Introduction: Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) is a novel method of teaching-learning used in various disciplines of science and humanities. It is a technique that scaffolds the students learning process by reducing the cognitive load which is the load related to the executive control of working memory. Just in time teaching underpins the concept that expertise in learning originates from the knowledge already stored in long term memory and with subsequent interaction between the learner and teacher motivates enhanced active learning and optimizes the intellectual performance.
Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the acceptability of JiTT over traditional lecture teaching among the medical students.
Method: In a cross sectional pilot study, three hundred thirty five students participated in a questionnaire based study that grades the various aspects of the traditional lecture series. After the implementation of JiTT method for a period of four months, three hundred two students completed the questionnaire, grading the same variables for JiTT. The analysis was done by using SPSS version 11 applying Paired t test and McNemar's Test.
Result: The results of our study highlighted that JiTT technique was perceived superior to traditional teaching with statistically significant outcomes in the clarity of the topic (p=0.003,) duration of the session (p=0.002), knowledge gained and orientation for exams (p=0.044). The students perceived JiTT method as less monotonous (p=0.005) increasing their alertness during these sessions (p=0.002).
Conclusion: We therefore propose that Just-in-Time Teaching method is a more interactive and acceptable teaching-learning tool shifting the nature of teaching to a more student-centric approach as perceived by the medical students. This is the first pioneer study on JiTT to be performed on undergraduate medical students so far.
Introduction: In order to produce competent physiotherapy graduates with the generic attributes much sought after by the health care providers in the country, the higher education institution needs to ensure the educational environment of the school is positive. Students' positive perception of their educational environment would facilitate their learning experience to be more meaningful and relevant. Objective: The aim of this study was to measure physiotherapy students' perception of their educational environment at the School of Physiotherapy AIMST University and Kolej Sains Kesihatan Bersekutu Sungai Buloh and to identify the areas of concern for remedial measures. Method: This research was a cross sectional study consisting of two phases using both quantitative followed by qualitative methods. The DREEM inventory consisting of 50 items under 5 domains was circulated to all the students (N=158) from both schools (AIMST and KSKB). The item mean scored below 2.00 were considered as problem areas and it was explored further through focus group discussion (N=12) as a qualitative study. Result: The overall mean score on the 50 items was 132.84 (SD 19.22) out of 200. Students' Perception of Learning (SPOL) scored the highest 32.34 (SD 4.17) followed by students' perception of Atmosphere (SPOA) 30.63 (SD 4.84), Students Perception of Teachers (SPOT) scored 30.52 (SD 3.98),Students Academic Self Perception (SASP) scored 22.03 (SD 3.20) and the last domain Students' Social Self Perception (SSSP) scored the least 17.32 (SD 19.22).All the domains scored toward more positive side of the educational environment. Four items scored less than 2.00 and these items were explored further with focus group discussion. Students from both schools had similarities as well as differences in their views over the concerned areas. Conclusion: This study revealed important information regarding the low scored items. Overall the students from both schools perceived their schools positively. Implementing the remedial measures for the problem areas would further enhance the respective educational environment and thus provide a conducive place for physiotherapy students to excel in their academic endeavour.
Student-generated videos provide an authentic learning experience for students, enhance motivation and engagement, improve communication skills, and improve collaborative learning skills. This article describes the development and implementation of a student-generated video activity as part of a knowledge, observation, simulation, and experience (KOSE) program at the School of Dentistry, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It also reports the students' perceptions of an activity that introduced first-year dental students (n=44) to clinical scenarios involving patients and dental team aiming to improve professional behavior and communication skills. The learning activity was divided into three phases: preparatory phase, video production phase, and video-watching. Students were organized into five groups and were instructed to generate videos addressing given clinical scenarios. Following the activity, students' perceptions were assessed with a questionnaire. The results showed that 86 percent and 88 percent, respectively, of the students agreed that preparation of the activity enhanced their understanding of the role of dentists in provision of health care and the role of enhanced teamwork. In addition, 86 percent and 75 percent, respectively, agreed that the activity improved their communication and project management skills. Overall, the dental students perceived that the student-generated video activity was a positive experience and enabled them to play the major role in driving their learning process.
Selaras dengan ledakan pengetahuan berasaskan komputer dan teknologi pada abad ke-21, kaedah Pembelajaran Berasaskan Projek (PBP) atau Project Based Learning (PBL) telah diperkenalkan oleh Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM) pada tahun 2006. Pada awalnya, implementasi kaedah PBP telah dimulakan di sekolah-sekolah bestari perdana. Ini merupakan tinjauan literatur yang membincangkan takrifan dan teori yang digunapakai dalam kaedah PBP. Selain itu, perbandingan kaedah PBP dengan kaedah Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) atau Problem Based Learning (PBL) turut dibincangkan memandangkan kedua-dua kaedah ini menggunakan akronim yang sama dalam bahasa Inggeris. Berdasarkan tinjauan literatur ini, didapati bahawa kaedah PBP mempunyai kelebihan dan kelemahan yang tersendiri, maka terpulang kepada budi bicara guru yang mengajar untuk mengaplikasikan kaedah ini dalam pengajaran dan pembelajaran (P dan P) bersesuaian dengan kebolehan murid.
Teaching and learning activities in the dental clinic or hospital are a challenging area for students as well as teachers. With various teaching methodologies being used in dental schools around the world, gaining greater understanding of students' attitudes toward these methodologies would be useful for dental educators. The objective of this study was to explore the preferences of dental students in India about various aspects of lecture courses. A structured survey consisting of ten closed-ended questions was developed, and 2,680 undergraduate students from forty-three dental schools in India were approached via e-mail with a follow-up postal mailing. Of these, 1,980 students responded, for a response rate of 73.8 percent. Most of the students reported preferring lectures with the aid of PowerPoint and chalkboard. They preferred morning lectures from 8 am to 10 am for a maximum of thirty to forty minutes for each lecture, and they preferred to receive information about the lecture topic in advance. The students said that delivery of clinical demonstrations was beneficial after the lectures, and they preferred learning-based rather than exam-oriented education. The respondents also said that attendance should be made compulsory and that numerical marking of examinations should not be replaced by a grading system.
Retaining lectures in problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum places new demands on lecturers. In addition to subject knowledge, the lecturers must know the overall aims of the lectures, their context in the course, their relation to the subsequent examinations and the underlying educational philosophy.
Problem-based learning (PBL) has become the most significant innovation in medical education of the past 40 years. In contrast to exam-centered, lecture-based conventional curricula, PBL is a comprehensive curricular strategy that fosters student-centred learning and the skills desired in physicians. The rapid spread of PBL has produced many variants. One of the most common is 'hybrid PBL' where conventional teaching methods are implemented alongside PBL. This paper contends that the mixing of these two opposing educational philosophies can undermine PBL and nullify its positive benefits. Schools using hybrid PBL and lacking medical education expertise may end up with a dysfunctional curriculum worse off than the traditional approach.
Clinical education provides students with opportunities to integrate knowledge and skills at progressively higher levels of performance. This study determined the significant events that undergraduate physiotherapy student reflects on during their clinical experiences as they learn to become a physiotherapist. A qualitative study using reflective instruments of structured debriefing sessions and diary writing was carried out. This involves 25 fourth-year students from the Faculty
of Health Sciences, UKM during their 12 weeks of clinical placements in 3 different modules (first semester). They were required to describe an event, its value and their reaction to it, and to discuss the effect of the new learning experience and how it would influence their respond in the future. Our findings confirmed that the process of writing a diary makes a considerable impact to the student experience during clinical placement. The subjects begin to construct a personal identity of becoming a physiotherapist through the process of developing confidence, confirmation of practices and assimilating of knowledge. In conclusion, the main themes generated from a reflective diary included their reflection of personal growth, on how they learnt in a clinical setting, and on the ethical and professional behaviors of themselves and colleagues. This provides the clinical educators with valuable information to design meaningful clinical learning experiences that would assist students to become a good physiotherapist for the future.
This cross-sectional study determined the appreciation of the learning environment and development of higher-order learning skills among students attending the Medical Curriculum at the International Medical University, Malaysia which provides traditional and e-learning resources with an emphasis on problem based learning (PBL) and self-directed learning. Of the 708 participants, the majority preferred traditional to e-resources. Students who highly appreciated PBL demonstrated a higher appreciation of e-resources. Appreciation of PBL is positively and significantly correlated with higher-order learning skills, reflecting the inculcation of self-directed learning traits. Implementers must be sensitive to the progress of learners adapting to the higher education environment and innovations, and to address limitations as relevant.
Educators in medical schools around the world are presently experimenting with innovative ways of using web-based learning to supplement the existing teaching and learning process. We have recently used a popular open-source course management system (CMS) called the modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (Moodle) to construct an online site (DPhysiol) to facilitate our face-to-face teaching of physiology to a group of first-year students in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery program. The integration of the Moodle site into our teaching was assessed using online log activity, student examination marks, and feedback from students. The freely available Moodle platform was simple to use, helped to effectively deliver course materials, and has features that allowed cooperative learning. Students who used the CMS throughout their academic year and commented favorably regarding its use as a complement to the face-to-face classroom sessions. The group of students used the CMS obtained significantly higher scores in the final examination compared with the previous class that did not use the CMS. In addition, there was a significant correlation between student participation and performance in online quizzes and their final examination marks. However, students' overall online usage of the CMS did not correlate with their examination marks. We recommend Moodle as a useful tool for physiology educators who are interested in integrating web-based learning into their existing teaching curriculum.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Problem-based learning (PBL) represents a major development and change in educational practice that continues to have a large impact across subjects and disciplines worldwide. It would seem that child and adolescent psychiatry, because of its inherently integrative, bio-psycho-social nature and emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, would be a specialty learned optimally through PBL. Thus, there was a need to establish an international group where experiences in implementing PBL in child and adolescent psychiatry could be shared. This article reports on the first meeting and plans of the Problem-Based Learning in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Special Interest Study Group (SISG), held at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
METHODS: Through international collaboration and information-sharing, the SISG aims to promote knowledge among Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists on PBL, to explore evaluation methods of PBL in CAP, and to discuss development of PBL-based curricula.
RESULTS: Problem-based learning (PBL) represents a major change in education that has had a large impact across disciplines worldwide.
CONCLUSION: The core steps in PBL are the following: presentation of the initial problem; discussion of the problem, and development of learning objectives; independent learning focused on the objectives; and discussion, exploration of new ideas, and discovery of solutions in the reconvened group. Different from the traditional teacher's role, the PBL tutor is an active facilitator who guides learners to identify issues and ways to learn, rather than a "content expert" who provides facts.
This study tested the possibility that interactive lectures explicitly based on activating learners' prior knowledge and driven by a series of logical questions might enhance the effectiveness of lectures. A class of 54 students doing the respiratory system course in the second year of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery program in my university was randomized to two groups to receive one of two types of lectures, "typical" lectures (n = 28, 18 women and 10 men) or "constructivist" lectures (n = 26, 19 women and 7 men), on the same topic: the regulation of respiration. Student pretest scores in the two groups were comparable (P > 0.1). Students that received the constructivist lectures did much better in the posttest conducted immediately after the lectures (6.8 +/- 3.4 for constructivist lectures vs. 4.2 +/- 2.3 for typical lectures, means +/- SD, P = 0.004). Although both types of lectures were well received, students that received the constructivist lectures appeared to have been more satisfied with their learning experience. However, on a posttest conducted 4 mo later, scores obtained by students in the two groups were not any different (6.9 +/- 3 for constructivist lectures vs. 6.9 +/- 3.7 for typical lectures, P = 0.94). This study adds to the increasing body of evidence that there is a case for the use of interactive lectures that make the construction of knowledge and understanding explicit, easy, and enjoyable to learners.
Case-based learning (CBL) is an interactive student-centered exploration of real life situations. This paper describes the use of CBL as an educational strategy for promoting active learning in microbiology.
Background: Problem based learning (PBL) is a student-centered curriculum delivery tool believed to promote active student participation. Though the PBL is student-centered, the facilitator plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of this system by providing balance in group interaction and discussion of learning issues. In International Medical University (IMU) one of the strategies to ensure the quality of the facilitators was the pre and post PBL meetings. This study aimed to gauge its usefulness in ensuring the quality of PBL facilitation.
Method: The questionnaire to study the perceptions of PBL facilitators on the pre and post PBL meetings included close ended questions on pre and post PBL meeting’s attendance and their scored opinion in improving PBL facilitation skills, open ended questions inviting suggestions to improve these meetings and PBL facilitation in IMU as a whole and self-evaluation as an effective PBL facilitator using a six point Likert scale to a list of statements.
Results: 84.2% of facilitators agreed the meetings were beneficial. Self-evaluation of their facilitator effectiveness showed on average ratings of seven out of ten indicating strong confidence in facilitating skills. Suggestions ensuring facilitator quality included content expert briefing in pre PBL meetings and student appraisals of facilitators given weightage in staff appraisal.
Conclusion: Pre and post PBL meetings enhanced facilitator comfort with the triggers, adding to their confidence and provided a venue to obtain feedback on the triggers.
Health promotion (HP) is the process of enabling people to increase control over the determinants of health and thereby improve their health. It is the corner stone in prevention of diseases and shifting the responsibilities of health care from health care provider into the community where the patient centered approach is an appropriate setting by offering continuous, coordinated and comprehensive care throughout the patient’s family and community. The Faculty of Medicine, University technology MARA has adopted dynamic approach in designing the curriculum to respond to the needs of this rapidly changing socioeconomic paradigm of the country, so that the graduates will be able to address the needs of their country and communities. Population health and preventive medicine component was included in the newly designed problem based curriculum, in which the student is introduced to the concepts of epidemiology, disease prevention, statistical analysis and community research. Health promotion program is part and parcel of population health and preventive medicine; it is incorporated with community health research in a course of four weeks of Year Four Medical Curriculum. The aim of this paper is to describe the rationales of health promotion program in medical curriculum, and critically review the components and methods of implementation.
In a nursing programme, the main objective is to produce nursing graduates who can provide comprehensive care and treatment to the community. A good approach to the systematic design of a learning environment can lead to positive outcomes for graduates. The learning environment is more than student-teacher interaction, teaching and learning activities. Good physical structures and facilities provided by the university are important, too. Furthermore, the university must also be concerned about meeting students' psychosocial and emotional needs. The aim of this study is to measure the learning environment by administering the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire to students across the four years of the Bachelor of Nursing programme at the Faculty of Nursing, IIUM, and to identify areas for change that may contribute to a more meaningful student learning experience.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an excellent opportunity for students to take responsibility for their learning and to develop a number of cognitive skills. These include identifying problems in the trigger, generating hypotheses, constructing mechanisms, developing an enquiry plan, ranking their hypotheses on the basis of available evidence, interpreting clinical and laboratory findings, identifying their learning needs, and dealing with uncertainty. Students also need to work collaboratively in their group, communicate effectively, and take active roles in the tutorials. Therefore, interaction in the group between students and their tutor is vital to ensure deep learning and successful outcomes. The aims of this paper are to discuss the key principles for successful interaction in PBL tutorials and to highlight the major symptoms of superficial learning and poor interactions. This comprises a wide range of symptoms for different group problems, including superficial learning. By early detection of such problems, tutors will be able to explore actions with the group and negotiate changes that can foster group dynamics and enforce deep learning.
Lectures are of great value to students. However, with the introduction of hybrid problem-based learning (PBL) curricula into most medical schools, the emphasis on lectures has decreased. This paper discusses how lectures can be used in a PBL curriculum, what makes a great lecture, and how to deliver a lecture that fits with these changes.