How far has the digitization of medical teaching progressed in times of COVID-19? A multinational survey among medical students and lecturers in German-speaking central Europe

Hybrid teaching after COVID-19: advantages, challenges and optimization strategies

BACKGROUND

In the post-pandemic era of higher education, hybrid teaching has emerged as a prevalent approach and is anticipated to persist as a defining trend in the future teaching reforms worldwide. However, despite its widespread adoption, certain limitations have become apparent. The objective of this study is to identify the genuine factors that impact students' performance, explore strategies that teachers can employ to enhance their teaching effectiveness and enhance students' academic self-efficacy.

METHODS

The study was performed among undergraduate medical students enrolled in Physiology course at Harbin Medical University in 2020 and 2022. Since 2020, influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, a hybrid teaching method based on an established offline teaching model called BOPPPS was implemented. A questionnaire was performed in both 2020 and 2022 to evaluate students' satisfaction and efficiency of our hybrid teaching. A comparison was also carried out on the final examination scores of students majoring in Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy across the years 2020 to 2022.

RESULTS

The final examination scores of students in 2022 were significantly lower than those in 2020 and 2021 both in Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy majors. There was also a decrease of the score in students of Clinical Pharmacy in 2021 compared to 2020. The questionnaire indicated that over half (52.0%) of the students in 2022 preferred offline teaching method, in contrast to 39.1% in 2020. There were obvious changes in students from 2020 to 2022 about the disadvantages of hybrid teaching, the improvement of students' learning ability and the duration of students' autonomous learning. Through cross statistical analysis, online learning styles, learning ability improvement and students' learning burden have been identified as the primary factors influencing their preference for future teaching method.

CONCLUSIONS

Hybrid teaching is still a necessary trend in the future teaching reform base on its multiple advantages. However, in order to improve the teaching outcomes and foster students' participation and learning initiatives, it is imperative to undertake additional reforms in the future teaching process.

Veterinary teaching in COVID-19 times: perspectives of university teaching staff

The digitalization of university teaching has been taking place for many years and, in addition to traditional teaching formats such as practicals and face-to-face lectures, more and more e-learning courses have been used in veterinary education for several years. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities across Germany had to switch to an ad-hoc, purely digital summer semester. This study evaluated the experiences and implementation of the digital summer semester 2020 at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) Foundation from the perspective of the teaching staff. In addition to the technical equipment used by lecturers, this survey also focused on the effects of the digital semester on teaching and the future practicality of digital teaching formats and strategies in veterinary education. Therefore, a questionnaire was designed and distributed among lecturers involved in the digital summer semester 2020. One hundred and three completed questionnaires were evaluated. The results of the evaluation show that teachers see huge potential in blended learning as a teaching method in veterinary education. In addition, teachers were able to digitize teaching well with the available hardware and software. The teaching staff saw difficulties above all in the loss of practical training and in the digitalization of practical exercises. Teachers also needed significantly more time to plan and implement digital teaching compared to pure face-to-face teaching. In summary blended learning offers many advantages, such as increased flexibility for students and teaching staff. In order to be able to use digital teaching methods and strategies profitably in veterinary education in the future, well thought-out didactic concepts and further technical expansion of the universities are required. In addition, the digital skills of teaching staff should be further trained and promoted.

The state of health professions students' self-directed learning ability during online study and the factors that influence it

BACKGROUND

Universities have widely switched from traditional face-to-face classes to online instruction as a result of the epidemic. Self-directed learning is becoming the new norm for university students' learning styles. The ability of health professions students to learn independently during online study directly impacts the effectiveness of online medical education. The ability to learn on their own initiative may be affected by health professions students' professional identities, defined as their positive perceptions, evaluations, emotional experiences, and identity as professionals related to medicine. This study aimed to look into the current status and the factors that influence health professions students' self-directed learning ability (SDLA) during online study and its relationship with professional identity.

METHODS

This study was conducted from September to November 2022 at a medical school in East China. An online questionnaire was used to collect participants' status of online learning, self-directed learning ability (SDLA), and professional identity.

RESULTS

One thousand two hundred ninety-eight health professions students demonstrated intermediate self-directed learning ability during online study. In terms of teacher-student interaction (F = 14.778, P < 0.001), student-student interaction (F = 15.713, P < 0.001), and learning concentration (F = 13.424, P < 0.001), there were significant differences in health professions students' self-directed learning ability. Professional identity and self-directed learning ability positively correlated (r = 0.589-0.802, P < 0.01). Academic atmosphere and professional identity were significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

The self-directed learning ability of health professions students while receiving instruction online is at an intermediate level and is influenced by several factors. Developing health professions students' professional identities can enhance their ability for self-directed learning.

Developing as health professionals through community volunteering: exploring the value of a partnership between medical students and primary schools online compared to in-person

INTRODUCTION

Imperial College Teddy Bear Hospital (ICSM-TBH) is a student-led volunteering group, which uses interactive, play-based teaching to educate school pupils aged 5-7 years about healthy lifestyles and healthcare. During the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteering sessions shifted online. The aim of this study was to compare the value of online and in-person ICSM-TBH volunteering for volunteers and school pupils.

METHODS

Undergraduate university students at Imperial College London (medicine can be taken as a first degree in the UK) who volunteered with ICSM-TBH between 2019 and 22 were invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire evaluating their experiences of volunteering online and in-person through Likert-scale questions. Those who completed the questionnaire were also invited to an interview. Teachers who hosted online ICSM-TBH sessions were also invited to an in-person interview, exploring their view of their pupils' experiences with these sessions. Questionnaire results were analysed through descriptive statistics. Interviews were analysed through inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Thirty-two university students completed the questionnaire. Of these, 9 experienced both in-person and online volunteering, all of whom preferred in-person volunteering. For those who only volunteered in-person, 92% reported that ICSM-TBH sessions were a positive experience, compared to 100% who volunteered online; 92% in person volunteers agreed or strongly agreed that ICSM-TBH volunteering in person improved their mood, compared to 89% online; and 100% agreed or strongly agreed that ICSM-TBH volunteering in person helped them feel part of a community, compared to 84% online. A total of 12 volunteers and 4 teachers were interviewed, from whom five themes emerged: interaction and engagement (interaction and engagement between pupils and volunteers was more readily achieved in-person); personal and professional development (both online and in-person sessions enabled volunteers to gain valuable skills); community and social (greater sense of community was established in-person); emotional wellbeing and enjoyment (both modalities were enjoyed by volunteers and pupils); and workload (online sessions were more convenient for volunteers but with risk of screen fatigue).

CONCLUSION

Overall, both in-person and online volunteering were of substantial benefit to volunteers and school pupils. However, most teachers and volunteers preferred in-person volunteering.

Screen-based digital learning methods in radiation oncology and medical education

The field of radiation oncology is rapidly advancing through technological and biomedical innovation backed by robust research evidence. In addition, cancer professionals are notoriously time-poor, meaning there is a need for high quality, accessible and tailored oncological education programs. Digital learning (DL) is well-placed to cater to these needs, as it provides teaching options that can be delivered flexibly and on-demand from anywhere in the world. The evidence for usage of these techniques in medical education has expanded rapidly in recent years. However, there remains many reservations in the oncological community to adopting and developing DL, largely due to a poor familiarity with the pedagogical evidence base. This article will review the application of the screen-based DL tools that are at educators' disposal. It will summarize best-practice in developing tailored, made-for-screen videos, gamification, and infographics. It also reviews data behind the following practical tips of 1) strategically combining text with graphics to decrease cognitive load, 2) engaging users through use of interactive elements in digital content, and 3) maximizing impact through thoughtful organization of animations/images. Overall, the digital space evolving is well placed to cater to the evolving educational needs of oncology learners. This review and its practical tips aim to inspire further development in this arena, production of high-yield educational products, use of engaging delivery methods and programs that are tailored to individual learning needs.

Student teachers’ perceived changes of learning conditions during COVID-19: The role of internal resource management strategies, intrinsic motivation, and preferences for lesson formats

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an abrupt change in higher education that had a profound impact on students. Pandemic distance learning required students to regulate their learning more independently and to find new ways of communicating with their peers and instructors. This study focused on how students perceived the learning conditions that they encountered during the first semester that took place online compared to the time before distance learning. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether students’ internal resource management strategies, intrinsic motivation, and instruction format (synchronous, asynchronous, and face-to-face) preferences were associated with the perceived changes of the learning conditions. Students enrolled in a German university (N = 330) answered an online questionnaire at the end of the summer term in 2020. Findings from structural equation modeling showed that the regulative resources of attention and intrinsic motivation were significant factors that predicted how students perceived changes in relevance, quality, and support of online instruction compared to the time before distance learning. However, our results show that these factors did not impact perceived changes in social relatedness. Moreover, the results demonstrate that preferences for digital formats were significant related to student perceptions of changes in relevance, quality, and support, whereas preferences for the face-to-face format had significant negative effects on these factors. Only the face-to-face preference had a significant (negative) effect on social relatedness. Finally, the study revealed an indirect effect of attention on students’ perceived changes of learning conditions through preferences for lesson formats. This study has important implications for digital integration in higher education and suggests that institutions should implement various methods that foster social interaction and internal regulation strategies.

Digitalization in Medicine: Are German Medical Students Well Prepared for the Future?

The German healthcare system is facing a major transformation towards digitalized medicine. The aim was to find out the attitude and the degree of preparation of upcoming medical professionals for digital medicine. By means of an online survey, medical students from 38 German faculties were asked about different topics concerning digitalization. Most students (70.0%) indicated that they had not had any university courses on digital topics. Thus, only 22.2% feel prepared for the technical reality of digitalized medicine. Most fear losing patient contact because of digitalized medicine and assume that the medical profession will not be endangered by digitalization. Security systems, data protection, infrastructure and inadequate training are cited as the top problems of digitalization in medicine. Medical students have major concerns about incorrect decisions and the consecutive medicolegal aspects of using digital support as part their treatment plans. Digitalization in medicine is progressing faster than it can currently be implemented in the practical work. The generations involved have different understandings of technology, and there is a lack of curricular training in medical schools. There must be a significant improvement in training in digital medical skills so that the current and future healthcare professionals are better prepared for digitalized medicine.