Enhancement of Online Education to the Teaching Paradigm: Taking Academic Medical Postgraduate Cultivation as an Example

Profiles of teachers' emotional labour during COVID-19 and the consequences on mental health: A comparison between online and offline teaching

BACKGROUND

Despite increasing attention on emotional labor in teacher well-being research, person-centered studies are relatively scarce, particularly concerning the emotional labor of online teaching during COVID-19 and its effects on teachers' non-work-related mental health.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to address these gaps by examining emotional labor profiles and their consequences on job satisfaction, depression, and anxiety among Chinese teachers involved in either online or offline teaching during October-December 2022.

METHODS

Two samples of teachers were analyzed altogether: one engaged in online teaching (N=605) and the other in offline teaching (N=394). Latent profile analysis was used to identify emotional labor profiles based on three strategies: surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions.

RESULTS

A total of four subgroups of emotional workers were identified: natural expressors, actors, flexible regulators, and authentic regulators. Significant differences were found between online and offline teaching, with a higher proportion of actors and fewer flexible regulators in the online condition, suggesting that the screen acts as a barrier to authentic emotional display. Among the four classes, actors scored lowest on job satisfaction and highest on depression and anxiety, whereas authentic regulators were the most adaptive, especially in online settings.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the impact of online teaching on teachers' emotional labor profiles and mental health, with practical implications for optimizing online teaching environments and supporting teacher well-being.

Online education isn't the best choice: evidence-based medical education in the post-epidemic era-a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic led many educational institutions to shift to online courses, making blended education a significant trend in teaching. We examined the effectiveness of blended learning in an evidence-based medicine course.

METHODS

We compared the examination scores of a blended learning group, an online only group, and a traditional offline group and conducted a questionnaire survey on students' preferences for different learning modes and the reasons for their preferences. A total of 2100 undergraduate students in clinical medicine were included in this cross-sectional study. Examination results were collected, and questionnaires were administered to the study participants. We compared the mean scores and exam pass rates of the three teaching groups using ANOVA and c2test for multiple comparisons.

RESULTS

The blended group's exam scores and pass rate were significantly higher than those of the offline and online groups. Furthermore, 71.6% preferred the blended teaching mode. In the survey on " learning effectiveness", the majority of the students believed that blended education could better enhance the initiative of learning, the interest of the course, the pertinence of the learning content, the comprehension of evidence-based medical thinking, and the basic skills of evidence-based practice. Subsequently, in a questionnaire administered to a blended group of students, their foremost reason for liking online instruction was 'flexible in time and space' (99%), followed by 'can be viewed repeatedly, facilitating a better understanding of knowledge points' (98%). Their foremost reason for liking offline teaching was 'helps to create a good learning atmosphere' (97%), followed by 'teachers can control students' learning status in real time' (89%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study explored the effectiveness of learning in evidence-based medicine courses by comparing the learning outcomes and personal perceptions of three different teaching modes. This is the first cross-sectional study in which three different teaching models are compared and discussed in an evidence-based medicine course. We also elaborate on the specific instructional protocols for each model. This study shows that using a blended education approach in evidence-based medicine courses can improve students' learning motivation, autonomy, and satisfaction. It also enhances instructional efficiency, thereby improving students' understanding of the course content.

Exploring the impact of online and offline teaching methods on the cognitive abilities of medical students: a comparative study

BACKGROUND

Online education has become increasingly popular, but research on the effectiveness of different teaching models in developing cognitive skills is limited. This study investigated the relationship between different teaching models (online and offline) and the development of cognitive skills in clinical medicine students.

METHODS

Survey data were collected from 2018 entry students who participated in online teaching and 2019 entry students in offline teaching at Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University. National Quality Open Courses (NQROC) were provided to both groups of students. The study examined the total score of physiology final exam, score of each type of question, and NQROC learning engagement in different score segments under the two teaching models. Non-parametric statistical methods were utilized to analyze the total score of physiology final exam, score of each type of question, and the NQROC learning engagement. Spearman's rank correlation was utilized to analyze the relationship between the score of physiology final exam and the students' NQROC learning engagement.

RESULTS

The study found no statistically significant difference in the total score, short-answer questions (SAQs) score, and case study questions (CSQs) score between online and offline teaching models. However, the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) score was higher in the online teaching model (Z=-4.249, P < 0.001), suggesting that online teaching may be an effective way to improve lower-order cognitive skills among students. In contrast, low-achieving students had higher total scores (Z=-3.223, P = 0.001) and scores in both MCQs (Z=-6.263, P < 0.001) and CSQs (Z=-6.877, P < 0.001) in the online teaching model. High-achieving students in the online teaching model had higher total scores (Z=-3.001, P = 0.003) and MCQs scores (Z=-5.706, P < 0.001) but lower scores in CSQs (Z=-2.775, P = 0.006). Furthermore, students' NQROC learning engagement was greater in the online teaching model.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggested that online teaching was not statistically significantly different from offline in cognitive domains and was more desirable than offline in strengthening lower-order cognitive skills. However, it was important to note that offline teaching may be more effective in reinforcing higher-order cognitive skills among high-achieving students. In conclusion, this study provided important insights into the effectiveness of different teaching models in developing cognitive skills among medical students and highlighted the potential benefits of online teaching in enhancing students' lower-order cognitive skills.

Struggle in the bubble - a prospective study on the effect of remote learning and distance education on confidence in practical surgical skills acquired during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has significantly changed healthcare systems and medical education. Universities were required to develop innovative curricula based on remote and distance education to continue medical education. This prospective questionnaire-based study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19-associated remote learning on the surgical training of medical students.

METHODS

A 16-item questionnaire-based survey was distributed to medical students at the University Hospital of Münster before and after a surgical skills laboratory (SSL). Two cohorts were included: summer semester 2021 (COV-19), with rigorous social-distancing restrictions requiered SSL to be remotely, and winter semester 2021 (postCOV-19), in which the SSL was provided as a face-to-face, hands-on course.

RESULTS

Both, cohorts showed a significant improvement in self-assessment of pre- and post-course confidence. While no significant difference in the average gain in self-confidence for sterile working was observed between the two cohorts, improvement in self-confidence was significantly higher in the COV-19 cohort regarding skin suturing and knot tying (p < 0.0001). However the average improvement regarding history and physical was significantly higher in the postCOV-19 cohort (p < 0.0001). In subgroup analysis, gender-associated differences varied in the two cohorts and were not related to specific subtasks, while age-stratified analysis revealed superior results for younger students.

CONCLUSION

The results of our study underline the usability, feasibility, and adequacy of remote learning for the surgical training of medical students. The on-site distance education version, presented in the study, allows the continuing of hands-on experience in a safe environment in compliance with governmental social-distancing restrictions.

Hot topics and frontier evolution in college flipped classrooms based on mapping knowledge domains

With the outbreak of COVID-19 and the development of online teaching, the online flipping teaching mode has attracted increasing attention. Systematic analysis of the research status and development trend of the flipped classrooms is significant for guiding the improvement of the quality of online flipped teaching. This study used the metrology software CiteSpace to draw a scientific knowledge map of relevant research in the web of science database from 2013 to 2021. It performed visual analysis of research authors, research institutions and countries, keyword clustering, keywords co-occurrence, and keyword time zone distribution. The results showed that: (1) The flipped classrooms research has attracted increasing attention from the social and educational circles, however, the relationship between relevant research authors, institutions, and countries is not close enough, and there is little cooperation. We need to strengthen cooperation further and realize the sharing of high-quality resources; (2) Based on keyword co-occurrence cluster analysis, this study identified three hot topics, namely, preparation before class, classroom activities and consolidation after class; (3) According to the keyword time zone map, this study divided three frontier evolution trends: exploration period, adaptation period, and growth period; (4) Finally, with the spread of novel coronavirus, it is suggested to promote the online flipped classroom teaching mode, and put forward reasonable suggestions from the perspective of teachers, students and researchers, and look forward to the future digital development direction of the flipped classroom.