METHODS: This study employed a document phenomenological approach, which is a systematic process to examine documents, interpret them to attain understanding, and develop empirical knowledge of the phenomenon studied. Using document analysis, interview transcripts and reflective essays of 16 Year 1 medical students who experienced academic failure were analysed. Based on this analysis, codes were developed and further reduced into categories and themes. Thirty categories in eight themes were linked to make sense of the series of events leading to academic failure.
RESULTS: One or more critical incidents commenced during the academic year, which led to possible resulting events. The students had poor attitudes, ineffective learning methods, health problems or stress. Students progressed to mid-year assessments and reacted differently to their results in the assessments. Afterwards, the students tried different types of attempts, and they still failed the end-of-year assessments. The general process of academic failure is illustrated in a diagram describing chronological events.
CONCLUSION: Academic failure may be explained by a series of events (and consequences) of what students experience and do and how they respond to their experiences. Preventing a preceding event may prevent students from suffering these consequences.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, participants were selected through a combination of total population and convenience sampling. The Student Online Learning Readiness questionnaire was distributed among physiotherapy undergraduates from two public and two private universities in Malaysia to investigate their technical, social and communication competencies. Information about device characteristics were obtained to evaluate their equipment readiness. Descriptive and group comparisons were conducted using independent t-test, and analysis of variance with p 80% possessed smartphones and laptop) level of equipment readiness. Institution and gender had no significant effect on the level of readiness (p > 0.05). Year 1 and 2 had significantly higher levels of social competencies with instructor compared to final year physiotherapy undergraduates (p
METHODS: A cross-sectional study design with mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed and data collection was carried out primarily using self-administered questionnaire.
RESULTS: Approximately half (52.5%, n = 74) of all respondents (n = 141) reported having personally encountered at least one case of academic dishonesty involving their peers. The results also revealed the significantly higher prevalence of various forms of academic misconduct among healthcare academics compared to their non-healthcare counterparts. Although respondents were generally conscious of the negative implications associated with academic dishonesty, more than half of all cases of misconduct were not reported due to the indifferent attitude among academics. Low levels of self-discipline and integrity were found to be the major factors leading to academic misdeeds and respondents opined that university managements should be more proactive in addressing this issue.
CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of this study should serve as a clarion call for all relevant stakeholders to start making immediate amends in order to improve the current state of affairs in academia.
METHODS: COPT was a teaching strategy wherein, students were taught physiology using cases and critical thinking questions. Three batches of undergraduate medical students (n = 434) served as the experimental groups to whom COPT was incorporated in the third block (teaching unit) of Physiology curriculum and one batch (n = 149) served as the control group to whom COPT was not incorporated. The experimental group of students were trained to answer clinically oriented questions whereas the control group of students were not trained. Both the group of students undertook a block exam which consisted of clinically oriented questions and recall questions, at the end of each block.
RESULTS: Comparison of pre-COPT and post-COPT essay exam scores of experimental group of students revealed that the post-COPT scores were significantly higher compared to the pre-COPT scores. Comparison of post-COPT essay exam scores of the experimental group and control group of students revealed that the experimental group of students performed better compared to the control group. Feedback from the students indicated that they preferred COPT to didactic lectures.
CONCLUSION: The study supports the fact that assessment and teaching patterns should fall in line with each other as proved by the better performance of the experimental group of students compared to the control group. COPT was also found to be a useful adjunct to didactic lectures in teaching physiology.
METHODS: A survey was distributed to medical students in three consecutive years: 2017-2019. The survey contains items regarding student perception of various types of blended learning techniques applied in the course. The survey was administered using i-Clicker; an interactive device that enables students to answer survey questions. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the perception of students on these blended learning dimensions investigated.
RESULTS: Seven-hundred and one student responded to the questionnaire (male; 69.5%, female 30.5%). Out of which, 59.1% of students found team interactions positively supported discussions and asked questions freely, and 48.1% expressed that working in groups facilitated their learning process. However, 56.0% of students chose face-to-face lectures as the most preferred class activities followed by discussion 23.8%. More than 78% of participants agree that online quizzes are good experience and enjoyable. Grade center where students can check for marks and attendance also received high perception (66.3%).
CONCLUSION: Introducing modified team-based and blended-learning are considered challenging, and therefore, investigating their perceptions can provide useful insights into how these methods could be used more effectively. The blended-learning technique is highly essential in teaching medical informatics to overcome challenges faced due to a large number of students and the need for various exposures to reach the course's learning goals. Moreover, it is noticed that students were engaged in face-to-face and online activities, furthermore, modified team-based learning reported facilitating learning and asking questions without embarrassment.
METHODS: This study was done as part of the continuous professional development for Health Education England West Midlands speciality trainees in diabetes and Endocrinology. Standardized transcripts of anonymized real-life endocrinology (endocrine session) and diabetes cases (diabetes session) were used in the simulation model. Trainees interacted with moderators through WhatsApp® in this model. All cases were then discussed in detail by a consultant endocrinologist with reference to local, national and international guidelines. Trainee acceptance rate and improvement in their self-reported confidence levels post-simulation were assessed.
RESULTS: 70.8% (n = 17/24) and 75% (n = 18/24) strongly agreed the simulation session accommodated their personal learning style and the session was engaging. 66.7% (n = 16/24) strongly felt that the simulation was worth their time. In the endocrine session, there was a significant improvement in trainees' confidence in the management of craniopharyngioma (p = 0.0179) and acromegaly (p = 0.0025). There was a trend towards improved confidence levels to manage Cushing's disease and macroprolactinoma. In diabetes session, there was a significant improvement in trainees' confidence to interpret continuous glucose monitor readings (p = 0.01). There was a trend towards improvement for managing monogenic diabetes, hypoglycaemic unawareness and interpreting Libre readings. Overall, there was a significant improvement in trainees' confidence in managing cases that were discussed post-simulation.
CONCLUSION: SIMBA is an effective learning model to improve trainees' confidence to manage various diabetes and endocrine case scenarios. More sessions with a variety of other speciality case scenarios are needed to further assess SIMBA's effectiveness and application in other areas of medical training.
OBJECTIVE: This research aims to determine factors influencing students' behavioural intention to use Rain Classroom.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional and correlational investigation, 1138 medical students from five medical universities in Guangxi Province, China, made up the sample. This study added self-efficacy (SE), motivation (MO), stress (ST), and anxiety (AN) to the UTAUT framework. This study modified the framework by excluding actual usage variables and focusing only on intention determinants. SPSS-26 and AMOS-26 were used to analyze the data. The structural equation modelling technique was chosen to confirm the hypotheses.
RESULTS: Except for facilitating conditions (FC), all proposed factors, including performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), self-efficacy (SE), motivation (MO), anxiety (AN), and stress (ST), had a significant effect on students' behavioural intentions to use Rain Classroom.
CONCLUSIONS: The research revealed that the proposed model, which was based on the UTAUT, is excellent at identifying the variables that influence students' behavioural intentions in the Rain Classroom. Higher education institutions can plan and implement productive classrooms.
METHODS: A concurrent mixed-method approach was used. In the quantitative strand, a cross-sectional online survey was carried out via a Google form. Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-squared test were used for comparisons. In the qualitative strand, twelve participants were interviewed, based on a semi-structured interview guide and audio recorded. Transcribed data were evaluated with thematic content analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 225 final-year medical students were studied in the quantitative strand. Most were females. The mean score for knowledge was 3.35 ± 0.795 out of six. Of them, 31.6 % of participants scored below 3 points ( 80 %). Only 36.4 % reported "adequate" hand hygiene performance in all eight dimensions of the behavior domain. Noticeably, fewer participants reported to clean their hands after checking blood pressure (55.6 %), and only 66.2 % stated carrying a hand sanitizer in their pocket. Significant correlations were not found between reported behavior and attitudes (p = 0.821) or knowledge (p = 0.794). The qualitative strand with 12 respondents revealed the positive influence of both hierarchical and non-hierarchal role models. Time constraints, skin irritation, and workload pressures were the main barriers. Frequent reminders, supervision, and interactive teaching were suggested as methods to improve hand hygiene compliance. They also stated that increased enthusiasm was noted on hand hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period.
CONCLUSIONS: Most of the participants had positive attitudes towards hand hygiene. Yet, a considerable gap between attitudes and knowledge and reported hand hygiene behavior was evident. Coupling educational programs that use cognitive and behavioral methods, including role modeling, supervision, and frequent reminders, is recommended to bridge the knowledge-attitude-behavior gap.
METHODS: Bone procurement workshop was held for 2 days for doctors and paramedics. The knowledge on bone procurement was evaluated in pre- and post-assessments by answering self administration questionnaire before and after the workshop, respectively.
RESULTS: A total of 50 participants comprised of doctors and paramedics attended the workshop however only 15 (55.6%) doctors and 12 (44.4%) paramedics completed the assessments. Overall, the mean total score for the post-assessment (61.4%) was significantly higher (p
METHODS: The validated Grasha-Riechmann teaching style inventory was administered online for data collection and used SPSS version 20.0 for statistical analysis.
RESULTS: Of the 460 invitees, 248 responded (response rate; 54%). Delegator teaching style was most common with a highest median and mean of 2.38 and 2.45, respectively. There was a significant correlation between expert and authority teaching styles, correlation coefficient 0.62. Similarly, we found a significant correlation between authority teaching style and nature of curriculum, correlation coefficient 0.30. Multiple regression analysis showed that only authority teaching style and male gender had significant correlation. Interestingly, 117 (47%) teachers disagreed with the teaching philosophy of delivering course contents by strictly following learning outcomes. Female teachers (114/248) were more willing to negotiate with their students regarding how and what to teach in their course, while male teachers tended to allow more autonomy by allowing students to set their learning agenda.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the medical teachers preferred delegator teacher style that promotes students' collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. Most teachers are conscious of their teaching styles to motivate students for scientific curiosity. These findings can help medical educators to modify their teaching styles for effective learning.
METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 22 faculty staff who were involved in ROOBE in health professions programmes. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The perceptions of 249 medical students were obtained using an online questionnaire after they completed ROOBE.
RESULTS: The faculty agreed that open book examinations could promote students' higher order cognitive skills and reduce students' stress. However, they were concerned about students' academic integrity during non-invigilated ROOBE which could affect recognition by accreditation and professional bodies. The shift from traditional practice of closed-book examinations to ROOBE required change management with the support of guidelines and faculty training. Majority of the students claimed that the examinations were challenging as they assessed their ability to apply knowledge in real world problems. Nevertheless, they preferred ROOBE due to less anxiety and memorisation, and more emphasis on problem solving skills. The shortcomings were insufficient time for information searching during examinations and uncertainty in preparedness for future practice as they focused less on memorisation of factual knowledge during examination preparation. Cheating among peers and internet instability during non-invigilated ROOBE were the concerns highlighted by some students.
CONCLUSIONS: Faculty and students expressed favourable views about ROOBE in promoting higher order cognitive skills. Adequate technological support was essential during ROOBE. While there was a need to address issues related to academic integrity, ROOBE could be included as an authentic assessment within the systems of assessment.
METHODS: Forty third-year undergraduate dental students were randomly assigned into FC (n = 20) or LD (n = 20) cohort. Each student attended six teaching sessions, each to teach students' competency in fabricating one type of wire component, for a total competency in fabricating six wire components over the course of six teaching sessions. Either LD or FC teaching methods were used. After each session, wire assignments had to be submitted. Wire assignments were then evaluated using a blinded wire-bending assessment protocol. As part of their formative assessment, the assessment results were distributed to students, lecturers, and technicians before the next session. After the first session (T0) and at the end of all six sessions (T1), students completed a self-reported questionnaire.
RESULTS: The mean wire-bending scores for FC were significantly higher than LD for two of the six assignments, namely the Adams clasp (p
METHODS: Dental students from 4 institutions in Malaysia and Finland completed self-administered questionnaires on the practices and perceptions of SM use. The main variables assessed were the perceptions and practices of student-patient and student-faculty communication on SM, between the two countries. Students' country, age, gender, time spent on SM and perceived importance of communicating dental related aspects over SM were analysed as potential explanatory variables. Crosstabulation was used to estimate the distributions of the response variables by the background characteristics. Multivariate analyses were performed using a dichotomous logistic regression model to investigate relevant associations between the responses and the explanatory variables independent from other factors.
RESULTS: A total of 643 students completed the survey in March-April 2021. More Malaysian students agreed with "guiding patients online is a new responsibility for dentists in the digital age" compared to Finnish students (86.4% vs. 73.4%). Similarly, significantly more Malaysian students befriended patients (14.1% vs. 1%) and invited faculty to be friends on SM (73.6% vs. 11.8%). Expectedly, clinical year students befriended patients more than pre-clinical (13.8% vs. 6.8%). Significantly more students who felt 'communication of dental related issues over SM' were likely to extend friend requests to faculty rather than accept patient friend requests.
CONCLUSIONS: Social media regulations and socio-cultural practices contribute to dental students' attitudes and behaviour when befriending patients and faculty members on social media. Future dental curriculum should incorporate guidelines for professional communication on social media based on local and cultural needs. Students' should be encouraged to interact with their patients using professional identities on social media.
METHODS: A modified Students Motivation towards Science Learning (SMTSL) was used to assess the digital learning usage and learning motivation among 150 UKM and 147 SUMS medical students throughout Year 1 to 5.
RESULTS: The frequency of digital learning usage and learning motivation among UKM medical students was significantly higher as compared to SUMS (p
METHODS: This study employed a phenomenological design. Five focus groups were conducted with medical students who had participated in several Kahoot! sessions.
RESULTS: Thirty-six categories and nine sub-themes emerged from the focus group discussions. They were grouped into three themes: attractive learning tool, learning guidance and source of motivation.
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that Kahoot! sessions motivate students to study, to determine the subject matter that needs to be studied and to be aware of what they have learned. Thus, the platform is a promising tool for formative assessment in medical education.