Impact and educational outcomes of a small group self‐directed teaching strategy in a clinical neuroscience curriculum

Abstract

The complexity of the material being taught in clinical neuroscience within the medical school curriculum requires creative pedagogies to teach medical students effectively. Many clinical teaching strategies have been developed and are well described to address these challenges. However, only a few have been evaluated to determine their impact on the performance of students studying clinical neuroscience. Interactive, 2-hour, self-directed small-group interactive clinical case-based learning sessions were conducted weekly for 4 weeks to integrate concepts learned in the corresponding didactic lectures. Students in the small groups analyzed cases of patients suffering from neurological disease that were based on eight learning objectives that allowed them to evaluate neuroanatomical data and clinical findings before presenting their case analysis to the larger group. Students' performances on the formative quizzes and summative tests were compared to those of first-year medical students in the previous year for whom the self-directed, small-group interactive clinical sessions were not available. There was a significant improvement in the summative performance of first-year medical students with self-directed clinical case learning in the second year (Y2) of teaching clinical neuroscience (P < 0.05) when compared with first-year students in the first year (Y1) for whom the self-directed learning approach was not available. Student performance in the formative assessments between Y1 and Y2 was not significantly different (P = 0.803). A target of ≥70% student scoring above 80% in the final summative examination was met. The current study revealed evidence for the impact and educational outcomes of a self-directed, clinical teaching strategy in a clinical neuroscience curriculum for first-year medical students. Anat Sci Educ 11: 478-487. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

Universal design for learning in anatomy education of healthcare students: A scoping review

“…The studies identified in this review demonstrate that the teaching methods utilized, which aligned with the UDL framework, benefit the learning experience of medical, dental and OT students. These range from improved performance (Pratten et al, 2014; Manyama et al, 2016; Guimarães et al, 2019; Oakes et al, 2019; Lee et al, 2020; Mogali et al, 2020; Rao Bhagavathula et al, 2022) and understanding (Jaffar, 2012; Bergman et al, 2013b; Murphy et al, 2014; Nathaniel et al, 2018; Hoffmann et al, 2019) to enhanced participation (Inuwa et al, 2012; Pratten et al, 2014; Park & Howell, 2015) and confidence (Anyanwu, 2013; Manyama et al, 2016; Dua et al, 2021). The improvements and enhancements in teaching and learning reported in the selected studies can be attributed to the incorporation of technology, gamification, team‐based activities, peer‐assisted learning, an emphasis on the relevance of anatomy or the creation of a tailored anatomy learning environment.…”

“…Evidently, there is scant research on how students enrolled in allied health programs are taught anatomy. For example, clinical therapy programs are considered new and young (Paden, 1970;Quiroga, 1995;Donnelly et al, 2013) when compared to the a Studies in which themes appear: A, (Abdullah et al, 2020); B, (Anyanwu, 2013); C, (Bacro et al, 2013);D, (Ben Awadh et al, 2022); E, (Bergman et al, 2013b); F, (Dua et al, 2021); G, (Felszeghy et al, 2019); H, (Gnanasegaram et al, 2020); I, (Golenhofen et al, 2020); J, (Guimarães et al, 2019); K, (Hoffmann et al, 2019); L, (Hu et al, 2016); M, (Inuwa et al, 2012); N, (Jaffar, 2012); O, (Kranz et al, 2017); P, (Lee et al, 2020); Q, (Lorenzo-Alvarez et al, 2020); R, (Ma et al, 2016); S, (Manyama et al, 2016); T, (McBride & Drake, 2015); U, (McCluskey et al, 2015); V, (Mogali et al, 2019); W, (Mogali et al, 2020); X, (Murphy et al, 2014); Y, (Nathaniel et al, 2018); Z, (Oakes et al, 2019); AA, (Ocak & Topal, 2015); AB, (Park & Howell, 2015); AC, (Pillay et al, 2019); AD, (Pratten et al, 2014); AE, (Rao Bhagavathula et al, 2022); AF, (Rezende et al, 2020); AG, (Yohannan et al, 2022).…”

Case-based learning

“…Nathaniel et al .,[ 9 ] in a self-directed clinical case learning (SDCL) module followed for neuroscience, opine that it inspired students to set higher standards for themselves as the interactive sessions provide the platform to ask themselves incisive questions, to identify their biases and empowering them as intelligent contributors to their own learning processes. Our students’ attitude toward the intervention was also perceived positively; 86% of students responded to it as a highly recommended method of learning.…”

Training and education model for anatomy near-peer teachers

“…The learning benefits of small groups have been widely described. It promotes clinical reasoning and skills for lifelong learning [20][21][22] . Other advantages are integrating students with the development of friendships, sharing ideas, dividing the workload, tutoring, and learning support from others, and communication skills.…”