journals, including MedEdPublish, that described authors' experience of online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive analysis of the solutions and a qualitative template analysis of enablers and barriers. RESULTS: 87 articles were identified for inclusion. Face to face teaching was maintained with interactive approaches between learners and/or learners and teachers. Several innovative solutions were identified. The enablers were a readiness and rapid response by institutions, with innovation by teachers. The barriers were the lack of planning and resources, usability problems and limited interactivity between teachers and students. CONCLUSIONS: Important and timely evidence was obtained that can inform future policy, practice and research. The findings highlighted the urgent need to use rapid design and implementation methods with greater explicit descriptions in published articles to ensure applicability to other contexts.

Accelerated Implementation of a Virtual Neurology Clerkship Amid a Global Crisis.

The standard neurology clinical experience in medical school focuses primarily on bedside patient encounters; however, the limitations of the clinical environment due to the current COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the need for virtual curriculum development. To provide guidance to Neurology clerkship directors during this unprecedented time, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Undergraduate Education Subcommittee (UES) formed a workgroup to develop an outline for a virtual curriculum, provide recommendations, and describe models of integrating virtual curricula into the neurology clerkship. In this overview, we discuss different methods of virtual instruction, hybrid models of clerkship training and the challenges to its implementation, professionalism issues, and modification of feedback and assessment techniques specific to the virtual learning environment. We also offer suggestions for implementation of a hybrid virtual curriculum into the neurology clerkship. The virtual curriculum is intended to supplement the core neurology in-person clinical experience and should not be used for shortening or replacing the required neurology clinical clerkship.

Disrupción académica provocada por COVID-19 en la educación médica superior. Respuestas inmediatas y propuestas de futuro / Academic disruption caused by COVID-19 in higher medical education. Direct responses and proposals for the future

RESUMEN Las instituciones de educación superior de Salud han afrontado un gran reto con la aparición de la pandemia de COVID-19. Esta situación generó una ruptura de los tradicionales modelos de formación, caracterizados por la presencialidad en el aula, obligando a pasar hacia la educación a distancia, conocida en esta situación como educación remota de emergencia. Este proceso de disrupción académica, determinó acciones para lograr, aun en estas condiciones, la continuidad del curso escolar, estructurándose las mismas en dos etapas sucesivas: la primera, con predominio del principio de depósito sin interacción (estantería o repositorio), y la segunda con predominio del principio de interacción (verdadero espacio virtual de intercambio) (AU).

ABSTRACT The institutions of higher health education have faced a major challenge with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation caused a rupture of the traditional training models, characterized by the presence in the classroom, forcing to move towards distance education, known in this situation as remote emergency education. This process of academic disruption determined actions to achieve, even under these conditions, the continuity of the school year, structuring them in two successive stages: the first, with predominance of the principle of non-interaction deposit (shelving or repository), and the second with predominance of the principle of interaction (true virtual space of exchange) (AU).

Effects of digitalized university curriculum-associated teaching on the equilibrium of autonomic neurophysiology and disposition of learners in medical school (EDUCATE-AND-LEARN): protocol for a randomized crossover study.

BACKGROUND: Homoeostasis of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) contributes to cognitive functional integrity in learners and can be greatly influenced by emotions and stress. While moderate stress can enhance learning and memory processes, long-term stress compromises learning performance in a face-to-face classroom environment. Integrative online learning and communication tools were shown to be beneficial for visualization and comprehension but their effects on the ANS are poorly understood. We aim to assess the effects of video conference-supported live lectures compared to on-site classroom teaching on autonomic functions and their association with learning performance. METHODS AND DESIGN: Fifty mentally and physically healthy medical students will be enrolled in a randomized two-period crossover study. Subjects will attend a seminar, which is held in face-to-face and simultaneously transmitted via videoconference. Subjects will be allocated in two arms in a randomized sequence determining the order in which both seminar settings will be attended. At baseline and throughout the interactive seminar subjects will undergo detailed autonomic testing comprising neurocardiac (heart rate variability), sudomotor (sympathetic skin response), neurovascular (laser Doppler flowmetry) and pupillomotor (pupillography) function. Furthermore, learning progress will be evaluated using pre- and post-tests on the seminar subject and emotions will be assessed using profile of mood state (POMS) questionnaire. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Carryover effects will be handled using a two-way repeated measures (mixed model). Between-group differences (baseline vs face-to-face vs videoconference) will be determined using one-way analysis of variance ANOVA followed by Student-Newman-Keul test. LIMITATIONS AND STRENGTHS: This study may elucidate complex interactions between autonomic and emotional dynamics during conventional on-site and video conference-based teaching, thus providing a basis for customized learning and teaching methods. Understanding and utilizing advanced distance learning strategies is particularly important during the current pandemic, which has been limiting on-site teaching dramatically in nearly all countries of the world.

[Development and assessment of a MOOC about delirium in geriatric oncology]. / Création et évaluation d'un MOOC sur le syndrome confusionnel en oncogériatrie.

INTRODUCTION: Among the themes to be addressed by a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on geriatric oncology, one of the priorities was delirium, due to its frequency, complications and difficulties encountered by healthcare professionals in diagnosing and managing delirium. Our study aims to evaluate professional practices in the area of education, regarding the evaluation of the content of a MOOC module about delirium syndrome in geriatric oncology. METHODS: We created a multidisciplinary group to define the scientific content, the pedagogical objectives, the scriptwriting and the development of a training module. The quality of instructional design was then evaluated according to eleven MOOC design principles to promote learning. Participants were studied. RESULTS: Seven of the eleven criteria for evaluating pedagogical quality were documented. Among the 1020 participants, 455 (44.6%) completed the final test concerning delirium: 417 (40.8%) passed the final test; 406 documented their profession and the region of France where they worked: 146 (32%) nurses (confirming the participation of the targeted audience), 103 (22.6%) doctors/pharmacists (illustrating the multi-professional interest of the thematic), with a wide distribution of the participants over the national territory. DISCUSSION: The multidisciplinary team's investment in developing these teaching materials strengthened the group's cohesion and valuated its professional skills. All teaching resources developed for access via the internet must be accompanied by an evaluation of the quality of the scientific content, objectives and teaching methods, before being able to appreciate its use in the field and assess its real impact on the participants' learning and practice.

Distance learning in the COVID-19 pandemic: acceptance and attitudes of physical therapy and rehabilitation students in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: To reduce the rate of spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, distance education was initiated in all universities on 23 March 2020. Distance learning had not been experienced in physical therapy and rehabilitation education before the COVID-19 outbreak. This study aimed to (a) determine the acceptance and attitudes of Pamukkale University Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation undergraduate students towards distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak and (b) compare the results among years. METHODS: This study was conducted from May 2020 to June 2020 at the Pamukkale University School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation in Turkey. A total of 381 students (271 female, 110 male) participated. The Distance Learning Systems Acceptance Scale (ease of use, benefit), the Community Feeling Scale (affective and actional dimension), and the Distance Learning Attitude Scale (general acceptance, individual awareness, perceived usefulness, effective participation) were used to measure students' acceptance and attitudes towards distance education. RESULTS: Students had partly positive attitudes towards distance learning but were undecided about individual awareness, usefulness, and effective participation. The sense of community among students was moderate in the distance learning environment. Distance learning acceptance and attitude, and the sense of community levels, were highest in fourth-year students (last year of the school), followed by first-, third-, and then second-year students. The distance learning and sense of community scores of first- and fourth-year students were significantly higher than those of second- and third-year students (p≤0.01). CONCLUSION: Physical therapy and rehabilitation undergraduate students' attitudes towards distance learning during the COVID-19 outbreak were positive. However, when comparing between years, students in the second and third academic years had less positive attitudes. This may be because most of their curricula consisted of practical courses and summer field internships, and there were no opportunities to practise on mannequins, peers, and patients in distance education. In this study, the sense of community among students in the distance learning environment was also moderate. This may be because students were not enthusiastic about attending course lectures online, and because they did not have to view the lectures at a set time.