Enhancing General Surgery Clerkships: The Application and Value of Standardized Patient-Based Situational Simulation Teaching.

OBJECTIVE: We explored the value of a standardized patient-based situational simulation teaching method in general surgery internships. METHODS: A prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted with clinical medicine undergraduates from the 2020 cohort of our university as subjects. These students were randomly divided into a traditional teaching (TT) group and a combined teaching (CT) group based on their internship schedules. The TT group followed the conventional teaching model, while the CT group engaged in the standardized patient-based situational simulation teaching method. The study compared differences in pre-internship theoretical scores, post-internship theoretical scores, medical record writing quality, and student satisfaction between the two groups. RESULTS: The CT group (n=108) significantly outperformed the TT group (n=104) in post-internship theoretical scores and medical record writing quality (all P<0.05) and showed marked improvement in stimulating students' interest in learning (P=0.015), enhancing clinical diagnostic and treatment abilities (P<0.001), improving doctor‒patient communication skills (P<0.001), strengthening medical mission sense (P<0.001), reinforcing physicians' sense of responsibility (P<0.001), and facilitating the application of learned knowledge (P<0.001). These differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The standardized patient-based situational simulation teaching method (CT) in general surgery internships has been highly recognized by students and can enhance their clinical competency, offering considerable value for broader.

Small programs, big challenges: Reimagining the evaluation of clinical teaching in genetic counseling.

Within the health professions education system, a significant proportion of teaching and learning occurs in the clinical setting. As such, the need to measure effective teaching for accreditation standards, faculty development, merit pay, academic promotion, and for monitoring the safety of the learning environment has led to numerous universities developing instruments to evaluate teaching effectiveness in this context. To date; however, these instruments typically focus on the student perspective, despite evidence demonstrating that student evaluations of teaching (SETs) lack correlation with learning outcomes and are not a true measure of teaching effectiveness. This issue is further exacerbated in small health professional training programs, such as genetic counseling, where clinical teachers may only supervise 1-3 students per year. As a result, not only are SETs more confounded due to small sample sizes, but a direct conflict exists between respecting learner anonymity and providing timely and relevant feedback to faculty. In such contexts, even using SETs to evaluate the nature of the learning environment may be unreliable due to student concerns about identifiability and fear of retaliation for unfavorable evaluation. This paper will review the literature regarding SETs, barriers to this process within the clinical setting, and the unintended downstream consequences. Options for addressing issues related to the use of SETs will be considered, with particular focus on the process of reflection and the use of teaching consultations or peer support groups as a means to improve teaching effectiveness in this learning environment.

The application of interdisciplinary and cross-grade learning teaching method in stomatology course.

OBJECTIVES: The first purpose of this project was to determine whether an interdisciplinary and cross-grade teaching model impacts students' learning enthusiasm and their views on this teaching method. The second purpose was to determine whether the model positively impacted students' theoretical course exam scores. METHODS: We recruited 203 pre-clinical undergraduate dental students, including 104 third- and 99 fourth-grade students. The study was conducted in experimental classes for the "Dental Materials" course in the third-grade program (focusing on cement material mixing techniques) and the "Endodontics Practice" course in the fourth-grade program (focusing on the preparation and filling of Class II cavities). The interventions were implemented before, during, and after the class. We assessed students' attitudes toward this teaching method and changes in their course scores. RESULTS: The survey questionnaire assessed the students' levels of learning enthusiasm, professional competence, and classroom effectiveness, all of which demonstrated significant improvement. The average scores for lab operations, quizzes, and usual performance exhibited a substantial increase (p < 0.001). The average score of the final examination increased from 75.61 to 78.17 (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Significant enhancement in students' learning attitudes, course scores, collaborative abilities, and innovation capacities were observed following the interdisciplinary and cross-grade teaching method. Furthermore, the overall classroom efficiency improved. This teaching method can expand the scope of future research.

Teaching nursing students: As an umbrella review of the effectiveness of using high-fidelity simulation.

AIM: To conduct an umbrella review of the effectiveness of using high-fidelity simulation in nursing student teaching, thereby supporting continuous improvement in teaching practitioners' implementation of high-fidelity simulation intervention strategies. BACKGROUND: Several systematic reviews have investigated the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation in nursing student teaching in recent years. However, conclusions vary and a systematic assessment is lacking. DESIGN: This review encompasses an umbrella review. METHODS: A search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and OVID databases was conducted to retrieve data on an umbrella review of high-fidelity simulation effectiveness in nursing student teaching from database inception to November 2023. The quality of the included systematic reviews was independently assessed by two reviewers using the AMSTAR 2 and PRISMA scales. Outcome indicators from the included systematic reviews were graded using the GRADE system. RESULTS: Twelve systematic reviews focusing on high-fidelity simulation effectiveness in nursing student teaching were included. Notably, all 12 systematic reviews exhibited very-low methodological quality, with 9 exhibiting some degree of reporting deficiencies, 2 exhibiting severe information deficiencies and 1 reporting relatively complete information. A total of 22 outcome indicators and 53 pieces of evidence were included. The results revealed 15 pieces of low-quality evidence and 38 pieces of very-low-quality evidence. Mounting evidence suggests that high-fidelity simulation teaching effectively enhances nursing students' theoretical performance, practical skills and various clinical comprehensive abilities, highlighting a positive teaching effect. However, further validation through high-quality, large-sample studies is warranted. CONCLUSION: The overall evidence quality of the current systematic reviews evaluating high-fidelity simulation effectiveness in nursing student teaching is low. Additionally, the methodological quality and the degree of reporting standardization require further improvement. Therefore, high-quality, large-sample randomized controlled trials are essential for further substantiating high-fidelity simulation effectiveness in nursing student teaching.

Teaching strategy adaptations in undergraduate dental education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental institutions were challenged to rapidly adapt to the inability of teaching in-person lectures and pre-clinical simulations. Strategies had to be quickly developed to guarantee the safety of faculty and students, while also adhering to national guidelines to ensure that educational standards were met and students' graduations and entrance into residency programs were not delayed. This literature review assesses the novel strategies that dental schools created and implemented to teach in a distance-learning platform and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of these strategies. In addition, this review talks about the lessons learned during the pandemic and the incorporation of successful strategies after the pandemic ended. METHODS: This review evaluated the literature using PubMed and ScienceDirect with the following keywords: "teaching strategies," "dental education," and "COVID-19." The search strategy yielded 15 articles that assessed relevant teaching strategies that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The literature described the swift response of dental institutions in implementing teaching strategies in response to the inability of continuing in-person teaching. An overwhelming majority of institutions moved their didactic lectures to online platforms. Several institutions implemented online simulations with virtual reality models, videos and discussion boards, standardized patient actors, and case-based discussions. CONCLUSION: Many of the teaching strategies that were implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic were highly effective. Dental schools were able to satisfy Commission on Dental Accreditation standards and meet students' requirements for graduation during the pandemic despite the rapid and unplanned shift away from in-person instruction and simulation secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of simulation-based flipped classroom in developing head and neck examination skills in dental students.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of a simulation-based flipped classroom in developing dental students' head and neck examination skills. METHODS: Second-year dental students (n = 118) participated in a simulation-based flipped classroom experience. A pre-class recorded lecture and video were posted online one week before the simulation date. In class, students completed a pre-quiz assessing pre-class coursework understanding of head and neck examination content. Then, students attended a question-and-answer session before the patient simulation. A formative assessment of head and neck examination simulation on a patient in the clinic was completed. Lastly, students completed an in-class post-quiz assessing understanding of head and neck examination content after the simulation, classroom simulation discussion, and open-response survey. RESULTS: Student post-quiz scores were significantly higher than pre-quiz scores, with an average improvement of 4.8 ± 7.2 percentage points. There was no difference between male and female improvement in scores. Student survey responses indicated that students liked combining simulation and flipped classroom methodology, flexibility with their schedules, learning at their pace, and opportunities for a deeper level of learning. Students reported wanting more practice sessions for their technical skills and more accessibility to faculty. CONCLUSIONS: According to this study's results, students had significantly higher post-quiz scores than pre-quiz scores and reported positive perceptions of this combined teaching technique. A simulation-based flipped classroom might be an effective teaching approach for developing head and neck examination skills that can be applied at other dental facilities with potentially similar results.

Teaching Through the Student Lens: Qualitative Exploration of Student Evaluations of Teaching.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to use feedback from student evaluations of teaching (SETs) to define and describe themes associated with perceived teaching effectiveness. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed SETs for instructors in required didactic courses from one academic year using qualitative content analysis. The analysis included student responses to the following questions: "Describe the strongest aspect of the instructor's teaching." and "What could the instructor do to improve his/her teaching effectiveness?" RESULTS: Five themes were developed from 4683 coded segments and are described with example quotations. These themes included clarity of instruction and learning activities, alignment of learning and assessment activities, examples that offer practice or demonstrate relevance, engaging learning environment, and concern for student learning and success. Aspects of each theme are described with example coded segments. CONCLUSION: These themes and supportive quotes offer a deeper understanding of the student perspective on similar ideas that are present throughout the teaching and learning literature and represent broad aspects of teaching, such as material design, in-class practices, and interpersonal characteristics. These themes can provide guidance for specific domains of faculty development in teaching.

Teacher or Researcher: Who Comes First in Medical Academia?

The field of medical academia presents a unique challenge in the professional development of individuals, as it requires balancing two distinct roles: that of a teacher and that of a researcher. This dilemma arises from the inherent tension between the educational responsibilities of imparting knowledge and the scholarly pursuits of generating new knowledge. In this commentary, we seek to explore the question of whether teachers or researchers should take precedence in the medical academic setting.

Effectiveness and influencing factors of online teaching among primary and secondary school teachers in China during the COVID-19: in depth interviews.

During COVID-19, online teaching was adopted in many countries and online teaching effectiveness attracted widespread attention. This study used in-depth interviews to explore the factors affecting online teaching efficacy of primary and secondary school teachers from teachers' perspectives, and used open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to analyze and organize the interview materials. Five thematic elements were finally derived, namely acceptance, professionalism, interactivity, instructional leadership and support, and home-school collaboration. From the teacher's perspective, acceptance, professionalism, and interactivity are closely related to the individual teacher, while instructional leadership and support, and home-school collaboration are two important external elements. This study explored the influencing factors of teaching effectiveness in different contexts, enriched the theory of teaching effectiveness, and provided practical support for the future development of online teaching.

Effective teaching in computational thinking: A bias-free alternative to the exclusive use of students' evaluations of teaching (SETs).

The tenure system in the United States places significant importance on teaching effectiveness. To date, students' evaluations of teaching (SETs) have been the reigning mechanism for assessing effective teaching. However, prior work has shown that SETs are often biased against underrepresented groups and minorities. The present study analyzes options for effective teaching assessments, which include evaluating final grades and measuring the differences between students' pre- and post-tests (normalized gain) using standard instruments. The content area and the instrument used in this study originated in the computational thinking field, which has a widespread presence in engineering, where minorities are at a disadvantage. This study obtained a total of 88 student participants from four sections of an introductory engineering course at a Southwestern institution. The study utilized a computational thinking diagnostic (CTD) to inform the course teaching approach (the intervention). Results show that (a) normalized learning gains correlated moderately with SETs, (b) final grades correlated strongly with SETs, (c) final grades correlated strongly with normalized learning gains, (d) the educational intervention based on the CTD significantly affected student learning, and (e) SET comments affect evaluations. The implications include the notion that standardized instrument-driven instruction and evaluations can increase the success of minorities on both sides of the classroom. The purpose of this manuscript is to invite the Heliyon readership to get involved in the development of related instruments and to incorporate these measures of learning into their instruction so biases are avoided or minimized.

Electronic periodontal tool integration to enrich clinical diagnosis.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an Electronic-Periodontal-Diagnosis-Tool (EPDT) to facilitate the formulation of a correct periodontal diagnosis and analyze students' perceptions of the use of the EPDT. METHODS: Fifty Year-3 students who recently started their clinical training, were randomly assigned to two groups. Two clinical scenarios involving challenging periodontal diagnoses, each one with unique components, variables, and categories were distributed with specific instructions. The cases were analyzed to determine the correct periodontal diagnosis-half without the use of the EPDT and half with the use of the EPDT. A post-exercise discussion conducted by the faculty explained the answer rationales. The students completed an anonymous/voluntary survey to evaluate their perceptions. Statistical analysis using likelihood ratio chi-square tests and a generalized linear model evaluated whether the use of the EPDT resulted in higher percentages of correct diagnoses. RESULTS: EPDT use resulted in a three times higher percentage of correct classifications than no tool use (48% versus 16%), which the investigators considered an important effect of the EPDT. The generalized-linear-model assessment confirmed that EPDT resulted in better classifications (p < 0.0001). The feedback about the perceptions of the EPDT was favorable. CONCLUSION: Students using the EPDT resulted in higher percentages of correct diagnoses. The EPDT provided students with a useful framework to determine the correct periodontal diagnoses, which is essential in providing appropriate treatments.

The use of artificial intelligence and game-based learning in removable partial denture design: A comparative study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare student performance in removable partial denture (RPD) design during a pre-clinical RPD course with and without using a recently developed computer software named AiDental. Additionally, student perceptions associated with the use of this software were assessed. METHODS: The AiDental software consists of a learning environment containing an RPD design system that automatically designs RPDs based on the user's input. The software also contains an RPD game component that compares the user's RPD Design to an automatically generated RPD ideal design. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, pre-clinical second-year dental students who participated in the study were randomly divided into two groups: The AiDental group with AiDental software access (n = 36), and the conventional group without software access (n = 37). Both groups received conventional RPD instruction and practice, however, the AiDental group had additional access to the AiDental software. After 2 weeks, both groups took a mock practical test, which was collected and graded by the principal investigator (PI). The PI was blinded from group assignment and no identifying information was used in the mock practical. In phase two, all students were granted access to the AiDental software for the remainder of the pre-clinical course duration. At the conclusion of the course, all students were given a survey to evaluate their perceptions of the AiDental software. Descriptive statistics were calculated and analyzed. Variables related to perceptions of both the AiDental designer and game were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation test, the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test as appropriate. In addition, a thematic analysis of the responses to the optional comments section was conducted using the Braun and Clarke method. RESULTS: Phase one results showed that subjects in the AiDental group were more likely than subjects in the conventional group to receive a final grade of A or B. Phase two results showed generally favorable student perceptions towards the software, and additionally, the results showed that age was significantly negatively correlated with ease of use of the software, improving decision-making, and critical thinking relative to RPD design choices. However, no correlation between age and using the software as a reference were noted. CONCLUSIONS: The use of AiDental's automated feedback and gamification techniques in RPD education had a positive effect on student grades and it was well-liked by students. Thus, the results suggest that AiDental has the potential to be a useful adjunct to pre-clinical teaching.

The Effect of the Organizational Climate on the Integrative-Qualitative Intentional Behavior in Romanian Preschool Education-A Top-Down Perspective.

The concept of educational organizational climate relates to the relational, social, psychological, affective, intellectual, cultural and moral environment that characterizes educational/teaching and managerial activity at the level of a school organization. This study is based on the theory of planned behavior framework in measuring preschool teachers' intentional integrative-qualitative behaviors and Marzano's Model of Teaching Effectiveness. The Marzano Model outlines educational strategies and gives teachers and administrators tools to help teachers become more effective. A sample of 200 valid responses was gathered in an online investigation that targeted preschool educators from Romania. Marzano's Model of Teaching Effectiveness is an evaluation tool used to measure the success of highly effective teachers, which is further utilized in this study to measure preschool teachers' effectiveness in relation to intentional integrative-qualitative behaviors. The integrative-qualitative intentional behaviors are measured with the IQIB scale. This research assumes collegiality and professionalism as independent variables and interrogates preschool teachers' behavioral intention toward adopting integrative-qualitative behaviors through the sequential mediators of Planning and Preparing, Reflecting on Teaching and Classroom Strategies and Behaviors from a top-down perspective. The results revealed a significant indirect effect of Collegiality and Professionalism on preschool teachers' behavioral intention toward adopting intentional integrative-qualitative behaviors through the sequential mediators Planning and Preparing, Reflecting on Teaching and Classroom Strategies and Behaviors, confirming our hypothesis. Discussion and implications are offered from a top-down sustainable educational management perspective.

The effectiveness of the fully online flipped classroom for nursing undergraduates during the COVID-19: Historical control study.

AIM: Evaluate the fully online flipped classroom's effects during the pandemic. DESIGN: A comparative descriptive study with historical control design. METHODS: In an internal medicine nursing course, the fully online flipped classroom instruction was used with 53 undergraduates in 2020. Their final examinations were compared with the 50 students taught with traditional offline methods in 2019. Online interactions and students' experiences were described. Pass rates in both classes were over 90% (Χ2 = 0.276, p = 0.60), but the median score in 2019 was higher than in 2020 (Z = -2.491, p = 0.01). There were 996 online interactions and 734 valid interactions in total. All 49 students believed the online flipped classroom schedule was reasonable and all but three said it was helpful. However, 19 students (39%) felt traditional teaching is more effective. CONCLUSIONS: The fully online flipped classroom method was fairly effective during the pandemic. This model also did increase class participation and sufficient faculty-student interactions in remote education. However, fewer students earned outstanding scores, with possible reasons including the online flipped classroom, lack of clinical practice, stress from COVID-19 and the shortened exam time. Overall, the method is worth recommending under public health emergencies like COVID-19, and future research exploring potential concerns about scores is necessary.

Optimizing teaching effectiveness in dental education for a new generation of learners.

PURPOSE: Today's dental students, Generation Z (Gen Z), are said to learn differently than those of previous generations. As generations of dental students vary, our teaching styles must keep up with unique and changing groups of individuals. METHODS: This article discusses learner-focused teaching methods including techniques that address the characteristics of Gen Z learners. Blended learning methods that combine online media with traditional face-to-face sessions, team-based learning, and a flipped classroom format have previously been suggested as ways to increase learning effectiveness and student satisfaction. RESULTS: In this paper, the characteristics and preferences of Gen Z students are described along with the challenges they create with conventional teaching methods. An implementation strategy using principles from organizational agility and Bolman and Deal's Four Frames Model is proposed for dental schools to transition to a more learner-centered teaching approach. CONCLUSIONS: The suggested strategy can be customized and could be useful to schools that wish to enhance their teaching methods to meet the learning needs of Gen Z dental students and beyond.

Study on the application of sound thinking combined with Sandwich teaching method in oncology nursing teaching / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the application of sound thinking combined with Sandwich teaching in oncology nursing practice teaching.Methods:A total of 68 nursing students who were interns in the Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from 2020 to 2021 were included in the study, and they were divided into a control group ( n=34) and an observation group ( n=34). The control group took routine teaching for interns, while the observation group took sound thinking combined with Sandwich teaching. The examination results, critical thinking abilities, and the evaluation of nursing teaching effectiveness of the two groups of nursing interns were evaluated. SPSS 22.0 was used for Chi-square test and t-test. Results:The examination scores of nursing students in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( t=3.44, 2.87, 3.45, P<0.05). Compared with those before training, the scores of critical thinking ability of nursing interns in both groups increased after the training, and the observation group was better than the control group ( t=0.180, 3.64, 0.61, 2.92, 0.31, 2.74, 0.45, 2.65, 0.25, 3.58, 1.16, 2.85, 0.36, 3.20, 0.33, 2.38, P<0.05). The scores of autonomous learning ability, communication and collaboration ability, independent thinking ability, clinical reasoning ability, and problem-analyzing and -solving ability in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( t=2.82, 3.46, 2.68, 3.29, 2.44, P<0.05). Conclusion:Combining sound thinking with Sandwich teaching in nursing clinical practice teaching in department of oncology can improve the examination scores of nursing students, improve their critical thinking abilities, and enable them to give a high evaluation of nursing teaching effectiveness.

Correlation analysis of learning initiative and on-line teaching effectiveness in medical students—with Physiology teaching as an example / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effects of learning initiative on teaching effectiveness.Methods:The research subjects were the 2nd year medical students of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. The learning initiative factor was calculated from the data of the attendance registration of the on-line learning of Physiology, and the performance of the on-line test was used as an evaluation indicator of teaching effectiveness. SPSS software was used to perform correlation analysis between the learning initiative factor and teaching effectiveness. Results:We found that learning initiative could significantly affect the teaching effectiveness, with differences among different specialties. There was a positive correlation between learning initiative and teaching effectiveness in clinical and pediatric medicine, while no correlation was observed in preventive medicine and medical imaging.Conclusion:In conclusion, learning initiative can affect teaching effectiveness, and the intensity of this effect shows difference among different specialties.

Assessing Teaching Effectiveness in Blended Learning Methodologies: Validity and Reliability of an Instrument with Behavioral Anchored Rating Scales.

The evaluation of teaching effectiveness in blended learning methodologies is usually carried out using Likert-type questionnaires; however, instruments with Behavioral Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) are sometimes employed for this purpose. This paper examines the validity and reliability of an instrument with BARS designed to assess teaching effectiveness in blended learning environments, within the university setting. The research involves a sample of 1436 students from a medium size university in Spain. Using this sample (n = 1436), the authors carry out a psychometric study that consists of four phases: (1) comprehension validity analysis, (2) construct validity analysis, (3) confirmation of construct validity, and (4) analysis of the instrument reliability. The findings provide satisfactory values for all the parameters analyzed (for instance: Variance explained = 77.61%; RMSEA = 0.042; or Cronbach's alpha = 0.956), indicating that the BARS instrument examined is perfectly valid and reliable for the appraisal of teaching effectiveness in blended learning methodologies. The authors conclude that this paper fills an important gap in the literature by presenting an instrument that, thanks to the use of behavioral scales, facilitates this task in the university context.

Conceptualizing the next patient interaction: A clinical skillset using an emulation model in critical thinking.

CONCEPTUALIZING: The next patient interaction is logical, essential, and largely done intuitively. MAIN PURPOSE: To design and test a succinct learning guide for student guidance and student-faculty interaction in conceptualizing the next patient interaction. METHODS: In 2021 and 2022, faculty scored questions from 1-5: Recognize deviation from the ideal? Articulate how and how much the situation deviated? Gage consequences of the situation? Assess own capabilities? To what extent does the student have a clear grasp of the procedural outcome? Faculty were also given open-ended questions. RESULTS: Forty-eight reports were completed, 25 D3 and 23 D4. Three hundred thirty-five faculty entries were made in the questions calling for a 1-5 response out of a possible 336 responses. Statistically significant differences were noted. Students were better able to recognize the situation as different from ideal than to articulate how and how much the situation deviated. Students were better able to grasp how and how much this situation differs from the ideal than to assess own capabilities. D4 students were better able to recognize deviation from the ideal and to articulate how and how much the situation deviated than were D3 students. For open-ended questions, more students were scored as "Prepared" than were scored as "Unsure" and "Missed" combined. CONCLUSIONS: The exercise is seen as a succinct and constructive (nonjudgmental) path to guide the student's conceptualization of the next patient encounter before the encounter begins. Next steps will be incremental for wider use in a clinical teaching environment.