Academic optimism, capital indicators as predictors of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning outcome among students in secondary school. Hierarchical regression approach (HRA).

Background: Studies that were carried out previously on learning outcomes focused mainly on the student's cognitive domain while identifying factors that predicted it. More so, most of the learner's assessments in school are largely dependent on the score obtained from specific subjects by the learner, and efforts to address other domains of instruction such as affective and psychomotor domains have been minimal or absent in regard to the variables selected for the study. This study therefore sought to address that gap by finding out the relative and composite contribution of academic optimism and capital indicators to the learning outcomes (of students. Methods: The study adopted a correlational design with a multistage sampling technique to select a total of 534 senior secondary class II students. Two research instruments, the Academic Optimism and Capital Indicators Scale (AOCIS) and the Learning Outcomes Scale (LOS), were used for data collection. Exploratory and confirmatory factors analysis were used to assess the dimensionality of the items and factor structure of the scales. The psychometric properties obtained for scale were adequate for the instrument to be adjudged valid and reliable.The collected data were analysed using the hierarchical regression approach (HRA). Results: The findings of the study revealed that academic emphasis, collective efficacy, faculty trust, social capital, economic capital, and cultural capital, relatively and jointly, predict overall learning outcomes (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor construct). The result showed that there was an increased proportion of variance with each addition of a predictor to the model. Social capital reduced the percentage change at the initial time, but with the addition of economic capital, the proportion of change increased among others in the subsequent model examination. Conclusion: /implication: The study provides knowledge and empirical evidence that academic optimism and capital indicators, with their dimensions, affect composite learning outcomes among students. This study will help school ministries, policymakers, and curriculum planners make sure that the educational objectives, philosophies, and programmes are planned to reflect the total learner in order to produce the total learner that will effect changes in the society. This study has provided evidence that academic inputs and capital indicators are crucial indices of their learning outcomes in the three area of learning. The ability of the school to emphasise academics, ensure that all school agents are committed to instructional delivery, and gain the trust of parents is crucial for adequate support to enhance students learning outcomes. The outcome has implication for policy development and providing a climate that can stimulate equity, trust and motivation.

The effect of simulation of sectional human anatomy using ultrasound on students' learning outcomes and satisfaction in echocardiography education: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Effective teaching methods are needed to improve students' abilities in hand-eye coordination and understanding of cardiac anatomy in echocardiography education. Simulation devices have emerged as innovative teaching tools and exhibited distinctive advantages due to their ability to provide vivid and visual learning experiences. This study aimed to investigate the effect of simulation of sectional human anatomy using ultrasound on students' learning outcomes and satisfaction in echocardiography education. METHODS: The study included 18 first-year clinical medical students with no prior echocardiography training. After randomization, they underwent a pre-test to assess basic knowledge. Following this, the students were divided into two groups: traditional teaching (traditional group) and simulation of sectional human anatomy using ultrasound (digital group). Each group received 60 min of instruction. Post-tests were assigned to students at two different time points: immediately after the lecture, and one week later (referred to as post-tests 1, and 2). In addition, anonymous questionnaires were distributed to students after class to investigate their satisfaction with teaching. RESULTS: Both groups showed significant improvement in their scores on post-test 1 compared to pre-test (traditional group: from 33.1 ± 8.8 to 48.1 ± 13.1, P = 0.034 vs. digital group: from 35.0 ± 6.7 to 58.0 ± 13.2, P = 0.008). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in several post-test comparisons. Student satisfaction ratings revealed that the digital group experienced significantly greater satisfaction in areas such as subject interest, teaching style, course alignment, and interaction compared to the traditional group. Additionally, 80% of the digital group strongly endorsed the use of simulation of sectional human anatomy using ultrasound for echocardiography teaching, highlighting its effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Simulation of sectional human anatomy using ultrasound may improve students' understanding of echocardiography and satisfaction with the course. Our study provides evidence supporting the use of simulation teaching devices in medical education. Further research is needed to explore the long-term impact of this teaching method on students' learning outcomes and its integration into the medical curriculum. TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.chictr.org.cn (registration number: ChiCTR2300074015, 27/07/2023).

The mediating role of intention of learning behaviour in learning behaviour.

Improving the quality of postgraduate study is one that must be addressed with the increase in the number of postgraduate students. This study aims to analyse the effects of learning attitude, learning motivation and self-efficacy on learning behaviour through the intention of learning behaviour, and the effect of learning behaviour on learning outcome. Measurements were made on 560 postgraduate students after the development of a scale. The scale was analysed for reliability and exploratory factor analysis using SPSS software. The date were then analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis techniques with path analysis and bootstrap methods. The results of the study showed that students' attitudes towards learning and self-efficacy had a significant indirect on learning behaviour through the mediating involvement of intention to learn behaviours, and learning behaviour had a significant effect on learning outcome. Therefore, there is a need to improve learning behaviour by improving students' intention to learn behaviour so that they can have good learning outcome.

Interactive Quiz-Based Anatomy Teaching for Medical Undergraduate Students.

BACKGROUND: Anatomy is one of the most volatile subjects and needs the learner to understand and retain a lot of information and terms. It is thus very important to continuously upgrade the methodology from the traditional didactive to interactive teaching to make the student an active learner and engage him in the learning process to categorize and analyze anatomical facts and knowledge. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The study was done to compare the learning outcomes and perception of medical students towards didactic lectures and interactive quiz-based lectures in anatomy. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted amongst the 200 Year 1 medical undergraduate students enrolled in the Department of Anatomy at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, located in Lucknow, India. The 200 students comprised 120 males (60%) and 80 females (40%). The mean age of male students was 19.67 years and of females was 19.52 years. The students were divided into two groups of hundred students each by a method of convenience sampling. Students of group I were taught by an interactive quiz-based lecture and group II by a traditional didactic lecture. A pre- and post-test were conducted for both groups and feedback for both methods was taken by using a pre-validated feedback form based on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: On statistical analysis, it was found that in the post-test the performance of group I taught by the interactive quiz-based study was better as compared to group II taught by traditional didactive teaching, but was not statistically significant (p=0.233, p>0.05). The feedback from students revealed that 45.9% of them strongly agreed and 44.9% agreed with the fact that quiz-based lectures are better than routine lectures. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the present study clearly indicate that the introduction of quiz-based anatomy teaching for undergraduate medical students was well received and appeared to improve their learning outcomes in the form of increased attention and participation during class and would lead to better retention of the topics taught during interactive lectures. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has been done to document the efficacy of quiz-based teaching for the subject of anatomy.

Assessing ChatGPT's Mastery of Bloom's Taxonomy Using Psychosomatic Medicine Exam Questions: Mixed-Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Large language models such as GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4) are being increasingly used in medicine and medical education. However, these models are prone to "hallucinations" (ie, outputs that seem convincing while being factually incorrect). It is currently unknown how these errors by large language models relate to the different cognitive levels defined in Bloom's taxonomy. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore how GPT-4 performs in terms of Bloom's taxonomy using psychosomatic medicine exam questions. METHODS: We used a large data set of psychosomatic medicine multiple-choice questions (N=307) with real-world results derived from medical school exams. GPT-4 answered the multiple-choice questions using 2 distinct prompt versions: detailed and short. The answers were analyzed using a quantitative approach and a qualitative approach. Focusing on incorrectly answered questions, we categorized reasoning errors according to the hierarchical framework of Bloom's taxonomy. RESULTS: GPT-4's performance in answering exam questions yielded a high success rate: 93% (284/307) for the detailed prompt and 91% (278/307) for the short prompt. Questions answered correctly by GPT-4 had a statistically significant higher difficulty than questions answered incorrectly (P=.002 for the detailed prompt and P<.001 for the short prompt). Independent of the prompt, GPT-4's lowest exam performance was 78.9% (15/19), thereby always surpassing the "pass" threshold. Our qualitative analysis of incorrect answers, based on Bloom's taxonomy, showed that errors were primarily in the "remember" (29/68) and "understand" (23/68) cognitive levels; specific issues arose in recalling details, understanding conceptual relationships, and adhering to standardized guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: GPT-4 demonstrated a remarkable success rate when confronted with psychosomatic medicine multiple-choice exam questions, aligning with previous findings. When evaluated through Bloom's taxonomy, our data revealed that GPT-4 occasionally ignored specific facts (remember), provided illogical reasoning (understand), or failed to apply concepts to a new situation (apply). These errors, which were confidently presented, could be attributed to inherent model biases and the tendency to generate outputs that maximize likelihood.

The effects of introducing virtual reality communication simulation in students' learning in a fundamentals of nursing practicum: A pragmatic randomized control trials.

AIM: This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a virtual reality communication simulation (VRCS) in teaching communication skills in fundamentals of nursing practicum. BACKGROUND: Effective communication skills are an integral part of the nursing profession and the foundation of high-quality nursing care. Effective communication not only addresses the needs of patients but is also necessary for maintaining patient safety. Many studies have reported the inadequacy of nursing students in communicating with patients. Nursing students often experience stress due to their lack of adequate skills to communicate effectively with patients and their family members. DESIGN: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial research with four within-subjects assessments (at the baseline (T0), 1st week (T1) and 3rd week (T2) of the clinical practice and 1 week after the end of the clinical practice (T3)) and between-subjects assessments. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-four nursing students at a university of Science and Technology in central Taiwan. METHODS: The students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 42) and a control group (n = 42). The experimental group received a VRCS, whereas the control group received the nurse-patient communication teaching video. The data were collected from April 2022 to August 2022. The Kalamazoo Essential Element Communication Checklist, Communication Self-Assessment Scale, Learning Satisfaction Questionnaire and Stress Scale for Nursing Students in Clinical Practice were used for data collection. RESULTS: At baseline, the control group had higher scores on communication ability and confidence compared with the experimental group (t = -3.91, p <.001; and t = -2.35, p =.021). In the first week of clinical practice, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores for communication ability compared with the control group (ß = 15.99, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 13.79, 18.18) and communication confidence and learning satisfaction compared with controls at T1, T2 and T3 of the clinical practice (all, p <.001). The clinical practice stress scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group at T1, T2 and T3 of the clinical practice (all, p <.05). CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed VRCS is acceptable and worthwhile for training nursing students to develop communication abilities. This study suggests that VRCS practice should be arranged as early as possible in fundamentals of nursing practice courses and before the fundamentals of nursing practicum so as to facilitate the learning of effective communication. Follow-up research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of virtual reality education in nursing practice.

Nursing students' learning flow, self-efficacy and satisfaction in virtual clinical simulation and clinical case seminar.

BACKGROUND: Virtual clinical simulations and clinical case seminar become widely utilized to address these constraints and help nursing students acquire clinical competencies as the limitations on practicum opportunities have been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine learning flow, self-efficacy and satisfaction in virtual clinical simulation and clinical case seminar among nursing students. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used. Forty-two junior nursing students completed survey questionnaires after participating in computer-based virtual clinical simulation and clinical case seminar, which aimed at acquiring knowledge and care skills in geriatric nursing. RESULTS: Significant differences in two methods were found in learning flow which included challenge-skill balance (t = -2.24, p < .05) and action-awareness merge (t = -3.32, p < .01). There was no significant difference in learning self-efficacy (t=-1.52, p = .137) and learning satisfaction (t=-0.92, p = .365). CONCLUSIONS: When there's a mismatch between the perceived challenge and the students' skill levels, it can hinder the learning process. Therefore, instructors should evaluate the clinical skill levels of their students and make necessary adjustments to the difficulty levels of simulation and clinical case seminar accordingly.

Transformational leadership of physical education instructors and university students' satisfaction with online classes.

This study examined the relationship between the transformational leadership of PE instructors and students' satisfaction in an online PE class. In particular, it aimed to investigate whether the PE instructors' transformational leadership behaviors could predict students' satisfaction toward the class, their PE teacher, and their health and fitness. Furthermore, this study explored these relationships in male and female students. A total of 448 university students (male = 228; female = 220) between the ages of 18 and 22 participated in the study. The results revealed a positive relationship between the transformational leadership behaviors of PE instructors and students' satisfaction with online PE classes. Moreover, male and female students' satisfaction with the teaching of their PE instructor, feelings of fun and enjoyment, and perception of improved health and fitness in their online PE classes varied greatly as they perceived specific behaviors of transformational leadership from their PE instructors. These findings demonstrate that PE instructors play an important role as (online) classroom leaders in enhancing students' satisfaction with online learning. Therefore, PE instructors should be mindful to demonstrate transformational leadership to improve their effectiveness when conducting online classes.

Integrating research in health professions education: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Integrating teaching and research may boost students' learning and improve future clinical practice when incorporated into education. Explorations of health professions students' involvement in the research processes and their learning outcomes are sparse. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review is to explore the existing scientific literature on courses involving students from health professions education in research activities. The research questions are: Which parts of the research process are the health professions students involved in, and what are the students' main learning outcomes related to the research process reported to be? METHODS: A scoping review following the six-step approach of Arksey and O'Malley was undertaken. We searched four electronic databases to identify studies focusing on research-based teaching in health professions education. Inspired by content analysis, we identified key concepts relating to the research process and learning outcomes. RESULTS: We screened 1084 abstracts, reviewed 95 full-text reports, and included 24 for analysis. Overall, the students were more involved in conducting and disseminating research than in the planning phases. Learning outcomes were most frequently reported as specific research skills, such as conducting literature reviews, writing academically, and presenting results, but also as improved understanding of research in general as well as improved motivation and confidence in conducting research. CONCLUSIONS: The heterogeneity of educational programs, study designs, and measures makes it difficult to draw conclusions across the studies included in the review. More research is needed to conclude whether health professions students who actively engage in research gain a better understanding of the research process, become more likely to pursue research in their practice, or are more motivated to choose an academic career.

A successful intervention to improve conceptual knowledge of medical students who rely on memorization of disclosed items.

Background: The mere memorization of isolated facts without the claim of integrating them is detrimental to the desired learning outcomes in medical education. The current study was conducted within an environment where items from summative assessments are regularly disclosed by the university and consequently collected into an item bank that is shared between students. Within this environment, we aimed to quantify 1) to which extent students use disclosed items for their preparation for the summative exam, 2) a putative mismatch between (isolated factual) knowledge regarding distinct questions from the item bank and conceptual knowledge, and 3) to which extent this mismatch can be ameliorated by a project aiming to steer student learning away from the memorization of isolated facts toward the acquisition of conceptual knowledge. Methods: This steering project in the midst of the first semester consisted of the implementation of an oral exam based on selected learning objectives, preceded by two seminars. After their summative exam at the end of semester, 135 students performed a voluntary exam for study purposes. Here, authentic (i.e., presumably preknown) physiology questions taken from the item bank were used to assess students' ability to 1) recognize the correct answer in a multiple choice (MC) question, 2) recall the answer (short answer), or 3) display conceptual knowledge closely corresponding to the question presented in the other formats. Additionally, students received a questionnaire addressing their learning habits and attitudes. Results: The median reported percentage of learning time for the summative exam exclusively spent with this item bank was 80%. The results of the voluntary exam indicate that students frequently recognize and recall correct answers of included items without displaying knowledge of the underlying concept. Compared to recall of the correct answer, the probability of giving a correct answer regarding the corresponding basal physiologic concept was lower by 47 percentage points (p <0.001) for topics not included in the steering project. Regarding topics included in the steering project, this discrepancy was reduced to 25.5% (p <0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate the influence of disclosed items on student learning and learning outcomes and suggest that a carefully implemented assessment is able to improve conceptual knowledge in physiology.

Personalization and Learning Outcome in a Nursing Pathophysiology and Pharmacology Course: Canvas© Mastery Adoption Pilot Study.

Introduction: Personalized learning has been shown to improve learning outcomes. The aim of this pilot was to test a tool embedded in the Canvas© learning platform to improve personalization and collect data to see if the available level of personalization employed improved learning outcomes. Methods: A nursing pathophysiology and pharmacology course was redesigned using the Canvas© Mastery Paths feature to provide personalized learning content to students. Post-class quiz grades were used to trigger Canvas© to conditionally release content review materials to students who did poorly on the quiz and provide a second quiz to test the efficacy of supplementary review materials. Data from the redesigned course was compared to the previous semester's course data. Results: Use of Canvas© Master Paths to conditionally release supplementary material to poorly performing students resulted in significant improvement in course grades and certain activity scores correlated with improved course and ATI© quiz means. Conclusion: The degree of personalization of course content available with Master Paths has the potential to have a positive impact on learning outcomes.

Understanding students' self-regulated learning and anxiety in online English courses in higher education.

There is presently little known about students' use of SRL strategies and anxiety levels and the effects on learning outcomes overall and for specific skills in fully synchronous online English classes. Thus, this study explored 171 first-year non-English major students at an autonomous university in Thailand who had completed their first fully online courses for 12 weeks taught by foreign English lecturers. As measures, online self-regulated learning, students' anxiety in English learning, and course outcomes were employed by means of a mixed-method design. The findings revealed students' high use of SRL strategies and their significant contribution to their online learning outcomes. Nevertheless, students' anxiety levels were not a significant predictor of learning outcomes and could not dictate SRL strategies in online classes. These findings occurred among female and male students equally. This study observed an instrumental role of SRL strategies in students' online accomplishments in their first online learning experience. In conclusion, the current research highlights the crucial role of SRL strategies in online English language learning and provides valuable insights for language educators in designing effective pedagogical interventions. It suggests that SRL is not only important for achieving learning outcomes but also requires continuous monitoring and support from teachers and peers. Additionally, the study indicates that gender differences in SRL may not be significant in the context of synchronous online English classes. These findings have significant implications for the development of effective pedagogical practices for online language learning and underscore the need for further research in this area.

The impact of guided self-study on knowledge and skills in Swiss pre-clinical physiotherapy students - a feasibility study protocol.

Physiotherapy education in Europe must incorporate self-study units in the curriculum due to the bologna reform. Studies investigating the impact of guided self-study (G-SS) on knowledge and skills in pre-clinical Swiss physiotherapy students are scarce. This study protocol describes a prospective randomized feasibility education study that will primarily examine the feasibility of establishing G-SS using retired physiotherapists as tutors in undergraduate physiotherapy students at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions. Secondary objective will be to evaluate the effectiveness of six G-SS cycles with retired physiotherapists as tutors on knowledge and skills of pre-clinical undergraduate physiotherapy students. Students of the physiotherapy degree course will be allocated into a G-SS group or control group (CG). G-SS consists of an 8-day cycle. Feasibility outcome are the fidelity of implementation that include exposure dosage and students' responsiveness, and the degree of acceptability. Success criteria of feasibility are (1) exposure dosage calculated as the number of 90-min presentations that are conducted, and the content of cases and competences and (2) students' responsiveness, with at least a 83% willingness to participate. Acceptability of intervention from the undergraduate students' perspective will be evaluated by a questionnaire with open, semi-structured questions (post intervention). This study will provide new information regarding the feasibility of embedding G-SS in the curriculum and about the students' responsiveness and their acceptability for G-SS. Study protocol version 1 Trial registration: German Register of Clinical Studies (DKRS: DRKS00015518).

Effectiveness of a nursing board games in psychiatric nursing course for undergraduate nursing students: An experimental design.

AIM: To examine the effectiveness of a psychiatric nursing board game in an undergraduate psychiatric nursing course. BACKGROUND: Didactic teaching fails to assist students in deepening their understanding of abstract concepts in psychiatric nursing. The game-based learning of professional courses can address the demands of digital-age students, which may improve their learning outcomes. DESIGN: A parallel two-arm experimental design was adopted in a nursing college in southern Taiwan. METHODS: The participants were fourth-year students enroled in a college nursing programme in southern Taiwan. Simple random sampling was used to divide the class into intervention and control groups. The former participated in an eight-week game-based intervention course, while the latter continued to receive traditional instruction. In addition to collecting the students' demographic data, three structural questionnaires were developed to examine the variation in students' nursing knowledge and attitudes toward psychiatric nursing, as well as their learning satisfaction before and after the intervention. RESULTS: There were a total of 106 participants, with 53 in each group. After the intervention, the two groups were significantly different in terms of their psychiatric nursing knowledge, attitudes and self-reported learning satisfaction. The intervention group's scores were significantly higher than those of the control group across all three dimensions. This suggests the positive effects of the board game intervention on students' learning outcomes. CONCLUSION: The research outcome can be applied in formative and undergraduate nursing education in teaching psychiatric nursing globally. The game-based learning materials developed can be used to train psychiatric nursing teachers. Future studies should recruit a larger sample and increase the follow-up time for assessing students' learning outcomes, as well as examine the similarities and differences in the learning outcomes of students from different educational systems.

How college-student academic undermatch affects students: Quasi-experimental evidence on multifaceted student outcomes.

Undermatching is a phenomenon in which students attend institutions that are less selective than the ones they could enroll given their academic credentials. Recent research suggests that undermatching may harm student development during college. However, there have been few comprehensive analyses of the causal relationship of undermatching and multifaceted college experience. Using college student longitudinal data from Beijing, China, we provide new quasi-experimental evidence on the effects of academic undermatch. This study extends the existing literature by focusing on a wide variety of student outcomes during college years, including learning motivation, behavior and academic performance, psychological attitudes and mental health, interpersonal relationships and involvement, and college satisfaction. Employing the exogenous admissions reform as the instrumental variable for undermatching, we find that undermatching predicts better academic performance and self-evaluation, but worse social relationships and college satisfaction. The results suggest that, although undermatched students are usually higher academic achievers than their college peers, they lack group identity and are not socially involved in college life.

Dyads or quads? Impact of group size and learning context on collaborative learning.

Collaborative learning has been widely used in both offline and online contexts to support deep learning, and its effectiveness may be adjusted by the size of the collaborative groups. To examine the effect of learning context and group size on collaborative learning, this study conducted two experiments with 62 third-year undergraduate students enrolled in the course named Application of Modern Educational Technology to compare learning outcomes, learning engagement, and collaborative experience between quad (four-person) and dyad groups in both face-to-face and online learning contexts. The results indicated that learning outcomes and collaborative experience were not significantly affected by group size and learning context, but for peer interaction, the dyad group showed more communication and interaction during the learning process. In general, the dyad group showed higher and more stable scores in all aspects, as well as being able to adapt to changes in learning contexts. Based on the research results, three practical implications were proposed to promote the implementation of collaborative learning in teaching.

Evaluation of interactive teaching strategies and learning outcomes on the topic of kidney pharmacotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Students' knowledge retention decreases overtime when experiencing large-group teaching. Engaging class activities improve student learning. We report the rapid changes in teaching methods and measurable learning outcomes on the topic of kidney pharmacotherapy (KP) in a doctor of pharmacy program. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND SETTING: The KP modules were delivered using two different methods, traditional lecture (TL) (in-person class) and interactive strategies of online learning (ISOL), to fourth-year pharmacy students during the academic years 2019 and 2020, respectively. This study aimed to compare the learning outcomes from TL and ISOL examinations. Students' perceptions regarding their new learning experiences were also explored. FINDINGS: A total of 226 students were included in the study (TL, n = 118; ISOL, n = 108). The median percentage of the overall score from the ISOL examinations was higher than that achieved by the TL class (73% vs. 67%, P = .003). Further analyses revealed similar improvements in most learning outcomes and cognitive domains. A higher proportion of students taught through ISOL achieved scores >80% than those in the TL group (39% vs. 16%, P < .001). The student respondents provided positive feedback regarding activities in the ISOL cohort. SUMMARY: The delivery of online KP when integrated with interactive strategies can maintain the outcome-based learning in Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University. Approaches that aid student engagement during teaching and learning become opportunities for the improvement of education adaptability.

Integrated-Based Curriculum of Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms (ICPDF): What Factors Affect the Learning Outcome Attainment?

This study aimed to evaluate pharmacy students' perceptions regarding the correlations among the quality of faculty members, institutional resources, an integrated-based curriculum of pharmaceutical dosage forms (ICPDF), and learning outcome attainment. The current study participants have attended courses (semesters 2 to 6) through the ICPDF in the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia. We distributed survey instruments to 212 pharmacy undergraduate students after one year of the curriculum implementation. We asked the students to fill in the instrument in which the indicators consist of a 7-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS, which included measurement and structural models through PLS-SEM. The findings informed that the quality of faculty members and institutional resources significantly predict ICPDF. Similarly, ICPDF plays a significant role in affecting learning outcome attainment. The quality of faculty members and institutional resources were not related to learning outcome attainment. Significances of differences were informed among students' years in university regarding learning outcome attainment and ICPDF. However, insignificant differences emerged based on gender. The findings demonstrate the benefits of using the PLS-SEM approach to create a valid and reliable model, assessing the correlations between independent variables with the ICPDF and learning outcome attainment as two dependent variables.

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.