A cross-sectional study on the role of computer anxiety in students' online learning.

Introduction: Although e-learning has been incorporated in higher education system, students may undergo negative emotions like anxiety using this new mode of learning which ultimately interfere with their learning performance. Hence, the current study aimed to examine the role of computer anxiety in students' online learning. Methods: This is a cross-sectional correlational study, in which a convenient sample of 330 students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences participated. To collect the data, we used two pre-validated questionnaires. Face, content, and construct validity were used to check the validity of the questionnaires. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability were also used to check the reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 and AMOS 6. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis results yielded the underlying factorial structure of the scales. In addition, correlation coefficient results indicated that there was a significantly negative relationship between students' computer anxiety and their online learning (r=-0.59, p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that a considerable number of students experienced some level of computer anxiety, highlighting that highly anxious students face negative consequences such as inadequate online learning.

Elucidating experiences of faculty members in applying effective teaching strategies in the online class during the COVID-19: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the restrictions on providing medical courses online in medical universities, all instructors were required to provide training on virtual platforms. This study aimed to explain faculty members' experiences applying effective strategies in online class teaching. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study has been done with a qualitative approach and using the method of conventional content analysis. Participants included 14 faculty members working at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data. Faculty members who had experience in conducting online classes were purposefully selected. Graneheim and Lundman's (2004) approach was used to analyze interview data. RESULTS: Two main categories were obtained from the data analysis: interpersonal communication and supportive behavior. The category of interpersonal communications comprises the subcategories of emotional expression and flexibility. The category of supportive behavior includes the subcategories of educational design, learner encouragement, diversity in evaluation, collaborative learning, and prompt feedback. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirmed that an appropriate teaching strategy leads to better attention to class and deep learning in learners. The cause is that in online classes, the student's attention is more minor than in daily classes due to its virtual nature. Appropriate educational strategies will motivate learners, interest them, and improve teacher interaction. These strategies increase students' participation in educational activities.

Requirements for improving social capital among faculty members of medical universities: A multicenter qualitative study.

Introduction: Social capital is critical to organizational dynamics, particularly in developing countries. This study explored strategies for enhancing social capital among faculty members at seven medical universities in the south of Iran. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2021. We used a purposeful sampling technique to recruit faculty members and conducted individual semi-structured interviews with them. Thematic analysis was used to analyze and describe the collected data. Results: A total of 49 faculty members (34 males; 15 females) participated in this study. The participants expressed satisfaction with their affiliations with medical universities. Social capital was related to the feeling of belonging to the organization, as well as to interpersonal and intra-organizational relations. Social capital was associated with three components: empowerment, organizational policy change, and organizational identification. Additionally, a dynamic relationship between the individual, interpersonal, and macro-organizational levels reinforced the organization's social capital. This means that, just as the macro-organizational level affects the members' identities, the members' activism affects the macro-organizational level. Conclusion: To strengthen the organization's social capital, managers should work on the mentioned components at the individual, interpersonal, and macro-organizational levels.

Perceived Challenges Caused by Covid-19 Outbreak in Students of Medical Sciences.

Background: Students of medical sciences are a highly vulnerable group during COVID-19 pandemic who may experience a wide range of challenges and stresses. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceived challenges caused by COVID-19 outbreak in students of medical sciences. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study was carried out based on conventional qualitative content analysis following Graneheim and Lundman from December 2020 to February 2021. The participants were 17 students of medical sciences and data gathering was done through semistructured interviews. Results: Data analyses revealed 5 categories and 12 subcategories. The extracted categories were perceived fear of contracting coronavirus, social limitation, changes in education, neglecting health protocols, and worrying news and information overload. Conclusions: The findings indicated that students of medical sciences had been facing challenges and the COVID-19 had affected the psychological, social, and academic functioning of the health-care students. It is important to take measures to improve their mental health. These measures can prevent medical complications in these students, especially during clinical internship.

A comparison of the effects of teaching through simulation and the traditional method on nursing students' self-efficacy skills and clinical performance: a quasi-experimental study.

INTRODUCTION: Simulators in a clinical environment provide a space where students can acquire skills and experience under the supervision of their professors without any worries or inflicting any harm on their patients. The current study aimed to compare the effects of teaching through simulation and the traditional method on nursing students' self-efficacy skills and clinical performance. METHOD: The current study was quasi-experimental and adopted a pre-test & post-test design. The population consisted of 122 students of nursing, out of whom 100 students were selected as the sample. Then, they were randomly divided into an experimental and a control group. A questionnaire assessed the students' self-efficacy skills and clinical performance before and after implementing the instructional programs. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques in SPSS 23. FINDINGS: The mean of the participants' self-efficacy scores increased significantly after the intervention (from 87.57 to 142.13). Moreover, the mean of the participants' clinical performance increased significantly after the intervention (from 2.16 to 4.57). The findings indicated that simulation teaching significantly affects nursing students' self-efficacy and clinical performance. CONCLUSION: Simulation was recommended as an effective teaching methodology, particularly in nurses' internship wards. In other words, acquiring the essential skills through applying the simulation method is recommended before entering real-world environments.

The effect of micro-learning on learning and self-efficacy of nursing students: an interventional study.

BACKGROUND: In the present age, e-learning has been playing a good role in educational and clinical settings along with face-to-face training. This study aimed to determine the effect of distance class using micro-learning contents on learning outcomes and self-efficacy in the clinical education of nursing students in 2021. METHODS: This research is a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test study conducted at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The study population consisted of 46 nursing students who were recruited by the full census method. Students were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. Before and after educational interventions in both groups, students' learning and self-efficacy were evaluated using a questionnaire. Data Analysis was done using descriptive and analytical statistical methods and with SPSS software version 23. RESULTS: The results revealed a statistically significant difference in the mean score of clinical learning level of nursing students between the control and experimental groups after the intervention (p = 0.041). Also, the difference between the mean score of self-efficacy in the intervention group before and after the training was statistically significant (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Micro-learning is an effective training method for raising learning outcomes and self-efficacy among nursing students, especially in internship units. This method is recommended since multimedia pays attention to all learning styles of learners and affects the learning outcomes and self-efficacy of learners.

Barriers of physician-patient relationships in professionalism: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Undoubtedly, there are several obstacles in the path of medical professionalism. This study examines these obstacles in the relationship between physician and patient. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the barriers of physician-patient relationships in professionalism based on physician experiences. Methods: It was a qualitative study with a conventional content analysis approach. Our participants were 14 patients and 11 physicians. The sampling method was purposive, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes. Interviews continued until data saturation. Results: Findings of the study regarding barriers of patient-physician relationship were classified into five main categories: misperception of the physician's identity, unprofessional behavior of the physician, physician's sense of self-superiority, patients' cultural differences, and lack of supportive services in the health care system. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the communication challenges between physician and patient were not limited to the physicians' education. Part of these challenges depends on the patients and their culture. Another part of these challenges is directly related to the medical and management system structure.

Exploration challenges of the implementers of Iran's transformational innovation plan in medical education.

BACKGROUND: The Health System Reform Plan, especially in medical education, has undoubtedly caused changes in the university. The continuation of this project requires recognizing the challenges confronted by those in charge of its implementation. This study aimed to explore the challenges of the implementers of the Transformation and Innovation Plan in Medical Education in the universities of Macroregion 5. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The qualitative research was conducted using the content analysis method. Semi-structured interviews with health and medical education managers were used to collect information. Participants were 11 educational leaders of universities who were selected by purposeful sampling. Data collection continued until data saturation was reached. Data analysis was performed continuously and simultaneously with data collection. The Graneheim and Lundman methods were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: From 11 interviews, one theme, five categories, and 12 subclasses were obtained. Five categories include lack of proper groundwork, weak leadership, structural problems, inability to fund, and inadequate monitoring. CONCLUSION: Innovation and transformation in medical education are one of the critical missions and admirable actions of the Ministry of Health in the field of education, but a review of this plan can, in addition to identifying shortcomings and problems, pave the way for success, and progress in future programs.

Reliability and validity of the Persian version of the ACE tool: assessing medical trainees' competency in evidence-based medicine.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) allows users to integrate evidence into decision-making alongside clinical expertise and patient values. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Assessing Competency in EBM (ACE) tool across knowledge, skills, and attitude. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on medical residents (first-year residents and junior residents) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2019. The study instrument was the ACE tool which consists of 15 two-choice questions (yes-no) and each of these questions measures one of four steps in evidence-based medicine (1- asking the answerable question, 2- searching the literature, 3- critical appraisal, and 4- applying the evidence to scenario). This tool was translated into Persian according to international standards. To ensure that the original and translated ACE questionnaire can be matched accurately and conceptuality, content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) were determined. Cronbach's alpha was applied to determine the internal consistency for each scale and Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to survey the factor structure validity. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-three questionnaires were studied, selecting 59 first-year medical residents and 104 s-year medical residents. The results showed that using the Persian translation of the ACE tools, the content validity index (CVI) values were equal to or above 0.8 for all items. The content validity ratio (CVR) value was 0.90 for the total scale. The indicators of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the ACE tool revealed that this model had an acceptable fit. Cronbach's alpha for the overall score was 0.79. CONCLUSION: The Persian translated version of the ACE tool is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing medical trainees' competency in EBM.

Startup-Based Learning as an Innovative Method for Pharmacy Education: Medicinal Plants Course Model.

Background: Familiarizing students with knowledge-based businesses is one of the goals emphasized in the developed educational systems worldwide. This study aimed to design a startup-based learning model (SBL). Methods: As a qualitative research study, startup teams were formed by the pharmacy students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2020. This model was used to train 120 students as pharmaceutical entrepreneurs through related lectures, simulations, and field activities. We employed this model for students to become familiar with the various stages of examining market needs, knowledge-based company registration, intellectual property, logo design, and even pharmaceutical product development. Students' feedback was assessed with a questionnaire designed by the team of researchers, and its results were used to analyze the course and improve the quality of the proposed model. Results: Most of the studied indices revealed that the students rated this model as good or excellent. Satisfaction with more important indices includes student creativity and ideation in educational activity (60.7%), attractive presentation (60.4%), teamwork among learners (62.2%), appropriateness of evaluation method (65.4%), understanding how to make herbal remedies (49.1%), learner participation in the educational activity (74.8%), entrepreneurial motivation (60.7%), and applicability (64.4%). Conclusion: We found this model effective in boosting students' satisfaction, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. Lecturers also play a facilitator role in addition to specialized training. Therefore, in this model, both lecturers and students can grow more and make education more attractive. This study, for the first time, demonstrated that SBL could be applied in education systems and make the students more interested in educational content and help them to prepare for the job market.

Exploration the role of a clinical supervisor to improve the professional skills of medical students: a content analysis study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Clinical supervision supports learners and paves the way for effective and efficient learning in clinical settings. This study aimed to explain the responsibilities of clinical supervisors in clinical education wards to improve the professional skills of medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this qualitative study, we used the conventional content analysis approach. The sample consisted of 16 faculty members of medical sciences and medical graduates of Iranian universities. Purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The Graneheim and Lundman method (2004) analyzed the data. RESULTS: From the analysis of interviews, 2 themes, 8 categories, and 18 subcategories were obtained. "Clinical supervisor responsibilities" as a theme includes the categories: "Creating motivation in learner", "Learner's need recognition", "Performance evaluation", "Creating learning opportunities", and "Professional ethics education". And, the sub-categories were: "Creating a supportive atmosphere", "Task assignment","Understanding training needs", "Understanding individual needs", "Periodic evaluation", "Proper feedback', "Reduce work stress", "Learner engagement' , "Learning Facilitation", "Attention to the patient's treatment", and "Ethical observance in relation to patients". As the second theme "Clinical supervisor characteristics" included the categories of: "Scientific competence", "Leading role", and "Ethical model". Their sub-categories are clustered as: "Knowledge of educational concepts", "Mastery of professional concepts", "Effective communication skills", "Understanding managerial concepts", "High resilience", "Career commitment ", and "social commitment" . CONCLUSIONS: The clinical supervisor will improve the professional skills of medical students, which will improve the quality of services provided, train efficient graduates, and provide a safe and relaxing environment that leads to patient satisfaction.

Teaching self-efficacy and its effects on quality of bedside teaching: Findings from a multi-center survey.

Introduction: Evidence suggests that the performance of medical students is affected by the quality of teaching of clinical teachers, and the higher teachers' teaching quality leads to better students' clinical performance. Hence, the present research aimed to investigate the association between teaching self-efficacy and quality of bedside teaching among medical teachers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. To this end, 242 medical teachers and 830 medical students from 6 universities in different cities were selected using convenience sampling. The medical teachers filled out Physician Teaching Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (α=0.93), and medical students completed the quality of bedside teaching questionnaire (BST) (α=0.91). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression were used to analyze the collected data through SPSS 23 and Smart-PLS3 software. Results: The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated that all items and measurement models had adequate reliability and validity to enter the final analysis (α>0.7, CR>0.7 AND AVE>0.50). Furthermore, the results showed teaching self-efficacy (r=0.27, p<0.001) and its components including self-regulation (r=0.24, p<0.001), dyadic regulation (r=0.22, p<0.001), and triadic regulation (r=0.33, p<0.001) had a positive and significant relationship with quality of bedside teaching. Also, the results of multiple regression revealed that among the predictor variables, only the triadic regulation variable could predict the quality of bedside teaching of medical teachers (ß=0.326, p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the findings, as the medical teachers' teaching self-efficacy improves, they can provide high-quality teaching to students, which in turn will lead to better learning and, therefore better performance for medical students.

The role of glass ceiling in women's promotion to managerial positions from the perspective of faculty members at Iran University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many changes have been observed in women's roles in organizations. In Iran, women face challenges to be promoted to high-level organizational positions. The present study aimed to examine the role of glass ceiling in promoting women to managerial positions from the perspective of the faculty members at Iran University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research was an applied study in terms of objectives and a descriptive-survey study in terms of data collection, variable monitoring and control, and generalizability. The statistical population of the study encompassed all clinical and basic sciences faculty members at Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2019-2020. The simple random sampling method was adopted, and the study instrument was the standard questionnaire of women's beliefs about glass ceiling developed by Smith (2012). To analyze the data, descriptive and inferential (namely paired-sample t-test and one-sample t-test) statistics were run in the SPSS software. RESULTS: The results revealed that glass ceiling dimensions could predict 48% of the variance of women's promotion to managerial positions. Furthermore, a significant difference was noticed between men and women's perspectives toward glass ceiling (P < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference between the two groups of clinical and basic sciences (P > 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Failure to provide appropriate opportunities for qualified women to be promoted to managerial positions would result in nonexploitation of about half of the available capacities and talents. Women have unique abilities and soft skills in the human resource management. At the macro-level, policy-makers and planners to review the plans and delegation of organizational-managerial positions and also to further consider the role of women in managerial positions by observing gender justice and meeting criteria such as capability and expertise.

Exploring the challenges and ethical requirements of medical sciences education during COVID-19: a qualitative study.

The controversial role of ethics in clinical education and its ability to draw the attention of a large audience is inevitable. The issues and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have transformed the clinical education environment. This study was conducted to explore the challenges and ethical requirements of medical sciences education during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The study was qualitative research and the instrument was a semi-structured interview. The participants included faculty members of the basic and clinical Sciences at Iran University of Medical Sciences. After 16 rounds of interviews, theoretical saturation was achieved. Qualitative data were analysed using conventional content analysis, which resulted in 81 preliminary codes and 28 sub-categories. Finally, two themes of "ethical challenges" and "ethical requirements", and 10 categories were achieved. The categories were consisted of "being patient-centred", "social accountability of curriculums", "ethical challenges of the clinical environment", "the poor performance of the clinical faculty members and students", "being justice-centred", "raising awareness", "observing clinical research ethics", "preservation and promotion of mental health", "patient confidentiality", and "respect for individuals". We hope the ethical challenges in medical education that were created due to the emergence of Covid-19 can be reduced and eliminated by defining a framework for ethical requirements.

Exploring the features of mobile phone application of anatomy in basic medical sciences: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The importance of mobile phones has become one of the new research topics in health professions education due to the ease of access and flexibility. Although novel approaches to health professions education recommend the use of educational technologies, such as mobile applications, a limited number of studies have been conducted with regard to learning anatomy through mobile applications. Considering the increasing needs of medical students for mobile technology to meet their educational needs, wants and desires, we decided to explore the features of an anatomy mobile application. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in two stages of holding focus groups, and an expert panel session. Students of basic Medical sciences, and faculty members of anatomy at Iran University of Medical Sciences formed the research participants. Semi-structured interviews and note-taking were used to collect the data. Moreover, Brown and Clark methods were used for thematic analysis. Finally, four criteria presented by Lincoln and Guba for qualitative studies were used to ensure the credibility, confirmability, trustworthiness and transferability of the data. RESULTS: Based on the data analysis, 37 codes that could be used to design anatomy mobile content for medical students were extracted. These features were categorized into eight main themes of "visual richness", "scientific comprehensiveness", "auditory richness", "affordability", "user-friendliness", "self-assessment", "interactive content" and "user support". CONCLUSION: This study explored the features of an anatomy application that can be used by educational app developers. Anatomy departments at Medical Universities, policymakers, and curriculum planners in the field of medical education can also adopt the findings of the present study.

Exploration of faculty members' perceptions about virtual education challenges in medical sciences: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Virtual education is among the important factors improving the learning of medical students. This study aimed to explain the perceptions of faculty members towards the challenges of virtual education. METHODS: The present study was carried out with a qualitative approach and using a conventional content analysis method. The participants included 28 faculty members working in Medical universities in Iran who were purposefully recruited and interviewed face to face practicing semi-structured interviews. All interviews were conducted and reviewed; then, the results were extracted. For this purpose, semantic similarities were first measured and subcategories identified. Subsequently, going through the re-review, we grouped the associated subcategories into wider categories. RESULTS: From the analysis of the participants' narratives, two wide categories including organizational barriers and legal-ethical challenges were obtained. The organizational barriers included two subcategories of defective organizational culture and disproportionate infrastructure. The legal-ethical challenges also included subcategories of neglecting intellectual property rights and ignoring ethical actual instances in the field of virtual education. CONCLUSION: Understanding the challenges to which virtual education implementation is faced leads to their elimination which, in turn, develops the application of e-learning in the field of medical sciences. These challenges can be addressed through putting the emphasis on promoting the organizational culture of medical universities, improving the infrastructures of virtual education, and considering the legal and ethical concepts specific to virtual education.

Data on the knowledge, attitude, and performance of Ph.D. students attending an educational course (Tehran, Iran).

The Department of Medical Education of Iran University of Medical Sciences organized a workshop on empowerment and familiarity with the teaching and learning principles. The data presented here is based on the effectiveness of this workshop. This data was acquired from 29 postgraduates who take part in a two-day educational course and instructional design workshop. The samples were selected by convenience sampling. Data collection tool was a questionnaire that consisted of 5 questions for demographic variables, 20 question about attitude and satisfaction, 30 questions on knowledge as pretest and posttest, and 3 questions about behavior and performance. The descriptive statistics of data were analyzed using SPSS-14. The mean score of pre-test and post-test in case of knowledge, attitude, and performance in teaching and instructional design were calculated. In addition, the viewpoints of educational departments on the third level of Kirkpatrick׳s model i.e. the students' post-workshop behavior change (transferring learning to the workplace) were obtained.