Journal of Medical Education for Future Demands
Year:2007 | Volume:11 | Issue:3-4|Papers Count:8

Background and purpose: The literature on distance education has provided different reports about the effectiveness of traditional lecture based settings versus computer based study settings. This study is an attempt to compare the learning outcomes of the traditional lecture based teaching with that of the computer based learning in the optometry curriculum.Methods: Two courses in the optometry curriculum, Optometry I, with 24 students and Optometry II, with 27 students were used in this study. In each course, the students were randomly divided into two groups. In each scheduled class session, one group randomly attended the lecture, while the other studied in the computer stations. The same content was presented to both groups and at end of each session the same quiz was given to both. In the next session, the groups switched place. This process continued for four weeks. The quizzes were scored and a paired t-test was used to examine any difference. The data was analyzed by SPSS 15 software.Results: The mean score for Optometry I, lecture settings was 3.36±0.59, for Optometry I computer based study was 3.27±0.63 , for Optometry II, in lecture setting was 3.22±0.57 and for Optometry II, computer based setting was 2.85±0.69. The paired sample t-test was performed on the scores, revealing no statistical significant difference between the two settings. However, the mean score for lecture sessions was slightly higher in lecture settings.Conclusion: Since this study reveals that the learning outcomes in traditional lecture based settings and computer based study are not significantly different, the lecture sessions can be safely replaced by the computer based study session. Further practice in the computer based setting might reveal better outcomes in computer study settings.

Background and purpose: The rapidly increasing availability of information has coincided with fundamental change in the structure and delivery of care. This study is an attempt to determine sources of information which general physicians use.Methods: with a cross-sectional study a 150 general physicians were selected by simple random sampling.A 20-item questionnaire was designed and distributed to collect data regarding the sources of information physicians used and the time they spent for getting relevant data. Analysis was descriptive. The SPSS(version 12) software was used for data analysis. Results: Most participants (49/3%) were 25-34 years and 42/7% of them worked less than 5 years. Of all participants, 44/7% studied less than 1 hour in day and 70.3% of them studied less than 2 paper in a month. The subjects most frequently deemed as most needed by physicians in an descending order were treatment (61.9%), diagnosis (55.6%), side effects (30.3%), prevention (29.2%). The most frequently used sources were textbooks (67/6%) and 36/2% of physicians said that CME seminars was not effective.Conclusion: It seems that there is a serious need to encourage physician spend more time on more reliable sources of information.

Background and purpose: An understanding of the factors contributing to students success or causing failure help us find a solution to prevent waste of resources and contribute to develop a more effective educational system. This study is an attempt to find out the factors contributing to educational success in Birjand University of Medical Sciences and Health Services.Methods: All students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences who studied in first semester 2003- 2004 participated. A self-administered questionnaire was given to students who were present at their classes. The questionnaire included questions on age sex grade point average, parents’ level of literary, parents’ occupation satisfaction with their field of study, satisfaction with quality of instructions and educational activities provided, occupational prospect, and the rapport established between students and instructors. The students were divided into two groups based on GPA. The data were extracted and analyzed with SPSS4 software. Chi-square test, t-test, non-parametric Man- Whitney test, Fisher exact test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient were used to find out the significance of the results (p<0.05).Results:Of all 390 students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences who participated, 9.2% had a GPA<14 (failed) and 80.8% had a GPAe”14 (succeeded); 79.3% were single, and 78.7% were from other cities. The mean GPA was 15.8±1.6. Of all students with educational failure, 50.7% were male while 49.3% were female with no significant difference. Of all students with educational failure, 78.7% were single and 21.3% were married with no significant difference. No significant difference was observed for the fathers’ literacy on students’ educational failure while a comparison of students whose mothers were illiterate with students whose mothers had a general diploma (P=0.04) and with students whose mothers had an academic degree (P=0.003) showed a significant difference. There was a significant difference between students with GPAe”14 and those with GPA <14 on how they think of their educational prospect. Mean hours of study was 7.5 hours for students who failed (GPA<14) and 10.3 hours for students who succeeded (GPAe”14) with no significant difference. Conclusion: As the students’ success in medicine is an important goal in terms of all relevant resources spent to train physicians, and given the fact that many factors are involved we recommend that similar studies are carried out in other universities of medical sciences to help identify the factors contributing to students’ success more vigorously.

Background and purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the present situation of modular education, to develop a modular educational framework for higher education and to consult its applicability in clinical education.Methods: An introspective analytical descriptive study was conducted to identify the indices of modular educational framework which was used as a template to evaluate the present and ideal situations of modular education. The participants were all lecturers and authorities in modular education who rated the present situation and the ideal situation of modular education based on a five scale criteria. Field observations and interview with the authorities were also conducted to probe the present and ideal situations in more details. The final modular educational framework was presented for consultation with authorities in modular education and experts in clinical education.Results: The modular educational framework was developed in 11 scales and 110 subscales. The present situation was moderate only in planning scale. In all the other scales and subscales, the present situation was rated significantly lower than the ideal situation. Clinical experts in health education had consensus over the applicability of MEF in the clinical education.Conclusion: The developed framework is recommended for designing, implementing, evaluating, managing, accrediting and reengineering of modular instruction. The framework is also applicable in clinical education.

Background and purpose: Learning style is the processing of information and comprehension. If teachers present contents in a style that matches a student’s preferred learning style, academic performance and success will improve. If content retention improves it will result in an increase in the test scores. It is also important to determine if students, as a group, fit into a particular style or a particular cycle as they move through an educational program.Methods: The study is a descriptive analytical research. Nursing Students at Isfahan Medical Sciences University completed a questionnaire formulated to assess learning styles. Analysis of variance was used to investigate the possible relationship between learning cycle and student’s grades in the curriculum (i.e. freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior). Cross tabulation was used to test for a relationship between learning style and student academic year of study in the curriculum. Results: 294 students received the Kolb LSI questionnaire. The data demonstrated that juniors preferred a converger learning style and the senior students were in the abstract conceptualization cycle of learning. There were no relationships demonstrated between other groups in the study. Conclusion: The junior and senior students appear to prefer the stage of learning involving thinking and problem analysis. When a group of students demonstrate a preference for particular learning style teachers can develop their curriculum along their learning style.

Background and purpose: Given the fact that identifying the problems of faculty members improvement are important, we investigated the communication skills of faculty members and examined if here is any association between good communication skill and the scores faculty members get from students evaluation in dental school of Islamic Azad University in Tehran.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the students filled a questionnaire which assessed the communication skill (verbal and non verbal) of faculty members based on a Likert’s type scale ranging from very good, to good, moderate, and poor at two weeks after the beginning of the course.The verbal communication skill were assessed based on 7 factors and the non verbal communication skill were evaluated based on 11 items .These items were extracted from standard communication text for content validity and the reliability was examined through a pilot test-retest procedure with r=0.85. Two weeks before the end of the same semester the students completed the faculties’ evaluation form which included 16 items. The validity and reliability of the faculty evaluation have previously established. The student’s selected one choice out of a range of very good, good, moderate, poor for each of the above items. The data were examined for correlation of communication skill with faculty evaluation by students by chi-square test.Results: In this study 1278 students assessed 154 faculty members in 234 class or clinics by completing 9107 questionnaire for communication skill and 9107 from for evaluation of faculty members. Of all participants 55.4% evaluated communication skills of faculty members as good, 31.8% as moderate and 12.8% as poor. Faculties were evaluated as good by 54%, of students, as moderate by 32.8% and as poor by 14.2%. Faculties with higher communication skill scores tend to have higher evaluation scores (p<0.001).Conclusions: It seems that the communication skill of faculty members of Islamic Azad dentistry school is rather good and this result provides a baseline against which the result of any later intervention for improving communication skill can be compared.

Background and purpose: The tasks of faculty members and their weights particularly in integrated system of Iran are not well defined.Methods: To address this issue, in a comprehensive project, we explored all rules, regulations and officialdocuments in national level, collected the opinion of experts around the country using in-depthinterview and defined the weights of main tasks in a group discussion. This paper presents all findings of the group meeting in January 2006, where every member of the managerial team of Kerman University of Medical Sciences and 37 faculty members participated.Results: The computed weights of the three main tasks for non-clinical members were: 0.336 for education,0.258 research , and 0.146 for self-development. These weights for clinical members were: 0.295 for education, 0.219 for providing services, and 0.175 for research. The main activity in education and research were teaching students and writing papers respectively.Conclusion: Comparing these weights with the current situation in most of Iranian universities of medical sciences shows that attention to education, research and self-development is less than these weights; however, providing services, particularly clinical services is much more than expected.

Background and purpose: Undergraduate education presents a period of transition and growth and requires the ability to adapt to many life changes. Many applicants admitted to a nursing program, but high rates of attrition have been experienced. This study is an attempt to assess the nursing students’ need on their nursing education.Methods: Focus groups were used to investigate nursing student’s perceptions and views on nursing education. The sample consisted of 120 nursing students selected randomly. They were arranged in 12 groups of 10 students. The data analysis of recorded and observed data reached five major themes.Results: Five major themes emerged from data. The quality of clinical nursing instruction, confidence development in nursing practice and training, Iranian social perception of nursing profession, professional socialization through role development and improved clinical expectation and improved study skills.Conclusion: The result of this study helped to identify nursing students’ perception and determined their educational needs.