Objective: This research explores participatory evidence-based teaching methods in a health science course to see if a relationship emerged between the level of student participation and course performance, the type of participation and course performance, or the amount of participation and course performance and level of demonstrated learning. Methods: Level of student participation was dichotomous (100% or ,100%), and differences between groups on a knowledge test were compared using an unpaired t test. Type of participation was also dichotomous (in class or out), and differences in course performance on the knowledge test were compared using the unpaired t test. Amount of participation and course performance and level of demonstrated learning were also tested after the knowledge test was measured using a matrix based upon Bloom's taxonomy. Results: Students who participated 100% of the time scored 6% higher on average than students with less than 100% participation (t[183] ¼ 3.55, p ¼ .0005, d ¼ 0.52). There was no difference between groups when assessing for differences in course performance by type of participation. Students with 100% participation scored higher on the short answer question section of the examination (t[183] ¼ 4.58, p ¼ .0001, d ¼ 0.68), but there was no difference on the multiple choice question part of the examination. Conclusion: Full participation in the course was related to higher examination scores and higher scores on examination questions assessing higher levels in the cognitive domain.

Objective Cervical spine manipulation is a complex motor skill used to treat musculoskeletal ailments such as neck pain. There is evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of objective feedback and mannequins for the teaching of spinal manipulation (SM) in the thoracic and lumbar spine. This paper examines the effectiveness of an educational intervention combining both mannequins and force-sensing technology for teaching cervical SM. Methods Fourth-year chiropractic interns were separated into 2 groups: an intervention group and a group trained with the standard curriculum. The intervention included a 60-minute educational session focused on targeting 100 N total peak force cervical manipulations on mannequins, with objective feedback through force-sensing table technology. Pre- and post-CMs were recorded on both a mannequin and a paired student partner, with an attempt to have a target total peak force of 100 N. Results Ninety students were recruited. The invention group (n = 46) scored significantly better at the outcome compared to the control group (n = 44) when manipulating the mannequin (p = .003). These improvements did not carry over when manipulating a paired human partner (p = .067). Conclusion Following a 1-hour cervical SM educational intervention utilizing thrusting on mannequins and force-sensing table technology, students demonstrated improved peak force control for SM delivered on the mannequin. However, this improvement was not carried over to SM delivered on human subjects.

Objective : The objective of this study was to report observed changes in an intern's ability to initiate critical emergency skills in different cardiac arrest scenarios with high-fidelity simulation over a 10-month period. Methods : One intern's performance was retrospectively analyzed using video recordings of 4 simulations at different stages in the training program. The key outcome was the duration of time expired for 4 critical skills, including activating the emergency response system, initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using an automated external defibrillator (AED), and passively administrating oxygen. Results : The intern became more efficient in each subsequent simulation for activating the emergency response system and initiating CPR. The time to use the AED stayed relatively constant. The administration of oxygen was inconsistent. Conclusion : An improvement in the speed of applying emergency critical skills was observed with this intern. These improvements in skill may improve patient outcomes and survival rates. We propose further educational research with high-fidelity simulation in the area of assessing emergency skills.