Students' self-assessment of achievement of terminal competency and 4-year trend of student evaluation on outcome-based education.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to allow a student at School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University (KNUSOM) to self-assess how well they had achieved competency and to analyze the differences and trends of the scores by year. Furthermore, students are asked to evaluate the need for curriculum improvement by competency, the tendency of the score is analyzed by year, and the results are reflected in the improvement of the curriculum. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey for fourth-year students of KNUSOM who took medical education classes from 2015 to 2018. Questionnaire items were evaluated on the basis of their current achievement of 30 subordinate competencies of competency and the degree of necessity with respect to revising the curriculum. One-way analysis of variance was performed for the yearly difference analysis. RESULTS: The students' scores on the graduation competency were 2.03 to 4.06. In the yearly difference analysis, there was no significant difference in the average of 30 total competencies, but 16 of the sub-competencies showed significant year-to-year differences. The scores for the 30 graduation competencies were different for each year, but the competencies showing high scores and low scores were found to be similar each year. CONCLUSION: We found that the achievement level of the students was approximately 60% to 70%. We were able to confirm the contents of the education that the students continuously demand. The curriculum trend graphs for each year showed that the students' scores improved when the curriculum was being revised. We found that it is necessary to accept the students' self-evaluation reliable as the students indicated that the contents of the curriculum should be added to the areas where the contents were lacking in the present curriculum.

Implementation of problem-based learning in medical education in Korea.

PURPOSE: This study aims to identify how problem-based learning (PBL) has been implemented in Korean medical education, and how it is evaluated by each medical school. METHODS: For this study, a total of 40 medical schools in Korea were surveyed via e-mail. The survey tool was a questionnaire consisting of 22 questions which was developed independently by the researchers. RESULTS: Of the 40 medical schools, 35 schools were implementing PBL programs in their medical curriculum, while five were found not currently to be running the program. A large number of the schools which introduced PBL (30 schools, 85.7%) used a hybrid PBL model. In over 70% of the medical schools surveyed, professors evaluated the effects of PBL as positive. Most medical schools (85.7%) stated they would maintain or expand their use of PBL. However, the lack of understanding and skeptical attitude of the faculty on PBL, the lack of self-study time and passive attitude of students, insufficiency of good PBL cases, and the perfunctory PBL introduction for school accreditation interfere with the successful PBL. CONCLUSION: PBL has been incorporated in Korean medical curriculum as hybrid PBL type. It is analyzed that intensive tutor training and good PBL case development are necessary for the success and effective operation of PBL.

Students' perceptions and satisfaction level of hybrid problem-based learning for 16 years in Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Korea.

PURPOSE: Kyungpook National University School of Medicine has been implementing hybrid problem-based learning (PBL) since 1999. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the students' perceptions and satisfaction levels of hybrid PBL. METHODS: The target period of our study was from 1999 to 2014, and target subjects were second-year medical students in Kyungpook National University School of Medicine. The survey was conducted at the end of semester. We had a focused interview with group leaders and some volunteer students. RESULTS: As for the scores regarding students' overall satisfaction with PBL, there was significant improvement in 2005 compared to 2002, but the scores decreased and no differences between the survey years noted after 2005. The students' preference ratio for the once a week PBL sessions, tutor presence, synchronization of contents, and arrangement of PBL sessions and related lectures was 60%-80%, 50%-90%, 52%-96%, and 78%-93%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In order to increase students' satisfaction with hybrid PBL and to improve the perception of it, firstly, it is necessary to arrange the date and the time of PBL sessions so that students can concentrate on PBL. Secondly, PBL cases should be selected and arranged to be well synchronized with the ongoing lectures. Finally, it is important to create a safe atmosphere so that students can engage actively in PBL sessions.

Analysis on teaching evaluation of clinical clerkship at korean medical schools.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the teaching evaluation of clinical clerkship at Korean medical schools, and to suggest a desirable improvement for the clinical teaching evaluation in the future. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted with a total of 9 multiple-choice questions and 1 essay-type question. The multiple-choice questions were analyzed by the frequency analysis using SPSS 17.0, and the essay-type question was coded by the content analysis. RESULTS: Survey results were as follows: First, clinical teaching evaluations via online (51.35%) were implemented once a year (94.59%) in most medical schools. Second, the self-made questionnaires by medical school (64.86%) rather than borrowing or adaptation (35.14%) were being used more often as teaching evaluation tool. Third, 37.84% medical schools used the specific form by class type, whereas 62.16% medical schools took the general form regardless of class type. Finally, evaluation tool (n=8), lack of concern and attention to teaching evaluation (n=4), formalities of evaluation (n=4), etc. were exposed as problems of clinical teaching evaluation. With regard to evaluation items, the development of specific questions was required. CONCLUSION: Teaching evaluation can be used as effective educational tools to improve the clinical clerkship program. To this end, clinical teaching evaluation tools reflecting the characteristics of clinical practice need to be developed.

Investigation of the requirements of 'good teaching' to improve teaching professionalism in medical education.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to survey the awareness of faculty (F) and students (S) on 'good teaching' and to analyze an example of good lesson, finally to identify the requirements of 'good teaching' in medical education. METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied simultaneously. First, survey using a questionnaire was analyzed by frequency analysis and verified using chi-square-test, Mann-Whitney test. Second, the case of good teaching and qualitative data were analyzed by 'priori codes coding' and 'open coding'. RESULTS: The results of survey are as follows: Both faculty and students regarded lessons that taught important content easy to understand (F: 50%; S: 69.1%); Lessons that allow students make sure important information (F: 48.6%; S: 51.4%); Lessons that prepare and plan considering the student's level and interest (F: m=3.78; S: m=3.76) were good lessons. Faculty wanted lessons that improve student's academic achievement (35.7%), while students choose lessons that deliver curriculum effectively using appropriate teaching method (47.1%). According to the results of case analysis, it turned out that characteristics of good teaching were as follows: Thorough plan and preparation of content, various teaching methods and materials, encouragement of intellectual inquiry and curiosity, active interaction between faculty and students, clear feedback and reasonable evaluation. CONCLUSION: Requirements of good teaching are open to faculty at school of medicine and are to be utilized as guidelines to monitor and improve their instruction.

A novel composite scaffold for cardiac tissue engineering.

One approach to the engineering of functional cardiac tissue for basic studies and potential clinical use involves bioreactor cultivation of dissociated cells on a biomaterial scaffold. Our objective was to develop a scaffold that is (1) highly porous with large interconnected pores (to facilitate mass transport), (2) hydrophilic (to enhance cell attachment), (3) structurally stable (to withstand the shearing forces during bioreactor cultivation), (4) degradable (to provide ultimate biocompatibility of the tissue graft), and (5) elastic (to enable transmission of contractile forces). The scaffold of choice was made as a composite of poly(dl-lactide-co-caprolactone), poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), and type I collagen, with open interconnected pores and the average void volume of 80 +/- 5%. Neonatal rat heart cells suspended in Matrigel were seeded into the scaffold at a physiologically high density (1.35 x 10(8) cells/cm(3)) and cultivated for 8 d in cartridges perfused with culture medium or in orbitally mixed dishes (25 rpm); collagen sponge (Ultrafoam) and PLGA sponge served as controls. Construct cellularity, presence of cardiac markers, and contractile properties were markedly improved in composite scaffolds as compared with both controls.