Pedagogy for Teaching and Learning Cooperatively on the Web: AWeb-Based Pharmacology Course

Emergency medicine education via the micro-course and flipped classroom-reform of medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic

The "micro-course" and "flipped classroom" are emerging tools for medical education but little is known about their utility for emergency medicine teaching. The suitability of the micro-course combined with flipped classroom is investigated for delivery of an emergency medicine course in West Anhui Health Vocational College. Students from Class A and Class B of the Clinical Department of West Anhui Health Vocational College, Grade 2000, were assigned to experimental (micro-course plus flipped classroom, n = 102) and control (traditional, didactic teaching, n = 104) groups, respectively. The effectiveness of teaching was assessed by theoretical tests and questionnaires at the end of the course. Theory test results were significantly better for the experimental group than for controls (t = 3.122, P < .01). General satisfaction of students who had participated in the micro-course plus flipped classroom exceeded that of those who had received traditional teaching. Enthusiasm, efficiency, and learning facility was self-reported to be enhanced by students in the experimental group relative to controls. Use of the micro-course combined with flipped classroom successfully increased the outcome of emergency medicine teaching and may be considered as an approach to reform emergency medicine teaching in medical colleges and universities.

Application and Evaluation of the Flipped Classroom Based on Micro-Video Class in Pharmacology Teaching

With the continuous development of information technology, new teaching resources “micro-video class” and teaching model “flipped classroom” have gradually attracted the attention of teachers. Whether and how they can be applied in pharmacology teaching has already become the focus of medical education research in recent years. This paper explores the application and evaluation of the flipped classroom based on micro-video class in pharmacology teaching in our college. Students in Class 1 and Class 2 majoring in clinical medicine of 2018 in Chengdu Medical College were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The teaching model of flipped classroom based on micro-video class was used in the experimental group, while the traditional teaching model was used in the control group. Theory tests and questionnaires were carried out at the end of the course. The average scores of theoretical knowledge in experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the results of the feedback questionnaire showed that the overall satisfaction of students participating in flipped classroom based on micro-video class was higher (P < 0.05), and students thought that their learning enthusiasm, learning efficiency, and abilities of autonomous learning and problem-solving were greatly improved compared with those of students taught applying the traditional teaching model. Flipped classroom based on micro-video class model successfully improved the outcome of pharmacology teaching. It is supposed to provide reference for the reform of pharmacology teaching in medical college.

Curriculum for pharmacology in pharmacy institutions in India: opportunities and challenges

The curriculum of pharmacy institutions in India is regulated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) at degree and diploma levels. However, it has been over two decades that the syllabi have been revised by these regulatory agencies. Considering the dynamic character of pharmacology, it is essential to prepare a syllabus that caters to the contemporary needs of the academic institutions and pharmaceutical industry, the community. Pharmacists are also witnessing a greater role in community pharmacy practice as well as in several healthcare sectors. Considering these facts, a panel discussion was held at IPSCON 2013, (the Annual Conference of Indian Pharmacological Society) at Bangalore. The discussion saw several recommendations for syllabi for institutions offering various pharmacy courses to meet the objectives of teaching, learning and research in Pharmacology. This article documents a summary of the discussion. For B. Pharm. course, a balance between industry-oriented pharmacology and clinical pharmacy has been recommended. Redundant animal experiments should be replaced with the simulation experiments or those which are feasible in the light of stringent regulations of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA). It is recommended that the M. Pharm curriculum should focus on preclinical research with the inclusion of molecular biology and experiments on gene expression, proteomics, pharmacogenomics, cell culture and tissue culture. In general, at all levels, exposure of students to hospitals and clinicians is needed. Pharm. D., syllabus too should lay lesser emphasis on experimental pharmacology. Present experiments in the D. Pharm. course have no relevance to the program objectives and hence, only experiments through demonstrations or simulated preparations or interactive videos maybe undertaken. Regulatory bodies as well as universities should design a comprehensive syllabus and plan an effective pedagogy to prepare graduates who are competent and capable of bringing positive changes in the community and healthcare in India.

[Development and effects of an e-learning program in operating room nursing for nursing students]

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to develop an e-Learning program that assists nursing students' clinical practice in operating room nursing and to examine the learning effects.

METHODS

Based on content and need analysis, 9 learning modules were developed for nursing care in operating rooms and with operating equipment. To verify the effects of the program, a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed. The participants in this study were 74 third-year nursing students (34 in the experimental and 40 in the control group) from a junior college in G-city, Korea, who were engaged in a one week clinical practicum in an operating unit. Frequencies, χ(2)-test and t-test with the SPSS program 17.0 were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Knowledge was significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group (p=.018). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in self-directed learning. The experimental group had significantly higher motivation toward learning, which was examined posttest only (p=.027).

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that the implementation of an e-Learning program needs to be continued as an effective educational tool, but more research on the best way to implement e-Learning in students' practicum is needed.