Der gute POL-Tutor – sein oder nicht sein: Lehrfilme für Tutoren

An overview of peer tutor training strategies at German medical schools

BACKGROUND

An increased popularity of peer-assisted learning in medical schools all over the globe has caused a growing interest in taking a closer look into how student tutors are trained to handle the task. This article provides an overview of the tutor training strategies at five medical faculties in Germany.

METHODS

Nine German medical faculties with an evident tutor training strategy were contacted by phone or e-mail. Ultimately, five of the nine contacted faculties responded and provided a detailed overview of their individual tutor training.

RESULTS

In many cases, tutors receive a mandatory didactic training in preparation of the tutorials and also an additional technical or specialized training. Frequently, tutor training is provided within the framework of an organized, faculty-based tutor training program. There is a trend towards a needs-adapted training strategy.

CONCLUSION

There is a broad variety of peer teaching and tutor training strategies at the various faculties surveyed. Their individual characteristics are determined by factors such as the nature of tutorials and the number of students.

Development of a didactical training concept for peer tutors in gross anatomy

Even though peer tutors are often used in gross anatomy courses, research in the field is rather a subject of the last two decades. This is especially true about the didactical challenges these types of peer tutors experience during their tutorials and about how they are prepared for the task. The aim of the presented study was to learn about the training needs of the tutors, and to subsequently design, implement, and evaluate a didactical training concept. A qualitative design was chosen to examine how tutors can best be prepared for tutorials of gross anatomy. To do so, focus group interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed and grouped into various concepts, using semi-structured interview questions as guidance. It was found that peer tutors are in need of training in the following aspects: Dealing with students who are experiencing difficulties during or as a result of dissection, dealing with group dynamics, that is, at the dissection table, keeping students motivated, time management, and staying confident as a tutor. In order to be regarded as useful and relevant in the eyes of tutors, a preparatory training course should include all these aspects in addition to general didactical training elements. Training needs of peer tutors of gross anatomy go beyond the content of standardized didactical curricula; therefore, tutors should be prepared with a curriculum that is specifically geared toward the many challenges associated with teaching gross anatomy to first year medical students which are already so well documented in the research literature. Anat Sci Educ 10: 495-502. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Development and implementation of a technical and didactical training program for student tutors in the dissection course

BACKGROUND

student tutors have a long tradition in gross anatomy instruction. However, the full potential of the tutors is generally not tapped, since little attention is paid to their technical and didactical training. The aim of this paper is to report a systematic approach to the development, didactic reasoning and implementation of a curriculum for training student tutors in gross anatomy.

METHODS

the training program was developed using the six-step approach of Kern's curriculum development model. For needs assessment, the literature research was amended by a survey among the 1st and 2nd year students of the dissection course (n=167) and two independent 90 min focus group interviews with the tutors who supervised these students (n=15). Protocols were transcribed and analyzed by margin coding. The training curriculum was setup on the basis of these data.

RESULTS

corresponding to the literature, the students want student tutors with good teaching competence as well as adequate content knowledge and technical competence. Supporting that, the tutors request a training program enhancing their didactic skills as well as their knowledge of content and working using relevant methods. Thus, a combined didactic and professional training program has been developed. Six professional and 11 didactic learning objectives were defined. A 3 weeks training curriculum was implemented, using microteaching and group exercises for didactics and active dissection for technical training. Both parts were interlocked on a contextual and practical level.

CONCLUSION

our focus group analyses revealed that a specific training program for student tutors in the dissection course is necessary. We describe a feasible task-oriented training curriculum combining didactic and professional objectives.

Interactive film scenes for tutor training in problem-based learning (PBL): dealing with difficult situations

BACKGROUND

In problem-based learning (PBL), tutors play an essential role in facilitating and efficiently structuring tutorials to enable students to construct individual cognitive networks, and have a significant impact on students' performance in subsequent assessments. The necessity of elaborate training to fulfil this complex role is undeniable. In the plethora of data on PBL however, little attention has been paid to tutor training which promotes competence in the moderation of specific difficult situations commonly encountered in PBL tutorials.

METHODS

Major interactive obstacles arising in PBL tutorials were identified from prior publications. Potential solutions were defined by an expert group. Video clips were produced addressing the tutor's role and providing exemplary solutions. These clips were embedded in a PBL tutor-training course at our medical faculty combining PBL self-experience with a non-medical case. Trainees provided pre- and post-intervention self-efficacy ratings regarding their PBL-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes, as well as their acceptance and the feasibility of integrating the video clips into PBL tutor-training (all items: 100 = completely agree, 0 = don't agree at all).

RESULTS

An interactive online tool for PBL tutor training was developed comprising 18 video clips highlighting difficult situations in PBL tutorials to encourage trainees to develop and formulate their own intervention strategies. In subsequent sequences, potential interventions are presented for the specific scenario, with a concluding discussion which addresses unresolved issues. The tool was well accepted and considered worth the time spent on it (81.62 +/- 16.91; 62.94 +/- 16.76). Tutors considered the videos to prepare them well to respond to specific challenges in future tutorials (75.98 +/- 19.46). The entire training, which comprised PBL self-experience and video clips as integral elements, improved tutor's self-efficacy with respect to dealing with problematic situations (pre: 36.47 +/- 26.25, post: 66.99 +/- 21.01; p < .0001) and significantly increased appreciation of PBL as a method (pre: 61.33 +/- 24.84, post: 76.20 +/- 20.12; p < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The interactive tool with instructional video clips is designed to broaden the view of future PBL tutors in terms of recognizing specific obstacles to functional group dynamics and developing individual intervention strategies. We show that this tool is well accepted and can be successfully integrated into PBL tutor-training. Free access is provided to the entire tool at http://www.medizinische-fakultaet-hd.uni-heidelberg.de/fileadmin/PBLTutorTraining/player.swf.