Bram De Wever

Scripting by assigning roles: Does it improve knowledge construction in asynchronous discussion groups?

This article describes the impact of learning in asynchronous discussion groups on students’ levels of knowledge construction. A design-based approach enabled the comparison of two successive cohorts of students (N = 223 and N = 286) participating in discussion groups for one semester. Multilevel analyses were applied to uncover the influence of student, group, and task variables on the one hand, and the specific impact of a particular form of scripting – namely the assignment of roles to group members – on the other. Results indicate that a large part of the overall variability in students’ level of knowledge construction can be attributed to the discussion assignment. More intensive and active individual participation in the discussion groups and adopting a positive attitude towards the learning environment also positively relates to a higher level of student knowledge construction. Task characteristics – differences between the consecutive discussion themes – appeared to significantly affect levels of knowledge construction, although further analysis revealed that these differences largely disappeared after correcting for task complexity. Finally, comparisons between both cohorts revealed that the introduction of student roles led to significantly higher levels of knowledge construction. An effect size of 0.5 was detected.

Information and communication technologies in higher education: evidence-based practices in medical education

In contrast to traditional meta-analyses of research, an alternative overview and analysis of the research literature on the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) in medical education is presented in this article. A distinction is made between studies that have been set up at the micro-level of the teaching and learning situation and studies on meso-level issues. At the micro-level, ICT is hypothesized to foster three basic information processing activities: presentation, organization, and integration of information. Next to this, ICT is expected to foster collaborative learning in the medical knowledge domain. Empirical evidence supports the potential of ICT to introduce students to advanced graphical representations but the studies also stress the importance of prior knowledge and the need for real-life tactile and practical experiences. The number of empirical studies focusing on the impact of ICT on information organization is restricted but the results suggest a positive impact on student attitudes and relevant learning gains. However, again, students need a relevant level of prior knowledge. Empirical studies focusing on the impact of ICT on information integration highlight the positive impact of ICT-based assessment and computer simulations; for the latter this is especially the case when novices are involved, and when they master the prerequisite ICT skills. Little empirical evidence is available regarding the impact of computer games. Research results support the positive impact of ICT-based collaboration but care has to be taken when skills development is pursued. At the meso-level, the available empirical evidence highlights the positive impact of ICT to promote the efficiency of learning arrangements. Research grounds the key position of ICT in a state-of-the-art medical curriculum. Recent developments focusing on repositories of learning materials for medical education have yet not been evaluated. The article concludes by stressing the need for evaluative studies, especially in the promising field of ICT-based collaborative learning. Furthermore, the importance to be attached to the position and qualifications of the teaching staff is emphasized.

Web-based Collaborative Inquiry to Bridge Gaps in Secondary Science Education

As secondary students’ interest in science is decreasing, schools are faced with the challenging task of providing adequate instruction to engage students—and more particularly the disadvantaged students—to learn science and improve their science inquiry skills. In this respect, the integration of Web-based collaborative inquiry can be seen as a possible answer. However, the differential effects of Web-based inquiry on disadvantaged students have barely been studied. To bridge this gap, this study deals with the implementation of a Web-based inquiry project in 19 secondary classes and focuses specifically on gender, achievement level, and academic track. Multilevel analysis was applied to uncover the effects on knowledge acquisition, inquiry skills, and interest in science. The study provides quantitative evidence not only that a Web-based collaborative inquiry project is an effective approach for science learning, but that this approach can also offer advantages for students who are not typically successful in science or who are not enrolled in a science track. This approach can contribute to narrowing the gap between boys and girls in science and can give low-achieving students and general-track students an opportunity to develop confidence and skills for learning science, bringing them to a performance level that is closer to that of high-achieving students.

Using video-cases to assess student reflection: development and validation of an instrument.

BackgroundReflection is a meta-cognitive process, characterized by: 1. Awareness of self and the situation; 2. Critical analysis and understanding of both self and the situation; 3. Development of new perspectives to inform future actions. Assessors can only access reflections indirectly through learners’ verbal and/or written expressions. Being privy to the situation that triggered reflection could place reflective materials into context. Video-cases make that possible and, coupled with a scoring rubric, offer a reliable way of assessing reflection.MethodsFourth and fifth year undergraduate medical students were shown two interactive video-cases and asked to reflect on this experience, guided by six standard questions. The quality of students’ reflections were scored using a specially developed Student Assessment of Reflection Scoring rubric (StARS®). Reflection scores were analyzed concerning interrater reliability and ability to discriminate between students. Further, the intra-rater reliability and case specificity were estimated by means of a generalizability study with rating and case scenario as facets.ResultsReflection scores of 270 students ranged widely and interrater reliability was acceptable (Krippendorff’s alpha = 0.88). The generalizability study suggested 3 or 4 cases were needed to obtain reliable ratings from 4th year students and ≥ 6 cases from 5th year students.ConclusionUse of StARS® to assess student reflections triggered by standardized video-cases had acceptable discriminative ability and reliability. We offer this practical method for assessing reflection summatively, and providing formative feedback in training situations.

Efficiency of short individualised CPR self-learning sessions with automated assessment and feedback☆

INTRODUCTION Regular assessments are recommended to identify individuals requiring additional resuscitation training. We developed a strategy of short CPR self-learning sessions followed by automated assessment with feedback and investigated its efficiency to achieve a pre-defined level of compression skills. METHODS Four hundred and four students in pharmacy and educational sciences participated. Initial training (max. 40 min) consisted of a 15 min learning-while-watching video followed by manikin exercises with computer voice feedback. At baseline and after training, performance was measured using an automated test. To be judged competent participants had to achieve ≥ 70% compressions with depth ≥ 50 mm and ≥ 70% compressions with complete release (<5mm) and a compression rate between 100 and 120 min(-1) within a two month period. Automated feedback was provided and failed participants had to retrain within two weeks. Retraining (max. 20 min and max. three times) was done with voice feedback exercises. Before retraining, the previous test result was displayed together with feedforward. After five months all participants were invited for a retention test. RESULTS After one to four sessions, 99% (401/404) of all participants achieved competency. After five months 48% (137/288) of the students participating in the retention test was still competent. The percentage competent participants was 80% (230/288) for compression depth, 97% (279/288) for complete release and 60% (172/288) for mean rate. CONCLUSIONS One or multiple short self-learning sessions were highly efficient to successfully train 99% of participants. After five months, retention of compression depth and complete release was very high. However, only 48% still achieved a 70% combined score for compression skills, highlighting the importance of regular assessment and retraining.

Vocational education approach: New TEL settings—new prospects for teachers’ instructional activities?

This study focuses on vocational education teachers’ instructional activities in a new technology-enhanced learning (TEL) setting. A content analysis is applied to investigate teachers’ and students’ interactions in a 3D game context. The findings illustrate that when teachers’ and students’ interactions are mediated by a game, teachers seem to apply different discussion activities to empower vocational learning than they do in traditional classroom settings. Additionally, the present study shows that teachers spontaneously develop new ways of supporting vocational learning processes. In more detail, two main types of instructional activities were identified: a “knowledge-providing” approach and a “joint problem-solving” approach. Additionally, findings illustrate how teachers using different types of instructional approaches are followed up with different processes by students. The article is concluded with a general discussion of the emerging challenges regarding the technological and pedagogical development of vocational education and teachers’ instructional activities in new TEL settings based on a more long-term design-based research project (ongoing since 2004).

Players’ perspectives on the positive impact of video games: A qualitative content analysis of online forum discussions:

On game forums, players often discuss the positive impact of video games on their lives. We collected 964 messages from top ranked game forums (viaAlexa.com) and analyzed them using a coding scheme based on an existing taxonomy about the impact of the arts. This directed qualitative content analysis resulted in an exploration of how players’ talk about the impact of video games reflects broader cultural rhetorics. By analyzing players’ positive experiences using a theory-based coding scheme that is attentive to the wide array of effects that have been ascribed to the arts, this study offers a broad perspective on the attributed impact of video games.

What are the most important tasks of tutors during the tutorials in hybrid problem-based learning curricula?

BackgroundIn problem-based learning, a tutor, the quality of the problems and group functioning play a central role in stimulating student learning. This study is conducted in a hybrid medical curriculum where problem-based learning is one of the pedagogical approaches. The aim of this study was to examine which tutor tasks are the most important during the tutorial sessions and thus should be promoted in hybrid (and in maybe all) problem-based learning curricula in higher education.MethodsA student (N = 333) questionnaire was used to obtain data about the problem-based learning process, combined with the achievement score of the students on a multiple-choice exam. Structural equation modeling was used to test the fit of different models (two existing models and a new simplified model) representing the factors of interest and their relationships, in order to determine which tutor characteristics are the most important in the present study.ResultsA new simplified model is presented, which demonstrates that stimulation of active and self-directed learning by tutors enhances the perceived case quality and the perceived group functioning. There was no significant effect between the stimulation of collaborative learning and perceived group functioning. In addition, group functioning was not a significant predictor for achievement.ConclusionsWe found that stimulating active and self-directed learning are perceived as tutors’ most important tasks with regard to perceived case quality and group functioning. It is necessary to train and teach tutors how they can stimulate active and self-directed learning by students.

Acquiring basic life support skills in a self-learning station: video alone is not enough.

Objectives To develop a self-learning station combining a video with computer exercises to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to novices, and to assess the efficacy of these two components on CPR acquisition. Methods One hundred and twenty-five pharmacy students were trained using learning-while-watching video instructions followed by exercises with voice feedback. The proportion of students with adequate CPR skills (≥70% compressions with depth ≥50 mm, ≥70% compressions with complete release <5 mm, a compression rate between 100 and 120/min, ≥70% ventilations with a volume between 400 and 1000 ml) was measured at baseline, after video training and after subsequent voice-feedback training. Results Complete datasets were obtained for 104 students. After video training, the 70% cut-off for compression depth was achieved in 29/104 students, for complete release in 75/104, for ventilation volume in 44/104. Mean compression rate 100–120/min was adequate in 77/104 students. Compared with baseline results, only rate (29/104 vs. 77/104) and ventilation volume (6/104 vs. 44/104) improved. After subsequent training with voice feedback the proportions were: compression depth 88/104, compression rate 77/104, ventilation volume 74/104 and complete release 90/104. Compared with the skill level after video training only compression rate did not further improve. A score combining the three compression skills resulted in the following success rates: 6/104 (baseline), 15/104 (after the video), 59/104 (after voice feedback). Conclusion Although in a self-learning station video training can introduce CPR skills to novices, additional voice-feedback exercises were needed to achieve acceptable CPR quality.

Assessing basic life support skills without an instructor: is it possible?

BackgroundCurrent methods to assess Basic Life Support skills (BLS; chest compressions and ventilations) require the presence of an instructor. This is time-consuming and comports instructor bias. Since BLS skills testing is a routine activity, it is potentially suitable for automation. We developed a fully automated BLS testing station without instructor by using innovative software linked to a training manikin. The goal of our study was to investigate the feasibility of adequate testing (effectiveness) within the shortest period of time (efficiency).MethodsAs part of a randomised controlled trial investigating different compression depth training strategies, 184 medicine students received an individual appointment for a retention test six months after training. An interactive FlashTM (Adobe Systems Inc., USA) user interface was developed, to guide the students through the testing procedure after login, while Skills StationTM software (Laerdal Medical, Norway) automatically recorded compressions and ventilations and their duration (“time on task”). In a subgroup of 29 students the room entrance and exit time was registered to assess efficiency. To obtain a qualitative insight of the effectiveness, student’s perceptions about the instructional organisation and about the usability of the fully automated testing station were surveyed.ResultsDuring testing there was incomplete data registration in two students and one student performed compressions only. The average time on task for the remaining 181 students was three minutes (SD 0.5). In the subgroup, the average overall time spent in the testing station was 7.5 minutes (SD 1.4). Mean scores were 5.3/6 (SD 0.5, range 4.0-6.0) for instructional organisation and 5.0/6 (SD 0.61, range 3.1-6.0) for usability. Students highly appreciated the automated testing procedure.ConclusionsOur automated testing station was an effective and efficient method to assess BLS skills in medicine students. Instructional organisation and usability were judged to be very good. This method enables future formative assessment and certification procedures to be carried out without instructor involvement.Trial registrationB67020097543