Three-Dimension Sawbone Models and Shadow-Play: A Low-Cost Approach to Improve Orthopedic Plain Radiograph Reading in Medical Students.

BACKGROUND: The usage of 3D sawbone models and shadow-play is a novel teaching method in orthopedic education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 3D sawbone models and shadow-play in improving medical student orthopedic knowledge and interpretation of plain radiographs. METHODS: Ninety-three medical students with no prior clinical orthopaedic experience were recruited into 2 groups: Group 1 underwent conventional education methods and Group 2 underwent a sawbone and shadow-play education. A pre and post-test designed to determine orthopedic knowledge and interpretation of plain radiographs was performed. Five participants were randomly selected for a semi-structured qualitative interview postintervention. RESULTS: There was an increase in mean test scores in both groups. The difference in the means of pre- and post-test average outcomes between the control group was 3.00 (SD = 2.08), as compared to 4.74 (SD = 2.69) for the sawbone group. Group 2 (sawbone) exhibited a significantly better improvement. (p < 0.001). Interviews revealed several themes: improved engagement, enhanced visualization, holistic learning, and challenges. CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of 3D sawbone models and shadow-play as teaching tools in orthopedics demonstrates significant efficacy and is more effective than conventional teaching methods in novice medical students. Students perceived the incorporation of sawbone models and shadow-play as highly engaging, providing them with enhanced visualization capabilities, consequently fostering a deeper comprehension of anatomical structures and X-ray interpretations.

Peer evaluation as an alternative assessment method for case presentations: A cross-sectional study of dental students' perception.

INTRODUCTION: Peer assessment in dental and medical education is a key tool for evaluating attitudes and communication skills, serving as an effective formative learning method. It not only boosts academic performance and encourages lifelong learning and reflective practice but also fosters collaboration, effective communication, and constructive feedback among peers. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess dental students' satisfaction and perceptions regarding implementing peer assessment in case presentations, including contribution to their learning. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved third (n = 26), fourth (n = 54), and sixth (n = 71) dental students divided into five groups. Each student received peer assessments (n = 8) from the students of the other groups regarding their clinical presentation. At the end of the process, students were invited to complete an anonymous 9-item questionnaire to assess student perceptions of the peer-assessment process. Data were analyzed to evaluate students' perception and satisfaction with the peer assessment task. The bivariate analysis explored associations among questionnaire items. RESULTS: A total of 151 students participated in the current study. Results showed a high level of agreement for most of the students regarding their preparedness for peer and self-assessment. More than 75% of the students at all academic levels found it challenging to evaluate their peers. Student satisfaction scores increased with the level of education, (4.076, 4.214, and 4.246 out of five, respectively) with moderate correlations between peer evaluation characteristics. CONCLUSION: Peer assessment appears to enhance learning and professional development in dental students. Students' satisfaction with peer assessment grows with education level, reflecting its role in fostering critical evaluation skills and feedback.

Pharmacy Students' Perception of the Content and Delivery of Drug Information Training: A Mixed-Methods Study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pharmacy students' perception of the content and pedagogical strategies used for the delivery of drug information (DI) training. METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted among BSc Pharmacy and PharmD students at the College of Pharmacy, Qatar University. The first phase consisted of a quantitative cross-sectional survey using a 34-item pretested questionnaire. The Donabedian framework guided the development of the questionnaire. This was followed by a phenomenological qualitative phase that was conducted based on the result of the first phase. Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis were used for data analyses. RESULTS: The completion and usable rates were 88.7% (102 of 115) and 91.2% (93 of 102) respectively. The online resources used for the delivery of DI and the progressive structuring from year 1 to 4 were reported to be adequate by a majority of the respondents (93.55%). Ninety percent of the students opined that the use of simulation-based assessments improved their integration of the theoretical and practical aspects, and their preparedness to apply the DI concepts in practice. However, 20% of the participants reported inconsistency of the DI curricular content with some practices encountered during their experiential learning exposures. The themes identified from the focus group discussion included the perceived value and skills acquired from the DI content, availability and currency of DI resources, students' preparedness, curricular structuring of DI content, and reflection on and recommendations to improve DI coverage and delivery. CONCLUSION: The curricular structuring of the DI content across varieties of relevant undergraduate pharmacy courses from the lower to higher professional years and its focus on the progressive development of DI-related competencies appeared to have enhanced the students' perception of the relevance, appropriateness, and utility of the content, resources, and pedagogical strategies used for the delivery of DI education at the undergraduate level.

Introducing Group Open-Book Exams as a Learning and Assessment Strategy in the Clinical Biochemistry Course for Medical Students.

BACKGROUND: Teachers constantly strive to obtain reliable and appropriate teaching and assessment methods to maximize the learning experience. This study aimed to introduce combined modified team-based learning and open-book exams (TBL/OBEs) as learning and assessment strategies in clinical biochemistry for medical students and assess students' perceptions. METHODS: Second-year medical students enrolled in the clinical biochemistry course were included in this study and subjected to TBL/OBE assessment. The assessment included two parts: the open-book format for half of the questions and the closed-book format for the other as a control. Upon completing the combined TBL/OBE session, the students were required to complete a structured survey to evaluate their perception of the experience. The data were gathered and analyzed. Data were presented as mean±standard error of the mean (SEM), and a p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 358 students completed the TBL/OBE and closed-book exam (CBE) and responded to the survey. Of these students, 76% preferred the OBE, and 84% thought it was a suitable learning method. On the one hand, the mean difficulty of the OBE format was 92.7±1.5 SEM, while, for the CBE, the mean difficulty was 88.7±1.9 SEM (p=0.015). On the other hand, the mean discrimination factor for OBE was 0.26±0.04 and, for the CBE, 0.41±0.04 SEM (p=0.0016). Males found the OBE questions easier (p=0.025) and less stressful (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: A combined model of modified TBL and OBE is a successful learning and assessment strategy in clinical biochemistry for medical students.

Exploring Undergraduate Nursing Students' Perceptions on Clinical Learning Environment in the UAE: A Focus on Perceived Benefits and Challenges.

Introduction: Establishing a supportive clinical environment is paramount for enhancing nursing students' engagement in clinical practice, their clinical proficiencies, and satisfaction. The increase in nursing student enrollment at the Nursing College, driven by the collaborative efforts between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and universities, has given rise to concerns regarding the quality of education and clinical instruction. These concerns are primarily due to the increased student-to-instructor ratio. Furthermore, the unsupportive clinical settings and learning tensions underscore the need to understand students' learning experiences and address research gaps within the field of clinical learning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment, with a focus on perceived benefits and challenges. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design. The researchers administered a five-point Likert scale questionnaire, which had been adapted and contextualized, to a convenience sample of 217 third and fourth-year nursing students who willingly participated in this study. Results: Despite the presence of positive aspects, such as diverse clinical experiences and strong support from both clinical instructors and peers, several challenges affect the students' clinical learning. These challenges encompass disparate perceptions of supervision among staff nurses, learning tensions related to student academic workload, insufficient clinical supervision, and difficulties in finding assistance when needed. Conclusion: There is a clear need to enhance the overall ward learning environment to optimize students' academic motivation and clinical skills. Several measures can be taken to achieve this goal, including incentivizing and reducing the workload of staff nurses, investing in the professional development of clinical instructors, promoting peer interactions and group learning, and adopting a block pattern of education in years three and four for better clinical knowledge assimilation and reduced theoretical workload.

Students' perception of the educational environment at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for health sciences using DREEM tool.

BACKGROUND: Students' learning results are influenced by the educational environment. The best learning environment is created when students are involved in the evaluation process of their education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' perceptions of their learning environment at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) in Riyadh using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) instrument. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire using the Arabic version of the DREEM tool. Students from six colleges at KSAU-HS Riyadh campus were asked to complete the questionnaire through emails. The study was carried out between November 2021 and April 2022. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were performed for DREEM as both a continuous (two-way ANOVA test) and categorical variable (Chi-squared and Monte-Carlo test). RESULTS: A total of 370 students completed the questionnaire. The overall DREEM score for the study was 125.88/200, with a standard deviation of 58.79. SSP items received the highest scores, while SAP items earned the lowest scores. The college and the academic level showed statistically significant differences in the DREEM overall score and the five subscales, whereas gender showed no significant difference. The college of pharmacy scored the highest total DREEM score (140.35 ± 27.75), and scored higher among the five subscales than both colleges of dentistry (114.13 ± 29.74) and medicine (113.87 ± 33.03). Students in their third year had the greatest overall DREEM score (132.23 ± 29.76), and scored higher in SPL, SPA and SSP compared to students in their sixth year, in which the total DREEM score was (111.65 ± 27.58). CONCLUSIONS: Students of KSAU-HS generally perceived the educational environment as having more positive than negative. The educational level and college differed significantly in the overall DREEM score and the five subscales. Junior students had better perception of the educational environment and they differed significantly in the SPL and SPA subscales. The faculty of pharmacy had higher scores in the overall DREEM and the five subsequent scales than colleges of dentistry and medicine. Further research is needed in order to optimize the educational environment by investigating different solutions.

Exploratory study on student perception on the use of chat AI in process-driven problem-based learning.

INTRODUCTION: With the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, it is imperative to investigate its influence on education and the resulting impact on student learning outcomes. This includes exploring the potential application of AI in process-driven problem-based learning (PDPBL). This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of students towards the use of ChatGPT) build on GPT-3.5 in PDPBL in the Bachelor of Pharmacy program. METHODS: Eighteen students with prior experience in traditional PDPBL processes participated in the study, divided into three groups to perform PDPBL sessions with various triggers from pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics, and clinical pharmacy fields, while utilizing chat AI provided by ChatGPT to assist with data searching and problem-solving. Questionnaires were used to collect data on the impact of ChatGPT on students' satisfaction, engagement, participation, and learning experience during the PBL sessions. RESULTS: The survey revealed that ChatGPT improved group collaboration and engagement during PDPBL, while increasing motivation and encouraging more questions. Nevertheless, some students encountered difficulties understanding ChatGPT's information and questioned its reliability and credibility. Despite these challenges, most students saw ChatGPT's potential to eventually replace traditional information-seeking methods. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that ChatGPT has the potential to enhance PDPBL in pharmacy education. However, further research is needed to examine the validity and reliability of the information provided by ChatGPT, and its impact on a larger sample size.

Expectations of Polish undergraduate medical students for medical humanities classes: a survey-based pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Medical schools teach Medical Humanities (MH) to provide students with knowledge about the human experience related to health, illness, disease, medicine, and healthcare. Due to the previously observed negative opinions about MH courses, we examined the expectations of medical students in Poland toward humanities subjects. METHODS: We conducted a voluntary, anonymous electronic survey in one medical school (single-center study) and collected data from 166 medical students. The results were analyzed by comparing continuous and categorical variables between groups (gender, year of study, previous participation in MH classes). RESULTS: The students expected to learn how to communicate with patients and their families, especially about difficult topics. They also expected the classes to be active, stress-free, and without passing grades. The preferred MH teacher was a physician, although choosing a psychologist or other qualified person as an MH teacher was also popular. Previous participants in MH courses were more likely to expect such a course to be compulsory than those who had yet to attend it. CONCLUSION: Considering the students' expectations when designing MH classes could increase students' satisfaction with MH courses.

Promising score for teaching and learning environment: an experience of a fledgling medical college in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Professional competency of graduates of an institute reflects its teaching and learning environment (TLE). This study aimed to provide a preliminary assessment of the TLE at the College of Medicine at Majmaah University. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the 2019-20 academic year among students at the College. A validated scoring tool "the Experience of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire" (available at https://bit.ly/3sVBuEw ) was used. The mean score of each section and statement, the difference between the mean scores of different demographic groups, and correlations between sections were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 234 (72.2%) enrolled students participated in this survey, with a male-to-female ratio and a ratio of participants from basic to clinical years being 2:1 and 1:1, respectively. Most participants reported a GPA of above 3/5. The overall mean score was 3.52/5 points. Section one "approaches to learning and studying" has the highest mean score (3.68), and no section scored a mean below three, though section three "demands made by the course" scored a borderline mean of 3.08. Students in clinical years had a significantly higher overall mean score compared to their counterparts (3.66 vs. 3.39, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Students at the College had a positive perception of the TLE, but face challenges in coping with the demands of acquiring knowledge and subject-based skills, and in appreciating the TLE especially during basic science years, highlighting the need for an atmosphere that allows them to meet demands and develop greater appreciation.

What are the Attitudes of Medical Students at Jazan University Toward Professionalism?

Purpose: We assessed the attitudes of Jazan University medical students toward professionalism and evaluated the associations of those attitudes with demographic factors. Materials and Methods: Seven hundred ninety-seven respondents (88.85% response rate) out of 898 students who were invited to this study (50.7% were men and 49.3% were women) were studied by their response to the Learner's Attitude of Medical Professionalism Scale (LAMPS) that assess their level of agreement with 28 items, each reflecting a single professionalism competency within the subscales of Altruism, Excellence, Duty/Accountability, Honor/Integrity, and Respect for Others. Results: Of 797 respondents (88.85% response rate), 50.7% were men and 49.3% were women. Subscales with high agreement scores were Excellence (median, 21.0; range, 6-30) and Duty/Accountability (median, 21.0; range, 7-35). Subscales with slightly lower agreement scores were Respect for Others (median, 15.0; range, 5-25), Altruism (median, 15.0; range, 5-25), and Honor/Integrity (median, 12.0; range, 5-25). No sex differences were observed for most subscales; however, men gave higher agreement scores on the Excellence subscale, and compared with year 3 respondents (preclinical phase), year 6 respondents (clinical phase) gave higher agreement scores on the Excellence, Altruism, and Respect for Others subscales. Conclusion: Overall, medical students at Jazan University indicated high agreement with all attitudes to professionalism subscales on the LAMPS.

Undergraduate students' perception on e-learning systems during COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

Covid-19 has forced many educational institutions to adopt e-learning as an alternative to physical classroom learning. However, the concern of critical stakeholders in higher educational institutions on the adoption and usage of e-learning system, especially in the developing countries continue to increase recently, due to various challenges facing the sector. This study investigates perception of undergraduate students in University of Ilorin, Nigeria on use of e-learning systems during Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study sought to identify factors that influence the use of e-learning systems, investigates the perception of students on the quality of e-learning systems used, assesses the attitude of their lecturers towards the use of the e-learning system during the pandemic. A three stage sampling techniques including purposive, random and proportionate were employed with a total number of 333 students as respondents using a quantitative research approach. The analysis of the data collected was done using descriptive statistics including mean. The results of the study revealed that e-learning system use among University of Ilorin students is high, but highly influenced by the decision of the school management to employ e-learning system as only approach for teaching during the pandemic. It further revealed that the perception of students on the quality of system used is high, while their lecturers' attitude towards the use of e-learning facilities is positive. The study concluded that adoption of e-learning system for continue education during Covid-19 pandemic was a success at the University of Ilorin. It however suggested a blended learning approach (virtual and face-to-face) and recommended more investment from educational stakeholders to sustain e-learning beyond Covid-19 period.

Medical students' perception of the application of a virtual reality training model to acquire vaginal examination skills.

OBJECTIVE: To review the perception of and feedback from medical students on the application of a virtual reality (VR) model to acquire vaginal examination (VE) skills. METHODS: A specially designed VR training model on VE was developed with the aim of enhancing medical students' VE skills. Medical students attending the gynecology clinic were invited to try this VR training model. Their participation was voluntary and at the completion of their VR training, they were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire to give their feedback and perception regarding this learning experience. RESULTS: Sixty-five sixth-year medical students completed the VR training and the feedback questionnaire: 55 (84.7%) of them reported that the training instructions were clear and 60 (92.4%) considered the training to the helpful in recalling the details of the tasks. It was also reported that VR technology could facilitate learning and interaction, and motivate learning in 80.1% and 66.2% of medical students, respectively. CONCLUSION: VR technology is a potential teaching modality for medical students to acquire VE skills. However, further evaluation is needed to determine whether this learning tool is effective in enhancing clinical competence.

Integration of virtual microscopy podcasts in the histology discipline in osteopathic medical school: Learning outcomes.

Virtual microscopy podcasts (VMPs) are narrative recordings of digital histology images. This study evaluated the outcomes of integrating the VMPs into teaching histology to osteopathic medical students. The hypothesis was that incorporating virtual microscopy podcasts as supplementary histology resources to the curriculum would have a positive impact on student performance and satisfaction. Sixty-one podcasts of dynamic microscopic images were created using screen recordings of the digital slides. The VMPs were integrated as supplementary histology resources in multiple courses during the first and second years of the medical curriculum for three classes, a total of 477 osteopathic medical students. A voluntary and anonymous survey was obtained from the students using a questionnaire that included two open-ended questions. The overall performance of the three classes on the histology content of the preclinical course examinations was compared to historical controls of the previous two classes that did not have access to the VMPs. Most students indicated that the podcasts enabled more efficient study time and improved their confidence in the histology content on examinations. The findings indicated a positive association between podcast viewing and efficient study time utilization and class performance. The class average scores of the three consecutive cohorts that used the VMPs progressively increased by 7.69%, 14.88%, and 14.91% compared to the controls. A summary of students' feedback and academic performance supported that integration of the VMPs into Histology teaching improved the learning experience. The findings align with previous studies on the effectiveness of multimedia-based teaching in histology laboratory modules.

Identification of histological threshold concepts in health sciences curricula: Students' perception.

Students' metacognitive skills and perceptions are considered important variables for high-quality learning. In this study, students' perceptions were used to identify histological threshold concepts (integrative, irreversible, transformative, and troublesome) in three health sciences curricula. A specific questionnaire was developed and validated to characterize students' perceptions of histological threshold concepts. A sample of 410 undergraduate students enrolled in the dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy degree programs participated in the study. Concepts assessed in the study were clustered to ten categories (factors) by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Concepts linked to tissue organization and tissue functional states received the highest scores from students in all degree programs, suggesting that the process of learning histology requires the integration of both static concepts related to the constituent elements of tissues and dynamic concepts such as stem cells as a tissue renewal substrate, or the euplasic, proplasic and retroplasic states of tissues. The complexity of integrating static and dynamic concepts may pose a challenging barrier to the comprehension of histology. In addition, several differences were detected among the students in different degree programs. Dentistry students more often perceived morphostructural concepts as threshold concepts, whereas medical students highlighted concepts related to two-dimensional microscopic identification. Lastly, pharmacy students identified concepts related to tissue general activity as critical for the comprehension and learning of histology. The identification of threshold concepts through students' perceptions is potentially useful to improve the teaching and learning process in health sciences curricula.

Perspective of educational environment on students' perception of teaching and learning.

Cross-sectional research was designed using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) to examine the impact of the educational environment on students' perceptions of learning and teaching in a university offering higher education. Using a Likert scale, 300 participants from various streams were assessed. There were no disparities in the students' judgments in the five DREEM categories of discipline, accommodation, gender, level of study, and disciplines. In general, students judged that the student-teaching environment was satisfactory. To investigate the validity of the DREEM, we conducted Cronbach alpha analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) employing principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Only 44 of the 50 factors were deemed to be significant, with a cumulative explained variance of 46.539%. The total construct dependability of the EFA nine-factor solutions was 0.954. Finally, only five acceptable factors explained 46.539% variance using the criteria of eigenvalue > 1 and Cronbach's alpha > 0.6. Factor analysis was appropriate as evidenced by the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy of 0.942. With a Cronbach alpha of 0.955, the revised first domain of "student perception of learning" was the most trustworthy DREEM item, accounting for 20.19% of the variance. The highest factor loading was for the item "Teaching helps me become a more active learner". A redesigned DREEM might be valuable for assessing the educational environment at institutions providing higher education.

Learning and quality of life in undergraduate nursing students: An exploratory study in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that has modified all social and, especially, learning instances. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of final-year nursing students at a university in southern Chile regarding the impact of the pandemic on their learning, and consequently on their quality of life, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a qualitative study. The research was conducted on 14 nursing students who were selected from a university located in the province of Talca, Maule Region, Chile. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews conducted during July and September 2021. The data were analyzed using the inductive logic of theoretical categorization; this process was assisted by the Nvivo 10 program. RESULTS: Two mega categories were generated that accounted for the nursing students' experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: objective factors category and subjective factors category. Six subcategories were derived from these two categories: free time, social relationships, learning from practice, physical exercise, eating habits, and emotional state. CONCLUSION: The research findings indicate that the students, in addition to feeling upset about not being able to do the internship, also feel that they have not been able to acquire all the knowledge necessary for their training and professional development, since the virtual classes fail to deliver adequate learning as they lack the practical component that is so important in their careers. This has repercussions in the physical, social, and psychological areas, affecting their quality of life.

Students' perception and learning experience in the first medical clerkship.

BACKGROUND: The German clerkship ("Famulatur") is the first phase in medical education, in which students learn from a physician's perspective. According to the German Licensing Regulations for Physicians, students shall "familiarise" with providing care. However, specific learning objectives for the clerkship are not defined, although the acquisition of different competencies is implicitly demanded. Therefore, an additional understanding of the clerkship students' learning experience is needed. The goal of this study is to explore the student's learning perspective and experiences in the clerkship. METHODS: Twelve guideline-based interviews were conducted with third year medical students. All participants completed their first clerkship. A qualitative content analysis was performed. The inductively identified categories were transferred into a quantitative questionnaire using a 5-point Likert-scale to explore their relevance in a validation cohort. The questionnaire was completed by 222 clinical students of the Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg. RESULTS: The qualitative analysis led to 26 individual items assigned to 4 main categories that describe the clerkship experience: 1) "coping with insecurities", 2) "the clerkship as a social arrangement", 3) "the clerkship as a learning opportunity" and 4) "the clerkship as a teaching opportunity". In the quantitative validation cohort, category one yielded a well-balanced result (median 3 = "neither agree nor disagree"; IQR 2-4), items addressed in categories 2-4 were generally supported by the students, predominantly selecting "strongly agree" or "agree" (Median 2; IQR 1-2 for each category). Students rated the role of the clinical team as especially important for their learning success and feared exclusion or negative reactions. CONCLUSIONS: The medical clerkship provides an institutional, professional, and social framework, in which students are learning. Insecurities arose from curricular inconsistencies, a high dependency on the clinical team as well as the absence of specific learning objectives. Therefore, a better curricular integration regarding the semester structure and the learning objectives of the German clerkship is needed.

A survey assessing the health science students' perception towards online learning at a Saudi Higher Education Institution during COVID-19 pandemic.

As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed universities worldwide to shift from traditional to online learning, there is a need to capture the students' perception of online learning using an appropriate tool. Hence, this study explores the appropriateness of the online learning assessment survey (OLAS) model for assessing the students' perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It included the undergraduate students (N = 2523) of the selected four health science colleges at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU) during 2020-2021. The data was obtained through OLAS using "Google Docs" from 728 students. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that each item showed a significant positive relationship with its respective variable of OLAS. The proposed OLAS model with five variables showed a good fit to assess the students' perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those variables enable the university policy planners to evaluate the students' perception of online learning during the pandemic, thereby supporting them in framing appropriate strategies to improve the quality and success of online learning. Further research is necessary to include all students of various programs offered at Saudi universities to generalize the outcomes. OLAS can include a global item assessing overall students' satisfaction with online learning, and the influence of OLAS variables on the overall students' satisfaction can be evaluated in future studies.

Medical and Dental Students' Perceptions of the Learning Environment during Anatomic Pathology Placement at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: The educational environment is an important factor in nurturing students' learning. Students' experiences of the climate of their learning environment positively correlate with their academic success, achievements and satisfaction. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to determine the perceptions of medical and dental students about their learning environment during anatomical pathology clinical placement. METHODOLOGY: A prospective, cross-sectional study using a guided self-administered Dundee Ready Education Environment Measurement (DREEM) questionnaire was conducted among fourth year medical and fifth-year dental students on anatomical pathology placement at the College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria. One hundred and eleven of 118 students participated in the study. RESULTS: The age range was 19-35 years. The majority of the students were males ( n= 80, 72.1%). The overall mean score was 115.19 ± 25.6 (maximum obtainable total score = 200), indicating that the students perceived their learning environment as more positive than negative. The mean score for each subscale of the DREEM instrument was: 29.24/48 (60.9%) for perception of learning; 25.67/44 (58.3%) for perception of teaching; 20.89/32 (65.3%) for academic self-perception; 25.61/48(53.4%) for perception of the atmosphere of learning; and 13.52/28 (48.3%) social self-perception. No statistically significant difference was found by sex, age group, and course of study for each DREEM domain. CONCLUSION: Students' perception regarding the learning environment for anatomical pathology in the focal university shows the need for improvement across various domains. However, academic self-perception and social self-perception are the areas of greatest need.

FOND: L'environnement éducatif est un facteur important pour favoriser l'apprentissage des élèves. Les expériences des étudiants du climat de leur environnement d'apprentissage sont positivement corrélées avec leur réussite scolaire, leurs réalisations et leur satisfaction. OBJECTIFS: Le but de l'étude était de déterminer les perceptions des étudiants en médecine et en médecine dentaire sur leur environnement d'apprentissage lors d'un stage clinique en pathologie anatomique. METHODOLOGIE: Une étude prospective transversale à l'aide d'un questionnaire guidé auto-administré Dundee Ready Education Environment Measurement (DREEM) a été menée auprès d'étudiants en médecine et en médecine dentaire de quatrième année en stage de pathologie anatomique au collège des sciences de la santé, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile -Ife, Nigéria. Cent onze des 118 étudiants ont participé à l'étude. RESULTATS: La tranche d'âge était de 19 à 35 ans. La majorité des étudiants étaient des hommes ( n = 80, 72,1 %). Le score moyen global au questionnaire DREEM était de 115,19 ± 25,6 (score total = 200), indiquant que les étudiants percevaient leur environnement d'apprentissage comme plus positif que négatif. Le score moyen pour chaque sous-échelle de l'instrument DREEM était : 29,24/48 (60,9 %) pour la perception de l'apprentissage ; 25,67 /44 (58,3%) pour la perception de l'enseignement ; 20,89/32 (65,3 %) pour l'autoperception académique ; 25,61/48' (53,4 %) pour la perception de l'atmosphère d'apprentissage ; et 13,52/28 (48,3%) d'auto-perception sociale. Le domaine de l'auto-perception sociale présentait un problème nécessitant une amélioration significative. CONCLUSION: La perception des étudiants concernant l'environnement d'apprentissage de la pathologie anatomique dans l'université focale montre le besoin d'amélioration dans divers domaines. Cependant, l'auto-perception académique et l'autoperception sociale sont des domaines dont les besoins sont les plus grands. Mots clés: Milieu d'apprentissage, pathologie, perception des élèves, DREEM.

E-Portfolio as an Evaluative Tool for Emergency Virtual Education: Analysis of the Case of the University Andres Bello (Chile) During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The pandemic had serious implications for university education, specifically due to the transition from face-to-face teaching to online methodologies. This article analyzes the perception of students undergoing speech therapy from a Chilean University about the E-portfolio incorporation as an evaluative tool during the emergency virtual teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From quantitative research, a survey of 38 questions based on Likert scales was applied to 108 penultimate year undergraduate students. The survey demonstrated that there is an improvement in the methodology and teaching support, as well as in the creativity and professionalism of the students.