Rudolph Mitchell

A new measure of the cognitive, metacognitive, and experiential aspects of residents' learning.

Purpose Psychometric data are presented for the Cognitive Behavior Survey: Residency Level (rCBS), a survey that profiles cognitive, metacognitive, and experiential aspects of residents’ learning. Method The authors asked 963 residents from seven medicine residencies of large academic medical centers to participate in their study and gathered data from the respondents during a three-year period, 2000–2002. A factor analysis cross-validation design guided the development of rCBS’s seven scales: memorization, conceptualization, reflection, independent learning, critical thinking, meaningful learning experience, and attitude toward educational experience. Interscale correlations and MANOVA provided preliminary evidence of scale construct validity. Results A total of 424 residents (44%) responded. With several minor exceptions, items for each scale loaded .40 or higher. Memorization did not correlate with any other scale, except correlating negatively with critical thinking. Higher-order thinking scales (conceptualization, reflection, independent learning, critical thinking) correlated with one another and with meaningful learning experience and attitude toward educational experience. The one exception: conceptualization did not correlate with critical thinking. MANOVA results reveal that residents who scored in the top 20% on the reflection scale conceptualized, learned independently, and thought critically more than did the bottom 20%. Conclusions Results provide preliminary support for scale reliability and construct validity. As residencies seek to meet expectations of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s Outcome Project, rCBS could prove useful in program evaluation, residents’ self-assessment, and assessment by serving as a means to explore how residents learn, how residency programs affect learning behavior, and how clinically strong and weak residents differ in learning behaviors.

Creating an interdisciplinary introductory chemistry course without time-intensive curriculum changes.

C utting edge scientific research increasingly occurs at the interface of disciplines, and equipping students to recognize interdisciplinary connections is essential for preparing the next generation of researchers, health workers, and policymakers to solve the toughest scientific problems (1, 2). Accordingly, new recommendations for premedical curricula issued by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) call for a competency-based training, shifting away from specific course requirements to the ability of students to apply knowledge and recognize underlying scientific principles in medicine (3). Chemical principles underlie all of the life sciences, and while the relevance of chemistry to biological processes is frequently discussed in advanced chemistry courses, this is long after most general chemistry and premedical students have stopped taking chemistry entirely. Introductory chemistry courses therefore provide a unique opportunity to impact a diverse cross section of students (4). Additionally, early exposure to the applications of chemistry may be particularly relevant for the recruitment of underrepresented minorities and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds into the sciences, since research indicates that students from lower economic backgrounds value college majors with clear career applications (5). Some schools have implemented combined introductory chemistry/biology courses, which can offer valuable learning experiences but require ongoing commitments from dedicated faculty members and curriculum flexibility (6, 7). More commonly, schools have rigid curriculum guidelines in general chemistry, which are not amenable to redesigning the course. For example, in colleges that condense general chemistry into a single semester or in high school courses with stateor AP-based syllabi, removing topics from the curriculum to make room for interdisciplinary units is not an option. Ideally, an introductory chemistry course should inspire and equip students to recognize underlying chemical principles in other disciplines and solve interdisciplinary problems without sacrificing the original content in the course. Here we describe the development, implementation, and assessment of succinct examples from biology and medicine that illuminate applications of chemical principles. These examples were incorporated into the lectures and problem sets of the 2007 and 2008 semesters of the general chemistry course 5.111 at MIT, with a yearly fall enrollment of 200 freshman from 19 different intended academic majors, including over 60% women and 25% underrepresented minority students (see Supplementary Table 1). The materials are freely available to other educators and the *Corresponding author, cdrennan@mit.edu.

Assessment of students' learning experience in an oral communication course at MIT for EECS majors

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) majors at MIT are required to take an oral communications course that teaches oral presentation skills and other professional skills that students will need to be effective in the workplace. In this paper, we describe an assessment of the oral presentation skills component of this course performed during the Spring 2009 semester. This assessment consisted of two instruments: (1) a class survey of 71 enrolled students (with 60 respondents or an 85% response rate) and (2) student interviews in which 7 out of 10 randomly-selected individuals participated. The findings from both were consistent and positive: students were enthusiastic about the course, found it useful and viewed the experience positively.

MIT’s Introduction to Biological Engineering: A Longitudinal Study of a Freshman Inquiry-Based Class

Abstract We describe an introductory class in biological engineering that uses project-based and mentored inquiry to create a supportive, exciting, and effective learning environment. Freshman students at MIT work in small teams and with senior MIT students to design a biotechnology that addresses a real-world challenge of their choosing. Students gain familiarity with the tools and vocabulary for biodesign first through some hands-on experiences with synthetic biological systems and later by working in teams to define, present and then refine their ideas. A multiyear study of the class experience and impact included postsurveys and semistructured interviews of two freshman cohorts and a retrospective survey of three freshman cohorts. Data support the claim that students perceive academic gains through their project-based classroom experience. Freshmen reported they are better able to understand content in some of their other MIT courses, are better able to read scientific articles, and now think differently about biology. Moreover, they indicated the class was valuable in learning technical content and synthetic biology. We find this project-based class helps students make meaningful connections to scientific ideas, to personal goals and to a vision of their future selves.

Continued assessment of students' learning experience in an oral communication course at MIT for EECS majors

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) majors at MIT are required to take an oral communications course called “6. UAT” that teaches oral presentation skills and other professional skills that students will need to be effective in the workplace. An assessment of the oral presentation skills component of the course, consisting of a survey and an interview, was designed and conducted in Spring 2009. We performed the assessment again, with a larger cohort during the Fall 2009 semester and in this paper, describe the outcomes of (1) a class survey of 146 students (with 104 respondents or a 71% response rate) and (2) student interviews in which 7 out of 10 randomly-selected individuals participated. The findings from both instruments for both cohorts were consistent and positive; students were enthusiastic about the course, found it useful and viewed the experience positively.