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Alsahali S, Almutairi S, Almutairi S, Almofadhi S, Anaam M, Alshammari M, Abdulsalim S, Almogbel Y. Pharmacy Students' Attitudes Toward Distance Learning After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study From Saudi Arabia. JMIR Form Res 2024; 8:e54500. [PMID: 38488833 PMCID: PMC10980985 DOI: 10.2196/54500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Electronic learning refers to the use of assistive tools in offline and distance learning environments. It allows students to access learning tools and materials anytime and anywhere. However, distance learning courses depend on several factors that affect the quality of learning, which consequently affect students' preferences in the settings and tools used to deliver educational materials. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate students' preferences for continuing distance learning after the pandemic and to assess the distance educational environment after the pandemic. It also aimed to identify the factors affecting distance learning and evaluate students' preferences regarding modes of communication with instructors. METHODS A web-based survey was used to conduct this cross-sectional study. The target participants of this study were students in the doctor of pharmacy program at Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim, Saudi Arabia. All students enrolled from December 2022 to January 2023 received an invitation with a link to the web-based survey. RESULTS The survey was completed by 141 students (58 female students and 83 male students). The research results showed that most students (102/141, 72.3%) did not wish to continue distance education for laboratory courses, and 60.3% (85/141) did not wish to continue taking distance team-based learning after the pandemic. Additionally, 83.7% (118/141) of the students indicated that distance courses were simple. More than half of the participants (79/141, 56%) stated that having a camera on during class negatively impacted their learning, and only 29.1% (41/141) of the students stated that nonvisual communication with their fellow students impacted their learning. A large proportion of students (83/141, 58.9%) reported impairment of social engagement on campus, 44% (62/141) in-person interactions during classes, and 73.7% (104/141) were relieved that their classes were not disrupted. CONCLUSIONS Similar to all types of education, distance learning is characterized by advantages and disadvantages, as reported by students. Students felt that the course material was intelligible, and the distance course was uncomplicated. Moreover, they expressed relief that their studies were not disrupted. However, they also reported the loss of face-to-face contact during courses as the most significant drawback of distance learning versus face-to-face learning, followed by a lack of social connection on campus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saud Alsahali
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Salman Almutairi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Salem Almutairi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Almofadhi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Anaam
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Suhaj Abdulsalim
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasser Almogbel
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
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Cerbin-Koczorowska M, Przymuszała P, Zielińska-Tomczak Ł. Factors affecting the self-efficacy of medical teachers during a health crisis - a qualitative study on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2023; 23:402. [PMID: 37268967 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04393-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The diversity of tasks entrusted to medical teachers with their simultaneous responsibility for the safety of patients and the effective education of future healthcare professionals requires maintaining a skillful balance between their teaching, scientific and clinical activities. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the work of both healthcare facilities and medical universities, forcing already overworked medical teachers to establish a new balance. One's ability to perform effectively in new, ambiguous, or unpredictable situations was described by Albert Bandura as a self-efficacy concept. Consequently, this study aimed to identify factors affecting the self-efficacy of medical teachers and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on them. METHODS Twenty-five semi-structured interviews with medical teachers were conducted using a flexible thematic guide. They were transcribed and analyzed by two independent researchers (researcher triangulation) with phenomenology as the qualitative approach. RESULTS Identified themes demonstrate a process of the evolvement of clinical teachers' self-efficacy in response to the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the decline of self-efficacy in the first phase of the crisis, followed by building task-specific self-efficacy and the development of general self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS The study shows the significance of providing care and support for medical teachers during a health crisis. Crisis management decision-makers at educational and healthcare institutions should consider the different roles of medical teachers and the possibility of overburden associated with the cumulation of the excessive number of patient, didactic, and research duties. Moreover, faculty development initiatives and teamwork should become a vital part of the organizational culture of medical universities. A dedicated tool acknowledging the specificity and context of medical teachers' work seems necessary to quantitatively evaluate their sense of self-efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska
- Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 7 Rokietnicka St, 60-806, Poznan, Poland
- Edinburgh Medical School: Medical Education, University of Edinburgh, Chancellor's Building, EH16 4SB, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Piotr Przymuszała
- Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 7 Rokietnicka St, 60-806, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Łucja Zielińska-Tomczak
- Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 7 Rokietnicka St, 60-806, Poznan, Poland
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Bieri J, Tuor C, Nendaz M, L Savoldelli G, Blondon K, Schiffer E, Zamberg I. Implementation of a Student-Teacher-Based Blended Curriculum for the Training of Medical Students for Nasopharyngeal Swab and Intramuscular Injection: Mixed Methods Pre-Post and Satisfaction Surveys. JMIR MEDICAL EDUCATION 2023; 9:e38870. [PMID: 36862500 PMCID: PMC10020911 DOI: 10.2196/38870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major disruption in the health care sector with increased workload and the need for new staff to assist with screening and vaccination tasks. Within this context, teaching medical students to perform intramuscular injections and nasal swabs could help address workforce needs. Although several recent studies discuss medical students' role and integration in clinical activities during the pandemic, knowledge gaps exist concerning their role and potential benefit in designing and leading teaching activities during this period. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to prospectively assess the impact in terms of confidence, cognitive knowledge, and perceived satisfaction of a student-teacher-designed educational activity consisting of nasopharyngeal swabs and intramuscular injections for the training of second-year medical students in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland. METHODS This was a mixed methods pre-post surveys and satisfaction survey study. Activities were designed using evidence-based teaching methodologies based on the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) criteria. All second-year medical students who did not participate in the activity's old format were recruited unless they explicitly stated that they wanted to opt out. Pre-post activity surveys were designed to assess perception of confidence and cognitive knowledge. An additional survey was designed to assess satisfaction in the mentioned activities. Instructional design was blended with a presession e-learning activity and a 2-hour practice session with simulators. RESULTS Between December 13, 2021, and January 25, 2022, a total of 108 second-year medical students were recruited; 82 (75.9%) students participated in the preactivity survey and 73 (67.6%) in the postactivity survey. Students' confidence in performing intramuscular injections and nasal swabs significantly increased on a 5-point Likert scale for both procedures-from 3.31 (SD 1.23) and 3.59 (SD 1.13) before the activity to 4.45 (SD 0.62) and 4.32 (SD 0.76) after the activity (P<.001), respectively. Perceptions of cognitive knowledge acquisition also significantly increased for both activities. For the nasopharyngeal swab, knowledge acquisition concerning indications increased from 2.7 (SD 1.24) to 4.15 (SD 0.83), and for the intramuscular injection, knowledge acquisition concerning indications increased from 2.64 (SD 1.1) to 4.34 (SD 0.65) (P<.001). Knowledge of contraindications for both activities increased from 2.43 (SD 1.1) to 3.71 (SD 1.12) and from 2.49 (SD 1.13) to 4.19 (SD 0.63), respectively (P<.001). High satisfaction rates were reported for both activities. CONCLUSIONS Student-teacher-based blended activities for training novice medical students in commonly performed procedural skills seem effective for increasing their confidence and cognitive knowledge and should be further integrated within a medical school curriculum. Blended learning instructional design increases students' satisfaction about clinical competency activities. Future research should elucidate the impact of student-teacher-designed and student-teacher-led educational activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Bieri
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Carlotta Tuor
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mathieu Nendaz
- Unit of Development and Research in Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Georges L Savoldelli
- Unit of Development and Research in Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology and Intensive Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Katherine Blondon
- Unit of Development and Research in Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Eduardo Schiffer
- Unit of Development and Research in Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology and Intensive Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ido Zamberg
- Division of Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology and Intensive Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Education, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Eng-Tat A, Liu P, R J, M C, R L S, Lian WQD, Huppertz B, Khamuani M, Minarcik JR. The challenges of histology education. Clin Anat 2023; 36:308-314. [PMID: 36494890 DOI: 10.1002/ca.23989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Generations of students have struggled to learn histology. They have found the subject extremely dry and the nomenclature very challenging. Insidiously, histology is fading from the minds of stakeholders. Unless this is rectified, it is not inconceivable that the subject will be further diluted in the medical curriculum. What contributing factors could there be? Via a survey and focus group discussions, international faculty (n = 111) were asked what the challenges in teaching histology were. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and stratified by the number of teaching years. A collaborative teaching session with a pathologist was also delivered to the YLLSoMM1 students (n = 280), who gave opinions about it. Of the international faculty, 85 (±1)% responded. Among those, 60 (±1)% felt that the pedagogy should be reformed (e.g., by gamification). Interestingly, 30 (±1)% opined that organ system histology should be moved into the clinical years. Notably, 70 (±1)% of teachers preferred to teach face to face (FTF) using either microscopes or virtual microscopy. Among the students, 71 (±1)% reported self-teaching from online resources. Significantly, 88 (±1)% of M1 students agreed that having the pathologist co-teach histology was beneficial. Some teachers, and most students, struggle with histology. There is a generational divide in opinions concerning how histology should be taught. The traditionalists wish to maintain the status quo while the reformists want changes. Learners want to be engaged with hybrid approaches aided by the pathologist. They also welcome more clinical context during histology lessons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ang Eng-Tat
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Pai Liu
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jitesh R
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chandrika M
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Satish R L
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wen Quan Derrick Lian
- Department of Pathology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Singapore, Singapore
| | - Berthold Huppertz
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology & Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center Medical University of Graz, Austria
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Cerbin-Koczorowska M, Przymuszała P, Kłos M, Bazan D, Żebryk P, Uruski P, Marciniak R. Potential of Volunteering in Formal and Informal Medical Education-A Theory-Driven Cross-Sectional Study with Example of the COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:16955. [PMID: 36554834 PMCID: PMC9779563 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Students' volunteering is an effective way to manage health crises, including pandemics. Due to the limited capacity of the healthcare system at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, the engagement of students in volunteering services seemed invaluable. Based on different teaching-learning theories, in this survey study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of the volunteering service project launched by the Poznan University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic as a learning opportunity for undergraduate healthcare students. The results indicate the potential of involving students in volunteering activities for educational purposes, as well as other values, including attitudes and professional identity development, which could be difficult to realize using traditional teaching methods. However, stimulating students' reflectiveness seems necessary to reach its full educational effectiveness. Medical teachers should provide students with more opportunities for volunteering and service learning and consider making these a constant element of the curriculum beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Piotr Przymuszała
- Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Michał Kłos
- Students’ Scientific Club of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Dominika Bazan
- Promotion and Careers Office, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
| | - Paweł Żebryk
- Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
| | - Paweł Uruski
- Department of Hypertensiology, Angiology and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-848 Poznan, Poland
| | - Ryszard Marciniak
- Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
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Desmal AJ, Hamid S, Othman MK, Zolait A. Exploration of the usability quality attributes of mobile government services: a literature review. PeerJ Comput Sci 2022; 8:e1026. [PMID: 36092015 PMCID: PMC9455145 DOI: 10.7717/peerj-cs.1026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This article investigates and analyzes the usability quality attributes of mobile government services. The lack of previous research in the area of mobile government service quality encourages the researchers of the current work to select the usability quality dimension, which is considered one of the most significant parts of the mobile government service quality framework. Using the systematic literature reviews in the area of usability in human-computer interaction and software design, the main attributes are extracted and analyzed to fit into the context of mobile government services. Five quality attributes of the usability dimensions are identified for evaluation of the quality of services of mobile government. These attributes are efficiency, satisfaction, memorability, error and compatibility. The present research proposes a model that can be used to evaluate the usability of mobile government services. The attributes were extracted according to the mobility features with consideration of the service category (Government-To-Citizens). By measuring the usability quality of the mGovernment portal by the electronic government agencies, it leads to understanding the degree of usability of the provided services from the public's perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulla Jaafar Desmal
- Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Suraya Hamid
- Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Khalit Othman
- Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ali Zolait
- Department of Information Systems, University of Bahrain, Sakhir, Bahrain
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