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Author: Brian S McGowan, PhD

ABSTRACT: Social network analysis in medical education

CONTENT:Humans are fundamentally social beings. The social systems within which we live our lives (families, schools, workplaces, professions, friendship groups) have a significant influence on our health, success and well-being. These groups can be characterised as networks and analysed using social network analysis.SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS:Social network analysis is a mainly quantitative method for analysing how relationships between individuals form and affect those individuals, but also how individual relationships build up into wider social structures that influence outcomes at a group level. Recent increases in computational power have increased the accessibility of social network analysis methods for application to medical education research.APPLICATION TO MEDICAL EDUCATION:Social network analysis has been used to explore team-working, social influences on attitudes and behaviours, the influence of social position on individual success, and the relationship between social cohesion and power. This makes social network analysis theories and methods relevant to understanding the social processes underlying academic performance, workplace learning and policy-making and implementation in medical education contexts.CONCLUSIONS:Social network analysis is underused in medical education, yet it is a method that could yield significant insights that would improve experiences and outcomes for medical trainees and educators, and ultimately for patients.

via Social network analysis in medical education. – PubMed – NCBI.

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RESOURCE: 7 Tips To Spark Online Discussions – eLearning Industry

Some of the most amazing eLearning experiences happen spontaneously during online discussions. Online learners have the power to connect with their peers and see things from a new perspective. In this article, I’ll share 7 tips on how to spark online discussions, so that you can make your eLearning course collaborative, communicative, and engaging.

How To Spark Online Discussions

There’s nothing like a lively online discussion to get the ideas flowing and igniting the creative spark. But how do you offer your online learners the chance to interact with their peers in eLearning environments? The answer is through eLearning forums, blogs, social media groups, and other collaborative online platforms. Here are some helpful tips for starting effective online discussions in your eLearning course.

1. Create An “Ice Breaker” Page

The “ice breaker” page takes introductions a step further. Create a list of ten questions or prompts that newcomers must answer. For example, asking them about their favorite book or quote. It may seem trivial, but it gives online learners the opportunity to get to know their peers. Of course, the questions shouldn’t be too personal or intrusive. The point is to find common ground or similar interests that lead to meaningful online discussions. An online learner notices that one of their peers likes the same hobbies. That breaks the ice and sparks an online conversation. Before long, others join the online discussion and form a deeper connection. When it’s time to talk about the eLearninng course topics, they are already familiar with the people in their group. Thus, they are more likely to open up and actively participate.

2. Pose Thought Provoking Questions

Again, nothing too controversial or divisive. Your thought provoking questions should encourage online learners to reflect and discuss the topic, not create a great divide. Open-ended questions are usually best, as they exercise lateral thinking skills. There is no right or wrong answer, and everyone gets the chance to share their thoughts and insights. These eLearning questions allow every member of the group to explore their own cognitions and see things from a fresh perspective.

3. Give Online Learners A Conversation Starter

Sometimes it just takes a bit of kindling to ignite the online discussion. I refer to them as “conversation starters”. It might be that online learners don’t know what to talk about or are uncomfortable starting the online discussion themselves. In other words, they need an idea seed to get the ball rolling. This may be in the form of a writing prompt or even an eLearning activity that leads to an online discussion. For example, a branching scenario featuring controversial topics or characters that online learners can discuss.

4. Promote Your Online Discussion Platform

Learners need to know where they can interact with their peers. Otherwise, they won’t be able to be part of the online discussion in the first place. Thus, it’s important to create a list of the online discussion platforms learners can use throughout the eLearning course. For example, a link list that includes your blog site, online forum, and social media groups. You should also direct them to the proper online discussions platform at the end of each eLearning activity. If you want them to respond to a prompt after reading a passage, embed the link to the relevant blog page. One of the hurdles that often stands in the way is ambiguity. So, point them in the right direction and tell them what they need to do to spark the online discussion.

5. Develop A Subject Matter Schedule

You don’t want to run out of topics halfway through the eLearning course. Likewise, you want to give your online learners time to reflect on the ideas. A subject matter schedule checks both boxes by giving you a road map to follow. Create a “post” calendar that highlights every writing prompt or subject that you’ll cover in the upcoming weeks or months. Also include eLearning assignments, activities, and online modules that correlate with the talking points. There are plenty of free online scheduling tools where you can post group reminders, such as Google Calendar. Just be sure to update it on a regular basis to reflect any changes and keep your online learners informed.

6. Tie It Into An eLearning Course Assignment

One of the most effective ways to spark an online discussion is to make it mandatory. However, once the word “mandatory” shows up in the eLearning course description motivation is sure to plummet. Which is why you should tie the online discussion into an eLearning assignment. It’s a more subtle approach that also increases online learner participation. As an example, invite online learners to watch an eLearning video or listen to a Subject Matter Expert’s podcast. When they’re finished, provide them with a list of questions or talking points that they can discuss online. Alternatively, you can post writing prompts on your eLearning course blog that online learners must answer each week. Their peers then have the chance to leave replies and ask questions regarding their response.

7. Clarify Expectations And Goals

I save the most important tip for last, and it serves as a foundation for your entire online collaboration strategy. It’s essential to clarify expectations and goals before you spark the online discussion. Develop clear guidelines for how online learners should participate, how often, and why. They need some incentive, and knowing the benefits can increase their motivation. Post the online discussion netiquette on your main blog page and pin it to the top of your eLearning forum thread. If an issue arises, online learners can refer to these guidelines to solve the conflict and get back on topic. Lastly, appoint a moderator who can oversee the online discussion and keep tangents to a minimum. They can also serve as a support online resource for newcomers who need help getting started. For example, if they have a problem logging into the online discussion platform or don’t know how to reply to a comment.

Are you ready to spark the online discussion and increase learner participation? With these 7 tips, you have the power to get your online learners involved and interacting with their peers. Regardless of where they are or what they need to know, online discussions can offer the support and feedback they require.

Are you following the golden rules of online discussions? Read the article 10 Netiquette Tips For Online Discussions to learn everything you need about the netiquette code you should establish so that your online learners know the exact rules for participating in online discussions.

via 7 Tips To Spark Online Discussions – eLearning Industry.

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ABSTRACT: Lecture Evaluations by Medical Students: Concepts That Correlate With Scores

PURPOSE:
The didactic lecture remains one of the most popular teaching formats in medical education; yet, factors that most influence lecturing success in radiology education are unknown. The purpose of this study is to identify patterns of narrative student feedback that are associated with relatively higher and lower evaluation scores.
METHODS:
All student evaluations from our core radiology elective during 1 year were compiled. All evaluation comments were tagged, to identify discrete descriptive concepts. Correlation coefficients were calculated, for each tag with mean evaluation scores. Tags that were the most strongly associated with the highest- versus lowest-rated (> or < 1 SD) lectures were identified.
RESULTS:
A total of 3,262 comments, on 273 lectures, rated by 77 senior medical students, were analyzed. The mean lecture score was 8.96 ± 0.62. Three tags were significantly positively correlated with lecture score: “interactive”; “fun/engaging”; and “practical/important content” (r = 0.39, r = 0.34, and r = 0.32, respectively; all P < .001). More tags (n = 12) were significantly negatively correlated with score; the three tags with the strongest such correlation were: “not interactive”; “poorly structured or unevenly paced”; and “content too detailed or abundant” (r = -0.44, r = -0.39, and r = -0.36, respectively; all P < .001). Analysis of only the highest- and lowest-rated lectures yielded similar results.
CONCLUSIONS:
Several factors were identified that were strongly associated with lecture score. Among the actionable characteristics, interactive lectures with appropriately targeted content (ie, practical/useful) were the most highly rated.

via Lecture Evaluations by Medical Students: Concepts That Correlate With Scores. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: A Narrative Review and Novel Framework for Application of Team-Based Learning

BACKGROUND :
Team-based learning (TBL) promotes problem solving and teamwork, and has been applied as an instructional method in undergraduate medical education with purported benefits. Although TBL curricula have been implemented for residents, no published systematic reviews or guidelines exist for the development and use of TBL in graduate medical education (GME).
OBJECTIVE :
To review TBL curricula in GME, identify gaps in the literature, and synthesize a framework to guide the development of TBL curricula at the GME level.
METHODS :
We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, and ERIC databases from 1990 to 2014 for relevant articles. References were reviewed to identify additional studies. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed publications in English that described TBL curriculum implementation in GME. Data were systematically abstracted and reviewed for consensus. Based on included publications, a 4-element framework-system, residents, significance, and scaffolding-was developed to serve as a step-wise guide to planning a TBL curriculum in GME.
RESULTS :
Nine publications describing 7 unique TBL curricula in residency met inclusion criteria. Outcomes included feasibility, satisfaction, clinical behavior, teamwork, and knowledge application.
CONCLUSIONS :
TBL appears feasible in the GME environment, with learner reactions ranging from positive to neutral. Gaps in the literature occur within each of the 4 elements of the suggested framework, including: system, faculty preparation time and minimum length of effective TBL sessions; residents, impact of team heterogeneity and inconsistent attendance; significance, comparison to other instructional methods and outcomes measuring knowledge retention, knowledge application, and skill development; and scaffolding, factors that influence the completion of preparatory work.

via A Narrative Review and Novel Framework for Application of Team-Based Learning in Graduate Medical Education. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Can Item Keyword Feedback Help Remediate Knowledge Gaps?

BACKGROUND :
In graduate medical education, assessment results can effectively guide professional development when both assessment and feedback support a formative model. When individuals cannot directly access the test questions and responses, a way of using assessment results formatively is to provide item keyword feedback.
OBJECTIVE :
The purpose of the following study was to investigate whether exposure to item keyword feedback aids in learner remediation.
METHODS :
Participants included 319 trainees who completed a medical subspecialty in-training examination (ITE) in 2012 as first-year fellows, and then 1 year later in 2013 as second-year fellows. Performance on 2013 ITE items in which keywords were, or were not, exposed as part of the 2012 ITE score feedback was compared across groups based on the amount of time studying (preparation). For the same items common to both 2012 and 2013 ITEs, response patterns were analyzed to investigate changes in answer selection.
RESULTS :
Test takers who indicated greater amounts of preparation on the 2013 ITE did not perform better on the items in which keywords were exposed compared to those who were not exposed. The response pattern analysis substantiated overall growth in performance from the 2012 ITE. For items with incorrect responses on both attempts, examinees selected the same option 58% of the time.
CONCLUSIONS :
Results from the current study were unsuccessful in supporting the use of item keywords in aiding remediation. Unfortunately, the results did provide evidence of examinees retaining misinformation.

via Can Item Keyword Feedback Help Remediate Knowledge Gaps? – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Educating physicians in evidence based medicine: current practices and curricular strategies

INTRODUCTION:
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is an expectation of professional healthcare and a requisite component of medical school curricula. However, upon graduation medical students’ EBM skills have been found lacking suggesting a need to examine EBM training.
METHODS:
This PhD report presents two studies on EBM education. The first study is a literature review that describes and attempts to assess educational interventions for teaching medical students EBM. The second study presents a multi-institutional case study conducted in North America using interviews and curricular materials to identify EBM instructors’ perceptions of challenges that may impede medical students’ efforts to learn EBM.
RESULTS:
The literature review analyzed 20 learning interventions from 12 countries that were presented in classrooms (75 %) and clinics (25 %). The steps of EBM were addressed to varying degrees. It was not possible to draw conclusions about the efficacy of the interventions due to lack of detailed reporting. The qualitative study identified four learning challenges: sub-optimal role models, student lack of willingness to admit uncertainty, lack of clinical context, and difficulty mastering EBM skills. To meet these challenges, participants described interventions such as integrating EBM skills with other content/courses, incorporating clinical content into EBM teaching, providing faculty development, using whole-task EBM activities, and longitudinal integration of EBM across the curriculum.
CONCLUSION:
This PhD report takes steps to describe and assess EBM learning interventions, presents student learning challenges and looks at approaches institutions take to meet them. Educators can use these findings to examine their curriculum and learning environments and, if desired, adopt them for their training.

via Educating physicians in evidence based medicine: current practices and curricular strategies. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Creativity in Medical Education: The Value of Having Medical Students Make Stuff

What is the value of having medical students engage in creative production as part of their learning? Creating something new requires medical students to take risks and even to fail–something they tend to be neither accustomed to nor comfortable with doing. “Making stuff” can help students prepare for such failures in a controlled environment that doesn’t threaten their professional identities. Furthermore, doing so can facilitate students becoming resilient and creative problem-solvers who strive to find new ways to address vexing questions. Though creating something new can be fun, this is not the main outcome of interest. Rather, the principle reason we recommend devoting precious curricular time to creative endeavors is because it helps medical students become better doctors.

via Creativity in Medical Education: The Value of Having Medical Students Make Stuff. – PubMed – NCBI.

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MANUSCRIPT: Online courses to create a foundation for sex and gender accountability in biomedical research and treatment

BACKGROUND:
Sex and gender differences play a significant role in the course and outcome of conditions that affect specific organ systems in the human body. Research on differences in the effects of medical intervention has helped scientists develop a number of sex- and gender-specific guidelines on the treatment and management of these conditions. An online series of courses, “The Science of Sex and Gender in Human Health,” developed by the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Women’s Health, examines sex and gender differences and their implications. Thus far, three online courses have been generated. The first course offers an overview of the scientific and biological basis for sex- and gender-related differences. The second course is focused on disease-specific sex and gender differences in health and behavior and their implications. Finally, the third course covers the influence of sex and gender on disease manifestation, treatment, and outcome.
METHODS:
Data were obtained using website analytics and post-course surveys.
RESULTS:
To date, over 1000 individuals have completed at least one course. Additionally, 600 users have received continuing education credit for completing a course in the series. Finally, the majority of respondents to the online course survey have indicated that the courses considerably enhanced their professional effectiveness.
CONCLUSIONS:
“The Science of Sex and Gender in Human Health” online courses are freely available sources of information that provide healthcare providers and researchers with the resources to successfully account for sex and gender in their medical practice and research programs

via The science of sex and gender in human health: online courses to create a foundation for sex and gender accountability in biomedical research and t… – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Increasing medical students’ engagement in public health: case studies illustrating the potential role of online learning

BACKGROUND:
The value of e-learning in medical education is widely recognized but there is little evidence of its value in teaching medical students about public health. Such evidence is needed because medical students’ engagement with public health has been low. We present three recent case studies from UK medical schools to illustrate diverse ways in which online approaches can increase medical students’ engagement with learning public health.
METHODS:
A comparative case study approach was used applying quantitative and qualitative data to examine engagement in terms of uptake/use amongst eligible students, acceptability and perceived effectiveness using an analytic framework based on Seven Principles of Effective Teaching.
RESULTS:
Across the three case studies, most (67-85%) eligible students accessed online materials, and rated them more favourably than live lectures. Students particularly valued opportunities to use e-learning flexibly in terms of time and place. Online technologies offered new ways to consolidate learning of key public health concepts. Although students found contributing to online discussions challenging, it provided opportunities for students to explore concepts in depth and enabled students that were uncomfortable speaking in face-to-face discussions to participate.
CONCLUSIONS:
E-learning can be applied in diverse ways that increase medical student engagement with public health teaching.

via Increasing medical students’ engagement in public health: case studies illustrating the potential role of online learning. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Use of Free, Open Access Medical Education and Perceived Emergency Medicine Educational Needs Among Rural Physicians

Free, open access medical education (FOAM) has the potential to revolutionize continuing medical education, particularly for rural physicians who practice emergency medicine (EM) as part of a generalist practice. However, there has been little study of rural physicians’ educational needs since the advent of FOAM. We asked how rural physicians in Southwestern Ontario obtained their continuing EM education. We asked them to assess their perceived level of comfort in different areas of EM. To understand how FOAM resources might serve the rural EM community, we compared their responses with urban emergency physicians. Responses were collected via survey and interview. There was no significant difference between groups in reported use of FOAM resources. However, there was a significant difference between rural and urban physicians’ perceived level of EM knowledge, with urban physicians reporting a higher degree of confidence for most knowledge categories, particularly those related to critical care and rare procedures. This study provides the first description of EM knowledge and FOAM resource utilization among rural physicians in Southwestern Ontario. It also highlights an area of educational need — that is, critical care and rare procedures. Future work should address whether rural physicians are using FOAM specifically to improve their critical care and procedural knowledge. As well, because of the generalist nature of rural practice, future work should clarify whether there is an opportunity cost to rural physicians’ knowledge of other clinical domains if they chose to focus more time on continuing education in critical care EM.

via Use of Free, Open Access Medical Education and Perceived Emergency Medicine Educational Needs Among Rural Physicians in Southwestern Ontario. – PubMed – NCBI.

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