Percepção de aprendizagem on-line na disciplina de biomateriais / Perception of online learning in the biomaterials course

Com as universidades fechadas e a implementação do Ensino Remoto Emergencial, as atividades curriculares ocorreram através de plataformas digitais. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a percepção de aprendizagem on-line na disciplina de Biomateriais da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade Federal Fluminense no período da pandemia. O questionário COLLES (Constructivist OnLine Learning Environment Survey) foi enviado individualmente por e-mail aos cinquenta alunos, apresentando 24 declarações divididas em seis quesitos: relevância, reflexão crítica, interatividade, apoio dos tutores, apoio entre os colegas e compreensão; e para cada declaração cinco opções de resposta: quase sempre, frequentemente, algumas vezes, raramente e quase nunca. Quarenta e um alunos responderam. A soma das médias obtidas em quase sempre e frequentemente foi de 87,2% para relevância, 70% para reflexão crítica, 33,9% para interatividade, 47,6% para apoio dos tutores, 44,2% para apoio dos colegas e 89,5% para compreensão. Concluiu-se que a relevância, a reflexão crítica e a compreensão apresentaram melhores resultados, enquanto a interatividade, o apoio entre os colegas e o apoio dos tutores demonstraram necessidade de aprimoramento. E apesar das limitações do ERE, a avaliação positiva dos alunos evidenciou esta modalidade de educação on-line como uma solução plausível.

With universities closed and the implementation of Emergency Remote Teaching, curricular activities took place through digital platforms. The objective of this study was to assess the perception of online learning in the Biomaterials course at the Dental School of the Federal Fluminense University during the pandemic. The COLLES questionnaire (Constructivist OnLine Learning Environment Survey) was individually sent via email to fifty students, presenting 24 statements divided into six aspects: relevance, critical reflection, interactivity, tutor support, peer support, and comprehension. For each statement, there were five response options: almost always, often, sometimes, rarely, and almost never. Forty-one students responded. The sum of the averages obtained for almost always and often was 87.2% for relevance, 70% for critical reflection, 33.9% for interactivity, 47.6% for tutor support, 44.2% for peer support, and 89.5% for comprehension. It was concluded that relevance, critical reflection, and comprehension showed better results, while interactivity, peer support, and tutor support demonstrated a need for improvement. Despite the limitations of Emergency Remote Teaching, the positive evaluation from the students highlighted this mode of online education as a plausible solution.

Stimulus intensity and temporal configuration interact during bimodal learning and memory in honey bees.

Multimodal integration is a core neural process with a keen relevance during ecological tasks requiring learning and memory, such as foraging. The benefits of learning multimodal signals imply solving whether the components come from a single event. This challenge presumably depends on the timing and intensity of the stimuli. Here, we used simultaneous and alternate presentations of olfactory and visual stimuli, at low and high intensities, to understand how temporal and intensity variations affect the learning of a bimodal stimulus and its components. We relied on the conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER) to train honey bees to an appetitive learning task with bimodal stimuli precisely controlled. We trained bees to stimuli with different synchronicity and intensity levels. We found that synchronicity, order of presentation, and intensity significantly impacted the probability of exhibiting conditioned PER responses and the latency of the conditioned responses. At low intensities, synchronous bimodal inputs produced maximal multisensory enhancement, while asynchronous temporal orders led to lower performances. At high intensities, the relative advantage of the synchronous stimulation diminished, and asynchronous stimuli produced similar performances. Memory retention was higher for the olfactory component and bimodal stimuli compared to the visual component, irrespective of the training's temporal configuration. Bees retained the asynchronous bimodal configuration to a lesser extent than the synchronous one, depending on the stimulus intensity. We conclude that time (synchrony), order of presentation, and intensity have interdependent effects on bee learning and memory performance. This suggests caution when assessing the independent effects of each factor.

Learning Styles of Medical Students, Surgical Residents, Medical Staff, and General Surgery Teachers When Learning Surgery: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Learning styles are biological and developmental configurations of personal characteristics that make the same teaching method effective for some and ineffective for others. Studies support a relationship between learning style and career choices in medicine, resulting in learning style patterns being observed in different residency programs, including in general surgery, from medical school to the last stages of training. The methodologies, populations, and contexts of the few studies pertinent to the matter are very different from one another, and a scoping review on this theme will enhance and organize what is already known. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to identify and map out data from studies on the learning styles of medical students, surgical residents, medical staff, and surgical teachers. METHODS: The review will consider studies on the learning styles of medical students in a clinical cycle or internship, surgical residents with no restriction on year of residency, medical staff in general surgery, or general surgery's medical faculty. Primary studies published in English, with no specific time frame, will be considered. The search will be carried out in four databases, and reference lists will be searched for additional studies. Duplicates will be removed, and two independent reviewers will screen the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the selected studies. Data collection will be performed using a tool developed by the researchers. A results summary will be presented with figures, narratives, and tables. A quantitative and qualitative analysis will be carried out and further results will be shared. RESULTS: The search was funded on September 25, 2023. Data collection was performed in the two following months. Of the 213 articles found, 135 were excluded due to duplication. The remaining 78 articles will have their titles and abstracts analyzed by three of the researchers independently to select those that meet the eligibility criteria. This data is expected to be published in the first semester of 2025. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting a scoping review is the best way to map what is known about a subject. Understanding how students, residents, staff, and even teachers prefer to learn surgery is key to staying up to date and knowing how to best educate those pursuing a surgical career. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework 75ku4; https://osf.io/75ku4. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/57229.

A phenomenological study of resident and faculty experiences with learner engagement in the normalization of workplace-based assessment.

Background: Workplace-based assessments (WPBA) have become integral to learner-centred medical education. As previous research has linked learner engagement to WPBA implementation, this study explores residents' and faculty members' experiences with learner engagement in the normalisation of WPBA practice. Methods: Transcendental phenomenology was used as the qualitative approach, focusing on the participants' lived experiences. A semi-structured interview guide was used to interview five faculty members and five residents who had conducted WPBA. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using phenomenological data analysis. Results: Three themes were identified between learner engagement and WPBA conduct: (a) work environment, (b) roles and relationships, and (c) mutually beneficial teaching and learning. WPBA learner engagement occurred when participants interacted with each other and with the clinical setting to facilitate teaching and learning. Both participant groups reported a desire to participate in WPBA, but time constraints at times hindered participation. The residents indicated that WPBA improved their knowledge and admitted to experiencing negative emotions during the assessment. Overall, participants recognised the reciprocal benefits of WPBA participation for their professional development. Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that learner engagement influences the use of WPBA. Consequently, it may be beneficial to consider the role of learner engagement to normalise WPBA application for teaching and learning in the clinical context.

Contexte: Les évaluations en milieu de travail (EMT) font désormais partie intégrante de l'enseignement médical centré sur l'apprenant. Des recherches antérieures ayant établi un lien entre l'engagement de l'apprenant et la mise en œuvre de l'EMT, cette étude explore les expériences des résidents et des membres du corps professoral en matière d'engagement de l'apprenant dans la normalisation de la pratique de l'EMT. Méthodes: La phénoménologie transcendantale a été utilisée comme approche qualitative, en portant une attention particulière aux expériences vécues des participants. Un guide d'entrevue semi-structurée a été utilisé pour interroger cinq membres du corps professoral et cinq résidents qui avaient pratiqué l'EMT. Les entrevues ont été transcrites et analysées à l'aide d'une analyse phénoménologique des données. Résultats: Trois thèmes ont été identifiés entre l'engagement de l'apprenant et la conduite des EMT : (a) l'environnement de travail, (b) les rôles et les relations, et (c) l'enseignement et l'apprentissage mutuellement bénéfiques. L'engagement de l'apprenant dans le cadre de l'EMT s'est produit lorsque les participants ont interagi entre eux et avec le milieu clinique pour faciliter l'enseignement et l'apprentissage. Les deux groupes de participants ont fait part de leur désir de participer à l'EMT, mais des contraintes de temps ont parfois entravé leur participation. Les résidents ont indiqué que l'EMT avait amélioré leurs connaissances et ont admis avoir ressenti des émotions négatives lors de l'évaluation. Dans l'ensemble, les participants ont reconnu les avantages réciproques de la participation à l'EMT pour leur développement professionnel. Conclusion: Les résultats de l'étude suggèrent que l'engagement de l'apprenant influence l'utilisation de l'EMT. Par conséquent, il peut être bénéfique de considérer le rôle de l'engagement de l'apprenant pour normaliser l'application de l'EMT pour l'enseignement et l'apprentissage dans le contexte clinique.

Where did pre-service teachers, teachers, and the general public learn neuromyths? Insights to support teacher training.

BACKGROUND: Neuromyths may negatively influence teacher practice. Knowing where people learned misinformation can prevent its propagation and improve teacher training. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of neuromyths, their sources, and whether they influence teacher practice. METHOD: 157 participants (teachers, pre-service teachers, and the general public), assessed four neuromyths statements on a 4-point Likert scale. They indicate their sources, and if they were educators, whether they influenced their teacher practice. RESULTS: Participants showed over 50 % agreement in neuromyths, and approximately 30 % of teachers reported using teaching strategies based on these misconceptions. Information sources included social media, instructional materials, books, as well as interactions with peers. CONCLUSION: These results underscore the need to avoid the spread of neuromyths, especially the learning styles myth, targeting training courses and educational materials. Most teachers remember where they learned about neuromyths, which may help to identify the sources.

Modeling learning-oriented motivation in health students: a system dynamics approach.

BACKGROUND: Evidence shows that motivational practices focused on utility, importance, and autonomy shape university students' motivational orientation toward learning. On the other hand, the relationship between these variables and motivational orientation toward learning is not linear and requires models that describe their behavior over time. METHOD: In this study, mathematical modeling based on system dynamics methodology is used to simulate in health students the temporal dynamics of the motivational orientation toward learning based on the behavior of these variables in different scenarios. RESULTS: The results indicate that a) Mastery is sensitive to changes in frequency when importance and autonomy practices are performed; b) the development of Mastery is critical in the first three semesters of academic life, but its loss is hardly recoverable even when practices are incorporated in subsequent semesters; c) Utility-focused motivational practices have no significant effect on the development of learning-oriented motivation. CONCLUSION: These findings have significant practical implications for higher education. Understanding the critical role of Mastery in the early stages of academic life and the limited potential for recovery if lost can help raise awareness of the importance of early implementation of motivational practices focused on relevance and autonomy.

Reflective practice of nurse residents in the teaching-learning process in teaching hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze reflective practice in the teaching-learning process of nurses in residency programs in teaching hospitals in Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS: Case study, based on the reflective practice framework, conducted in two teaching hospitals. Observation and interviews were conducted with first and second-year residents, and five participants were included for in-depth analysis, with their data subjected to frequency distribution analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis. RESULTS: In 519 observed activities, elements of reflection were identified in 22.2%, especially active listening and expression of doubts. Discourses indicated practice as the best moment for teaching-learning due to its potential to generate reflections. Learning by doing and case discussion were considered potential strategies for reflective learning. CONCLUSION: Know-in-action reflection was evidenced as the predominant formative aspect for residents, with few opportunities for reflection on reflection-in-action.

Conocimiento de la Comprensión de los Estudiantes sobre la Anatomía Macroscópica Humana / Knowledge of Students' Understanding of Human Gross Anatomy

El propósito de esta investigación fue comprender las dificultades y necesidades para el aprendizaje de las ideas principales de la Anatomía Macroscópica Humana AMH. Se investigó un grupo de 90 estudiantes de segundo semestre del programa académico de Medicina y Cirugía de una Universidad pública, quienes se encontraban cursando la asignatura de Anatomía Macroscópica Humana I, para ello se tuvo en cuenta el modelo del conocimiento pedagógico del contenido PCK que incluye el conocimiento de los estudiantes, de su comprensión de la AMH, se realizó una observación participante de las clases teóricas y prácticas durante 16 semanas, llevando a cabo los registros de la observación en diario de campo y se obtuvo material audiovisual. Posteriormente se elaboró un índice analítico, se transcribió la información, todos los documentos fueron analizados por medio del software para análisis ATLAS.ti. Se encontraron aspectos de la enseñanza que dificultan el aprendizaje, como son la metodología de enseñanza, la gran cantidad de contenido abordado en la asignatura, la dificultad en la comprensión de las descripciones y complejidad de la ubicación espacial de las piezas anatómicas, la dificultad para encontrar una metodología de estudio apropiada y la falta de concentración durante las clases. El comprender la complejidad del proceso de aprendizaje puede favorecer la planeación y desarrollo de la enseñanza y la evaluación.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this research was to understand the difficulties and needs for learning the main ideas of Human Macroscopic Anatomy AMH. A group of 90 students from the second semester of the academic program of Medicine and Surgery of a public University were investigated, who were studying the subject of Human Macroscopic Anatomy I, for this the model of pedagogical knowledge of the PCK content that includes the knowledge of the students, their understanding of the AMH, a participant observation of the theoretical and practical classes was carried out for 16 weeks, keeping records of the observation in a field diary, and audiovisual material was obtained. Subsequently, an analytical index was prepared, the information was transcribed, all documents were analyzed using the ATLAS.ti analysis software. Aspects of teaching that hinder learning were found, such as the teaching methodology, the great amount of content addressed in the subject, the difficulty in understanding the descriptions and complexity of the spatial location of the anatomical pieces, the difficulty in finding an appropriate study methodology and the lack of concentration during classes. Understanding the complexity of the learning process can favor the planning and development of teaching and assessment.

Socioemotional Skills in the Teaching-Learning Process Mediated by Medium- and High-Fidelity Clinical Simulation in Nursing Students: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: In nursing education, contact with real scenarios implies the design of favorable experiences to develop prioritization, reasoning, critical thinking, and management skills that support future practice. In the context of the teaching-learning process, simulation emerges as a support strategy, but its use and management require the knowledge and appropriation of teachers. Clinical simulation during education promotes growth in technical skills and aptitudes such as critical thinking, emotional management, organization, delegation, and teamwork. The culmination positively impacts the student, reflecting on their confidence, security, and adaptability to unexpected or unknown situations and risks. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this scoping review is to determine the socioemotional skills described during the teaching-learning process mediated by medium- and high-fidelity clinical simulation in nursing students. METHODS: The main concepts and limits of the research area will be determined according to the 5 phases of a scoping review proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. Research articles and postgraduate theses published between 2010 and 2023 in English and Spanish will be considered. Dissertation-type documents, book chapters, editorials, abstracts, and articles focused on clinical simulation among nursing professionals will be excluded. The articles will be retrieved from databases available at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, along with CINAHL, Scielo, and PubMed. The search strategy will be based on the Population-Concept-Context framework. Article selection will be carried out by 2 independent evaluators who will review titles and abstracts in stage 1 and the full text in stage 2. A database of retrieved articles will be built with the variables of interest. A qualitative thematic analysis will be conducted by 5 independent reviewers to provide an overview of the literature, focusing on identifying similarities and contrasts between studies and contributions related to the aspects of social skills described in nursing students. RESULTS: The investigation has not yet started. The findings aim to focus on variables within the academic environment that, when correlated with the clinical simulation experience, may determine student learning. The working hypothesis is that students who experience greater satisfaction or possess better communication skills also demonstrate superior performance during high-fidelity simulation activities. The most relevant results will be contrasted considering the stated objective and knowledge gaps. Key aspects will also be compared with other reviews addressing related topics such as communication, self-efficacy, and self-confidence. Skills described by other authors that were not considered in the initial literature review will also be mentioned. CONCLUSIONS: Educational institutions are responsible for including learning experiences in controlled environments such as medium- and high-fidelity simulation to ensure the acquisition of technical capabilities and additional socioemotional skills. Recognizing and managing emotions is necessary to provide adequate care for users of health care services and for the increased effectiveness of professionals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework p4ays; https://osf.io/p4ays. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/56436.

Haptic experience to significantly motivate anatomy learning in medical students.

BACKGROUND: Currently, multiple tools exist to teach and learn anatomy, but finding an adequate activity is challenging. However, it can be achieved through haptic experiences, where motivation is the means of a significant learning process. This study aimed to evaluate a haptic experience to determine if a tactile and painting with color marker interactive experience, established a better learning process in comparison to the traditional 2D workshop on printed paper with photographs. METHODS: Plaster bone models of the scapulae, humerus and clavicle were elaborated from a computerized scan tomography. Second year undergraduate medical students were invited to participate, where subjects were randomly assigned to the traditional 2D method or the 3D plaster bone model. A third group decided not to join any workshop. Following, all three groups were evaluated on bone landmarks and view, laterality, muscle insertions and functions. 2D and 3D workshop students were asked their opinion in a focus group and answered a survey regarding the overall perception and learning experience. Evaluation grades are presented as mean ± standard deviation, and answers from the survey are presented as percentages. RESULTS: The survey demonstrated the students in the 3D model graded the experience as outstanding, and in five out of the six questions, answers were very good or excellent. In contrast, for students participating in the 2D workshop the most common answers were fair or good. The exception was the answer regarding the quiz, where both groups considered it good, despite the average among all groups not being a passing grade. CONCLUSIONS: To learn the anatomy of the shoulder, the conventional methodology was compared with a haptic experience, where plaster bone models were used, enabling students to touch and paint on them. Based on the focus group and survey this study revealed the 3D workshop was an interactive experience where, the sense of touch and painting greatly contributed to their learning process. Even though this activity was useful in terms of learning bone landmarks, view muscle insertions, and establish relations, further activities must be developed to increase their understanding regarding their function, and its relevance in a clinical setting.

Prior knowledge of students: essential aspects that a nursing expert professor identifies, interprets, and organizes to foster learning / Saberes previos de los estudiantes: aspectos esenciales que un docente experto en enfermería identifica, interpreta y organiza para favorecer el aprendizaje / Conhecimento prévio dos alunos: aspectos essenciais que um professor especialista em enfermagem identifica, interpreta e organiza para promover a aprendizagem

Objective. To analyze the essential aspects that the nursing expert professor identifies, interprets, and organizes during classroom dialogic processes with students to foster their learning. Methods. Qualitative study, part of a multicenter study, which used ethnography of communication specifically from a micro-ethnographic approach. An expert professor from the Faculty of Nursing at a public university in Medellín, Colombia, was selected for the study. The fieldwork was done in three stages: 1)non-participant observations in two in-person classes of the Morphophysiology course recorded on video from two different perspectives (one focusing on the professor and another on the students); 2)think-aloud interviews with the professor and five students (three from the first class and two from the second) who spontaneously started more than two communicative interactions with the professor during the classes; and 3)parallel transcriptions, organized in didactic sequences (videos). The analysis was supported by the unit Student-Professor (identification-evaluation-answer) Student [S-P(i-e-a)S ́], and by continuous comparisons of the data. Results. Four categories were identified: 1) Identification of essential aspects: importance of prior knowledge, 2) Interpretation: connection between essential aspects and students' mental processes, 3) Organization of the answer: connection between prior knowledge and new knowledge, and: 4) Synchronization with the learning needs of the students, which were grouped in a meta-category: Prior knowledge of the students: essential aspects for learning. Conclusion. Students' experiential prior knowledge constitutes the essential aspects identified, interpreted, and organized by the expert professor to achieve significant learning.

Objetivo. Analizar los aspectos esenciales que el docente experto en enfermería identifica, interpreta y organiza durante los procesos dialógicos con los estudiantes en el aula para favorecer su aprendizaje. Métodos. Estudio cualitativo, parte de un estudio multicéntrico, que utilizó la etnografía de la comunicación desde un abordaje micro-etnográfico. Se seleccionó un docente experto de una Facultad de Enfermería de una universidad pública de Medellín, Colombia. El trabajo de campo se desarrolló en tres momentos: 1) observaciones no participantes en dos clases presenciales del curso de morfofisiología grabadas en video en dos planos (uno enfocando al profesor, y el otro, a los estudiantes); 2) entrevistas Think-Aloud Protocol (método de pensamiento en voz alta) al docente y a cinco estudiantes (tres de la primera clase y dos de la segunda) que iniciaron espontáneamente más de dos interacciones con el docente durante las clases; y 3) transcripciones paralelas, organizadas en secuencias didácticas (videos). El análisis se apoyó en la unidad [E-P(i-e-r)E ́] (Estudiante-Profesor (identificación-evaluación-respuesta) Estudiante ́) y en comparaciones constantes de los datos. Resultados. Emergieron cuatro categorías: 1) Identificación de aspectos esenciales: importancia de los saberes previos, 2) Interpretación: articulación de los aspectos esenciales y los procesos mentales del estudiantado, 3) Organización de la respuesta: conexión entre saberes previos y el nuevo conocimiento, y: 4) Sintonización con las necesidades de aprendizaje del estudiantado; las que fueron agrupadas en una meta-categoría: Saberes previos del estudiante: aspectos esenciales para el aprendizaje. Conclusión.Los saberes previos experienciales de los estudiantes se constituyen en los aspectos esenciales identificados, interpretados y organizados por el profesor experto, para el logro de aprendizajes significativos.

Objetivo. Analisar os aspectos essenciais que o professor especialista em enfermagem identifica, interpreta e organiza durante os processos dialógicos com os alunos em sala de aula para promover sua aprendizagem. Métodos. Estudo qualitativo, parte de um estudo multicêntrico, que utilizou a etnografia da comunicação a partir de uma abordagem microetnográfica. Foi selecionada uma professora especialista da Faculdade de Enfermagem de uma universidade pública de Medellín, Colômbia. O trabalho de campo foi desenvolvido em três momentos: 1) observações não participantes em duas aulas presenciais do curso de morfofisiologia gravadas em vídeo em dois planos (um focado no professor, e outro, nos alunos); 2) Entrevistas do Protocolo Think-Aloud com a professora e cinco alunos (três da primeira turma e dois da segunda) que iniciaram espontaneamente mais de duas interações com a professora durante as aulas; e 3) transcrições paralelas, organizadas em sequências didáticas (vídeos). A análise baseou-se na unidade [E-P(i-e-r)E ́] (Aluno-Professor (identificação-avaliação-resposta) Aluno ́) e em comparações constantes dos dados. Resultados. Emergiram quatro categorias: 1) Identificação dos aspectos essenciais: importância do conhecimento prévio, 2) Interpretação: articulação dos aspectos essenciais e dos processos mentais do aluno, 3) Organização da resposta: conexão entre conhecimentos prévios e novos conhecimentos, e: 4) Sintonia com as necessidades de aprendizagem do corpo discente; que foram agrupados em uma metacategoria: Conhecimentos prévios do aluno: aspectos essenciais para a aprendizagem. Conclusão. O conhecimento experiencial prévio dos alunos constitui os aspectos essenciais identificados, interpretados e organizados pelo professor especialista, para a obtenção de uma aprendizagem significativa.

Sleep Consolidation Potentiates Sensorimotor Adaptation.

Contrary to its well-established role in declarative learning, the impact of sleep on motor memory consolidation remains a subject of debate. Current literature suggests that while motor skill learning benefits from sleep, consolidation of sensorimotor adaptation (SMA) depends solely on the passage of time. This has led to the proposal that SMA may be an exception to other types of memories. Here, we addressed this ongoing controversy in humans through three comprehensive experiments using the visuomotor adaptation paradigm (N = 290, 150 females). In Experiment 1, we investigated the impact of sleep on memory retention when the temporal gap between training and sleep was not controlled. In line with the previous literature, we found that memory consolidates with the passage of time. In Experiment 2, we used an anterograde interference protocol to determine the time window during which SMA memory is most fragile and, thus, potentially most sensitive to sleep intervention. Our results show that memory is most vulnerable during the initial hour post-training. Building on this insight, in Experiment 3, we investigated the impact of sleep when it coincided with the critical first hour of memory consolidation. This manipulation unveiled a benefit of sleep (30% memory enhancement) alongside an increase in spindle density and spindle-SO coupling during NREM sleep, two well-established neural markers of sleep consolidation. Our findings reconcile seemingly conflicting perspectives on the active role of sleep in motor learning and point to common mechanisms at the basis of memory formation.

Motor Learning and the Interactions Between Working Memory and Practice Schedule.

The benefits of less repetitive practice schedules on motor learning are usually described in terms of greater demand for memory processes. The present study aimed to investigate the interactions between working memory and practice schedule and their effects on motor learning. Forty female participants had their WMC evaluated by the N-back test and were randomly allocated to either the variable random (VP) or the constant practice (CP) groups. In the acquisition phase, participants practiced 120 trials of a sequential key-pressing task with two goals: learning the relative and the absolute timing. Delayed retention and transfer tests occurred 24 h after the acquisition phase. Participants performed 12 trials of the motor task. Results showed that in the CP, learners with a high level of WMC presented better motor performance in the transfer test than learners with a low level of WMC. In the RP, no difference between WMC levels was found. Learners with a high level of WMC in the CP presented the same motor performance as learners in the RP regardless of the WMC level in the transfer test. In conclusion, learners with a high WMC could compensate for the poor working memory stimulation of a more repetitive practice schedule. The high WMC did not seem to exert an additional benefit when learners were well stimulated by a less repetitive practice schedule.

The pivotal role of clinical tutorial teaching in knowledge construction.

Students' new knowledge is gradually built up in the context of the task for which it is required and consolidated by applying it to clinical cases. As students see more and more clinical cases the knowledge emerges from an associative mesh of different levels of understanding. During tutorial clinical teaching, residents should be gradually exposed to an increasing range of real-world learning tasks and increasing levels of complexity. This exposure allows them to gradually develop shortcuts in the retrieval of their knowledge. This commentary provides a rationale for the construction of knowledge and the pivotal role that clinical tutorial teaching plays in this task.

Self-Controlled Feedback in Motor Learning: The Effects Depend on the Frequency of Request.

The benefits of allowing learners to control when to receive knowledge of results (KR) compared to a yoked group has been recently challenged and postulated to be mild at best. A potential explanation for such dissident findings is that individuals differentially utilize the autonomy provided by the self-controlled condition, which, in its turn, affects the outcomes. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of self-controlled KR on motor learning focusing on the frequency of KR requests when performing an anticipatory timing task. Self-controlled groups were created based on participants' KR frequency of request (High, Medium, and Low referring to fifth, third, and first quintile) and, then, Yoked groups were created self-control condition pairing the KR request of the Self-controlled groups. We also measured self-efficacy and processing time as means to verify potential correlates. The results supported the expected interaction. While no difference between self-controlled and yoked groups were found for low frequencies of KR, a moderate amount of KR request was related to better results for the self-controlled group. Nonetheless, the opposite trend was observed for high frequencies of KR; the yoked group was superior to the self-controlled group. The results of this study allow us to conclude that the choices made, and not just the possibility of choosing, seem to define the benefits of KR self-control in motor learning.

Prior knowledge of students: essential aspects that a nursing expert professor identifies, interprets, and organizes to foster learning.

Objective: To analyze the essential aspects that the nursing expert professor identifies, interprets, and organizes during classroom dialogic processes with students to foster their learning. Methods: Qualitative study, part of a multicenter study, which used ethnography of communication specifically from a micro-ethnographic approach. An expert professor from the Faculty of Nursing at a public university in Medellín, Colombia, was selected for the study. The fieldwork was done in three stages: 1:non-participant observations in two in-person classes of the Morphophysiology course recorded on video from two different perspectives (one focusing on the professor and another on the students); 2:think-aloud interviews with the professor and five students (three from the first class and two from the second) who spontaneously started more than two communicative interactions with the professor during the classes; and 3:parallel transcriptions, organized in didactic sequences (videos). The analysis was supported by the unit Student-Professor (identification-evaluation-answer) Student [S-P(i-e-a)S'], and by continuous comparisons of the data. Results: Four categories were identified: 1: Identification of essential aspects: importance of prior knowledge, 2: Interpretation: connection between essential aspects and students' mental processes, 3: Organization of the answer: connection between prior knowledge and new knowledge, and: 4: Synchronization with the learning needs of the students, which were grouped in a meta-category: Prior knowledge of the students: essential aspects for learning. Conclusion: Students' experiential prior knowledge constitutes the essential aspects identified, interpreted, and organized by the expert professor to achieve significant learning.

Advancement in knowledge and skills of nursing students in operation theatre procedures with mobile based learning.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of mobile -based learning (MBL) in improving nursing students' knowledge and skills when performing procedures in the operating room. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with control group, pre- and post-intervention assessment was conducted. A total of 128 nursing students from India were recruited by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the intervention (use of a telephone application containing videos on hand washing, surgical gown donning, gloving, and assisting during intubation) and conventional education groups. A validated Structured Knowledge Questionnaire and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scale was used to assess nursing students' competencies in relation to operating room procedures and a mobile-based learning satisfaction opinion questionnaire was administered. Results: The findings showed that the improvement in the mean knowledge and skills score was greater in the intervention group than in the control group (p<0.001). The administration of the MBL was rated as highly satisfactory by 93.8% of the students exposed to this learning method. Conclusion: The MBL intervention was effective in improving nursing students' knowledge and skills in the evaluated operating room procedures.

El proceso de transición desde la perspectiva del aprendizaje / The transition process from a learning perspective

El avance científico y tecnológico ha incrementado la supervivencia de niños, niñas y adolescentes (NNyA) con Enfermedad Crónica (EC). Ello ha generado un aumento significativo de la población adolescente con cuidados especiales de salud dentro del ámbito pediátrico. Esta situación da relevancia a la necesidad de institucionalizar líneas de acción específicas para acompañar el proceso de transición de estos pacientes hacia la atención de adultos. Dentro del abordaje interdisciplinario, cada especialidad define sus intervenciones. Partiendo de la perspectiva multidimensional del aprendizaje y del concepto de Alfabetización en Salud (AS), el equipo de psicopedagogía participa de la transición de grupos de pacientes a los que asiste en clínicas específicas. El objetivo central de esta participación es favorecer en cada consultante el mayor nivel de autonomía posible, considerando sus recursos cognitivos, educativos, familiares y contextuales. Las líneas de intervención, se dirigen a promover el manejo de información sobre la propia condición de salud y el aprendizaje de habilidades relacionadas con la autogestión de su enfermedad. Este escenario busca promover una transición efectiva involucrando no sólo al paciente y su familia sino que además al equipo de salud en dicho proceso (AU)

Scientific and technological progress has increased the survival of children and adolescents with Chronic Diseases (CD). This has led to a significant increase in the adolescent population with special healthcare needs in the pediatric setting. Consequently, there is a pressing need to institutionalize specific lines of action to facilitate the transition of these patients to adult care. Within an interdisciplinary approach, each specialty defines its interventions. The educational therapy team participates in the transition of patient groups in specific clinics, based on the multidimensional perspective of learning and the concept of health literacy (HL). The main objective of this participation is to promote the highest possible level of autonomy in each patient, considering their cognitive, educational, family, and contextual resources. The interventions aim to enhance the management of information about their health condition and the learning of skills related to self-management of their disease. This approach seeks to promote an effective transition involving not only the patient and their family but also the health team in this process (AU)

Cumulative lifetime stressor exposure impairs stimulus-response but not contextual learning.

Greater exposure to stressors over the life course is believed to promote striatum-dependent over hippocampus-dependent learning and memory processes under stressful conditions. However, little research in this context has actually assessed lifetime stressor exposure and, moreover, it remains unknown whether greater cumulative lifetime stressor exposure exerts comparable effects on striatum-dependent learning and hippocampus-dependent learning in non-stressful contexts. To investigate this issue, we used the Stress and Adversity Inventory for Adults (Adult STRAIN) and Multicued Search Task to investigate the relation between cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and striatum-dependent stimulus-response learning and hippocampus-dependent contextual learning under non-stressful conditions among healthcare professionals (N = 205; 157 females, 48 males; Age: M = 34.23, SD 9.3, range 20-59 years). Individuals with moderate, but not low, cumulative lifetime stressor exposure exhibited impaired learning for stimulus-response associations. In contrast, learning for context associations was unrelated to participants' lifetime stressor exposure profiles. These results thus provide first evidence that cumulative lifetime stressor exposure may have negative consequences on human striatum-dependent stimulus-response learning under non-stressful environmental conditions.