Reflective ability and moral reasoning in final year medical students: a semi-qualitative cohort study.

PubMed

Chalmers, Patricia; Dunngalvin, Audrey; Shorten, George

2011-01-01

Moral reasoning and reflective ability are important concepts in medical education. To date, the association between reflective ability and moral reasoning in medical students has not been measured. This study tested the hypotheses that, amongst final year medical students, (1) moral reasoning and reflective ability improve over time and (2) positive change in reflective ability favourably influences moral reasoning. With Institutional Ethical approval, 56 medical students (of a class of 110) participated fully both at the beginning and end of the final academic year. Reflective ability and moral reasoning were assessed at each time using Sobral's reflection-in-learning scale (RLS), Boenink's overall reflection score and by employing Kohlberg's schema for moral reasoning. The most important findings were that (1) Students' level of reflective ability scores related to medicine decreased significantly over the course of the year, (2) students demonstrated a predominantly conventional level of moral reasoning at both the beginning and end of the year, (3) moral reasoning scores tended to decrease over the course of the year and (4) RLS is a strong predictor of change in moral reasoning over time. This study confirms the usefulness of Sobral's RLS and BOR score for evaluating moral development in the context of medical education. This study further documents regression and levelling in the moral reasoning of final year medical students and a decrease in reflective ability applied in the medical context. Further studies are required to determine factors that would favourably influence reflective ability and moral reasoning among final year medical students.

Comparison of pain neurophysiology knowledge among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Adillón, Cristina; Lozano, Èrik; Salvat, Isabel

2015-10-22

A key tool for use in approaching chronic pain treatment is educating patients to reconceptualize pain. Thus, health professionals are fundamental to the transmission of pain information to patients. Because their understanding of pain is acquired during the educational process, the aim of this study was to compare the knowledge about pain neurophysiology in first and final-year students from three different health science programs at a single University to determine their gain in knowledge using a well-known questionnaire designed to evaluate the understanding of pain. The Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (19 closed-ended questions) was administered to students in their first and final years of study in Medicine, Physiotherapy, or Nutrition. The percentage of correct responses was determined and comparisons of the results were analyzed between the programs as well as between the first and final years of study within each program. For all tests, p-values were two-sided, and results with p-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The participation rate was greater than 51% (n = 285). The mean percentage of correct responses, reported as mean (SD), among the first year students was 42.14 (12.23), without significant statistical differences detected between the programs. The mean percentages of correct responses for students in their final year were as follows: Medicine, 54.38 (13.87); Physiotherapy, 68.92 (16.22); Nutrition, 42.34 (10.11). We found statistically significant differences among all three programs and between the first and final years in Medicine and Physiotherapy. A question-by-question analysis showed that the percentage of correct responses for questions related to the biopsychosocial aspects of pain was higher for students in Physiotherapy than those in Medicine. Students in their final years of Medicine and Physiotherapy programs know more about the neurophysiology of pain than students in their first years of these programs, however there are some questions where first years students have better results. Physiotherapy students have greater knowledge of neurophysiology of pain than Medicine students, especially the biopsychosocial aspects. Even so, their understanding may not be sufficient and does not guarantee an approach to chronic pain that will help patients reconceptualize their pain.

Entrepreneurial Knowledge and Aspirations of Dentistry Students in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brijlal, Pradeep; Brijlal, Priscilla

2013-01-01

An investigation of the intentions and knowledge of entrepreneurship of final-year university dentistry students is reported, with particular regard to the factors of gender and race. A questionnaire survey was used with final-year dentistry students, over two years, at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. The findings show that…

Student pharmacists' perceptions of community pharmacy residency programs.

PubMed

Datar, Manasi V; Holmes, Erin R; Adams, Alex J; Stolpe, Samuel F

2013-01-01

To compare penultimate-year (next-to-last) and final-year student pharmacists' perceptions of the educational value of community pharmacy residency programs (CPRPs) and to compare student pharmacists' perceptions of the educational value of CPRPs and health-system residency programs (HSRPs). A self-administered online survey was sent to administrators at 119 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-accredited schools of pharmacy for ultimate distribution to penultimate- and final-year student pharmacists. The survey included demographic measures and a 20-item residency program "perceived value of skill development" scale developed for this study. 1,722 completed surveys were received and analyzed. Penultimate-year students attributed greater value to CPRPs more frequently than final-year students. Students more often attributed higher value to CPRPs for skills related to business management, practice management, and medication therapy management, while they attributed higher value to HSRPs for skills related to teaching, research, and clinical knowledge. The results of this study suggest students' perceived value of CPRPs may be related to their year of pharmacy school and the pharmacy practice skill in question.

The transition from medical student to doctor: perceptions of final year students and preregistration house officers related to expected learning outcomes.

PubMed

Lempp, H; Seabrook, M; Cochrane, M; Rees, J

2005-03-01

In this prospective qualitative study over 12 months, we evaluated the educational and clinical effectiveness of a new final year undergraduate programme in a London medical school (Guy's, King's and St Thomas'). A stratified sample of 17/360 final year students were interviewed four times, and the content was assessed against 32 amalgamated learning outcomes identified in 1997 in The New Doctor. At the beginning of the preregistration year, eight of the learning outcomes were already met, 10 partly, eight remained to be attained and for six, insufficient evidence existed. Preregistration house officers who have been through the final year student house officer programme expressed competence in many of the outcomes of the General Medical Council's New Doctor. The study identified areas such as prescribing where further developments are needed and will help in planning the new foundation programme.

Knowledge, attitudes and practice of final-year student pharmacists in public health in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe: an exploratory survey.

PubMed

Law, Miranda G; Maposa, Prosper; Chambula, Elias; Steeb, David R; Eckel, Stephen F; Duncan, Gregory

2018-05-06

To explore the knowledge, attitudes and practice of final-year student pharmacists about public health. Knowledge, attitudes and practice of all final-year student pharmacists (N = 158) in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe were assessed through a quantitative 12-item survey. The survey assessed personal interest and attitude towards public health activities, self-assessed ability to perform basic public health activities, perspectives towards current pharmacist practices within public health activities in their country, and student involvement in public health activities during pharmacy school. Eighty-two per cent of students responded to the survey (n = 129). The majority (95%) of all final-year student pharmacists are interested in contributing to public health activities in both health promotion and disease prevention and feel, as pharmacists, they have the responsibility to do so. Additionally, the majority of students would like more education during pharmacy school on health promotion (93%) and disease prevention (89%). Despite their interest, low numbers of student pharmacists feel that pharmacists are currently utilised in disease prevention (35%) and health promotion (42%). Final-year student pharmacists in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe express strong interest in public health education and involvement in public health activities. This interest and enthusiasm can serve as evidence for advancing public health education in the pharmacy curricula and for developing pharmacist opportunities in public health efforts that match the needs of the country. © 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Emotional intelligence and academic performance in first and final year medical students: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Research on emotional intelligence (EI) suggests that it is associated with more pro-social behavior, better academic performance and improved empathy towards patients. In medical education and clinical practice, EI has been related to higher academic achievement and improved doctor-patient relationships. This study examined the effect of EI on academic performance in first- and final-year medical students in Malaysia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using an objectively-scored measure of EI, the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Academic performance of medical school students was measured using continuous assessment (CA) and final examination (FE) results. The first- and final-year students were invited to participate during their second semester. Students answered a paper-based demographic questionnaire and completed the online MSCEIT on their own. Relationships between the total MSCEIT score to academic performance were examined using multivariate analyses. Results A total of 163 (84 year one and 79 year five) medical students participated (response rate of 66.0%). The gender and ethnic distribution were representative of the student population. The total EI score was a predictor of good overall CA (OR 1.01), a negative predictor of poor result in overall CA (OR 0.97), a predictor of the good overall FE result (OR 1.07) and was significantly related to the final-year FE marks (adjusted R2 = 0.43). Conclusions Medical students who were more emotionally intelligent performed better in both the continuous assessments and the final professional examination. Therefore, it is possible that emotional skill development may enhance medical students’ academic performance. PMID:23537129

Ready for practice? A study of confidence levels of final year dental students at Cardiff University and University College Cork.

PubMed

Honey, J; Lynch, C D; Burke, F M; Gilmour, A S M

2011-05-01

The aim of this study was to describe the self-reported confidence levels of final year students at the School of Dentistry, Cardiff University and at the University Dental School & Hospital, Cork, Ireland in performing a variety of dental procedures commonly completed in primary dental care settings. A questionnaire was distributed to 61 final year students at Cardiff and 34 final year students at Cork. Information requested related to the respondents confidence in performing a variety of routine clinical tasks, using a five-point scale (1=very little confidence, 5=very confident). Comparisons were made between the two schools, gender of the respondent, and whether or not a student intended completing a year of vocational training after graduation. A response rate of 74% was achieved (n=70). The greatest self-reported confidence scores were for 'scale and polish' (4.61), fissure sealants (4.54) and delivery of oral hygiene instruction (4.51). Areas with the least confidence were placement of stainless steel crowns (2.83), vital tooth bleaching (2.39) and surgical extractions (2.26). Students at Cardiff were more confident than those at Cork in performing simple extractions (Cardiff: 4.31; Cork: 3.76) and surgical extractions (Cardiff: 2.61; Cork: 1.88), whilst students in Cork were more confident in caries diagnosis (Cork: 4.24; Cardiff: 3.89) fissure sealing (Cork: 4.76; Cardiff: 4.33) and placement of preventive resin restorations (Cork: 4.68; Cardiff: 4.22).   Final year students at Cardiff and Cork were most confident in simpler procedures and procedures in which they had had most clinical experience. They were least confident in more complex procedures and procedures in which they had the least clinical experience. Increased clinical time in complex procedures may help in increasing final year students' confidence in those areas. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Self-management support by final year nursing students: A correlational study of performance and person-related associated factors.

PubMed

Duprez, Veerle; Beeckman, Dimitri; Verhaeghe, Sofie; Van Hecke, Ann

2017-09-01

Chronic conditions put a heavy burden on healthcare in every country. Supporting persons with a chronic illness to take an active role in the management of their condition is a core component in the Chronic Care Model. It implies confidence and good skills from professionals. To date, there is no evidence on final year nursing students' performance in supporting patients' self-management, nor on factors associated with this performance. To explore self-reported performance of supporting patients' self-management by final year nursing students, and person-related factors associated with this performance. A correlational multi-centre study of final year nursing students (N=256) from eight nursing schools. Students were recruited from a convenience sample of eight nursing schools. All final year students were invited to participate. Data were collected between January 2015 and May 2016 using self-administered validated questionnaires. Theoretical behavioural frameworks were used to select hypothesized associated factors for self-management support: self-efficacy to perform self-management support and socio-structural factors (Social Cognitive Theory); needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, and patient-invested contingent self-esteem (Self-Determination Theory); and attitudes towards supporting patients' self-management (Theory of Planned Behaviour). Final year nursing students (N=256) reported an overall low level of performance in delivering self-management support during internship. Students lacked mainly competencies in collaborative goal setting and shared decision making. Students reported a significant gap between their confidence and their actual performance in self-management support (p<0.001). About 33% of the variance in students' performance is predicted by four person-related factors, i.e. self-efficacy to perform self-management support, general feeling of competency on internship, belief on patients' knowledge about condition management, and contingency of a student's professional self-esteem upon patients' achievements. Final year nursing students are actually not ready to support patients' self-management even though they will soon be in practice as qualified nurses. Nursing curricula should be further attuned to the complex competencies of self-management support. Special attention is needed to broaden the perspective on self-management support. Learning opportunities can be introduced in classroom activities and on internship. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attitudes toward the Elderly among Students of Health Care Related Studies at the University of Salamanca, Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernardini Zambrini, Diego A.; Moraru, Manuela; Hanna, Minna; Kalache, Alex; Macias Nunez, Juan F.

2008-01-01

Introduction: This study uses a cross-sectional approach in terms of evaluating attitudes toward the elderly among health sciences students. The aim of this study was to measure attitudes among final year pregraduate students of seven health care careers. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with final year students of medicine (M),…

A Self-Assessment of the Propensity to Obtain Future Employment: A Case of Final-Year Engineering Students at the University of Botswana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ssegawa, Joseph K.; Kasule, Daniel

2017-01-01

The article provides a self-assessment by final-year engineering students at the University of Botswana regarding the propensity to get employment. Students rated which employability attributes are important, the level of attainment and the sources that have facilitated the development of the attributes. Results indicated that students identified…

Listening to Student Views on the Transition from Work Placement to the Final Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Pamela; Novakovic, Yvonne

2017-01-01

This paper addresses a gap in the literature on student work placements, specifically the challenges of returning to final-year study after a year out. We focus on students in an Accountancy and Finance Department at one UK University who alerted us to the ways in which they struggled during the transition back to full-time study. Their accounts…

Students' Experiences of Clinic-Based Learning during a Final Year Veterinary Internship Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthew, Susan M.; Taylor, Rosanne M.; Ellis, Robert A.

2010-01-01

This study investigated veterinary students' experiences of clinic-based learning (CBL) during a comprehensive final year internship programme. Open-ended surveys (n = 93) were used to gather qualitative data about students' conceptions of what is learned during CBL and their approaches to learning in clinics. Phenomenography was used for detailed…

The Longitudinal Assessment Study (LAS): Eighteen Year Follow-Up. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenn, Christopher M.

Premised on the view that students with more years of Montessori education (MEY) would possess to a higher degree those qualities emphasized in the Montessori environment and that Montessori students would be as successful as students more traditionally educated, this report presents the final assessment for the Longitudinal Assessment Study,…

What Do Final Year Engineering Students Know about Sustainable Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicolaou, I.; Conlon, E.

2012-01-01

This paper presents data from a project that aims to determine the level of knowledge and understanding of engineering students about sustainable development (SD). The data derive from a survey completed by final year engineering students in three Irish Higher Education Institutions. This paper is part of a larger study that examines the…

Essential competencies in prescribing: A first european cross-sectional study among 895 final-year medical students.

PubMed

Brinkman, D J; Tichelaar, J; Schutte, T; Benemei, S; Böttiger, Y; Chamontin, B; Christiaens, T; Likic, R; Maˇiulaitis, R; Marandi, T; Monteiro, E C; Papaioannidou, P; Pers, Y M; Pontes, C; Raskovic, A; Regenthal, R; Sanz, E J; Tamba, B I; Wilson, K; Vries, Tp de; Richir, M C; Agtmael, Ma van

2017-02-01

European medical students should have acquired adequate prescribing competencies before graduation, but it is not known whether this is the case. In this international multicenter study, we evaluated the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) of final-year medical students across Europe. In a cross-sectional design, 26 medical schools from 17 European countries were asked to administer a standardized assessment and questionnaire to 50 final-year students. Although there were differences between schools, our results show an overall lack of essential prescribing competencies among final-year students in Europe. Students had a poor knowledge of drug interactions and contraindications, and chose inappropriate therapies for common diseases or made prescribing errors. Our results suggest that undergraduate teaching in CPT is inadequate in many European schools, leading to incompetent prescribers and potentially unsafe patient care. A European core curriculum with clear learning outcomes and assessments should be urgently developed. © 2016 The Authors. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Hardiness commitment, gender, and age differentiate university academic performance.

PubMed

Sheard, Michael

2009-03-01

The increasing diversity of students, particularly in age, attending university has seen a concomitant interest in factors predicting academic success. This 2-year correlational study examined whether age, gender (demographic variables), and hardiness (cognitive/emotional variable) differentiate and predict university final degree grade point average (GPA) and final-year dissertation mark. Data are reported from a total of 134 university undergraduate students. Participants provided baseline data in questionnaires administered during the first week of their second year of undergraduate study and gave consent for their academic progress to be tracked. Final degree GPA and dissertation mark were the academic performance criteria. Mature-age students achieved higher final degree GPA compared to young undergraduates. Female students significantly outperformed their male counterparts in each measured academic assessment criteria. Female students also reported a significantly higher mean score on hardiness commitment compared to male students. commitment was the most significant positive correlate of academic achievement. Final degree GPA and dissertation mark were significantly predicted by commitment, and commitment and gender, respectively. The findings have implications for universities targeting academic support services to maximize student scholastic potential. Future research should incorporate hardiness, gender, and age with other variables known to predict academic success.

How well do final year undergraduate medical students master practical clinical skills?

PubMed Central

Störmann, Sylvère; Stankiewicz, Melanie; Raes, Patricia; Berchtold, Christina; Kosanke, Yvonne; Illes, Gabrielle; Loose, Peter; Angstwurm, Matthias W.

2016-01-01

Introduction: The clinical examination and other practical clinical skills are fundamental to guide diagnosis and therapy. The teaching of such practical skills has gained significance through legislative changes and adjustments of the curricula of medical schools in Germany. We sought to find out how well final year undergraduate medical students master practical clinical skills. Methods: We conducted a formative 4-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) focused on practical clinical skills during the final year of undergraduate medical education. Participation was voluntary. Besides the examination of heart, lungs, abdomen, vascular system, lymphatic system as well as the neurological, endocrinological or orthopaedic examination we assessed other basic clinical skills (e.g. interpretation of an ECG, reading a chest X-ray). Participants filled-out a questionnaire prior to the exam, inter alia to give an estimate of their performance. Results: 214 final year students participated in our study and achieved a mean score of 72.8% of the total score obtainable. 9.3% of participants (n=20) scored insufficiently (<60%). We found no influence of sex, prior training in healthcare or place of study on performance. Only one third of the students correctly estimated their performance (35.3%), whereas 30.0% and 18.8% over-estimated their performance by 10% and 20% respectively. Discussion: Final year undergraduate medical students demonstrate considerable deficits performing practical clinical skills in the context of a formative assessment. Half of the students over-estimate their own performance. We recommend an institutionalised and frequent assessment of practical clinical skills during undergraduate medical education, especially in the final year. PMID:27579358

Prenatal Sex and Other Preferences for Reproductive Career of Final Year Graduation Girl Students.

PubMed

Kadam, Yugantara R; Nirmale, Prachi; Gore, Alka D

2013-01-01

Marriage of girls just after graduation is common in Western Maharashtra. This study was planned to know the views of final year graduation student towards reproductive carrier. To interact with final year girl students of various streams to know their preferences on various aspects of reproductive carrier and contraceptive awareness. Cross-sectional. Academic institutes of Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Corporation area. Study-subject: All willing final year Girl students. Married girls. All final year girl students Sampling Technique: Cluster sample Study-Duration: 7 months. Study-tool: Pretested questionnaire. Percentages, Chi-square test. All girls who have responded prefer marrying and having first child at right age. All feel spacing is needed, at least of 2 years. Two children was the most common choice (52.3%). Forty-three percent girls feel male child is must and 52.3% of total girls will like to have sex determination done if required. Total 47.24% girls were unaware about any contraceptive methods but 88.2% girls knew the place of its availability. Most common source of information about contraceptive was school and friends. E-pill was known to 41.5% of girls. All girls felt the need for more information about reproductive health and according to 81.3% right age for it is 15-18 years. Girls have correct reproductive preferences except sex of child. Sex preference and Low contraceptive awareness needs strong intervention.

Perceptions of final-year nursing students on the facilities, resources and quality of education provided by schools in Turkey.

PubMed

Güner, Perihan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions of final-year nursing students regarding the adequacy of education, resources and internships in preparation for graduation. The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional study of nursing students (n: 1804) in their final year of education and questionnaires were used to collect data. Information related to student-to-instructor ratios and internships was obtained from each institution. Most students reported receiving instruction or supervision by lecturers and clinicians who did not specialise in the field. Overall, students did not find the facilities, educational or technological resources and the quality of education offered by their respective schools adequate. The proportion of students who found the level of theoretical education, clinical practice and instructor support adequate was higher in state university colleges of nursing/faculties of health sciences than in state university schools of health sciences.

A student-led course in clinical reasoning in the core curriculum

PubMed Central

Zijdenbos, Ingeborg L.; de Haan, Margriet C.; Valk, Gerlof D.

2010-01-01

Objectives There is growing evidence for the value of several forms of peer teaching in medical education. Little is known about the feasibility of such an approach in courses of clinical reasoning. The University Medical Center Utrecht offers a clinical reasoning course for first and second year students which previously had been occasionally led by sixth year, i.e. near-peer students. We evaluated a version of this course, fully delivered by final year students. Methods In 2008-2009 this highly structured mandatory clinical reasoning course for second year medical students was fully tutored by final year medical students, as part of a teacher training course in their core curriculum. Routine evaluations before and after introducing near-peers as tutors were compared, a focused questionnaire survey was conducted, as well as an interview with a group of students to evaluate the new format. Results There was no difference in the ratings of the course before and after the introduction of the new format. In general, second year students are satisfied with the near-peer teachers. Strong points mentioned are their high motivation, involvement, enthusiasm, adjustment of cognitive level of teaching to the recipient students and stimulating skills. Conclusions Although our study cannot provide evidence for differential learning effects, the evaluation of our final year student led clinical reasoning course shows encouraging results.

Exploring self-use, attitude and interest to study complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among final year undergraduate medical, pharmacy and nursing students in Sierra Leone: a comparative study.

PubMed

James, Peter Bai; Bah, Abdulai Jawo; Kondorvoh, Idrissa Momoh

2016-04-27

CAM inclusion into the curricula of health training institutions, a strategy for its integration into the main stream healthcare delivery system is growing globally. Future healthcare professionals knowledge and perception of CAM are key determinants to its successful integration. Thus, the main objective of this study was to compare the use, attitude and interest to study CAM among final year undergraduate medical, pharmacy and nursing students at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences University of Sierra Leone (COMAHS-USL). A questionnaire based cross-sectional survey was carried out among final year medical, pharmacy and nursing students enrolled at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences University of Sierra Leone (COMAHS-USL). Chi square, fisher exact two tailed test and Kruskal-wallis test were used to analyze data collected. Close to two-thirds (61 %) of all the three groups of final year students used one form of CAM or the other with pharmacy (72.7 %) and nursing (55.6 %) students being the highest and least users respectively. No significant difference was observed among the three groups. In general, final year students in all three cadres demonstrated a positive attitude toward CAM (33.80 ± 3. 2) with medical students showing more positive attitude than pharmacy (p = 0.022) and nursing student (p = 0.008). No significant difference in attitude was observed between students in pharmacy and nursing programs (p = 0.354). More than three quarter (76.6 %) of the students in all the three groups indicated their interest in studying CAM, with preference for the subject to be taught as an elective module (81.6 %). An appreciable number of final year medical, pharmacy and nursing students at COMAHS-USL have used at least one CAM modality and demonstrated an overall positive attitude towards CAM. Interest to study CAM was also observed among most of them even though they preferred it to be taught as an elective module.

Variation in Clinical Placement Supervisors' Conceptions of and Approaches to Supervision in a Veterinary Internship Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Gelderen, Ingrid; Matthew, Susan M.; Hendry, Graham D.; Taylor, Rosanne

2018-01-01

Good teaching that supports final year students' learning in clinical placements is critical for students' successful transition from an academic environment to professional practice. Final year internship programmes are designed to encourage student-centred approaches to teaching and deep approaches to learning, but the extent to which clinical…

Student Acceptance and Application of Peer Assessment in a Final Year Genetics Undergraduate Oral Presentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verkade, Heather; Bryson-Richardson, Robert J.

2013-01-01

Undergraduate students benefit from observation of each other's oral presentations through both exposure to content and observation of presentation style. In order to increase the engagement and reflection of final year students in an oral presentation task, a peer assessment component was introduced using a rubric that emphasised scientific…

Attitudes toward Psychiatry among Final-Year Medical Students in Kumasi, Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laugharne, Richard; Appiah-Poku, John; Laugharne, Jon; Shankar, Rohit

2009-01-01

Objective: Most sub-Saharan African countries have fewer psychiatrists than one per one million people. One possible reason could be that medical students have a negative attitude toward the specialty. The authors evaluated the attitudes toward a career in psychiatry of final-year medical students in Kumasi, Ghana, and compare these with attitudes…

Preparing Students for Diverse Careers: Developing Career Literacy with Final-Year Writing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennet, Dawn; Robertson, Rachel

2015-01-01

Graduates from generalist science and arts degrees can face diverse careers characterised by portfolios of simultaneous, self-managed roles. This paper reports from a study on identity and career literacy in which final-year professional writing and publishing students developed an ePortfolio and engaged in open blogging during their industry…

Do final-year medical students have sufficient prescribing competencies? A systematic literature review.

PubMed

Brinkman, David J; Tichelaar, Jelle; Graaf, Sanne; Otten, René H J; Richir, Milan C; van Agtmael, Michiel A

2018-04-01

Prescribing errors are an important cause of patient safety incidents and are frequently caused by junior doctors. This might be because the prescribing competence of final-year medical students is poor as a result of inadequate clinical pharmacology and therapeutic (CPT) education. We reviewed the literature to investigate which prescribing competencies medical students should have acquired in order to prescribe safely and effectively, and whether these have been attained by the time they graduate. PubMed, EMBASE and ERIC databases were searched from the earliest dates up to and including January 2017, using the terms 'prescribing', 'competence' and 'medical students' in combination. Articles describing or evaluating essential prescribing competencies of final-year medical students were included. Twenty-five articles describing, and 47 articles evaluating, the prescribing competencies of final-year students were included. Although there seems to be some agreement, we found no clear consensus among CPT teachers on which prescribing competencies medical students should have when they graduate. Studies showed that students had a general lack of preparedness, self-confidence, knowledge and skills, specifically regarding general and antimicrobial prescribing and pharmacovigilance. However, the results should be interpreted with caution, given the heterogeneity and methodological weaknesses of the included studies. There is considerable evidence that final-year students have insufficient competencies to prescribe safely and effectively, although there is a need for a greater consensus among CPT teachers on the required competencies. Changes in undergraduate CPT education are urgently required in order to improve the prescribing of future doctors. © 2018 VU University Medical Centre. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.

Use of mobile learning technology among final year medical students in Kenya

PubMed Central

Masika, Moses Muia; Omondi, Gregory Barnabas; Natembeya, Dennis Simiyu; Mugane, Ephraim Mwatha; Bosire, Kefa Ogonyo; Kibwage, Isaac Ongubo

2015-01-01

Introduction Mobile phone penetration has increased exponentially over the last decade as has its application in nearly all spheres of life including health and medical education. This study aimed at assessing the use of mobile learning technology and its challenges among final year undergraduate students in the College of Health sciences, University of Nairobi. Methods This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among final year undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi, College of Health Sciences. Self-administered, anonymous questionnaires were issued to all final year students in their lecture rooms after obtaining informed consent. Data on demographics, mobile device ownership and mobile learning technology use and its challenges was collected. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS®. Chi-square and t-test were used for bivariate analysis. Results We had 292 respondents; 62% were medical students, 16% were nursing students, 13% were pharmacy students and 9% were dental surgery students. The majority were female (59%) and the average age was 24 years. Eighty eight percent (88%) of the respondents owned a smart device and nearly all of them used it for learning. 64% of the respondents used medical mobile applications. The main challenges were lack of a smart device, lack of technical know-how in accessing or using apps, sub-optimal internet access, cost of acquiring apps and limited device memory. Conclusion Mobile learning is increasingly popular among medical students and should be leveraged in promoting access and quality of medical education. PMID:26327964

Use of mobile learning technology among final year medical students in Kenya.

PubMed

Masika, Moses Muia; Omondi, Gregory Barnabas; Natembeya, Dennis Simiyu; Mugane, Ephraim Mwatha; Bosire, Kefa Ogonyo; Kibwage, Isaac Ongubo

2015-01-01

Mobile phone penetration has increased exponentially over the last decade as has its application in nearly all spheres of life including health and medical education. This study aimed at assessing the use of mobile learning technology and its challenges among final year undergraduate students in the College of Health sciences, University of Nairobi. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among final year undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi, College of Health Sciences. Self-administered, anonymous questionnaires were issued to all final year students in their lecture rooms after obtaining informed consent. Data on demographics, mobile device ownership and mobile learning technology use and its challenges was collected. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS(®). Chi-square and t-test were used for bivariate analysis. We had 292 respondents; 62% were medical students, 16% were nursing students, 13% were pharmacy students and 9% were dental surgery students. The majority were female (59%) and the average age was 24 years. Eighty eight percent (88%) of the respondents owned a smart device and nearly all of them used it for learning. 64% of the respondents used medical mobile applications. The main challenges were lack of a smart device, lack of technical know-how in accessing or using apps, sub-optimal internet access, cost of acquiring apps and limited device memory. Mobile learning is increasingly popular among medical students and should be leveraged in promoting access and quality of medical education.

Final Draft Feedback in First-Year Composition: A Case Study of Non-Native English Speaking Students in North America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nash, J. Gail

2012-01-01

Scope and Methods: This dissertation examines final draft feedback in a semester long first-year composition class consisting of both native and non-native speakers of English (NES & NNES) attending university. In addition to examining the teacher's commentary on final drafts and the students' responses to it, this study investigated effects…

ACCESS, SOURCES AND VALUE OF NEW MEDICAL INFORMATION - VIEWS OF FINAL YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

PubMed Central

Gituma, Adrian; Masika, Moses; Muchangi, Eric; Nyagah, Lily; Otieno, Vincent; Irimu, Grace; Wasunna, Aggrey; Ndiritu, Moses; English, Mike

2009-01-01

Background Globally many doctors, particularly in low-income countries, have no formal training in using new information to improve their practice. As a first step clinicians must have access to information and so we explored reported access in graduating medical students in Nairobi. Objectives To evaluate final year medical students’ access to new medical information. Methods A cross-sectional survey of fifth (final) year medical students at the University of Nairobi using anonymous, self-administered questionnaires. Findings Questionnaires were distributed to 291 (85%) of a possible 343 students and returned by 152 (44%). Within the previous 12 months half reported accessing some form of new medical information most commonly from books and the internet. However, only a small number reported regular access and specific, new journal articles were rarely accessed. Absence of internet facilities, slow internet speeds and cost were common barriers to access while current training seems rarely to encourage students to seek new information. Conclusion Almost half the students had not accessed any new medical information in their final year in medical school suggesting they are ill prepared for a career that may increasingly demand life-long, self-learning. PMID:19152558

Building confidence for work as house officers: student experience in the final year of a new problem-based curriculum.

PubMed

Whitehouse, Carl R; O'Neill, Paul; Dornan, Tim

2002-08-01

Newly qualified doctors require an appropriate level of confidence for their new roles. Development of this confidence was a key objective in the final year of a new integrated course with an emphasis on student self-direction. There are 5 placements in the final year course. Students use a Learning Planner to help them choose suitable placements and objectives to serve their learning needs. Educational supervision focuses on helping students determine their objectives and assessing them against these. Course evaluation was by means of a questionnaire during final assessments. Cohorts of 310 and 316 students in successive years completed the evaluation. The interrelationship between variables was explored using logistic regression. 220/310 students in the 2000 cohort and 214/316 in the 2001 cohort agreed they felt confident with their prospective role as a pre-registration house officer (PRHO). Confidence was significantly associated with confidence in their clinical skills, belief in their ability to cope with uncertainty and feeling able to work as a team member. The experience of the 2 hospital placements and (in 2000 only) the elective was associated with increased confidence. In all placements helpful educational supervision and the achievement of the self-directed learning plan was associated with increased confidence as a potential doctor. Students perceive a relationship between learning experiences in the final year of a self-directed course and development of confidence for their future role. Whilst further elucidation of the nature of this relationship is required, this provides encouragement to curriculum planners to promote self-direction.

Reaching Year 12 in Victoria, Australia: Student and School Influences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks, Gary

2014-01-01

This paper examines student and school influences on reaching Year 12, the final year of schooling in Victoria, Australia. It analyses data from the population of students who were in Year 9 in 2008. Male, English-speaking background, government school, and especially Indigenous students were less likely to reach Year 12 than comparison groups.…

Cueing Metacognition to Improve Researching and Essay Writing in a Final Year High School Biology Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conner, L. N.

2007-01-01

This paper reports on degrees of awareness and use of specific metacognitive strategies by 16 students in a final-year high school biology class in New Zealand. The aims of the intervention were to broaden students' thinking about bioethical issues associated with cancer and to enhance students' use of metacognition. Cues and prompts were used in…

The e-Learning Tool Voxopop and Its Benefits on Oral Skills: Activities for Final Year Students of German

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stollhans, Sascha

2015-01-01

This case study demonstrates how Voxopop, a voice based e-learning tool, can be used to practise oal skills in the target language by presenting activities which have been developed for students of German at the University of Nottingham. The focus lies on an ongoing innovative project designed to improve final year students' oral skills by having…

Recruiting undergraduates to rural practice: what the students can tell us.

PubMed

Orpin, Peter; Gabriel, Michelle

2005-01-01

There are still large gaps in the evidence base for the effectiveness of Australian undergraduate rural coursework and placements programs designed to increase the numbers of health graduates choosing rural practice. This article reports on an online survey conducted in 2004 of health science students at the University of Tasmania, Australia, designed as a part of a long-term study to test coursework interventions by tracking students' attitudes to, and experience of, rural practice from course entry to eventual practice. All first and final year students in medicine, nursing and pharmacy in the Faculty of Health Science were invited to complete an online survey exploring the undergraduate experience of rural health. The survey was completed by 148 first year and 87 final year students, a response rate of 32.4% and 23.1% respectively. Over one-third (38.5%) of first years and 56.3% of final years indicated a general preference for rural life and practice and almost 90% expected to spend at least some of their career in rural practice. There was a statistically significant relationship between rural practice orientation and rural origin among first years, although this relationship was weaker among final years. Of first years, 82.4%, and 82.7% of final years appear to have made at least some commitment to a particular career path, and two-thirds to a particular practice environment. Rurally oriented first year students were significantly more committed to a career path than those without that orientation, although this did not hold for final years. When asked how much of their careers they expected to spend in capital city, rural, remote and/or overseas practice, both first and final year students' responses were notable for their spread. Few ruled rural or urban practice in or out entirely with most opting for middle range responses of 'most', 'about half' or 'part' of their career. Over half of both years expected to spend some time in remote practice and 75.1% of first years and 66.6% of final years some time in overseas practice. The factors rated most important in relation to career choice were those related directly to the realities of day-to-day professional practice--professional and peer support, work conditions and variety of work. Approximately three-quarters of those entering undergraduate education felt themselves to be at least 'somewhat informed' about rural practice but, apart from medical students, were little better informed by final year. The only perception of rural practice very widely shared (by more than 80% of respondents) was the possibility of developing better patient relations. Many of the other factors frequently identified as major issues in the rural practice literature--locality, flexibility, opportunities for further study, and spouse/partner and children's needs - while recognised by some, do not appear to loom large with undergraduates either in terms of career choice or perceptions of rural practice. Most final year students recalled receiving specific rural health training through rural placements and/or rural curriculum content. Overall recall of coursework was patchy, although placements were well-remembered and there was good support for increases in both. None of those who recalled undertaking rural coursework felt that it had influenced them towards a rural career and over two-thirds (n = 37, 69.8%) felt that this exposure had actually influenced them away from such a career. Three students reported that undertaking a rural placement influenced them towards, and 35 away from, a rural/remote career. The ultimate measure of the success of undergraduate interventions will be workforce changes over time. In the meantime more research is needed into undergraduate experience of rural health to provide the data needed for the careful design of coursework, detailed planning of the placement experience and long-term strategies to address those aspects of rural practice that are of most concern to these emerging health professionals.

Basic Skills Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yin, Alexander C.; Volkwein, J. Fredericks

2010-01-01

After surveying 1,827 students in their final year at eighty randomly selected two-year and four-year public and private institutions, American Institutes for Research (2006) reported that approximately 30 percent of students in two-year institutions and nearly 20 percent of students in four-year institutions have only basic quantitative…

A comparison of rural high school students in Germany with rural Tennessee high school students' mathematics and science achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, R. Fredrick

This descriptive study compared the science and mathematics aptitudes and achievement test scores for the final school year students in rural White County and Van Buren County, Tennessee with rural county students in Germany. In accordance with the previous research literature (Stevenson, 2002), German students outperformed U.S. students on The International Trends in Math and Science test (TIMSS). As reform in the U.S. education system has been underway, this study intended to compare German county student final school year performance with White County and Van Buren County (Grade 12) performance in science and mathematics. The entire populations of 176 White and Van Buren Counties senior high final school year students were compared with 120 school final year students from two rural German county high schools. The student responses to identical test and questionnaire items were compared using the t-test statistical analysis. In conclusion after t-test analyses, there was no significant difference (p>.05 level) in student attitudes on the 27 problem achievement and the 35 TIMSS questionnaire items between the sampled population of 120 German students compared with the population of 176 White and Van Buren students. Also, there was no statistically significant difference (p>.05 level) between the German, White, and Van Buren County rural science and math achievement in the TIMSS problem section of the final year test. Based on the research, recommendations to improve U.S. student scores to number one in the world include making changes in teaching methodology in mathematics and science; incorporating pamphlet lessons rather than heavily reliance on textbooks; focusing on problem solving; establishing an online clearinghouse for effective lessons; creating national standards in mathematics and science; matching students' course choices to job aspirations; tracking misbehaving students rather than mainstreaming them into the regular classroom; and designing individual educational plans for every student. Further study and future investigations are recommended from this study to compare White County and Van Buren County Students with other rural county schools in Tennessee, as well as other states. In addition, the Tennessee students' state mandated science and mathematics could be correlated to the TIMMS to identify trends and relationships. Future comparisons of White County and Van Buren County with higher scoring rural Asian students could be done in search of more effective methods of teaching science and mathematics.

Associations of pass-fail outcomes with psychological health of first-year medical students in a malaysian medical school.

PubMed

Yusoff, Muhamad S B

2013-02-01

The demanding and intense environment of medical training can create excessive pressures on medical students that eventually lead to unfavorable consequences, either at a personal or professional level. These consequences can include poor academic performance and impaired cognitive ability. This study was designed to explore associations between pass-fail outcome and psychological health parameters (i.e. stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms). A cross-sectional study was conducted on a cohort of first-year medical students in a Malaysian medical school. The depression anxiety stress scale 21-item assessment (DASS-21) was administered to them right after the final paper of the first-year final examination. Their final examination outcomes (i.e. pass or fail) were traced by using their student identity code (ID) through the Universiti Sains Malaysia academic office. A total of 194 (98.0%) of medical students responded to the DASS-21. An independent t-test showed that students who passed had significantly lower stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms than those who failed the first-year final examination (P <0.05). Those who experienced moderate to high stress were at 2.43 times higher risk for failing the examination than those who experienced normal to mild stress. Medical students who failed in the final examination had higher psychological distress than those who passed the examination. Those who experienced high stress levels were more likely to fail than those who did not. Reducing the psychological distress of medical students prior to examination may help them to perform better in the examination.

Associations of Pass-Fail Outcomes with Psychological Health of First-Year Medical Students in a Malaysian Medical School

PubMed Central

Yusoff, Muhamad S. B.

2013-01-01

Objectives: The demanding and intense environment of medical training can create excessive pressures on medical students that eventually lead to unfavorable consequences, either at a personal or professional level. These consequences can include poor academic performance and impaired cognitive ability. This study was designed to explore associations between pass-fail outcome and psychological health parameters (i.e. stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a cohort of first-year medical students in a Malaysian medical school. The depression anxiety stress scale 21-item assessment (DASS-21) was administered to them right after the final paper of the first-year final examination. Their final examination outcomes (i.e. pass or fail) were traced by using their student identity code (ID) through the Universiti Sains Malaysia academic office. Results: A total of 194 (98.0%) of medical students responded to the DASS-21. An independent t-test showed that students who passed had significantly lower stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms than those who failed the first-year final examination (P <0.05). Those who experienced moderate to high stress were at 2.43 times higher risk for failing the examination than those who experienced normal to mild stress. Conclusion: Medical students who failed in the final examination had higher psychological distress than those who passed the examination. Those who experienced high stress levels were more likely to fail than those who did not. Reducing the psychological distress of medical students prior to examination may help them to perform better in the examination. PMID:23573390

PERCEPTION OF FINAL YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS ABOUT OBJECTIVE STRUCTURED CLINICAL EXAMINATION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SURGERY.

PubMed

Gelan, Engida Abebe; Essayas, Reiye; Gebressilase, Kibrom

2015-10-01

Background -Assessment of clinical skills of medical students has a central role in medical education yet the suit- able evaluation methods have persistently debated by educators and students. To assess perceptions of final year medical students about the Organized Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) METHODS AND MATERIALS: A cross sectional study was performed to assess views of final year medical students who had taken the OSCE in the Department of Surgery of Mekelle University College of Health Sciences, as well as other traditional exam formats in other departments in the medical school. Of the 154 students who took the final qualifying exam, 127 (82.5%) responded to the survey. Eighty-four (66%) of the respondents were males. The OSCE was considered as the best assessment method of practical exams by 70 (55.1%) of the respondents, with the conventional long exam next in preference, by 47 (37%) students. For questions addressing the advantages of the OSCE, the average favorability score was between 4.2 - 4.6 out of Likert's type 5-point scale rating. Coverage of common and relevant topics, uniform student assessment, and communication skill assessment were items receiving high favorability scores by a particularly high percentage of students, (96.9%, 95.3% and 70.9% of all students, respectively). Most of the students favored the OSCE compared to conventional exam styles. Though the study should be confirmed. and extended in other settings, we recommend OSCE to be the main exam type for clinical year surgery examinations.

Final year MBBS students' perception for observed structured clinical examination.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Faisal Ghani

2013-01-01

To determine perceptions of final year students about observed structured clinical examination (OSCE) and to determine its acceptance among these students. Sequential mixed method design using survey questionnair and in-depth interviews. The study constituted a one-time survey and in-depth interviews conducted over a period of three consecutive days during final year MBBS annual examination at OSCE centre, from April 04, 2010 to April 06, 2010. Three hundred and fifty final year MBBS students, selected through non-probability convenience sampling, were asked to fill the 12-item questionnaire. Three hundred and thirty one students returned the forms. In-depth, structured interviews with 22 students, selected by non-probability purposive sampling, were conducted. The interviews were tape recorded for subsequent transcription. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS 17. The qualitative data was analyzed through content analysis techniques. Three hundred and thirty one final year MBBS students (50.6% females) filled the questionnaire (response rate 94.6%). Fifty three percent respondents agreed that the OSCE tasks were taught during clinical rotations. The experience was stressful for 67.9% respondents. Inadequate prior guidelines, inadequate time for stations, newness of the assessment format and vague instructions were the main causes for stress. Over 70% of the students felt that OSCE helped them identify areas of weakness in their practical and clinical skills; 56.5% felt that the stations dealt with practical skills. Seventy nine percent students were happy with the attitude of the examiners while 19% students felt that the facilitators were uncooperative; failure of the examiners to observe the students during performance of the tasks was the major cause for dissatisfaction. Nearly thirty percent (29.9%) respondent felt that the stations were difficult to understand. Over forty nine percent (49.7%) complained that adequate guidelines were not given prior to the examination. Overall, 67% students were satisfied with this new method of assessment. The overall acceptance of the students for OSCE was low. Reforms such as redesigning of curriculum and learning objectives, training the faculty in conduct of OSCE, involving more external examiners and establishment of a skill's lab would help improve this assessment tool.

Peer Mentoring to Develop Psychological Literacy in First-Year and Graduating Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Lorelle J.; Chester, Andrea; Xenos, Sophie; Elgar, Karen

2013-01-01

First- and final-year undergraduate students have unique transition issues. To support both the transition of first-year students into the program, and the transition of third-year students out of the program and into the workforce or further study, a face-to-face peer mentoring program was embedded into the first-year psychology curricula at RMIT…

Perceived stress at transition to workplace: a qualitative interview study exploring final-year medical students’ needs

PubMed Central

Moczko, Tobias R; Bugaj, Till J; Herzog, Wolfgang; Nikendei, Christoph

2016-01-01

Objectives This study was designed to explore final-year medical students’ stressors and coping strategies at the transition to the clinical workplace. Methods In this qualitative study, semi-standardized interviews with eight final-year medical students (five male, three female; aged 25.9±1.4 years) were conducted during their internal medicine rotation. After verbatim transcription, a qualitative content analysis of students’ impressions of stress provoking and easing factors during final-year education was performed. Results Students’ statements regarding burdens and dealing with stress were classified into four main categories: A) perceived stressors and provoking factors, B) stress-induced consequences, C) personal and external resources for preventing and dealing with stress, and D) final-year students’ suggestions for workplace improvement. Conclusion Final-year medical students perceived different types of stress during their transition to medical wards, and reported both negative consequences and coping resources concerning perceived stress. As supervision, feedback, and coping strategies played an important role in the students’ perception of stress, final-year medical education curricula development should focus on these specifically. PMID:26834503

Impact of online lecture-capture on student outcomes in a therapeutics course.

PubMed

Bollmeier, Suzanne G; Wenger, Philip J; Forinash, Alicia B

2010-09-10

To examine the correlation between students accessing recorded lecture files (audio and slides) online and course grades and class attendance. Second professional year (of 6-year program) students in a therapeutics course had access to recorded online lectures for 72 hours following live lectures. The number and duration of lecture accessions were compared to final course grades and class attendance. Course grades were compared to those of a historical control group. At the end of the semester, students completed a brief survey instrument regarding their use and perceptions of online lectures. No correlation was found between final course grades and the number of lecture accessions (r = 0.0014) or total number of minutes lectures were viewed (r = 0.033), nor between class attendance and minutes viewed (r = 0.2158). Students with access to recorded lectures outperformed the historical control group on the final examination (p < 0.002). Seventy-two percent of students reported no influence of online files on class attendance. Posting lectures online did not affect student outcomes, but students did score higher on the final examination.

Short communication: Characteristics of student success in an undergraduate physiology and anatomy course.

PubMed

Gwazdauskas, F C; McGilliard, M L; Corl, B A

2014-10-01

Several factors affect the success of students in college classes. The objective of this research was to determine what factors affect success of undergraduate students in an anatomy and physiology class. Data were collected from 602 students enrolled in the Agriculture and Life Sciences (ALS) 2304 Animal Physiology and Anatomy course from 2005 through 2012. The data set included 476 females (79.1%) and 126 males (20.9%). Time to complete exams was recorded for each student. For statistical analyses, students' majors were animal and poultry sciences (APSC), agricultural sciences, biochemistry, biological sciences, dairy science, and "other," which combined all other majors. All analyses were completed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Gender, major, matriculation year, major by year interaction, gender by year interaction, and time to complete the exam affected final course grade. The significant gender effect was manifested in the final grade percentage of 75.9 ± 0.4 for female students compared with 72.3 ± 0.6 for male students. Junior males had final course grades comparable with those of females, but sophomore and senior males had lower final course grades than other combinations. Biology majors had a final grade of 82.4 ± 0.6 and this grade was greater than all other majors. Students classified as "other" had a final score of 74.4 ± 0.8, which was greater than agricultural science majors (69.5 ± 0.9). The APSC grade (72.6 ± 0.5) was higher than the agricultural science majors. Junior students had significantly greater final grades (76.1 ± 0.5) than sophomores (73.3 ± 0.6) and seniors (72.9 ± 0.9). All biology students had greater final grades than all other majors, but biochemistry juniors had greater final course grades than APSC, agricultural science, and dairy science juniors. "Other" seniors had greater final course grades than agricultural science seniors. The regression for time to complete the exam was curvilinear and suggests that highest exam scores were at about 90-min completion time. It may be that some male students need better preparation for anatomy and physiology and their educational preparation should mimic that of female students more in terms of advance-placement biology in high school. These results suggest that biology majors might be better prepared for animal anatomy and physiology than other students. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Compulsory Bioethics Module for a Large Final Year Undergraduate Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearce, Roger S.

2009-01-01

The article describes a compulsory bioethics module delivered to [approximately] 120 biology students in their final year. The main intended learning outcome is that students should be able to analyse and reason about bioethical issues. Interactive lectures explain and illustrate bioethics. Underlying principles and example issues are used to…

Science and Engineering Technician Curriculum Development Project. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mowery, Donald R.; Wolf, Lawrence J.

Project SET (Science and Engineering for Technicians) developed a series of study guides designed to teach generic science and engineering skills to students interested in becoming technicians. An entire 2-year curriculum is encompassed by these guides, geared for 2-year college students. Described in this final report are the project's rationale,…

Final-Year Education Projects for Undergraduate Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

The Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme provides an opportunity for students in their final year of the chemistry degree course at the University of Reading to choose an educational project as an alternative to practical research. The undergraduates work in schools where they can be regarded as role models and offer one way of inspiring pupils to…

Communication Skills in Standardized-Patient Assessment of Final-Year Medical Students: A Psychometric Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guiton, Gretchen; Hodgson, Carol S.; Delandshere, Ginett; Wilkerson, Luann

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the content-specificity of communication skills. It investigates the reliability and dimensionality of standardized patient (SP) ratings of communication skills in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination(OSCE) for final year medical students. An OSCE consisting of seven standardized patient(SP)…

Psychological stress and burnout in medical students: a five-year prospective longitudinal study.

PubMed

Guthrie, E; Black, D; Bagalkote, H; Shaw, C; Campbell, M; Creed, F

1998-05-01

The aim of this study was to assess psychological morbidity and symptoms of burnout in medical students during their undergraduate training, and to identify baseline factors that predict psychological morbidity in students in the final year of the course. It was a 5-year prospective longitudinal cohort study. Students were assessed in years 1, 4 and 5 of their medical undergraduate training by means of the GHQ-12 and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. 172 (84.3%), 157 (77.0%) and 155 (75.9%) students out of an original group of 204 completed assessments in years 1, 4 and 5, respectively. 18 students were above threshold on the GHQ-12 on all three occasions, 25 on two occasions and 43 on one occasion; 69 students were never a 'case'. Students who were cases on two or more occasions were more likely to find the medical course stressful during the first year, but not subsequent years. There was no significant difference between the percentages of men and women who scored as cases on the GHQ-12 in any of the years. The best predictor of psychological morbidity in the final year of the course was the GHQ-12 score in year 1. This study suggests that a small group of students repeatedly experience psychological distress during their medical training.

Evaluating the Effects of Flexible Learning about Aseptic Compounding on First-year Students in a Pharmacy Skills Laboratory.

PubMed

Neville, Michael W; Palmer, Russ; Elder, Deborah; Fulford, Michael; Morris, Steve; Sappington, Kellie

2015-08-25

To evaluate how flexible learning via online video review affects the ability and confidence of first-year (P1) pharmacy students to accurately compound aseptic preparations. Customary instructions and assignments for aseptic compounding were provided to students, who were given unlimited access to 5 short review videos in addition to customary instruction. Student self-confidence was assessed online, and faculty members evaluated students' aseptic technique at the conclusion of the semester. No significant difference on final assessment scores was observed between those who viewed videos and those who did not. Student self-confidence scores increased significantly from baseline, but were not significantly higher for those who viewed videos than for those who did not. First-year students performed well on final aseptic compounding assessments, and those who viewed videos had a slight advantage. Student self-confidence improved over the semester regardless of whether or not students accessed review videos.

How Much Do Medical Students Know about Physical Income?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, Sean

2005-01-01

A comparative study of medical students who estimated physicians' income during their first and fourth years of study throws up interesting results. The medical students typically overestimated physician income by 25% on an average, with differences marked by age, women, older students, students with high MCAT scores. Final year students'…

Formal faculty observation and assessment of bedside skills for 3rd-year neurology clerks

PubMed Central

Mooney, Christopher; Wexler, Erika; Mink, Jonathan; Post, Jennifer; Jozefowicz, Ralph F.

2016-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and utility of instituting a formalized bedside skills evaluation (BSE) for 3rd-year medical students on the neurology clerkship. Methods: A neurologic BSE was developed for 3rd-year neurology clerks at the University of Rochester for the 2012–2014 academic years. Faculty directly observed 189 students completing a full history and neurologic examination on real inpatients. Mock grades were calculated utilizing the BSE in the final grade, and number of students with a grade difference was determined when compared to true grade. Correlation was explored between the BSE and clinical scores, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) scores, case complexity, and true final grades. A survey was administered to students to assess their clinical skills exposure and the usefulness of the BSE. Results: Faculty completed and submitted a BSE form for 88.3% of students. There was a mock final grade change for 13.2% of students. Correlation coefficients between BSE score and clinical score/NBME score were 0.36 and 0.35, respectively. A statistically significant effect of BSE was found on final clerkship grade (F2,186 = 31.9, p < 0.0001). There was no statistical difference between BSE score and differing case complexities. Conclusions: Incorporating a formal faculty-observed BSE into the 3rd year neurology clerkship was feasible. Low correlation between BSE score and other evaluations indicated a unique measurement to contribute to student grade. Using real patients with differing case complexity did not alter the grade. PMID:27770072

Formal faculty observation and assessment of bedside skills for 3rd-year neurology clerks.

PubMed

Thompson Stone, Robert; Mooney, Christopher; Wexler, Erika; Mink, Jonathan; Post, Jennifer; Jozefowicz, Ralph F

2016-11-22

To evaluate the feasibility and utility of instituting a formalized bedside skills evaluation (BSE) for 3rd-year medical students on the neurology clerkship. A neurologic BSE was developed for 3rd - year neurology clerks at the University of Rochester for the 2012-2014 academic years. Faculty directly observed 189 students completing a full history and neurologic examination on real inpatients. Mock grades were calculated utilizing the BSE in the final grade, and number of students with a grade difference was determined when compared to true grade. Correlation was explored between the BSE and clinical scores, National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) scores, case complexity, and true final grades. A survey was administered to students to assess their clinical skills exposure and the usefulness of the BSE. Faculty completed and submitted a BSE form for 88.3% of students. There was a mock final grade change for 13.2% of students. Correlation coefficients between BSE score and clinical score/NBME score were 0.36 and 0.35, respectively. A statistically significant effect of BSE was found on final clerkship grade (F 2,186 = 31.9, p < 0.0001). There was no statistical difference between BSE score and differing case complexities. Incorporating a formal faculty-observed BSE into the 3rd year neurology clerkship was feasible. Low correlation between BSE score and other evaluations indicated a unique measurement to contribute to student grade. Using real patients with differing case complexity did not alter the grade. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

Do Work Placements Improve Final Year Academic Performance or Do High-Calibre Students Choose to Do Work Placements?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, C. M.; Green, J. P.; Higson, H. E.

2017-01-01

This study investigates whether the completion of an optional sandwich work placement enhances student performance in final year examinations. Using Propensity Score Matching, our analysis departs from the literature by controlling for self-selection. Previous studies may have overestimated the impact of sandwich work placements on performance…

Ten Years of Using Presentations at a Student Conference as a Final Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lund, Nick

2013-01-01

The final assessment for all psychology courses in the department of interdisciplinary studies, MMU Cheshire programmes, in the past 10 years has been a presentation of project work at an undergraduate conference. It is argued that this acts as an "authentic" assessment method which helps prepare students for future experiences. Alumni…

Placement-Based Learning and Learner Engagement: Findings from a New University in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Timothy R. N.; Folgueiras Bertomeu, Pilar; Mannix McNamara, Patricia

2016-01-01

This paper addresses the potential for engaged learning among final-year undergraduate Education Studies students at a new, post-1992. It discusses a case study analysis of a "Directed Experiential Learning" (DEL) intervention in the final year of an education studies degree designed to engage and motivate students and emphasise the…

A Multivariate Analysis of Personality, Values and Expectations as Correlates of Career Aspirations of Final Year Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Mary E.; Searle, Judy; Creed, Peter A.; Ng, Shu-Kay

2010-01-01

This study reports on the career intentions of 179 final year medical students who completed an online survey that included measures of personality, values, professional and lifestyle expectations, and well-being. Logistic regression analyses identified the determinants of preferred medical specialty, practice location and hours of work.…

Academic Performance and Pass Rates: Comparison of Three First-Year Life Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Downs, C. T.

2009-01-01

First year students' academic performance in three Life Science courses (Botany, Zoology and Bioscience) was compared. Pass rates, as well as the means and distributions of final marks were analysed. Of the three components (coursework, practical and theory examinations) contributing to the final mark of each course, students performed best in the…

The impact of specially designed digital games-based learning in undergraduate pathology and medical education.

PubMed

Kanthan, Rani; Senger, Jenna-Lynn

2011-01-01

The rapid advances of computer technologies have created a new e-learner generation of "Homo-zappien" students that think and learn differently. Digital gaming is an effective, fun, active, and encouraging way of learning, providing immediate feedback and measurable process. Within the context of ongoing reforms in medical education, specially designed digital games, a form of active learning, are effective, complementary e-teaching/learning resources. To examine the effectiveness of the use of specially designed digital games for student satisfaction and for measurable academic improvement. One hundred fourteen students registered in first-year pathology Medicine 102 had 8 of 16 lecture sessions reviewed in specially designed content-relevant digital games. Performance scores to relevant content sessions were analyzed at midterm and final examinations. Seventy-one students who registered in second-year pathology Medicine 202 were exposed to the games only during the final examination, with the midterm examination serving as an internal matched-control group. Outcome measures included performance at midterm and final examinations. Paired 2-tailed t test statistics compared means. A satisfaction survey questionnaire of yes or no responses analyzed student engagement and their perceptions to digital game-based learning. Questions relevant to the game-play sessions had the highest success rate in both examinations among 114 first-year students. In the 71 second-year students, the examination scores at the end of the final examination were significantly higher than the scores on the midterm examination. Positive satisfaction survey noted increased student engagement, enhanced personal learning, and reduced student stress. Specially constructed digital games-based learning in undergraduate pathology courses showed improved academic performance as measured by examination test scores with increased student satisfaction and engagement.

Stigma in mental illness: attitudes of medical students towards mental illness.

PubMed

Mas, A; Hatim, A

2002-12-01

Negative attitudes towards people with mental illness can be attributed to stigma. The objective of this study was to determine the attitudes of medical students towards mental illness by comparing those who have had contact with mental patients and those who have not. This study also assesses to what extent knowledge about mental illness can affect the students' attitude. A vignette and two dependent measures (social distance scale and dangerousness scale) were used to assess the attitudes of medical students towards mental illness. They comprised of 108 first year and 85 final year medical students in University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The first year students didn't have any prior psychiatric training. The final year students who had knowledge and contact (undergone 8 weeks of clinical psychiatric training) were less stigmatizing toward mentally ill patients. There were no significant differences in the attitudes towards mentally ill patient among the first year students (no knowledge) regardless they had previous contact or not. Knowledge seems to have the effect in inculcating greater tolerance of mental illness. Contact by itself is not sufficient for attitude changes.

Vietnamese Students Employability Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuan, Nguyen Minh

2011-01-01

This paper attempts to investigate if the International University (IU) students' core competencies can meet the requirements set by employers, what are the differences in core competencies in final year students (or undergraduates), and how they view themselves compared with ex-students after one or two years in working environment, how…

A comparison of education in Greek and English nurses.

PubMed

Bakalis, N A; Bowman, G S; Porock, D

2004-06-01

Curriculum is an important component of nurse education and is thought to vary from country to country. To determine the level of cardiac knowledge in Greek and English final-year student nurses. Subjects were final-year diploma and degree student nurses (n = 161) from Greece and England. Pictographs (testing knowledge in a pictorial form) were used as a method of data collection. Three anatomical cardiac diagrams were used. Students were asked to label 20 anatomical parts. Final-year English student nurses have better knowledge in the discrete area of cardiac anatomy and physiology (P < 0.05) than their Greek counterparts. Problems associated with translation and interpretation were avoided using pictographs and were shown to be useful measures for determining knowledge in nurses from different countries. The findings of the study are important because they show differences in anatomical knowledge levels between Greek and English students. More research is needed to explore further different levels of knowledge and education within the European Union and the consequences for nurse decision-making and patient outcomes.

2012 Global Management Education Graduate Survey. Survey Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leach, Laura

2012-01-01

Each year for the past 13 years, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has conducted a survey of graduate management education students in their final year of business school. The Global Management Education Graduate Survey is distributed to students at participating schools. The survey allows students to express their opinions about…

Speech pathology student clinician attitudes and beliefs towards people who stutter: A mixed-method pilot study.

PubMed

Koutsodimitropoulos, Ellen; Buultjens, Melissa; St Louis, Kenneth O; Monfries, Melissa

2016-03-01

Stuttering is a disorder of fluency that extends beyond its physical nature and has social, emotional and vocational impacts. Research shows that individuals often exhibit negative attitudes towards people who stutter; however, there is limited research on the attitudes and beliefs of speech pathology students towards people who stutter in Australia. Existing research is predominantly quantitative; whereas this mixed-method study placed an emphasis on the qualitative component. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and beliefs of final year Australian speech pathology students towards people who stutter. This mixed-method study applied the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes - Stuttering (POSHA-S) and semi-structured interviews to gather data from final year speech pathology students from a major university in Australia. The overall qualitative findings identified that final year Australian speech pathology students exhibit positive attitudes towards people who stutter. The results also illustrated the role of education in influencing attitudes of students as well as increasing their confidence to work with people who stutter. This research revealed that Australian final year speech pathology students exhibit positive attitudes towards people who stutter. They displayed an understanding that people who stutter may have acquired traits such as shyness as a response to their personal situation and environment, rather than those traits being endemic to them. Results also suggested that education can play a role in creating confident student clinicians in their transition to practice, and positively influence their attitudes and beliefs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Psychological stress and burnout in medical students: a five-year prospective longitudinal study.

PubMed Central

Guthrie, E; Black, D; Bagalkote, H; Shaw, C; Campbell, M; Creed, F

1998-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess psychological morbidity and symptoms of burnout in medical students during their undergraduate training, and to identify baseline factors that predict psychological morbidity in students in the final year of the course. It was a 5-year prospective longitudinal cohort study. Students were assessed in years 1, 4 and 5 of their medical undergraduate training by means of the GHQ-12 and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. 172 (84.3%), 157 (77.0%) and 155 (75.9%) students out of an original group of 204 completed assessments in years 1, 4 and 5, respectively. 18 students were above threshold on the GHQ-12 on all three occasions, 25 on two occasions and 43 on one occasion; 69 students were never a 'case'. Students who were cases on two or more occasions were more likely to find the medical course stressful during the first year, but not subsequent years. There was no significant difference between the percentages of men and women who scored as cases on the GHQ-12 in any of the years. The best predictor of psychological morbidity in the final year of the course was the GHQ-12 score in year 1. This study suggests that a small group of students repeatedly experience psychological distress during their medical training. PMID:9764076

Personality traits of pharmacy and medical students throughout their course of studies

PubMed Central

Cordina, Maria; Lauri, Mary-Anne; Buttigieg, Raphael; LAURI, Josef

2015-01-01

Background: Pharmacists and medical doctors are two professional groups that very often receive their education and practice in the same environment. However, their approach to patient care and collaboration tends to be different and this may lead to both frustration and conflict which may adversely affect patient care. Personality has been identified as a psychological issue that could contribute to conflict in a work situation. Objective: To study the personality traits of a cohort of students studying pharmacy and medicine at the University of Malta in their first and final year. Methods: The Gordon Personal Profile – Inventory was administered to a cohort of pharmacy and medical students in their first year and once again administered to the same cohort who completed their course of study in their final year. Basic demographic data was also collected. Results: In first year the most pronounced traits for both student groups were those of Emotional Stability and Personal Relations. Over a period of five years, there were shifts in personality traits. In their final year pharmacy students were characterized by high scores for Cautiousness and Personal Relations while medical students exhibited medium scores in Cautiousness and Emotional Stability. Conclusion: The changes in personality traits over the duration of the course were not radical changes but rather that of traits becoming more pronounced. PMID:26759618

The Effect of Industrial Training on Ethical Awareness of Final Year Students in a Malaysian Public University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saat, Maisarah Mohamed; Yusoff, Rosman Md.; Panatik, Siti Aisyah

2014-01-01

Studies (for example, Dellaportas in Making a difference with a discrete course on accounting ethics. "J Bus Ethics" 65(4):391-404, 2006; Saat in "An investigation of the effects of a moral education program on the ethical development of Malaysian future accountants," 2010) on final year accounting students show that industrial…

Factors in Instructional Decision-Making, Ratings of Evidence and Intended Instructional Practices of Australian Final Year Teacher Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Mark; Stephenson, Jennifer; Hopper, Toni

2015-01-01

There has been increasing interest in an evidence-based approach to education in Australia, but relatively little research has provided relevant data on knowledge of the evidence base for instructional practices among teachers preparing to enter the profession. Final year teacher education students (N = 290) in 15 Australian tertiary institutions…

Levels of Possession of Science Process Skills by Final Year Students of Colleges of Education in South-Eastern States of Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akani, Omiko

2015-01-01

This study investigated the levels of possession of science process skills by final year Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) Students in colleges of Education in South-Eastern States of Nigeria. The skills that were assessed were observation, experimentation, measurement, communication, and inference. The research was guided by five research…

National Evaluation of Student Support Services: Examination of Student Outcomes after Six Years. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaney, Bradford W.

2010-01-01

This is the final report of the National Evaluation of Student Support Services (SSS). SSS is one of eight federally funded grant programs that are administered as part of the Federal TRIO Programs within the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The SSS program, in particular, focuses on students while they are enrolled in college. In general, SSS…

Career Connections: Enhancing Career Development and Employment Opportunities for University Students with Disabilities. Final Report for Postsecondary Demonstration Program [and] Career Connections for University Students with Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aune, Betty; And Others

This final report describes "Career Connections," a 3-year federally supported project at the University of Minnesota to enhance the career potential of students with disabilities, educate faculty and staff to work with these students, and assist employers in hiring and supervising people with disabilities. Project accomplishments…

Global Management Education Graduate Survey, 2011. Survey Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoenfeld, Gregg

2011-01-01

Each year for the past 12 years, the Graduate Management Admission Council[R] (GMAC[R]) has conducted a survey of graduate management education students in their final year of business school. This Global Management Education Graduate Survey is distributed to students at participating business schools. The survey allows students to express their…

Final-Year Projects as a Major Element in the IE Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vitner, G.; Rozenes, S.

2009-01-01

This paper presents a multi-perspective view of the final-year project of an industrial engineering and management (IEM) department. The final year project is a major element of a 4-year curriculum within any engineering discipline. Such a project gives the student an opportunity to use and implement methods, techniques and tools that he or she…

Mathematical Preparedness for Tertiary Mathematics--A Need for Focused Intervention in the First Year?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Du Preez, Jeanetta; Steyn, Tobia; Owen, Rina

2008-01-01

Ongoing action research at the University of Pretoria investigates first-year students' preparedness for a study in calculus. In 2005 first-year engineering students completed a mathematics diagnostic survey at the beginning and end of the year. In this article the results of the 2005 survey are compared with the students' final school marks in…

Knowledge and perception of physiotherapy by final year medical students of a Nigerian university.

PubMed

Odebiyi, D O; Omotunde, A O; Aiyejusunle, C B; Olalekan, T A

2008-01-01

It has been shown that multidisciplinary interactions have become a feature of the changing medical education system. It is not clear to what extent medical students have been integrated into this newer model, more especially at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL), AIM: To assess the level of knowledge and perception of physiotherapy by the final year medical students of CMUL about physiotherapy. Ninety eight final year medical students of CMUL participated in the study. They were required to complete a standard 22 item closed-ended questionnaire which was self administered. Data were presented as mean +/- standard deviation; Inferential statistics of chi-square and t-tests were used to compare differences between variables. The respondents displayed above average knowledge of physiotherapy as the mean scores obtained for knowledge of physiotherapy were 20.25 +/- 4.50 and 18.77 +/- 4.60 for males and females respectively. They also showed a fair perception towards physiotherapy as the mean scores obtained were 32.70 +/- 7.20 and 34.33 +/- 7.30 for males and females respectively. However there was a significant gender difference in the medical students' knowledge of physiotherapy (p < 0.05). The sampled final year medical students of CMUL had a good knowledge and fair perception of physiotherapy. Their main source of knowledge was classroom lectures. The need for further education of medical students with particular emphasis on clinical interaction was identified. It is hereby suggested that interprofessional courses and communication should be given greater attention during medical training.

When Teaching Style Matches Students' Epistemic (In)Dependence: The Moderating Effect of Perceived Epistemic Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quiamzade, Alain; Mugny, Gabriel; Chatard, Armand

2009-01-01

In a 2x2x2 factorial design, 3rd year Romanian psychology students (N = 94) were assigned into 2 groups according to the extent to which they acknowledged an epistemic dependence (low vs. high) toward their professor. They then compared the competence of 3rd year students to that of 1st year or 5th year students. Finally, they were exposed to a…

Effects of School Quality, School Citizenship Policy, and Student Body Composition on the Acquisition of Citizenship Competences in the Final Year of Primary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dijkstra, Anne Bert; Geijsel, Femke; Ledoux, Guuske; van der Veen, Ineke; ten Dam, Geert

2015-01-01

This study examines the effects of general educational quality of schools, school citizenship policy, and ethnic homogeneity of the student body on the acquisition of citizenship competences in the final year of primary education. The theoretical framework is based on developmental, psychological, and sociological studies into effects of social…

Research Project on Students and Collective Bargaining. Final Report, Year One.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shark, Alan R.; And Others

The Research Project on Students and Collective Bargaining is designed to foster dialogue about the impact of academic collective bargaining on students and to encourage further research and development on the question of student involvement in the collective bargaining process. First-year objectives were to: collect and catalog information and…

Critical Reading: A Guide for Faculty and Students in Economics and History. Final Report, Second Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bean, Thomas W.

The first year of California State University's program to improve university students' critical reading of introductory texts had two objectives: to develop professors' available repertoire of strategies for guiding students' independent learning from texts and to develop students' facility in learning from texts with adjunct guide materials…

Comparison of effects of training programs for final year nursing students in Turkey: differences in self-efficacy with regard to information literacy.

PubMed

Özbıçakçı, Şeyda; Gezer, Nurdan; Bilik, Özlem

2015-02-01

Information literate person are aware of where and how they can obtain the information they need. Little is known about student nurses information literacy skills in different education programs. To find out how final year nursing students rated their own abilities to acquire new information. This study used comparative and descriptive cross-sectional surveys. Participants were final year students in two different programs, in two different universities in Turkey. The study sample consisted of final year nursing students who received training in Classic Learning (N: 61) and Problem-Based Learning (N: 96). As an evaluation instrument for the perceptions of the students their own information literacy, a scale consisting of 28 questions with 7 Likert ratings for each was used (min: 28, max: 196). The return rates of the surveys were 96.7% in the school with classic training and 81.2% in the school with PBL. It was found that the average scores of the students were high, with a mean of 137±29 in the school where the classic training program was carried out, and 163±21 in the school where the training was PBL. A statistically significant difference was found by comparing the average scores of the two independent groups (t : -6.0; p<0.05). Students in both of the training programs rated themselves as high. However, PBL training had a stronger influence on the development of their self-perceptions regarding information literacy. We conclude that training programs should be reviewed, and new methods should be developed based on these concepts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Easing student transition to graduate nurse: a SIMulated Professional Learning Environment (SIMPLE) for final year student nurses.

PubMed

Liaw, Sok Ying; Koh, Yiwen; Dawood, Rabiah; Kowitlawakul, Yanika; Zhou, Wentao; Lau, Siew Tiang

2014-03-01

Preparing nursing students for making the transition to graduate nurse is crucial for entry into practice. Final year student nurses at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are required to undergo a consolidated clinical practice to prepare them for their transition to graduate nurse. To describe the development, implementation and evaluation of a simulation program known as SIMulated Professional Learning Environment (SIMPLE) in preparing the final year student nurses for their clinical practicum in transition to graduate nurse practice. A set of simulation features and best practices were used as conceptual framework to develop and implement the simulation program. 94 final year student nurses participated in the 15-hour SIMPLE program that incorporated multiple simulation scenarios based on actual ward clinical practices. Pre and post-tests were conducted to assess the students' preparedness for their clinical practice in transition to graduate nurse practice. The students also completed a satisfaction questionnaire and open questions to evaluate their simulation experiences. The student nurses demonstrated a significant improvement (t=12.06, p<0.01) on post-test score (mean=117.21, SD=15.17) from pre-test score (mean=97.86, SD=15.08) for their perceived preparedness towards their clinical practicum in transition to graduate nurse practice. They were highly satisfied with their simulation learning. Themes emerged from the comments on the most valuable aspects of the SIMPLE program and ways to improve the program. The study provided evidences on the effectiveness of the SIMPLE program in enhancing the students' preparedness for their transition to graduate nurse practice. A key success of the SIMPLE program was the used of simulation strategy and the involvement of practicing nurses that closely linked the students with the realities of current nursing practice to prepare them for the role of staff nurses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A coordinated teaching program for future dairy practitioners at the university of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine.

PubMed

Cook, Nigel B; Eisele, Christian O; Klos, Rachel F; Bennett, Thomas B; McGuirk, Sheila M; Goodger, William J; Oetzel, Garrett R; Nordlund, Kenneth V

2004-01-01

The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine (UW-SVM) has implemented a variety of strategies to optimize teaching in dairy herd medicine. These include the provision of opportunities for dairy cow handling and management using a dairy teaching herd for veterinary students throughout the four-year curriculum, exposure for all students in their final year to a substantial first-opinion dairy case load using a private practice-based ambulatory clinic rotation, and, finally, the teaching of dairy herd health management and problem solving in a group of four final-year elective production medicine clinical rotations. On average, since 1986, 32.6% of each graduating class attended at least one elective production medicine rotation, with a range from 19.0% to 43.4%. For those University of Wisconsin students who could be traced, 65% were still actively involved in some aspect of dairy practice, representing a range of between seven and 17 students per year since the start of the program. The advantages and disadvantages of operating a "regional center of excellence" for training students from out-of-state institutions are discussed.

Evaluating the Effects of Flexible Learning about Aseptic Compounding on First-year Students in a Pharmacy Skills Laboratory

PubMed Central

Palmer, Russ; Elder, Deborah; Fulford, Michael; Morris, Steve; Sappington, Kellie

2015-01-01

Objective. To evaluate how flexible learning via online video review affects the ability and confidence of first-year (P1) pharmacy students to accurately compound aseptic preparations. Design. Customary instructions and assignments for aseptic compounding were provided to students, who were given unlimited access to 5 short review videos in addition to customary instruction. Student self-confidence was assessed online, and faculty members evaluated students’ aseptic technique at the conclusion of the semester. Assessment. No significant difference on final assessment scores was observed between those who viewed videos and those who did not. Student self-confidence scores increased significantly from baseline, but were not significantly higher for those who viewed videos than for those who did not. Conclusion. First-year students performed well on final aseptic compounding assessments, and those who viewed videos had a slight advantage. Student self-confidence improved over the semester regardless of whether or not students accessed review videos. PMID:26430278

Characteristics and Risk Factors for Suicide and Deaths Among College Students: A 23-Year Serial Prevalence Study of Data From 8.2 Million Japanese College Students.

PubMed

Uchida, Chiyoko; Uchida, Mai

2017-04-01

Suicide is a leading cause of death for college students. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors of suicide among college students that could improve university services to help prevent college suicide. We conducted a 23-year serial prevalence study of the prevalence and characteristics of death and suicide among 8,262,314 Japanese college students. We analyzed rates of suicide from the 1989 to 1990 academic year through the 2011-2012 academic year and characterized suicide among this population, focusing on students' sex and psychiatric and academic backgrounds to identify risk factors for suicide. Suicide rates increased throughout the 23 years, and suicide was the leading cause of death every year from 1996 onward. Suicide accounted for 42.4% of all deaths that happened in the 23 years. Male students, medicine majors, students in the final year of their program, and students who completed extra years of schooling or took academic leaves of absence were at higher risk for suicide. Only 16.4% had received an official psychiatric diagnosis and 16.0% had received services through the university health center prior to the suicides. Results suggest the need for a stronger support system for college students. Areas for improvement could include better advertising of mental health services, student and staff education about suicide risk factors, and mentorship and outreach programs for students in their final year of classes, those majoring in medicine, and those who have taken leaves of absence or failed classes. Accommodations at the administrative level would also be helpful for students who need to retake classes or transfer credit. © Copyright 2017 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Clinical Observed Performance Evaluation: A Prospective Study in Final Year Students of Surgery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markey, G. C.; Browne, K.; Hunter, K.; Hill, A. D.

2011-01-01

We report a prospective study of clinical observed performance evaluation (COPE) for 197 medical students in the pre-qualification year of clinical education. Psychometric quality was the main endpoint. Students were assessed in groups of 5 in 40-min patient encounters, with each student the focus of evaluation for 8 min. Each student had a series…

Student-written single-best answer questions predict performance in finals.

PubMed

Walsh, Jason; Harris, Benjamin; Tayyaba, Saadia; Harris, David; Smith, Phil

2016-10-01

Single-best answer (SBA) questions are widely used for assessment in medical schools; however, often clinical staff have neither the time nor the incentive to develop high-quality material for revision purposes. A student-led approach to producing formative SBA questions offers a potential solution. Cardiff University School of Medicine students created a bank of SBA questions through a previously described staged approach, involving student question-writing, peer-review and targeted senior clinician input. We arranged questions into discrete tests and posted these online. Student volunteer performance on these tests from the 2012/13 cohort of final-year medical students was recorded and compared with the performance of these students in medical school finals (knowledge and objective structured clinical examinations, OSCEs). In addition, we compared the performance of students that participated in question-writing groups with the performance of the rest of the cohort on the summative SBA assessment. Often clinical staff have neither the time nor the incentive to develop high-quality material for revision purposes Performance in the end-of-year summative clinical knowledge SBA paper correlated strongly with performance in the formative student-written SBA test (r = ~0.60, p <0.01). There was no significant correlation between summative OSCE scores and formative student-written SBA test scores. Students who wrote and reviewed questions scored higher than average in the end-of-year summative clinical knowledge SBA paper. Student-written SBAs predict performance in end-of-year SBA examinations, and therefore can provide a potentially valuable revision resource. There is potential for student-written questions to be incorporated into summative examinations. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Easing the Transition to High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lampert, Joan

2005-01-01

First-year students in high school face numerous pressures and usually have to face high school finals on their own. It does not have to be this way as a school outside Chicago, Maine East, demonstrates with its Freshman Advisory program that has senior students mentoring first year students.

Antimicrobial knowledge and confidence amongst final year medical students in Australia.

PubMed

Weier, Naomi; Thursky, Karin; Zaidi, Syed Tabish R

2017-01-01

Inappropriate use of antimicrobials is one of the major modifiable contributors to antimicrobial resistance. There is currently no validated survey tool available to assess knowledge and confidence of medical students in infectious diseases (ID) compared to other diseases states, and little is known about this topic. A cross-sectional survey of final year medical students attending universities around Australia was conducted between August and September, 2015. A survey unique from other published studies was developed to survey satisfaction in education, confidence and knowledge in ID, and how this compared to these factors in cardiovascular diseases. Reliability and validity was demonstrated in the survey tool used. Students were more likely to rate university education as sufficient for cardiovascular diseases (91.3%) compared to ID (72.5%), and were more confident in their knowledge of cardiovascular diseases compared to ID (74.38% vs. 53.76%). Students tended to answer more cardiovascular disease related clinical questions correctly (mean score 78%), compared to questions on antimicrobial use (mean score 45%). Poor knowledge and confidence amongst final year medical students in Australia were observed in ID. Antimicrobial stewardship agenda should include the provision of additional training in antimicrobial prescribing to the future medical workforce.

Learning from clinical placement experience: Analysing nursing students' final reflections in a digital storytelling activity.

PubMed

Paliadelis, Penny; Wood, Pamela

2016-09-01

This paper reports on the learning potential of a reflective activity undertaken by final year nursing students, in which they were asked to recount two meaningful events that occurred during their clinical placements over the duration of their 3-year nursing degree program and reflect on how these events contributed to their learning to become beginning level Registered Nurses (RNs). This descriptive qualitative study gathered narratives from 92 students as individual postings in an online forum created within the University's learning management system. An analysis of the students' reflections are the focus of this paper particularly in relation to the value of reflecting on the identified events. Four themes emerged that clearly highlight the way in which these students interpreted and learned from both positive and negative clinical experiences, their strong desire to fit into their new role and their ability to re-imagine how they might respond to clinical events when they become Registered Nurses. The findings of this study may contribute to developing nursing curricula that better prepares final year students for the realities of practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction of vertical integration and case-based learning in anatomy for undergraduate physical therapy and occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Parmar, Suresh K; Rathinam, Bertha A D

2011-01-01

The purpose of the present pilot study was to evaluate the benefits of innovative teaching methodologies introduced to final year occupational and physical therapy students in Christian Medical College in India. Students' satisfactions along the long-term retention of knowledge and clinical application of the respiratory anatomy have been assessed. The final year undergraduate physical therapy and occupational therapy students had respiratory anatomy teaching over two sessions. The teaching involved case-based learning and integrated anatomy lectures (vertical integration) with the Anatomy department. Pretest and immediate and follow-up post-tests were conducted to assess the effectiveness of the innovative methods. A feedback questionnaire was marked to grade case-based learning. The method of integrated and case-based teaching was appreciated and found to be useful in imparting knowledge to the students. Students retained the gained knowledge adequately and the same was inferred by statistically significant improvement in both post-test scores. Vertical integration of anatomy in the final year reinforces their existing knowledge of anatomy. Case-based learning may facilitate the development of effective and clinically sound therapists. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Anatomists.

A comprehensive literature review of guidelines facilitating transition of newly graduated nurses to professional nurses.

PubMed

van Rooyen, Dalena R M; Jordan, Portia J; Ten Ham-Baloyi, Wilma; Caka, Ernestina M

2018-05-01

Literature shows that successful transition of newly graduate nurses to professional nurses is imperative but does not always take place, resulting in difficulty in performance, cognizance or behaviour of a role as a nurse, affecting the quality of patient care negatively. No integrative literature review could be found to summarize available guidelines facilitating transition of final year nursing students to professional nurses. An extensive search of the literature by means of an integrative literature review was conducted in 2014 and updated in June 2017, following a five-step process. All relevant studies were subsequently appraised for rigour and quality using the AGREE II tool by two independent reviewers. Eight (n = 8) guidelines on transitions were independently extracted. After thematic analysis was done, three factors to facilitate transition of final year nursing students to professional nurses were found: 1) support for new graduates, 2) the graduate's need for socialization and belonging, and 3) a positive clinical learning environment. The availability and implementation of guidelines on transition of final year nursing students by educational institutions and healthcare facilities could ease the transition from being final year nursing students to becoming professional nurses as well as improve retention of newly qualified professional nurses. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Who Leaves Science? The First Year Experience at York University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grayson, J. Paul

This study examined student departure rates from the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science at York University in Ontario (Canada) using Tinto's (1987) model of student departure. Student records from 1992-93 were used to obtain data on grades in the final year of high school, sex, language status, and amount of student financial awards received;…

The Relationship between Feedback and Change in Tertiary Student Writing in the Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vardi, Iris

2008-01-01

This study examined the relationship between teacher written feedback and change in the disciplinary writing of tertiary students in their final year of undergraduate study. The student texts and teacher written feedback examined arose naturally out of a third year disciplinary-based unit in which each student submitted a text three times over the…

Catching Them before They Fall: A Vygotskian Approach to Transitioning Students from High School to University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goggin, Thomas; Rankin, Stephen; Geerlings, Peter; Taggart, Andrew

2016-01-01

University enabling programs, worldwide, generally target high school students who excel at school, or post-secondary students who have underperformed in their university entry examinations. Murdoch University provides an access program for Year/Grade 12 students who are not on a university pathway during their final year of high school. This…

Does doctors’ workload impact supervision and ward activities of final-year students? A prospective study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Hospital doctors face constantly increasing workloads. Besides caring for patients, their duties also comprise the education of future colleagues. The aim of this study was to objectively investigate whether the workload arising from increased patient care interferes with student supervision and is associated with more non-medical activities of final-year medical students. Methods A total of 54 final-year students were asked to keep a diary of their daily activities over a three-week period at the beginning of their internship in Internal Medicine. Students categorized their activities – both medical and non-medical - according to whether they had: (1) only watched, (2) assisted the ward resident, (3) performed the activity themselves under supervision of the ward resident, or (4) performed the activity without supervision. The activities reported on a particular day were matched with a ward specific workload-index derived from the hospital information system, including the number of patients treated on the corresponding ward on that day, a correction factor according to the patient comorbidity complexity level (PCCL), and the number of admissions and discharges. Both students and ward residents were blinded to the study question. Results A total of 32 diaries (59 %, 442 recorded working days) were handed back. Overall, the students reported 1.2 ± 1.3 supervised, 1.8 ±1.6 medical and 3.6 ± 1.7 non-medical activities per day. The more supervised activities were reported, the more the number of reported medical activities increased (p < .0001). No relationship between the ward specific workload and number of medical activities could be shown. Conclusions There was a significant association between ward doctors’ supervision of students and the number of medical activities performed by medical students. The workload had no significant effect on supervision or the number of medical or non-medical activities of final-year students. PMID:22540897

Does doctors' workload impact supervision and ward activities of final-year students? A prospective study.

PubMed

Celebi, Nora; Tsouraki, Rodoula; Engel, Corinna; Holderried, Friederike; Riessen, Reimer; Weyrich, Peter

2012-06-11

Hospital doctors face constantly increasing workloads. Besides caring for patients, their duties also comprise the education of future colleagues. The aim of this study was to objectively investigate whether the workload arising from increased patient care interferes with student supervision and is associated with more non-medical activities of final-year medical students. A total of 54 final-year students were asked to keep a diary of their daily activities over a three-week period at the beginning of their internship in Internal Medicine. Students categorized their activities--both medical and non-medical--according to whether they had: (1) only watched, (2) assisted the ward resident, (3) performed the activity themselves under supervision of the ward resident, or (4) performed the activity without supervision. The activities reported on a particular day were matched with a ward specific workload-index derived from the hospital information system, including the number of patients treated on the corresponding ward on that day, a correction factor according to the patient comorbidity complexity level (PCCL), and the number of admissions and discharges. Both students and ward residents were blinded to the study question. A total of 32 diaries (59 %, 442 recorded working days) were handed back. Overall, the students reported 1.2 ± 1.3 supervised, 1.8 ± 1.6 medical and 3.6 ± 1.7 non-medical activities per day. The more supervised activities were reported, the more the number of reported medical activities increased (p < .0001). No relationship between the ward specific workload and number of medical activities could be shown. There was a significant association between ward doctors' supervision of students and the number of medical activities performed by medical students. The workload had no significant effect on supervision or the number of medical or non-medical activities of final-year students.

Stigma towards mental illness among medical students in Australia and Ghana.

PubMed

Lyons, Zaza; Laugharne, Jonathan; Laugharne, Richard; Appiah-Poku, John

2015-06-01

Stigma towards mental illness has been found to impact adversely on medical students' attitudes towards psychiatry. This study aimed to assess the impact of stigma among final year students at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, and the University of Western Australia. A 28-item "Attitudes and stigma towards mental health" questionnaire was distributed to final year students at both universities. There was a significant difference in questionnaire scores, with Australian students showing more positive attitudes towards mental illness and lower levels of stigma compared with Ghanaian students. Stigmatization was expressed by Australian and Ghanaian students. A combination of medical school experiences and wider societal and cultural beliefs could be responsible for students' attitudes towards mental illness. Educators can develop locally relevant anti-stigma teaching resources throughout the psychiatry curriculum to improve students' attitudes towards psychiatry as a discipline and mental illness in general.

Influences on final year medical students' attitudes to general practice as a career.

PubMed

Parker, Johanna E; Hudson, Ben; Wilkinson, Tim J

2014-03-01

General practice is under-represented in student career choices. This study aimed to identify and explore factors that influence the attitudes of final year medical students to general practice as a career. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews of focus groups of final year undergraduate medical students at the University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. Thematic analysis and grounded theory were used to interpret the data. General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in influencing medical students' attitudes to general practice as a career. Students identified their general practice placement during medical school training and personal contact with their own GP as principal factors. The media portrayal of general practice and the attitudes of friends and family were also influential. Students were positively influenced when they were made to feel part of the team, involved with consultations, allowed to carry out practical procedures under supervision, and witnessed what they perceived as good medical practice during clinical placements. Positive experiences often occurred later in training, when students felt more confident of their clinical abilities. While students reported occasional negative comments about general practice by some hospital doctors, these had a lesser role in influencing their perceptions of general practice compared with their own experiences, both as students and patients. GPs have a strong influence, positively and negatively, on the attitudes of medical students to general practice as a career. Effective influences include being made to feel welcome, involved, valued, and given legitimate roles during clinical placements.

The knowledge attitude and practice regarding diabetes and diabetic retinopathy among the final year medical students of King Faisal University Medical College of Al Hasa region of Saudi Arabia: a cross sectional survey.

PubMed

Al Wadaani, F A

2013-01-01

The purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge attitude and practice of the final year medical students of king faisal university medical college towards diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. A cross sectional survey was conducted in King Faisal university Medical college of Al Hasa province of Saudi Arabia in May 2012. The student population was the Final Year students of MBBS. All 96 students of final year MBBS were included in this study. The data were collected by means of filling up of pre-tested specially designed questionnaires focused on Knowledge, Attitude and practice towards Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic retinopathy. The answers were scored by assigning marks. A SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis. The mean of overall KAP score (±SD) for all the respondents were 64.75 ± 11.17 (Maximum 100). Male students scored better than the females students (65.30, P = 0.02 vs. 64.18, P = 0.02). The male student scored better in the knowledge (35.83 vs. 34.05, P = 0.018) and practice (13.63 vs. 12.95, P = 0.045) category while the attitude score of female student (17.16 vs. 15.83, P = 0 .020) was significantly higher than the male students. The main weakness of knowledge was on epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), the follow up of the diabetic patient for the screening of diabetic retinopathy and the relation of duration of diabetes with the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy. Many students believed that diabetes is more prevalent among the uneducated people. Ninety percent students did not know the proper angle of insulin injection. This survey highlights some of the lacuna in the teaching system of the medical students and identified the need for improvement in their knowledge, attitude and practices for treating the patients with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. This can be done by incorporating special syllabus focusing on diabetes and diabetic retinopathy in their teaching programme.

Dental student debt.

PubMed

Mannion, H; Bedi, R

1995-09-01

The aim of this investigation is to provide information about the financial status of dental students enrolled on the Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree course at the University of Birmingham. All undergraduate dental students enrolled during the academic year 1993-94 were asked to participate in the study. The pre-tested questionnaire, which was given to all students, covered personal details, expenditure levels, income, loans, overdrafts, use of government schemes ('top-up loans'), and so on. The questionnaire was completed by 115 dental students (response rate 47%). The results showed that dental students' debts increased each year throughout the course. A top-up loan (range 700 Pounds-850 Pounds) had been taken out by 36% of students. The financial status of 9% of students was severe enough to warrant their eligibility for awards from access funds. Credit cards were possessed by 52% of the surveyed students, and although only half of these owed money, 22% owed between 500 Pounds and 2000 Pounds. Personal overdrafts were held by 56% of respondents. A total of 17% of students engaged in weekly part-time employment. The average debt for final year students was 1200 Pounds. Dental students' estimates of the level of debt they were likely to incur was greater than the actual debt presently experienced by final year students. In conclusion, this preliminary study showed that most dental students incur debt during their undergraduate course and that this debt increases during the course.

On the design of learning outcomes for the undergraduate engineer's final year project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thambyah, Ashvin

2011-03-01

The course for the final year project for engineering students, because of its strongly research-based, open-ended format, tends to not have well defined learning outcomes, which are also not aligned with any accepted pedagogical philosophy or learning technology. To address this problem, the revised Bloom's taxonomy table of Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) is utilised, as suggested previously by Lee and Lai (2007), to design new learning outcomes for the final year project course in engineering education. Based on the expectations of the engineering graduate, and integrating these graduate expectations into the six cognitive processes and four knowledge dimensions of the taxonomy table, 24 learning outcomes have been designed. It is proposed that these 24 learning outcomes be utilised as a suitable working template to inspire more critical evaluation of what is expected to be learnt by engineering students undertaking final year research or capstone projects.

Longitudinal evaluation of a pilot e-portfolio-based supervision programme for final year medical students: views of students, supervisors and new graduates.

PubMed

Vance, Gillian H S; Burford, Bryan; Shapiro, Ethan; Price, Richard

2017-08-22

Little is known about how best to implement portfolio-based learning in medical school. We evaluated the introduction of a formative e-portfolio-based supervision pilot for final year medical students by seeking views of students, supervisors and graduates on use and educational effects. Students and supervisors were surveyed by questionnaire, with free text comments invited. Interviews were held with new graduates in their first Foundation Programme placement. Most students used the e-portfolio (54%) and met with their supervisor (62%) 'once or twice' only. Students had more negative views: 22% agreed that the pilot was beneficial, while most supervisors thought that e-portfolio (72%) and supervision (86%) were a 'good idea'. More students reported supervision meetings benefited learning (49%) and professional development (55%) than the e-portfolio did (16%; 28%). Only 47% of students felt 'prepared' for future educational processes, though graduates noted benefits for navigating and understanding e-portfolio building and supervision. Factors limiting engagement reflected 'burden', while supervision meetings and early experience of postgraduate processes offered educational value. Final year students have negative attitudes to a formative e-portfolio, though benefits for easing the educational transition are recognised by graduates. Measures to minimize time, repetition and redundancy of processes may encourage use. Engagement is influenced by the supervisor relationship and educational value may be best achieved by supporting supervisors to develop strategies to facilitate, and motivate self-directed learning processes in undergraduates.

Clinical examiners, simulated patients, and student self-assessed empathy in medical students during a psychiatry objective structured clinical examination.

PubMed

O'Connor, Karen; King, Romaine; Malone, Kevin M; Guerandel, Allys

2014-08-01

This study aims to assess and compare objective and subjective scores of empathy in final-year medical students by using firstly a validated student self-assessment just prior to the psychiatry objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and then comparing this to clinical examiner's and simulated patient's (SP's) assessments of empathy of students using a Global Rating of Empathy scale (GRE) during a psychiatry OSCE. In 2011, all final-year medical students in the University College Dublin were invited to complete a subjective, self-assessed empathy questionnaire (The Jefferson scale of physician empathy-student version (JSPE-S)). They were also assessed for empathy in four OSCEs by the clinical examiner and the SP acting in that OSCE scenario. Included in the analysis were 163 of 184 final-year students JSPE-S (88.6%) questionnaires. The female students scores on the JSPE-S were significantly higher than those of their male peers (t=3.34, p=0.001). Concurrent validity was greater between the SPs' assessments of empathy in the OSCE and the JSPE-S score than between the clinical examiners assessments of empathy and the JSPE-S score (r=0.23, p<0.005; r=0.14, p<0.08). Inter-rater reliability of SP's and clinical examiner's using the GRE was found to be high (F=0.868 (df=171, 171), p value<0.001). SPs may be valid assessors of empathy in medical students during an OSCE.

Perspectives of Canadian Final-Year Physiotherapy Students on Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy as a Career Choice

PubMed Central

Araujo, Tamara; Romano, Julia Marie; Camp, Pat G.; Hall, Mark; Mathur, Sunita; Brooks, Dina

2016-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the opinions of final-year Canadian physiotherapy students of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy (CRP) and the factors influencing their decision about whether to pursue a career in CRP. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by final-year Master of Science of Physical Therapy students from three of the largest English-speaking physiotherapy schools in Canada. Results: A total of 120 students responded to the survey (overall response rate was 44%). Fifteen students (12.5%) responded that they were extremely or quite interested in specializing in CRP. The most common factors that positively influenced students' decision to consider specializing in CRP were job accessibility, potential salary, and experiences in the area, and the most common factors that negatively influenced their decision were the clinical aspects of the area, their experiences in the area, job accessibility, and the influence of others. The most common factors that positively influenced students' opinion of CRP were their clinical supervisor, educator, or lecturer; their own clinical experience; and evidence in the literature, and the most common factors that negatively influenced their opinion were their own clinical experience and their peers. Conclusion: Strategies focusing on increasing awareness of the role of physiotherapists in the care of patients with cardiorespiratory conditions, exposing students to the positive impact that physiotherapists have in this practice area, and good mentorship experiences may promote the attractiveness of this specialty. PMID:27909378

Do student nurses experience Imposter Phenomenon? An international comparison of Final Year Undergraduate Nursing Students readiness for registration.

PubMed

Christensen, Martin; Aubeeluck, Aimee; Fergusson, Diana; Craft, Judy; Knight, Jessica; Wirihana, Lisa; Stupple, Ed

2016-11-01

The transition shock or Imposter Phenomena sometimes associated with moving from student to Registered Nurse can lead to feelings of self-doubt and insecurity especially with the increased expectations and responsibilities that registration brings. The aim of this study was to examine the extent at which imposter phenomenon is evident in four final year nursing student cohorts in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. A survey design. The study took place at four higher education institutes - two metropolitan campuses and two regional campuses between October 2014 - February 2015 in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. A sample of 223 final year nursing students undertaking nationally accredited nursing programmes were approached. Each cohort exhibited mild to moderate feelings of Imposter Phenomena. A positive weak correlation between imposter phenomena and preparedness for practice was found. The New Zealand cohort scored higher than both the Australian and UK cohorts on both feelings of imposterism and preparedness for practice. Nursing students possess internalized feelings which suggest their performance and competence once qualified could be compromised. There is some speculation that the respective curriculums may have some bearing on preparing students for registration and beyond. It is recommended that educational programmes designed for this student cohort should be mindful of this internal conflict and potential external hostility. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Turkish Final Year Medical Students' Exposure to and Attitudes Concerning Drug Company Interactions: A Perspective from a Minimally Regulated Environment for Medical Students.

PubMed

Beyhun, Nazim Ercument; Kolayli, Cevriye Ceyda; Can, Gamze; Topbas, Murat

2016-01-01

Interactions between drug companies and medical students may affect evidence-based medical practice and patient safety. The aim of this study was to assess drug company-medical student interactions in a medical faculty where limited specific national or institutional regulations apply between drug companies and medical students. The objectives of the study were to determine the exposure and attitudes of final year medical students in terms of drug company-medical student and physician interactions, to identify factors affecting those attitudes and to provide data for policymakers working on the regulation of interactions between drug companies and medical students. This anonymous questionnaire-based study of 154 medical final year medical students at the Karadeniz Technical University Medical Faculty, Trabzon, Turkey, in April and May 2015 attracted a response rate of 92.2% (n/N, 154/164). Exposure to interaction with a pharmaceutical representative was reported by 90.3% (139/154) of students, and 68.8% (106/154) reported experiencing such interaction alongside a resident. In addition, 83.7% (128/153) of students reported an interaction during internship. Furthermore, 69.9% (107/153) of students agreed that interactions influence physicians' prescription preferences, while 33.1% (51/154) thought that a medical student should never accept a gift from a drug company and 24.7% (38/154) agreed with the proposition that "drug companies should not hold activities in medical faculties". Students with rational prescription training expressed greater agreement with the statement "I am skeptical concerning the information provided by drug companies during interactions" than those who had not received such training, and this finding was supported by logistic regression [O.R.(C.I), p -3.7(1.2-11.5), p = 0.022]. Acceptance of advertisement brochures was found to significantly reduce the level of agreement with the proposition that "A physician should not accept any gift from a drug company." (0.3[0.1-0.9], p = 0.030). In summary, exposure to drug companies was widespread among our final year medical students who, like students in both Western and non-Western societies, hold permissive attitudes concerning accepting gifts, and drug advertising brochures may relax those permissive attitudes still further. Rational prescription training was useful in generating rational attitudes. Policies concerning drug company-medical student relationships should be developed in Turkey as well as internationally.

Active Engagement with Assessment and Feedback Can Improve Group-Work Outcomes and Boost Student Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, G. W.

2017-01-01

This study involves evaluation of a novel iterative group-based learning task developed to enable students to actively engage with assessment and feedback in order to improve the quality of their written work. The students were all in the final semester of their final year of study and enrolled on either BSc Zoology or BSc Marine and Freshwater…

Development of a Flipped Medical School Dermatology Module.

PubMed

Fox, Joshua; Faber, David; Pikarsky, Solomon; Zhang, Chi; Riley, Richard; Mechaber, Alex; O'Connell, Mark; Kirsner, Robert S

2017-05-01

The flipped classroom module incorporates independent study in advance of in-class instructional sessions. It is unproven whether this methodology is effective within a medical school second-year organ system module. We report the development, implementation, and effectiveness of the flipped classroom methodology in a second-year medical student dermatology module at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. In a retrospective cohort analysis, we compared attitudinal survey data and mean scores for a 50-item multiple-choice final examination of the second-year medical students who participated in this 1-week flipped course with those of the previous year's traditional, lecture-based course. Each group comprised nearly 200 students. Students' age, sex, Medical College Admission Test scores, and undergraduate grade point averages were comparable between the flipped and traditional classroom students. The flipped module students' mean final examination score of 92.71% ± 5.03% was greater than that of the traditional module students' 90.92% ± 5.51% ( P < 0.001) score. Three of the five most commonly missed questions were identical between the two cohorts. The majority of students preferred the flipped methodology to attending live lectures or watching previously recorded lectures. The flipped classroom can be an effective instructional methodology for a medical school second-year organ system module.

Cognitive Effects of Two-Year and Four-Year Colleges: Some New Evidence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pascarella, Ernest; And Others

This study investigated the relative freshman-year cognitive impacts of five two-year and six four-year colleges and universities drawn from all sections of the United States. The overall sample was 2,685 freshmen students participating in a national longitudinal study and of these the final sample contained 811 students, 280 attending five…

Barriers for students pursuing a surgical career and where the Surgical Interest Association can intervene.

PubMed

Dolan-Evans, Elliot; Rogers, Gary D

2014-06-01

There are some concerns that medical student interest in surgery is suffering. The aims of this project were to investigate the proportion of medical students interested in surgery from years 1 to 4, explore influential attitudinal and demographic factors, and establish baseline data to study the future effects of the Surgical Interest Association. Students were surveyed through an audience response system in year orientation sessions. For a majority of the analyses, respondents were dichotomized based on expressing an interest in surgery or not. There were no significant differences in the interest students had for a surgical career between medical student year levels in a cross-sectional analysis. However, available longitudinal data demonstrated a significant decrease in surgical interest from first years in 2012 to second years in 2013. Lifestyle, working hours and training length concerns had minimal effects as career influences on students interested in surgery, whereas academic interest and career opportunities were motivating factors in choosing this career. The results suggested no difference between levels of interest from first to final year students in surgery as a career, though only 22% of final year students were interested in surgery. This study also suggested that promoting the academic and scientific side of surgery, along with career opportunities available, may be an important avenue to encourage students into surgery. Future research will investigate the changing interests of students in surgery longitudinally throughout the medical school and to analyse the effects of the Surgical Interest Association. © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Competence for internship: perceptions of final-year medical students.

PubMed

Draper, C E; Louw, G J

2012-07-01

A 'new', problem-based medical curriculum was introduced at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2002. The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of competence for internship and the factors influencing competence of final-year medical students. Eighteen focus groups were conducted (six per year) with UCT final-year medical students in 2007 (n =27), 2008 (n =27), and 2009 (n =30). Guide questions covered student's expectations of internship, perceptions of competence, priorities regarding competence, and factors influencing competence. Participants felt generally positive about and competent to enter internship, and the transition into internship was characterized as having both personal and professional components. Participants identified interpersonal skills, theoretical grounding, and intellectual ability as strengths, and lack of basic science knowledge and certain procedural skills as weaknesses. Factors influencing competence included personal initiative, motivation, and clinical exposure. Curriculum strengths identified were teaching of interpersonal skills and development of students as lifelong learners. The main weaknesses identified were teaching and assessment of basic sciences, and problem-based learning (PBL). Overall, the participants felt generally positive about internship and the 'new' curriculum, and felt generally competent to enter internship. Their responses highlight the role of confidence in the development of competence. These findings highlight the complexities surrounding perceptions of students about competence and views about the content and methodology of the learning. Perceptions of students regarding competence are an important indicator of the attainment of intended curriculum outcomes, and provide valuable information for the improvement of curriculum.

Participating Unequally: Student Experiences at UWC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clowes, Lindsay; Shefer, Tamara; Ngabaza, Sisa

2017-01-01

This paper uses Nancy Fraser's concept of participatory parity to reflect on data gathered by and from third year students in a final year research module in the Women's and Gender Studies Department at the University of the Western Cape in 2015. During the course students developed a research proposal, collected and shared data with other…

Participating in a community of practice as a prerequisite for becoming a nurse - Trajectories as final year nursing students.

PubMed

Thrysoe, Lars; Hounsgaard, Lise; Dohn, Nina Bonderup; Wagner, Lis

2010-11-01

Participating in a community of practice (CoP) is essential for final year nursing students. The article describes the opportunities of student nurses to participate as members of a CoP, and how these opportunities were exploited. Ten students in their final clinical practice were included. Empirical data were generated through participant observation and individual interviews, focusing on the participants' interaction with the staff and were analysed within a phenomenological-hermeneutic framework. The results showed that the students were to a greater or lesser extent participatory in the CoP, depending on what both the students and the members of the staff did to make participation possible. The conclusion is that the students' participation is strengthened by the students and nurses showing interest in getting to know each other professionally and socially and by the students having the opportunity to contribute their knowledge. There must be an awareness of the unfortunate consequence of formalisation of learning in practice which can create a distancing learning space in the informal learning landscape by drawing students out of active participation in community of practice. Depending on the extent to which these aspects are present, participation can become an essential factor in the clinical phase of nursing education. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-Curricular Skills Development in Final-Year Dissertation by Active and Collaborative Methodologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Etaio, Iñaki; Churruca, Itziar; Rada, Diego; Miranda, Jonatan; Saracibar, Amaia; Sarrionandia, Fernando; Lasa, Arrate; Simón, Edurne; Labayen, Idoia; Martinez, Olaia

2018-01-01

European Frame for Higher Education has led universities to adapt their teaching schemes. Degrees must train students in competences including specific and cross-curricular skills. Nevertheless, there are important limitations to follow skill improvement through the consecutive academic years. Final-year dissertation (FYD) offers the opportunity…

Internship workplace preferences of final-year medical students at Zagreb University Medical School, Croatia: all roads lead to Zagreb.

PubMed

Polasek, Ozren; Kolcic, Ivana; Dzakula, Aleksandar; Bagat, Mario

2006-04-01

Human resources management in health often encounters problems related to workforce geographical distribution. The aim of this study was to investigate the internship workplace preferences of final-year medical students and the reasons associated with their choices. A total of 204 out of 240 final-year medical students at Zagreb University Medical School, Croatia, were surveyed a few months before graduation. We collected data on each student's background, workplace preference, academic performance and emigration preferences. Logistic regression was used to analyse the factors underlying internship workplace preference, classified into two categories: Zagreb versus other areas. Only 39 respondents (19.1%) wanted to obtain internships outside Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Gender and age were not significantly associated with internship workplace preference. A single predictor variable significantly contributed to the logistic regression model: students who believed they would not get the desired specialty more often chose Zagreb as a preferred internship workplace (odds ratio 0.32, 95% CI 0.12-0.86). A strong preference for Zagreb as an internship workplace was recorded. Uncertainty about getting the desired specialty was associated with choosing Zagreb as a workplace, possibly due to more extensive and diverse job opportunities.

An integrator final exam at the end of the engineering degrees to evaluate the acquired competences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perdigones, A.; Sánchez, E.; Valiño, V.; Tarquis, A. M.

2010-05-01

In the last decade strong changes in the design of university degrees have occurred in Spain, affecting real competences acquired by graduates. The new degrees often provide students greater freedom in shaping their curriculum which results in many cases in a problem for their training. In engineering degrees of Spain, the final project, that allows to know the integrated skills of the students in engineering subjects, is not compulsory anymore; it can be substituted for other specific types of work that often do not involve skills valued by the companies of the industrial sector. This situation may create doubts about the real competences of the graduates. In the present study, a final exam (voluntary) has been carried out during three years to assess competences in engineering students in the last course of the degree in agricultural engineering (diploma of five years) and agricultural technical engineering (diploma of three years) at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain). They took part 132 students in the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. The exam had a common format, with three parts assessing skills in construction, machinery and electrical installations. The results showed the evolution in the training of students, and the relationship between skills acquired and late differences in the learning process. The most important conclusions were that the attainment levels was lower than expected, but generally consistent with the training received by each group of students. In particular, the low number of hours of subjects in electrical installations in certain groups of students was evident when evaluating the skills acquired. The results indicated that they aim to increase the number of hours in certain subjects and groups of students, if a graduate is to get qualified. The authors recommend an examination similar to the raised, integrator type, in all programs that do not have any overall final assessment in order to conduct a quality control of graduates; this approach has the advantage that graduates may also obtain an additional final certificate with their level of competences towards their future professional work.

Standing on the Precipice: Evaluating Final-Year Physiotherapy Students' Perspectives of Their Curriculum as Preparation for Primary Health Care Practice

PubMed Central

O'Donoghue, Grainne; Doody, Catherine; O'Neill, Geraldine; Barrett, Terry; Cusack, Tara

2016-01-01

Purpose: To explore final-year physiotherapy students' perceptions of primary health care practice to determine (1) aspects of their curriculum that support their learning, (2) deficiencies in their curriculum, and (3) areas that they believe should be changed to adequately equip them to make the transition from student to primary health care professional. Methods: Framework analysis methodology was used to analyze group opinion obtained using structured group feedback sessions. Sixty-eight final-year physiotherapy students from the four higher education institutions in Ireland participated. Results: The students identified several key areas that (1) supported their learning (exposure to evidence-based practice, opportunities to practise with problem-based learning, and interdisciplinary learning experiences); (2) were deficient (primary health care placements, additional active learning sessions, and further education and practice opportunities for communication and health promotion), and (3) required change (practice placements in primary health care, better curriculum organization to accommodate primary health care throughout the programme with the suggestion of a specific primary health care module). Conclusion: This study provides important insights into physiotherapy students' perceptions of primary health care. It also provides important indicators of the curriculum changes needed to increase graduates' confidence in their ability to take up employment in primary health care. PMID:27909366

Antimicrobial knowledge and confidence amongst final year medical students in Australia

PubMed Central

Weier, Naomi; Thursky, Karin

2017-01-01

Introduction Inappropriate use of antimicrobials is one of the major modifiable contributors to antimicrobial resistance. There is currently no validated survey tool available to assess knowledge and confidence of medical students in infectious diseases (ID) compared to other diseases states, and little is known about this topic. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey of final year medical students attending universities around Australia was conducted between August and September, 2015. A survey unique from other published studies was developed to survey satisfaction in education, confidence and knowledge in ID, and how this compared to these factors in cardiovascular diseases. Results Reliability and validity was demonstrated in the survey tool used. Students were more likely to rate university education as sufficient for cardiovascular diseases (91.3%) compared to ID (72.5%), and were more confident in their knowledge of cardiovascular diseases compared to ID (74.38% vs. 53.76%). Students tended to answer more cardiovascular disease related clinical questions correctly (mean score 78%), compared to questions on antimicrobial use (mean score 45%). Conclusions Poor knowledge and confidence amongst final year medical students in Australia were observed in ID. Antimicrobial stewardship agenda should include the provision of additional training in antimicrobial prescribing to the future medical workforce. PMID:28771549

Knowledge of primary health care and career choice at primary health care settings among final year medical students - challenges to human resources for health in Vietnam.

PubMed

Giang, Kim Bao; Minh, Hoang Van; Hien, Nguyen Van; Ngoc, Nguyen Minh; Hinh, Nguyen Duc

2015-01-01

There is a shortage of medical doctors in primary health care (PHC) settings in Vietnam. Evidence about the knowledge medical students have about PHC and their career decision-making is important for making policy in human resources for health. The objective of this study was to analyse knowledge and attitudes about PHC among medical students in their final year and their choice to work in PHC after graduation. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 final year general medical students from Hanoi Medical University. Self-administered interviews were conducted. Key variables were knowledge, awareness of the importance of PHC and PHC career choices. Descriptive and analytic statistics were performed. Students had essential knowledge of the concept and elements of PHC and were well aware of its importance. However, only one-third to one half of them valued PHC with regard to their professional development or management opportunities. Less than 1% of students would work at commune or district health facilities after graduation. This study evidences challenges related to increasing the number of medical doctors working in PHC settings. Immediate and effective interventions are needed to make PHC settings more attractive and to encourage medical graduates to start and continue a career in PHC.

A Study of a Two Hour Time Block in Industrial Education. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gearhart, Robert E.; McMillen, Stephen

Hypotheses of a study of two-hour as opposed to three-hour training blocks for industrial vocational education students were as follows: (1) Achievement of students in a two-hour block for three years will be equal to that of students in a three-hour block for two years, (2) student attitudes toward themselves, school, and the world of work will…

Utilization and value of personal digital assistants on an epidemiology final examination.

PubMed

Lawler, Frank H; Cacy, Jim

2005-01-01

The utility of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in basic science medical education is uncertain. Student outcomes on an epidemiology course final examination for academic years 2003 and 2004 were examined. Students were given permission to use PDAs on the final examination, and self-selected whether these instruments were used. Performance on the examination based on use of a PDA and whether students thought it was useful for the examination was compared. A total of 389 students took the final examination, with an 88% response rate to the survey questions. No statistically significant differences were found on final examination scores. No trends toward significance were found on analyses of the total examination, specific topical domains, or on specific questions where a PDA might be expected to be especially useful. From this study, it can be concluded that use of PDAs and whether students thought they might be helpful had no measurable effect on performance on an epidemiology final examination. Further delineation of the possible use of PDAs in a basic science course and on the final examination is indicated.

Patient safety competence for final-year health professional students: Perceptions of effectiveness of an interprofessional education course.

PubMed

Hwang, Jee-In; Yoon, Tai-Young; Jin, Hyeon-Jeong; Park, Yikyun; Park, Ju-Young; Lee, Beom-Joon

2016-11-01

As final-year medical and nursing students will soon play key roles in frontline patient care, their preparedness for safe, reliable care provision is of special importance. We assessed patient safety competencies of final-year health profession students, and the effect of a 1-day patient safety education programme on these competencies. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 233 students in three colleges of medicine, nursing, and traditional medicine in Seoul. A before-and-after study followed to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. Patient safety competency was measured using the Health-Professional Education for Patients Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) and an objective patient safety knowledge test. The mean scores were 3.4 and 1.7 out of 5.0, respectively. The communication domain was rated the highest and the teamwork domain was rated the lowest. H-PEPSS scores significantly differed between the students from three colleges. The 1-day patient safety education curriculum significantly improved H-PEPSS and knowledge test scores. These results indicated that strengthening patient safety competencies, especially teamwork, of students is required in undergraduate healthcare curricula. A 1-day interprofessional patient safety education programme may be a promising strategy. The findings suggest that interprofessional patient safety education needs to be implemented as a core undergraduate course to improve students' safety competence.

Subinternship in Radiology - A Practical Start to the Specialization?

PubMed

Kasch, R; Wirkner, J; Hosten, N; Hinz, P; Napp, M; Kessler, R

2016-11-01

Purpose: To identify factors influencing medical students to choose radiology in the four-month clinical elective in the final year of medical school following radiology subinternships. Materials and Methods: A subsample of medical students in a nationwide German online survey evaluated a subinternship in radiology (19 items). They were divided into four groups: Students who could imagine doing a clinical elective in radiology in the practical year based on their experiences during the subinternship ("yes, based on subinternship"), students who could not ("no, based on subinternship") and students who had made this decision prior to the subinternship ("yes, prior to subinternship" and "no, prior to subinternship"). Results: 94 medical students evaluated a radiology subinternship (54.4 % females). Based on their experiences during the subinternship, 54 students (57.4 %) intended to do a final year clinical elective in radiology, 39 of them (41.5 %) being encouraged by the subinternship. 40 (42.6 %) reported having a negative attitude towards a clinical elective in radiology, 16 of them (17.0 %) having made this decision based on their subinternship experience. Groups did not differ regarding gender (p = 0.396) and age (p = 0.853). Students motivated to do a final year clinical elective in radiology experienced excellent academic teaching (p = 0.001) and practical involvement (p = 0.003), achieved their learning goals more often (p = 0.001), were better integrated into the team (p = 0.001), and acquired more practical skills (p = 0.003). Overall satisfaction was higher in these groups (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Satisfaction with a radiology subinternship is crucial for motivating medical students to do a final year clinical elective in radiology. A structured subinternship and continuous mentoring should be targeted to keep students connected to radiology. Key Points: • Radiology subinternships influence further interest in the specialization.• The quality and structure of teaching critically influence student satisfaction.• Team integration and practical involvement positively affect the attitude towards a specialization. Citation Format: • Kasch R, Wirkner J, Hosten N et al. Subinternship in Radiology - A Practical Start to the Specialization? Fortschr Röntgenstr 2016; 188: 1024 - 1030. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Attitudes of final-year dental students to bleaching of vital and non-vital teeth in Cardiff, Cork, and Malmö.

PubMed

Hatherell, S; Lynch, C D; Burke, F M; Ericson, D; Gilmour, A S M

2011-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine attitudes of final-year dental students in Cardiff, Cork and Malmö towards tooth whitening. Following receipt of ethical approval, pre-piloted questionnaires were distributed to final-year dental students in Cork, Cardiff, and Malmö as close as possible to graduation. The questionnaire sought information relating to various opinions and attitudes towards the use of bleaching techniques including safety of bleaching, confidence in the provision of bleaching, recommendations to patients, teaching received, awareness of restrictions on the use of bleaching products and management of simulated clinical scenarios. Eighty three per cent (n = 116) of questionnaires were returned. Cork dental students had the most didactic teaching (2-h vital, 1-h non-vital bleaching) compared to Cardiff or Malmö students (0 h each). More Cork students regarded bleaching as safe (76%, n = 28) than Cardiff (70%, n = 32) or Malmö (36%, n = 12) students. More than 50% of Cork students feel they know enough about bleaching to provide it in practice, significantly more than Cardiff (< 25%) or Malmö (< 25%) students. The majority of students would provide vital bleaching after qualification (100% (n = 37) Cork; 82% (n = 27) Malmö; 76% (n = 35) Cardiff). In simulated clinical scenarios, more Cork students would propose bleaching treatments (89%n = 33) than Malmö (64%n = 21) or Cardiff (48%n= 22) students. Variations exist in the attitudes and approaches of three European dental schools towards bleaching. Dental students need to be best prepared to meet the needs of their future patients. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Cueing Metacognition to Improve Researching and Essay Writing in a Final Year High School Biology Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conner, L. N.

2007-03-01

This paper reports on degrees of awareness and use of specific metacognitive strategies by 16 students in a final-year high school biology class in New Zealand. The aims of the intervention were to broaden students' thinking about bioethical issues associated with cancer and to enhance students' use of metacognition. Cues and prompts were used in this unit of work to help students use metacognitive strategies since students did not generally use metacognitive strategies spontaneously. Scaffolding was mediated through the teacher modelling, questioning, cueing or prompting students to evaluate their learning. The research reported here illustrates how teachers can cue students to be more self-directed in their learning. Three case studies illustrate how learning strategies were used differentially. Most students were aware of strategies that could help them to learn more effectively. It was found that those students who were not only aware of but also used strategies to plan, monitor and evaluate their work, produced essays of higher quality.

Information Technology Team Projects in Higher Education: An International Viewpoint

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Kathy; Heinze, Aleksej; Scott, Elsje

2007-01-01

It is common to find final or near final year undergraduate Information Technology students undertaking a substantial development project; a project where the students have the opportunity to be fully involved in the analysis, design, and development of an information technology service or product. This involvement has been catalyzed and prepared…

An Investigation of the Compensatory Effectiveness of Assistive Technology on Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Harry; Higgins, Eleanor

This final report describes the activities and accomplishments of a 3-year study on the compensatory effectiveness of three assistive technologies, optical character recognition, speech synthesis, and speech recognition, on postsecondary students (N=140) with learning disabilities. These technologies were investigated relative to: (1) immediate…

CBSS Outreach Project: Computer-Based Study Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson-Inman, Lynne; Ditson, Mary

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the four-year Computer-Based Study Strategies (CBSS) Outreach Project at the University of Oregon. This project disseminated information about using computer-based study strategies as an intervention for students with learning disabilities and provided teachers in participating outreach…

Secondary School Students' Construction and Use of Mathematical Models in Solving Word Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llinares, Salvador; Roig, Ana Isabel

2008-01-01

This study focussed on how secondary school students construct and use mathematical models as conceptual tools when solving word problems. The participants were 511 secondary-school students who were in the final year of compulsory education (15-16 years old). Four levels of the development of constructing and using mathematical models were…

Arts, literature and reflective writing as educational strategies to promote narrative reasoning capabilities among physiotherapy students.

PubMed

Caeiro, Carmen; Cruz, Eduardo Brazete; Pereira, Carla Mendes

2014-11-01

The use of arts, literature and reflective writing has becoming increasingly popular in health professionals education. However, research examining its contribution as an educational strategy to promote narrative reasoning capabilities is limited, particularly from the students' perspective. This study aimed to explore the final year physiotherapy students' perspectives about the contribution of arts, literature and reflective writing in facilitating narrative reasoning capabilities. Three focus group meetings using a semi-structured interview schedule were carried out to collect data. Focus group sessions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to conduct the study and analyze the transcripts. Three themes emerged: (1) developmental understanding of the patients' experiences; (2) developmental understanding about the self; and (3) embedding reflection in clinical practice. Students emphasized an increasing capability to be sensitive and vicariously experience the patient's experience. Through reflective writing, students reported they became more capable of thinking critically about their practice and learning needs for continuous professional development. Finally, students highlighted the contribution of these strategies in making reflection part of their practice. Final year physiotherapy students reported enhanced skills of narrative reasoning. The findings support the inclusion of these strategies within the undergraduate physiotherapy curricula.

Final-year diagnostic radiography students' perception of role models within the profession.

PubMed

Conway, Alinya; Lewis, Sarah; Robinson, John

2008-01-01

Within a clinical education setting, the value of role models and prescribed mentors can be seen as an important influence in shaping the student's future as a diagnostic radiographer. A study was undertaken to create a new understanding of how diagnostic radiography students perceive role models and professional behavior in the workforce. The study aimed to determine the impact of clinical education in determining modeling expectations, role model identification and attributes, and the integration of academic education and "hands-on" clinical practice in preparing diagnostic radiography students to enter the workplace. Thirteen final-year (third-year) diagnostic radiography students completed an hour-long interview regarding their experiences and perceptions of role models while on clinical placement. The key concepts that emerged illustrated that students gravitate toward radiographers who enjoy sharing practical experiences with students and are good communicators. Unique to diagnostic radiography, students made distinctions about the presence of role models in private versus public service delivery. This study gives insight to clinical educators in diagnostic radiography and wider allied health into how students perceive role models, interact with preceptors, and combine real-life experiences with formal learning.

Understanding and perceptions of final-year Doctor of Pharmacy students about generic medicines in Karachi, Pakistan: a quantitative insight

PubMed Central

Jamshed, Shazia Qasim; Ibrahim, Mohamad Izham Mohamad; Hassali, Mohamad Azmi; Sharrad, Adheed Khalid; Shafie, Asrul Akmal; Babar, Zaheer-Ud-Din

2015-01-01

General objective To evaluate the understanding and perceptions of generic medicines among final-year Doctor of Pharmacy students in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods A 23-item survey instrument that included a question on the bioequivalence limits and Likert-type scale questions regarding the understanding and perceptions of generic medicines among the students was executed. Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.62. Results Responses were obtained from 236 final-year Doctor of Pharmacy students (n=85 from a publicly funded institute; n=151 from a privately funded institute). When comparing a brand-name medicine to a generic medicine, pharmacy students scored poorly on bioequivalence limits. More than 80% of the students incorrectly answered that all the products that are rated as generic equivalents are therapeutically equivalent to each other (P<0.04). Half of the students agreed that a generic medicine is bioequivalent to the brand-name medicine (P<0.001). With regard to quality, effectiveness, and safety, more than 75% of the students disagreed that generic medicines are of inferior quality and are less effective than brand-name medicines (P<0.001). More than 50% of the students disagreed that generic medicines produce more side effects than brand-name medicines (P<0.001). Conclusion The current study identified a positive perception toward generic medicines but also gaps in the understanding of generic medicines. Pharmacy students lacked a thorough understanding of the concepts of bioequivalence. Pharmacy academia should address these issues, which will help build confidence in generic medicines and increase the generic medicine use in Pakistan. PMID:26028981

Knowledge of tuberculosis management using directly observed treatment short course therapy among final year medical students in South Western Nigeria.

PubMed

Olakunle, Olarewaju Sunday; Oladimeji, Olanrewaju; Olalekan, Adebimpe Wasiu; Olugbenga-Bello, Adenike; Akinleye, Callistus; Oluwatoyin, Olarewaju Abiodun

2014-01-01

Equipping medical graduates with the competence to manage tuberculosis is not just imperative but also urgent as the diseases have been consistently listed as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. However, there were no baseline studies done on knowledge of final year medical students on various aspects of TB diagnosis and management under directly observed treatment short course therapy (DOTS) which forms the basis of this study. A total of 241 final year medical students from three medical colleges in Nigeria were interviewed. The questions assessed their knowledge about various modes of transmission, symptoms and management of tuberculosis under DOTS. More than half of the respondents (i.e. 69%) had poor knowledge on TB disease. Only 33.6% mentioned sputum smear as the best tool of diagnosing TB according to guideline. Poor knowledge was also exhibited when asked of various categories under DOTS treatment regimen, as 46.1% correctly mentioned cat 1 and 2. Minority 18.7% and 6.7% had complete knowledge of 6 months duration for new TB cases and 8 months for re-treatment cases respectively. Less than one tenth, i.e. 4.6% and 2.9% could correctly defined what is called a new TB case and re-treatment cases according to standard guideline. The study reveals gross inadequacies in TB knowledge and management practices among Nigerian final year medical students. There is urgent need for incorporation of National TB guideline into existing undergraduate medical education curriculum as well as students rotation through activities in DOTS clinic.

Experience and confidence of final year veterinary students in performing desexing surgeries.

PubMed

Gates, M C; Odom, T F; Sawicki, R K

2018-07-01

To describe the level of experience and confidence of veterinary students in performing canine and feline desexing procedures at the end of their final clinical year. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with veterinary students at Massey University in November 2017 after completion of their final clinical year. The questions included career plans after graduation, number of assisted and unassisted desexing procedures performed, approximate time to complete desexing surgeries, level of confidence with different aspects of desexing surgeries, what aspects of their desexing surgery training were most helpful, and what could be done to improve training in desexing surgical skills in veterinary school. The survey was completed by 70/95 (74%) students in their final clinical year. Among respondents, 55/70 (70%) had performed >2 unassisted feline neuters before graduation. However 38/70 (54%) students had never performed an unassisted feline spay, 31/70 (44%) had never performed an unassisted canine neuter, and 44/70 (63%) students had never performed an unassisted canine spay. The median reported times to complete a feline neuter, feline spay, canine neuter, and canine spay were 9, 40, 30 and 60 minutes, respectively. The median level of confidence for these procedures were 9, 6, 7 and 5 (on a scale from 1=least confident to 10=most confident), respectively. The reported time to complete procedures and the confidence in performing procedures did not change markedly with increasing total number of procedures performed. Students were most concerned about their ability to perform the desexing procedures in a reasonable amount of time and to prevent post-operative bleeding from occurring. Students were least concerned with their ability to manage post-operative pain in patients and to select the appropriate suture material. Free-text comments revealed that 62/70 (89%) students wanted more hands-on surgical experience prior to graduation. Many students are currently completing veterinary school with limited experience and low confidence with performing routine canine and feline desexing procedures. Further research is needed to identify the most effective ways for addressing this issue within the constraints of the veterinary curriculum and teaching hospital resources.

Career choices of today's medical students: where does surgery rank?

PubMed

Boyle, E; Healy, D; Hill, A D K; O'Connell, P R; Kerin, M; McHugh, S; Coyle, P; Kelly, J; Walsh, S R; Coffey, J C

2013-09-01

The national junior doctor recruitment crisis prompts an appraisal of medical student attitudes to different career pathways. The purpose of this study was to perform a national review of surgical career intentions of Irish final year medical students. Ethical and institutional approval was obtained at each study location. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to final year students. Domains assessed included demographics, career plans and reasons associated. Anonymised responses were collated and evaluated. Categorical data were compared with Fisher's exact test. Responses were obtained from 342 students in four medical schools of whom 78.6% were undergraduates. Over half (53%) were Irish, with Malaysia, Canada and the USA the next most common countries of origin. Only 18% of students intended to pursue surgery, with 60% stating they did not plan to, and 22% undecided. Of those who plan not to pursue surgery, 28% were unsure about a speciality but the most common choices were medicine (39%), general practice (16%) and paediatrics (8%). Reasons for not picking a career in surgery included long hours and the unstructured career path. Suggestions to improve uptake included earlier and more practical exposure to surgery, improved teaching/training and reduction in working hours. In this study 18% of final year medical students identified surgery as their chosen career pathway. Although lifestyle factors are significant in many students' decision, perceived quality and duration of surgical training were also relevant and are modifiable factors which, if improved could increase interest in surgery as a career.

Preparedness of final-year Turkish nursing students for work as a professional nurse.

PubMed

Güner, Perihan

2015-03-01

To determine the preparedness levels of final-year Turkish nursing students starting their careers as professional nurses. The transition from nursing student to professional nurse is challenging. One of the ways to help facilitate this transition is to determine how well students are prepared to start work. There are limited, but conflicting, results on this topic. Mixed-methods study. Undergraduate nursing students (n = 4490) in their final year of study from 74 Turkish universities were eligible to participate in this study. Of these, 1804 total students participated from 38 randomly selected universities. Data were collected through an investigator-developed questionnaire (n = 1804) and focus group interviews (n = 57). Students felt highly prepared to start work (57·6%). Those who were older, male, graduates of a vocational high school or already working as a nurse felt most prepared. Students who felt that their education preparation and resources were adequate felt more prepared. Focus group interviews revealed that students felt confident in their knowledge of educational theory, but not in clinical skills. Students may have felt prepared to start work, but insufficient clinical experience probably contributed to a lack of confidence in their skills. The resources of the school, the quality of the education, and the clinical practice environments were considered most important for the students' perceived preparedness levels. An undergraduate education provides the foundation for successful nurse preparation. A good clinical environment along with a high-quality education programme can help give students more confidence in their skills when they join the nursing workforce. Internship or residency programmes may also facilitate this learning. This is extremely important for safe, high-quality patient care. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gender as a variable in the assessment of final year degree-level communication skills.

PubMed

Wiskin, Connie M D; Allan, Teresa F; Skelton, John R

2004-02-01

To investigate possible bias due to gender combination of students, role players and examiners in a high-stakes assessment. Valid oral interactive contextualized examinations (VOICEs) is a long-station OSCE-style exam in general practice (GP). At the time of writing it consisted of 65% of the student's final GP mark. In the VOICE, students undertake six tasks--four vivas and two role-plays. "Patient" roles are taken by professional role players who work regularly on the undergraduate curriculum. During the role-play, the student's clinical competence is assessed by an observing GP examiner. The communication skills marks are awarded by the role player and the examiner together, by negotiation. Data have been recorded detailing the role player's initial marks, the examiner's initial marks and their final (awarded) agreed marks for 1024 consultations. 512 final year medical students, 28 role players and 48 examiners. There were no inclusion or exclusion criteria. All those present on exam day became part of the data. There was a significant relationship between gender and performance for some, but not all, stations. Correlations for multiple comparisons removed the significance. Female students perform better across the board than male students. While not always significant, this did affect grading. There was no significant association between the genders of role players and examiners with the question choices. There has been a significant worsening of male results since 1999. Differences exist in the way that pairs of mixed or single genders score students.

Intercalated degrees, learning styles, and career preferences: prospective longitudinal study of UK medical students

PubMed Central

McManus, I C; Richards, P; Winder, B C

1999-01-01

Objectives To assess the effects of taking an intercalated degree (BSc) on the study habits and learning styles of medical students and on their interest in a career in medical research. Design Longitudinal questionnaire study of medical students at application to medical school and in their final year. Setting All UK medical schools. Participants 6901 medical school applicants for admission in 1991 were studied in the autumn of 1990. 3333 entered medical school in 1991 or 1992, and 2695 who were due to qualify in 1996 or 1997 were studied 3 months before the end of their clinical course. Response rates were 92% for applicants and 56% for final year students. Main outcome measures Study habits (surface, deep, and strategic learning style) and interest in different medical careers, including medical research. Identical questions were used at time of application and in final year. Results Students who had taken an intercalated degree had higher deep and strategic learning scores than at application to medical school. Those with highest degree classes had higher strategic and deep learning scores and lower surface learning scores. Students taking intercalated degrees showed greater interest in careers in medical research and laboratory medicine and less interest in general practice than their peers. The effects of the course on interest in medical research and learning styles were independent. The effect of the intercalated degree was greatest in schools where relatively few students took intercalated degrees. Conclusions Intercalated degrees result in a greater interest in research careers and higher deep and strategic learning scores. However, the effects are much reduced in schools where most students intercalate a degree. Introduction of intercalated degrees for all medical students without sufficient resources may not therefore achieve its expected effects. Key messagesAlthough intercalated degrees are well established, little is known about their effect on medical studentsIn this longitudinal study final year students who had taken intercalated degree were more interested in medical research, and had higher deep and strategic learning style scores than other studentsThe effects of the intercalated degree were dose dependent, being greatest in those gaining a first class degreeThe effects of the intercalated degree were greatest in medical schools where a relatively small proportion of medical students took the degree.Differences between medical schools are most easily explained by resource dilution PMID:10463892

Pilot for Alaska Students with Deaf-Blindness: Inclusion in Regular Classrooms (PALS). Final Performance Report, October 1, 1992 to September 30, 1995.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, DiAnn; Maiuri, Fran

This final report describes a pilot 3-year project in Alaska to include children with deaf-blindness in regular classrooms. The project established and supported two pilot sites for inclusion of students with deaf-blindness, one urban and one rural. As a result of the project, three out of four pilot site students moved from self-contained special…

Physiotherapy students' experiences of bullying on clinical internships: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Stubbs, Brendon; Soundy, Andy

2013-06-01

To consider the prevalence and type of bullying behaviours experienced whilst on clinical placement in a cohort of final-year BSc undergraduate students. Cross-sectional survey. University in the West Midlands, UK. Fifty-two final-year undergraduate students. Prevalence of incivility and bullying behaviours. Twenty-five percent of students reported at least one incident of bullying behaviour. The perpetrator of the bullying behaviour was most often the clinical educator (8/13, 62%). Despite the negative effects caused, the majority of students (11/13, 84%) did not report this experience to the university. Bullying behaviour may take many forms and can have a negative effect on the well-being of students. It should be addressed by all stakeholders including universities, National Health Service trusts and researchers. Possible strategies to move forwards and better protect the future of the physiotherapy profession are briefly considered. Copyright © 2013 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Views of final-year medical students at Damascus University about clinical skills acquired before graduation].

PubMed

Alourfi, Z; Hassan, R El Sayed; Koudsi, A

2012-06-01

Medical education in Syrian universities is facing many challenges that may affect the quality of the education and the standard of graduates. We therefore conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administrated questionnaire with 76 items to investigate the perceptions of 290 final-year medical students regarding the confidence of performing some core clinical skills. A total of 271 responded (response rate 93.4%). Student responses differed. While confidence was highest for skills that do not require practice in the clinical skills laboratory, it was low for skills that need training in emergency and intensive care units, or when students were participating in patient care with partial responsibility. Our findings confirm the need for effective clinical laboratory training, student participation in emergency room shifts, and that students to be allowed to take some egree of responsibility.

Who will be the Radiologists of Tomorrow? A survey of radiology during the "Practical Year" in Germany.

PubMed

Dettmer, Sabine; Fischer, Volkhard; Paeßens, Carolin; Meyer, Simone; Wacker, Frank K; Rodt, Thomas

2017-10-01

Purpose  Aim of our study was to evaluate the motivation of medical students in their final year of medical school to choose radiology for further specialization by means of a Germany-wide survey. Materials and Methods  The survey was performed during the 2015/16 semester among German medical students in their four months radiology elective during the final year. Invitations for the study were distributed by the Student Secretariats of each university. The survey was web-based with EvaSys 7.0 software. Questions on radiology contents during medical studies and "practical year" were part of the survey. Plans for residency and possible advantages and disadvantages of radiology as medical specialty were inquired. Descriptive statistics and group comparisons were used as analysis methods. Results  89 students participated in the survey at the beginning and 60 students at the end of the practical year. Of these 39 students could be identified who answered both questionnaires. Most students were satisfied with their final year radiology elective (mean 1.8 on a range from 1 to 5). Nevertheless, they criticized mentoring during routine work (mean 2.1) and a lack of educational courses (mean 2.1). Most students (83 %) were uncertain about their residency choice at the beginning of their "practical year" and about one fifth changed their plans. From the students' point of view main advantages of radiology included contact with many other clinical disciplines (87 %) and the working conditions (68 %). The reduced patient contact (42 %), the large amount of work at a computer (43 %), and the dependency on referring physicians (42 %) were regarded as the main disadvantages. The students regarded the way radiology is taught during the studies as not practical enough. With regard to radiology the majority of students (63 %) felt poorly prepared for their future work. Conclusion  The "practical year" is important regarding the choice of future specialization. There was a high degree of satisfaction with the "practical year" in radiology. The mentoring during routine work and a lack of educational courses was mildly criticized. These factors provide room for improvement to foster students' interest in radiology. Key Points   · The "practical year" is important regarding the choice of further specialization.. · Criticisms of radiology in the "practical year" were mentoring and courses.. · Students feel poorly prepared for their future work regarding practical radiological skills.. Citation Format · Dettmer S, Fischer V, Paeßens C et al. Who will be the Radiologists of Tomorrow? A survey of radiology during the "Practical Year" in Germany. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2017; 189: 967 - 976. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Australian health professions student use of social media.

PubMed

Usher, Kim; Woods, Cindy; Casellac, Evan; Glass, Nel; Wilson, Rhonda; Mayner, Lidia; Jackson, Debra; Brown, Janie; Duffy, Elaine; Mather, Carey; Cummings, Elizabeth; Irwin, Pauletta

2014-01-01

Increased bandwidth, broadband network availability and improved functionality have enhanced the accessibility and attractiveness of social media. The use of the Internet by higher education students has markedly increased. Social media are already used widely across the health sector but little is currently known of the use of social media by health profession students in Australia. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore health profession students' use of social media and their media preferences for sourcing information. An electronic survey was made available to health profession students at ten participating universities across most Australian states and territories. Respondents were 637 first year students and 451 final year students. The results for first and final year health profession students indicate that online media is the preferred source of information with only 20% of students nominating traditional peer-reviewed journals as a preferred information source. In addition, the results indicate that Facebook usage was high among all students while use of other types of social media such as Twitter remains comparatively low. As health profession students engage regularly with social media, and this use is likely to grow rather than diminish, educational institutions are challenged to consider the use of social media as a validated platform for learning and teaching.

Students' motivation to study dentistry in Malaysia: an analysis using confirmatory factor analysis.

PubMed

Musa, Muhd Firdaus Che; Bernabé, Eduardo; Gallagher, Jennifer E

2015-06-12

Malaysia has experienced a significant expansion of dental schools over the past decade. Research into students' motivation may inform recruitment and retention of the future dental workforce. The objectives of this study were to explore students' motivation to study dentistry and whether that motivation varied by students' and school characteristics. All 530 final-year students in 11 dental schools (6 public and 5 private) in Malaysia were invited to participate at the end of 2013. The self-administered questionnaire, developed at King's College London, collected information on students' motivation to study dentistry and demographic background. Responses on students' motivation were collected using five-point ordinal scales. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the underlying structure of students' motivation to study dentistry. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare factor scores for overall motivation and sub-domains by students' and school characteristics. Three hundred and fifty-six final-year students in eight schools (all public and two private) participated in the survey, representing an 83% response rate for these schools and 67% of all final-year students nationally. The majority of participants were 24 years old (47%), female (70%), Malay (56%) and from middle-income families (41%) and public schools (78%). CFA supported a model with five first-order factors (professional job, healthcare and people, academic, careers advising and family and friends) which were linked to a single second-order factor representing overall students' motivation. Academic factors and healthcare and people had the highest standardized factor loadings (0.90 and 0.71, respectively), suggesting they were the main motivation to study dentistry. MANOVA showed that students from private schools had higher scores for healthcare and people than those in public schools whereas Malay students had lower scores for family and friends than those from minority ethnic groups. No differences were found by age, sex, family income and school type. Using CFA, this study shows that academic factors were the main motivation to study dentistry in this group of Malaysian students. There were also variations in students' motivation by students' ethnicity and school sector but not by other factors.

Mode of Entry as a Predictor of Success in Final Year Bachelor of Education Degree Examinations in Universities in Ekiti and Ondo States, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adeyemi, T. O.

2009-01-01

This paper investigates the mode of entry as a predictor of success in final year bachelor of education degree examinations in universities in Ekiti and Ondo States, Nigeria. As an ex-post facto and correlational research, the study population comprised all the 1810 final year 400 level students in the two universities offering education courses,…

Can paediatric medical students devise a satisfactory standard of examination for their colleagues?

PubMed

Cunningham, S

1999-06-01

To determine what standard paediatric medical students would set for examining their peers and how that would compare with the university standard. Single blinded computer marked examination with questionnaire. University medical school. Medical students during their final paediatric attachment. Medical students asked to derive 10, five branch negatively marked multiple choice questions (MCQs) to a standard that would fail those without sufficient knowledge. Each 10 were then assessed by another student as to the degree of difficulty and the relevance to paediatrics. One year later student peers sat a mock MCQ examination derived from a random 40 questions (unaware that the mock MCQs had been derived by peers). Comparison of marks obtained in mock and final MCQ examinations; student perception of the standard in the two examinations assessed by questionnaire. 44 students derived 439 questions, of which 83% were considered an appropriate standard by a classmate. One year later 62 students sat the mock examination. Distribution of marks was better in the mock MCQ examination than the final MCQ examination. Students considered the mock questions to be a more appropriate standard (72% v 31%) and the topics more relevant (88% v 64%) to paediatric medical students. Questions were of a similar clarity in both examinations (73% v 78%). Students in this study were able to derive an examination of a satisfactory standard for their peers. Involvement of students in deriving examination standards may give them a better appreciation of how standards should be set and maintained.

Developing integrated clinical reasoning competencies in dental students using scaffolded case-based learning - empirical evidence.

PubMed

Postma, T C; White, J G

2016-08-01

This study provides empirical evidence of the development of integrated clinical reasoning in the discipline-based School of Dentistry, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Students were exposed to case-based learning in comprehensive patient care (CPC) in the preclinical year of study, scaffolded by means of the four-component instructional design model for complex learning. Progress test scores of third- to fifth-year dental students, who received case-based teaching and learning in the third year (2009-2011), were compared to the scores of preceding fourth- and fifth-year cohorts. These fourth- and fifth-year cohorts received content-based teaching concurrently with their clinical training in CPC. The progress test consisted of a complex case study and 32 MCQs on tracer conditions. Students had to gather the necessary information and had to make diagnostic and treatment-planning decisions. Preclinical students who participated in the case-based teaching and learning achieved similar scores compared to final-year students who received lecture-based teaching and learning. Final-year students who participated in the case-based learning made three more correct clinical decisions per student, compared to those who received content-based teaching. Students struggled more with treatment-planning than with diagnostic decisions. The scaffolded case-based learning appears to contribute to accurate clinical decisions when compared to lecture-based teaching. It is suggested that the development of integrated reasoning competencies starts as early as possible in a dental curriculum, perhaps even in the preclinical year of study. Treatment-planning should receive particular attention. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Impact Assessment of a Department-Wide Science Education Initiative Using Students' Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Francis

2017-01-01

Evaluating major post-secondary education improvement projects involves multiple perspectives, including students' perceptions of their experiences. In the final year of a seven-year department-wide science education initiative, we asked students in 48 courses to rate the extent to which each of 39 teaching or learning strategies helped them learn…

Leading Change in Reading for Young Adolescents: What Is Happening in New Zealand?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Jo; Nicholas, Karen

2017-01-01

Effective school leadership in supporting outcomes for all students is critical. This study focuses on six New Zealand principals as they endeavour to make a difference to reading outcomes for 11 to 13 year-old students. In New Zealand, there are approximately 20% of students who are underachieving in reading. Once they reach the final years of…

A Quantitative Correlational Study of the Interaction between Assignment Response Times and Online Students' Final Grades and Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrites, Taralynn Wells

2017-01-01

This quantitative correlational study included an investigation of potential factors effecting high attrition rates in postsecondary online courses. Online learner-instructor interaction was examined by assessing instructor response times (RTs), student satisfaction, and final course grades at an online two-year postsecondary institution. A sample…

Georgia Deaf-Blind Pilot Project: Project EPIC. Final Report. Optional Pilot Projects for Children with Deaf-Blindness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgia State Dept. of Education, Atlanta.

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of Project EPIC (Effective Partner Interaction in the Community), a 3-year federally supported project in Georgia to facilitate the establishment and implementation of effective educational practices with students having deaf-blindness. The project was designed to expand students' present…

PROJECT PATS: "Potentially Academically Talented Students." Final Technical Report, 10/1/80-6/30/82.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfeffer, J. S.; And Others

The final report describes a 2-year pilot project to identify and program for disadvantaged potentially gifted students in grades 5-8. Two goals of the program are stated: (1) to establish a working partnership among public and nonpublic schools and higher education; and (2) to integrate disadvantaged potentially gifted with nondisadvantaged…

Academic performance in a pharmacotherapeutics course sequence taught synchronously on two campuses using distance education technology.

PubMed

Steinberg, Michael; Morin, Anna K

2011-10-10

To compare the academic performance of campus-based students in a pharmacotherapeutics course with that of students at a distant campus taught via synchronous teleconferencing. Examination scores and final course grades for campus-based and distant students completing the case-based pharmacotherapeutics course sequence over a 5-year period were collected and analyzed. The mean examination scores and final course grades were not significantly different between students on the 2 campuses. The use of synchronous distance education technology to teach students does not affect students' academic performance when used in an active-learning, case-based pharmacotherapeutics course.

Clinical reasoning and knowledge management in final year medical students: the role of Student-led Grand Rounds.

PubMed

Kandiah, David Arumaisingam

2017-01-01

The development of clinical reasoning and decision-making skills is often limited in medical school curricula. In reality, medical graduates acquire these skills during their first few years of residency. For many, this can be stressful as they may be working under limited supervision as a part of their rotations. Student-led Grand Rounds was developed to transfer both explicit and tacit knowledge to final year medical students. This pilot project was to apply the principles of knowledge management to allow students to be exposed to the reasoning and decision making of common clinical presentations. Student feedback through questionnaires was collated at the end of the program. Based on feedback and focus groups, modifications were made to produce a stable program in subsequent clinical rotations. Formal feedback was collated from all the 76 students who participated in the first year. This represented 100% of the cohort for this clinical school for that year. There was a 100% response rate as the feedback forms were given and collected at the end of the last session per block. The student responses were both in ratings defined in a feedback forms and in written comments. A total of 74 of the 76 students rated the program highly. They enjoyed the nonthreatening interactions. The remaining two students preferred more didactic teaching. This initiative allows an efficient transfer and utilization of knowledge. This could maximize the acquisition of practical knowledge by medical students as they finish their course in the transition to graduate medical practice.

Good Teaching: Aligning Student and Administrator Perceptions and Expectations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nabaho, Lazarus; Oonyu, Joseph; Aguti, Jessica Norah

2017-01-01

Extant literature attests to limited systematic inquiry into students' perceptions of good teaching in higher education. Consequently, there have been calls for engaging students in construing what makes good university teaching. This interpretivist study investigated final-year undergraduate students' perceptions of good teaching at Makerere…

The preparedness level of final year medical students for an adequate medical approach to emergency cases: computer-based medical education in emergency medicine

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background We aimed to observe the preparedness level of final year medical students in approaching emergencies by computer-based simulation training and evaluate the efficacy of the program. Methods A computer-based prototype simulation program (Lsim), designed by researchers from the medical education and computer science departments, was used to present virtual cases for medical learning. Fifty-four final year medical students from Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine attended an education program on June 20, 2012 and were trained with Lsim. Volunteer attendants completed a pre-test and post-test exam at the beginning and end of the course, respectively, on the same day. Results Twenty-nine of the 54 students who attended the course accepted to take the pre-test and post-test exams; 58.6% (n = 17) were female. In 10 emergency medical cases, an average of 3.9 correct medical approaches were performed in the pre-test and an average of 9.6 correct medical approaches were performed in the post-test (t = 17.18, P = 0.006). Conclusions This study’s results showed that the readiness level of students for an adequate medical approach to emergency cases was very low. Computer-based training could help in the adequate approach of students to various emergency cases. PMID:24386919

Turkish Final Year Medical Students’ Exposure to and Attitudes Concerning Drug Company Interactions: A Perspective from a Minimally Regulated Environment for Medical Students

PubMed Central

Beyhun, Nazim Ercument; Kolayli, Cevriye Ceyda; Can, Gamze; Topbas, Murat

2016-01-01

Interactions between drug companies and medical students may affect evidence-based medical practice and patient safety. The aim of this study was to assess drug company–medical student interactions in a medical faculty where limited specific national or institutional regulations apply between drug companies and medical students. The objectives of the study were to determine the exposure and attitudes of final year medical students in terms of drug company–medical student and physician interactions, to identify factors affecting those attitudes and to provide data for policymakers working on the regulation of interactions between drug companies and medical students. This anonymous questionnaire-based study of 154 medical final year medical students at the Karadeniz Technical University Medical Faculty, Trabzon, Turkey, in April and May 2015 attracted a response rate of 92.2% (n/N, 154/164). Exposure to interaction with a pharmaceutical representative was reported by 90.3% (139/154) of students, and 68.8% (106/154) reported experiencing such interaction alongside a resident. In addition, 83.7% (128/153) of students reported an interaction during internship. Furthermore, 69.9% (107/153) of students agreed that interactions influence physicians’ prescription preferences, while 33.1% (51/154) thought that a medical student should never accept a gift from a drug company and 24.7% (38/154) agreed with the proposition that “drug companies should not hold activities in medical faculties”. Students with rational prescription training expressed greater agreement with the statement “I am skeptical concerning the information provided by drug companies during interactions” than those who had not received such training, and this finding was supported by logistic regression [O.R.(C.I), p -3.7(1.2–11.5), p = 0.022]. Acceptance of advertisement brochures was found to significantly reduce the level of agreement with the proposition that “A physician should not accept any gift from a drug company.” (0.3[0.1–0.9], p = 0.030). In summary, exposure to drug companies was widespread among our final year medical students who, like students in both Western and non-Western societies, hold permissive attitudes concerning accepting gifts, and drug advertising brochures may relax those permissive attitudes still further. Rational prescription training was useful in generating rational attitudes. Policies concerning drug company–medical student relationships should be developed in Turkey as well as internationally. PMID:27977744

Internship workplace preferences of final-year medical students at Zagreb University Medical School, Croatia: all roads lead to Zagreb

PubMed Central

Polasek, Ozren; Kolcic, Ivana; Dzakula, Aleksandar; Bagat, Mario

2006-01-01

Background Human resources management in health often encounters problems related to workforce geographical distribution. The aim of this study was to investigate the internship workplace preferences of final-year medical students and the reasons associated with their choices. Method A total of 204 out of 240 final-year medical students at Zagreb University Medical School, Croatia, were surveyed a few months before graduation. We collected data on each student's background, workplace preference, academic performance and emigration preferences. Logistic regression was used to analyse the factors underlying internship workplace preference, classified into two categories: Zagreb versus other areas. Results Only 39 respondents (19.1%) wanted to obtain internships outside Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Gender and age were not significantly associated with internship workplace preference. A single predictor variable significantly contributed to the logistic regression model: students who believed they would not get the desired specialty more often chose Zagreb as a preferred internship workplace (odds ratio 0.32, 95% CI 0.12–0.86). Conclusion A strong preference for Zagreb as an internship workplace was recorded. Uncertainty about getting the desired specialty was associated with choosing Zagreb as a workplace, possibly due to more extensive and diverse job opportunities. PMID:16579857

Feedback of final year ophthalmology postgraduates about their residency ophthalmology training in South India

PubMed Central

Ajay, K.; Krishnaprasad, R.

2014-01-01

Background and Aims: This study documents a survey of final-year ophthalmology postgraduate students on the subject of their residency training. A similar survey conducted 7 years ago published in IJO had concluded that the residency program was not up to expectations in many centers. Our study aimed to see if ophthalmology training and student perceptions differed since then. Materials and Methods: For our study, we added a few questions to the same questionnaire used in the article “which is the best method to learn ophthalmology? Resident doctors’ perspective of ophthalmology training” published in IJO, Vol. 56 (5). Results: Forty-nine students (62.02%) returned completed forms. Most students desired an orientation program on entering residency, and wished to undergo diagnostic training initially. Case-presentation with demonstration and Wet-lab learning were most preferred. There was a big difference between the number of surgeries students actually performed and the number they felt would have been ideal. Conclusion: On the whole, the students still felt the need for improved training across all aspects of ophthalmology. PMID:25116778

Effect of skill laboratory training on academic performance of medical students.

PubMed

Khan, Muhammad Alamgir; Shabbir, Faizania; Qamar, Khadija; Rajput, Tausif Ahmed

2017-05-01

To observe the effect of skill lab training on academic performance of final year medical students in terms of marks obtained in long case, short case, objective structured clinical examination and viva. The cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at Army Medical College, Rawalpindi from February to April 2015. Two batches of final year MBBS were recruited for the study. Batch 1 received conventional training, and Batch 2 received skill lab training. The performance of students was assessed by comparing the marks obtained in long case, short case, objective structured clinical examination and viva. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Of the 335 subjects, 168(50.1%) were male and 167(49.9%) were female students with a mean age of 21.79±1.02 years. Batch 1 had 151(45%) students and Batch 2 had 184(55%). Batch 2 got significantly higher marks in long case, short case and objective structured clinical examination (p<0.05 each). Viva result was not found to be related to training (p>0.05). Acquisition of clinical skills significantly improved when medial students were trained in skill laboratories.

MPCP Longitudinal Educational Growth Study: Fifth Year Report. SCDP Milwaukee Evaluation Report #29

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witte, John F.; Carlson, Deven; Cowen, Joshua M.; Fleming, David J.; Wolf, Patrick J.

2012-01-01

This is the final report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This report features analyses of student achievement growth four years after the authors carefully assembled longitudinal study panels of MPCP and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) students in 2006-07. The MPCP, which began in 1990, provides…

The educational impact of assessment: A comparison of DOPS and MCQs

PubMed Central

Cobb, Kate A.; Brown, George; Jaarsma, Debbie A. D. C.; Hammond, Richard A.

2013-01-01

Aim To evaluate the impact of two different assessment formats on the approaches to learning of final year veterinary students. The relationship between approach to learning and examination performance was also investigated. Method An 18-item version of the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) was sent to 87 final year students. Each student responded to the questionnaire with regards to DOPS (Direct Observation of Procedural Skills) and a Multiple Choice Examination (MCQ). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 of the respondents to gain a deeper insight into the students’ perception of assessment. Results Students’ adopted a deeper approach to learning for DOPS and a more surface approach with MCQs. There was a positive correlation between an achieving approach to learning and examination performance. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed that deep, surface and achieving approaches were reported by the students and seven major influences on their approaches to learning were identified: motivation, purpose, consequence, acceptability, feedback, time pressure and the individual difference of the students. Conclusions The format of DOPS has a positive influence on approaches to learning. There is a conflict for students between preparing for final examinations and preparing for clinical practice. PMID:23808609

Undergraduate psychiatry students' attitudes towards teaching methods at an Irish university.

PubMed

Jabbar, F; Casey, P; Kelly, B D

2016-11-01

At University College Dublin, teaching in psychiatry includes clinical electives, lectures, small-group and problem-based teaching, consistent with international trends. To determine final-year psychiatry students' attitudes towards teaching methods. We distributed questionnaires to all final-year medical students in two classes (2008 and 2009), after final psychiatry examination (before results) and all of them participated (n = 111). Students' interest in psychiatry as a career increased during psychiatry teaching. Students rated objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) as the most useful element of teaching and examination. The most common learning style was "reflector"; the least common was "pragmatist". Two thirds believed teaching could be improved (increased patient contact) and 89 % reported that experience of psychiatry changed attitudes towards mental illness (increased understanding). Students' preference for OSCEs may reflect the closeness of OSCE as a form of learning to OSCE as a form of assessment: OSCEs both focus on specific clinical skills and help prepare for examinations. Future research could usefully examine the extent to which these findings are university-specific or instructor-dependent. Information on the consistency of various teaching, examination and modularisation methods would also be useful.

Intended Career Choice in Family Medicine in Slovenia: An Issue of Gender, Family Background or Empathic Attitudes in Final Year Medical Students?

PubMed

Ster, Marija Petek; Selic, Polona

2017-06-01

Among a variety of complex factors affecting a decision to take family medicine as a future specialisation, this study focused on demographic characteristics and assessed empathic attitudes in final year medical students. A convenience sampling method was employed in two consecutive academic years of final year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in May 2014 and May 2015. A modified version of the 16-item Jefferson Scale of Empathy - Student Version (JSE-S) was administered to examine self-reported empathic attitudes. An intended career in family medicine was reported using a five-point Likert scale. Of the 175 medical school seniors in study year 2013/14, there were 64 (36.6%) men and 111 (63.4%) women, while in the second group (study year 2014/5), there were 68 (40.5%) men and 100 (59.5%) women; 168 students in total. They were 24.9±1.6 (generation 2013/4) and 24.9±1.7 (generation 2014/15) years old. Thirty-six percent of the students in the academic year 2013/14 intended to choose family medicine as a future career, and a similar proportion in academic year 2014/15 (31.7%). Gender (χ 2 =6.763, p=0.034) and empathic attitudes (c 2 =14.914; p=0.001) had a bivariate association with an intended career choice of family medicine in the 2014/15 generation. When logistic regression was applied to this group of students, an intended career choice in family medicine was associated with empathic attitudes (OR 1.102, 95% CI 1.040-1.167, p=0.001), being single (OR 3.659, 95% CI 1.150-11.628, p=0.028) and the father having only primary school education (OR 142.857 95% CI 1.868, p=0.025), but not with gender (OR 1.117, 95% CI 0.854-1.621, p=0.320). The level of students' father's education, and not living in an intimate partnership, increased the odds on senior medical students to choose family medicine, yet we expected higher JSE-S scores to be associated with interest in this speciality. To deepen our understanding, this study should be repeated to give us solid grounded insight into the determinants of career choice; associations with gender in particular need to be re-tested.

Applying an information literacy rubric to first-year health sciences student research posters.

PubMed

Goodman, Xan; Watts, John; Arenas, Rogelio; Weigel, Rachelle; Terrell, Tony

2018-01-01

This article describes the collection and analysis of annotated bibliographies created by first-year health sciences students to support their final poster projects. The authors examined the students' abilities to select relevant and authoritative sources, summarize the content of those sources, and correctly cite those sources. We collected images of 1,253 posters, of which 120 were sampled for analysis, and scored the posters using a 4-point rubric to evaluate the students' information literacy skills. We found that 52% of students were proficient at selecting relevant sources that directly contributed to the themes, topics, or debates presented in their final poster projects, and 64% of students did well with selecting authoritative peer-reviewed scholarly sources related to their topics. However, 45% of students showed difficulty in correctly applying American Psychological Association (APA) citation style. Our findings demonstrate a need for instructors and librarians to provide strategies for reading and comprehending scholarly articles in addition to properly using APA citation style.

A preliminary assessment of the fifth-year chiropractic students' knowledge of anatomy.

PubMed

Strkalj, Goran; Schroder, Tania; Pather, Nalini; Solyali, Veli

2011-01-01

Anatomy has been at the foundation of medical students' training. In recent decades, medical programs in many countries have undergone major reform in both pedagogy and content. These reforms generated intense debates, focusing mainly on the way the new programs affected medical graduates' knowledge of anatomy and their clinical capabilities. Anatomy, however, is not only core to medicine, but also to a number of allied and complementary health disciplines. While the evaluation of anatomy teaching and learning in the medical programs has been heavily scrutinized, anatomy education in the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) professions, including those, such as chiropractic, in which anatomy has traditionally been one of the main preclinical subjects, has been less frequently evaluated. The study aimed to make a preliminary assessment of the final year chiropractic students' knowledge of anatomy using the "carpal bone test." The testing was conducted on the final-year chiropractic students at Macquarie University in 2009. In this test, the students were given 5 minutes to label an illustration of the bony skeleton of the carpal region. The results of this assessment were then compared to results of previously published surveys using the "carpal bone test." A total of 84 students participated in the study. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of students identified all eight bones, while 60% of students identified five or more carpal bones. The most frequent correctly identified bone was the pisiform, followed by the scaphoid bone (82% and 74% of students, respectively). The trapezium and trapezoid bones were least frequently identified: both by 52% of students each. These results were generally better than those of the previously tested final-year medical students. The importance of anatomy in chiropractors' education has been generally acknowledged. This study suggests that the comparatively high number of hours devoted to anatomy in Macquarie University chiropractic curriculum and underpinning of clinical skills to anatomy knowledge in the senior year have increased retention of anatomy knowledge. The study, preliminary in nature, has also recognized the need for more detailed assessment of teaching and learning of the basic medical sciences in chiropractic and other CAM disciplines.

Literacies in the Humanities: The Student Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNaught, Carmel; Ng, Sarah S. W.; Chow, Helen

2012-01-01

Humanities includes a diverse range of disciplines in which little literature has explored in any depth the desired learning outcomes. This study was designed to articulate and illustrate learning outcomes in the humanities from students' voices and work. Undergraduate students in their final year, postgraduate students and recent alumni from the…

The Interrelationship between Student Learning Experience and Study Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ning, Hoi Kwan; Downing, Kevin

2011-01-01

This study examined the interrelationship between student learning experiences and study behaviour in explaining academic achievement. The participants were 541 final year students from a university in Hong Kong. Students' learning experiences and study behaviour were measured using the Course Experience Questionnaire and the Learning and Study…

Burns teaching in UK medical schools: Is it enough?

PubMed

Zinchenko, Ruslan; Perry, Fiona M; Dheansa, Baljit S

2016-02-01

Burns are frequently seen and managed in non-specialist settings. The crowding of the UK medical undergraduate curriculum may have resulted in the reduction of teaching on burns. To determine the burns education experience and the level of competence among UK final year medical students in assessing and acutely managing patients with burns. An online questionnaire was circulated among UK final year medical students. There was a total of 348 respondents. The majority of the respondents (70%) have not received any specific teaching on how to manage patients with burns. Nearly two-thirds of the students (66%) have never seen a patient being managed for burns throughout their training. Over 90% of respondents stated that they would not feel confident in initially managing a burn in the emergency department. The majority of the respondents (57%) have not heard of the criteria for referring a burns patient for further specialist management. There was almost universal agreement about the importance of knowing how to manage a burn initially. There seems to be a lack of consistent undergraduate training in burns management and final year students lack the experience and knowledge to initially manage burns. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Gateway to Healthcare Careers for Vulnerable Students: A New Approach to the Teaching of Anatomy and Physiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeCiccio, Albert; Kenny, Tammy; Lippacher, Linda; Flanary, Barry

2011-01-01

Many first-year students interested in healthcare careers do not succeed in Anatomy and Physiology I (A&PI), which they take in their first semester. These first-year students withdraw from the course or the institution, or their final grade may be below the identified threshold for progressing in their programs. A&PI has become a…

Automated Student and Adult Learner Follow-up System. Final Report for Program Year 1993-94.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, Austin.

The Texas Automated Student and Adult Learner Follow-Up System was developed as part of a larger effort to improve and coordinate the delivery of education and training of a skilled work force. The primary task of the Follow-Up System in Program Year 1993-94 was to obtain outcome information on the former students and participants of the work…

Alternative Basic Comprehensive Program (Project A.B.C.) Special Alternative Instructional Program. Final Evaluation Report 1992-93. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Augustin, Marc A.

The Alternative Basic Comprehension Program (Project A.B.C.) for bilingual high school students was a special alternative instructional program funded by Title VII for the third year at two high schools in the Bronx. In the year under review, Project A.B.C. served 260 students of limited English proficiency (LEP). Participating students received…

Stress and Coping Strategies among Distance Education Students at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwaah, Christopher Yaw; Essilfie, Gabriel

2017-01-01

This study was designed to identify the causes of stress and coping strategies adopted among distance education students at the College of Distance Education in the University of Cape Coast. A total of 332 diploma and post-diploma final year students in 2014/2015 academic year were selected from two study centers using random sampling procedure to…

Variation in Citational Practice in a Corpus of Student Biology Papers: From Parenthetical Plonking to Intertextual Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swales, John M.

2014-01-01

This is a corpus-based study of a key aspect of academic writing in one discipline (biology) by final-year undergraduates and first-, second-, and third-year graduate students. The papers come from the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers, a freely available electronic database. The principal aim of the study is to examine the extent of…

Students Upgrading through Computer and Career Education System Services (Project SUCCESS). Final Evaluation Report 1993-94. OER Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Judy

Students Upgrading through Computer and Career Education System Services (Project SUCCESS) was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its fourth year of operation. The project operated at two high schools in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan (New York). In the 1993-94 school year, the project served 393 students of…

Women's Experiences in the Engineering Laboratory in Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosaka, Masako

2014-01-01

This qualitative study aims to examine Japanese women undergraduate engineering students' experiences of interacting with departmental peers of the same year in the laboratory setting by using interview data of 32 final-year students at two modestly selective national universities in Japan. Expectation state theory that explains unequal…

Evaluation of a Computer Assisted Instruction Resource in Nursing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herriot, Anne M.; Bishop, Jacki A.; Kelly, Mary; Murphy, Margaret; Truby, Helen

2003-01-01

Nine second-year and six final-year nursing students completed a questionnaire and participated in focus groups about STEP-DIET, a computer-based dietetics instructional tool. Students liked the design and content, perceived increased nutritional knowledge and understanding of dietitians' role. However, they were reluctant to accept…

Student Assistance Program in Pennsylvania. Evaluation Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fertman, Carl I.; Schlesinger, Jo; Fichter, Cele; Tarasevich, Susan; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Wald, Holly

This report contains the second year evaluation of the Student Assistance Program (SAP) in Pennsylvania. These school-based and school-linked programs address barriers to learning for youth at risk for social and emotional problems, drug and alcohol use and abuse, and depression. Second year evaluation focused on identifying essential components…

School-Home-Community Services for 3-5 Year Old Hearing Impaired Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texarkana School District 7, AR.

The final report discusses achievements of a 3 year program for hearing impaired preschoolers. The following topics are addressed in the report: program objectives (involving the community, improving student skills, and training parents); program variables (personnel, process of conducting program activities, and student behavioral changes); the…

Problem-based learning versus a traditional educational methodology: a comparison of preclinical and clinical periodontics performance.

PubMed

Rich, Sandra K; Keim, Robert G; Shuler, Charles F

2005-06-01

To evaluate efficacy of a problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy in preclinical and clinical teaching, test scores of 234 undergraduate dental students from the conventionally taught classes of 2003 and 2004 were compared with scores of 274 dental students from the PBL classes of 2005 and 2006. Although the groups' means were close together, t-test analysis of scores revealed that PBL students performed significantly better than traditional (TRAD) students on midterm (p=.0001) and final (p=.015) examinations taken on student partner/mock patients. ANOVA comparing the classes with each other showed significant differences for the midterm and final, but not for the clinical examination. Further multiple comparison tests (Tukey HSD) for the midterm and final revealed that differences specifically reflected superior performance of PBL classes against one of the TRAD classes (2004). There was no difference in performance between PBL (n=134) and TRAD (n=233) students on examinations taken with actual clinical patients who were undergoing nonsurgical periodontal treatment. Over a two-year period, PBL students rated their program instructors at a mean of 4.41 on a Likert-type scale of 1 (not helpful) to 5 (outstanding). The program provides a PBL model for teaching preclinical and clinical skills supported by a four-year evaluation of manual skills outcomes.

How frequent are non-evidence-based health care beliefs in chiropractic students and do they vary across the pre-professional educational years.

PubMed

Innes, Stanley I; Leboeuf-Yde, Charlotte; Walker, Bruce F

2018-01-01

Evidence suggests that a students' beliefs already prior to entering a program may be important as a determinant in sustaining unsuitable health care beliefs. Our objectives were to investigate the proportion of Australian chiropractic students who hold non-evidence-based beliefs in the first year of study and the extent to which they may be involved in non-musculoskeletal health conditions. Finally, to see if this proportion varies over the course of the chiropractic program. In 2016, students from two Australian chiropractic programs answered a questionnaire on how often they would give advice on five common health conditions in their future practices as well as their opinion on whether chiropractic spinal adjustments could prevent or help seven health-related conditions. From a possible 831 students, 444 responded (53%). Students were highly likely to offer advice (often/quite often) on a range of non-musculoskeletal conditions. The proportions were lowest in first year and highest the final year. Also, high numbers of students held non-evidence-based beliefs about 'chiropractic spinal adjustments' which tended to occur in gradually decreasing in numbers in sequential years, except for fifth year when a reversal of the pattern occurred. New strategies are required for chiropractic educators if they are to produce graduates who understand and deliver evidence-based health care and able to be part of the mainstream health care system.

Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS). Final Evaluation Report 1992-93. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duque, Diana L.

Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS) was a Transitional Bilingual Education Title VII-funded program in its fifth and final year in 1992-93. The project offered instructional and support services to 641 students of limited English proficiency (LEP) at three sites, all of which had many immigrant students, in…

How Do They Research? An Ethnographic Study of Final Year Undergraduate Research Behavior in an Irish University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunne, Siobhán

2016-01-01

The objectives of this study were to identify how, when, and where students research; the impact of learning environments on research productivity, and to recommend improved supports to facilitate research. An ethnographic approach that entailed following five students in the final six weeks of their program enabled deep level analysis. The study…

Self-reported patient safety competence among Canadian medical students and postgraduate trainees: a cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Doyle, Patricia; VanDenKerkhof, Elizabeth G; Edge, Dana S; Ginsburg, Liane; Goldstein, David H

2015-02-01

Quality and patient safety (PS) are critical components of medical education. This study reports on the self-reported PS competence of medical students and postgraduate trainees. The Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey was administered to medical students and postgraduate trainees in January 2012. PS dimension scores were compared across learning settings (classroom and clinical) and year in programme. Sixty-three percent (255/406) of medical students and 32% (141/436) of postgraduate trainees responded. In general, both groups were most confident in their learning of clinical safety skills (eg, hand hygiene) and least confident in learning about sociocultural aspects of safety (eg, understanding human factors). Medical students' confidence in most aspects of safety improved with years of training. For some of the more intangible dimensions (teamwork and culture), medical students in their final year had lower scores than students in earlier years. Thirty-eight percent of medical students felt they could approach someone engaging in unsafe practice, and the majority of medical students (85%) and postgraduate trainees (78%) agreed it was difficult to question authority. Our results suggest the need to improve the overall content, structure and integration of PS concepts in both classroom and clinical learning environments. Decreased confidence in sociocultural aspects of PS among medical students in the final year of training may indicate that culture in clinical settings negatively affects students' perceived PS competence. Alternatively, as medical students spend more time in the clinical setting, they may develop a clearer sense of what they do not know. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

An assessment of dental students’ empathy levels in Malaysia

PubMed Central

Babar, Muneer G.; Omar, Hanan; Lim, Lee P.; Khan, Saad A.; Mitha, Shahid; Ahmad, Siti F.B.

2013-01-01

Objectives To examine the validity and reliability of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Care Provider Student version (JSE-HPS) in a sample of dental students in Malaysia, with the secondary aim of assessing empathy levels in first to final year dental students in public and private universities in Malaysia. Methods The JSE-HPS was administered to 582 first to fifth (final) year dental students; 441 were enrolled at two public universities and 141 at a private university in Malaysia. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS® version 18. Results The JSE-HPS demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.70). A three-factor solution emerged and included ‘perspective taking’, ‘compassionate care’ and ‘standing in patient’s shoes’ factors, accounting for 27.7%, 13.9%, and 6.3% of the variance, respectively. The total mean empathy score was 84.11±9.80, where the actual scores ranged from a low of 22.05 to a high of 133.35. Overall, male students (84.97±11.12) were more empathic than female students (83.78±9.24). Fourth-year students were more empathic than students in other undergraduate years, and public university students had significantly higher mean empathy score compared to those enrolled at a private university (84.74 versus 82.13, p=0.001). Conclusions This study confirms the construct validity and internal consistency of the JSE-HPS for measuring empathy in dental students. Empathy scores among students vary depending on type of university and year of study. Future studies, preferably longitudinal in design should explore changes in empathy among dental students during progression through undergraduate courses.

Perceived barriers and motivating factors influencing student midwives' acceptance of rural postings in Ghana.

PubMed

Lori, Jody R; Rominski, Sarah D; Gyakobo, Mawuli; Muriu, Eunice W; Kweku, Nakua E; Agyei-Baffour, Peter

2012-07-24

Research on the mal-distribution of health care workers has focused mainly on physicians and nurses. To meet the Millennium Development Goal Five and the reproductive needs of all women, it is predicted that an additional 334,000 midwives are needed. Despite the on-going efforts to increase this cadre of health workers there are still glaring gaps and inequities in distribution. The objectives of this study are to determine the perceived barriers and motivators influencing final year midwifery students' acceptance of rural postings in Ghana, West Africa. An exploratory qualitative study using focus group interviews as the data collection strategy was conducted in two of the largest midwifery training schools in Ghana. All final year midwifery students from the two training schools were invited to participate in the focus groups. A purposive sample of 49 final year midwifery students participated in 6 focus groups. All students were women. Average age was 23.2 years. Glaser's constant comparative method of analysis was used to identify patterns or themes from the data. Three themes were identified through a broad inductive process: 1) social amenities; 2) professional life; and 3) further education/career advancement. Together they create the overarching theme, quality of life, we use to describe the influences on midwifery students' decision to accept a rural posting following graduation. In countries where there are too few health workers, deployment of midwives to rural postings is a continuing challenge. Until more midwives are attracted to work in rural, remote areas health inequities will exist and the targeted reduction for maternal mortality will remain elusive.

Development and Evaluation of vetPAL, a Student-Led, Peer-Assisted Learning Program.

PubMed

Bates, Lucy S W; Warman, Sheena; Pither, Zoe; Baillie, Sarah

Based on an idea from a final-year student, Bristol Veterinary School introduced vetPAL, a student-led, peer-assisted learning program. The program involved fifth-year (final-year) students acting as tutors and leading sessions for fourth-year students (tutees) in clinical skills and revision (review) topics. The initiative aimed to supplement student learning while also providing tutors with opportunities to further develop a range of skills. All tutors received training and the program was evaluated using questionnaires collected from tutees and tutors after each session. Tutees' self-rated confidence increased significantly in clinical skills and for revision topics. Advantages of being taught by students rather than staff included the informal atmosphere, the tutees' willingness to ask questions, and the relatability of the tutors. The small group size and the style of learning in the revision sessions (i.e., group work, discussions, and interactivity) were additional positive aspects identified by both tutees and tutors. Benefits for tutors included developing their communication and teaching skills. The training sessions were considered key in helping tutors feel prepared to lead sessions, although the most difficult aspects were the lack of teaching experience and time management. Following the successful pilot of vetPAL, plans are in place to make the program permanent and sustainable, while incorporating necessary changes based on the evaluation and the student leader's experiences running the program. A vetPAL handbook has been created to facilitate organization of the program for future years.

Influences on Malaysian pharmacy students' career preferences.

PubMed

Hasan, Syed Shahzad; Kwai Chong, David Weng; Ahmadi, Keivan; Se, Wong Pei; Hassali, Mohammed Azmi; Hata, Ernieda Mohammed; Hadi, Muhammed Abdul; Sridhar, Sathvik Belagodu; Ahmed, Syed Imran; Yean, Low Bee; Efendie, Benny

2010-11-10

To identify and evaluate factors affecting the career preferences of fourth-year bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) students in Malaysia in the presence of a 4-year period of mandatory government service. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used in this cross-sectional study to collect data from final-year BPharm students enrolled at 3 government-funded universities and 1 private university in Malaysia. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Three hundred fourteen students responded (213 from public universities and 101 from the private university). Approximately 32% of public university students and 37% of private university students ranked their own interest in pharmacy as the reason for undertaking pharmacy degree studies; 40.4% of public and 19.8% of private university respondents stated that they would enter a nonpharmacy-related career upon graduation if given the choice. Public university students ranked hospital pharmacy as their choice of first career setting (4.39, p = 0.001), while private students ranked community pharmacy first (4.1, p = 0.002). On a scale of 1 to 5, salary received the highest mean score (3.9 and 4.0, p = 0.854) as the extrinsic factor most influencing their career choice. Final-year students at Malaysian public universities were most interested in hospital pharmacy practice as their first career step upon graduation, while private university students were most interested in community pharmacy. The top 3 extrinsic factors rated as significant in selecting a career destination were salary, benefits, and geographical location.

Influences on Malaysian Pharmacy Students' Career Preferences

PubMed Central

Kwai Chong, David Weng; Ahmadi, Keivan; Se, Wong Pei; Hassali, Mohammed Azmi; Hata, Ernieda Mohammed; Hadi, Muhammed Abdul; Sridhar, Sathvik Belagodu; Ahmed, Syed Imran; Yean, Low Bee; Efendie, Benny

2010-01-01

Objectives To identify and evaluate factors affecting the career preferences of fourth-year bachelor of pharmacy (BPharm) students in Malaysia in the presence of a 4-year period of mandatory government service. Methods A validated self-administered questionnaire was used in this cross-sectional study to collect data from final-year BPharm students enrolled at 3 government-funded universities and 1 private university in Malaysia. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results Three hundred fourteen students responded (213 from public universities and 101 from the private university). Approximately 32% of public university students and 37% of private university students ranked their own interest in pharmacy as the reason for undertaking pharmacy degree studies; 40.4% of public and 19.8% of private university respondents stated that they would enter a nonpharmacy-related career upon graduation if given the choice. Public university students ranked hospital pharmacy as their choice of first career setting (4.39, p = 0.001), while private students ranked community pharmacy first (4.1, p = 0.002). On a scale of 1 to 5, salary received the highest mean score (3.9 and 4.0, p = 0.854) as the extrinsic factor most influencing their career choice. Conclusions Final-year students at Malaysian public universities were most interested in hospital pharmacy practice as their first career step upon graduation, while private university students were most interested in community pharmacy. The top 3 extrinsic factors rated as significant in selecting a career destination were salary, benefits, and geographical location. PMID:21301600

Meeting the needs of our best and brightest: curriculum acceleration in tertiary mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannah, John; James, Alex; Montelle, Clemency; Nokes, Jacqui

2011-04-01

For many years, it has been a common practice to recognize students with high potential by according them targeted privileges and opportunities. This includes the practice of allowing students to accelerate their high school programme and, in the case of New Zealand students, to take university courses during their final school years. This work assesses the wisdom of this practice of acceleration in mathematics both for the student and the tertiary institution.

Electrocardiogram reading: a randomized study comparing 2 e‑learning methods for medical students.

PubMed

Kopeć, Grzegorz; Waligóra, Marcin; Pacia, Michał; Chmielak, Wojciech; Stępień, Agnieszka; Janiec, Sebastian; Magoń, Wojciech; Jonas, Kamil; Podolec, Piotr

2018-02-28

INTRODUCTION    Interpretation of the electrocardiogram (ECG) is an essential skill in most medical specialties; however, the best method of teaching how to read ECGs has not been determined. OBJECTIVES    The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of collaborative (C‑eL) and self (S‑eL) e‑learning of ECG reading among medical students. PATIENTS AND METHODS    A total of 60 fifth‑year medical students were randomly assigned to the C‑eL and S‑eL groups. S‑eL students received 15 ECG recordings with a comprehensive description by email (one every 48 hours), while C‑eL students received the same ECG recordings without description. C‑eL students were expected to analyze each ECG together within the subgroups using an internet platform and to submit the interpretation within 48 hours. Afterwards, they received a description of each ECG. C‑eL students' activity was assessed based on the number of words written on the internet platform during discussion. A final test consisted of 10 theoretical questions and 10 ECG recordings. The final score was a sum of points obtained for the interpretation of ECG recordings. The main endpoint of the study was the number of students whose final score was 56% or higher. RESULTS    The final test was completed by 53 students (88.3%). The main endpoint was achieved in 20 C‑eL students (77%) and in 13 S‑eL students (48.1%), P = 0.03. The final score was 6.4 (interquartile range [IQR], 5.8-7.6) in the C‑eL group and 5.6 (IQR, 4.2-7.2) in the S‑eL group, P = 0.04. It correlated with the results of the theoretical test and students' activity during C‑eL (r = 0.42, P = 0.002 and r = 0.4, P = 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS    C‑eL of ECG reading among fifth‑year medical students is superior to S‑eL.

Sleep and Final Exam Performance in Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coletta, Vincent; Wikholm, Colin; Pascoe, Daniel

2018-03-01

Most physics instructors believe that adequate sleep is important in order for students to perform well on problem solving, and many instructors advise students to get plenty of sleep the night before an exam. After years of giving such advice to students at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), one of us decided to find out how many hours students actually do sleep the night before an exam, and how that would relate to their performance. The effect of inadequate sleep on exam performance was explored in a second-semester introductory physics course. At the end of the final exam, students reported the number of hours they slept the night before. Sleep deprivation corresponded to lower final exam scores. The main purpose of this study is to provide evidence that instructors can provide to their students to convince them that their time is better spent sleeping rather than studying all night before an exam.

Understanding Student Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction: An Interpretive Study in the UK Higher Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Jacqueline Ann; Douglas, Alexander; McClelland, Robert James; Davies, John

2015-01-01

This article represents a cross-sectional study of undergraduate students across two north-west university business schools in the UK. A purposefully designed questionnaire was collected from 350 students. The student experience was described in the form of hand-written narratives by first and final year students and had been identified by the…

Student outcomes associated with use of asynchronous online discussion forums in gross anatomy teaching.

PubMed

Green, Rodney A; Hughes, Diane L

2013-01-01

Asynchronous online discussion forums are increasingly common in blended learning environments but the relationship to student learning outcomes has not been reported for anatomy teaching. Forums were monitored in two multicampus anatomy courses; an introductory first year course and a second year physiotherapy-specific course. The forums are structured with a separate site for each course module and moderated weekly by staff. Students are encouraged to post to new threads (initial post) and answer queries in threads started by others (reply post). Analysis of forums was conducted separately for each course and included overall activity (posts and views) for a full semester and a detailed analysis for one week in the middle of semester. Students were classified as zero, moderate, or high contributors to the forums based on the number of posts. Final mark for the course was related to level of forum contribution using nonparametric tests. Forum threads were characterized as task-focused, administrative, or other. A higher proportion of second year (36%) than first-year (17%) students posted on the forums and the postings were more likely to be task-focused and student initiated. Second-year students that posted frequently to the forum gained a higher final mark for the course than those that did not post or only posted a moderate number of times (P < 0.01). This relationship was not evident for first-year students who had a much higher proportion of administrative threads. Forums in anatomy courses can be powerful learning tools encouraging deeper learning and improved learning outcomes. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.

Weight, socio-demographics, and health behaviour related correlates of academic performance in first year university students.

PubMed

Deliens, Tom; Clarys, Peter; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Deforche, Benedicte

2013-12-17

This study aimed to examine differences in socio-demographics and health behaviour between Belgian first year university students who attended all final course exams and those who did not. Secondly, this study aimed to identify weight and health behaviour related correlates of academic performance in those students who attended all course exams. Anthropometrics of 101 first year university students were measured at both the beginning of the first (T1) and second (T2) semester of the academic year. An on-line health behaviour questionnaire was filled out at T2. As a measure of academic performance student end-of-year Grade Point Averages (GPA) were obtained from the university's registration office. Independent samples t-tests and chi2-tests were executed to compare students who attended all course exams during the first year of university and students who did not carry through. Uni- and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to identify correlates of academic performance in students who attended all course exams during the first year of university. Students who did not attend all course exams were predominantly male, showed higher increases in waist circumference during the first semester and consumed more French fries than those who attended all final course exams. Being male, lower secondary school grades, increases in weight, Body Mass Index and waist circumference over the first semester, more gaming on weekdays, being on a diet, eating at the student restaurant more frequently, higher soda and French fries consumption, and higher frequency of alcohol use predicted lower GPA's in first year university students. When controlled for each other, being on a diet and higher frequency of alcohol use remained significant in the multivariate regression model, with frequency of alcohol use being the strongest correlate of GPA. This study, conducted in Belgian first year university students, showed that academic performance is associated with a wide range of weight and health related behaviours. Future studies should investigate whether interventions aiming at promoting healthy behaviours among students could also have a positive impact on academic performance.

Weight, socio-demographics, and health behaviour related correlates of academic performance in first year university students

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background This study aimed to examine differences in socio-demographics and health behaviour between Belgian first year university students who attended all final course exams and those who did not. Secondly, this study aimed to identify weight and health behaviour related correlates of academic performance in those students who attended all course exams. Methods Anthropometrics of 101 first year university students were measured at both the beginning of the first (T1) and second (T2) semester of the academic year. An on-line health behaviour questionnaire was filled out at T2. As a measure of academic performance student end-of-year Grade Point Averages (GPA) were obtained from the university’s registration office. Independent samples t-tests and chi 2 -tests were executed to compare students who attended all course exams during the first year of university and students who did not carry through. Uni- and multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to identify correlates of academic performance in students who attended all course exams during the first year of university. Results Students who did not attend all course exams were predominantly male, showed higher increases in waist circumference during the first semester and consumed more French fries than those who attended all final course exams. Being male, lower secondary school grades, increases in weight, Body Mass Index and waist circumference over the first semester, more gaming on weekdays, being on a diet, eating at the student restaurant more frequently, higher soda and French fries consumption, and higher frequency of alcohol use predicted lower GPA’s in first year university students. When controlled for each other, being on a diet and higher frequency of alcohol use remained significant in the multivariate regression model, with frequency of alcohol use being the strongest correlate of GPA. Conclusions This study, conducted in Belgian first year university students, showed that academic performance is associated with a wide range of weight and health related behaviours. Future studies should investigate whether interventions aiming at promoting healthy behaviours among students could also have a positive impact on academic performance. PMID:24344995

Final Year Nursing Students in Nigeria; How Knowledgeable and Prepared are They to Offer Medical Care to Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease?

PubMed Central

Okwuonu, Chimezie Godswill; Kanu, Hannah Sylvanus; Odigie, Ojeh-Oziegbe

2017-01-01

Background: Nurses play an important role in the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care. In other to perform their functions, it is pertinent that they have a good understanding of kidney functions and CKD. We do not know if the current educational curriculum prepares them adequately for this role. Aim: To assess the knowledge level of kidney functions and diseases among final year nursing students in Abia State Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study involving final year diploma and Bachelor of nursing (B. Nursing) students who were randomly chosen. Structured, self-administered questionnaire containing 18 items was the tool for data collection. A score of one was given for each correctly answered question on functions of the kidney, symptoms, signs, causes, and complications of CKD. A score of 50% and above was regarded as good knowledge. Results: Two hundred questionnaires were distributed, but 186 were returned (response rate of 93%). Male:female ratio was 1:14.5. One hundred and seventeen (62.9%) knew the correct definition of CKD, but only 69 (37.1%) knew the normal range of glomerular filtration rate. Eighty-one percent had good knowledge of kidney functions while 39 (21%) had good knowledge of CKD. Overall, 42 (22.6%) had good knowledge of kidney functions and CKD. Students who rotated through the dialysis unit during their clinical posting had higher mean knowledge score than others (P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in the mean knowledge scores of the diploma and B. Nursing students (P = 0.76). Conclusion: The majority of the final year students had poor knowledge of CKD. There is need to expand the current teaching curriculum so as to increase the knowledge of these future nurses on the basic concepts of CKD to improve outcomes of patient management. PMID:28300046

Are physiotherapy students adequately prepared to successfully gain employment?

PubMed

Jones, Mandy; McIntyre, Judith; Naylor, Sandra

2010-06-01

To explore the preparedness of final-year physiotherapy students for their progression into employment, and identify what universities can do to facilitate a smooth transition. A single-cohort study, utilising a qualitative design incorporating a survey followed by transcribed and coded semi-structured interviews. Interviews were held in the Placement and Careers Centre at Brunel University, London. Sixty final-year full- and part-time students participated in the survey, and 12 final-year full- and part-time students participated in the semi-structured interviews. Sixty students completed a questionnaire which explored their preparedness for employment. Questions related to the current job situation, the application process and the student's ideal first post. Responses from the questionnaire were analysed and discussed further through a digitally recorded interview. Twelve students were interviewed by an experienced interviewer from a non-physiotherapy background. Students felt unprepared for employment. Forty-seven per cent wanted a rotational post, but 26% would only spend 6 months and 39% would only spend 1 year looking for a job. Seventy-one percent would change career and 99% would work abroad if they were unable to secure a post in the UK. Most importantly, students could not identify transferable skills required by potential employers; only 25% cited effective communications, and 10% cited flexible working as a transferable skill. Self-management skills (e.g. prioritisation, time management and documentation) were not perceived as essential for employment. The job market requires physiotherapy graduates to possess transferable skills which can be applied to any situation. Many are integral to the profession and the undergraduate curriculum; however, analysis and assimilation of these skills cannot be assumed. Universities should reflect on their curriculum delivery to produce graduates who meet employers' expectations and make a smooth transition into the workplace. Copyright 2010 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disaster management curricula: strategy to create doctors with disaster resilience in Aceh, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahyuniati, N.; Maulana, R.; Ichsan, I.

2017-02-01

Faculty of Medicine of Syiah Kuala University has one special block called Disaster Management block (the last block on the curricula) on Competency-Based Curriculum of Medical Sciences with the Problem-Based Learning method. This block has four credits, allocated seven weeks learning period including one week for evaluation. The placement of disaster management block in the 7th semester (last semester) aims to allow students to implement more easily the complete basic and clinical medical knowledge and then have it integrated with the management capabilities during adisaster. This article evaluates two components: 1) Disaster management module, by comparing the content of modules used in three different academic years, the academic year 2013/2014, 2014/2015 and 2015/2016, 2) The final grade, by comparing the final grade of disaster management block in 4 years (comparing students class of 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). The results revealed that on every academic year there were additions and strengthening of the material to ensure that students achieve a complete learning experience, and there was a slight increase in student’s grades where the number of students who receive grades A has increased while the number of students who receive grades E decreased.

The Boeing Company's Manufacturing Technology Student Internship. Final Evaluation Report for 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Tom

A study evaluated The Boeing Company's Student Internship Program for students enrolled in a manufacturing technology program. The programs in the Seattle (Washington) and Portland (Oregon) areas provided students with three progressive internship levels offered in the summers of grades 11, 12, and 13 (the first year of community college). The…

College and Careers Project, 1993-96. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fixman, Carol S.

The College and Careers Project sought to increase college attendance of at-risk students in the Philadelphia public high schools and to help students link their college and career planning. Over a three-year period, 48 students from 4 high schools participated. Students took part in college preparatory and career awareness activities throughout…

Helping Students Improve Citation Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nienhaus, Brian

2004-01-01

During the author's final year in graduate school, he began teaching business communication. Without much forethought, he asked students to write a report with a sources requirement. When students turned their reports in, he learned that they were worlds apart on the practice of citing such sources. As a student in a rarefied academic environment,…

Intent to Pursue Further Studies among Chinese Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

To, W. M.; Lai, Linda S. L.; Lung, Jane W. Y.; Lai, T. M.

2014-01-01

The number of students pursuing graduate qualifications has increased, especially in Asian countries and cities, such as China, Macao and Hong Kong. This paper examines the intent to pursue further studies among Chinese students according to the theory of planned behaviour. Based on responses from 321 final-year students in higher education…

Climate Change? Who Knows? A Comparison of Secondary Students and Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boon, Helen J.

2010-01-01

In the context of recently published academic discrepancies between Queensland students and students from other Australian states, final year pre-service teachers were surveyed to explore their understanding and knowledge of climate change. Their responses were compared to those of secondary students to discern any significant gains in knowledge…

What Do Final Year Medical Students Understand by the Concept of Recovery? A Descriptive Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Newton-Howes, Giles; Beverley, Georgia; Ellis, Pete M; Gordon, Sarah; Levack, William

2018-06-01

Traditional teaching in psychiatry does little to address recovery concepts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incorporation of a recovery-focused teaching program for medical students in psychiatry. Recovery, as understood by medical students who had participated in a recovery-focused teaching program, was assessed by thematic analysis of recovery-focused assessment reflections. Six major themes emerged from the recovery reflections from final year medical students are as follows: (1) recovery as a person-centered approach, (2) the need for social integration, (3) non-diagnostic framing of mental illness, (4) tensions between the medical model and personal recovery, (5) a patient's willingness to engage with mental health services, and (6) the development of a positive sense of self. A recovery teaching program was associated with students expressing knowledge of recovery principles and positive attitudes towards people with experience of mental illness. Psychiatric placements for medical students may benefit from a recovery focus.

Beating the Odds (BTO) Program: A Comprehensive Support System for Teachers and Families of At-Risk Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opuni, Kwame A.; And Others

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the Beating the Odds (BTO) program of the Houston (Texas) schools in the 1990-91 school year, the third and final year of Phase I of the program. The BTO program provided training workshops for teachers of at-risk students and direct counseling and social service support for at-risk students in a selected…

Helping Students to Climb the Mountain: A Study to Inform the Development of a Resource to Improve the Learning of Statistics in Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Emma L.; Morys-Carter, Wakefield L.; Paltoglou, Aspasia E.

2015-01-01

Students often struggle with learning about statistics, which encompass a large proportion of a psychology degree. This pilot study explored how first- and final-year students reflected on their experiences of being taught this topic, in order to identify needs that could be addressed in a project to improve their learning. First-year students…

The drug-use patterns of helping-profession students in Brisbane, Australia.

PubMed

Engs, R C

1980-10-01

A survey of 1691 first-and final-year students in the helping professions (medicine, law, nursing, pharmacy, police science, seminary, social work/ psychology, and teaching) as to their use of drugs was carried out during February to April, 1980, in Brisbane, Australia. The results indicated that about 86% drank coffee or tea, 85% drank alcohol, 85% used non-prescription analgesics, 31% used tobacco, 25% antihistamines, 9% marijuana, 9% sedatives, 6% tranquilizers, 2% hallucinogens, 2% stimulants, 1% cocaine and 1% used opiates at least once a year. Of these students, females used analgesics and antihistamines significantly more frequently than males and consumed more caffeine, tobacco and analgesics than males, while males drank significantly more alcohol than females. Final-year students used more alcohol, coffee or tea and tobacco, and used marijuana, coffee and tea and tobacco significantly more frequently than first-year students. Individuals who did not consider religion important used more alcohol and tobacco and used marijuana, tobacco and hallucinogens more frequently compared to individuals who considered religion to be important. There was also a significant difference in drug usage between the different courses of study for most of the substances, with law students using the majority of substances the most frequently and seminarians the least frequently.

Correlating student interest and high school preparation with learning and performance in an introductory university physics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, Jason J. B.; Harrison, David M.; Meyertholen, Andrew

2014-06-01

We have studied the correlation of student performance in a large first year university physics course with their reasons for taking the course and whether or not the student took a senior-level high school physics course. Performance was measured both by the Force Concept Inventory and by the grade on the final examination. Students who took the course primarily for their own interest outperformed students who took the course primarily because it was required, both on the Force Concept Inventory and on the final examination; students who took a senior-level high school physics course outperformed students who did not, also both on the Force Concept Inventory and on the final exam. Students who took the course for their own interest and took high school physics outperformed students who took the course because it was required and did not take high school physics by a wide margin. However, the normalized gain on the Force Concept Inventory was the same within uncertainties for all groups and subgroups of students.

The Impacts of Regular Upward Bound on Postsecondary Outcomes Seven to Nine Years after Scheduled High School Graduation. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seftor, Neil S.; Mamun, Arif; Schirm, Allen

2009-01-01

This last report from Mathematica's evaluation of Upward Bound analyzes data from the final round of survey and transcript data collection as well as administrative records from the National Student Clearinghouse and the federal Student Financial Aid files. It provides the first estimates of the effects of Upward Bound on postsecondary completion.…

Career Awareness Program for Bilingual Haitian and Hispanic Students (Project CAP). Final Evaluation Report, 1993-94. OER Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roman, Elliott M.

In 1993-94 the Career Awareness Program for Bilingual Haitian and Hispanic Students (Project CAP) was in its fifth and final year as an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII project. Project CAP operated at two high schools in Brooklyn (New York), serving 136 Haitians at one and an undetermined number of Spanish-speaking and Haitian…

First- and Final-Semester Non-Native Students in an English-Medium University: Judgments of Their Speech by University Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Sara; Trofimovich, Pavel

2014-01-01

By the end of their studies, non-native speakers of English studying at English-medium universities have had several years of exposure to English in that setting. Do non-native students, particularly those enrolled in non-language related programs, show different levels of second language (L2) speaking ability in their final semester of studies…

Supervisors' Perceptions of Research Competencies in the Final-Year Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reguant, Mercedes; Martínez-Olmo, Francesc; Contreras-Higuera, Williams

2018-01-01

Background: This paper analyses the development of research competencies in higher education students, particularly with regard to the undergraduate Final-Year Project (FYP). The FYP is understood as an assignment that requires the integration of learning outcomes and demonstration of competencies for the successful completion of the degree.…

Knowledge, Attitudes and Preventive Efforts of Malaysian Medical Students Regarding Exposure to Environmental Tobacco and Cigarette Smoking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frisch, Ann Stirling; Kurtz, Margot; Shamsuddin, Khadijah

1999-01-01

Study examines changes in knowledge, attitudes, and preventive efforts of Malaysian students concerning cigarette smoking and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke from their first pre-clinical year in medical school until their final clinical year. Although there were significant improvements in knowledge about smoking and environmental…

Student Attitudes on Sociomedical Issues: A Follow-Up Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilwein, John H.; Kilwein, John C.

1990-01-01

A study compared student attitudes in the first and last years of a pharmaceutical program toward the health care system, environmental protection, abortion, euthanasia, use of tranquilizers, and family vs. career. On some issues there was considerable change by the final year, while attitudes on other issues remained stable. Females showed the…

Bilingualism in the Computer Age 1988-89. OREA Evaluation Section Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Tomi D.; Alvarez, Rosalyn

In the 1988-89 school year, Bilingualism in the Computer Age completed its final year of instruction at Morris High School in the Bronx. The project provided bilingual instructional and support services to 240 Spanish-speaking students of limited English proficiency (LEP) and utilized computers to develop students' English skills and native…

Early Tracking or Finally Leaving? Determinants of Early Study Success in First-Year University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brouwer, Jasperina; Jansen, Ellen; Hofman, Adriaan; Flache, Andreas

2016-01-01

Two theoretical approaches underlie this investigation of the determinants of early study success among first-year university students. Specifically, to extend Walberg's educational productivity model, this study draws on the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation in a contemporary university context. The survey data came from 407…

Students' Perceptions of Bullying Behaviours by Nursing Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Janet R. M.; Walker, Jean; Askew, Rebecca; Robinson, Jennifer C.; McNair, Mary

2011-01-01

This study describes the types, sources, and frequency of bullying behaviours encountered by nursing students in their final year of nursing education. Six hundred thirty-six respondents reported encountering at least one bullying behaviour from School of Nursing (SON) Faculty during one year of classroom or clinical course work. The results of…

Final Year Faculty of Education Students' Views Concerning Parent Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindberg, E. Nihal

2014-01-01

This study has aimed to determine the knowledge, skills, and views held by pre-service teachers attending different teacher training programs about parent involvement. A total of 520 4th year students receiving education in primary school teaching and in branch teaching programs participated in the study. Data were collected by the "Parent…

Evaluation of the role of incentive structure on student participation and performance in active learning strategies: A comparison of case-based and team-based learning.

PubMed

Carrasco, Gonzalo A; Behling, Kathryn C; Lopez, Osvaldo J

2018-04-01

Student participation is important for the success of active learning strategies, but participation is often linked to the level of preparation. At our institution, we use two types of active learning activities, a modified case-based learning exercise called active learning groups (ALG) and team-based learning (TBL). These strategies have different assessment and incentive structures for participation. Non-cognitive skills are assessed in ALG using a subjective five-point Likert scale. In TBL, assessment of individual student preparation is based on a multiple choice quiz conducted at the beginning of each session. We studied first-year medical student participation and performance in ALG and TBL as well as performance on course final examinations. Student performance in TBL, but not in ALG, was strongly correlated with final examination scores. Additionally, in students who performed in the upper 33rd percentile on the final examination, there was a positive correlation between final examination performance and participation in TBL and ALG. This correlation was not seen in students who performed in the lower 33rd percentile on the final examinations. Our results suggest that assessments of medical knowledge during active learning exercises could supplement non-cognitive assessments and could be good predictors of performance on summative examinations.

Brain drain: final year medical students' intentions of training abroad.

PubMed

Bojanic, Ana; Bojanic, Katarina; Likic, Robert

2015-06-01

In Croatia, a new European Union (EU) member state since July 2013, there is already a shortage of around 3280 doctors to reach the European average. To investigate the emigration intentions of the current cohort of final year medical students at Zabreb School of Medicine. An electronic questionnaire was used in June 2013 to assess the attitudes of 232 final year medical students towards working conditions abroad and expectations for career opportunities in Croatia following accession to the EU. With an overall response rate of 87%, more than half of the surveyed students (106/202, 53%) intended to travel abroad, either for specialty (52/202, 26%) or subspecialty (54/202, 27%) training. More female students (58/135, 43%) than male students (17/62, 27%) indicated they would not emigrate. Most attractive emigration destinations were: Germany (34/121, 28%), USA (19/121, 16%), the UK (19/121, 16%), Switzerland (16/121, 13%) and Canada (11/121, 9%). The most important goals that respondents aimed to achieve through training abroad were to excel professionally (45/120, 38%), to prosper financially (20/120, 17%) and to acquire new experiences and international exposure (31/120, 26%). Students' motivating factors, goals for and positive beliefs about training abroad, as well as negative expectations regarding career opportunities in Croatia, may point towards actions that could be taken to help make Croatia a country that facilitates medical education and professional career development of young doctors. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Dental students' compliance with antibiotic prescribing guidelines for dental infections in children.

PubMed

Wong, Yee Chen; Mohan, Mandakini; Pau, Allan

2016-01-01

To investigate the antibiotic prescribing training received by dental students, clinical experience in treating child patients, awareness of antibiotic prescribing guidelines, preparedness in antibiotic prescribing, and compliance with antibiotic prescribing guidelines for the management of dental infections in children. This was a cross-sectional study involving final year dentals students from Malaysian and Asian dental schools. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of five clinical case scenarios was e-mailed to all final year students at selected dental schools. Students' responses were compared for each clinical case scenario with the prescribing guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association. Compliance in each scenario was tested for association with their preparedness in antibiotic prescribing, previous training on antibiotic prescribing and awareness of antibiotic prescribing guidelines using Chi-square test. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS statistics version 20. A total of 108 completed responses were received. About 74 (69%) students were from Malaysian dental schools. The compliance rate with prescribing guidelines ranged from 15.7% to 43.5%. Those attending Malaysian dental schools (47.3%) and those who had treated child patient more often (46.3%) were more likely (P < 0.05) to be aware of the guidelines. Those who had received antibiotic prescribing training (21.3%) were more likely to think they were well prepared in antibiotic prescribing (P < 0.05). Final year dental students had low awareness and compliance with antibiotic prescribing guidelines. Further research is needed to investigate how compliance with the guidelines may be enhanced.

The Effect of Performance Feedback Provided to Student-Teachers Working with Multiple Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safak, Pinar; Yilmaz, Hatice Cansu; Demiryurek, Pinar; Dogus, Mustafa

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of performance feedback (PF) provided to student teachers working with students with multiple disabilities and visual impairment (MDVI) on their teaching skills. The study group of the research was composed of 11 student teachers attending to the final year of the Teaching Students with Visual…

Post-Primary Students' Images of Mathematics: Findings from a Survey of Irish Ordinary Level Mathematics Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Ciara; Stynes, Martin; O'Donoghue, John

2016-01-01

A questionnaire survey was carried out as part of a PhD research study to investigate the image of mathematics held by post-primary students in Ireland. The study focused on students in fifth year of post-primary education studying ordinary level mathematics for the Irish Leaving Certificate examination--the final examination for students in…

Assessing the integration of audience response system technology in teaching of anatomical sciences.

PubMed

Alexander, Cara J; Crescini, Weronika M; Juskewitch, Justin E; Lachman, Nirusha; Pawlina, Wojciech

2009-01-01

The goals of our study were to determine the predictive value and usability of an audience response system (ARS) as a knowledge assessment tool in an undergraduate medical curriculum. Over a three year period (2006-2008), data were collected from first year didactic blocks in Genetics/Histology and Anatomy/Radiology (n = 42-50 per class). During each block, students answered clinically oriented multiple choice questions using the ARS. Students' performances were recorded and cumulative ARS scores were compared with final examination performances. Correlation coefficients between these variables were calculated to assess the existence and direction of an association between ARS and final examination score. If associations existed, univariate models were then constructed using ARS as a predictor of final examination score. Student and faculty perception of ARS difficulty, usefulness, effect on performance, and preferred use were evaluated using a questionnaire. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between ARS and final examination scores in all didactic blocks and predictive univariate models were constructed for each relationship (all P < 0.0001). Students and faculty agreed that ARS was easy to use and a reliable tool for providing real-time feedback that improved their performance and participation. In conclusion, we found ARS to be an effective assessment tool benefiting the faculty and the students in a curriculum focused on interaction and self-directed learning. 2009 American Association of Anatomists

Two Different Approaches to Teaching Final-Year Projects for Mechanical Engineers and Biotechnologists at Ngee Ann Polytechnic: Case Studies Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Kath; Rebaczonok-Padulo, Michael

The Oral and Written Communication (OWC) course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic was originally intended to equip students with occupational skills (e.g., report- and letter-writing, public speaking) but has expanded to be a course aimed at helping third-year mechanical engineering students to develop third-year project reports. This has been done through…

Using US Tuning to Effect: the American Historical Association's Tuning Project and the First Year Research Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belanger, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

While research has long been recognized as a high impact practice in undergraduate education, much of the scholarship on undergraduate research has focused on students in the final years of their degree. This article describes a study of the ability of first year students to undertake historical research in an introductory level course at a small…

An Economic Analysis of the Work Experience and Career Exploration Program: 1971-1972 School Year. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stromsdorfer, Ernst W.

The educational performance of 690 14 and 15 year old dropout prone students given limited labor market experience was evaluated in a mationwide study. The students worked 28 hours per week during the 1971-72 school year, which was found to be excessive. Working increased grade point averages up to a point, after which favorable impact declined or…

A Latent Profile Analysis of University Students' Self-Regulated Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ning, Hoi Kwan; Downing, Kevin

2015-01-01

Based on self-reported cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioural strategy measures obtained from 828 final-year students from a university in Hong Kong, latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four distinct types of students with differential self-regulated learning strategy orientations: "competent self-regulated learners",…

Experience of psychiatry teaching at medical school influences Croatian medical students' attitudes towards choosing psychiatry as a career.

PubMed

Kuzman, Martina Rojnic; Lovrec, Petra; Smoljan, Mia; Kuzman, Tomislav; Farooq, Kitty; Lydall, Greg; Malik, Amit; Bhugra, Dinesh

2013-06-01

Reports indicate that the number of students interested in choosing psychiatry as their future profession is constantly decreasing in the last decades. Our aim was to determine the proportion of medical students intending to pursue a career in psychiatry and to define undergraduate education-related factors influencing that choice. We report the preliminary findings of a cross sectional quantitative survey of final year Croatian medical students as part of the International Survey Of Student Career Choice In Psychiatry (ISOSCCIP). We surveyed medical students attending their final year at Zagreb School of Medicine in the academic year 2009/2010, using a structured questionnaire examining demographics, students' preferences on future career choice and their evaluations of undergraduate psychiatry teaching. The overall student evaluation of the compulsory psychiatry curriculum was "average". Significantly higher ratings were reported by students who felt more involved in the teaching of the subject. The possibility of psychiatry as a career choice correlated significantly with better evaluation grades of psychiatry lectures. Furthermore, poor evaluation grades predicted a higher likelihood that medical students completely ruled out choosing a career in psychiatry. This is the first survey of this kind in Croatia. Student ratings of medical school psychiatric education and perceived involvement in teaching appears to influence the likelihood of a stated career in psychiatry. Addressing these issues may increase the number of students motivated to pursue psychiatry as their future career choice.

The emerging dental workforce: why dentistry? A quantitative study of final year dental students' views on their professional career

PubMed Central

Gallagher, Jennifer E; Patel, Resmi; Donaldson, Nora; Wilson, Nairn HF

2007-01-01

Background Dental graduates are joining a profession experiencing changes in systems of care, funding and skill mix. Research into the motivation and expectations of the emerging workforce is vital to inform professional and policy decisions. The objective of this research was to investigate final year dental students' perceived motivation for their choice of career in relation to sex, ethnicity and mode of entry. Methods Self-administered questionnaire survey of all final year dental students at King's College London. Data were entered into SPSS; statistical analysis included Chi Squared tests for linear association, multiple regression, factor analysis and logistic regression. Results A response of 90% (n = 126) was achieved. The majority were aged 23 years (59%), female (58%) and Asian (70%). One in 10 were mature students. Eighty per cent identified 11 or more 'important' or 'very important' influences, the most common of which were related to features of the job: 'regular working hours' (91%), 'degree leading to recognised job' (90%) and 'job security' (90%). There were significant differences in important influences by sex (males > females: 'able to run own business'; females > males: 'a desire to work with people'), ethnic group (Asians > white: 'wish to provide public service', 'influence of friends', 'desire to work in healthcare', having 'tried an alternative career/course' and 'work experience') and mode of entry (mature > early entry: 'a desire to work with people'). Multivariate analysis suggested 61% of the variation in influences is explained by five factors: the 'professional job' (31%), 'healthcare-people' (11%), 'academic-scientific' (8%), 'careers-advising' (6%), and 'family/friends' (6%). The single major influence on choice of career was a 'desire to work with people'; Indian students were twice as likely to report this as white or other ethnic groups. Conclusion Final year dental students report a wide range of important influences on their choice of dentistry, with variation by sex, ethnicity and mode of entry in relation to individual influences. Features of the 'professional job', followed by 'healthcare and people' were the most important underlying factors influencing choice of career. PMID:17573967

Are medical students satisfied with rural community posting? A survey among final year students in medical schools of south-east Nigeria.

PubMed

Ossai, Edmund N; Azuogu, Benedict N; Uwakwe, Kenechi A; Anyanwagu, Uchenna C; Ibiok, Ntat C; Ekeke, Ngozi

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to determine whether final year medical students in medical schools of south-east Nigeria were satisfied with rural community posting. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. All final year medical students in the six medical schools in south-east Nigeria who had completed their rural community posting and were willing to participate were included in the study. The students were interviewed using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire. A total of 457 medical students participated in the study, representing a response rate of 86.7%. Only a minor proportion of the students (22.5%) were satisfied with rural community posting. The most common reason for dissatisfaction among the students was lack of interest in rural communities. Most students (68.7%) were of the opinion that a good rural community posting could influence the students to practise in a rural area after graduation. Factors associated with satisfaction with rural community posting included being a student in a federal institution (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.4-0.9), being a male student (AOR=2.4, 95%CI=1.5-3.9) and intention to specialize in community medicine after graduation (AOR=2.7, 95%CI=1.2-6.0). Most students were dissatisfied with rural community postings and the major reason for dissatisfaction was lack of interest in rural communities. A properly organized rural community posting is capable of changing the negative attitude of the students towards life and medical practice in the rural area. Adequate orientation of the students on the relevance of the posting, good community exposure and enhanced student lecturer interactions during the posting period could ensure satisfaction of the students. There should be a targeted evaluation of the rural community posting at the various medical schools in the country with the aim of strengthening and modifying the posting where necessary so as to ensure its purpose is realized.

Student Perceptions of Online Lectures and WebCT in an Introductory Drug Information Course

PubMed Central

Freeman, Maisha Kelly; Schrimsher, Robert H.; Kendrach, Michael G.

2006-01-01

Objectives To determine student perceptions regarding online lectures and quizzes during an introductory drug information course for first-year professional doctor of pharmacy students. Design Formal and online lectures, online quizzes, written semester projects, a practice-based examination, a careers in pharmacy exercise, and a final examination were used to deliver the course content and assess performance. A multiple-choice survey instrument was used to evaluate student perceptions of WebCT and online lectures. Assessment More than 47% of students reported that online lectures helped them learn the material better, 77% reported that lectures would be used to study for the final examination, and 59% reported that they would use WebCT lectures for future classes. Approximately 40% of students agreed that online lectures should be used in future courses. Conclusion Students reported that WebCT was easy to use; however, the majority of students preferred in-class lectures compared to online lectures. A positive correlation was observed for those students who performed well on the online quizzes and those who performed well on the final examination. PMID:17332852

The emerging dental workforce: short-term expectations of, and influences on dental students graduating from a London dental school in 2005.

PubMed

Gallagher, Jennifer E; Clarke, Wendy; Wilson, Nairn H F

2008-07-01

The aim of this research was to identify short-term career aspirations and goals of final-year dental students at a London dental school and the perceived factors that influenced these aspirations. Two methods were used to collect data on final-year students' short-term career plans and influences. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups and analysed using 'framework methodology'. These findings informed a questionnaire survey of all students at the end of their final undergraduate year. Data were entered into and analysed using a statistical software package. Thirty-five students participated in focus groups, with recruitment continuing until data were saturated. Ninety per cent (n=126) of the total population (140) responded to the questionnaire survey; the majority were Asian (70%), female (58%), and aged 23 years (59%). Short-term professional expectations focused around 'achieving professional status within a social context', 'gaining professional experience', 'developing independence' and 'achieving financial stability'. 'Achieving financial stability' was ranked as the most important influence in decision-making about their career in the short term (77%), followed by 'balance of work and other aspects of life' (75%) and 'good lifestyle' (75%). Four out of ten intended to work towards membership of a Royal College and/or becoming a specialist. Proximity to family (81%) and friends (79%) was an important or very important influence on location in the short term. Asian students were significantly more likely to rate 'proximity to family' (p=0.042), working in an 'urban area' (p=0.001) and 'opportunities for private care' (p=0.043) of greater importance than their White counterparts. Short-term aspirations involve 'achieving professional status within a social context', and personal, social, professional and financial goals. Location of future practice was significantly associated with ethnicity.

Preparing medical students for clinical practice: easing the transition.

PubMed

Teagle, Alexandra R; George, Maria; Gainsborough, Nicola; Haq, Inam; Okorie, Michael

2017-08-01

The transition from medical student to junior doctor is a challenge; the UK General Medical Council has issued guidance emphasizing the importance of adequate preparation of medical students for clinical practice. This study aimed to determine whether a junior doctor-led simulation-based course is an effective way of preparing final year medical students for practice as a junior doctor.We piloted a new 'preparation for practice' course for final year medical students prior to beginning as Foundation Year 1 (first year of practice) doctors. The course ran over three days and consisted of four simulated stations: ward round, prescribing, handover, and lessons learnt. Quantitative and qualitative feedback was obtained.A total of 120 students attended (40 on each day) and feedback was collected from 95 of them. Using a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), feedback was positive, with 99% and 96% rating 4 or 5 for the overall quality of the program and the relevance of the program content, respectively. A score of 5 was awarded by 67% of students for the ward round station; 58% for the handover station; 71% for the prescribing station, and 35% for the lessons learnt station. Following the prescribing station, students reported increased confidence in their prescribing.Preparation for practice courses and simulation are an effective and enjoyable way of easing the transition from medical student to junior doctor. Together with 'on-the-job' shadowing time, such programs can be used to improve students' confidence, competence, and ultimately patient safety and quality of care.

A Survey of Interventional Radiology Awareness Among Final-Year Medical Students in a European Country

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leong, Sum; Keeling, Aoife N.; Lee, Michael J., E-mail: mlee@rcsi.i

2009-07-15

Interventional radiology (IR) is a rapidly expanding specialty that is facing the challenges of turf wars and personnel shortages. Appropriate exposure of medical students to this field can be vital to recruitment of potential future trainees or referring physicians. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and views of final-year medical students in a single EU country regarding various aspects of IR. An electronic survey was sent via e-mail to all final-year medical students in a European country. The students were given a month to respond to the questionnaire. A total of 234 students of 675 (34.5%)more » replied to the survey. Of the respondents, 35% had previously completed an attachment to the radiology department. The majority of students (63%) thought their knowledge in radiology in general was poor. The percentage of students who correctly identified procedures performed by interventional radiologists was 69% for Hickman line insertion, 79% for fibroid embolization, and 67.5% for lower limb angioplasty. Sixty percent, 30%, and 47% thought that interventional radiologists perform cardiac angioplasties, perform arterial bypasses, and create AV fistulas, respectively. Forty-nine percent felt that interventional radiologists are surgically trained. Eighty-three percent of students were first made aware of angioplasty by a cardiologist. Thirty-one percent thought that interventional radiologists do ward rounds, 24% thought that interventional radiologists have admitting rights, and 26% felt that interventional radiologists run an outpatient practice. A significant number of students (76%) thought that the job prospects in IR are good or excellent but only 40.5% were willing to consider a career in IR. In conclusion, this study indicates that IR remains a nascent but attractive specialty to the majority of medical students. Further development of the existing informal undergraduate curriculum to address shortcomings will ensure that IR continues to attract the brightest talents to the field.« less

A survey of interventional radiology awareness among final-year medical students in a European country.

PubMed

Leong, Sum; Keeling, Aoife N; Lee, Michael J

2009-07-01

Interventional radiology (IR) is a rapidly expanding specialty that is facing the challenges of turf wars and personnel shortages. Appropriate exposure of medical students to this field can be vital to recruitment of potential future trainees or referring physicians. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and views of final-year medical students in a single EU country regarding various aspects of IR. An electronic survey was sent via e-mail to all final-year medical students in a European country. The students were given a month to respond to the questionnaire. A total of 234 students of 675 (34.5%) replied to the survey. Of the respondents, 35% had previously completed an attachment to the radiology department. The majority of students (63%) thought their knowledge in radiology in general was poor. The percentage of students who correctly identified procedures performed by interventional radiologists was 69% for Hickman line insertion, 79% for fibroid embolization, and 67.5% for lower limb angioplasty. Sixty percent, 30%, and 47% thought that interventional radiologists perform cardiac angioplasties, perform arterial bypasses, and create AV fistulas, respectively. Forty-nine percent felt that interventional radiologists are surgically trained. Eighty-three percent of students were first made aware of angioplasty by a cardiologist. Thirty-one percent thought that interventional radiologists do ward rounds, 24% thought that interventional radiologists have admitting rights, and 26% felt that interventional radiologists run an outpatient practice. A significant number of students (76%) thought that the job prospects in IR are good or excellent but only 40.5% were willing to consider a career in IR. In conclusion, this study indicates that IR remains a nascent but attractive specialty to the majority of medical students. Further development of the existing informal undergraduate curriculum to address shortcomings will ensure that IR continues to attract the brightest talents to the field.

Course experiences, satisfaction and career intent of final year pre-registration Australian pharmacy students

PubMed Central

Shen, Grace; Fois, Romano; Nissen, Lisa; Saini, Bandana

2013-01-01

Background In Australia, the profession of pharmacy has undergone many changes to adapt to the needs of the community. In recent years, concerns have been raised with evidence emerging of workforce saturation in traditional pharmacy practice sectors. It is not known how current final year pharmacy students’ perceive the different pharmacy career paths in this changing environment. Hence investigating students’ current experiences with their pharmacy course, interaction with the profession and developing an understanding of their career intentions would be an important step, as these students would make up a large proportion of future pharmacy workforce. Objective The objective of this study was thus to investigate final year students’ career perspectives and the reasons for choosing pharmacy, satisfaction with this choice of pharmacy as a tertiary course and a possible future career, factors affecting satisfaction and intention of future career paths. Methods A quantitative cross sectional survey of final year students from 3 Australian universities followed by a qualitative semi-structured interview of a convenience sample of final year students from the University of Sydney. Results ‘Interest in health and medicine’ was the most important reason for choosing pharmacy (n=238). The majority of students were ‘somewhat satisfied’ with the choice of pharmacy (35.7%) as a course and possible future career. Positive associations were found between satisfaction and reasons for joining pharmacy such as ‘felt pharmacy is a good profession’ (p=0.003) while negative associations included ‘joined pharmacy as a gateway to medicine or dentistry’ (p=0.001). Quantitate and qualitative results showed the most frequent perception of community pharmacy was ‘changing’ while hospital and pharmaceutical industry was described as ‘competitive’ and ‘research’ respectively. The highest career intention was community followed by hospital pharmacy. Conclusion Complex factors including university experiences are involved in shaping students’ satisfaction and perception of career. This may relate to challenges in the community pharmacy sector, job opportunities in hospital and limited understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. The results offer insight for the profession in terms of entry into various roles and also to pharmacy educators for their roles in shaping curricula and placement experiences that attract future graduates to defined career pathways in pharmacy. PMID:25035715

Exploring Cultural Competence amongst OT Students.

PubMed

Govender, Pragashnie; Mpanza, December M; Carey, Tarryn; Jiyane, Kwenzile; Andrews, Bicolé; Mashele, Sam

2017-01-01

Occupational therapy relies primarily on communication between the therapist and client for effective intervention. Adequate communication may be influenced by language and cultural differences between the therapist and client. Cultural competence in relation to language and culture is thus a vital part in practice. Limited research exists on cultural competence in occupational therapy students. This study thus aimed to explore the cultural competence of final year students and their perceptions of their own cultural competence, with respect to language and culture in their practice as students. An explorative qualitative study design was utilised with a nonprobability purposeful sample of 21 final year undergraduate students at a tertiary institute in South Africa. Three focus groups were conducted, comprising between 6 and 8 students in each group. Thematic analysis using inductive reasoning was undertaken in order to analyse the students' experiences and understanding of cultural competence. Findings of the study suggest that cultural competence, in relation to language and culture, influences the occupational therapy intervention process. It was shown to both positively and negatively influence intervention through supporting or hindering rapport building, client centeredness, and effective intervention.

Exploring Cultural Competence amongst OT Students

PubMed Central

Mpanza, December M.; Carey, Tarryn; Jiyane, Kwenzile; Andrews, Bicolé; Mashele, Sam

2017-01-01

Occupational therapy relies primarily on communication between the therapist and client for effective intervention. Adequate communication may be influenced by language and cultural differences between the therapist and client. Cultural competence in relation to language and culture is thus a vital part in practice. Limited research exists on cultural competence in occupational therapy students. This study thus aimed to explore the cultural competence of final year students and their perceptions of their own cultural competence, with respect to language and culture in their practice as students. An explorative qualitative study design was utilised with a nonprobability purposeful sample of 21 final year undergraduate students at a tertiary institute in South Africa. Three focus groups were conducted, comprising between 6 and 8 students in each group. Thematic analysis using inductive reasoning was undertaken in order to analyse the students' experiences and understanding of cultural competence. Findings of the study suggest that cultural competence, in relation to language and culture, influences the occupational therapy intervention process. It was shown to both positively and negatively influence intervention through supporting or hindering rapport building, client centeredness, and effective intervention. PMID:29097961

National Student Survey: Are Differences between Universities and Courses Reliable and Meaningful?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Jacqueline H. S.; Marsh, Herbert W.

2010-01-01

The National Student Survey (NSS) of course experience satisfaction is sent to final year students of all higher education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (N = 171,290 and 157,342 students in 2005 and 2006) and results are made publicly available. The present investigation assesses the reliability and appropriate use…

Factors Affecting Student Choice of the Undergraduate Research Project: Staff and Student Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harland, Janice; Pitt, Sarah; Saunders, Venetia

2005-01-01

As pressures on resources are growing and some question the value and types of final year research work for students in the biosciences and other disciplines, it is important to be well informed about student expectations of their project. In this case study within Biomolecular Sciences, questionnaires were used to compare staff and student…

Pharmacy students' knowledge and perceptions about pharmacovigilance in Malaysian public universities.

PubMed

Elkalmi, Ramadan Mohamed; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Ibrahim, Mohamed Izham M; Widodo, Riyanto T; Efan, Qais M A; Hadi, Muhammad Abdul

2011-06-10

To assess senior pharmacy students' knowledge of and perceptions about pharmacovigilance and reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) at 5 public universities in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 1, 2010, and January 31, 2010, using a validated self-administered questionnaire delivered to a sample of 510 final-year (fourth-year) pharmacy students at 5 Malaysian public universities. Four hundred twenty-one (84%) students responded to the survey. About 60% (n = 240) indicated that they had taken courses on the concept of pharmacovigilance during their current pharmacy curriculum. The mean score for knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting was 6.9 ± 1.4. There was a significant difference in the mean scores for knowledge about pharmacovigilance across the 5 universities. The majority (82.3%) of respondents felt it was necessary to confirm the causal relationship between the drug and the ADR. About 57.8% (n = 241) of the respondents believed that pharmacy students are competent and capable of reporting ADRs during their clerkships. The majority (87.0%) of respondents perceived that pharmacy students should be taught how to report ADRs. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of final-year pharmacy students in Malaysian public universities have insufficient knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting.

[Community health course--student's evaluation].

PubMed

Juresa, Vesna; Musil, Vera; Sosić, Zvonko; Majer, Marjeta; Pavleković, Gordana

2010-12-01

Since 1952, Andrija Stampar School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, has provided a community health course, based on the medical education approach that the main fields of physicians' action are human settlements and not only consulting rooms and clinics. The aim of the study was to compare community health course students' evaluations immediately after attending the course at the 4th and 6th study years. The survey included 224 4th year medical students attending the community course during the academic year 2007-2008 and 192 same-generation 6th year students (85.7%) during the academic year 2009-2010. Students were required to fill out an evaluation questionnaire about the activities during the community health course using grades from 1-poor to 5-excellent, and to write personal remarks and essay. The academic year 2007-2008 students (n=224) were very satisfied (grades 5 and 4) with preparatory seminar (98% of students), final seminar (97%), course organization (90%) and course contents (89%). The same grades were allocated by 98% of students to public health field research, 94% to work in community nurse service, 93% to work in family practice and health promotion in school and kindergarten, and 87% to water sampling. Satisfaction with the community health course was very emotionally described in final essays: "... work with community nurse service in the poorest part of Croatia has changed my life. I have learned in only few hours to wish less and to give more. Every physician should experience it, because that is real life". Results of the same-generation students (n=192) in the academic year 2009-2010, now at 6th study year, showed them to be still very satisfied (grades 5 and 4) with the activities in the community health course: 94% with health promotion, 92% with work in the community nurse service and family medicine, 86% with course contents, 82% with course organization, 78% with final seminar, 64% with preparatory seminar, 63% with field research, and 49% with water sampling. At some medical schools, there are similar attempts to bring students more closely to life conditions, especially to rural communities. Different schools of medicine in the world have attempted to improve and adapt current curricula towards community-oriented education of medical students during undergraduate study and residency. In some countries, there is also the need of improvement of health care in rural areas. Results of the course evaluation showed that students had recognized the exceptional value of community health course as a whole. They perceived it as the most valuable and most useful experience in their medical study. By participating in local health care and social care activities in rural area, they got an insight into both the health care system and socio-medical determinants of health.

GAO Probes Access of Students with Disabilities to Sports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fine, Lisa

2009-01-01

Although schools have made great strides educating students with disabilities in mainstreamed academic classrooms, some advocates and physical educators say sports programs and physical education classes are the final frontier for full inclusion in public schools. In the past few years, advocates for such students have been demanding greater…

Creativity Styles of Freshman Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, V. K.; And Others

1991-01-01

First-year college students (n=182) were tested to determine their beliefs about and approaches to creative endeavors. Students self-identified as creative employed a greater number of techniques such as brainstorming and were less motivated by the goal of developing a final product, compared to those identified as least creative. (JDD)

Introductory Anatomy and Physiology in an Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, S. J.; White, S.; Power, N.

2017-01-01

Using an educational data mining approach, first-year academic achievement of undergraduate nursing students, which included two compulsory courses in introductory human anatomy and physiology, was compared with achievement in a final semester course that transitioned students into the workplace. We hypothesized that students could be grouped…

Enhancing Student Learning: RN CAT Advisement Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donaldson, Susan K.

This document describes a community college advisement program that was implemented to improve the student pass rate for the national nursing licensure examination. The nursing faculty at Manatee Community College (Florida) recently instituted an advisement system during the final semester of the two-year nursing program. First, students were…

Choosing Optional Infused Career Education for Students in High School Bilingual Programs (Project CHOICE). Final Evaluation Report 1992-93. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cantalupo, Denise

Project CHOICE was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its fifth and final year of operation at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn and Springfield Gardens High School in Queens (both in New York City). In 1992-93 the project served 364 students of limited English proficiency. Participants received instruction…

Oversight on National Direct Student Loan Program Regulations. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor. House of Representatives, Ninety-Seventh Congress, Second Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Education and Labor.

Hearings on the Department of Education's final regulation governing the National Direct Student Loan (NDSL) Program are presented. The final regulation makes three changes: calculation of the federal capital contribution, which is the amount of new federal dollars allocated to institutions each year; the eligibility of institutions to receive…

White Collar Work: Career Ambitions of Fiji Final Year School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilan, Pam; Cavu, Paula; Tagicakiverata, Isimeli; Hazelman, Emily

2006-01-01

The career ambitions of 1012 pupils in the final years of secondary schooling in Fiji were surveyed. The range of careers they nominated was very narrow, with teaching, nursing and other white collar work in the majority of responses. This stands in somewhat stark contrast to projected labour force needs, and the current serious shortage of…

Two Different Approaches to Teaching Final-Year Projects for Mechanical Engineers and Biotechnologists at Ngee Ann Polytechnic--Case Studies Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Kath; Rebaczonok-Padulo, Michael

1993-01-01

Ngee Ann Polytechnic, a leading postsecondary technical institution in Singapore, offers English for academic and occupational purposes to prepare students for writing their final year projects. This article discusses the approaches used in Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology projects. A sample exercise is appended. (Contains two references.)…

Review of "SCDP Milwaukee Evaluation Report #30"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cobb, Casey D.

2012-01-01

The School Choice Demonstration Project has published a series of reports written in the fifth and final year of its evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). This review is of Report #30, a final follow up to a five-year study examining high school graduation and post-secondary enrollment rates for students participating in the…

George W. Wingate High School Multilingual Survival Skills Program, 1985-1986. OEA Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn. Office of Educational Assessment.

The Multilingual Survival Skills Program, in its final year of a three-year funding cycle, provided instructional and support services to 350 Haitian and Hispanic students of limited English proficiency (LEP) at George Wingate High School (Brooklyn, New York). The program emphasized the acquisition of English language skills, using students'…

Meeting Students' Needs on the Titanic: Lessons Learned While Closing a Campus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanna, Kathryn L.

In March 1991, the Regents of the University of Minnesota voted to close the two-year campus at Waseca (UMW) campus effective June 1992. Student needs were the overriding factor in administrative decision making during the final year. It was necessary to continue current services in a "normal," if modified, fashion, while at the same…

Expanding Horizons: A Program for Students Entering Nontraditional Technical Occupations. PY95 Final Detailed Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin Community Coll., TX.

The Expanding Horizons Project at Austin Community College successfully achieved its goals for Project Year 1994-95. During the year, the project accomplished the following: raised public awareness of the need to overcome gender bias, promoted career opportunities in nontraditional technical occupations to more than 1,200 prospective students,…

Cognitive, Social, and Literacy Competencies: The Chelsea Bank Simulation Project. Year One: Final Report. [Volume 2]: Appendices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Thomas; And Others

This supplementary volume presents appendixes A-E associated with a 1-year study which determined what secondary school students were doing as they engaged in the Chelsea Bank computer software simulation activities. Appendixes present the SCANS Analysis Coding Sheet; coding problem analysis of 50 video segments; student and teacher interview…

The Association between Maternal Reproductive Age and Progression of Refractive Error in Urban Students in Beijing

PubMed Central

Vasudevan, Balamurali; Jin, Zi Bing; Ciuffreda, Kenneth J.; Jhanji, Vishal; Zhou, Hong Jia; Wang, Ning Li; Liang, Yuan Bo

2015-01-01

Purpose To investigate the association between maternal reproductive age and their children’ refractive error progression in Chinese urban students. Methods The Beijing Myopia Progression Study was a three-year cohort investigation. Cycloplegic refraction of these students at both baseline and follow-up vision examinations, as well as non-cycloplegic refraction of their parents at baseline, were performed. Student’s refractive change was defined as the cycloplegic spherical equivalent (SE) of the right eye at the final follow-up minus the cycloplegic SE of the right eye at baseline. Results At the final follow-up, 241 students (62.4%) were reexamined. 226 students (58.5%) with completed refractive data, as well as completed parental reproductive age data, were enrolled. The average paternal and maternal age increased from 29.4 years and 27.5 years in 1993–1994 to 32.6 years and 29.2 years in 2003–2004, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, students who were younger (β = 0.08 diopter/year/year, P<0.001), with more myopic refraction at baseline (β = 0.02 diopter/year/diopter, P = 0.01), and with older maternal reproductive age (β = -0.18 diopter/year/decade, P = 0.01), had more myopic refractive change. After stratifying the parental reproductive age into quartile groups, children with older maternal reproductive age (trend test: P = 0.04) had more myopic refractive change, after adjusting for the children's age, baseline refraction, maternal refraction, and near work time. However, no significant association between myopic refractive change and paternal reproductive age was found. Conclusions In this cohort, children with older maternal reproductive age had more myopic refractive change. This new risk factor for myopia progression may partially explain the faster myopic progression found in the Chinese population in recent decades. PMID:26421841

Blending online techniques with traditional face to face teaching methods to deliver final year undergraduate radiology learning content.

PubMed

Howlett, David; Vincent, Tim; Watson, Gillian; Owens, Emma; Webb, Richard; Gainsborough, Nicola; Fairclough, Jil; Taylor, Nick; Miles, Ken; Cohen, Jon; Vincent, Richard

2011-06-01

To review the initial experience of blending a variety of online educational techniques with traditional face to face or contact-based teaching methods to deliver final year undergraduate radiology content at a UK Medical School. The Brighton and Sussex Medical School opened in 2003 and offers a 5-year undergraduate programme, with the final 5 spent in several regional centres. Year 5 involves several core clinical specialities with onsite radiology teaching provided at regional centres in the form of small-group tutorials, imaging seminars and also a one-day course. An online educational module was introduced in 2007 to facilitate equitable delivery of the year 5 curriculum between the regional centres and to support students on placement. This module had a strong radiological emphasis, with a combination of imaging integrated into clinical cases to reflect everyday practice and also dedicated radiology cases. For the second cohort of year 5 students in 2008 two additional online media-rich initiatives were introduced, to complement the online module, comprising imaging tutorials and an online case discussion room. In the first year for the 2007/2008 cohort, 490 cases were written, edited and delivered via the Medical School managed learning environment as part of the online module. 253 cases contained a form of image media, of which 195 cases had a radiological component with a total of 325 radiology images. Important aspects of radiology practice (e.g. consent, patient safety, contrast toxicity, ionising radiation) were also covered. There were 274,000 student hits on cases the first year, with students completing a mean of 169 cases each. High levels of student satisfaction were recorded in relation to the online module and also additional online radiology teaching initiatives. Online educational techniques can be effectively blended with other forms of teaching to allow successful undergraduate delivery of radiology. Efficient IT links and good image quality are essential ingredients for successful student/clinician engagement. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Final year students' experiences of the Bachelor of Midwifery course.

PubMed

Carolan-Olah, Mary; Kruger, Gina; Walter, Ruby; Mazzarino, Melissa

2014-05-01

: the aim of the study was to explore the experiences of final year Bachelor of Midwifery students. earlier research indicates that midwifery students experience a number of difficulties and concerns during their studentship. These difficulties can lead to a lack of confidence and poorer integration and socialisation into the profession. Ultimately, poorer integration may lead to dissatisfaction and attrition from the profession. a qualitative approach, informed by interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), was used in this study. Ten completing Bachelor of Midwifery students participated in in-depth interviews and reflected on their experiences over their three year course. Data were subjected to IPA analytic steps as proposed by Smith and Osborn (2008). demographics revealed that participants were generally aged more than 35 years and worked 16 hours or less per week. Most had two or more children and lived with a spouse/partner. Four main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) a challenging start; (2) coming to terms with course requirements; (3) developing strategies; and (4) overall satisfaction with the course. Participants generally considered that their individual strengths and determination helped them to negotiate the many challenges they encountered during the course. this study indicates that students undergo a process of adjustment as they travel through the Bachelor of Midwifery course. The most critical transition phase appears to occur in the first year and students may require additional supports to assist their socialisation into both the university and their course. Particular needs identified include return to study skills for mature-aged students and counselling and support group needs generally. The provision of such supports may assist with the retention of students within the course and may contribute to overall student satisfaction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why School Students Choose and Reject Science: A Study of the Factors That Students Consider When Selecting Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Tracey-Ann; Burke, Paul F.; Aubusson, Peter

2017-01-01

Student study of science at school has been linked to the need to provide a scientifically capable workforce and a scientifically literate society. Educators, scientists, and policymakers are concerned that too few students are choosing science for study in their final years of school. How and why students choose and reject certain subjects,…

A Research Project to Determine the Student Acceptability and Learning Effectiveness of Microform Collections in Community Junior Colleges: Phase II. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaddy, Dale

Five pilot studies were conducted at four two-year colleges in the Washington, D.C. area during the 1970-71 academic year to identify relevant variables for subsequent in-depth examination in this USOE-funded research project which is designed to determine student acceptance and learning effectiveness of microform. Known as Phase II, the year's…

First-year Engineering Education with the Creative Electrical Engineering Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsukamoto, Takehiko; Sugito, Tetsumasa; Ozeki, Osamu; Ushiroda, Sumio

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in Toyota National College of Technology has put great emphasis on fundamental subjects. We introduced the creative electrical engineering laboratory into the first-year engineering education since 1998. The laboratory concentrates on the practice exercise. The final questionnaire of students showed that our first-year education is very effective to promote students motivation and their scholastic ability in engineering.

Applying an information literacy rubric to first-year health sciences student research posters*

PubMed Central

Goodman, Xan; Watts, John; Arenas, Rogelio; Weigel, Rachelle; Terrell, Tony

2018-01-01

Objective This article describes the collection and analysis of annotated bibliographies created by first-year health sciences students to support their final poster projects. The authors examined the students’ abilities to select relevant and authoritative sources, summarize the content of those sources, and correctly cite those sources. Methods We collected images of 1,253 posters, of which 120 were sampled for analysis, and scored the posters using a 4-point rubric to evaluate the students’ information literacy skills. Results We found that 52% of students were proficient at selecting relevant sources that directly contributed to the themes, topics, or debates presented in their final poster projects, and 64% of students did well with selecting authoritative peer-reviewed scholarly sources related to their topics. However, 45% of students showed difficulty in correctly applying American Psychological Association (APA) citation style. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate a need for instructors and librarians to provide strategies for reading and comprehending scholarly articles in addition to properly using APA citation style. PMID:29339940

An approach to developing independent learning and non-technical skills amongst final year mining engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knobbs, C. G.; Grayson, D. J.

2012-06-01

There is mounting evidence to show that engineers need more than technical skills to succeed in industry. This paper describes a curriculum innovation in which so-called 'soft' skills, specifically inter-personal and intra-personal skills, were integrated into a final year mining engineering course. The instructional approach was designed to promote independent learning and to develop non-technical skills, essential for students on the threshold of becoming practising engineers. Three psychometric tests were administered at the beginning of the course to make students aware of their own and their classmates' characteristics. Substantial prescribed reading assignments preceded weekly group discussions. Several projects during the course required team work skills and application of content knowledge to real-world contexts. Results obtained from students' reflection papers, assignments related to 'soft' skills and end of course evaluations suggest that students' appreciation of the need for these skills, as well as their own perceived competence, increased during the course. Their ability to function as independent learners also increased.

‘Workshops in healing’ for senior medical students: a 5-year overview and appraisal

PubMed Central

Kearsley, John H; Lobb, Elizabeth A

2014-01-01

We report upon the design, content and feedback from an interactive, experiential series of Workshops in Healing for senior medical students. Fifty-six final year medical students enrolled in 2×3 h workshops designed around the core themes of ‘physician know thyself’ (Workshop 1) and ‘confronting suffering’ (Workshop 2). Of the 56 students who initially enrolled, 48 students completed both workshops and provided a written open-ended reflection of their learning experience. The study, undertaken over a consecutive 5-year period (2008–2012), employed an emergent, qualitative design using thematic analysis of the reflective comments. We found that the design and content of both workshops promoted transformative learning for these final year medical students. Students identified the following benefits: (1) the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to their chosen career path; (2) the value of listening to other students share their stories; (3) the importance of the timing of the workshops to occur after exams; (4) the use of various mediums such as art, poetry, music and contemporary/classic literature to present concepts of suffering and healing; and (5) the creation of a safe and confidential space. Students reported that these innovative workshops gave them a renewed sense of drive and enthusiasm for their chosen career. They highlighted the importance of addressing an aspect of medicine (healing) not covered in the traditional medical curriculum. Workshops in Healing helped them to rediscover a deeper meaning to medicine and their roles as future healthcare professionals. PMID:24473159

Contribution of integrated teaching in the improvement of an undergraduate ophthalmology curriculum

PubMed Central

Tsinopoulos, Ioannis T; Symeonidis, Chrysanthos; Tsaousis, Konstantinos T; Mataftsi, Asimina; Chalvatzis, Nikolaos; Tzamalis, Argyrios; Lamprogiannis, Lampros P; Dimitrakos, Stavros A

2014-01-01

Purpose Conventional medical curriculum is the rule of medical teaching in Greek Medical Schools. Medical students are often taught irrelevant details with little or no reference to their potential clinical significance. Alternatively, integrated teaching warrants that the complete teaching material is covered by each faculty member not considering areas of personal expertise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of integrated teaching in ophthalmic training. Methods The main outcome measures of this retrospective study were a) comments and recommendations made anonymously by the fifth-year medical students in the evaluation questionnaires filled in at the end of their training, and b) scores obtained by students in their final examination at the end of their training in the 2nd Department of Ophthalmology as part of the core Curriculum of the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The latter outcome was analyzed with respect to the implementation of integrated teaching. Results The score obtained by students in the final examination, which is an objective outcome measure, increased significantly after the implementation of integrated teaching. The final grade (scores out of 10) of students who were trained with the integrated system (6.17±1.67, mean ± standard deviation) was significantly higher compared to those (5.52±2.20) trained with the conventional system (P<0.001). The positive outcome of this process was evident as there was a significant increase in the number of students satisfied with the teaching process compared to previous academic years. Conclusion Based on the experience of eight academic years and as a result of interactive assessment process our department has modified its medical student teaching process from conventional to integrated; all teaching staff members are involved in the teaching process, while students are divided in small groups. In conclusion, integrated teaching in small student groups appears to be an efficient teaching method (for both theoretical and clinical skills) of ophthalmic training for medical students. PMID:25429248

Obesity bias among health and non-health students attending an Australian university and their perceived obesity education.

PubMed

Robinson, Emma L; Ball, Lauren E; Leveritt, Michael D

2014-01-01

This study compared the level of prejudice against obese individuals (obesity bias) among final-year health and non-health students, and associated obesity education. Cross-sectional online survey of 479 final-year students (292 health and 187 non-health) from Griffith University, Australia. Implicit and explicit obesity bias was measured using validated tools, and perceived obesity education ranked from "none" to "excellent." Data were analyzed quantitatively using analysis of variance and independent sample t tests. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. Students' mean age was 26.2 ± 7.6 years and body mass index was 23.2 ± 4.7 kg/m(2). Health and non-health students exhibited significant levels of obesity bias. Non-health students were more likely to suggest that obese individuals lacked willpower (P = .03). Students' self-reported obesity education varied considerably. Those who reported a higher level of genetics-related obesity education were less likely to believe that obese individuals were "bad" (P = .002) or to show concern about putting on weight (P = .01). Obesity bias exists in health students in Australia and is similar to non-health students' obesity bias levels. Students' self-reported genetics-related obesity education may be associated with obesity bias. Modifications to existing health curricula should be considered to reduce obesity bias among future health professionals. Copyright © 2014 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementing a competence framework for administering medication: reporting the experiences of mental health nurses and students in the UK.

PubMed

Hemingway, Steve; White, Jacqueline; Baxter, Hazel; Smith, George; Turner, James; McCann, Terence

2012-10-01

Medicine administration is a high risk activity that most nurses undertake frequently. In this paper, the views of registered mental health nurses and final year student nurses are evaluated about the usefulness of the Medicines with Respect Assessment of the Administration of Medicines Competency Framework. A questionnaire using 22 items with closed and open response questions was distributed to 827 practising mental health nurses and 44 final year mental health nursing students. This article presents a content analysis of written replies to the open response questions. Four overlapping themes were identified in response to the open questions posed in the survey: (1) reasons for undertaking the Medicines with Respect Framework; (2) positive aspects; (3) negative aspects; and (4) service user benefits.

Using Social Cognitive Theory to Explain the Intention of Final-year Pharmacy Students to Undertake a Higher Degree in Pharmacy Practice Research.

PubMed

Carter, Stephen R; Moles, Rebekah J; Krass, Ines; Kritikos, Vicki S

2016-08-25

Objective. To develop and test a conceptual model that hypothesized student intention to undertake a higher degree in pharmacy practice research (PPR) would be increased by self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and the social influence of faculty members. Methods. Cross-sectional surveys were completed by 387 final-year pharmacy undergraduates enrolled in 2012 and 2013. Structural equation modeling was used to explore relationships between variables and intention. Results. Fit indices were good. The model explained 55% of the variation in intention. As hypothesized, faculty social influence increased self-efficacy and indirectly increased outcome expectancy and intention. Conclusion. To increase pharmacy students' orientation towards a career in PPR, faculty members could use their social influence by highlighting PPR in their teaching.

Bridging Class and Field: Field Instructors' and Liaisons' Reactions to Information about Students' Baseline Performance Derived from Simulated Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bogo, Marion; Lee, Barbara; McKee, Eileen; Ramjattan, Roxanne; Baird, Stephanie L.

2017-01-01

To strengthen students' preparation for engaging in field learning, an innovation was implemented to teach and assess foundation-year students' performance prior to entering field education. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination informed the final evaluation of students' performance in two companion courses on practice theory and skills.…

Student Perceptions of the Value of Turnitin Text-Matching Software as a Learning Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Carol; Challen, Rachel

2015-01-01

The University of Wolverhampton has been using Turnitin as a teaching aid with groups of students since 2007, but in 2011 changed its policy to encourage student access on a formative basis across the institution. In one School, 748 students undertaking final year undergraduate projects were invited to check multiple drafts via Turnitin before the…

Student and Teacher Factors as Predictors of Statistics Achievement in Federal School of Statistics Ibadan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adetona, Abel Adekanmi

2017-01-01

The study aimed at assessing how students and teachers factor taken together influence students' achievement in Statistics as well as their relative contribution to the prediction. Two research questions were raised and purposive sampling was adopted to select national diploma year 2 students since they are already in their final level in the…

Clinical reasoning skills in final-year dental students: A qualitative cross-curricula comparison.

PubMed

Nafea, E T; Dennick, R

2018-05-01

The aim of this research was to explore the perceptions of undergraduate dental students regarding clinical reasoning skills and also discover the influences of different curriculum designs on the acquisition of these skills by students. Eighteen final-year students from three different dental schools with varied curricula and cultures participated in the current research. The research used qualitative methodology. The study took place in 2013-2014. Interviews captured the participants' own understanding of clinical reasoning and its acquisition plus they "talked through" a clinical problem using a "think-aloud" technique. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts of the recorded interviews. Results obtained were related to curriculum structure. Unfamiliarity with the term clinical reasoning was common in students. Students from different schools used different strategies to reason when discussing clinical vignettes. Clinical reasoning process was dominated by pattern recognition. Students' behaviours seemed to be influenced by cultural factors. This research contributes to a greater understanding of how students learn, understand and apply dental clinical reasoning which will improve educational practices in the future. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

From access to success in science: An academic-student affairs intervention for undergraduate freshmen biology students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aldridge, Jacqueline Nouvelle

The first year experience is known to present an array of challenges for traditional college students. In particular, freshmen who major in a STEM discipline have their own unique set of challenges when they transition from high school science and math to college science and math; especially chemistry. As a result, students may encounter negative experiences which lower academic and social confidence. This project was designed as a pilot study intervention for a small group of freshmen biology students who were considered academically at-risk due their math SAT scores. The study occurred during the fall semester involving an enhanced active learning component based on the Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL) general chemistry supplemental pedagogy model, and a biology-focused First Year Experience (FYE). PLTL workshops took place in freshmen residence halls, creating a live-n-learn community environment. Mid-term and final chemistry grades and final math grades were collected to measure academic progress. Self-reporting surveys and journals were used to encourage participants to reconstruct their experiences and perceptions of the study. Descriptive analysis was performed to measure statistical significance between midterm and final grade performance, and a general inductive qualitative method was used to determine academic and social confidence as well as experiences and perceptions of the project. Findings of this project revealed a statistically significant improvement between chemistry midterm and final grades of the sample participants. Although academic confidence did not increase, results reveal that social confidence progressed as the majority of students developed a value for studying in groups.

Emigration-related attitudes of the final year medical students in Croatia: a cross-sectional study at the dawn of the EU accession

PubMed Central

Kolčić, Ivana; Čikeš, Mihaela; Boban, Kristina; Bućan, Jasna; Likić, Robert; Ćurić, Goran; Đogaš, Zoran; Polašek, Ozren

2014-01-01

Aim To investigate the emigration-related attitudes of final year medical students in Croatia at the dawn of the EU accession in 2013. Methods All final-year medical students at four Croatian medical schools (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, and Osijek) were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey on emigration attitudes. Results Among 260 respondents (response rate 61%), 90 students (35%) reported readiness for permanent emigration, expecting better quality of life (N = 22, 31%), better health care organization (N = 17, 24%), more professional challenges (N = 10, 14%), or simply to get a job (N = 8, 11%), while the least common expectation were greater earnings (N = 7, 10%). The most common target countries were Germany (N = 36, 40%), USA and Canada (N = 15, 17%), and UK (N = 10, 11%). In a multivariate analysis, readiness for permanent emigration was associated with an interest in undertaking a temporary training abroad (odds ratio [OR] 6.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.83-16.72), while the belief that the preferred specialty could be obtained in Croatia appeared protective against emigration (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.12-0.59). Conclusion Despite shortages of health care workers in Croatia, the percentage of students with emigration propensity was rather high. Prevalent negative perception of the Croatian health care and recent Croatian accession to the EU pose a threat of losing newly graduated physicians to EU countries. PMID:25358878

Vertical integration of basic science in final year of medical education.

PubMed

Rajan, Sudha Jasmine; Jacob, Tripti Meriel; Sathyendra, Sowmya

2016-01-01

Development of health professionals with ability to integrate, synthesize, and apply knowledge gained through medical college is greatly hampered by the system of delivery that is compartmentalized and piecemeal. There is a need to integrate basic sciences with clinical teaching to enable application in clinical care. To study the benefit and acceptance of vertical integration of basic science in final year MBBS undergraduate curriculum. After Institutional Ethics Clearance, neuroanatomy refresher classes with clinical application to neurological diseases were held as part of the final year posting in two medical units. Feedback was collected. Pre- and post-tests which tested application and synthesis were conducted. Summative assessment was compared with the control group of students who had standard teaching in other two medical units. In-depth interview was conducted on 2 willing participants and 2 teachers who did neurology bedside teaching. Majority (>80%) found the classes useful and interesting. There was statistically significant improvement in the post-test scores. There was a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups' scores during summative assessment (76.2 vs. 61.8 P < 0.01). Students felt that it reinforced, motivated self-directed learning, enabled correlations, improved understanding, put things in perspective, gave confidence, aided application, and enabled them to follow discussions during clinical teaching. Vertical integration of basic science in final year was beneficial and resulted in knowledge gain and improved summative scores. The classes were found to be useful, interesting and thought to help in clinical care and application by majority of students.

Effect of Video Triggering During Conventional Lectures on Final Grades of Dental Students in an Oral Biology Course: A Two-Year Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Farooq, Imran; Al-Jandan, Badr A

2015-12-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the inclusion of video triggers in conventional face-to-face lectures on the final grades of dental students in an oral biology course. The study consisted of two groups of students taking the course in two academic years at a dental school in Saudi Arabia: group 1, 2013-14 (control); and group 2, 2014-15. The total sample comprised 163 students (n=163; group 1: 71 and group 2: 92). Group 1 received lectures without any videos, whereas group 2 received lectures that included two to three videos of one to five minutes in duration with triggering effect (a video was shown every 10-15 minutes into the lecture). The final examination grades of the students were accessed retrospectively, and the data were compared with a chi-square test. The results confirmed that a higher number of students who received video triggering during lectures (group 2) performed better than their counterparts who did not receive video triggers (group 1); the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Among the group 2 students, 26% achieved a grade of A, and 37% achieved a grade of B. In contrast, only 7% of the group 1 students obtained a grade of A, and 31% achieved a grade of B. These results suggest that video triggers may offer an advantage over conventional methods and their inclusion in lectures can be a way to enhance students' learning.

Final Evaluation Report on the Rafael Cordero Bilingual School, 1978-79.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cervenka, Edward J.; Rodriguez-Munoz, Juan

The Rafael Cordero Bilingual School (RCBS) provides a basic program in bilingual education for junior high school students. During the 1978-1979 school year, approximately 20% of enrolled students were English-dominant and 80% were Spanish-dominant. The program serves its major educational function as a way-station for bilingual students coming…

Pharmacology Students' Perceptions of Creating Multimodal Digital Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, W.; Hoban G.; Hyland, C. J. T.

2017-01-01

Students can now digitally construct their own representations of scientific concepts using a variety of modes including writing, diagrams, 2-D and 3-D models, images or speech, all of which communicate meaning. In this study, final-year chemistry students studying a pharmacology subject created a ''blended media'' digital product as an assignment…

Student Experience of Final-Year Undergraduate Research Projects: An Exploration of "Research Preparedness"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Kylie; Holbrook, Allyson; Bourke, Sid

2013-01-01

During this past decade the level of interest in building research capacity has intensified in Australia and internationally, with a particular emphasis on the development of postgraduate research students, but also extending to undergraduate research experience. This study investigated the student experience across a diverse range of fourth-year…

Practical Instruction in Tissue Culture and Cytogenetics for Sandwich Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, D. C.; Bishun, N. P.

1973-01-01

Describes the training and practical techniques taught to students involved in a sandwich course at the Tissue Culture and Cytogenetics Unit of the Marie Curie Memorial Foundation, Surrey, England. Students spend a minimum of six months involved in the sandwich course before returning to university for a final academic year. (JR)

The Fear Factor: How It Affects Students Learning to Program in a Tertiary Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogerson, Christine; Scott, Elsje

2010-01-01

This paper examines how students' experiences of learning to program are affected by feelings of fear, using a phenomenological approach to elicit rich descriptions of personal experiences from the narratives of final year undergraduate students. In the course of reviewing current work concerning learning or teaching programming, certain focal…

Engineering Students Designing a Statistical Procedure for Quantifying Variability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hjalmarson, Margret A.

2007-01-01

The study examined first-year engineering students' responses to a statistics task that asked them to generate a procedure for quantifying variability in a data set from an engineering context. Teams used technological tools to perform computations, and their final product was a ranking procedure. The students could use any statistical measures,…

Factors Influencing Students' Perceptions of Their Quantitative Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Hodgson, Yvonne; Varsavsky, Cristina

2013-01-01

There is international agreement that quantitative skills (QS) are an essential graduate competence in science. QS refer to the application of mathematical and statistical thinking and reasoning in science. This study reports on the use of the Science Students Skills Inventory to capture final year science students' perceptions of their QS across…

Self- and Peer Assessments of Oral Presentations by First-Year University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aryadoust, Vahid

2015-01-01

Forty science students received training for 12 weeks on delivering effective presentations and using a tertiary-level English oral presentation scale comprising three subscales (Verbal Communication, Nonverbal Communication, and Content and Organization) measured by 18 items. For their final project, each student was given 10 to 12 min to present…

Analysing the Preferences of Prospective Students for Higher Education Institution Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Sharon; Flannery, Darragh; Cullinan, John

2018-01-01

We utilise a dataset of students in their final year of upper secondary education in Ireland to provide a detailed examination of the preferences of prospective students for higher education institutions (HEIs). Our analysis is based upon a discrete choice experiment methodology with willingness to pay estimates derived for specific HEI attributes…

Revisiting School Ethos: The Student Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Archie

2012-01-01

A positive school ethos is considered a key factor contributing to successful school improvement. Yet, despite its assumed educational influence, little is known about how ethos in schools is experienced by students. This study takes a fresh look at school ethos through the meanings which final year students attribute to their lived experience of…

The Link between Reading and Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horbec, Deb

2012-01-01

This article is based on a qualitative study that explored the impact reading had on the lives of two female students who attained exemplary results in their final year of high school. The reading practices of these two high achieving students provided data rich information. Both students were academically successful in completing their Victorian…

Redefining Employability: Student Voices Mapping Their Dance Journeys and Futures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higdon, Rachel Delta; Stevens, Jayne

2017-01-01

This paper explores dance students' understanding of employability and their views about their dance futures in order to inform higher education curricula and workforce development. The investigation focuses on the student experience on a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree course in Dance at an English university. First and final year undergraduate…

The Learning Gains and Student Perceptions of a Second Life Virtual Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cobb, Stephanie; Heaney, Rose; Corcoran, Olivia; Henderson-Begg, Stephanie

2009-01-01

This study examines students' reactions to the virtual biosciences laboratory developed in Second Life[R] (SL) at the University of East London. Final year undergraduates and masters students studying biotechnology took part in a trial of a virtual Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) experiment in Second Life and evaluated their experience by…

Third-Party Final Report of the Ohio State Department of Education's EBCE 3-Year Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rusling, Diane E.

Six school sites were visited to evaluate the work being done there in the third and final year of the Ohio Experience-Based Career Education program (EBCE) for secondary students (primarily 9th and 10th graders). Evaluators interviewed school staff, present and former EBCE participants, and employers in the communities. Questionnaires were also…

English Language Writing Anxiety among Final Year Engineering Undergraduates in University Putra Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Min, Lau Sing; Rahmat, Nurhazlini

2014-01-01

Second Language Writing Anxiety (SLWA) is considered one of the most crucial factors affecting all second language learning. This study focused on a group of final year Engineering students' English Language writing anxiety (N = 93) in relation to their gender, race and MUET results. The findings showed that the male gender, Chinese and MUET band…

Bilingual Education for Student Achievement (B.E.S.A.) Final Report. Third Project Year 1985-86.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cognetta, Randall A.; Goodwine, Jean

The activities of the third year of the Bilingual Education for Student Achievement (BESA) Project, conducted by the San Mateo County (California) Office of Education is described. The first section provides a brief description of the program, of which the major purpose was to provide English language instruction for limited-English-proficient…

Sound Literature: The Pedagogy of Reconnection through Student-Authored Audiobooks in the Spanish Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorenzo-Zamorano, Susana

2015-01-01

This article is based on a case study I presented at the elearning Symposium 2014 and focuses on an undergraduate project which had received the Teaching Enhancement and Student Success Fund at the University of Manchester two years before. The project was conceived as an outreach activity complementing the final year core language classes and…

In-Class Reflective Group Discussion as a Strategy for the Development of Students as Evolving Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsang, Annetta Kit Lam

2011-01-01

The primary aim of this study was to determine perceptions of three cohorts of third year undergraduate students (n = 65) on in-class reflective group discussion as a critical reflective approach for evolving professionals. Reflective group discussions were embedded into a final year course within the University of Queensland Bachelor of Oral…

Persistence and Attainment of 2011-12 First-Time Postsecondary Students after 3 Years. First Look. NCES 2016-401

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ifill, Nicole; Radford, Alexandria Walton; Wu, Joanna; Cataldi, Emily Forrest; Wilson, David; Hill, Jason

2016-01-01

This report provides a "first look" at selected findings from the 2012/14 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/14). It is based on final data describing a nationally representative sample of undergraduates who entered postsecondary education for the first time during the 2011-12 academic year. BPS:12/14 covers the…

The Relationship between Vocational Interests, Self-Efficacy, and Achievement in the Prediction of Educational Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Lyn; Care, Esther; Ainley, Mary

2011-01-01

The influence of vocational interest, self-efficacy beliefs, and academic achievement on choice of educational pathway is described for a cohort of Australian students. Participants were 189 students aged 14-15 years, who were considering either academic or applied learning pathways and subject choices for the final 3 years of secondary school.…

Second International Mathematics Study; Longitudinal, Classroom Process Surveys for Population A: Students, Teachers, and Schools, 1981-1982 [machine-readable data file].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfe, Richard G.

The Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS) of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) was conducted in 20 countries on two sampled populations: Population A of 13-year-olds and Population B of students studying mathematics in their final year of secondary school. Mathematics achievement was measured…

Person-centred communication: design, implementation and evaluation of a communication skills module or undergraduate nursing students - an Irish context.

PubMed

McCarthy, Bridie; O'Donovan, Moira; Twomey, Angela

2008-02-01

Despite wide agreement about the importance of effective communication in nursing there is continuing evidence of the need for nurses to improve their communication skills. Consequently, there is a growing demand for more therapeutic and person-centred communication courses. Studies on communication education reveal considerable variability on the design and operationalisation of these programmes. Additionally, the literature highlights that nurse educators are continually challenged with developing and implementing these programmes. Communication skills are generally taught in years one and two of undergraduate nursing degree programmes. This is a stage when students have minimal contact with patients and clients. We suggest that a communication skills module should be included in all final years of undergraduate nursing programmes. With an array of clinical experiences to draw from, final year nursing students are better placed to apply the skills of effective communication in practice. In this paper, we present the design, implementation and evaluation of an advanced communication skills module undertaken by fourth year undergraduate nursing students completing a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree - nursing programme at one university in the Republic of Ireland.

An interactive, web-based tool for learning anatomic landmarks.

PubMed

Hallgren, Richard C; Parkhurst, Perrin E; Monson, Carol L; Crewe, Nancy M

2002-03-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of a Web-based interactive teaching tool that uses self-assessment exercises with real-time feedback to aid students' learning in a gross anatomy class. A total of 107 of 124 first-year medical students at one school were enrolled in the study. Students were divided into three groups: Group 1 (n = 63) received introductory material and activated their Web-based accounts; Group 2 (n = 44) received introductory material but did not activate their Web-based accounts; and Group 3 (n = 17) were not enrolled in the study and received no introductory material. Students in Group 1 had access to a graphic showing the locations of anatomic landmarks, a drill exercise, and a self-evaluation exercise. Students' ability to identify the anatomic landmarks on a 30-question midterm and a 30-question final exam were compared among the groups. The mean scores of students in Group 1 (midterm = 28.5, final = 28.1) were significantly higher than were the mean scores of students in Group 2 (midterm = 26.8, p <.001; final = 26.9, p <.017) and Group 3 (midterm = 24.8, p <.001; final = 26.4, p <.007). The Web-based tool was effective in improving students' scores on anatomic landmark exams. Future studies will determine whether the tool aids students in identifying structures located in three-dimensional space within regions such as the cranium and the abdominal cavity.

Difficulties Encountered by Final-Year Male Nursing Students in Their Internship Programmes

PubMed Central

Al-Momani, Mohammed Mahmoud

2017-01-01

Background The cultural norms of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not encourage men to choose nursing as a career. Understanding male nursing students’ experiences of their clinical exposure to the nursing profession throughout their internship might increase their retention. This study explored the experiences of final-year male nursing students as they transitioned to the role of registered nurse. Methods A qualitative descriptive research design with an inductive content-analysis approach was used. The experiences of 22 final-year male nursing students from three public hospitals in a major city of Saudi Arabia were explored. The data were collected using focus-group interviews and documentary analysis in March 2015 and May 2015. Results Content analysis revealed three major themes: the societal and cultural image of male nurses, male students’ engagement in nursing practice, and restructuring the internship programmes’ policies to suit male students’ needs. Conclusion The findings reveal issues that mainly stem from negative social views of nursing as a male profession. Considering the students’ social and cultural needs during their internship programme will facilitate their transition into the role of registered nurse and their retention in the nursing profession. PMID:28951687

The hierarchical cluster analysis of oral health attitudes and behaviour using the Hiroshima University--Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) among final year dental students in 17 countries.

PubMed

Komabayashi, Takashi; Kawamura, Makoto; Kim, Kang-Ju; Wright, Fredrick A C; Declerck, Dominique; Goiâs, Maria do Carmo Matias Freire; Hu, De-Yu; Honkala, Eino; Lévy, Gérard; Kalwitzki, Matthias; Polychronopoulou, Argy; Yip, Kevin Hak-Kong; Eli, Ilana; Kinirons, Martin J; Petti, Stefano; Srisilapanan, Patcharawan; Kwan, Stella Y L; Centore, Linda S

2006-10-01

To explore and describe international oral health attitudes/ behaviours among final year dental students. Validated translated versions of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) questionnaire were administered to 1,096 final-year dental students in 17 countries. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted within the data to detect patterns and groupings. The overall response rate was 72%. The cluster analysis identified two main groups among the countries. Group 1 consisted of twelve countries: one Oceanic (Australia), one Middle-Eastern (Israel), seven European (Northern Ireland, England, Finland, Greece, Germany, Italy, and France) and three Asian (Korea, Thailand and Malaysia) countries. Group 2 consisted of five countries: one South American (Brazil), one European (Belgium) and three Asian (China, Indonesia and Japan) countries. The percentages of 'agree' responses in three HU-DBI questionnaire items were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1. They include: "I worry about the colour of my teeth."; "I have noticed some white sticky deposits on my teeth."; and "I am bothered by the colour of my gums." Grouping the countries into international clusters yielded useful information for dentistry and dental education.

Anxiety sensitivity as a predictor of academic success of medical students at the University of Mostar.

PubMed

Zalihić, Amra; Mešukić, Sabina; Sušac, Bože; Knezović, Katarina; Martinac, Marko

2017-12-01

Higher education students comprise a particularly vulnerable group for the development of anxiety symptoms and disorders. The aim of our research was to examine the impact of anxiety sensitivity on the success of medical students at the University of Mostar, and to establish the differences between students depending on their sex and the year of study. One hundred students in their first and fifth year of medical school were interviewed using the ASI questionnaire, 7 days prior to their final exams. Here we demonstrate a positive correlation between anxiety sensitivity and academic success. We did not find any significant differences between the first and fifth-year medical students, nor between participants based on their sex. We conclude that anxiety can have a positive impact on the academic achievement of higher education students.

Motivation towards medical career choice and future career plans of Polish medical students.

PubMed

Gąsiorowski, Jakub; Rudowicz, Elżbieta; Safranow, Krzysztof

2015-08-01

This longitudinal study aimed at investigating Polish medical students' career choice motivation, factors influencing specialty choices, professional plans and expectations. The same cohort of students responded to the same questionnaire, at the end of Year 1 and Year 6. The Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U tests and logistic regression were used in analyses. The results showed that altruistic and scientific reasons were the main motives for choosing a medical career. The motives remained stable over time. The effect of gender on altruistic motivation was stronger at the end of the study, with females' rating higher. The most favored career paths were associated with non-primary care specializations and work in a hospital. Results of the multivariate logistic regression showed that primary care specializations were more attractive to females, final year students, those from small agglomerations, and those less concerned about high earnings. Preferences regarding sector of work were formed at later stages of training. A preference shift was observed, between Year 1 and Year 6, towards favoring work in the public sector. Predictors of the desire to work in the public sector were: being a male and the final year student, paying less attention to high earnings, wanting certainty of finding work, having a stronger need for interesting and socially important work. A significant decline in the level of interest in seeking employment abroad was observed with the progress of studies. Our findings are likely to provide useful information for educators, policy planners and policy makers.

‘He's going to be a doctor in August’: a narrative interview study of medical students' and their educators' experiences of aligned and misaligned assistantships

PubMed Central

Jones, Owen Meurig; Okeke, Chiemeka; Bullock, Alison; Wells, Stephanie E; Monrouxe, Lynn V

2016-01-01

Objective To explore final-year students’ and clinical supervisors’ experiences of alignment and misalignment with future Foundation Year 1 (F1) posts in an assistantship programme in the UK. Setting Assistantships are clinical placements in which students assist junior doctors by undertaking similar duties under supervision. Models of assistantship programmes vary across curricula. Some actively seek to align with students’ initial postgraduate F1 post. To date, no research has examined the implications of this association for teaching and learning. Qualitative individual and group narrative interviews were conducted with students and supervisors of 2 Welsh medical schools to address: RQ1: How do students and supervisors understand the purpose of the longitudinal assistantship? RQ2: Does alignment/misalignment of the assistantship with students’ initial F1 post influence students’ and supervisors’ teaching and learning experiences? Audio-recordings of interviews were transcribed, participants anonymised and framework analysis was used. Participants A convenience sample of 4 participant groups comprised (1) final-year medical students whose assistantship and F1 post were aligned (n=27), (2) final-year medical students whose assistantship and F1 post were misaligned (n=18) and (3) supervisors (n=10, junior doctors; n=11, consultants). Results All participant groups highlighted increased student confidence in undertaking the duties of an F1 doctor arising from their assistantship period. Learning transferable skills was also highlighted. Many students considered themselves to be team members, ‘learning the trade’ as they shadowed their F1. Opportunities for caring for acutely unwell patients were scarce. The evidence shows enhanced engagement for students aligned to their first F1 post with greater opportunities for workplace acclimatisation. Those who were misaligned were perceived as being disadvantaged. Conclusions Our findings suggest that alignment with students’ first F1 post enhances the assistantship experience. Further longitudinal assessment is required to examine whether and how this translates into improvements in functioning and reductions in stress and anxiety during this transitional period. PMID:27288387

The evaluation of a framework for measuring the non-technical ward round skills of final year nursing students: An observational study.

PubMed

Murray, Kara; McKenzie, Karen; Kelleher, Michael

2016-10-01

The importance of non-technical skills (NTS) to patient outcomes is increasingly being recognised, however, there is limited research into how such skills can be taught and evaluated in student nurses in relation toward rounds. This pilot study describes an evaluation of a NTS framework that could potentially be used to measure ward round skills of student nurses. The study used an observational design. Potential key NTS were identified from existing literature and NTS taxonomies. The proposed framework was then used to evaluate whether the identified NTS were evident in a series of ward round simulations that final year general nursing students undertook as part of their training. Finally, the views of a small group of qualified nurse educators, qualified nurses and general nursing students were sought about whether the identified NTS were important and relevant to practice. The proposed NTS framework included seven categories: Communication, Decision Making, Situational Awareness, Teamwork and Task Management, Student Initiative and Responsiveness to Patient. All were rated as important and relevant to practice. The pilot study suggests that the proposed NTS framework could be used as a means of evaluating student nurse competencies in respect of many non-technical skills required for a successful ward round. Further work is required to establish the validity of the framework in educational settings and to determine the extent to which it is of use in a non-simulated ward round setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of emergency medicine clerkship e-Portfolio to monitor the learning experience of students in different settings: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Cevik, Arif Alper; Shaban, Sami; El Zubeir, Margret; Abu-Zidan, Fikri M

2018-04-12

Although emergency departments provide acute care learning opportunities for medical students, student exposure to recommended curriculum presentations and procedures are limited. In this perspective, clinical environments providing learning opportunities for students should be monitored as part of an ongoing quality improvement process. This study aims to analyze student exposures and their involvement levels in two different hospitals (Tawam and Al Ain) so as to improve the teaching and learning activities. This is a prospective study on all 76 final year medical students' electronic logbooks (e-Portfolio) of the academic year 2016/2017. Students recorded 5087 chief complaints and 3721 procedures. The average patient and procedure exposure in a shift per student in Al Ain Hospital compared with Tawam Hospital were 7.2 vs 6.4 and 5.8 vs 4.3, respectively. The highest full involvement with presentations was seen in the pediatric unit (67.1%, P < 0.0001). Urgent care shifts demonstrated the highest area of "full involvement" with procedures for our students (73.2%, P < 0.0001). Students' highest involvement with presentations and procedures were found during the night shifts (P < 0.0001, 66.5 and 75.1%, respectively). The electronic portfolio has proven to be a very useful tool in defining the learning activities of final year medical students during their emergency medicine clerkship and in comparing activities in two different clinical settings. Data collected and analyzed using this e-Portfolio has the potential to help medical educators and curriculum designers improve emergency medicine teaching and learning activities.

Validation of instruments to measure students' mathematical knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khatimin, Nuraini; Zaharim, Azami; Aziz, Azrilah Abd

2015-02-01

This paper describes instruments' validation process to identify the suitability and accuracy of the final examination questions for engineering mathematics. As a compulsory subject for second year students from 4 departments in Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the Differential Equations 1 course (KKKQ2124) was considered in this study. The data used in this study consists of the raw marks for final examination of semester 2, 2012/2013 session. The data then will be run and analyzed using the Rasch measurement model. Rasch model can also examine the ability of students and redundancy of instrument constructs.

Factors Influencing the Choice of Anesthesia as a Career by Undergraduates of the University of Rwanda.

PubMed

Chan, Denise M; Wong, Rex; Runnels, Sean; Muhizi, Epaphrodite; McClain, Craig D

2016-08-01

Rwanda currently faces a severe shortage of trained medical personnel, including physician anesthesiologists. The recruitment of residents into the anesthesia program has been consistently low. This study aimed at determining the factors that influence undergraduates' decision to pursue anesthesia as a career choice. A questionnaire was created and administered to final year undergraduate medical students at the University of Rwanda. The questionnaire was created based on factors identified from literature review and key informant interviews. The questionnaire was translated, field-tested, and refined. The final survey questionnaire contains 27 4-point Likert scale items and 4 free-text questions. Seventy-nine final year undergraduate medical students responded to the survey. Only 2 students (2.5%) chose anesthesia as their top choice for postgraduate training. The most frequently named factors for not choosing anesthesiology were long work hours and high stress level, insufficient mentorship, and low job opportunity. The issues identified by our survey must be considered when making efforts toward increasing anesthesia recruitment in Rwanda. Factors such as lack of material resources and high workload will not be easily addressed. Others can be addressed through changes in medical student anesthesiology rotations and better mentorship by anesthesiologists during formative years. Focusing on factors that can be changed now may increase enrollment into anesthesiology. Future studies will include broadening the survey population and further investigating the influencing factors elucidated by this study.

The use of an essay examination in evaluating medical students during the surgical clerkship.

PubMed

Smart, Blair J; Rinewalt, Daniel; Daly, Shaun C; Janssen, Imke; Luu, Minh B; Myers, Jonathan A

2016-01-01

Third-year medical students are graded according to subjective performance evaluations and standardized tests written by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Many "poor" standardized test takers believe the heavily weighted NBME does not evaluate their true fund of knowledge and would prefer a more open-ended forum to display their individualized learning experiences. Our study examined the use of an essay examination as part of the surgical clerkship evaluation. We retrospectively examined the final surgical clerkship grades of 781 consecutive medical students enrolled in a large urban academic medical center from 2005 to 2011. We examined final grades with and without the inclusion of the essay examination for all students using a paired t test and then sought any relationship between the essay and NBME using Pearson correlations. Final average with and without the essay examination was 72.2% vs 71.3% (P < .001), with the essay examination increasing average scores by .4, 1.8, and 2.5 for those receiving high pass, pass, and fail, respectively. The essay decreased the average score for those earning an honors by .4. Essay scores were found to overall positively correlate with the NBME (r = .32, P < .001). The inclusion of an essay examination as part of the third-year surgical core clerkship final did increase the final grade a modest degree, especially for those with lower scores who may identify themselves as "poor" standardized test takers. A more open-ended forum may allow these students an opportunity to overcome this deficiency and reveal their true fund of surgical knowledge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlating Student Interest and High School Preparation with Learning and Performance in an Introductory University Physics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harlow, Jason J.?B.; Harrison, David M.; Meyertholen, Andrew

2014-01-01

We have studied the correlation of student performance in a large first year university physics course with their reasons for taking the course and whether or not the student took a senior-level high school physics course. Performance was measured both by the Force Concept Inventory and by the grade on the final examination. Students who took the…

Improving the Career Decision-Making Behaviour of Working Class Students: Do Economic Barriers Stand in the Way?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenbank, Paul; Hepworth, Sue

2008-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the extent to which economic factors influence the career decision-making process of working class students. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved an initial survey of 165 final-year students from a range of degree programmes. It was followed by in-depth interviews with 30 working class students.…

The Belief That Market Transactions Are Mutually Beneficial: A Comparison of the Views of Students in Economics and Other Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goossens, Amélie; Méon, Pierre-Guillaume

2015-01-01

Using a survey of a large group of first- and final-year students of different disciplines to study their beliefs in the existence of mutual benefits of market transactions, the authors observe significant differences between economics and business students versus students of other disciplines. These differences increase over time, due partly to…

Self esteem and assertiveness of final year Turkish university students.

PubMed

Karagözoğlu, Serife; Kahve, Emine; Koç, Oznur; Adamişoğlu, Derya

2008-07-01

This study developed a quantitative methodology to ascertain the level of self esteem and assertiveness of last year students in baccalaureate degree programs at Cumhuriyet University Nursing School, School for Health Sciences' Midwifery School, Education Faculty's Mathematics Teacher, Classroom Teacher, and Social Sciences Teacher programs and to determine if there is a correlation between self esteem and assertiveness. The research population was a total of 372 students who were in their final year of university in these programs. Sampling was not done in the research, the entire population was studied. However there was a total of 82 students who were not included in the research because of illness, absenteeism, registration on hold, who could not be found on campus or who did not want to participate in the research and who did not correctly complete the survey form. The research was conducted with total of 290 students. Total response rate was 77.9%. The data were collected using a "Personal Information Form," Stanley Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory (SEI) and Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS). Frequency distribution, t test, correlation and variance analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The results of the study were that the nursing students had the highest scores from SEI (80.64+/-15.83). Similarly the nursing students had the highest scores on the RAS (36.29+/-25.33).

A self-assessment of the propensity to obtain future employment: a case of final-year engineering students at the University of Botswana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ssegawa, Joseph K.; Kasule, Daniel

2017-09-01

The article provides a self-assessment by final-year engineering students at the University of Botswana regarding the propensity to get employment. Students rated which employability attributes are important, the level of attainment and the sources that have facilitated the development of the attributes. Results indicated that students identified the most important attributes as management of time; possessing a high level of technical skills, meeting deadlines and creating viable solutions for solving a problem. They also indicated that they have weaknesses in managing time, meeting deadlines and creating viable solutions (attributes critical to the engineering profession). Students reported that their strengths were in having a positive attitude, orderly physical presentation, adaptation to new environments and willingness to learn new ideas. Students further noted that they developed the attributes from the university academic system followed by their own private activities. The study concludes that students lacked some of the critical attributes of engineering. They therefore, need to be explicitly and holistically sensitised as to how the attributes relate to their profession, employment and career development. As part of the review of the engineering programmes, sensitisation could be included in the induction process at enrolment.

Medical students' attitudes to caring for a young infant--can parenting a doll influence these beliefs?

PubMed

Bath, L E; Cunningham, S; McIntosh, N

2000-12-01

To investigate whether attitudes to parenting were altered in final year medical students following a period spent caring for a simulated infant. Seventy medical students during their paediatric attachment in the final year completed a questionnaire regarding personal childcare attitudes. Students attached to a teaching hospital were allocated a 24 hour time period to care for "Baby Think It Over" (BTIO), a computerised doll that simulates a 6 week old infant and records care given. The students then completed a second questionnaire assessing the impact of the experience. Forty nine per cent of students thought their advice regarding sick children was less valid than if they had their own children; 96% of students believed their approach to parents caring for young infants could be improved by caring for a 6 week old infant. All the students felt their lifestyle would be affected. Following the BTIO care period, 79% considered the experience straightforward, with 35% expressing a little more empathy and 15% a lot more empathy for parents as a result. Thoughts regarding impact on lifestyle were unaltered. Caring for BTIO, however, was not considered to be a realistic experience and overall not particularly useful. Simulated infants are of only limited value in increasing medical student understanding of parental concerns.

Assessing the Integration of Audience Response System Technology in Teaching of Anatomical Sciences

PubMed Central

Alexander, Cara J.; Crescini, Weronika M.; Juskewitch, Justin E.; Lachman, Nirusha; Pawlina, Wojciech

2009-01-01

The goals of our study were to determine the predictive value and usability of an audience response system (ARS) as a knowledge assessment tool in an undergraduate medical curriculum. Over a three year period (2006–2008), data were collected from first year didactic blocks in Genetics/Histology and Anatomy/Radiology (n=42–50 per class). During each block, students answered clinically oriented multiple choice questions using the ARS. Students’ performances were recorded and cumulative ARS scores were compared with final examination performances. Correlation coefficients between these variables were calculated to assess the existence and direction of an association between ARS and final examination score. If associations existed, univariate models were then constructed using ARS as a predictor of final examination score. Student and faculty perception of ARS difficulty, usefulness, effect on performance, and preferred use were evaluated using a questionnaire. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between ARS and final examination scores in all didactic blocks and predictive univariate models were constructed for each relationship (all P < 0.0001). Students and faculty agreed that ARS was easy to use and are liable tool for providing real-time feedback that improved their performance and participation. In conclusion, we found ARS to be an effective assessment tool benefiting the faculty and the students in a curriculum focused on interaction and self-directed learning. PMID:19670428

Relationship Between Dental Hygiene Students' Performance in an Oral Radiology Course and the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination: A Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Liang, Hui; DeWald, Janice P; Solomon, Eric S

2018-02-01

Dental hygiene students' performance in oral radiology courses may give an early indication of their readiness prior to taking the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between dental hygiene students' performance in an oral radiology lecture course and their performance on the NBDHE. Data were collected for all 117 dental hygiene students at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry from 2006 to 2009 who took the NBDHE during their second year of the program. Their final grades and scores on three written section examinations in an oral radiology course taken in their first year were compared with their overall NBDHE scores and raw scores on the oral radiology and case study sections. Moderate correlations (0.3

'Workshops in healing' for senior medical students: a 5-year overview and appraisal.

PubMed

Kearsley, John H; Lobb, Elizabeth A

2014-12-01

We report upon the design, content and feedback from an interactive, experiential series of Workshops in Healing for senior medical students. Fifty-six final year medical students enrolled in 2×3 h workshops designed around the core themes of 'physician know thyself' (Workshop 1) and 'confronting suffering' (Workshop 2). Of the 56 students who initially enrolled, 48 students completed both workshops and provided a written open-ended reflection of their learning experience. The study, undertaken over a consecutive 5-year period (2008-2012), employed an emergent, qualitative design using thematic analysis of the reflective comments. We found that the design and content of both workshops promoted transformative learning for these final year medical students. Students identified the following benefits: (1) the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to their chosen career path; (2) the value of listening to other students share their stories; (3) the importance of the timing of the workshops to occur after exams; (4) the use of various mediums such as art, poetry, music and contemporary/classic literature to present concepts of suffering and healing; and (5) the creation of a safe and confidential space. Students reported that these innovative workshops gave them a renewed sense of drive and enthusiasm for their chosen career. They highlighted the importance of addressing an aspect of medicine (healing) not covered in the traditional medical curriculum. Workshops in Healing helped them to rediscover a deeper meaning to medicine and their roles as future healthcare professionals. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Intention of Students in Less Developed Cities in China to Opt for Undergraduate Education Abroad: Does This Vary as Their Perceptions of the Attractions of Overseas Study Change?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Fan-sing

2010-01-01

This study is based on a survey in 2007 of 12,961 senior secondary final year students in seven major cities in China, and shows that students in less developed cities manifest a stronger intention to study abroad than students in better off cities, controlling for students' other demographic characteristics and their major perceived attractions…

Competence in the musculoskeletal system: assessing the progression of knowledge through an undergraduate medical course.

PubMed

Basu, Subhashis; Roberts, Chris; Newble, David I; Snaith, Michael

2004-12-01

Professional bodies have expressed concerns that medical students lack appropriate knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine despite its high prevalence of use within the community. Changes in curriculum and teaching strategies may be contributing factors to this. There is little evidence to evaluate the degree to which these concerns are justified. To design and evaluate an assessment procedure that tests the progress of medical students in achieving a core level of knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine during the course. A stratified sample of 136 volunteer students from all 5 years of the medical course at Sheffield University. The progress test concept was adapted to provide a cross-sectional view of student knowledge gain during each year of the course. A test was devised which aimed to provide an assessment of competence set at the standard required of the newly qualified doctor in understanding basic and clinical sciences relevant to musculoskeletal medicine. The test was blueprinted against internal and external guidelines. It comprised 40 multiple-choice and extended matching questions administered by computer. Six musculoskeletal practitioners set the standard using a modified Angoff procedure. Test reliability was 0.6 (Cronbach's alpha). Mean scores of students increased from 41% in Year 1 to 84% by the final year. Data suggest that, from a baseline score in Year 1, there is a disparate experience of learning in Year 2 that evens out in Year 3, with knowledge progression becoming more consistent thereafter. All final year participants scored above the standard predicted by the Angoff procedure. This short computer-based test was a feasible method of estimating student knowledge acquisition in musculoskeletal medicine across the undergraduate curriculum. Tested students appear to have acquired a satisfactory knowledge base by the end of the course. Knowledge gain seemed relatively independent of specialty-specific clinical training. Proposals from specialty bodies to include long periods of disciplinary teaching may be unnecessary.

Reactions of Thiocyanate Ions with Acid: A Laboratory Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glidewell, Christopher; And Others

1984-01-01

Background information, procedures, and typical results are provided for a three-part experiment involving reactions of potassium thiocynate (KNCS) with sulfuric acid. The experiment represents the final stage of structured work prior to students' research projects during their final year. (JM)

Precollege Program in Environmental Studies for Native American Students, July 29-August 9, 1996. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Inst. for Environmental Studies.

Staff and graduate students from the University of Wisconsin (UW) conducted a 2-week workshop in environmental studies for adolescent Native American students and a concurrent teacher's education program entitled "Wetland Perspectives: Ways of Looking at the Landscape." 1996 is the fifth year for the PreCollege program and the second…

An Intensive Presentations Course in English for Aeronautical Engineering Students Using Cyclic Video Recordings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatzl, Dietmar

2017-01-01

This article presents the design and evaluation of an intensive presentations course for aeronautical engineering students based on cyclic video recordings. The target group of this course in English for specific purposes (ESP) were undergraduate final-year students who needed to improve their presentation and foreign language skills to prepare…

Relationship between Students' Scores on Research Methods and Statistics, and Undergraduate Project Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ossai, Peter Agbadobi Uloku

2016-01-01

This study examined the relationship between students' scores on Research Methods and statistics, and undergraduate project at the final year. The purpose was to find out whether students matched knowledge of research with project-writing skill. The study adopted an expost facto correlational design. Scores on Research Methods and Statistics for…

A Study of English Language Learning Beliefs, Strategies, and English Academic Achievement of the ESP Students of STIENAS Samarinda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayati, Noor

2015-01-01

This research aimed to investigate; students' English academic achievement, beliefs about English language learning, English language learning strategies, and the relationship of them. Descriptive and correlational design, quantitative methods were applied in this research. The students' final English scores of the first year, BALLI, and SILL were…

Impediments to Research among Students of Institutions of Higher Learning in Southern Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asiyai, Romina Ifeoma

2014-01-01

This study examined impediments to research among students of institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. The study was guided by one research question and three hypotheses. Data were collected from 600 final year students randomly selected from institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean to…

Sleep and Final Exam Performance in Introductory Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coletta, Vincent; Wikholm, Colin; Pascoe, Daniel

2018-01-01

Most physics instructors believe that adequate sleep is important in order for students to perform well on problem solving, and many instructors advise students to get plenty of sleep the night before an exam. After years of giving such advice to students at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), one of us decided to find out how many hours students…

A Comparative Analysis of Students' Satisfaction with Teaching on STEM vs. Non-STEM Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawson, Chris

2012-01-01

Recent Higher Education Funding Council research echoes previous findings that student satisfaction scores differ between subject areas (HEFCE, 2011). However, there remains a paucity of research attempting to account for this, and these differences have only been reported for final-year student satisfaction. It is unclear at what stage during a…

Evaluation of the Effects of Vocational Choice and Practical Training on Students' Employability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagaari, James R. K.

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the need for Kyambogo to pay special attention to students' vocational choices, university based training and employability. Design/methodology/approach: The sample of 46 final year students, 90 graduates and 50 supervisors using cross sectional survey design was used to collect data.…

Inquiry, Discourse and Metacognition: Promoting Students' Learning in a Bioethical Context.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conner, Lindsey N.

This research reports on interpretive and cognitive approaches that were used in a unit of work with a final year high school biology class. The aim of the intervention was to promote students' awareness and communication of the biological, social, and ethical issues associated with cancer. Students were encouraged to use an inquiry approach. They…

Effects of Cooperative Learning on Students at An Giang University in Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tran, Van Dat; Lewis, Ramon

2012-01-01

This study investigates the effects of jigsaw cooperative learning on the achievement and knowledge retention of 80 final-year Vietnamese mathematics students, as well as reporting their attitudes toward this form of learning. These tertiary students were divided into two matched groups of 40 to be taught by the same lecturer. In the experimental…

Students' Engagement with a Collaborative Wiki Tool Predicts Enhanced Written Exam Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stafford, Tom; Elgueta, Herman; Cameron, Harriet

2014-01-01

We introduced voluntary wiki-based exercises to a long-running cognitive psychology course, part of the core curriculum for an undergraduate degree in psychology. Over 2 yearly cohorts, students who used the wiki more also scored higher on the final written exam. Using regression analysis, it is possible to account for students' tendency to score…

Model Developmental Program of Bilingual Education, Community School District 3, 1992-93. Final Evaluation Report. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, Natasha F.

The federally funded Model Development Program of Bilingual Education served 385 students at one elementary and one middle school in Manhattan (New York) in 1992-93, its third year of operation. Participants included 168 native Spanish-speaking, limited-English-proficient (LEP) students and 217 English-proficient (EP) students, both…

All Rise. Welcome to Law School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mangan, Katherine

2008-01-01

This article describes how a New York institution gives its students a hands-on education in courtroom wrangling. Unlike medical students, who work in teaching hospitals and clinics as they learn, most law students don't set foot in a courtroom until their third and final year, when they have the option of participating in legal clinics. The Touro…

Training Final Year Students in Data Presentation Skills with an Iterative Report-Feedback Cycle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verkade, Heather

2015-01-01

Although practical laboratory activities are often considered the linchpin of science education, asking students to produce many large practical reports can be problematic. Practical reports require diverse skills, and therefore do not focus the students' attention on any one skill where specific skills need to be enhanced. They are also…

Peer-Assisted Learning in Research Methods and Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Anna; Meade, Claire; Watling, Rosamond

2012-01-01

Feedback from students on a Level 1 Research Methods and Statistics module, studied as a core part of a BSc Psychology programme, highlighted demand for additional tutorials to help them to understand basic concepts. Students in their final year of study commonly request work experience to enhance their employability. All students on the Level 1…

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: "KIPP Middle Schools: Impacts on Achievement and Other Outcomes, Final Report"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

This study examined whether attending a Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) middle school improved students' reading, math, social studies, and science achievement for up to 4 years following enrollment. The study reported that students attending KIPP middle schools scored statistically significantly higher than matched students on all of the state…

Student Teachers' Capacity and Willingness to Teach Financial Literacy in Flanders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Moor, Lieven; Verschetze, Lindsey

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to assess the student teachers' capacity and willingness to teach financial literacy in Flanders via on-site paper surveys of 368 final-year teacher education students. We argue that the Flemish teacher education program needs to be revised to introduce financial education in secondary schools. We find that revisions…

Career Decision-Making: "I Don't Think Twice, but It'll Be All Right"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenbank, Paul

2014-01-01

This paper is based on in-depth interviews carried out with students in their first and final years of undergraduate study. The paper examines how students approached career decision-making and the rationale underpinning the approach they adopted. The research found that students were not utilising the type of rational approaches to career…

Introduction of Vertical Integration and Case-Based Learning in Anatomy for Undergraduate Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parmar, Suresh K.; Rathinam, Bertha A. D.

2011-01-01

The purpose of the present pilot study was to evaluate the benefits of innovative teaching methodologies introduced to final year occupational and physical therapy students in Christian Medical College in India. Students' satisfactions along the long-term retention of knowledge and clinical application of the respiratory anatomy have been…

Power Electronics Design Laboratory Exercise for Final-Year M.Sc. Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Max, L.; Thiringer, T.; Undeland, T.; Karlsson, R.

2009-01-01

This paper presents experiences and results from a project task in power electronics for students at Chalmers University of Technology, Goteborg, Sweden, based on a flyback test board. The board is used in the course Power Electronic Devices and Applications. In the project task, the students design snubber circuits, improve the control of the…

Bridging the Distance: The Use of Blogs as Reflective Learning Tools for Placement Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Katharina

2010-01-01

This paper reviews the effectiveness of web logs ("blogs"), or online journals, within the context of a compulsory final-year placement unit for public relations students. The key goal behind the use of Web2.0 technology was to encourage ongoing, reflective practice via an exchange between students thereby limiting feelings of isolation…

The Effects of Single-Gender Classes on Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Susan George

2012-01-01

During the 2009-10 school year, 42% of the students failed the biology segment of the EOCT, which affected not only the final grades of these students, but also overall school accountability. These results instigated some questions about the factors associated with students' success in biology; some of those factors related to the merit of single-…

The Meaning of Marriage According to University Students: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koçyigit Özyigit, Melike

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to reveal the meanings university students attribute to marriage. The sample of the study consists of 14 final year students (7 males and 7 females), whose ages range between 22 and 32, studying in the Education Faculty at Ege University. The study is of "phenomenological research design". "Semi-structured…

For public service or money: understanding geographical imbalances in the health workforce.

PubMed

Serneels, Pieter; Lindelow, Magnus; Montalvo, Jose G; Barr, Abigail

2007-05-01

Geographical imbalances in the health workforce have been a consistent feature of nearly all health systems, and especially in developing countries. In this paper we investigate the willingness to work in a rural area among final year nursing and medical students in Ethiopia. Analysing data obtained from contingent valuation questions for final year students from three medical schools and eight nursing schools, we find that there is substantial heterogeneity in the willingness to serve in rural areas. Using both ordinary least squares and maximum likelihood regression analysis, we find that household consumption and the student's motivation to help the poor are the main determinants of willingness to work in a rural area. We carry out a simulation on how much it would cost to get a target proportion of health workers to take up a rural post.

Neuropsychological Assessment and Training of Cognitive Processing Strategies for Reading Recognition and Comprehension: A Computer Assisted Program for Learning Disabled Students. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teeter, Phyllis Anne; Smith, Philip L.

The final report of the 2-year project describes the development and validation of microcomputer software to help assess reading disabled elementary grade children and to provide basic reading instruction. Accomplishments of the first year included: design of the STAR Neuro-Cognitive Assessment Program which includes a reproduction of…

Windows on Teacher Education: Student Progress through Colleges of Education and the First Year in the Classroom. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renwick, Margery; Vize, June

A longitudinal study of teacher education in three New Zealand Colleges of Education (Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch) was conducted between the years 1989-1992 to examine: (1) the process of teacher education as it unfolded over time for those involved in it; (2) the experiences of a cohort of students preparing to become primary school…

Comparison of the Effects of Cooperative Learning and Traditional Learning Methods on the Improvement of Drug-Dose Calculation Skills of Nursing Students Undergoing Internships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basak, Tulay; Yildiz, Dilek

2014-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of cooperative learning and traditional learning methods on the development of drug-calculation skills. Design: Final-year nursing students ("n" = 85) undergoing internships during the 2010-2011 academic year at a nursing school constituted the study group of this…

An Analysis of Final Course Grades in Two Different Entry Level Mathematics Courses between and among First Year College Students with Different Levels of High School Mathematics Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muir, Carrie

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of first year college students with similar high school mathematics backgrounds in two introductory level college mathematics courses, "Fundamentals and Techniques of College Algebra and Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematical Skills," and to compare the performance of students…

Knowledge loss of medical students on first year basic science courses at the university of Saskatchewan

PubMed Central

D'Eon, Marcel F

2006-01-01

Background Many senior undergraduate students from the University of Saskatchewan indicated informally that they did not remember much from their first year courses and wondered why we were teaching content that did not seem relevant to later clinical work or studies. To determine the extent of the problem a course evaluation study that measured the knowledge loss of medical students on selected first year courses was conducted. This study replicates previous memory decrement studies with three first year medicine basic science courses, something that was not found in the literature. It was expected that some courses would show more and some courses would show less knowledge loss. Methods In the spring of 2004 over 20 students were recruited to retake questions from three first year courses: Immunology, physiology, and neuroanatomy. Student scores on the selected questions at the time of the final examination in May 2003 (the 'test') were compared with their scores on the questions 10 or 11 months later (the 're-test') using paired samples t -tests. A repeated-measures MANOVA was used to compare the test and re-test scores among the three courses. The re-test scores were matched with the overall student ratings of the courses and the student scores on the May 2003 examinations. Results A statistically significant main effect of knowledge loss (F = 297.385; p < .001) and an interaction effect by course (F = 46.081; p < .001) were found. The students' scores in the Immunology course dropped 13.1%, 46.5% in Neuroanatomy, and 16.1% in physiology. Bonferroni post hoc comparisons showed a significant difference between Neuroanatomy and Physiology (mean difference of 10.7, p = .004). Conclusion There was considerable knowledge loss among medical students in the three basic science courses tested and this loss was not uniform across courses. Knowledge loss does not seem to be related to the marks on the final examination or the assessment of course quality by the students. PMID:16412241

Virtual Microscopy in Histopathology Training: Changing Student Attitudes in 3 Successive Academic Years.

PubMed

Bertram, Christof A; Firsching, Theresa; Klopfleisch, Robert

2018-01-01

Several veterinary faculties have integrated virtual microscopy into their curricula in recent years to improve and refine their teaching techniques. The many advantages of this recent technology are described in the literature, including remote access and an equal and constant slide quality for all students. However, no study has analyzed the change of perception toward virtual microscopy at different time points of students' academic educations. In the present study, veterinary students in 3 academic years were asked for their perspectives and attitudes toward virtual microscopy and conventional light microscopy. Third-, fourth-, and fifth-year veterinary students filled out a questionnaire with 12 questions. The answers revealed that virtual microscopy was overall well accepted by students of all academic years. Most students even suggested that virtual microscopy be implemented more extensively as the modality for final histopathology examinations. Nevertheless, training in the use of light microscopy and associated skills was surprisingly well appreciated. Regardless of their academic year, most students considered these skills important and necessary, and they felt that light microscopy should not be completely replaced. The reasons for this view differed depending on academic year, as the perceived main disadvantage of virtual microscopy varied. Third-year students feared that they would not acquire sufficient light microscopy skills. Fifth-year students considered technical difficulties (i.e., insufficient transmission speed) to be the main disadvantage of this newer teaching modality.

Teaching veterinary obstetrics using three-dimensional animation technology.

PubMed

Scherzer, Jakob; Buchanan, M Flint; Moore, James N; White, Susan L

2010-01-01

In this three-year study, test scores for students taught veterinary obstetrics in a classroom setting with either traditional media (photographs, text, and two-dimensional graphical presentations) were compared with those for students taught by incorporating three-dimensional (3D) media (linear animations and interactive QuickTime Virtual Reality models) into the classroom lectures. Incorporation of the 3D animations and interactive models significantly increased students' scores on essay questions designed to assess their comprehension of the subject matter. This approach to education may help to better prepare students for dealing with obstetrical cases during their final clinical year and after graduation.

Medical students' and interns' interest in orthopedic surgery: the gender factor.

PubMed

Schroeder, Joshua E; Zisk-Rony, Rachel Y; Liebergall, Meir; Tandeter, Howard; Kaplan, Leon; Weiss, Yoram G; Weissman, Charles

2014-01-01

There is an extremely small proportion of female medical students choosing to specialize in orthopedic surgery. The aim of the study was to assess medical students' and interns' interests and perceptions of orthopedic surgery and explore why women are not interested in orthopedic surgery. Questionnaires were distributed to final-year medical students and interns assessing their interests and perception of orthopedic surgery. Final-year medical students and interns. Responses were obtained from 317 students and 199 interns. Among the medical students, 15% were interested in orthopedic surgery, but only 2% were women. Both male and female students perceived orthopedics as an "action"-packed, procedure-based profession, providing instant gratification, time in the operating room, high income, and the option for private practice. Female medical students considered it boring. Among interns, 11% were interested in orthopedic surgery; however, only 2% were women. When compared with the interns who were not interested in orthopedic surgery, a greater number of the interns interested in orthopedic surgery rated time with family and a procedure-intensive profession as important. Female students and interns were also interested in other surgical fields. The increasing majority of women among medical students will reshape the future of physician workforce by dictating changes in workforce participation, working conditions, and intercollegial relationships. Orthopedic surgery will need to adapt to these realities. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Emotional intelligence and perceived stress of Australian pre-registration healthcare students: A multi-disciplinary cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Foster, Kim; Fethney, Judith; Kozlowski, Desirée; Fois, Romano; Reza, Fareen; McCloughen, Andrea

2018-07-01

Healthcare students can experience high levels of stress. Emotional intelligence can moderate stress and increase wellbeing however there has been no prior research on the relationship between emotional intelligence and stress in Australian healthcare students. To measure emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived stress (PS) in final year healthcare students (nursing, pharmacy and dentistry), and to explore the relationships between EI, PS and discipline. A cross sectional survey of pre-registration healthcare students at a metropolitan university in Australia. 203 pre-registration final year healthcare students (n = 58 nursing; n = 112 pharmacy; n = 34 dentistry). Emotional Intelligence was measured using the GENOS Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Concise Version) and stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). A significant negative correlation was found between EI and PS in nursing and pharmacy students. No difference was found in EI across disciplines. Mean EI scores were lower than normative means. PS was significantly higher than the normative mean for pharmacy and dentistry students and higher than nursing students. Emotional intelligence can have a protective effect against stress for healthcare students and can be increased via targeted educational interventions. To support student wellbeing there is a clear need for pre-registration healthcare curricula to include educational components on strengthening EI. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Interprofessional Rural Health Education Program

PubMed Central

MacDowell, Martin; Schriever, Allison E.; Glasser, Michael; Schoen, Marieke D.

2012-01-01

Objectives. To develop, implement, and assess an interprofessional rural health professions program for pharmacy and medical students. Design. A recruitment and admissions process was developed that targeted students likely to practice in rural areas. Pharmacy students participated alongside medical students in completing the Rural Health Professions program curriculum, which included monthly lecture sessions and assignments, and a capstone clinical requirement in the final year. Assessment. Fourteen pharmacy students and 33 medical students were accepted into the program during the first 2 years of the Rural Health Professions program. Approximately 90% of the rural health professions students were originally from rural areas. Conclusions. The rural health professions program is an interprofessional approach to preparing healthcare providers to practice in rural communities. PMID:23275664

Improving basic surgical skills for final year medical students: the value of a rural weekend.

PubMed

House, A K; House, J

2000-05-01

Hospitals employing medical graduates often express concern at the inexperience of new interns in basic surgical skills. In self assessment questionnaires, our senior medical students reported little clinical procedural experience. A practical skills workshop was staged in order to set learning goals for the final study year. This gave the students an opportunity to learn, revise and practice basic surgical techniques. The Bruce Rock rural community sponsored a surgical camp at the beginning of the academic year. Ninety-five (80%) of the class registered at the workshop, which rotated them through teaching modules, with private study opportunities and the capacity to cater for varied skill levels. Eight teaching stations with multiple access points were provided, and ten mock trauma scenarios were staged to augment the learning process. The teaching weekend was rated by students on an evaluative entrance and exit questionnaire. Sixty-five (73%) students returned questionnaires. They recorded significant improvement (P < 0.05) in their ability to handle the teaching stations. All students had inserted intravenous lines in practice prior to the camp, so the rating change in intravenous line insertion ability was not statistically significant. The weekend retreat offers students a chance to focus on surgical skills, free from the pressures of a clinical setting or the classroom. The emphasis was on the value of practice and primary skills learning. Students endorsed the camp as relevant, practical and an enjoyable learning experience for basic surgical skills.

Evidence of virtual patients as a facilitative learning tool on an anesthesia course.

PubMed

Leung, Joseph Y C; Critchley, Lester A H; Yung, Alex L K; Kumta, Shekhar M

2015-10-01

Virtual patients are computerised representations of realistic clinical cases. They were developed to teach clinical reasoning skills through delivery of multiple standardized patient cases. The anesthesia course at The Chinese University of Hong Kong developed two novel types of virtual patients, formative assessment cases studies and storyline, to teach its final year medical students on a 2 week rotational course. Acute pain management cases were used to test if these two types of virtual patient could enhance student learning. A 2 × 2 cross over study was performed in academic year 2010-2011 on 130 students divided into four groups of 32-34. Performance was evaluated by acute pain management items set within three examinations; an end of module 60-item multiple choice paper, a short answer modified essay paper and the end of year final surgery modified essay paper. The pain management case studies were found to enhanced student performance in all three examinations, whilst the storyline virtual patient had no demonstrable effect. Student-teaching evaluation questionnaires showed that the case studies were favored more than the storyline virtual patient. Login times showed that students on average logged onto the case studies for 6 h, whereas only half the students logged on and used the storyline virtual patient. Formative assessment case studies were well liked by the students and reinforced learning of clinical algorithms through repetition and feedback, whereas the educational role of the more narrative and less interactive storyline virtual patient was less clear .

Recognising and developing students as teachers: Introduction of a novel Undergraduate Certificate in Veterinary Medical Education.

PubMed

Hudson, Neil; Stansbie, Nigel; Rhind, Susan; Brown, Gillian; Handel, Ian; Mellanby, Richard; Bell, Catriona

2016-01-01

A key responsibility of healthcare professionals is the education of clients/patients, colleagues and students undertaking placements. Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has been incorporated in our veterinary medicine programme for a number of years. The aim of this project was to develop a mechanism to formally recognise the important role that students play in the School's teaching and learning processes and foster students as partners in education through the development of a novel Undergraduate Certificate in Veterinary Medical Education (UCVME). Students and veterinarians were surveyed in order to inform the design of the programme. The programme is modular and aligned with the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). Students enrol in their third year, undertaking core and elective components, with completion over the final three years of the degree. The UCVME has been positively received, with 30 of 160 third year students enrolling in the programme's first year. Activities receiving credit and designed in partnership between staff and students have included: PAL sessions, widening participation school educational workshops and client education events. This initiative has created numerous student-driven educational opportunities. It is hoped that this programme will facilitate the educational training of students and enhance employability and career satisfaction.

Stress and Stressors among Medical Undergraduate Students: A Cross-sectional Study in a Private Medical College in Tamil Nadu.

PubMed

Anuradha, R; Dutta, Ruma; Raja, J Dinesh; Sivaprakasam, P; Patil, Aruna B

2017-01-01

Medical education is perceived as being stressful, and a high level of stress may have a negative effect on cognitive functioning and learning of students in a medical school. To (a) assess the perceived stress among medical undergraduate students, (b) identify the sources of stress, and (c) find an association of perceived stress with sociodemographic characteristics and various stressors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical undergraduate students in a private medical college in Tamil Nadu. A total of 750 medical students from 1 st year to final year were invited to participate in the study. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding sociodemographic profile, perceived stress using perceived stress scale-14 and academic, psychosocial and environmental stressors. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the sociodemographic characteristics, sources of stress and perceived stress. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to assess determinants of stress. The overall response rate was 93.33% (700 out of 750 students). The mean perceived stress score was 25.64 ± 5.44. Higher age-group, year of studying bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery, vastness of academic curriculum, fear of poor performance in examination, lack of recreation, loneliness, family problem, and accommodation away from home were important determinants of perceived stress. The perceived stress was higher among higher age group and final year medical students. Academic, psychosocial, and environmental stressors are associated with perceived stress. Reframing the academic curriculum and examination patterns, incorporating recreational and sports activities, and establishment of counseling cells in the institution is needed.

Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study: 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001) Methodology Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wine, Jennifer S.; Heuer, Ruth E.; Wheeless, Sara C.; Francis, Talbric L.; Franklin, Jeff W.; Dudley, Kristin M.

2002-01-01

Describes the procedures and results of the full-scale Implementation of the final followup interview with the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 1996/2001. This study follows a cohort first interviewed in 1996 in their first year of postsecondary education. (SLD)

An Appraisal of a New Undergraduate Biochemistry Research Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adamson, Ishola

1980-01-01

Described is the first part of a two-term project involving final-year students in biochemistry. Listed are the required experiments compiled to test students' abilities to search biochemical literature, extract experiments from journals and carry them out, generate data, and interpret results. (CS)

A cross-sectional assessment of stress, coping, and burnout in the final-year medical undergraduate students

PubMed Central

Singh, Shantanu; Prakash, Jyoti; Das, R. C.; Srivastava, Kalpana

2016-01-01

Background: Medical students undergo significant stress during training which may lead to own suffering or problem in patient care. High level of burnouts and depression is also not uncommon. The transition from preclinical to clinical training has been regarded as crucial to student in relation to the stress. Methodology: An assessment of perceived stress and its relation to general psychopathology, the pattern of coping, and burnout in the final-year medical student was done to bring out clear nature, pattern, and extent of the problem. Results: Perceived stress had statistically significant association with general psychopathology and depressive-anxiety component of burnout. Acceptance, positive reframing, humor, planning, and active coping correlated with lower score on perceived stress. Conclusion: Higher score on perceived stress was associated with higher scores on general psychopathology and burnout. Age of joining MBBS course and doctor in the family did not affect the stress significantly. People who displayed positive coping strategies had lesser stress and general psychopathology. PMID:28659697

Student nurses' experiences of using a learning contract as a method of assessment.

PubMed

Bailey, Maria E; Tuohy, Dympna

2009-10-01

The purpose of this study was to describe final year undergraduate nurses' experiences of assessment through the use of a learning contract. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data was collected from a purposive sample of final (fourth) year undergraduate student nurses. Two approaches were taken for data collection, anonymous evaluative questionnaires and interviews. The study was approved by the local university research and ethics committee. Data was thematically analysed. This article presents and discusses the findings from the interviews. Findings suggest that students' approach to the assessment strategy influenced engagement with the learning contract. Three themes were identified: skills, perceptions, and actions. Within these themes three types of learner were identified: happy, pragmatic and fearful. Factors found to influence successful completion of the learning contract were: support, relevant skills, prior experiential learning and required theoretical knowledge. Recommendations include the need for educators to consider module assessments that recognise the learning needs and preferences of the student within a supportive environment.

"Become a Reporter", the Four Skills News Project: Applying and Practising Language Skills Using Digital Tools for Level C1/C2 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magedera-Hofhansl, Hanna

2016-01-01

The Four Skills News Project is an example of communicative language learning, developed for final year German students at the University of Liverpool. It focuses on how students use and practise their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills via the creative use of news reports and digital technology. Each student creates an avatar using…

Initiatives to improve feedback culture in the final year of a veterinary program.

PubMed

Warman, Sheena M; Laws, Emma J; Crowther, Emma; Baillie, Sarah

2014-01-01

Despite the recognized importance of feedback in education, student satisfaction with the feedback process in medical and veterinary programs is often disappointing. We undertook various initiatives to try to improve the feedback culture in the final clinical year of the veterinary program at the University of Bristol, focusing on formative verbal feedback. The initiatives included E-mailed guidelines to staff and students, a faculty development workshop, and a reflective portfolio task for students. Following these initiatives, staff and students were surveyed regarding their perceptions of formative feedback in clinical rotations, and focus groups were held to further explore issues. The amount of feedback appeared to have increased, along with improved recognition of feedback by students and increased staff confidence and competence in the process. Other themes that emerged included inconsistencies in feedback among staff and between rotations; difficulties with giving verbal feedback to students, particularly when it relates to professionalism; the consequences of feedback for both staff and students; changes and challenges in students' feedback-seeking behavior; and the difficulties in providing accurate, personal end-of-rotation assessments. This project has helped improve the feedback culture within our clinics; the importance of sustaining and further developing the feedback culture is discussed in this article.

Information literacy: are final-year medical radiation science students on the pathway to success?

PubMed

Thompson, Nadine; Lewis, Sarah; Brennan, Patrick; Robinson, John

2010-01-01

It is necessary for Medical Radiation Science (MRS) students to become information literate in order to interact with and thrive in the professional health care arena. All health care professionals require information literacy (IL) skills to be independent learners and critical thinkers. To achieve this, effective search and evaluation methods must be cultivated in students. Twenty-eight final year MRS students participated in a 30-minute digitally recorded interview regarding their knowledge of information sources, where they locate information, and how they evaluate these sources. Constant comparative analysis via grounded theory was used to thematise the data. A conceptual framework was developed demonstrating the link between the key concepts of convenience, confidence and competence. The impact of the internet on the IL skills of students has been profound, due mainly to convenience. Most students had little confidence in their IL skills, however there were still some students who were confident with their skills and were competent who still preferred to access information sources that were convenient because there was nothing preventing them from doing so. By identifying problem areas, educators can redesign curricula around the strengths and weaknesses of students' IL skills, thus promoting lifelong learning and using electronic based learning to its full potential.

Computing facilities available to final-year students at 3 UK dental schools in 1997/8: their use, and students' attitudes to information technology.

PubMed

Grigg, P; Macfarlane, T V; Shearer, A C; Jepson, N J; Stephens, C D

2001-08-01

To identify computer facilities available in 3 dental schools where 3 different approaches to the use of technology-based learning material have been adopted and assess dental students' perception of their own computer skills and their attitudes towards information technology. Multicentre cross sectional by questionnaire. All 181 dental students in their final year of study (1997-8). The overall participation rate was 80%. There were no differences between schools in the students' self assessment of their IT skills but only 1/3 regarded themselves as competent in basic skills and nearly 50% of students in all 3 schools felt that insufficient IT training had been provided to enable them to follow their course without difficulty. There were significant differences between schools in most of the other areas examined which reflect the different ways in which IT can be used to support the dental course. 1. Students value IT as an educational tool. 2. Their awareness of the relevance of a knowledge of information technology for their future careers remains generally low. 3. There is a need to provide effective instruction in IT skills for those dental students who do not acquire these during secondary education.

Vertical integration of basic science in final year of medical education

PubMed Central

Rajan, Sudha Jasmine; Jacob, Tripti Meriel; Sathyendra, Sowmya

2016-01-01

Background: Development of health professionals with ability to integrate, synthesize, and apply knowledge gained through medical college is greatly hampered by the system of delivery that is compartmentalized and piecemeal. There is a need to integrate basic sciences with clinical teaching to enable application in clinical care. Aim: To study the benefit and acceptance of vertical integration of basic science in final year MBBS undergraduate curriculum. Materials and Methods: After Institutional Ethics Clearance, neuroanatomy refresher classes with clinical application to neurological diseases were held as part of the final year posting in two medical units. Feedback was collected. Pre- and post-tests which tested application and synthesis were conducted. Summative assessment was compared with the control group of students who had standard teaching in other two medical units. In-depth interview was conducted on 2 willing participants and 2 teachers who did neurology bedside teaching. Results: Majority (>80%) found the classes useful and interesting. There was statistically significant improvement in the post-test scores. There was a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups' scores during summative assessment (76.2 vs. 61.8 P < 0.01). Students felt that it reinforced, motivated self-directed learning, enabled correlations, improved understanding, put things in perspective, gave confidence, aided application, and enabled them to follow discussions during clinical teaching. Conclusion: Vertical integration of basic science in final year was beneficial and resulted in knowledge gain and improved summative scores. The classes were found to be useful, interesting and thought to help in clinical care and application by majority of students. PMID:27563584

Stress among medical students: A cross-sectional study from a North Indian Medical University.

PubMed

Garg, Kabir; Agarwal, Manu; Dalal, Pronob Kumar

2017-01-01

The aim is to study stress among medical students and the relationship of stress to the year of study and gender. A single-point, cross-sectional, observational study of students of a medical university in North India divided on the basis of the semester of their course. The study was done using the higher education stress inventory. A total of 251 students were included in the study. Worry about future endurance and capacity was rated the highest by the final year students while faculty shortcomings and insufficient feedback were rated highest by the 2 nd -year students and financial concerns the highest by the 1 st -year students. Males rated financial concerns higher than females. The study would provide insight to the university authorities to make remedies based on the expectations and feedback of the students. the current study shows that stress amongst medical students is a dynamic process as the reasons of stress vary depending on the stage of curriculum. The college/university administration can mitigate this by taking appropriate steps as needed.

Development and Evaluation of a Mandatory Course in Geriatric Medicine for Fourth Year Medical Students.

PubMed

Freter, Susan; Gordon, Janet; Mallery, Laurie

2006-12-01

As the population ages, older adults will make up an increasing proportion of the practices of most physicians. Because of this, education of medical students in Geriatric Medicine is essential, yet there is considerable variability in the amount, timing within the curriculum, and content of geriatric training in Medical Schools. Our goal was to develop and evaluate an integrated, mandatory 3-week geriatric medicine course for fourth year medical students with emphasis on knowledge acquisition. All fourth year medical students at Dalhousie Medical School underwent 2 ½ days of didactic teaching on core geriatric topics and a 2-week clinical rotation. Pre-rotation knowledge testing occurred on the first day of the rotation. On the final examination, students were retested on the 15 pre-rotation questions, as well as 5 additional questions that they had not encountered previously. There was a statistically significant improvement in examination performance from 46.9% on the pretest to 78.6% on the final examination (t=24.7, p˂.001). It is unlikely that the significant improvement in scores is simply a result of repeat testing, as students tended to score better on the five additional questions that they had not seen before. We developed a geriatric medicine course for fourth year medical students, in one integrated 3-week block, using a combination of didactic teaching and clinical encounters. We used students as their own controls, using the same questions pre- and post-rotation, and demonstrated significant knowledge acquisition on a variety of topics pertaining to geriatric medicine and care of the older patient. Future research should address the issue of translating acquired knowledge in geriatric medicine into demonstrated clinical skills when caring for the elderly.

Education review: applied medical informatics--informatics in medical education.

PubMed

Naeymi-Rad, F; Trace, D; Moidu, K; Carmony, L; Booden, T

1994-05-01

The importance of informatics training within a health sciences program is well recognized and is being implemented on an increasing scale. At Chicago Medical School (CMS), the Informatics program incorporates information technology at every stage of medical education. First-year students are offered an elective in computer topics that concentrate on basic computer literacy. Second-year students learn information management such as entry and information retrieval skills. For example, during the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, the student is exposed to the Intelligent Medical Record-Entry (IMR-E), allowing the student to enter and organize information gathered from patient encounters. In the third year, students in the Internal Medicine rotation at Norwalk Hospital use Macintosh power books to enter and manage their patients. Patient data gathered by the student are stored in a local server in Norwalk Hospital. In the final year, we teach students the role of informatics in clinical decision making. The present senior class at CMS has been exposed to the power of medical informatics tools for several years. The use of these informatics tools at the point of care is stressed.

Relationship between Learning Style and Academic Status of Babol Dental Students

PubMed Central

Nasiri, Zahra; Gharekhani, Samane; Ghasempour, Maryam

2016-01-01

Introduction Identifying and employing students’ learning styles could play an important role in selecting appropriate teaching methods in order to improve education. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the students’ final exam scores and the learning style preferences of dental students at Babol University of Medical Sciences. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 88 dental students studying in their fourth, fifth, and sixth years using the visual–aural–reading/writing–kinesthetic (VARK) learning styles’ questionnaire. The data were analyzed with IBM SPSS, version 21, using the chi-squared test and the t-test. Results Of the 88 participants who responded to the questionnaire, 87 preferred multimodal learning styles. There was no significant difference between the mean of the final exam scores in students who did and did not prefer the aural learning style (p = 0.86), the reading/writing learning style (p = 0.20), and the kinesthetic learning style (p = 0.32). In addition, there was no significant difference between the scores on the final clinical course among the students who had different preferences for learning style. However, there was a significant difference between the mean of the final exam scores in students with and without visual learning style preference (p = 0.03), with the former having higher mean scores. There was no significant relationship between preferred learning styles and gender (p > 0.05). Conclusion The majority of dental students preferred multimodal learning styles, and there was a significant difference between the mean of the final exam scores for students with and without a preference for the visual learning style. In addition, there were no differences in the preferred learning styles between male and female students. PMID:27382442

Northland science discovery. Final report, February 15, 1995--February 14, 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sigford, A.

1997-09-01

This is a final report on the US Department of Energy`s grant of $39,900 to the PLUS Center at The College of St. Scholastica for a PREP program called Northland Science Discovery (NSD). This report includes an overview of the past year`s progress toward achieving the goals established for the project, a description of the results of these efforts and their relationship to the project goals, and appendices documenting program activities, accomplishments, and expenditures. The goal of Northland Science Discovery is to provide science and math enrichment activities for students traditionally underrepresented in science (girls, minorities, low-income, and rural children).more » The program works toward this goal by providing a four-week residential, research-based, science and math youth camp which serves approximately 25 students per year. NSD has been held each summer since 1992. This program also has an academic-year component consisting of reunions.« less

Pharmacy Students’ Knowledge and Perceptions About Pharmacovigilance in Malaysian Public Universities

PubMed Central

Elkalmi, Ramadan Mohamed; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Ibrahim, Mohamed Izham M.; Widodo, Riyanto T.; Efan, Qais M. A.; Hadi, Muhammad Abdul

2011-01-01

Objective. To assess senior pharmacy students’ knowledge of and perceptions about pharmacovigilance and reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) at 5 public universities in Malaysia Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 1, 2010, and January 31, 2010, using a validated self-administered questionnaire delivered to a sample of 510 final-year (fourth-year) pharmacy students at 5 Malaysian public universities. Results. Four hundred twenty-one (84%) students responded to the survey. About 60% (n = 240) indicated that they had taken courses on the concept of pharmacovigilance during their current pharmacy curriculum. The mean score for knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting was 6.9 ± 1.4. There was a significant difference in the mean scores for knowledge about pharmacovigilance across the 5 universities. The majority (82.3%) of respondents felt it was necessary to confirm the causal relationship between the drug and the ADR. About 57.8% (n = 241) of the respondents believed that pharmacy students are competent and capable of reporting ADRs during their clerkships. The majority (87.0%) of respondents perceived that pharmacy students should be taught how to report ADRs. Conclusion. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of final-year pharmacy students in Malaysian public universities have insufficient knowledge about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting. PMID:21829270

An Evaluation of an Internal Audit on Student Feedback within a British University: A Quality Enhancement Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Ken

2010-01-01

Purpose: Final year students attending British universities now complete an annual questionnaire to assess their views on their learning experiences of higher education (HE) from a variety of perspectives. They undertake this process as part of the National Student Survey (NSS). These data are then collated and an annual report with associated…

Students' Opinions about Ubiquitous Delivery of Standardized English Exams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litzler Jerman, Mary Frances; Garcia Laborda, Jesus

2016-01-01

This paper discusses the results of a study conducted with 218 students in the final year of high school to determine their opinions about the feasibility of using a tablet PC for delivery of a standardized English language test. One such test could be the English paper of the exam given to students upon completion of the Baccalaureate program in…

Student Surveys - "You Don't Think about the Good Things"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutcliffe, Ruth; Linfield, Rachel Sparks; Geldart, Ros

2014-01-01

The National Student Survey (NSS), which is a major source of data for UK league tables, is completed by students in their final year of study at all publically funded Higher Education Institutions in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the majority in Scotland. It asks for twenty-two statements to be considered. An apparent lack of definition of…

Using Real-Worldness and Cultural Difference to Enhance Student Learning in a Foundation Phase Life Skills Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koen, Mariette; Ebrahim, Hasina Banu

2013-01-01

Our aim was to explore how real-world experience, inclusive of engagement with cultural differences, influences the quality of students' learning in a Life Skills module in pre-service Foundation Phase teacher education. The study was conducted with 147 students in their final year of the Bachelor of Education (Foundation Phase specialisation), at…

College Choice of Minority Students Admitted to Institutions in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Confer, Christopher; Mamiseishvili, Ketevan

2012-01-01

The study examined the factors that affected minority students' choice to enroll at private four-year faith-based institutions in the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in the United States. The study utilized the data from the College Board's Admitted Student Questionnaire PLUS (ASQ PLUS) survey. The final sample included 283…

Experiences from a Student Programme Designed to Examine the Role of the Accountant in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holland, Leigh

2004-01-01

This paper investigates how one course--a final year undergraduate module--has been developed and implemented to inform students about corporate social responsibility from an accounting perspective. It takes as its core the notion of accounting and accountability, and is delivered by accounting lecturers to business students following a range of…

Hegemony and Assessment: The Student Experience of Being in a Male Homogenous Higher Education Computing Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheedy, Caroline

2018-01-01

This work emanates from a previous study examining the experiences of male final year students in computing degree programmes that focused on their perceptions as students where they had few, if any, female classmates. This empirical work consisted of focus groups, with the findings outlined here drawn from two groups that were homogeneous with…

Students Upgrading through Computer and Career Education System Services (Project SUCCESS). Final Evaluation Report 1992-93. OER Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Office of Educational Research.

Student Upgrading through Computer and Career Education System Services (Project SUCCESS) was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its third year of operation. Project SUCCESS served 460 students of limited English proficiency at two high schools in Brooklyn and one high school in Manhattan (New York City).…

Two Years of Case Management: Final Findings from the Communities in Schools Random Assignment Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parise, Leigh M.; Corrin, William; Granito, Kelly; Haider, Zeest; Somers, Marie-Andrée; Cerna, Oscar

2017-01-01

While high school graduation rates are on the rise nationwide, too many students still never reach that milestone, with 7,000 on average dropping out every day. Recognizing that many students need additional support to succeed in school, Communities In Schools (CIS) works to provide and connect students with integrated support services to keep…

Modelling Job-Related and Personality Predictors of Intention to Pursue Accounting Careers among Undergraduate Students in Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mbawuni, Joseph; Nimako, Simon Gyasi

2015-01-01

This study principally investigates job-related and personality factors that determine Ghanaian accounting students' intentions to pursue careers in accounting. It draws on a rich body of existing literature to develop a research model. Primary data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 516 final year accounting students in a Ghanaian…

Evaluation of New Century High Schools: Profile of an Initiative to Create and Sustain Small, Successful High Schools. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, Eileen M.; Klinge, Allan; Reisner, Elizabeth R.

2007-01-01

The evaluation of the New Century High Schools (NCHS) initiative examined operations and student outcomes in 75 schools from 2002-2003 through 2005-2006. This report, the final in a series of annual evaluation reports, presents data collected over those years, with a focus on school year 2005-2006. The NCHS initiative grew out of a program theory…

Knowledge and reported confidence of final year midwifery students regarding giving advice on contraception and sexual health.

PubMed

Walker, Susan H; Davis, Geraldine

2014-05-01

this study explored the views of three cohorts of final year midwifery students, regarding their confidence in giving advice to women on contraception and sexual health in the postnatal period. The project also investigated knowledge of contraception using a factual quiz, based on clinical scenarios regarding contraception and sexual health in the postpartum period. a mixed method design using qualitative data from focus groups, and mixed qualitative and quantitative data from a paper based questionnaire was used. the project was carried out in one higher educational institution in England. findings demonstrate that expressed confidence varies according to contraceptive method, with most confidence being reported when advising on the male condom. The findings of the factual quiz indicate that students applied theoretical knowledge poorly in a practically oriented context. These findings also indicated that most students limited advice to general advice. the paper concludes that midwifery students need more practically oriented education in contraception and sexual health, and that the role of mentors is very important in helping students feel confident when giving advice in this area. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical embryology teaching: is it relevant anymore?

PubMed

Scott, Karen M; Charles, Antony Robert; Holland, Andrew J A

2013-10-01

Embryology finds itself jostling for precious space in the crowded medical curriculum, yet remains important for helping students understand birth defects. It has been suggested that teaching embryology through clinical scenarios can increase its relevance and interest. The aim of this research was to determine the attitudes of final-year medical students to learning embryology and whether clinical scenarios aid understanding. Final-year medical students undertaking their paediatric rotation in 2009 and 2010 were invited to attend an optional lecture on clinical embryology and participate in the research. In the lecture, three clinical scenarios were presented, in which the lecturer traced the normal development of a foetus and the abnormal development that resulted in a birth defect. Outcomes were assessed quantitatively using a paper-based survey. The vast majority of students who valued embryology teaching in their medical programme thought it would assist them with clinical management, and believed learning through case scenarios helped their understanding. Students were divided in their beliefs about when embryology should be taught in the medical programme and whether it would increase their workload. Embryology teaching appears to be a valuable part of the medical curriculum. Embryology teaching was valued when taught in the clinical environment in later years of the medical programme. Students, clinicians and medical educators should be proactive in finding clinical learning opportunities for embryology teaching. © 2013 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

German medical students lack knowledge of how to treat smoking and problem drinking.

PubMed

Strobel, Lisa; Schneider, Nick K; Krampe, Henning; Beißbarth, Tim; Pukrop, Tobias; Anders, Sven; West, Robert; Aveyard, Paul; Raupach, Tobias

2012-10-01

To assess the extent of undergraduate medical training on alcohol use disorders (AUD) and smoking, and medical students' perceived knowledge regarding consequences of, and treatment options for, these disorders compared with other chronic conditions. Cross-sectional survey assessing teaching and perceived knowledge of health consequences and treatment options for AUD and smoking compared with diabetes and hypertension. Medical schools in Germany. Twenty-five of 36 medical school offices (response rate 69.4%) and 19 526 of 39 358 students from 27 medical schools (response rate 49.6%). Medical schools were asked to provide information on curricular coverage of the four conditions. Students reported their year of study and perceived knowledge about the consequences of all four disorders and perceived knowledge of treatment options. Courses time-tabled approximately half as many teaching hours on AUD and tobacco as on diabetes or hypertension. Final-year students reported high levels of knowledge of consequences of all four conditions and how to treat diabetes and hypertension, but only 20% believed they knew how to treat alcohol use disorders or smoking. Curriculum coverage in German medical schools of alcohol use disorders and smoking is half that of diabetes and hypertension, and in the final year of their undergraduate training most students reported inadequate knowledge of how to intervene to address them. © 2012 The Authors. Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

An Irish Experience in Establishing and Evaluating an Intern Led Teaching Programme.

PubMed

Jenkinson, A; Kelleher, E; Moneley, D; Offiah, G

2017-03-10

Near-Peer Teaching is a relatively new and expanding area of medical education. The benefit to medical students has been demonstrated in numerous contexts around the world. Our aim was to establish a structured Intern-Led Teaching (ILT) programme in the context of an Irish Intern Training Network affiliated to an Irish Medical School. We then sought to evaluate the success of this programme. Seventy interns were enrolled in the ILT programme and completed a Train the Trainer course involving teaching methods and skills of effective feedback. Following this, the intern tutors delivered several one-hour teaching sessions in small groups to final year medical students on a weekly basis. At the end of each teaching block, a feedback questionnaire was distributed to participating students to evaluate their experiences of this new teaching modality. Tutorial topics were varied. They included clinical examination, history taking, prescribing, and emergencies. Eighty-one percent of students found the intern-led tutorials to be beneficial compared to tutorials run by more senior doctors. Additionally, students felt that with intern led tutorials they could ask questions they otherwise would not. There was a more comfortable environment, and information taught was considered more relevant. A significant number of students felt less nervous about the final medical examinations after the intern-led tutorials. The establishment of a structured intern-led teaching programme was well received by final year medical students. This project shows that interns are a valuable teaching resource in the medical school and should be included in medical schools' curricula.

Isolation of medical students: communication barrier and its effect on career.

PubMed

Gul, Mahwish; Rasool, Ahsan; Khalid, Laiba Binte; Rasool, Maleeha; Khan, Farmanullah; Ayub, Muhammad; Marwat, Salim

2012-01-01

Communication barriers affect student-student interaction and student-patient interaction. This study is aimed at exploring the social, cultural and academic spheres where medical students feel getting isolated. Questionnaire based cross-sectional survey was undertaken at Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad in the month of July, 2013. Cluster sampling technique was employed. Linguistic problems in the college greatly affected medical students. Female medical student are comparatively more affected. These problems were less common in 1st year and most common in 3rd year where clinical classes are started. There are distinct gender based problems in communicating among male and female student with as many as 37.2% reported feeling difficulty in communicating with students of opposite gender. However this difficulty in communication gradually faded on proceeding from 1st year towards final year. About frank interaction with opposite gender, 65.9% students felt that society had negative impact upon it. While communicating with patients of opposite gender, almost a quarter of students (27.3%) reported facing difficulties, 56.9% students reported to have abject apathy towards the colleagues of opposite gender. Linguistic issues, gender discrimination, negative impact of society and lack of concern for fellow colleagues is affecting student-student interaction and student-patient interaction. There is need to create student friendly environment.

Core skills assessment to improve mathematical competency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Michael; Bowe, Brian; Fhloinn, Eabhnat Ní

2013-12-01

Many engineering undergraduates begin third-level education with significant deficiencies in their core mathematical skills. Every year, in the Dublin Institute of Technology, a diagnostic test is given to incoming first-year students, consistently revealing problems in basic mathematics. It is difficult to motivate students to address these problems; instead, they struggle through their degree, carrying a serious handicap of poor core mathematical skills, as confirmed by exploratory testing of final year students. In order to improve these skills, a pilot project was set up in which a 'module' in core mathematics was developed. The course material was basic, but 90% or higher was required to pass. Students were allowed to repeat this module throughout the year by completing an automated examination on WebCT populated by a question bank. Subsequent to the success of this pilot with third-year mechanical engineering students, the project was extended to five different engineering programmes, across three different year-groups. Full results and analysis of this project are presented, including responses to interviews carried out with a selection of the students involved.

Short and long-term career plans of final year dental students in the United Arab Emirates.

PubMed

Rashid, Hazim H; Ghotane, Swapnil G; Abufanas, Salem H; Gallagher, Jennifer E

2013-08-13

New dental schools have been established to train dentists in many parts of the world. This study examines the future dental workforce from the first dental school in the United Arab Emirates [UAE]; the aim of this study was to explore the short and long-term career aspirations of the final year dental students in the UAE in relation to their demography. Final year dental students of the Ajman University's College of Dentistry (n=87) were invited to participate in a self-completion questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were carried out on career aspirations using SPSS v20. Eighty-two percent of students (n=71) responded, the majority of whom were female (65%; n=46). Ethnicity was reported as: 'other Arab' (61%; n=43), 'Emirati' (17%, n=12), and 'Other' (21%, n=15). In the short-term, 41% (n=29) expressed a desire to work in government training centres, with Emirati students significantly more likely to do so (p=0.002). 'Financial stability' (80%; n=57) and 'gaining professional experience' (76%; n=54) emerged as the most important influences on their short-term career plans. The vast majority of students wished to specialise in dentistry (92%; n=65) in the longer term; logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of specialising in the most popular specialties of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery were less for the 'Other' ethnic group when compared with 'Emirati' students (0.26; 95% CI 0.068-0.989; p=0.04). Almost three-quarters of the students overall (72%; n=51) intended to work full-time. 'High income/financial security' (97%; n=69), 'standard of living' (97%; n=69), 'work/life balance' (94%; n=67), and 'professional fulfilment' (87%; n=62) were reported by the students as the most influential items affecting their long-term professional career choices. The findings suggest that students aspire to make a long-term contribution to the profession and there is a high level of interest in specialisation with a desire to achieve financial stability and quality of life.

A Survey of Final-year Undergraduate Laboratory Projects in Biochemistry and Related Degrees in Great Britain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Caroline A.

1997-01-01

Analyzes undergraduate research projects in biochemistry and related subjects at British universities. Discusses the trend toward students doing less research as part of their undergraduate study. Reasons cited for this trend include increased student numbers and costs. (DDR)

Cheating Behaviours, the Internet and Education Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trushell, J.; Byrne, K.; Simpson, R.

2012-01-01

This paper describes an illuminative small-scale study that piloted an initial survey instrument intended to investigate correspondences between 47 undergraduate Education final year students' use of information and communications technology (ICT), including the Internet, and--within the context of their adoption of tactics intended to impress…

Factors influencing knowledge about childhood autism among final year undergraduate Medical, Nursing and Psychology students of University of Nigeria, Enugu State, Nigeria

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Knowledge and awareness about childhood autism is low among health care workers and the general populace in Nigeria. Poor knowledge about childhood autism among final year medical, nursing and psychology students who would form tomorrow's child health care professionals can compromise early recognition and interventions that are known to improve prognosis in childhood autism. Educational factors that could be influencing knowledge about childhood autism among these future health care professionals are unknown. This study assessed knowledge about childhood autism among final year undergraduate medical, nursing and psychology students in south-eastern Nigeria and determined the factors that could be influencing such knowledge. Methods One hundred final year undergraduate students were randomly selected from each of the Departments of Medicine, Nursing Science and Psychology respectively of University of Nigeria, Enugu State, Nigeria making a sample size of three hundred. A socio-demographic questionnaire and knowledge about childhood autism among health workers (KCAHW) questionnaire were administered to the students. Results The total mean score for the three groups of students on the KCAHW questionnaire was 10.67 ± 3.73 out of a possible total score of 19, with medical, nursing and psychology students having total mean scores of 12.24 ± 3.24, 10.76 ± 3.50 and 9.01 ± 3.76 respectively. The mean scores for the three groups showed statistically significant difference for domain 1 (p = 0.000), domain 3 (p = 0.029), domain 4 (p = 0.000) and total score (p = 0.000), with medical students more likely to recognise symptoms and signs of autism compared to nursing and psychology students. The mean score in domain 2 did not show statistically significant difference among the three groups (p = 0.769). The total score on the KCAHW questionnaire is positively correlated with the number of weeks of posting in psychiatry (r = 0.319, p = 0.000) and the number of weeks of posting in paediatrics (r = 0.372, p = 0.000). The total score is also positively correlated with the number of credit hours of lectures in psychiatry/abnormal psychology (r = 0.324, p = 0.000) and the number of credit hours of lectures in paediatrics (r = 0.372, p = 0.000). The field of study also influenced knowledge about childhood autism (p = 0.000). Conclusion Peculiar situation in this environment as signified by inadequate human resources needed in the area of clinical psychology training often times necessitates employing first degree graduates in psychology into clinical positions. This calls for additional exposure of the undergraduate psychology students to training curriculum aimed at improving their early recognition of symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in this environment. PMID:20540799

Factors influencing knowledge about childhood autism among final year undergraduate Medical, Nursing and Psychology students of University of Nigeria, Enugu State, Nigeria.

PubMed

Igwe, Monday N; Bakare, Muideen O; Agomoh, Ahamefule O; Onyeama, Gabriel M; Okonkwo, Kevin O

2010-06-13

Knowledge and awareness about childhood autism is low among health care workers and the general populace in Nigeria. Poor knowledge about childhood autism among final year medical, nursing and psychology students who would form tomorrow's child health care professionals can compromise early recognition and interventions that are known to improve prognosis in childhood autism. Educational factors that could be influencing knowledge about childhood autism among these future health care professionals are unknown. This study assessed knowledge about childhood autism among final year undergraduate medical, nursing and psychology students in south-eastern Nigeria and determined the factors that could be influencing such knowledge. One hundred final year undergraduate students were randomly selected from each of the Departments of Medicine, Nursing Science and Psychology respectively of University of Nigeria, Enugu State, Nigeria making a sample size of three hundred. A socio-demographic questionnaire and knowledge about childhood autism among health workers (KCAHW) questionnaire were administered to the students. The total mean score for the three groups of students on the KCAHW questionnaire was 10.67+/-3.73 out of a possible total score of 19, with medical, nursing and psychology students having total mean scores of 12.24+/-3.24, 10.76+/-3.50 and 9.01+/-3.76 respectively. The mean scores for the three groups showed statistically significant difference for domain 1 (p=0.000), domain 3 (p=0.029), domain 4 (p=0.000) and total score (p=0.000), with medical students more likely to recognise symptoms and signs of autism compared to nursing and psychology students. The mean score in domain 2 did not show statistically significant difference among the three groups (p=0.769). The total score on the KCAHW questionnaire is positively correlated with the number of weeks of posting in psychiatry (r=0.319, p=0.000) and the number of weeks of posting in paediatrics (r=0.372, p=0.000). The total score is also positively correlated with the number of credit hours of lectures in psychiatry/abnormal psychology (r=0.324, p=0.000) and the number of credit hours of lectures in paediatrics (r=0.372, p=0.000). The field of study also influenced knowledge about childhood autism (p=0.000). Peculiar situation in this environment as signified by inadequate human resources needed in the area of clinical psychology training often times necessitates employing first degree graduates in psychology into clinical positions. This calls for additional exposure of the undergraduate psychology students to training curriculum aimed at improving their early recognition of symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in this environment.

Trial for the Prevention of Depression (TriPoD) in final-year secondary students: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Perry, Yael; Calear, Alison L; Mackinnon, Andrew; Batterham, Philip J; Licinio, Julio; King, Catherine; Thomsen, Noel; Scott, Jan; Donker, Tara; Merry, Sally; Fleming, Theresa; Stasiak, Karolina; Werner-Seidler, Aliza; Christensen, Helen

2015-10-12

Evidence suggests that current treatments cannot fully alleviate the burden of disease associated with depression but that prevention approaches offer a promising opportunity to further reduce this burden. Adolescence is a critical period in the development of mental illness, and final school examinations are a significant and nearly universal stressor that may act as a trigger for mental health difficulties such as depression. The aim of the present trial is to investigate the impact of SPARX-R, an online, gamified intervention based on cognitive behavioural principles, on the prevention of depression in secondary school students before their final examinations. Government, independent and Catholic secondary schools in New South Wales, Australia, will be recruited to participate in the trial. All students enrolled in their final year of high school (year 12) in participating schools will be invited to participate. To account for possible attrition, the target sample size was set at 1600 participants across 30 schools. Participating schools will be cluster randomised at the school level to receive either SPARX-R or lifeSTYLE, an attention-controlled placebo comparator. The control intervention is an online program aimed at maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The primary outcome will be symptoms of depression, and secondary outcomes will include symptoms of anxiety, suicidal ideation and behaviours, stigma and academic performance. Additional measures of cost-effectiveness, as well as process variables (e.g., adherence, acceptability) and potential predictors of response to treatment, will be collected. Consenting parents will be invited to complete measures regarding their own mental health and expectations for their child. Assessments will be conducted pre- and post-intervention and at 6- and 18-month follow-up. Primary analyses will compare changes in levels of depressive symptomatology for the intervention group relative to the attention control condition using mixed-effects model repeated-measures analyses to account for clustering within schools. This is the first trial of a universal depression prevention intervention delivered to school students in advance of a specific, significant stressor. If found to be effective, this program may offer schools a new approach to preparing students for their final year of schooling. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12614000316606 . Registered 25 March 2014.

Social Media Training for Professional Identity Development in Undergraduate Nurses.

PubMed

Mather, Carey; Cummings, Elizabeth; Nichols, Linda

2016-01-01

The growth of social media use has led to tension affecting the perception of professionalism of nurses in healthcare environments. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore first and final year undergraduate student use of social media to understand how it was utilised by them during their course. Descriptive statistical analysis was undertaken to compare differences between first and final year student use. No difference indicated there was a lack of development in the use of social media, particularly concerning in relation to expanding their professional networks. There is a need for the curriculum to include opportunities to teach student nurses methods to ensure the appropriate and safe use of social media. Overt teaching and modelling of desired behaviour to guide and support the use of social media to positively promote professional identity formation, which is essential for work-readiness at graduation, is necessary.

The undergraduate preparation of dentists: Confidence levels of final year dental students at the School of Dentistry in Cardiff.

PubMed

Gilmour, A S M; Welply, A; Cowpe, J G; Bullock, A D; Jones, R J

2016-09-23

Objective To investigate the self-reported confidence and preparedness of final year undergraduate students in undertaking a range of clinical procedures.Methods A questionnaire was distributed to final year dental students at Cardiff University, six months prior to graduation. Respondents rated their confidence in undertaking 39 clinical procedures using a 5-point scale (1 = can undertake on own with confidence, 5 = unable to undertake). Students also responded yes/no to experiencing four difficulties and to three statements about general preparedness.Results 71% (N = 51) responded of which 55% (N = 28) were female. Over half reported being 'anxious that the supervisor was not helping enough' (57%) and 'relying heavily on supervisor for help' (53%). Eighty percent 'felt unprepared for the clinical work presented' and gender differences were most notable here (male: 65% N = 33; females: 93% N = 47). Mean confidence scores were calculated for each clinical procedure (1 = lowest; 5 = highest). Confidence was highest in performing 'simple scale' and 'fissure sealant' (mean-score = 5). Lowest scores were reported for 'surgical extractions involving a flap (mean-score = 2.28)', 'simple surgical procedures' (mean-score = 2.58) and the 'design/fit/adjustment of orthodontic appliances' (mean-score = 2.88).Conclusions As expected complex procedures that were least practised scored the lowest in overall mean confidence. Gender differences were noted in self-reported confidence for carrying out treatment unsupervised and feeling unprepared for clinical work.

Final year dental students in New Zealand: Self-reported confidence levels prior to BDS graduation.

PubMed

Murray, C; Chandler, N

2016-12-01

It is expected that the graduating dental student will have acquired the skills and knowledge to confidently treat most circumstances that they may encounter in private practice. The aims of this study were to evaluate final year dental students' self-reported levels of confidence in expected core skills just prior to graduation and to explore their career intentions both directly after graduating as well as in the longer term. After ethical approval was obtained, a survey and participant information sheet was distributed to all final year undergraduate dental students in 2014. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 22.0 with the alpha value set at 0.05. The response rate was 69% (58/84). Most (44.8%) were going to be working in New Zealand private practices with 34.5% definitely considering specializing. The majority reported high self-confidence levels for sealant restorations (96.6%) and radiography (94.8%), while very few were confident in carrying out soft tissue biopsies (1 .8%) or restoring dental implants and treating medical emergencies (10.5%). Some gender differences were found. The general finding was that most NZ graduates perceived themselves to be confident in managing the most fundamental aspects of general practice. Similar to their counterparts around the world, they will benefit from further mentoring and additional exposure to the more complex clinical tasks such as the restoration of implants and soft tissue biopsies.

The influence of situation awareness training on nurses' confidence about patient safety skills: A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Stomski, Norman; Gluyas, Heather; Andrus, Prue; Williams, Anne; Hopkins, Martin; Walters, Jennifer; Sandy, Martinique; Morrison, Paul

2018-04-01

Several studies report that patient safety skills, especially non-technical skills, receive scant attention in nursing curricula. Hence, there is a compelling reason to incorporate material that enhances non-technical skills, such as situation awareness, in nursing curricula in order to assist in the reduction of healthcare related adverse events. The objectives of this study were to: 1) understand final year nursing students' confidence in their patient safety skills; and 2) examine the impact of situation awareness training on final year nursing students' confidence in their patient safety skills. Participants were enrolled from a convenience sample comprising final year nursing students at a Western Australia university. Self-reported confidence in patient safety skills was assessed with the Health Professional in Patient Safety Survey before and after the delivery of a situation awareness educational intervention. Pre/post educational intervention differences were examined by repeated measures ANOVA. No significant differences in confidence about patient safety skills were identified within settings (class/clinical). However, confidence in patient safety skills significantly decreased between settings i.e. nursing students lost confidence after clinical placements. The educational intervention delivered in this study did not seem to improve confidence in patient safety skills, but substantial ceiling effects may have confounded the identification of such improvement. Further studies are required to establish whether the findings of this study can be generalised to other university nursing cohorts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relation between contemplative exercises and an enriched psychology students' experience in a neuroscience course

PubMed Central

Levit Binnun, Nava; Tarrasch, Ricardo

2014-01-01

This article examines the relation of contemplative exercises with enhancement of students' experience during neuroscience studies. Short contemplative exercises inspired by the Buddhist tradition of self-inquiry were introduced in an undergraduate neuroscience course for psychology students. At the start of the class, all students were asked to participate in short “personal brain investigations” relevant to the topic presented. These investigations were aimed at bringing stable awareness to a specific perceptual, emotional, attentional, or cognitive process and observing it in a non-judgmental, non-personal way. In addition, students could choose to participate, for bonus credit, in a longer exercise designed to expand upon the weekly class activity. In the exercise, students continued their “personal brain investigations” for 10 min a day, 4 days a week. They wrote “lab reports” on their daily observations, obtained feedback from the teacher, and at the end of the year reviewed their reports and reflected upon their experiences during the semester. Out of 265 students, 102 students completed the bonus track and their final reflections were analyzed using qualitative methodology. In addition, 91 of the students answered a survey at the end of the course, 43 students participated in a quiz 1 year after course graduation, and the final grades of all students were collected and analyzed. Overall, students reported satisfaction from the exercises and felt they contributed to their learning experience. In the 1-year follow-up, the bonus-track students were significantly more likely than their peers to remember class material. The qualitative analysis of bonus-track students' reports revealed that the bonus-track process elicited positive feelings, helped students connect with class material and provided them with personal insights. In addition, students acquired contemplative skills, such as increased awareness and attention, non-judgmental attitudes, and better stress-management abilities. We provide examples of “personal brain investigations” and discuss limitations of introducing a contemplative approach. PMID:25477833

Healthcare and medical graduates of 2009: their reactions to four key proposals in the Scottish Government's strategy for tackling alcohol misuse.

PubMed

Gill, Jan S; Gibson, Caroline; Nicol, Maggie

2010-01-01

This study compares the views of final year medical, and nursing and allied health professional (NAHP) students in relation to four governmental proposals impacting on the sale and purchase of alcohol. Against a background of political will to address alcohol abuse in Scotland and moves within the National Health Service promoting a shifting of professional roles, self-completed questionnaires were administered in spring 2009 through course websites and lectures to final year medical and NAHP students. Questionnaires were returned by 406 NAHPs and 121 medical students. Over three quarters of all students agreed with the proposed change to reduce the drink driving limit to 50 mg/100 ml blood. Less support was evident for the raising of the minimum legal purchase age for off-sales (37%), the banning of below cost price promotions of alcohol (47%) and minimum retail pricing (37%). However, there were differences between the NAHP and medical students in the case of the final two proposals; over 60% of the medical students agreed they would have a positive impact. For NAHPs, figures were 41% and 31%, respectively. Support for four key proposals outlined by the Scottish Government to address alcohol misuse varied. Only the suggestion to lower the drink driving limit received backing overall and within students in these professions. Effectiveness of proposed restrictions on the price of alcohol was less well regarded except by medical students. Evident gaps in knowledge around health guidelines, and the finding that almost half of NAHPs disagreed that they had the appropriate knowledge to advise patients about responsible drinking advice and alcohol misuse problems, suggest a need for improved undergraduate education and continued professional development with respect to public health aspects of alcohol use.

Food and Culinary Knowledge and Skills: Perceptions of Undergraduate Dietetic Students.

PubMed

Cooper, Marcia J; Mezzabotta, Leanne; Murphy, Joseph

2017-03-01

The objective of the current study was to examine food and culinary skills and knowledge of dietetic students. An online bilingual survey was created using Survey Monkey TM to explore the skills, knowledge, and perceptions of undergraduate dietetic students regarding food and cooking. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to compare skills and knowledge of food and culinary concepts. The final sample included second- (n = 22) and third-year (n = 22) students within the Baccalauréat specialisé en sciences de la nutrition program at the University of Ottawa. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) on 3 of 4 skills (preparing a cake, whipping egg whites, or baking a yeast bread) or knowledge concepts (fold, baste, braise, grill, and poach) amongst second- and third-year students. Third-year students perceived more skill in preparing a béchamel sauce. There was a trend for third-year students (59%) to have higher food and cooking skills and knowledge compared with second-year students (32%). Perceived knowledge and confidence was proportional with the academic year, whereas overall knowledge and skills of food and culinary concepts were moderate among both groups of students. This research suggests that more dedicated time may need to be spent on food and cooking competencies in undergraduate dietetic education.

Correlation between performance in physics and prior mathematics knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, H. T.; Rottmann, Ray M.

The final grade of 1403 students enrolled in the first semester of the introductory, pre-professional physics course has been correlated with performance on a precourse diagnostic test of mathematical skills. The students were from a total of eight different sections taught by six separate instructors over a three year time span. The student population has been separated into two groups, those who completed the course (913 students) and those who dropped (490 students). The drops were assigned a projected final gradebased on performance up to date of withdrawal. The Pearson product-moment correlation for students who completed the course is 0.418 and correlation for the drops is 0.232. Both correlations are significant at the p < 0.001 level. This study suggests that prior mathematical ability is a primary influence on performance in the course, and has a secondary influence on the tendency to drop out of the course.

Evaluation of the understanding of antibiotic resistance among Malaysian pharmacy students at public universities: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Rajiah, Kingston; Ren, Wong S; Jamshed, Shazia Q

2015-01-01

Infectious diseases are a great threat to humankind, and antibiotics are a viable proposition to numerous pathologies. However, antibiotic resistance is a global concern. Therefore, the aims of this survey were to explore the understanding and attitudes of pharmacy students regarding antibiotic use and resistance. This is a cross-sectional study conducted on final-year undergraduate pharmacy students from 5 public universities. A validated, self-administered questionnaire written in English was used to collect data. It was made up of six domains and forty-five questions. Raosoft software was used to determine the minimum required sample size. Descriptive and inferential data analyses were carried out using SPSS version 20 software. Out of 346 students, only 59.5% showed a strong understanding of antibiotic usage, while 84.4% of students demonstrated a good level of understanding regarding the issue of antibiotic resistance. However, only 34.1% of students demonstrated a positive attitude toward this issue. This survey reveals that final-year pharmacy students at Malaysian public universities have a relatively good understanding of antibiotic resistance. However, their attitudes did not strongly correlate to their knowledge. Copyright © 2014 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical students' experiences of resuscitation and discussions surrounding resuscitation status.

PubMed

Aggarwal, Asha R; Khan, Iqbal

2018-01-01

In the UK, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be undertaken in the event of cardiac arrest unless a patient has a "Do Not Attempt CPR" document. Doctors have a legal duty to discuss CPR with patients or inform them that CPR would be futile. In this study, final-year medical students were interviewed about their experiences of resuscitation on the wards and of observing conversations about resuscitation status to explore whether they would be equipped to have an informed discussion about resuscitation in the future. Twenty final-year medical students from two medical schools were interviewed about their experiences on the wards. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was undertaken. Students who had witnessed CPR on the wards found that aspects of it were distressing. A significant minority had never seen resuscitation status being discussed with a patient. No students reported seeing a difficult conversation. Half of the students interviewed reported being turned away from difficult conversations by clinicians. Only two of the twenty students would feel comfortable raising the issue of resuscitation with a patient. It is vital that doctors are comfortable talking to patients about resuscitation. Given the increasing importance of this aspect of communication, it should be considered for inclusion in the formal communication skills teaching during medical school.

Perceived Fear Appeals and Examination Performance: Facilitating or Debilitating Outcomes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putwain, Dave; Symes, Wendy

2011-01-01

This study examines whether students' perception of classroom fear appeals concerning a forthcoming high-stakes examination are associated with facilitating or debilitating performance outcomes. Self-report data were collected for perceived fear appeals, test anxiety and achievement goals from a sample of 273 students in their final year of…

Investigating Relationships among Quality Dimensions in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardi, Romadhani; Hidayatno, Akhmad; Zagloel, Teuku Yuri M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to assess the relationships among quality dimensions in higher education (HE) and to determine the effect of each quality dimension on students' satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 270 final year students of an engineering faculty in an Indonesian state university.…

Career Choices Among Saudi Medical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Faris, Eiad; And Others

1997-01-01

A survey of 253 final-year students at the four Saudi medical schools found the most frequently-chosen specialties were internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology. Over one-fourth were unsure of career choice. Gender differences were found. Most common locations for postgraduate training were Saudi Arabia and Canada, and a…

Introducing the Wittig Reaction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstead, D. E. F.

1979-01-01

An experiment is described which provides a simple example of the application of the Wittig reaction to the synthesis of unsaturated compounds. The experiment was designed with British HNC chemistry students in mind, but it is also suitable as a project-type exercise for final year GCE A-level students. (Author/BB)

The Design and Evaluation of a Cryptography Teaching Strategy for Software Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowling, T.

2006-01-01

The present paper describes the design, implementation and evaluation of a cryptography module for final-year software engineering students. The emphasis is on implementation architectures and practical cryptanalysis rather than a standard mathematical approach. The competitive continuous assessment process reflects this approach and rewards…

Strategy to Promote Active Learning of an Advanced Research Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Hilary J.; Dovey, Terence M.

2013-01-01

Research methods courses aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills required for research yet seldom include practical aspects of assessment. This reflective practitioner report describes and evaluates an innovative approach to teaching and assessing advanced qualitative research methods to final-year psychology undergraduate students. An…

Factors Influencing Primary Students' Learning Achievement in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nath, Samir Ranjan

2012-01-01

Using "Education Watch" database of 2008, this article explores the factors associated with learning achievement of primary school students in Bangladesh. The sample consists of 7,093 fifth graders (final year of compulsory primary education) from 440 primary schools. Based on nationally adopted competencies for primary education, a…

Westchester Colleges Project on Racism-Free Learning Environments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Barbara

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year project by the Westchester (New York) Colleges Consortium on Racial Diversity, 10 colleges with a combined student enrollment of 36,000 students, to improve the racial climate on campus through peer-facilitated diversity training for nonfaculty personnel who interact with…

Student Skills and the Bradley Agenda in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Jennifer; Dearlove, Joanne; Marland, James

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the study strategies that first-year Australian university students bring with them to university. The research has currency due to the implementation of the Review of Australian higher education [Bradley, D., Noonan, P., Nugent, H., & Scales, B. (2008). "Review of Australian higher education: Final report".…

Project Familia. Final Evaluation Report, 1992-93. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Candice

Project Familia was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII funded project that, in the year covered by this evaluation, served 41 special education students of limited English proficiency (LEP) from 5 schools, with the participation of 54 parents and 33 siblings. Participating students received English language enrichment and…

A Final Report for the Evaluation of the Achieve3000 Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shannon, Lisa; Grant, Billie-Jo

2015-01-01

Achieve3000 publishes a number of online literacy programs that differentiate lessons and activities based on student performance. Magnolia Consulting--an independent, third party evaluation firm--assessed Achieve3000 Solutions' impact on student learning during the 2014-15 school year. The researchers used a randomized control trial, where…

Characteristics of Successful Learning Center Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lange, Joseph E.; Fundis, Ronald J.

A study was conducted at Jefferson College, Hillsboro Campus, in Missouri, to determine the relationship between the characteristics of successful Learning Center students and their questionnaire responses on an entry survey and their final course grades. Jefferson College is a two-year, open admissions community college, and the college's…

Students' Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy: Does the Teaching Method Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abaho, Ernest; Olomi, Donath R.; Urassa, Goodluck Charles

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the various entrepreneurship teaching methods in Uganda and how these methods relate to entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE). Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 522 final year students from selected universities and study programs was surveyed using self-reported questionnaires. Findings: There…

Confidence in Teaching Mathematics among Malaysian Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yunus, Aida Suraya Md.; Hamzah, Ramlah; Ismail, Habsah; Husain, Sharifah Kartini Said; Ismail, Mat Rofa

2006-01-01

This study focuses on the confidence level of mathematics education students in teaching school mathematics. Respondents were 165 final year students from four Malaysian universities. It was found that the respondents showed a strong foundation in mathematics upon entrance to the university. In spite of their strong background in school…

Employment of College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

High, Robert V.

A survey was conducted to determine the effect on academic performance, if any, of employment on undergraduate college students. A questionnaire was sent to professors at 3 four-year colleges on Long Island (New York); various day classes were randomly selected. The final sample of n=257 represented approximately a 30 percent response. The…

Process Systems Engineering Education: Learning by Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbas, A.; Alhammadi, H. Y.; Romagnoli, J. A.

2009-01-01

In this paper, we discuss our approach in teaching the final-year course Process Systems Engineering. Students are given ownership of the course by transferring to them the responsibility of learning. A project-based group environment stimulates learning while solving a real engineering problem. We discuss postgraduate student involvement and how…

Cooperative Learning: A Pedagogy to Improve Students' Generic Skills?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballantine, Joan; Larres, Patricia McCourt

2007-01-01

Purpose: The objective of this study is two-fold. First, it provides guidance to educators and trainers on establishing a cooperative learning environment. Second, it examines final-year undergraduate accounting students' opinions on the effectiveness of a cooperative learning environment in delivering generic skills for their future professional…

Web-Based Evaluation System for a Problem-Based Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azli, Naziha Ahmadi; Othman, Mohd Shahizan

2008-01-01

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University Technology Malaysia is currently moving towards a Problem-Based Laboratory implementation rather than the conventional instructional-based laboratory for final year students. The laboratory has commenced session with about 500 students' registration in the 2007/08/1. The Problem-Based Laboratory…

Model Vocational Curriculum Development. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lake Stevens School District No. 4, WA.

This guidance instrument (student four-year planning form), middle school program, and student learning objectives for all career and vocational education courses to be changed or added represent the products of a Lake Stevens School District, Washington, curriculum development project. The guidance instrument is a form to be completed by…

Development and validation of an instrument to assess the prescribing readiness of medical students in Malaysia.

PubMed

Lai, Pauline Siew Mei; Sim, Si Mui; Chua, Siew Siang; Tan, Choo Hock; Ng, Chirk Jenn; Achike, Francis Ifejika; Teng, Cheong Lieng

2015-09-21

Prescribing incompetence is an important factor that contributes to prescribing error, and this is often due to inadequate training during medical schools. We therefore aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the prescribing readiness of medical students (PROMS) in Malaysia. The PROMS comprised of 26 items with four domains: undergraduate learning opportunities; hands-on clinical skills practice; information gathering behaviour; and factors affecting the learning of prescribing skills. The first three domains were adapted from an existing questionnaire, while items from the last domain were formulated based on findings from a nominal group discussion. Face and content validity was determined by an expert panel, pilot tested in a class of final year (Year 5) medical students, and assessed using the Flesch reading ease. To assess the reliability of the PROMS, the internal consistency and test-retest (at baseline and 2 weeks later) were assessed using the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test and Spearman's rho. The discriminative validity of the PROMS was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U-test (to assess if the PROMS could discriminate between final year medical students from a public and a private university). A total of 119 medical students were recruited. Flesch reading ease was 46.9, indicating that the instrument was suitable for use in participants undergoing tertiary education. The overall Cronbach alpha value of the PROMS was 0.695, which was satisfactory. Test-retest showed no difference for 25/26 items, indicating that our instrument was reliable. Responses from the public and private university final year medical students were significantly different in 10/26 items, indicating that the PROMS was able to discriminate between these two groups. Medical students from the private university reported fewer learning opportunities and hands-on practice compared to those from the public university. On the other hand, medical students from the private university reported more frequent use of both web based and non-web-based resources compared to their public university counterparts. The PROMS instrument was found to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing medical students' readiness to prescribe in Malaysia. It may also inform on the adequacy of medical programmes in training prescribing skills.

Risk factors associated with academic difficulty in an Australian regionally located medical school.

PubMed

Malau-Aduli, Bunmi S; O'Connor, Teresa; Ray, Robin A; van der Kruk, Yolanda; Bellingan, Michelle; Teague, Peta-Ann

2017-12-28

Despite the highly selective admission processes utilised by medical schools, a significant cohort of medical students still face academic difficulties and are at a higher risk of delayed graduation or outright dismissal. This study used survival analysis to identify the non-academic and academic risk factors (and their relative risks) associated with academic difficulty at a regionally located medical school. Retrospective non-academic and academic entry data for all medical students who were enrolled at the time of the study (2009-2014) were collated and analysed. Non-academic variables included age at commencement of studies, gender, Indigenous status, origin, first in family to go to University (FIF), non-English speaking background (NESB), socio-economic status (SES) and rurality expressed as Australian Standard Geographical Classification-Remoteness Area (ASGC-RA). Academic variables included tertiary entrance exam score expressed as overall position (OP) and interview score. In addition, post-entry mid- and end-of-year summative assessment data in the first and second years of study were collated. The results of the survival analysis indicated that FIF, Indigenous and very remote backgrounds, as well as low post-entry Year 1 (final) and Year 2 (mid-year and final) examination scores were strong risk factors associated with academic difficulty. A high proportion of the FIF students who experienced academic difficulty eventually failed and exited the medical program. Further exploratory research will be required to identify the specific needs of this group of students in order to develop appropriate and targeted academic support programs for them. This study has highlighted the need for medical schools to be proactive in establishing support interventions/strategies earlier rather than later, for students experiencing academic difficulty because, the earlier such students can be flagged, the more likely they are able to obtain positive academic outcomes.

The knowledge and understanding of preanalytical phase among biomedicine students at the University of Zagreb.

PubMed

Dukic, Lora; Jokic, Anja; Kules, Josipa; Pasalic, Daria

2016-01-01

The educational program for health care personnel is important for reducing preanalytical errors and improving quality of laboratory test results. The aim of our study was to assess the level of knowledge on preanalytical phase in population of biomedicine students through a cross-sectional survey. A survey was sent to students on penultimate and final year of Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry--study of medical biochemistry (FPB), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FVM) and School of Medicine (SM), University of Zagreb, Croatia, using the web tool SurveyMonkey. Survey was composed of demographics and 14 statements regarding the preanalytical phase of laboratory testing. Comparison of frequencies and proportions of correct answers was done with Fisher's exact test and test of comparison of proportions, respectively. Study included 135 participants, median age 24 (23-40) years. Students from FPB had higher proportion of correct answers (86%) compared to students from other biomedical faculties 62%, P < 0.001. Students from FPB were more conscious of the importance of specimen mixing (P = 0.027), prevalence of preanalytical errors (P = 0.001), impact of hemolysis (P = 0.032) and lipemia interferences (P = 0.010), proper choice of anticoagulants (P = 0.001), transport conditions for ammonia sample (P < 0.001) and order of draw during blood specimen collection (P < 0.001), in comparison with students from SM and FVM. Students from FPB are more conscious of the importance of preanalytical phase of testing in comparison with their colleagues from other biomedical faculties. No difference in knowledge between penultimate and final year of the same faculty was found.

The influence of personal qualities on performance and progression in a pre-registration nursing programme.

PubMed

Pitt, Victoria; Powis, David; Levett-Jones, Tracy; Hunter, Sharyn

2014-05-01

Research conducted primarily with psychology and medical students has highlighted that personal qualities play an important role in students' academic performance. In nursing there has been limited investigation of the relationship between personal qualities and performance. Yet, reports of student incivility and a lack of compassion have prompted appeals to integrate the assessment of personal qualities into pre-registration nursing student selection. Before this can be done research is needed to explore the influence of students' personal qualities on programme performance and progression. This study explores the relationships between students' personal qualities and their academic and clinical performance, behaviours and progression through a pre-registration nursing programme in Australia. This longitudinal descriptive correlational study was undertaken with a sample of Australian pre-registration nursing students (n=138). Students' personal qualities were assessed using three personal qualities assessment (PQA) instruments. Outcome measures included grades in nursing theory and clinical courses, yearly grade point average, final clinical competency, progression (completion), class attendance and levels of life event stress. Significant correlations were found between academic performance and PQA scores for self-control, resilience and traits of aloofness, confidence and involvement. Final clinical competence was predicted by confidence and self-control scores. Students with higher empathy had higher levels of life event stress in their first year and class attendance had a positive correlation with self-control. Completing the programme in three years was weakly predicted by the measure of resilience. No difference was noted between extreme or non-extreme scorers on the PQA scales with respect to performance or progression. This sample of students' personal qualities was found to influence their academic and clinical performance and their ability to complete a pre-registration programme in three years. However, further research is required with larger cohorts to confirm the use of personal qualities assessment during selection. © 2013.

Career intentions of final year medical students in Uganda after graduating: the burden of brain drain.

PubMed

Kizito, Samuel; Mukunya, David; Nakitende, Joyce; Nambasa, Stella; Nampogo, Adrian; Kalyesubula, Robert; Katamba, Achilles; Sewankambo, Nelson

2015-08-01

Uganda has severe shortage of human resources for health despite the heavy disease burden. The country has one of the highest fertility, and population growth rates in the world and is in dire need of trained health workers. The current doctor: patient ratio of 1:15000 is inadequate and this is further constrained by trained health workers leaving the country while others abandon the health sector. The aim of the study was to determine the career intentions of the final year medical students to leave the county and health field after graduating and the associated factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 251 final year medical students from Makerere, Mbarara, Gulu and Kampala International Universities. We enrolled all the eligible final year medical students. The study was conducted using face-to-face questionnaires in each university. We determined the demographics, reasons for leaving the country and health sector and the intended destinations of medical students who planned to leave the country. Data was entered in Epidata then exported and analyzed in stata 12. Of the 251 students enrolled in the study, 28(11.2 %) wanted to leave the health sector, with Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) having the highest percentage, 16.7 % and Kampala International University (KIU) the least, 7.7 %. Of the 28 who intended to leave the health sector, 82.1 % wanted to join the business sector, 10.7 % agriculture, and 7.1 % politics. Reasons given for the intent to leave were; lack of equipment and supplies in hospitals, over whelming patient numbers, very risky working environment, low payment to doctors, and political reasons. Overall, 112 (44.6 %) of the participants wanted to leave the country with 30.3 % intending to migrate to United States of America (USA), 11.9 % to United Kingdom (UK), 11.0 % to South Africa among others. Some of the reasons given were; doctors are paid a high salary abroad, safe working environment, and desire to continue academics. Age was associated with intention to leave the country (OR = 1.64; 95 % CI: 1.00 - 4.82). In a country in dire need of health workers, the study showed high proportion of trainee health workers planning to abandon their professions or emigrate from Uganda after training.

Sex differences in self-concept among African adolescents.

PubMed

Mwamwenda, T S

1991-08-01

To examine sex differences in self-concept among black African adolescents in Umtata, South Africa, 97 boys and girls whose mean ages were 18.0 and 17.7 yr., respectively, were drawn from St. John's College students who were in their final year of high school and were preparing for their final year and national matriculation examinations. On the Canadian Self-esteem Inventory mean scores obtained by girls and boys were not significantly different.

A Progressive Assessment Strategy Improves Student Learning and Perceived Course Quality in Undergraduate Physiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saint, D. A.; Horton, D.; Yool, A.; Elliott, A.

2015-01-01

In 2010, second-year physiology (n = 165) had a traditional single 3-h end-of-semester exam. To provide diagnostic feedback earlier, for students enrolled in 2011 (n = 128), we incorporated an in-class exam at 3 wk in addition to the final exam. Based on initial analysis and positive student comments, for the 2012 cohort (n = 148), we expanded…

Linguistic Identity and Career Decision-Making Difficulties among French-Speaking Canadian Students Living in an Anglo-Dominant Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sovet, Laurent; DiMillo, Julia; Samson, André

2017-01-01

Career decision-making difficulties (CDMD) are often faced by students entering their final year of high school, and can further complicate when a student belongs to a minority group, such as a linguistic minority (Francophone) within an Anglo-dominant society (Ontario, Canada). The current study aimed to examine CDMD in 984 Franco-Ontarian grade…

Digital Video Projects of, by, and for New Teachers: The Multiple Educational Functions of Creating Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halter, Christopher; Levin, James

2014-01-01

A three year study of digital video creation in higher education investigated the impact that creating short digital videos by university students in their final class of a teacher education program had on those students. Each student created a short video reflecting on the process of how he/she became a teacher. An analysis of the videos…

Do Student-Centred Learning Activities Improve Learning Outcomes on a BTEC Applied Science Course in FE?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dear, Denise V.

2017-01-01

This article provides quantitative evidence on the effect on learning outcomes of contrasting teaching styles applied to a class of Level 3 final-year students on a BTEC Applied Science course within a further education college in the UK. Two topics within a unit were taught using either a student-centred or teacher-centric (instructional)…

Attitudes of Omani Social Studies Student Teachers to Tourism for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Rabaani, Ahmed Hamed

2013-01-01

The aim of the study is to investigate the attitudes of student teachers of Social Studies to tourism for sustainable development. The study participants were the entire cohort of final year student teachers of Social Studies in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. There were 65 in total, 26 male and 39…

Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on the Entrepreneurial Intentions of Students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TVET) in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibrahim, Wan Nur Azlina; Bakar, Ab. Rahim; Asimiran, Soaib; Mohamed, Shamsiah; Zakaria, Noor Syamilah

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the entrepreneurial intention level of vocational and technical students in Malaysia. A total of 289 final year students who were enrolled at two different TVET institutions (community colleges and National Youth and Skills Institutes) were chosen to participate in the study. The findings indicated that…

Exploring Students' Perspectives toward Clarity and Familiarity of Writing Scoring Rubrics: The Case of Saudi EFL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldukhayel, Dukhayel M.

2017-01-01

The main aim of this research study is to investigate the clarity and familiarity of three scoring rubrics used in a Saudi university's preparatory year program (PYP) for assessing students' writing achievement in midterm and final exams. This exploration is important in providing some evidence for the quality of scoring rubrics. To achieve that…

What Factors Affect Nursing Students' Decisions of Whether to Take Rural Jobs: An Exploratory Interview Study in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tao, Yuexian; Haycock-Stuart, Elaine; Rodgers, Sheila E.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore factors that effect nursing students' decisions of whether to take rural jobs in China. Methods: An exploratory interview study was conducted in China during May and June 2011. Eleven final year nursing students were purposively recruited from four nursing schools in one eastern area in China. The…

INTEREST AND INTELLECTUAL INDICES RELATED TO SUCCESSFUL AND NON-SUCCESSFUL MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS IN TECHNICAL AND ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS. FINAL REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HECKER, DONALD L.; TAYLOR, RONALD G.

THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT WAS TO STUDY THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IN INTEREST, ABILITY, AND PREVIOUS ACHIEVEMENT PATTERNS OF 941 MEN STUDENTS WHO ENROLLED IN VARIOUS TECHNICAL AND ASSOCIATE DEGREE 2-YEAR PROGRAMS AND TO DETERMINE WHICH VARIABLES COULD DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN STUDENTS WHO COMPLETED, CHANGED TO AN ALTERNATE PROGRAM, OR WITHDREW…

Student effort expectations and their learning in first-year introductory physics: A case study in Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wutchana, U.; Emarat, N.

2011-06-01

The Maryland Physics Expectations (MPEX) survey was designed to probe students’ expectations about their understanding of the process of learning physics and the structure of physics knowledge—cognitive expectations. This survey was administered to first-year university students in Thailand in the first semester of an introductory calculus-based physics course during academic years 2007 and 2008, to assess their expectations at the beginning of the course. The precourse MPEX results were compared and correlated with two separate measures of student learning: (1) individual students’ normalized gains from pre and post Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) results, which measure students’ conceptual understanding, and (2) student’s scores on the final exam, which measure their more general problem-solving ability. The results showed a significant positive correlation between their overall MPEX score and five of the six MPEX cluster scores, with their normalized learning gains on the FMCE for both academic years. The results also showed significant positive correlations between student MPEX scores and their final exam scores for the overall MPEX score and all MPEX cluster scores except for the effort cluster. We interviewed two groups of five students each, one group with small favorable scores on the precourse MPEX effort cluster and one with high favorable scores on the precourse MPEX effort cluster, to see how the students’ learning efforts compared with their MPEX results. We concluded from the interviews that what the students think or expect about the MPEX effort involved in learning physics does not match what they actually do.

Self-perceived versus objectively measured competence in performing clinical practical procedures by final year medical students

PubMed Central

Banda, Sekelani

2016-01-01

Objectives To determine and compare the self-perceived and objectively measured competence in performing 14 core-clinical practical procedures by Final Year Medical Students of the University of Zambia. Methods The study included 56 out of 60 graduating University of Zambia Medical Students of the 2012/2013 academic year. Self-perceived competence: students rated their competence on 14 core- clinical practical procedures using a self-administered questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Objective competence: it was measured by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) by faculty using predetermined rating scales. Rank order correlation test was performed for self-perceived and objectively measured competence. Results Two thirds 36 (66.7%) of the participants perceived themselves as moderately competent, 15 (27.8%) rated themselves as highly competent while 3 (5.6%) had low self-perception. With objective competence, the majority 52 (92.8%) were barely competent while 4 (7.2%) were absolutely competent. When overall self-perception was compared to objectively measured competence, there was a discordance which was demonstrated by a negative correlation (Spearman rho -.123). Conclusions Significant numbers of students reported low self-competence in performing procedures such as endotracheal intubation, gastric lavage and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which most never performed during the clinical years of medical education. In addition, the negative correlation between self-perceived and objectively measured competence demonstrated the inability of students to assess and rate themselves objectively due to fear that others may know their weaknesses and realize that they are not as competent as expected at a specific level of training. PMID:27132255

Self-perceived versus objectively measured competence in performing clinical practical procedures by final year medical students.

PubMed

Katowa-Mukwato, Patricia; Banda, Sekelani

2016-04-30

To determine and compare the self-perceived and objectively measured competence in performing 14 core-clinical practical procedures by Final Year Medical Students of the University of Zambia. The study included 56 out of 60 graduating University of Zambia Medical Students of the 2012/2013 academic year. Self-perceived competence: students rated their competence on 14 core- clinical practical procedures using a self-administered questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Objective competence: it was measured by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) by faculty using predetermined rating scales. Rank order correlation test was performed for self-perceived and objectively measured competence. Two thirds 36 (66.7%) of the participants perceived themselves as moderately competent, 15 (27.8%) rated themselves as highly competent while 3 (5.6%) had low self-perception. With objective competence, the majority 52 (92.8%) were barely competent while 4 (7.2%) were absolutely competent. When overall self-perception was compared to objectively measured competence, there was a discordance which was demonstrated by a negative correlation (Spearman rho -.123). Significant numbers of students reported low self-competence in performing procedures such as endotracheal intubation, gastric lavage and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which most never performed during the clinical years of medical education. In addition, the negative correlation between self-perceived and objectively measured competence demonstrated the inability of students to assess and rate themselves objectively due to fear that others may know their weaknesses and realize that they are not as competent as expected at a specific level of training.

A cross-sectional study of chiropractic students' research readiness using the Academic Self-Concept Analysis Scale.

PubMed

Whillier, Stephney; Au, Kent; Feng, Louie; Su, Helen

2017-10-01

The shift toward evidence-based health care has reoriented tertiary clinical education in a way that necessitates and incorporates research. This study assesses the inclination and suitability of chiropractic students for research over a 5-year educational program. Research attributes of chiropractic students were assessed in this cross-sectional study using a validated and modified academic self-concept analysis scale. Students in first and final year were assessed in 4 domains: creativity, motivation, self-regulation, and general intellectual ability. Univariable differences were assessed using Welch 2-sample t tests, and multivariable analysis was carried out with multiple linear regression models. The response rate was 71% (n = 165). First- and fifth-year students scored highly on all 4 domains (80% to 96%). Compared to first-year students, fifth-year students rated themselves significantly lower in 3 of the domains: general intellectual abilities (t[126] = -2.01; p = 0.047), motivation (t[115] = -4.82; p < 0.001), and creativity (t[136] = -3.00; p = 0.003). Research suitability is high in chiropractic students. Both cohorts scored high in all domains despite the disparity between first and fifth years. First-year students outperformed fifth-year students in 3 domains, indicating a potential decline in the inclination to do research over time. However, unaccounted factors, such as the Dunning-Kruger effect, life changes, and "burnout," may have contributed to these differences. Future studies should include questions about stress, fatigue, clinical orientation, and educational environment to inform the interpretation of findings.

25 CFR 41.25 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... preceding academic year, the annual cost of the education programs of the College from all sources for such academic year, and a final report of the performance based upon the criteria set forth in the College's... of Education its FTE Indian Student enrollment for each academic term of the academic year within...

Quality of Life Among Dental Students: A Survey Study.

PubMed

Andre, Amanda; Pierre, Gaelle C; McAndrew, Maureen

2017-10-01

Quality of life is a complex construct that affects the overall life satisfaction, emotional well-being, and functioning of individuals. The aim of our study was to assess the quality of life of dental students at one U.S. dental school, using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF, a multi-dimensional, cross-cultural, validated, and reliable survey instrument. Of the 1,437 students invited to participate, 401 students responded, but 17 were excluded because of missing data. The final sample consisted of 384 students for an overall response rate of 27%: response rates by year were first year 32.6%, second year 16.9%, third year 26.6%, and fourth year 24.0%. The results showed that the responding students rated their overall quality of life as good. The Physical Health domain had the highest mean score, while the Psychological domain had the lowest. Females reported higher quality of life than males in the Social Relationships domain. Single students were found to have a lower perceived quality of life than married students. Older students were found to have lower perceived quality of life in the Physical Health and Environment domains. Physical Health domain scores were significantly higher for fourth-year than first-year respondents, while Psychological domain scores were significantly lower for third-year than first-year respondents. Further research is needed to explore the effect of dental school on the quality of life of dental students. Targeted programs to impact students' quality of life at various points in the curriculum may be beneficial.

Factors associated with final year nursing students' desire to work in the primary health care setting: Findings from a national cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Bloomfield, Jacqueline G; Aggar, Christina; Thomas, Tamsin H T; Gordon, Christopher J

2018-02-01

Registered nurses are under-represented in the primary health care setting both internationally and in Australia, and this shortage is predicted to worsen. To address the increasingly complex healthcare needs of an ageing population, it is vital to develop and sustain a primary health care nursing workforce, yet attracting nurses is challenging. In Australia, registered nurses graduating from university typically commence their careers in hospital-based transition to professional practice programs. Similar programs in primary health care settings may be a valuable strategy for developing the primary health care nursing workforce, yet little is known about nursing students desire to work in this setting, factors that influence this, or their expectations of primary health care-focused transition to professional practice programs. This study sought to identify factors associated with final year nursing students' desire to work in primary health care setting including demographic factors, expectations of future employment conditions, and job content. It also explored expectations of graduate transition programs based in primary health care. A cross-sectional survey design comprising a quantitative online survey. 14 Australian universities from all states/territories, both rural and urban. 530 final-year nursing students. Binary logistic regression identifying factors contributing to desire to work in primary health care. The desire of nursing students to work in primary health care is associated with older age, greater perceived value of employment conditions including flexibility, and less perceived importance of workplace support. Collaborative efforts from primary health care nurses, health professionals, academics and policy makers are needed to attract new graduate nurses to primary health care. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Grade inflation at a north american college of veterinary medicine: 1985-2006.

PubMed

Rush, Bonnie R; Elmore, Ronnie G; Sanderson, Michael W

2009-01-01

Grade inflation, an upward shift in student grade-point averages without a similar rise in achievement, is considered pervasive by most experts in post-secondary education in the United States. Grade-point averages (GPAs) at US universities have increased by roughly 0.15 points per decade since the 1960s, with a 0.6-point increase since 1967. In medical education, grade inflation has been documented and is particularly evident in the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate grade inflation over a 22-year period in a college of veterinary medicine. Academic records from 2,060 students who graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University between 1985 and 2006 were evaluated, including cumulative GPAs earned during pre-clinical professional coursework, during clinical rotations, and at graduation. Grade inflation was documented at a rate of approximately 0.2 points per decade at this college of veterinary medicine. The difference in mean final GPA between the minimum (1986) and maximum (2003) years of graduation was 0.47 points. Grade inflation was similar for didactic coursework (years 1-3) and clinical rotations (final year). Demographic shifts, student qualifications, and tuition do not appear to have contributed to grade inflation over time. A change in academic standards and student evaluation of teaching may have contributed to relaxed grading standards, and technology in the classroom may have led to higher (earned) grades as a result of improved student learning.

Sifting through course evaluations: medical student comments driving surgery curriculum changes.

PubMed

French, Judith C; Bickett, Melissa M; Iocono, Joseph A

2013-01-01

Student empowerment of curriculum changes is a double-edged sword. When examining our third-year surgery course every year, we debate where the line is between improving education through student input against allowing the students to design "an easy course." Written student comments on end-of-course evaluations (from the academic years 2006-2007 to 2010-2011) were analyzed using the qualitative approach described by Miles and Huberman. We compared the grouped comments to the course changes that were made over these years to determine what extent were we listening to students. Finally, we took the course changes made and juxtaposed them with student grades and with student course perceptions provided by the end-of-course evaluation analysis. We identified 17 alterations to our curriculum since the year 2007-2008 and of those, 12 are directly related to student comments. Some examples of our changes were a grading-scale alteration, grouping of workshops, and adding a shelf examination review session. The overall course ratings by the students steadily rose over the 5-year period (2.57 to 3.39), while the percentages of A's earned by students decreased over that same time until the year 2010-2011 when the percent of A's earned increased by over 30%. Because of the fact that 12 of 17 course changes can be directly related back to the student comments, we feel confident that we are listening to students. The increase in perception of the course through the first 4 years did not coincide with higher grades. The changes made have been instrumental in the course winning the best clerkship award for the last 4 years. Copyright © 2013 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of differences in psychiatry curriculum of undergraduate medical and physiotherapy students on their attitude towards psychiatry.

PubMed

Bhise, Manik Changoji; Marwale, Arun Vishwambharrao; Deshmukh, Apoorva Sadgun; Saoji, Sanjeev Gopal

2016-01-01

Negative attitude toward psychiatry (ATP) among medical students is a serious concern. Some studies have concluded that after training in the subject, attitude changes toward positive side. Currently in India, medical students have a less intense course without separate exam or binding to attend training whereas physiotherapy students have more intense course with separate subject exam and binding to attend training in psychiatry. To ascertain and compare the positive and negative ATP in final year MBBS students and final year physiotherapy (BPTh) students who have completed psychiatry curriculum. This is a cross-sectional study with semi-structured pro forma for sociodemographic variables and ATP-30 questionnaire to evaluate ATP of 94 medical and physiotherapy students each. Nonparametric methods were used for statistical analysis with appropriate tests of significance and P value was set at 0.05. Mean ATP-30 score for medical students was 91.9 (standard deviation [SD] =7.0) and that of physiotherapy students was 105.8 (SD = 9.7), this difference in two groups was highly significant (Kruskal-Wallis H = 81.3, df = 1, P < 0.001). Of all medical students, 36 (41.4%) had negative attitude while only 2 (2.1%) of the physiotherapy students had negative ATP (χ(2) = 41.7, P < 0.001). Boys were 2.6 times more likely to have negative ATP than girls (relative risk = 2.6, P = 0.005). Physiotherapy students with intense and planned training in psychiatry as an exam subject have significantly more positive ATP than medical students.

Impact of differences in psychiatry curriculum of undergraduate medical and physiotherapy students on their attitude towards psychiatry

PubMed Central

Bhise, Manik Changoji; Marwale, Arun Vishwambharrao; Deshmukh, Apoorva Sadgun; Saoji, Sanjeev Gopal

2016-01-01

Background: Negative attitude toward psychiatry (ATP) among medical students is a serious concern. Some studies have concluded that after training in the subject, attitude changes toward positive side. Currently in India, medical students have a less intense course without separate exam or binding to attend training whereas physiotherapy students have more intense course with separate subject exam and binding to attend training in psychiatry. Objective: To ascertain and compare the positive and negative ATP in final year MBBS students and final year physiotherapy (BPTh) students who have completed psychiatry curriculum. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with semi-structured pro forma for sociodemographic variables and ATP-30 questionnaire to evaluate ATP of 94 medical and physiotherapy students each. Nonparametric methods were used for statistical analysis with appropriate tests of significance and P value was set at 0.05. Results: Mean ATP-30 score for medical students was 91.9 (standard deviation [SD] =7.0) and that of physiotherapy students was 105.8 (SD = 9.7), this difference in two groups was highly significant (Kruskal–Wallis H = 81.3, df = 1, P < 0.001). Of all medical students, 36 (41.4%) had negative attitude while only 2 (2.1%) of the physiotherapy students had negative ATP (χ2 = 41.7, P < 0.001). Boys were 2.6 times more likely to have negative ATP than girls (relative risk = 2.6, P = 0.005). Conclusions: Physiotherapy students with intense and planned training in psychiatry as an exam subject have significantly more positive ATP than medical students. PMID:27385856

Student views on continuous assessment at Birmingham University Medical School.

PubMed Central

Cruickshank, J K; Barritt, P W; Mcbesag, F; Waterhouse, N; Goldman, L H

1975-01-01

Student opinion on the system of continuous assessment used at Birmingham Medical School was sampled by distributing questionnaires to 621 students in the first four years of the course; 482 questionnaires (78%) were returned. Many comments and criticisms of the system were received but the vast majority of students (92%) said they preferred the present style of assessment to conventional final examinations. These criticisms are discussed and recommendations are made to improve the existing scheme. PMID:1192017

Morphology and spelling in French students with dyslexia: the case of silent final letters.

PubMed

Quémart, Pauline; Casalis, Séverine

2017-04-01

Spelling is a challenge for individuals with dyslexia. Phoneme-to-grapheme correspondence rules are highly inconsistent in French, which make them very difficult to master, in particular for dyslexics. One recurrent manifestation of this inconsistency is the presence of silent letters at the end of words. Many of these silent letters perform a morphological function. The current study examined whether students with dyslexia (aged between 10 and 15 years) benefit from the morphological status of silent final letters when spelling. We compared, their ability to spell words with silent final letters that are either morphologically justified (e.g., tricot, "knit," where the final "t" is pronounced in morphologically related words such as tricoter, "to knit" and tricoteur "knitter") or not morphologically justified (e.g., effort, "effort") to that of a group of younger children matched for reading and spelling level. Results indicated that the dyslexic students' spelling of silent final letters was impaired in comparison to the control group. Interestingly, morphological status helped the dyslexics improve the accuracy of their choice of final letters, contrary to the control group. This finding provides new evidence of morphological processing in dyslexia during spelling.

Survey of rabies vaccination status of Queensland veterinarians and veterinary students.

PubMed

Mendez, D; Foyle, L; Cobbold, R; Speare, R

2018-05-01

To determine the rabies vaccination status of Queensland veterinarians and veterinary students and their perception of zoonotic risk from Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV). Cross-sectional questionnaire surveys. Questionnaires were sent by post in 2011 to veterinary surgeons registered in Queensland, to final-year veterinary students at James Cook University via SurveyMonkey® in 2013 and to final-year veterinary students at James Cook University and University of Queensland via SurveyMonkey® in 2014. The response rate for registered veterinarians was 33.5% and for veterinary students 33.3% and 30% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Of the 466 registered veterinary surgeons, 147 (31.5%) had been vaccinated, with 72 (15.5%) currently vaccinated. For veterinary students the rabies vaccination rate was 20.0% (4/20) and 13.0% (6/46) in the 2013 and 2014 surveys, respectively. More than 95% of veterinary students had received the mandatory Q fever vaccine. Both veterinarians and students regarded bats and horses as high-risk species for zoonoses. Queensland veterinarians and veterinary students have low levels of protection against ABLV. Although incidents of ABLV spilling over from a bat to a domestic mammal are likely to remain rare, they pose a significant human health and occupational risk given the outcome of infection in humans is high consequence. Principals of veterinary practices and veterinary authorities in Australia should implement a policy of rabies vaccination for clinical staff and veterinary students. © 2018 Australian Veterinary Association.

Design and implementation of a proficiency-based, structured endoscopy course for medical students applying for a surgical specialty

PubMed Central

De Win, Gunter; Van Bruwaene, Siska; Allen, Christopher; De Ridder, Dirk

2013-01-01

Background Surgical simulation is becoming increasingly important in surgical education. Despite the important work done on simulators, simulator model development, and simulator assessment methodologies, there is a need for development of integrated simulators in the curriculum. In this paper, we describe the design of our evidence-based preclinical training program for medical students applying for a surgical career at the Centre for Surgical Technologies. Methods Twenty-two students participated in this training program. During their final months as medical students, they received structured, proficiency-based endoscopy training. The total amount of mentored training was 18 hours and the training was organized into three training blocks. The first block focused on psychomotor training, the second block focused on laparoscopic stitching and suturing, and the third block on laparoscopic dissection techniques and hemostasis. Deliberate practice was allowed and students had to show proficiency before proceeding to the next training block. Students’ psychomotor abilities were tested before the course and after each training block. At the beginning of their careers as surgical registrars, their performance on a laparoscopic suturing task was compared with that of registrars from the previous year who did not have this training course. Student opinions about this course were evaluated using a visual analog scale. Results All students rated the training course as useful and their psychomotor abilities improved markedly. All students performed deliberate practice, and those who participated in this course scored significantly (P < 0.0001) better on the laparoscopic suturing task than first year registrars who did not participate in this course. Conclusion Organization of a structured preclinical training program in laparoscopy for final year medical students is feasible, attractive, and successful. PMID:23901308

Association of community-based dental education components with fourth-year dental students' clinical performance.

PubMed

Major, Nicole; McQuistan, Michelle R; Qian, Fang

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to assess which components of a community-based dental education (CBDE) program at The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics were associated with overall student performance. This retrospective study analyzed data for 444 fourth-year students who graduated in 2006 through 2011. Information pertaining to students' CBDE rotations and their final grades from the comprehensive clinic (in two areas: Production and Competence) were used for statistical analysis. Bivariate analyses indicated that students who completed CBDE in the fall were more likely to receive an A or B in Production compared to students who completed CBDE in the spring. However, students who completed CBDE in the beginning or end of the academic year were more likely to receive an A or B in Competence compared to those who completed CBDE in the middle of the year. Students who treated a variety of patient types during CBDE experiences (comprehensive and emergency care vs. mainly comprehensive care) were more likely to receive better grades in Production, while CBDE clinic type was not associated with grades. Dental schools should consider how CBDE may impact students' performance in their institutional clinics when developing and evaluating CBDE programs.

Collaborative Testing in Practical Laboratories: An Effective Teaching-Learning Method in Histology.

PubMed

Guo, Yuping; Li, Enzhong

2016-01-01

This article presents an experimental teaching and learning program used in histology with first-year students in the second term in the Faculty of Biology at Huanghuai University, China. Eighty-six students were divided randomly into two groups (n=43 per group). Tests were conducted at the end of each practical laboratory (10 laboratories in total) in which collaborative testing was used in the experimental group and traditional testing in the control group. To assess achievement, a final examination in histology was carried out at the end of the course. To determine students' attitude to the teaching styles, a questionnaire survey was conducted at the end of the term. Results showed that students preferred the collaborative testing format. In the experimental group, students' scores were significantly higher than those of students in the control group in final examinations. These findings indicate that collaborative testing enhances student learning and understanding of the material taught, and suggest that collaborative testing is an effective teaching-learning method in histology.

Hypothetical biotechnology companies: A role-playing student centered activity for undergraduate science students.

PubMed

Chuck, Jo-Anne

2011-01-01

Science students leaving undergraduate programs are entering the biotechnology industry where they are presented with issues which require integration of science content. Students find this difficult as through-out their studies, most content is limited to a single subdiscipline (e.g., biochemistry, immunology). In addition, students need knowledge of the ethical, economic, and legal frame work in which the industry operates. This article presents an approach to deliver these outcomes in a collaborative and active learning modality which promotes deep learning. In the model, groups of final year undergraduate students form hypothetical biotechnology companies and identify real issues of interest to industry, make integrative team decisions, use professional level technology, and develop appropriate communication skills. The final successful teaching paradigm was based on self reflection, observation, and student feedback to ensure appropriate attainment of content, group work skills and increased confidence in professional decision-making. It is these outcomes which will facilitate life long learning skills, a major outcome applicable for all tertiary education. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Early Introduction of an Evidence-based Medicine Course to Preclinical Medical Students

PubMed Central

Srinivasan, Malathi; Weiner, Michael; Breitfeld, Philip P; Brahmi, Fran; Dickerson, Keith L; Weiner, Gary

2002-01-01

Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) has been increasingly integrated into medical education curricula. Using an observational research design, we evaluated the feasibility of introducing a 1-month problem-based EBM course for 139 first-year medical students at a large university center. We assessed program performance through the use of a web-based curricular component and practice exam, final examination scores, student satisfaction surveys, and a faculty questionnaire. Students demonstrated active involvement in learning EBM and ability to use EBM principles. Facilitators felt that students performed well and compared favorably with residents whom they had supervised in the past year. Both faculty and students were satisfied with the EBM course. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate that early introduction of EBM principles as a short course to preclinical medical students is feasible and practical. PMID:11903776

[Self-directed learning in nursing students with different background factors].

PubMed

Kao, Yu-Hsiu; Yu, Chu-Wei; Kuo, Shu-Yi; Kuang, I-Hsiu

2013-08-01

Fostering self-directed learning skills in nursing students may provide a foundation for improving the specialty knowledge of these nurses. This study examines the current status of nursing student self-directed learning behavior and explores how different background factors impact self-directed learning. This research design used a cross-sectional survey and convenience sampling. A total of 550 questionnaires were distributed to participants in enrolled in nursing programs at a 2-year nursing program at an institute of technology in northern Taiwan and a 4-year nursing program at an institute of technology in southern Taiwan. A convenience sampling was used to collect data, with 537 valid questionnaires used in data analysis. Results indicated that the self-directed learning and self-management of nursing students between 20-21 years old was significantly higher than those of students between 18-19 years old. Self-directed learning, desire of learning and self-control in 2-year nursing students were significantly higher than in 4-year and extension education department nursing student participants. Two-year nursing students had the highest self-management scores, followed by extension education department participants and 4-year nursing students. Finally, participants who associated highly with the nursing profession earned the highest self-directed total score, followed by those participants who associated generally and those who associated mildly. The results recommend that teachers at nursing institutes help students develop self-directed learning. Results also recommend teachers increase their students' association with the nursing specialty through understanding the impact of different background factors on self-directed learning.

Two-year clinical evaluation of Cerec 3D ceramic inlays inserted by undergraduate dental students.

PubMed

Wrbas, Karl-Thomas; Hein, Nicole; Schirrmeister, Jörg Fabian; Altenburger, Markus Jörg; Hellwig, Elmar

2007-01-01

To evaluate the clinical results of final-year dental students' clinical performance after a practical computer-based course and training in the new Cerec 3 method. Cerec 3D restorations (Sirona) were made and inserted in patients by 50 dental students. The students were in their final semester in the Department of Operative Dentistry. Before treatment of the patients began, the students had undergone computer-based Cerec 3D training. The training included lessons comprising the whole Cerec procedure from planning to insertion of the restoration. Vital permanent premolars or molars requiring a 2- or 3-surface restoration were selected for the study. The evaluation started 1 week after luting. The inlays were examined in accordance with the US Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria at baseline and after 6, 12, and 24 months. The 2-year survival rate of the restorations was estimated to be 93.3% according to Kaplan-Meier. No statistically significant changes were observed in color match, surface texture, and anatomic form. The decrease of pulpal hypersensitivity during the observation period was statistically significant (P <.05). Dental students are capable of delivering demanding clinical tasks after appropriate training. The introduction of CAD/CAM restorations to the dental curriculum resulted in high short-term success rates. Further investigations are required to evaluate the long-term success of those restorations. To achieve a clinically adequate performance, it is necessary to consider the basic rules and technology associated with ceramic restorations.

Project S.P.I.C.E.: Special Partnership in Career Education. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emerson, Debby H.; And Others

The final report discusses Project SPICE (Special Partnership in Career Education) which produced a career awareness curriculum consisting of an implementation guide, and six teaching modules intended for use with educable mentally handicapped students (ages 11-to-13 years). Noted are the following program objectives (based on the National…

Bone Marrow Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunne, Mark; Maklad, Rania; Heaney, Emma

2014-01-01

As a final-year student teacher specialising in primary science, Emma Heaney faced the challenge of having to plan, organise, and conduct a small-scale, classroom-based research project. She had to teach about bones in the final block practice session and thought it would be a good idea to bring in some biological specimens obtained from the local…

Title III: Curricular Development for Secondary Learning Disabilities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Libby

Presented is the final report of a 2-year project to develop an examplary model classroom program and curriculum for the secondary learning disabled student. Section I consists of completed forms entitled Project Completion Report, Termination Report, and Equipment Inventory. Outlined in Section II is information on the following project…

Bourdieu and Higher Education Research: A Bricolage Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Andrew

2017-01-01

I argue for the continuing relevance of the Bourdieusian theoretical schema to research related to higher education. The paper discusses my use of Bourdieu in two research projects: an examination of the educational and occupational decision-making of final-year vocational A-level students; an analysis of the perceptions of final-year…

POWER: Providing Options for the Workplace, Education and Rehabilitation. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rickard, Patricia L.

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year federally supported project that provided 326 students, ages 18-21, with developmental disabilities employment training through five community colleges and three K-12 system adult education systems. Program sites were in California, Iowa, Ohio, and North Carolina. The program…

Problems with DNA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Keith A.; Franciszkowicz, Marc J.

2010-01-01

A modified version of this project was used during the final seven days of a year-long calculus sequence at the United States Military Academy to introduce students to the nature of integrative learning. Students from different majors were brought together in groups and spent the first few days going over the mathematics material presented here.…

From Foundation to Honours Degree: The Student Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenbank, Paul

2007-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how students from foundation degrees (FDs) run at local further education colleges coped (academically and to a lesser extent psychologically) with the transition to a final year honours degree at a university. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on the experience of FD graduates who joined the…

Mechanisms for Promoting the Development of Cognitive, Social and Affective Graduate Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kember, David; Hong, Celina; Yau, Vickie W. K.; Ho, Shun Amaly

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to help universities promote graduate attributes by investigating mechanisms for promoting the development of cognitive, social and affective attributes which could impact upon all undergraduate students. Small group interviews were conducted with 90 final year students at a university in Hong Kong. Interview transcripts…

Quantitative Skills as a Graduate Learning Outcome: Exploring Students' Evaluative Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Kelly E.; Adams, Peter; Goos, Merrilyn

2017-01-01

In the biosciences, quantitative skills are an essential graduate learning outcome. Efforts to evidence student attainment at the whole of degree programme level are rare and making sense of such data is complex. We draw on assessment theories from Sadler (evaluative expertise) and Boud (sustainable assessment) to interpret final-year bioscience…

Enhancing Student Employability through Ethics-Based Outreach Activities and Open Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, David I.

2011-01-01

This paper reports on how science communication final year undergraduate research projects and educational internships can be utilised to provide opportunities for students to develop and utilise key employability skills. In the current difficult economic climate, the report "Working towards your future: Making the most of your time in higher…

Polyhedra in Poland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawlikowski, Piotr

2007-01-01

Polish students learn about Platonic solids in the final year of secondary grammar school, but in such a way that few perceive the beauty of this branch of mathematics. An average student associates polyhedra with calculating lengths and angles in a cube, cuboid or pyramid. But for the author, 3-D geometry is the branch of mathematics that shows…

Distorted Perceptions of Competence and Incompetence Are More than Regression Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albanese, M.; Dottl, S.; Mejicano, G.; Zakowski, L.; Seibert, C.; Van Eyck, S.; Prucha, C.

2006-01-01

Students inaccurately assess their own skills, especially high- or low-performers on exams. This study assessed whether regression effects account for this observation. After completing the Infection and Immunity course final exam (IIF), second year medical students (N = 143) estimated their performance on the IIF in terms of percent correct and…

Teaching Sociology Students to Become Qualitative-Researchers Using an Internship Model of Learner-Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolich, Martin; Scarth, Bonnie; Shephard, Kerry

2015-01-01

This article examines the experiences of final year undergraduate sociology students enrolled in an internship course where they researched a local community project, mostly in small groups, for a client. A sociology lecturer supervised their projects. Course-related outcomes were assessed using conventional university procedures but a research…

Primary Datasets for Case Studies of River-Water Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goulder, Raymond

2008-01-01

Level 6 (final-year BSc) students undertook case studies on between-site and temporal variation in river-water quality. They used professionally-collected datasets supplied by the Environment Agency. The exercise gave students the experience of working with large, real-world datasets and led to their understanding how the quality of river water is…