Journal of Medical Education Development
Year:2015 | Volume:8 | Issue:18|Papers Count:12

Background and Objective: This study aimed to investigate and explain various effects and functions of hidden curriculum at Kashan University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods: The target population of the research was all of the medical students at Kashan University of Medical Sciences (N=2031) among which 425 subjects were selected by means of stratified sampling method. The data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The estimated Cronbach’s Alpha was 78% in all items of the questionnaire.Results: Findings showed that three variables included environment, behavioral and personality traits of faculty members and their evaluation methods had the highest mean. Thus, these three variables had hidden and unexpected effects and implications, consequently they had negative and undesirable influences on medical students' behaviors and their learning process.Conclusion: It is necessary and important that environment, faculty members' behavioral and personality traits and their evaluation methods to be changed and reformed. These changes facilitate actual learning and prevent the formation of negative attitudes among medical students.

Background and Objective: Evaluation is a systematic process of gathering, analyzing and interpreting data for making assessment and judgment. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a test development workshop on the quality of final written exams.Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, written final exams of all theoretical courses before and after presenting a workshop were gathered and a booklet titled “Standard rules of questions” was distributed. Taxonomy, content relevance, and content coverage of exams were analyzed by three course lecturers of each department. Other indices such as difficulty and differential coefficients, value of distracter and borderline choices, error coefficient, and considering structural rules were calculated by means of Millman’s checklist and standard formulae. Independent-Samples T-Test, Mann-Whitney U Test, and ANOVA were used to analyze the data.Results: Before intervention, content relevance and difficulty coefficient were in acceptable levels. Proportion of multiple choice questions, content relevance, and differential coefficient increased after intervention, whereas consideration of structural rules, difficulty coefficient, number of distracters requiring revision, error coefficient, number of questions requiring revision, and coverage relevance decreased. Generally, the intervention just decreased the error coefficient practically.Conclusion: A short- term course on standard rules of question development does not affect quality of exam questions considerably and a long term education is suggested in this regard.

Background and objective: People's judgment about quality of educational services is often poor and vague and it is not easy for them to express their perceptions and expectations using an exact numerical value. It is more realistic to use linguistic terms to describe the expectations and perceptions. In this paper, a combination of SERVQUAL and fuzzy logic approaches were used to evaluate the quality of educational services provided at Islamic Azad University of Qom.Materials and Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013. A sample of 365 students was selected randomly through stratified sampling. Data was collected through standard SERVQUAL questionnaire.Validity of questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was estimated through Cronbach's alpha (0.84).Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were used to analyze the data.Results: Comparison of students' perceptions and expectations indicated that there were significant differences in all aspects of educational service quality (P<0.05). The average gap of educational services was 79.0, which represented a negative gap in service quality. The greatest and lowest gap in tangible factors was (-0.90) and responsibility and reliability was (-0.74). The gap between the quality of education in terms of gender, college and field of study, was significant (P<0.05).Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study the largest gap was in the tangible factors. It is suggested to improve library resources and increase computer workshops.

Background and Objective: Using modern active and cooperative methods in teaching as student centered methods can increase students’ knowledge. In this study several teaching methods were combined to teach statistics and compared with classic method.Materials and Methods: In this study, 20 master students of intensive care nursing, bio chemistry, biotechnology and MPH of management were divided randomly into two classic (control group) and hybrid (experimental groups) methods and the effects of teaching methods were compared. The two groups were randomly selected based on their course of study.Results: The Man-Whitney test showed that the average score of students’ knowledge in the pre-test did not have a significant difference (p=0.32), but in the post-test, it had a significant difference (p<0.001). The median of students’ knowledge in experimental group was 18.09 and for control group was 13.33 (p=0.016).The students’ attitude toward the hybrid method was more positive than the classic method.Conclusion: The present study shows that the hybrid method is more effective than the classic method in teaching statistical concepts and students' positive attitude.

Background and objective: The multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are the most commonly used types of test in medical education. These tests could be a reliable measurement instrument to evaluate educational programs if developed carefully and according to standard test preparation criteria. This study aimed to compare some quality indicators of multiple-choice questions of pediatric, general surgery, internal medicine and genecology and obstetrics residency in pediatric residency promoting test program in 2010 and 2011 which was held at Tabriz University of Medical Science (TUMS) with a special consideration to improve test quality management and monitoring the university examinations.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 2400 MCQs of preboard and national board examinations were evaluated at TUMS regarding taxonomy levels (Bloom levels I, II and III) and structural principles (based on Millman check list). Data was analyzed by SPSS (version 18).Results: The quality of MCQs in preboard examination of (TUMS) and national board examination was different and the difference was significant. National board tests were more reliable in general surgery and in preboard examination of (TUMS) in internal medicine. Pediatric and general surgery residency preboard MCQs of (TUMS) had significantly low level of learning comparing to national board MCQs and had more structural problems.Conclusion: There was a significant difference in the quality of MCQs in preboard examination of (TUMS) and national board examination according to the disciplines. Improving test quality management and monitoring these exams are recommended.

Background and Objective: Tracheal intubation is one of the most essential skills employed by all healthcare providers, nevertheless novice intubators turn out to be less successful when they initially perform the intubation. Video- laryngoscopes (Glide Scopes) are new instruments able to increase the success rate of tracheal intubation training. The aim of this study was to compare the success rate of tracheal intubation following training with Glide Scope and training with Macintosh laryngoscope.Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, a total of 30 semester-three anesthetics students of Zanjan Nursing School with no intubation skill served as participants of this study. They were assigned into two 15-person groups using convenience sampling after theoretical teaching and training on manikin. Next, they were trained to perform tracheal intubation on patients using GlideScope in one group and Macintosh laryngoscope in the other group. Then, the success rate and intubation time of 10 intubation trials done by each student were measured, recorded and analyzed through T-Test, X2 and ANOVA.Results: The success rate and the mean time of intubation after ten times of intubation were 86.7% and 18.14sec and 60% and 19.46sec in the Glide Scope and Macintosh groups respectively. The success rates of intubation from the first one to the tenth one were higher in Glide Scope group than those of Macintosh group. (p<0.05) Conclusion: Tracheal intubation training with Glide Scope, compared to the training with laryngoscope improves the success rate and time of intubation significantly.

Background and Objective: Self-directed learning readiness and learning styles are two important learning process characteristics. Individual learning must be considered in order to design and implement effective training. Therefore, this study was performed in order to determine the relationship between learning styles and self-directed learning readiness of nursing students.Materials and Methods: All nursing students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences were enrolled in a cross-sectional study in the second semester of the academic year in 2014. Data gathering instruments included 3 questionnaires of demographic features, Fisher’s self-directed learning readiness scale, and the Kolb's learning styles inventory. Data was analyzed by SPSS 16 using descriptive and interferential statistical methods.Results: The mean scores of overall SDLR were 157.39±15.59 and students' learning styles was assimilator (9.54%). The total average readiness of SDL (P=0.039), self-management scope (P=0.031) and the scope of self-control (P=0.021) had statistically significant differences in students with different learning styles.Conclusion: Considering these factors would be worthwhile in nursing education and in promoting nurses' training with regard to the lack of interest in the nursing field and dropping out of the course and profession.

Background and Objective: Performance evaluation of faculty members always involves various issues.Hence, this study was designed and performed to describe and recognize the experiences of faculty members about promotion procedures.Material and methods: In this sectional – descriptive study, data was collected using researcher – made questionnaire. The validity was estimated through specialist advice and in order to calculate its reliability the Cronbach alpha coefficient was measured (% 76). Participants were 122 faculty members of Mashhad Medical Sciences University who were selected randomly. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: % 66.2 of clinical sciences and basic sciences faculty members disagreed with the "cultural item" and "selection board performance" (54.1%). The clinical sciences faculty members also disagreed with "promotion procedures outline" and "recruitment board performance" (55.1% and 63.5%). There was a significant difference regarding "cultural item" (P<0.02).Faculty members agreed with "education item", "research item", "management item", "initial assessment", "selection committee performance" and "expert committee performance" (%63.1, %59, %59, %74.6, %66.4, %63.1). The difference was significant regarding the "selection committee performance" (P<0.05).Faculty members expressed regulated promotion procedures as the best choice to resolve the problem.Conclusion: In the current study, an outline of promotion procedure, cultural item, recruitment board performance and selection board performance had a low mean. Therefore, transparent and just promotion methods, codifying appropriate quantitative and qualitative indicators to measure activities, homogenizing the promotion procedures and utilizing experts at the university promotion committees seems to be necessary.

Background and Objective: This research investigated the relationship between faculty members’ prioritization of their job responsibilities and their performance quality from students’ point of view at Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences as a structural equation model.Materials and Methods: 108 Faculty members and 324 students at Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences and Hygienic were selected randomly through simple random sampling. The instruments were occupational measurement of tutors and a questionnaire to evaluate the performance quality of educational bureau members. Statistical methods were repeated measures variance analysis, one sample t-test and structural equation model.Results: First of all, faculty members' highest priority of their job responsibilities was scholarship. Then, Faculty members' performance quality was evaluated higher than average and lower than optimum level.Finally, Faculty members' priorities in teaching and supervision were significant predicators of students' positive evaluation of their educational performance quality and faculty members' priorities in scholarship and social services were significant predicators of students’ negative evaluation of their educational performance quality.Conclusion: Faculty members high teaching skills and devoting enough time to supervise and guide students have positive effects on their evaluation by students.

Background and objective: University is a highly dynamic and flexible educational environment and organizational silence can affect the students' trust in administrators. On the other hand, the effect of students' educational satisfaction will change the dynamism of university. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of organizational silence in explaining the relationship between students' trust and educational satisfaction to the university managers.Materials and methods: This study was a descriptive-retrospective and correlational method of a structural equation model. 227 students from all the graduate students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected randomly.The research instrument was a questionnaire with 39 items. Cronbach's alpha was at a high value. Descriptive statistical indices such as mean, standard deviation and structural equation model were used to analyze the data.Results: In this research 227 participants (70% women and 30% men) were selected. Students' trust in administrators was the direct and significant prediction of students' educational satisfaction. The students' trust in administrators was the negative and significant prediction of the organizational silence. But organizational silence had not a mediating role in the relationship between students' trust in administrators and students' educational satisfaction.Conclusion: Increasing the trust level of students in university administrators can reduce the silence and encourage them to express the problems and offering resolutions in order to improve university performance. However, the students' decline does not necessarily lead to an increase in the satisfaction level of academic education and students' satisfaction can be influenced directly without organizational silence interference. Therefore the trust of the students in university administrators can directly lead to increased academic satisfaction and finally improvement in the higher education institutions.

Background and 0bjective: Teacher's efficiency is defined as teachers' ability to achieve the theoretical and practical purposes in education. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' views on how to achieve theoretical and practical goals in education. This is a cross-sectional study in which all faculties of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences were involved in the academic year 2012.Materials and Methods: The questionnaires were distributed among 250 participants. Data was collected and analyzed by SPSS 11.5.Results: 128 faculty members participated in this study. Most participants agreed with the factors influencing the efficiency of teaching; teacher knowledge (88.3%) and the lowest percentage was related to the research activities (77.9%).Conclusion: According to the results, teacher's academic ability is more important than other variables and their research activity is not of great importance in teacher's efficiency.

Background and objective: Learning is an integral part of the educational system today. Although numerous studies have been conducted regarding the beneficial effects of virtual training, virtual workshops have received less attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the satisfaction, usefulness and efficiency of virtual workshops of postgraduate students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive – comparative study, 57 faculty members and postgraduate students participated in virtual workshops. As a first step, 42 materials based on participants' needs assessment were prepared. These materials were put on www.farasa.net website and participants had access to them for three months. After three months, participants' viewpoints on variables were collected through questionnaire which consisted of three parts (demographic information, visual continuum of assessment of satisfaction from face to face to virtual, and 35 items to investigate the usefulness and efficacy of virtual workshops, etc.). Reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha (0.937). SPSS 19 was used to analyze the data.Results: The findings showed that there is a significant difference (p<0.000) between the satisfaction of virtual and face to face workshops. In addition to be able to use the educational system, the efficiency of virtual method, the designed material, interactive learning activities, learning environment, ease of use, value perception, satisfaction, usefulness, and behavioral intention of learning in a range of (38.0 to 90.0) showed a significant positive correlation.Conclusion: In general, the participants had positive attitudes toward the benefits of virtual workshops. In order to satisfy the learners' needs, it is suggested that scheduled virtual workshops should be planned.