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Sample records for student skills objectives

  1. Effect of Objective Structured Clinical Examination on Nursing Students' Clinical Skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyedeh Narjes Mousavizadeh

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Considering the daily increasing changes in clinical training approaches, the necessity of using new evaluation methods in proportion with these approaches is also becoming more and more obvious for measuring all of the cognitive, emotional and psychomotor dimensions of students. The present study was designed and conducted for reviewing the effect of objective structured clinical examination method on the clinical skills of nursing students. In this quasi-experimental study, 48 nursing students have participated that were randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. The intervention group students were evaluated at the end of educational period of their clinical skills and principles course using objective structured clinical examination (OSCE. The OSCE included five core skills in this course: assessing and fulfilling patients’ basic needs, dressing up, injectable drug therapy, noninjectable drug therapy, infection control. The control group students were evaluated using the routine method. Both groups of students were followed up in the next semester and were compared in terms of learning enhancement in these five skills. Evaluation of procedures was based on valid and reliable check-lists made by the researcher. Results were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square, independent and paired T tests. The mean score of the final evaluation in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P= 0.000. Final evaluation scores of the intervention group students showed a better performance than their previous semester (P= 0.000, while the final evaluation scores of the control group students showed a lack of progress in their skills (P<0.05. It seems that this evaluation method also is a support for students' learning and resulted in improvement of clinical skills among them. Accordingly, it is recommended that nursing education centers apply this method to assess studentsâ

  2. Evaluation of Clinical and Communication Skills of Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urteaga, Elizabeth M; Attridge, Rebecca L; Tovar, John M; Witte, Amy P

    2015-10-25

    Objective. To evaluate how effectively pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists communicate and apply knowledge to simulations of commonly encountered patient scenarios using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Design. Second-, third-, and fourth-year pharmacy students completed an OSCE as part of their required courses in 2012 and 2013. All students in both years completed identical OSCE cases. Licensed pharmacists were recruited to complete the OSCE and serve as controls in 2012. A survey assessed student perception and acceptance of the OSCE as well as student confidence in performance. Assessment. Licensed pharmacists had significantly higher clinical and communication skills scores than did pharmacy students. Student progression in communication and clinical skills improved significantly over time. Survey results indicated that students felt the OSCE was well-structured and assessed clinical skills taught in pharmacy school; 86% of students felt confident they could provide these skills. Conclusion. Objective structured clinical examinations can evaluate clinical competence and communication skills among professional students. Implementation of OSCEs may be an effective tool for assessment of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education domains.

  3. Design and Development of an Objective, Structured Management Examinations (OSMEs) on Management Skills among Pharmacy Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Augustine, Jill

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to design, develop, and administer an Objective, Structured Management Exam (OSME) on management skills for pharmacy students. Pharmacy preceptors for the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy participated in focus groups that identified business, management, and human resource skills needed by pharmacy graduates.


  4. Employability Skill Acquisition among Malaysian Community College Students

    OpenAIRE

    M. K. Omar; A. R. Bakar; A. Mat Rashid

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the acquisition of employability skills among Malaysian community college students. The sample size of the present study 325 students selected randomly. Employability skills were measured using an instrument developed by the SecretaryĂąs Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). The overall mean of employability skills among community college students was 3.63 (S.D. = 0.47). Thus, we consider the employability skills of community college studen...

  5. Assessing nursing clinical skills competence through objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for open distance learning students in Open University Malaysia.

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    Oranye, Nelson Ositadimma; Ahmad, Che'an; Ahmad, Nora; Bakar, Rosnida Abu

    2012-06-01

    The objective structured clinical skills examination (OSCE) has over the years emerged as a method of evaluating clinical skills in most medical and allied professions. Although its validity and objectivity has evoked so much debate in the literature, little has been written about its application in non-traditional education systems such as in distance learning. This study examined clinical skills competence among practising nursing students who were enrolled in a distance learning programme. The study examined the effect of work and years of nursing practice on nurses' clinical skills competence. This study used observational design whereby nursing students' clinical skills were observed and scored in five OSCE stations. Two instruments were used for the data collection - A self-administered questionnaire on the students' bio-demographic data, and a check list on the clinical skills which the examiners rated on a four point scale. The findings revealed that 14% of the nurses had level four competence, which indicated that they could perform the tasks correctly and complete. However, 12% failed the OSCE, even though they had more than 10 years experience in nursing and post basic qualifications. Inter-rater reliability was 0.92 for the five examiners. Factor analysis indicated that five participant factors accounted for 74.1% of the variations in clinical skills performance. An OSCE is a necessary assessment tool that should be continuously applied in nursing education, regardless of the mode of the education program, the student's years of experience or his/her clinical placement. This study validates the need for OSCE in both the design of tertiary nursing degree programs and the assessment of nurses' clinical competency level.

  6. Developing Pharmacy Student Communication Skills through Role-Playing and Active Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

    2015-01-01

    Objective. To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Design. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger’s Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Assessment. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Conclusion. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers. PMID:25995519

  7. Developing Entrepreneurial Skills in Pharmacy Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laverty, Garry; Hanna, Lezley-Anne; Haughey, Sharon; Hughes, Carmel

    2015-09-25

    Objective. To create, implement, and evaluate a workshop that teaches undergraduate pharmacy students about entrepreneurship. Design. Workshops with 3 hours of contact time and 2 hours of self-study time were developed for final-year students. Faculty members and students evaluated peer assessment, peer development, communication, critical evaluation, creative thinking, problem solving, and numeracy skills, as well as topic understanding. Student evaluation of the workshops was done primarily via a self-administered, 9-item questionnaire. Assessment. One hundred thirty-four students completed the workshops. The mean score was 50.9 out of 65. Scores ranged from 45.9 to 54.1. The questionnaire had a 100% response rate. Many students agreed that workshops about entrepreneurship were a useful teaching method and that key skills were fostered. Conclusion. Workshops effectively delivered course content about entrepreneurship and helped develop relevant skills. This work suggests students value instruction on entrepreneurship.

  8. Effectiveness of communication skills training for dental students.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Horst, G.; Leeds, J.G.; Hoogstraten, J.

    1984-01-01

    27 1st-yr dental students participated in a 3-day communication-skills training, and 39 nonparticipating 1st-yr dental students served as controls, to investigate the short-term effects of the training on participating Ss' communication skills. The general objective of the training was to advance

  9. Assessing Communication Skills of Medical Students in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)--A Systematic Review of Rating Scales.

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    Cömert, Musa; Zill, Jördis Maria; Christalle, Eva; Dirmaier, Jörg; HÀrter, Martin; Scholl, Isabelle

    2016-01-01

    Teaching and assessment of communication skills have become essential in medical education. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been found as an appropriate means to assess communication skills within medical education. Studies have demonstrated the importance of a valid assessment of medical students' communication skills. Yet, the validity of the performance scores depends fundamentally on the quality of the rating scales used in an OSCE. Thus, this systematic review aimed at providing an overview of existing rating scales, describing their underlying definition of communication skills, determining the methodological quality of psychometric studies and the quality of psychometric properties of the identified rating scales. We conducted a systematic review to identify psychometrically tested rating scales, which have been applied in OSCE settings to assess communication skills of medical students. Our search strategy comprised three databases (EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed), reference tracking and consultation of experts. We included studies that reported psychometric properties of communication skills assessment rating scales used in OSCEs by examiners only. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. The quality of psychometric properties was evaluated using the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues. Data of twelve studies reporting on eight rating scales on communication skills assessment in OSCEs were included. Five of eight rating scales were explicitly developed based on a specific definition of communication skills. The methodological quality of studies was mainly poor. The psychometric quality of the eight rating scales was mainly intermediate. Our results reveal that future psychometric evaluation studies focusing on improving the methodological quality are needed in order to yield psychometrically

  10. Developing pharmacy student communication skills through role-playing and active learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luiz Adrian, Julie Ann; Zeszotarski, Paula; Ma, Carolyn

    2015-04-25

    To evaluate the impact on pharmacy students of a communication course, which used role-playing to develop active-learning skills. Students role-playing pharmacists in patient care scenarios were critiqued by students and pharmacist faculty members. Grading was performed using the rubric inspired by Bruce Berger's Communication Skills for Pharmacists. Written skills were evaluated using student written critique questionnaires. Students completed precourse and postcourse self-assessment surveys. Preceptor evaluations were analyzed for course impact. Students demonstrated improvement in oral skills based on role-play scores (45.87/50) after practice sessions. The average score based on the student questionnaire was 9.31/10. Gain was demonstrated in all defined course objectives. Impact on introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) communication objectives was insignificant. Student evaluations for course and teaching strategy reflected a high average. Study results demonstrated improvement in oral and written communication skills that may help improve interprofessional teamwork between pharmacists and other health care providers.

  11. Developing of students diagnostic skills for working with adolescents with deviant behavior as a factor in the ethical principle of objectivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Busarova O.R.

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present article was to study the question of do special exercises for the formation of students-psychologists skills determine the causes of deviant behavior of adolescents, based on the provisions of the causal approach in psycho-diagnostics A. F. Anufrieva, the principle of objectivity. The study involved 30 future psychologists. After performing the exercises in the course "Psychodiagnostics" the students solved the task, which simulates diagnostic work of the psychologist with decriminalised teenager with deviant behavior. Students were asked to solve a problem in professional discourse – to put forward hypotheses about the causes of deviant behavior in everyday life is to point out the culprits of the situation. Additionally, students assessed their similarity with the hero of the diagnostic event. The results show that students who have managed to build up diagnostic skills to identify psychological causes of deviant behavior, both professionally and in everyday discourse grappled with the task model, regardless of the number of subjective similarities with her character. Students who have not sufficiently developed diagnostic skills, to avoid bias failed.

  12. Defining and Assessing Team Skills of Business and Accountancy Students

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    Alghalith, Nabil; Blum, Michael; Medlock, Amanda; Weber, Sandy

    2004-01-01

    The objectives of the project are (1) to define the skills necessary for students to work effectively with others to achieve common goals, and (2) to develop an assessment instrument to measure student progress toward achieving these skills. The defined skill set will form a basis for common expectations related to team skills that will be shared


  13. Assessment of first-year veterinary students' communication skills using an objective structured clinical examination: the importance of context.

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    Hecker, Kent G; Adams, Cindy L; Coe, Jason B

    2012-01-01

    Communication skills are considered to be a core clinical skill in veterinary medicine and essential for practice success, including outcomes of care for patients and clients. While veterinary schools include communication skills training in their programs, there is minimal knowledge on how best to assess communication competence throughout the undergraduate program. The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the reliability, utility, and suitability of a communication skills Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Specifically we wanted to (1) identify the greatest source of variability (student, rater, station, and track) within a first-year, four station OSCE using exam scores and scores from videotape review by two trained raters, and (2) determine the effect of different stations on students' communication skills performance. Reliability of the scores from both the exam data and the two expert raters was 0.50 and 0.46 respectively, with the greatest amount of variance attributable to student by station. The percentage of variance due to raters in the exam data was 16.35%, whereas the percentage of variance for the two expert raters was 0%. These results have three important implications. First, the results reinforce the need for communication educators to emphasize that use of communication skills is moderated by the context of the clinical interaction. Second, by increasing rater training the amount of error in the scores due to raters can be reduced and inter-rater reliability increases. Third, the communication assessment method (in this case the OSCE checklist) should be built purposefully, taking into consideration the context of the case.

  14. Study Skills of Arts and Science College Students

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    Sekar, J. Master Arul; Rajendran, K. K.

    2015-01-01

    The main objective of this study is to find out the level of study skills of arts and science college students. Study Skills Check List developed and standardized by Virginia University, Australia (2006) is used to collect the relevant data. The sample consists of 216 Government arts and science college students of Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil


  15. Comparing the Effects of Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) and Traditional Method on Learning of Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansoorian, Mohammad Reza; Hosseiny, Marzeih Sadat; Khosravan, Shahla; Alami, Ali; Alaviani, Mehri

    2015-06-01

    Despite the benefits of the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) and it appropriateness for evaluating clinical abilities of nursing students , few studies are available on the application of this method in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of using OSATS and traditional methods on the students' learning. We also aimed to signify students' views about these two methods and their views about the scores they received in these methods in a medical emergency course. A quasi-experimental study was performed on 45 first semester students in nursing and medical emergencies passing a course on fundamentals of practice. The students were selected by a census method and evaluated by both the OSATS and traditional methods. Data collection was performed using checklists prepared based on the 'text book of nursing procedures checklists' published by Iranian nursing organization and a questionnaire containing learning rate and students' estimation of their received scores. Descriptive statistics as well as paired t-test and independent samples t-test were used in data analysis. The mean of students' score in OSATS was significantly higher than their mean score in traditional method (P = 0.01). Moreover, the mean of self-evaluation score after the traditional method was relatively the same as the score the students received in the exam. However, the mean of self-evaluation score after the OSATS was relatively lower than the scores the students received in the OSATS exam. Most students believed that OSATS can evaluate a wide range of students' knowledge and skills compared to traditional method. Results of this study indicated the better effect of OSATS on learning and its relative superiority in precise assessment of clinical skills compared with the traditional evaluation method. Therefore, we recommend using this method in evaluation of students in practical courses.

  16. Teaching pediatric communication skills to medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frost, Katherine A; Metcalf, Elizabeth P; Brooks, Rachel; Kinnersley, Paul; Greenwood, Stephen R; Powell, Colin Ve

    2015-01-01

    Delivering effective clinical pediatric communication skills training to undergraduate medical students is a distinct and important challenge. Pediatric-specific communication skills teaching is complex and under-researched. We report on the development of a scenario-based pediatric clinical communication skills program as well as students' assessment of this module. We designed a pediatric clinical communication skills program and delivered it five times during one academic year via small-group teaching. Students were asked to score the workshop in eight domains (learning objectives, complexity, interest, competencies, confidence, tutors, feedback, and discussion) using 5-point Likert scales, along with free text comments that were grouped and analyzed thematically, identifying both the strengths of the workshop and changes suggested to improve future delivery. Two hundred and twenty-one of 275 (80%) student feedback forms were returned. Ninety-six percent of students' comments were positive or very positive, highlighting themes such as the timing of teaching, relevance, group sizes, and the use of actors, tutors, and clinical scenarios. Scenario-based teaching of clinical communication skills is positively received by students. Studies need to demonstrate an impact on practice, performance, development, and sustainability of communications training.

  17. Effects of basic clinical skills training on objective structured clinical examination performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    JĂŒnger, Jana; SchĂ€fer, Sybille; Roth, Christiane; Schellberg, Dieter; Friedman Ben-David, Miriam; Nikendei, Christoph

    2005-10-01

    The aim of curriculum reform in medical education is to improve students' clinical and communication skills. However, there are contradicting results regarding the effectiveness of such reforms. A study of internal medicine students was carried out using a static group design. The experimental group consisted of 77 students participating in 7 sessions of communication training, 7 sessions of skills-laboratory training and 7 sessions of bedside-teaching, each lasting 1.5 hours. The control group of 66 students from the traditional curriculum participated in equally as many sessions but was offered only bedside teaching. Students' cognitive and practical skills performance was assessed using Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) testing and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), delivered by examiners blind to group membership. The experimental group performed significantly better on the OSCE than did the control group (P < 0.01), whereas the groups did not differ on the MCQ test (P < 0.15). This indicates that specific training in communication and basic clinical skills enabled students to perform better in an OSCE, whereas its effects on knowledge did not differ from those of the traditional curriculum. Curriculum reform promoting communication and basic clinical skills are effective and lead to an improved performance in history taking and physical examination skills.

  18. A review of teaching skills development programmes for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marton, Gregory E; McCullough, Brendan; Ramnanan, Christopher J

    2015-02-01

    The CanMEDS role of Scholar requires that medical trainees develop their skills as medical educators. The development of teaching skills in undergraduate medical students is therefore desirable, especially in view of the teaching obligations in residency programmes. The goal of this review was to identify the characteristics and outcomes of programmes designed to develop the teaching skills of undergraduate medical students. The authors searched medical literature databases using combinations of the search terms 'medical student', 'teacher', 'teaching skills', 'peer teaching', 'near-peer teaching' and 'student as teacher'. Twenty papers fit the predetermined search criteria, which included original characterisations of specific programmes involving undergraduate medical students. Three types of initiative were identified in the reviewed articles: peer teaching programmes; teaching workshops, and community outreach programmes. The majority of study participants were students in Years 3 and 4. Subjective self-evaluation by participants using Likert scale-based surveys was by far the most commonly used method of measuring project outcomes. Objective, quantitative teaching-related outcomes were rarely noted in the reports reviewed. Self-perceived improvements in teaching skills were noted by participants in most of the reports. Other perceived benefits included increases in organisational skills, knowledge and confidence in giving feedback. Although several types of programmes have been shown to subjectively improve the teaching skills of undergraduate medical students, characterisation of the objective outcomes of these initiatives is lacking and requires further study. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Effect of skill laboratory training on academic performance of medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Muhammad Alamgir; Shabbir, Faizania; Qamar, Khadija; Rajput, Tausif Ahmed

    2017-05-01

    To observe the effect of skill lab training on academic performance of final year medical students in terms of marks obtained in long case, short case, objective structured clinical examination and viva. The cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at Army Medical College, Rawalpindi from February to April 2015. Two batches of final year MBBS were recruited for the study. Batch 1 received conventional training, and Batch 2 received skill lab training. The performance of students was assessed by comparing the marks obtained in long case, short case, objective structured clinical examination and viva. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Of the 335 subjects, 168(50.1%) were male and 167(49.9%) were female students with a mean age of 21.79±1.02 years. Batch 1 had 151(45%) students and Batch 2 had 184(55%). Batch 2 got significantly higher marks in long case, short case and objective structured clinical examination (p0.05). Acquisition of clinical skills significantly improved when medial students were trained in skill laboratories.

  20. Critical Thinking Skills Evidenced in Graduate Students Blogs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cain, Holly Reed; Giraud, Vivana; Stedman, Nicole L. P.; Adams, Brittany L.

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this research was to identify Facione's six critical thinking skills using graduate students blogs as a reflection tool in the context of leadership using structured and unstructured blogs. The skills researched were (a) Interpretation, (b) Analysis, (c) Evaluation, (d) Inference, (e) Explanation, and (f) Self-Regulation (Facione,


  1. Retention of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Skills in Nigerian Secondary School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onyeaso, Adedamola Olutoyin

    2016-01-01

    Background/Objective: For effective bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), retention of CPR skills after the training is central. The objective of this study was to find out how much of the CPR skills a group of Nigerian secondary school students would retain six weeks after their first exposure to the conventional CPR training. Materials


  2. Teaching Communication Skills to Medical and Pharmacy Students Through a Blended Learning Course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hess, Rick; Hagemeier, Nicholas E; Blackwelder, Reid; Rose, Daniel; Ansari, Nasar; Branham, Tandy

    2016-05-25

    Objective. To evaluate the impact of an interprofessional blended learning course on medical and pharmacy students' patient-centered interpersonal communication skills and to compare precourse and postcourse communication skills across first-year medical and second-year pharmacy student cohorts. Methods. Students completed ten 1-hour online modules and participated in five 3-hour group sessions over one semester. Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) were administered before and after the course and were evaluated using the validated Common Ground Instrument. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to examine pre/postcourse domain scores within and across professions. Results. Performance in all communication skill domains increased significantly for all students. No additional significant pre/postcourse differences were noted across disciplines. Conclusion. Students' patient-centered interpersonal communication skills improved across multiple domains using a blended learning educational platform. Interview abilities were embodied similarly between medical and pharmacy students postcourse, suggesting both groups respond well to this form of instruction.

  3. Students' Perception of Self-Efficacy Following Medicinal Chemistry Skills Laboratory Exercises.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsharif, Naser Z; Roche, Victoria F; Qi, Yongyue

    2016-06-25

    Objective. To analyze student perceptions of self-efficacy in meeting medicinal chemistry course related educational outcomes and skills following a medicinal chemistry skills laboratory. Methods. Four activities were implemented in a pharmacy skills laboratory (PSL) for second-year pharmacy students. Students (n=121) worked individually on exercises for three of the four activities. Pre/post-laboratory surveys on self-efficacy were administered. The McNemar test was performed to evaluate students' self-efficacy above 70% related to course outcomes before and after the exercises in each activity. An independent t test was conducted to compare the mean of students' responses on meeting course outcomes based on the 70% anchor for the perspective confidence on meeting course outcomes. Results. The post-PSL scores on all self-efficacy questions improved. The majority of students reported skill development in all exercises. Students and clinical faculty qualitative responses indicated they felt exercises were effective. Conclusion. A PSL can serve as a valuable opportunity to address course related educational outcomes and specific skill development and can help students assess their self-efficacy in meeting them.

  4. Enhancing Student Communication Skills Through Arabic Language Competency and Simulated Patient Assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasan, Sanah; Tarazi, Hamadeh M Khier; Halim Hilal, Dana Abdel

    2017-05-01

    Objective. To assess student communication and patient management skill with introduction of Arabic and use of simulated patient assessments to a communication and counseling course. Design. Five, 3-hour tutorials (clinical skill laboratory) were added to the course covering: listening and empathic responding, non-verbal communications, interviewing skills, assertiveness, counseling in special situations: conflict, anger, worry or rushed situations, and professional decision making. Arabic content was introduced to the course to enhance Arabic communications and competence among students. Simulated patient assessment was used to evaluate student skills. Students' feedback about course changes was evaluated. Assessment. The course now covers a wider content and Arabic language. Students' scores were similar in the assessment and other assessments within the course and between Arabic and English groups. Students favorably rated the changes in the course and provided constructive feedback on content usefulness and adequacy. Conclusion. Expanding the course to include Arabic language and content and simulated patient assessments enhanced student communication skills.

  5. A functional analysis of photo-object matching skills of severely retarded adolescents.

    OpenAIRE

    Dixon, L S

    1981-01-01

    Matching-to-sample procedures were used to assess picture representation skills of severely retarded, nonverbal adolescents. Identity matching within the classes of objects and life-size, full-color photos of the objects was first used to assess visual discrimination, a necessary condition for picture representation. Picture representation was then assessed through photo-object matching tasks. Five students demonstrated visual discrimination (identity matching) within the two classes of photo...

  6. Role of Skill Laboratory Training in Medical Education - Students Perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashim, R.; Qamar, K.; Rehman, S.; Khan, M. A.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the perceptions of medical students regarding their training utilizing facilities provided in the skill laboratory of a public sector medical college. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, from October to December 2014. Methodology: Students of final year MBBS who had underwent skill laboratory training were recruited through convenience purposive sampling. Students not exposed to skill laboratory training were excluded. Data collection tool was a questionnaire having 23 questions with responses on Likert Scale as strongly disagree, disagree, agree and strongly agree coded as 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Data was analysed on SPSS version 22. Results: There were 78 (57 percent) male and 59 (43 percent) female students out of 137, with mean age of 22.59 ± 0.74 years. The response rate was 68.5 percent. Cronbach's Alpha test was 0.84 showing high reliability. The mean of sum of all the 23 items was 63.85 ± 8.71, whereas item means was 2.78 ± 0.38, reflecting a high inclination of students towards skill laboratory training. Frequency of students responding in favour of skill laboratory training was significantly high (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Medical students perceived skill laboratory training as a favoured learning strategy as compared to practising on real patients for acquisition of various aspects of clinical skills, knowledge and attitude. (author)

  7. Food and Culinary Knowledge and Skills: Perceptions of Undergraduate Dietetic Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Marcia J; Mezzabotta, Leanne; Murphy, Joseph

    2017-03-01

    The objective of the current study was to examine food and culinary skills and knowledge of dietetic students. An online bilingual survey was created using Survey Monkey TM to explore the skills, knowledge, and perceptions of undergraduate dietetic students regarding food and cooking. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to compare skills and knowledge of food and culinary concepts. The final sample included second- (n = 22) and third-year (n = 22) students within the BaccalaurĂ©at specialisĂ© en sciences de la nutrition program at the University of Ottawa. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) on 3 of 4 skills (preparing a cake, whipping egg whites, or baking a yeast bread) or knowledge concepts (fold, baste, braise, grill, and poach) amongst second- and third-year students. Third-year students perceived more skill in preparing a bĂ©chamel sauce. There was a trend for third-year students (59%) to have higher food and cooking skills and knowledge compared with second-year students (32%). Perceived knowledge and confidence was proportional with the academic year, whereas overall knowledge and skills of food and culinary concepts were moderate among both groups of students. This research suggests that more dedicated time may need to be spent on food and cooking competencies in undergraduate dietetic education.

  8. Nurturing Soft Skills Among High School Students Through Space Weather Competition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdullah, Mardina; Abd Majid, Rosadah; Bais, Badariah; Syaidah Bahri, Nor

    2016-07-01

    Soft skills fulfill an important role in shaping an individual's personality. It is of high importance for every student to acquire adequate skills beyond academic or technical knowledge. The objective of this project was to foster students' enthusiasm in space science and develop their soft skills such as; interpersonal communication, critical thinking and problem-solving, team work, lifelong learning and information management, and leadership skills. This is a qualitative study and the data was collected via group interviews. Soft skills development among high school students were nurtured through space weather competition in solar flare detection. High school students (16 to 17 years old) were guided by mentors consisting of science teachers to carry out this project based on a module developed by UKM's researchers. Students had to acquire knowledge on antenna development and construct the antenna with recyclable materials. They had to capture graphs and identify peaks that indicate solar flare. Their findings were compared to satellite data for verification. They also presented their work and their findings to the panel of judges. After observation, it can be seen that students' soft skills and interest in learning space science had become more positive after being involved in this project.

  9. FACTOR ANALYSIS OF A SOCIAL SKILLS SCALE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, H-Y; Lin, C-K

    2015-10-01

    The objective of this study was to develop a social skills scale for high school students in Taiwan. This study adopted stratified random sampling. A total of 1,729 high school students were included. The students ranged in age from 16 to 18 years. A Social Skills Scale was developed for this study and was designed for classroom teachers to fill out. The test-retest reliability of this scale was tested by Pearson's correlation coefficient. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine construct validity. The Social Skills Scale had good overall test-retest reliability of .92, and the internal consistency of the five subscales was above .90. The results of the factor analysis showed that the Social Skills Scale covered the five domains of classroom learning skills, communication skills, individual initiative skills, interaction skills, and job-related social skills, and the five factors explained 68.34% of the variance. Thus, the Social Skills Scale had good reliability and validity and would be applicable to and could be promoted for use in schools.

  10. A randomized comparison of video demonstration versus hands-on training of medical students for vacuum delivery using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilal, Ziad; Kumpernatz, Anne K; Rezniczek, GĂŒnther A; Cetin, Cem; Tempfer-Bentz, Eva-Katrin; Tempfer, Clemens B

    2017-03-01

    To compare medical students' skills for vaginal operative delivery by vacuum extraction (VE) after hands-on training versus video demonstration. We randomized medical students to an expert demonstration (group 1) or a hands-on (group 2) training using a standardized VE algorithm on a pelvic training model. Students were tested with a 40-item Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) scoring system after training and 4 days later. OSATS scores were the primary outcome. Performance time, self-assessment, confidence, and global rating scale were secondary outcomes. We assessed the constructive validity of OSATS in this VE model comparing metric scores of experts and students. In all, 137 students were randomized. OSATS scores were higher in group 2 (n = 63) compared with group 1 (n = 74) (32.89 ± 6.39 vs 27.51 ± 10.27, respectively; P training is superior to video demonstration for teaching VE on a pelvic model.

  11. Empowering Engineering Students through Employability Skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Urvashi Kaushal

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available A professional course like engineering strives to get maximum number of its students placed through campus interviews. While communication skills have been added in all the engineering courses with the aim to improve their performance in placement, the syllabus mostly concentrates on the development of four language skills. The students are not made aware of the employability skills and their significance. the increasing competition makes it imperative that apart from a regular degree certain skills are required by engineers. Industries while advertising for various posts even mention essential skills required along with the essential qualification. However skills and the significance of skills while applying for jobs or while facing interviews is a topic which is rarely given consideration while preparing for job interviews or while entering the job market. This paper intends to enlist the importance of skills and why students need to be aware of the skills they possess and how they can work on packaging their candidature around a few skills.  Different profession requires different skills and if students identify their skills or acquire certain skills they can unquestionably have an added advantage in the interview and placement. Hence, this paper intends to enlist the skills, the importance of skills, ways to create awareness of individual skills specifically in engineering students who will step into the industry in near future.

  12. Using reusable learning objects (rlos) in injection skills teaching: Evaluations from multiple user types.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Julia; O'Connor, MĂłrna; Windle, Richard; Wharrad, Heather J

    2015-12-01

    Clinical skills are a critical component of pre-registration nurse education in the United Kingdom, yet there is widespread concern about the clinical skills displayed by newly-qualified nurses. Novel means of supporting clinical skills education are required to address this. A package of Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) was developed to supplement pre-registration teaching on the clinical skill of administering injection medication. RLOs are electronic resources addressing a single learning objective whose interactivity facilitates learning. This article evaluates a package of five injection RLOs across three studies: (1) questionnaires administered to pre-registration nursing students at University of Nottingham (UoN) (n=46) evaluating the RLO package as a whole; (2) individual RLOs evaluated in online questionnaires by educators and students from UoN; from other national and international institutions; and healthcare professionals (n=265); (3) qualitative evaluation of the RLO package by UoN injection skills tutors (n=6). Data from all studies were assessed for (1) access to, (2) usefulness, (3) impact and (4) integration of the RLOs. Study one found that pre-registration nursing students rate the RLO package highly across all categories, particularly underscoring the value of their self-test elements. Study two found high ratings in online assessments of individual RLOs by multiple users. The global reach is particularly encouraging here. Tutors reported insufficient levels of student-RLO access, which might be explained by the timing of their student exposure. Tutors integrate RLOs into teaching and agree on their use as teaching supplements, not substitutes for face-to-face education. This evaluation encompasses the first years postpackage release. Encouraging data on evaluative categories in this early review suggest that future evaluations are warranted to track progress as the package is adopted and evaluated more widely. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd

  13. A functional analysis of photo-object matching skills of severely retarded adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixon, L S

    1981-01-01

    Matching-to-sample procedures were used to assess picture representation skills of severely retarded, nonverbal adolescents. Identity matching within the classes of objects and life-size, full-color photos of the objects was first used to assess visual discrimination, a necessary condition for picture representation. Picture representation was then assessed through photo-object matching tasks. Five students demonstrated visual discrimination (identity matching) within the two classes of photos and the objects. Only one student demonstrated photo-object matching. The results of the four students who failed to demonstrate photo-object matching suggested that physical properties of photos (flat, rectangular) and depth dimensions of objects may exert more control over matching than the similarities of the objects and images within the photos. An analysis of figure-ground variables was conducted to provide an empirical basis for program development in the use of pictures. In one series of tests, rectangular shape and background were removed by cutting out the figures in the photos. The edge shape of the photo and the edge shape of the image were then identical. The results suggest that photo-object matching may be facilitated by using cut-out figures rather than the complete rectangular photo.

  14. Too much small talk? Medical students' pelvic examination skills falter with pleasant patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Posner, Glenn D; Hamstra, Stanley J

    2013-12-01

    The competent performance of a female pelvic examination requires both technical proficiency and superlative communication skills. However, the ideal medium with which to assess these skills remains to be elucidated. Part-task trainers (PTTs) offer an effective and affordable means of testing technical skills, but may not allow students to demonstrate their communication skills. Hybrids involving standardised patients (SPs) (SP-PTT) offer a more realistic assessment of communication, but students may feel awkward when examining the female genitalia. The objective of this study was to compare the use of PTTs with that of SP-PTT hybrids in the assessment of technical and communication skills in the female pelvic examination. A total of 145 medical students were randomised to one of three conditions during their summative objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) at the completion of clerkship. Students performed the female pelvic examination on: (i) a PTT alone ('plastic' condition); (ii) an SP-PTT hybrid with an SP who did not engage in any superfluous conversation ('perfunctory' condition), or (iii) an SP-PTT hybrid with an SP who was trained to offer small talk and banter, which was judged to better reflect the typical doctor-patient interaction ('pleasant' condition). Communication skills did not differ significantly among the three groups (p = 0.354). There was a significant difference among groups in technical skills scores (p = 0.0018). Students in the 'plastic' condition performed best, followed by those in the 'perfunctory' and 'pleasant' conditions, respectively. Medical students demonstrate equivalent communication skills whether they work with a PTT or an SP-PTT hybrid, but their technical skills suffer in the presence of an SP. Working with the PTT alone does not appear to disadvantage students in terms of communication skills, but may offer better conditions for performing technical aspects of the procedure. Whether the 'plastic patient' is

  15. Has the inclusion of a longitudinally integrated communication skills program improved consultation skills in medical students? A pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Sameena; Andrades, Marie; Basir, Fasia; Jaleel, Anila; Azam, Iqbal; Islam, Muhammad; Ahmed, Rashida

    2016-01-01

    Evidence highlights a lack of communication skills in doctors leading to dysfunctional consultations. To address this deficit, a private medical college instituted curricular reforms with inclusion of a longitudinal communication skills program. A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of this program by comparing the consultation skills of medical students of this college with a medical college without a communication skills program. A 4-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was conducted in the third and final year. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the difference in the distribution between OSCE stations total and construct scores. At the end of the third year, 21 (31.34%), students of the study site (medical college 1 [college with integrated longitudinal communication skills program]) and 31 (46.26%) students from the comparison site (medical college 2 [comparable college without communication skills program]) consented. Medical college 1 achieved a significantly higher overall mean total station score of 68.0% (standard deviation [SD] =13.5) versus 57.2% (SD = 15.4) (P skills in an undergraduate curriculum positively impacted consultation skills. Community-based training and faculty development are required to develop effective patient-centered consultation skills.

  16. Improving Marketing Students' Writing Skills Using a One-Page Paper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Newell D.; Larsen, Val

    2016-01-01

    Employers of marketing graduates view good writing as a core marketing skill, but many marketing students are weak writers. The improvement of student writing should therefore be an important objective in a well-designed marketing curriculum. One-page papers combine the effective teaching of marketing concepts with writing instruction while


  17. Design Guide for Earth System Science Education: Common Student Learning Objectives and Special Pedagogical Approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, D.

    2006-12-01

    As part of the NASA-supported undergraduate Earth System Science Education (ESSE) program, fifty-seven institutions have developed and implemented a wide range of Earth system science (ESS) courses, pedagogies, and evaluation tools. The Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation section of USRA's online ESSE Design Guide showcases these ESS learning environments. This Design Guide section also provides resources for faculty who wish to develop ESS courses. It addresses important course design issues including prior student knowledge and interests, student learning objectives, learning resources, pedagogical approaches, and assessments tied to student learning objectives. The ESSE Design Guide provides links to over 130 ESS course syllabi at introductory, senior, and graduate levels. ESS courses over the past 15 years exhibit common student learning objectives and unique pedagogical approaches. From analysis of ESS course syllabi, seven common student learning objectives emerged: 1) demonstrate systems thinking, 2) develop an ESS knowledge base, 3) apply ESS to the human dimension, 4) expand and apply analytical skills, 5) improve critical thinking skills, 6) build professional/career skills, and 7) acquire an enjoyment and appreciation for science. To meet these objectives, ESSE often requires different ways of teaching than in traditional scientific disciplines. This presentation will highlight some especially successful pedagogical approaches for creating positive and engaging ESS learning environments.

  18. Video Review in Self-Assessment of Pharmacy Students' Communication Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volino, Lucio R.; Das, Rolee Pathak

    2014-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to develop a student self-assessment activity of a video-recorded counseling session and evaluate its impact on student self-perceptions of specific communication skills. This activity was incorporated into a core-communications course within the third professional year of a Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. Student


  19. Metrics for Objective Assessment of Surgical Skills Workshop

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Satava, Richard

    2001-01-01

    On 9-10 July, 2001 the Metrics for Objective Assessment of Surgical Skills Workshop convened an international assemblage of subject matter experts in objective assessment of surgical technical skills...

  20. Promoting skill building and confidence in freshman nursing students with a "Skills-a-Thon".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Susan T; Vignato, Julie A; Moore, Joan L; Madden, Carol A

    2009-08-01

    Freshman nursing students returning for their second semester after summer break benefited by reviewing previously learned clinical skills presented in a Skills-a-Thon. Skills stations were established and facilitated by faculty and senior students. Senior students were first trained in mentoring and specific steps in skills competencies. Freshman students demonstrated skills in various mock clinical situations including catheter insertion, sterile dressings, medications, and physical assessment. The strategy reinforced learning and provided an opportunity for students to experience risk-free skills performance among peers. Freshman students gained proficiency and appreciated guidance by senior students without the pressures of testing. Seniors benefited from a condensed version of the program to review their own skills prior to the event. Responses were positive, with students reporting improved performance and confidence with hands-on application in a non-threatening environment. Nursing faculty observed improvement in skill performance and competence, and plan to offer future events. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.

  1. Clinical training in medical students during preclinical years in the skill lab

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Upadhayay N

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Namrata Upadhayay Department of Physiology, Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital and Research Center, Kaski, Nepal Background: In Nepal, medical education is a high-stakes and stressful course. To enhance learning and minimize students’ stress, the conventional method has been replaced by integrated, student-centered learning. As an approach to train effectively, colleges have started establishing skill labs.Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of clinical skill training on exam performance as compared with the conventional teaching practice. Further, to assess the perceptions of students of the importance of skill lab training in college.Method: Twenty students were randomly selected to participate in this cross-sectional study. On the internal examination, students showed skills on manikins, and examiners evaluated them. A sample question in the exam was “To perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR on half body human manikin.” On completion of the exam, opinions were collected from the students via a predesigned self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions regarding skill lab use and its benefits to them in developing their skills, with a few questions related to the exam pattern. The responses were expressed in frequencies.Results: We found that all (20/20 students performed CPR with confidence and without hesitation on the manikin. The practical examination performance (marks was categorized as excellent (7/20, good (8/20, average (3/20, and poor (2/20. The pass percentage after skill training was increased by 25% as compared with conventional teaching practice. The majority of the students (17/20 mentioned that skill is better learned by doing than by observing others’ performance or watching videos. A few students (6/20 said skills are better learned by observing the real disease state. They mentioned that skill lab is the better choice for learning major skills such as catheterization, opening

  2. Comparison of communication skill of medical students between activist and non activist

    OpenAIRE

    Kasyiva, Mahdea; Aulia Rakhman, Warenda Wisnu; Akhmad, Syaefudin Ali

    2016-01-01

    Background: In Globalization era, the advancement in communication affects human included medical profession. It is crucial for a doctor to practice good communication in order to interact with patients and non-patients. Communication skill can be gained either in class or outside class by joining organization.Objective: The aim of this research is to compare communication skill between activist students (ASs) and non-activist students (NASs) in Medical Faculty of UII.Methods: This study meth...

  3. Assessing Communication Skills of Medical Students in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) - A Systematic Review of Rating Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cömert, Musa; Zill, Jördis Maria; Christalle, Eva; Dirmaier, Jörg; HÀrter, Martin; Scholl, Isabelle

    2016-01-01

    Background Teaching and assessment of communication skills have become essential in medical education. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been found as an appropriate means to assess communication skills within medical education. Studies have demonstrated the importance of a valid assessment of medical students’ communication skills. Yet, the validity of the performance scores depends fundamentally on the quality of the rating scales used in an OSCE. Thus, this systematic review aimed at providing an overview of existing rating scales, describing their underlying definition of communication skills, determining the methodological quality of psychometric studies and the quality of psychometric properties of the identified rating scales. Methods We conducted a systematic review to identify psychometrically tested rating scales, which have been applied in OSCE settings to assess communication skills of medical students. Our search strategy comprised three databases (EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed), reference tracking and consultation of experts. We included studies that reported psychometric properties of communication skills assessment rating scales used in OSCEs by examiners only. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. The quality of psychometric properties was evaluated using the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues. Results Data of twelve studies reporting on eight rating scales on communication skills assessment in OSCEs were included. Five of eight rating scales were explicitly developed based on a specific definition of communication skills. The methodological quality of studies was mainly poor. The psychometric quality of the eight rating scales was mainly intermediate. Discussion Our results reveal that future psychometric evaluation studies focusing on improving the methodological quality are needed

  4. [Teaching non-technical skills for critical incidents: Crisis resource management training for medical students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    KrĂŒger, A; Gillmann, B; Hardt, C; Döring, R; Beckers, S K; Rossaint, R

    2009-06-01

    Physicians have to demonstrate non-technical skills, such as communication and team leading skills, while coping with critical incidents. These skills are not taught during medical education. A crisis resource management (CRM) training was established for 4th to 6th year medical students using a full-scale simulator mannikin (Emergency Care Simulator, ECS, METI). The learning objectives of the course were defined according to the key points of Gaba's CRM concept. The training consisted of theoretical and practical parts (3 simulation scenarios with debriefing). Students' self-assessment before and after the training provided the data for evaluation of the training outcome. A total of 65 students took part in the training. The course was well received in terms of overall course quality, debriefings and didactic presentation, the mean overall mark being 1.4 (1: best, 6: worst). After the course students felt significantly more confident when facing incidents in clinical practice. The main learning objectives were achieved. The effectiveness of applying the widely used ECS full-scale simulator in interdisciplinary teaching has been demonstrated. The training exposes students to crisis resource management issues and motivates them to develop non-technical skills.

  5. Improving medical students' written communication skills: design and evaluation of an educational curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melvin, L; Connolly, K; Pitre, L; Dore, K L; Wasi, P

    2015-06-01

    Written and verbal communication skills are important skills for all physicians. While verbal skills are taught and assessed in medical school, medical students report limited instruction in written communication skills. This study examined the impact of a curriculum delivered during a 6-week clinical rotation in Internal Medicine on the objective assessment of medical students' written communication skills. The curriculum consisted of two educational programmes: a medical student communication tutorial and a resident feedback workshop. The study was conducted from March 2012 to January 2013 at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The study featured three arms: (1) control, (2) medical student communication tutorial alone and (3) student tutorial and resident feedback workshop. Data were collected on 126 students during 6-week Internal Medicine clerkship rotations. Students' written consultation notes were collected prior to the educational programmes and at 6 weeks. Blinded faculty assessors used an independently validated Assessment Checklist to evaluate consultation notes. Consultation note scores improved from week 1 to week 6 across all study arms. However, the change was statistically significant only in arm 3, featuring both the medical student tutorial and the resident feedback workshop, with mean scores improving from 4.75 (SD=1.496) to 5.56 (SD=0.984) out of 7. The mean difference between week 1 and week 6 was significantly different (0.806, p=0.002, 95% CI 0.306 to 1.058). The combination of a resident feedback workshop with medical student written communication tutorial improves objective evaluations of consultation note scores over student tutorial alone. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  6. Incorporation of an Explicit Critical-Thinking Curriculum to Improve Pharmacy Students' Critical-Thinking Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cone, Catherine; Godwin, Donald; Salazar, Krista; Bond, Rucha; Thompson, Megan; Myers, Orrin

    2016-04-25

    Objective. The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) is a validated instrument to assess critical-thinking skills. The objective of this study was to determine if HSRT results improved in second-year student pharmacists after exposure to an explicit curriculum designed to develop critical-thinking skills. Methods. In December 2012, the HSRT was administered to students who were in their first year of pharmacy school. Starting in August 2013, students attended a 16-week laboratory curriculum using simulation, formative feedback, and clinical reasoning to teach critical-thinking skills. Following completion of this course, the HSRT was readministered to the same cohort of students. Results. All students enrolled in the course (83) took the HSRT, and following exclusion criteria, 90% of the scores were included in the statistical analysis. Exclusion criteria included students who did not finish more than 60% of the questions or who took less than 15 minutes to complete the test. Significant changes in the HSRT occurred in overall scores and in the subdomains of deduction, evaluation, and inference after students completed the critical-thinking curriculum. Conclusions. Significant improvement in HSRT scores occurred following student immersion in an explicit critical-thinking curriculum. The HSRT was useful in detecting these changes, showing that critical-thinking skills can be learned and then assessed over a relatively short period using a standardized, validated assessment tool like the HSRT.

  7. A Virtual Practice Environment to Develop Communication Skills in Pharmacy Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Styles, Kim; Duncan, Greg

    2012-01-01

    Objective. To develop communication skills in second-year pharmacy students using a virtual practice environment (VPE) and to assess students’ and tutors’ (instructors’) experiences. Design. A VPE capable of displaying life-sized photographic and video images and representing a pharmacy setting was constructed. Students viewed prescriptions and practiced role-playing with each other and explored the use of nonverbal communication in patient-pharmacist interactions. The VPE experiences were complemented with lectures, reflective journaling, language and learning support, and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). Assessment. Most students believed the VPE was a useful teaching resource (87%) and agreed that the video component enabled them to contextualize patient problems (73%). While 45% of students questioned the usefulness of watching the role plays between students after they were video recorded, most (90%) identified improvement in their own communication as a result of participating in the tutorials. Most tutors felt comfortable using the technology. Focus group participants found the modified tutorials more engaging and aesthetically positive than in their previous experience. Conclusion. The VPE provided an effective context for communication skills development classes. PMID:23275667

  8. A Novel Clinical-Simulated Suture Education for Basic Surgical Skill: Suture on the Biological Tissue Fixed on Standardized Patient Evaluated with Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) Tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Zhanlong; Yang, Fan; Gao, Pengji; Zeng, Li; Jiang, Guanchao; Wang, Shan; Ye, Yingjiang; Zhu, Fengxue

    2017-06-21

    Clinical-simulated training has shown benefit in the education of medical students. However, the role of clinical simulation for surgical basic skill training such as suturing techniques remains unclear. Forty-two medical students were asked to perform specific suturing tasks at three stations with the different settings within four minutes (Station 1: Synthetic suture pad fixed on the bench, Station 2: Synthetic suture pad fixed on the standardized patient, Station 3: Pig skin fixed on the standardized patient); the OSATS (Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill) tool was used to evaluate the performance of students. A questionnaire was distributed to the students following the examination. Mean performance score of Station 3 was significant lower than that of Station 1 and 2 in the general performance including tissue handling, time, and motion. The suturing techniques of students at Station 2 and 3 were not as accurate as that at Station 1. Inappropriate tension was applied to the knot at Station 2 compared with Station 1 and 3. On the questionnaire, 93% of students considered clinical-simulated training of basic surgical skills was necessary and may increase their confidence in future clinical work as surgeons; 98% of students thought the assessment was more objective when OSATS tool was used for evaluation. Clinical simulation examination assessed with OSATS might throw a novel light on the education of basic surgical skills and may be worthy of wider adoption in the surgical education of medical students.

  9. Critical Learning Skills for Business Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jance, Marsha; Morgan, Anita

    2013-01-01

    A survey addressing critical skills for business students was developed and disseminated. Sixteen critical skills (such as critical thinking and time management) were identified as skills that need to be acquired in order for business students to be successful in their advanced courses and careers. The survey was disseminated and taken by several


  10. Technical skills acquisition in surgery-bound senior medical students: an evaluation of student assertiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talbott, Vanessa A; Marks, Joshua A; Bodzin, Adam S; Comeau, Jason A; Maxwell, Pinckney J; Isenberg, Gerald A; Martin, Niels D

    2012-01-01

    To prepare students pursuing surgical careers, we devised a senior subinternship curriculum supplement that focused on the acquisition of technical skills required of surgical residents. We hypothesized that more assertive students, those that accomplished more of the curriculum, would perform better on a technical skills Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Senior medical students rotating on their first general surgery subinternship were administered a 6-station OSCE on the first day of their subinternship and again during the final week of the month-long rotation. A self-directed, 38-task "scavenger hunt" representing common intern level clinical skills, procedures, and patient care activities was provided to each student. The study was performed at Jefferson Medical College, a large, private medical school in Philadelphia, PA. Forty-nine senior students completed surgical subinternships between July 2009 and September 2010, and participated both in the pre-/post-OSCEs and the scavenger hunt. Students performed significantly better on the post-rotation OSCE than on the pre-rotation OSCE; 70.2% ± 8.1% vs. 60.4% ± 12.0%, p Assertiveness scores from the "scavenger hunt" did not correlate with final OSCE scores (r = -0.328, p = 0.25), and were negatively correlated with the change between pre- and post-OSCE scores (r = -0.573, p assertiveness scores were determined by the number of tasks completed over the course of the rotation. As surgical education becomes more streamlined with evolving work hour restrictions, medical school education is playing an increasingly pivotal role in preparing students for internship. In our study, individual assertiveness in completing structured self-directed learning tasks did not directly predict the acquisition of proficiency in technical skills. We feel assertiveness is overshadowed by other factors that may carry more weight in terms of technical skills acquisition. Further studies are required to delineate these

  11. The Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience: building communication skills in the clinical reasoning context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konopasek, Lyuba; Kelly, Kevin V; Bylund, Carma L; Wenderoth, Suzanne; Storey-Johnson, Carol

    2014-07-01

    Students are rarely taught communication skills in the context of clinical reasoning training. The purpose of this project was to combine the teaching of communication skills using SPs with clinical reasoning exercises in a Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience (GOSCE) to study feasibility of the approach, the effect on learners' self-efficacy and attitude toward learning communication skills, and the effect of providing multiple sources of immediate, collaborative feedback. GOSCE sessions were piloted in Pediatrics and Medicine clerkships with students assessing their own performance and receiving formative feedback on communication skills from peers, standardized patients (SPs), and faculty. The sessions were evaluated using a retrospective pre/post-training questionnaire rating changes in self-efficacy and attitudes, and the value of the feedback. Results indicate a positive impact on attitudes toward learning communication skills and self-efficacy regarding communication in the clinical setting. Also, learners considered feedback by peers, SPs, and faculty valuable in each GOSCE. The GOSCE is an efficient and learner-centered method to attend to multiple goals of teaching communication skills, clinical reasoning, self-assessment, and giving feedback in a formative setting. The GOSCE is a low-resource, feasible strategy for experiential learning in communication skills and clinical reasoning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Generalizable Skills in Individualized Vocational Program Planning for Special Needs Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stodden, Robert A.; Boone, Rosalie

    1986-01-01

    The authors address planning issues and suggest methods of interagency cooperation, integration of generalizable skills in individualized educational planning/programming, developing goals and objectives, and using student assessment and evaluation information. (CT)

  13. Motivating medical students to learn teamwork skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aarnio, Matti; Nieminen, Juha; PyörÀlÀ, Eeva; Lindblom-YlÀnne, Sari

    2010-01-01

    This study examined teaching teamwork skills to first-year medical students. Teamwork skills focused on verbal communication in PBL-tutorial sessions and in healthcare teams. The aim was to find out how to teach teamwork skills to first-year medical students and how to motivate them to learn these skills. Three consecutive classes of first-year medical students (N = 342) participated in teamwork skills module in the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. After the first year, the introduction to the topic was revised in order to be more motivating to medical students. After each module data were collected with a feedback questionnaire containing numerical and open questions. By analyzing the students' numerical answers and the content of students' open answers regarding the module, we examined how the revised introduction affected students' perceptions of the usefulness of the module. Medical students' feedback in the years 1 (n = 81), 2 (n = 99) and 3 (n = 95) showed that the students found the module in the second and third years significantly more useful than in the first year. These results support earlier findings that clearly stated clinical relevance motivates medical students. When introducing multidisciplinary subjects to medical students, it is important to think through the clinical relevance of the topic and how it is introduced to medical students.

  14. A Cognitive Skill Classification Based on Multi Objective Optimization Using Learning Vector Quantization for Serious Games

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moh. Aries Syufagi

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, serious games and game technology are poised to transform the way of educating and training students at all levels. However, pedagogical value in games do not help novice students learn, too many memorizing and reduce learning process due to no information of player’s ability. To asses the cognitive level of player ability, we propose a Cognitive Skill Game (CSG. CSG improves this cognitive concept to monitor how players interact with the game. This game employs Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ for optimizing the cognitive skill input classification of the player. CSG is using teacher’s data to obtain the neuron vector of cognitive skill pattern supervise. Three clusters multi objective XE "multi objective"  target will be classified as; trial and error, carefully and, expert cognitive skill. In the game play experiments employ 33 respondent players demonstrates that 61% of players have high trial and error, 21% have high carefully, and 18% have high expert cognitive skill. CSG may provide information to game engine when a player needs help or when wanting a formidable challenge. The game engine will provide the appropriate tasks according to players’ ability. CSG will help balance the emotions of players, so players do not get bored and frustrated. 

  15. Has the inclusion of a longitudinally integrated communication skills program improved consultation skills in medical students? A pilot study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sameena Shah

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Evidence highlights a lack of communication skills in doctors leading to dysfunctional consultations. To address this deficit, a private medical college instituted curricular reforms with inclusion of a longitudinal communication skills program. A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of this program by comparing the consultation skills of medical students of this college with a medical college without a communication skills program. Methods: A 4-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE was conducted in the third and final year. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the difference in the distribution between OSCE stations total and construct scores. Results: At the end of the third year, 21 (31.34%, students of the study site (medical college 1 [college with integrated longitudinal communication skills program] and 31 (46.26% students from the comparison site (medical college 2 [comparable college without communication skills program] consented. Medical college 1 achieved a significantly higher overall mean total station score of 68.0% (standard deviation [SD] =13.5 versus 57.2% (SD = 15.4 (P < 0.001. Significantly higher mean scores were achieved on three stations. At the end of the final year, 19 students (29.3% from medical college 1 and 22 (34% students from medical college 2 consented. The difference in overall mean total station score reduced from 9.2% to 7.1% (70.2 (SD = 13.7 versus 63.1 (SD = 15.2 (P = 0.004. The mean scores of both colleges decreased in "Patient presenting with Hepatitis C Report" station (P values 0.004 and 0.775 and in "Patient Request for Faith Healing Therapy in Diabetes Mellitus" station (P values 0.0046 and 0.036, respectively. Conclusion: Longitudinal communication skills in an undergraduate curriculum positively impacted consultation skills. Community-based training and faculty development are required to develop effective patient-centered consultation skills.

  16. Standardized Patients Provide a Reliable Assessment of Athletic Training Students' Clinical Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Kirk J.; Jarriel, Amanda J.

    2016-01-01

    Context: Providing students reliable objective feedback regarding their clinical performance is of great value for ongoing clinical skill assessment. Since a standardized patient (SP) is trained to consistently portray the case, students can be assessed and receive immediate feedback within the same clinical encounter; however, no research, to our


  17. Students' Competence in some Problem Solving Skills throughout ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Students' Competence in some Problem Solving Skills throughout their B.Sc. Course. ... there is a need for explicitly identifying important cognitive skills and strategies and ... Keywords: Cognitive skills, thinking skills, problem solving, students' ...

  18. Middle School Students' Reasoning about 3-Dimensional Objects: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okumus, Samet

    2016-01-01

    According to the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics (NCTM) (2000), K-12 students should be given an opportunity to develop their spatial reasoning abilities. One of the topics that may allow students to develop their spatial skills is forming 3-dimensional objects using spinning and extrusion methods. Also, extrusion and spinning methods


  19. Students' performance in the different clinical skills assessed in OSCE: what does it reveal?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sim, Joong Hiong; Abdul Aziz, Yang Faridah; Mansor, Azura; Vijayananthan, Anushya; Foong, Chan Choong; Vadivelu, Jamuna

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare students' performance in the different clinical skills (CSs) assessed in the objective structured clinical examination. Data for this study were obtained from final year medical students' exit examination (n=185). Retrospective analysis of data was conducted using SPSS. Means for the six CSs assessed across the 16 stations were computed and compared. Means for history taking, physical examination, communication skills, clinical reasoning skills (CRSs), procedural skills (PSs), and professionalism were 6.25±1.29, 6.39±1.36, 6.34±0.98, 5.86±0.99, 6.59±1.08, and 6.28±1.02, respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA showed there was a significant difference in the means of the six CSs assessed [F(2.980, 548.332)=20.253, pskill to be acquired by medical students before entering the workplace. Despite its challenges, students must learn the skills of clinical reasoning, while clinical teachers should facilitate the clinical reasoning process and guide students' clinical reasoning development.

  20. A Proposal for Overcoming Problems in Teaching Interviewing Skills to Medical Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benbassat, Jochanan; Baumal, Reuben

    2009-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to draw attention to four features that distinguish the pedagogy of patient interviewing from the teaching of other clinical skills: (a) students are not naive to the skill to be learned, (b) they encounter role models with a wide variability in interviewing styles, (c) clinical teachers are not usually specialists


  1. Use of the OSCE to Evaluate Brief Communication Skills Training for Dental Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cannick, Gabrielle F.; Horowitz, Alice M.; Garr, David R.; Reed, Susan G.; Neville, Brad W.; Day, Terry A.; Woolson, Robert F.; Lackland, Daniel T.

    2009-01-01

    Although communications competency is recommended by the American Dental Education Association, only a few (n=5) dental schools report evaluating students’ skills using a competency examination for communication. This study used an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to evaluate dental students’ competency in interpersonal and tobacco cessation communication skills. All students were evaluated on their interpersonal communication skills at baseline and at six months post-OSCE by standardized patients and on their tobacco cessation communication skills by two independent raters. First- and second-year dental students (n=104) were randomized to a control or intervention group. One month after the baseline OSCE, students in the intervention group participated in a two-hour training session in which faculty members communicated with a standardized patient during a head and neck examination and counseled the patient about tobacco cessation. There were no statistically significant differences from baseline to post-test between the intervention and control group students as measured by the OSCE. However, among first-year students, both the intervention (n=23) and control (n=21) groups significantly increased in tobacco cessation communication scores. Second-year students in both intervention (n=24) and control (n=28) groups declined in interpersonal communication skills from baseline to post-test. Overall, this one-shot intervention was not successful, and results suggest that a comprehensive communication skills training course may be more beneficial than a single, brief training session for improving dental students’ communication skills. PMID:17761627

  2. Comparing the social skills of students addicted to computer games with normal students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamani, Eshrat; Kheradmand, Ali; Cheshmi, Maliheh; Abedi, Ahmad; Hedayati, Nasim

    2010-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate and compare the social skills of studentsaddicted to computer games with normal students. The dependentvariable in the present study is the social skills. The study population included all the students in the second grade ofpublic secondary school in the city of Isfahan at the educational year of2009-2010. The sample size included 564 students selected using thecluster random sampling method. Data collection was conducted usingQuestionnaire of Addiction to Computer Games and Social SkillsQuestionnaire (The Teenage Inventory of Social Skill or TISS). The results of the study showed that generally, there was a significantdifference between the social skills of students addicted to computer gamesand normal students. In addition, the results indicated that normal studentshad a higher level of social skills in comparison with students addicted tocomputer games. As the study results showed, addiction to computer games may affectthe quality and quantity of social skills. In other words, the higher theaddiction to computer games, the less the social skills. The individualsaddicted to computer games have less social skills.).

  3. An Investigation of the Life Skills Knowledge among Female Students of Tehran City Universities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Khushabi

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction & Objective: The present research designed to examine the life skills knowledge of female college students in Tehran city.Materials & Methods: The work was a descriptive study. The statistical population consist all female college students in Tehran, and the sampling was cluster mode. The primary data recruited by a researcher made inventory to the knowledge of the individuals about the life skills. The collected data analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Results suggested that 9.3% of the subject group had a modest awareness of life skills; 47.5% had an average awareness and 43.2% were at high level in such skills. Also the results showed that there was a significant difference between educational course of the students and level of life skill knowledge (p<0.05, but not in demographical and knowledge of life skills. Conclusion: The results points to importance of life skills education in college contexts. With regarding that nearly 9% of the students had little knowledge and as results indicated that there is a negative correlation between low awareness of life skills and mental health; and also direct correlation between low awareness of life skills and expressing high risk behaviors, it is recommended to make and prepare effective programs in this field.

  4. An exploration of the perceived factors that affect the learning and transfer of skills taught to student midwives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longworth, Mary K

    2013-08-01

    the aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of student midwives towards skills training and practise. The objectives were to explore the factors in the skills laboratory environment and in clinical practice which affect how successfully student midwives transfer into clinical practice the various skills they have learnt in preparation for an Objective Structured Clinical Examination. a review of the background literature revealed that there were many variables related to successful transfer of skills in general but there appeared to be a gap around perceived factors affecting transfer of skills of student midwives. a mixed methods design was conducted using both questionnaires and semi-structured interviews between June and August 2010. questionnaires were administered to all midwifery students at one university in Wales. These were later followed by semi-structured interviews for 6 student midwives who were purposively selected from all year groups. the results from the questionnaires revealed that a majority of students had positive attitudes to educators and mentors and to their skills acquisition experience in the skills laboratory and to the available opportunities to practise in clinical practice. Although students believed in the transferability of skills from the laboratory setting to clinical practice, a majority thought that clinical practice provided them with a better opportunity to learn clinical skills. The semi-structured interviews demonstrated that facilitating factors in the skills laboratory included having adequate instruction as well as having a designated space. Hindering factors included unrealistic models and equipment. In clinical practice, facilitating factors included having the opportunities to practise skills and support and feedback from the mentor. Hindering factors included deficits in the student-mentor relationship. this study highlighted that midwifery students must be adequately prepared to carry out clinical skills

  5. OSCE vs. TEM: Different approaches to assess clinical skills of nursing students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prasuna Jelly

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Nurses are trained with specific clinical skills, and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE could be a better approach to assess clinical skills of nursing students. Materials and Methods: A comparative study was conducted by observational checklist regarding antenatal care and opinionnaire on the usefulness of OSCE and tradition evaluation method (TEM was used to assess the clinical skills and to get opinion. Results: The mean score of OSCE was more than TEM and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001. The opinion of students regarding the usefulness of OSCE was higher than TEM. Conclusions: The study concluded that implementing OSCE will overweigh the advantages of the TEM.

  6. Association of cardiopulmonary resuscitation psychomotor skills with knowledge and self-efficacy in nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roh, Young Sook; Issenberg, S Barry

    2014-12-01

    Effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills are essential for better patient survival, but whether these skills are associated with knowledge of and self-efficacy in CPR is not well known. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of CPR skills and identify the association of the psychomotor skills with knowledge and self-efficacy at the time of CPR skills training. A convenience sample of 124 nursing students participated in a one-group posttest-only study. The quality of CPR psychomotor skills, as assessed by structured observation using a manikin, was suboptimal. Nursing students who performed correct chest compression skills reported higher self-efficacy, but there was no association between CPR psychomotor skills and total knowledge. Rigorous skills training sessions with more objective feedback on performance and individual coaching are warranted to enable mastery learning and self-efficacy. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  7. Simulation-based Mastery Learning Improves Cardiac Auscultation Skills in Medical Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGaghie, William C.; Cohen, Elaine R.; Kaye, Marsha; Wayne, Diane B.

    2010-01-01

    Background Cardiac auscultation is a core clinical skill. However, prior studies show that trainee skills are often deficient and that clinical experience is not a proxy for competence. Objective To describe a mastery model of cardiac auscultation education and evaluate its effectiveness in improving bedside cardiac auscultation skills. Design Untreated control group design with pretest and posttest. Participants Third-year students who received a cardiac auscultation curriculum and fourth year students who did not. Intervention A cardiac auscultation curriculum consisting of a computer tutorial and a cardiac patient simulator. All third-year students were required to meet or exceed a minimum passing score (MPS) set by an expert panel at posttest. Measurements Diagnostic accuracy with simulated heart sounds and actual patients. Results Trained third-year students (n = 77) demonstrated significantly higher cardiac auscultation accuracy compared to untrained fourth year students (n = 31) in assessment of simulated heart sounds (93.8% vs. 73.9%, p auscultation curriculum consisting of deliberate practice with a computer-based tutorial and a cardiac patient simulator resulted in improved assessment of simulated heart sounds and more accurate examination of actual patients. PMID:20339952

  8. The role of metacognitive skills in solving object-oriented programming problems: a case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marietjie Havenga

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This article reports on the role of metacognitive skills when solving object-oriented programming problems as part of a case study. The research was constructivist-based within an interpretivist approach to explore how four students constructed their own thinking when solving programming problems. A qualitative methodology was employed. Both concept-driven coding and data-driven coding were applied. Two main issues emerged from the findings. Participating students had fragmented knowledge of the object-oriented approach and shortcomings regarding the implementation thereof, and they experienced problems with metacognitive control during all the steps of program development. Based on the findings the use of metacognitive critical control points (MCCPs is proposed to be used as a mechanism to facilitate students in their programming efforts and to prevent loss of control during program development.

  9. Digital learning objects in nursing consultation: technology assessment by undergraduate students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silveira, DeniseTolfo; Catalan, Vanessa Menezes; Neutzling, Agnes Ludwig; Martinato, LuĂ­sa Helena Machado

    2010-01-01

    This study followed the teaching-learning process about the nursing consultation, based on digital learning objects developed through the active Problem Based Learning method. The goals were to evaluate the digital learning objects about nursing consultation, develop cognitive skills on the subject using problem based learning and identify the students' opinions on the use of technology. This is an exploratory and descriptive study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 71 students in the sixth period of the nursing program at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. The data was collected through a questionnaire to evaluate the learning objects. The results showed positive agreement (58%) on the content, usability and didactics of the proposed computer-mediated activity regarding the nursing consultation. The application of materials to the students is considered positive.

  10. An advanced communication skills course for fourth-year, post-clerkship students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Towle, Angela; Hoffman, Joanne

    2002-11-01

    A novel five-module advanced communication skills course entitled "Doctor-Patient Relationships" was planned and implemented in 2000-01 at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The course was part of the final four-month component of the new MD undergraduate program: Effective Skills for Medical Practice. The goals of the communication skills course were to (1) address problems experienced by the students so far; (2) address deficiencies in achieving the UBC exit competencies; (3) help the students pass the Medical Council of Canada examinations, in particular objectives related to the Considerations of the Legal, Ethical, and Organizational aspects of the practice of medicine (CLEO); and (4) help students prepare for their roles beyond undergraduate medicine (residency, independent practice). The course was developed by an interdisciplinary team (family practice, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery) with input from students. The broad strengths and weaknesses of their communication skills training were identified by seven third-year medical students who kept logs over the course of their clinical clerkships to document their learning of communication skills. Analysis of these logs plus feedback meetings with the students revealed attitudinal and skills issues that needed to be addressed in the new course. The goals and principles of the course were in part agreed upon by focus groups with students, attended by faculty observers, to ensure their relevance to students. The first module "Beyond the Mask: Surviving and Thriving in Residency Training" is designed to focus students' attention on the personal relevance of developing excellence in communication skills in preparation for residency training. It includes a video of residents talking about their experiences of communication problems to trigger reflection and discussion. In the remaining four modules the students are required to put communication skills together with their medical knowledge. Each

  11. Can students learn clinical method in general practice? A randomised crossover trial based on objective structured clinical examinations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, E.; Jolly, B.; Modell, M.

    1997-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To determine whether students acquired clinical skills as well in general practice as in hospital and whether there was any difference in the acquisition of specific skills in the two environments. DESIGN: Randomised crossover trial. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Annual intake of first year clinical students at one medical school. INTERVENTION: A 10 week block of general internal medicine, one half taught in general practice, the other in hospital. Students started at random in one location and crossed over after five weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Students' performance in two equivalent nine station objective structured clinical examinations administered at the mid and end points of the block: a direct comparison of the two groups' performance at five weeks; analysis of covariance, using their first examination scores as a covariate, to determine students' relative improvement over the second five weeks of their attachment. RESULTS: 225 students rotated through the block; all took at least one examination and 208 (92%) took both. For the first half of the year there was no significant difference in the students' acquisition of clinical skills in the two environments; later, however, students taught in general practice improved slightly more than those taught in hospital (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Students can learn clinical skills as well in general practice as in hospital; more work is needed to clarify where specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes are best learnt to allow rational planning of the undergraduate curriculum. PMID:9361543

  12. Determining the Study Skills of Student Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tural Dincer, Guner; Akdeniz, Ali Riza

    2008-01-01

    Background: It is known that success of a student is affected by the skills of motivation, time management. Studies have showed that there is positive relationship between academic achievement and study skills of a student. Purpose: It is thought that study skills of learners should be defined to be more successful on teaching-learning process.


  13. Does teaching non-technical skills to medical students improve those skills and simulated patient outcome?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagemann, Vera; Herbstreit, Frank; Kehren, Clemens; Chittamadathil, Jilson; Wolfertz, Sandra; Dirkmann, Daniel; Kluge, Annette; Peters, JĂŒrgen

    2017-03-29

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a tailor-made, non-technical skills seminar on medical student's behaviour, attitudes, and performance during simulated patient treatment. Seventy-seven students were randomized to either a non-technical skills seminar (NTS group, n=43) or a medical seminar (control group, n=34). The human patient simulation was used as an evaluation tool. Before the seminars, all students performed the same simulated emergency scenario to provide baseline measurements. After the seminars, all students were exposed to a second scenario, and behavioural markers for evaluating their non-technical skills were rated. Furthermore, teamwork-relevant attitudes were measured before and after the scenarios, and perceived stress was measured following each simulation. All simulations were also evaluated for various medical endpoints. Non-technical skills concerning situation awareness (ptechnical skills to improve student's non-technical skills. In a next step, to improve student's handling of emergencies and patient outcomes, non-technical skills seminars should be accompanied by exercises and more broadly embedded in the medical school curriculum.

  14. Engaging the audience: developing presentation skills in science students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuart, Ann E

    2013-01-01

    This article describes a graduate class in presentation skills ("PClass") as a model for how a class with similar objectives, expectations and culture might be mounted for undergraduates. The required class is given for students in neuroscience and physiology programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; I describe the class in the years I led it, from 2003-2012. The class structure centered on peer rehearsal, critiquing of PowerPoint, and chalk talks by the students; video-recording of student talks for later review by the student with the instructor; and presentation of polished talks in a formal setting. A different faculty visitor to the class each week gave the students a variety of perspectives. The students also gained insight into their own evolving skills by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of seminars given by visitors to the campus. A unique feature of the class was collaboration with a professional actor from the University's Department of Dramatic Arts, who helped the students develop techniques for keeping the attention of an audience, for speaking with confidence, and for controlling nervousness. The undergraduate campus would be expected to lend itself to this sort of interdisciplinary faculty cooperation. In addition, students worked on becoming adept at designing and presenting posters, introducing speakers graciously and taking charge of the speaker's question session, and speaking to a lay audience.

  15. Communication Skills among Gifted Students in Jordan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alfarah, Yacoub Fareed

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the communication skills among gifted students in Jordan and to investigate the effect of gender and the level of students in acquiring these communication skills. A questionnaire was distributed among the sample of the study which comprised of (240) tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students from Al


  16. Objective Structured Clinical Examination as an Assessment Tool for Clinical Skills in Dermatology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saceda-Corralo, D; Fonda-Pascual, P; Moreno-Arrones, Ó M; Alegre-SĂĄnchez, A; Hermosa-Gelbard, Á; JimĂ©nez-GĂłmez, N; Vañó-GalvĂĄn, S; JaĂ©n-Olasolo, P

    2017-04-01

    Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) is an excellent method to evaluate student's abilities, but there are no previous reports implementing it in dermatology. To determine the feasibility of implementation of a dermatology OSCE in the medical school. Five stations with standardized patients and image-based assessment were designed. A specific checklist was elaborated in each station with different items which evaluated one competency and were classified into five groups (medical history, physical examination, technical skills, case management and prevention). A total of 28 students were tested. Twenty-five of them (83.3%) passed the exam globally. Concerning each group of items tested: medical interrogation had a mean score of 71.0; physical examination had a mean score of 63.0; management had a mean score of 58.0; and prevention had a mean score of 58.0 points. The highest results were obtained in interpersonal skills items with 91.8 points. Testing a small sample of voluntary students may hinder generalization of our study. OSCE is an useful tool for assessing clinical skills in dermatology and it is possible to carry it out. Our experience enhances that medical school curriculum needs to establish OSCE as an assessment tool in dermatology. Copyright © 2016 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  17. Empowering students by enhancing their\\ud employability skills

    OpenAIRE

    Scott, Fraser J.; Connell, Pauline; Thomson, Linda A.; Willison, Debra

    2017-01-01

    Recognising the importance of graduates being equipped with appropriate employability skills alongside their subject-specific skills, we have had transferable skills training embedded throughout our degree programmes for 30 years. More recently, a specific employability skills module for final-year honours students has been created. This module consists of a programme of\\ud activities supporting employability skills, which was delivered to final-year undergraduate students from 2012 to 2015. ...

  18. Reflections: Improving Medical Students' Presentation Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarkowski, Radoslaw

    2017-12-01

    Both good communication and presentation skills on the part of an academic teacher are crucial when trying to generate students' interest in the subject of a lecture. More generally, our task is to share knowledge in the most effective way possible. It is also worth teaching students presentation skills, as today's students are tomorrow's teachers. An engaging presentation is a powerful tool. There are some rules for presenting which I consider worthy of being discussed and taught at a medical university.

  19. Using a Multimedia-Based Program for Developing Student Teachers' EFL Speaking Fluency Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diyyab, Eman Aly; Abdel-Haq, Eman Muhamad; Aly, Mahsoub Abdel-Sadeq

    2013-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of using a multimedia-based program for developing EFL speaking fluency skills among second year, English section student teachers. The sample of the present study consisted of thirty students at Sadat Faculty of Education, Minufiya University, Egypt. The study sample was


  20. Assessing study skills among university students: an Iranian survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Didarloo, Alireza; Khalkhali, Hamid Reza

    2014-05-05

    Numerous studies have revealed that study skills have a constructive role on the academic performance of students, in addition to educational quality, student' intelligence, and their affective characteristics. This study aims to examine study skills and the factors influencing them among the health sciences students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Iran. This was a cross-sectional study carried out from May to November 2013. A total of 340 Urmia health sciences students were selected using a simple sampling method. Data were collected using the Study Skills Assessment Questionnaire of Counseling Center of Houston University and analyzed with descriptive and analytical statistics. The mean and standard deviation of the students' study skills were 172.5±23.2, out of a total score of 240. Around 1.2% of the study skills were weak; 86.8%, moderate; and 12%, good. Among the study skills, the scores of time management, and memory and concentration were better than the others. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between study skills scores and the students' family housing status and academic level (Pstudy skills, these were not sufficient and far from good. Improving and promoting the study skills of university students require the designing and implementing of education programs for study strategies. Therefore, decision makers and planners in the educational areas of universities should consider the topic described above.

  1. Level of Skill Argued Students on Physics Material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viyanti, V.; Cari, C.; Sunarno, W.; Prasetyo, Z. K.

    2017-09-01

    This study aims to analyze the prior knowledge of students to map the level of skills to argue floating and sinking material. Prior knowledge is the process of concept formation in cognitive processes spontaneously or based on student experience. The study population is high school students of class XI. The sample selection using cluster random sampling, obtained the number of sampel as many as 50 student. The research used descriptive survey method. The data were obtained through a multiple choice test both grounded and interviewed. The data analyzed refers to: alignment the concept and the activity of developing the skill of the argument. The result obtained by the average level of skill argue in terms of the prior knowladge of on “Level 2”. The data show that students have difficulty expressing simple arguments consisting of only one statement. This indicates a lack of student experience in cultivating argumentative skills in their learning. The skill level mapping argued in this study to be a reference for researchers to provide feedback measures to obtain positive change in cognitive conflict argued.

  2. The effect of student self-video of performance on clinical skill competency: a randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maloney, Stephen; Storr, Michael; Morgan, Prue; Ilic, Dragan

    2013-03-01

    Emerging technologies and student information technology literacy are enabling new methods of teaching and learning for clinical skill performance. Facilitating experiential practice and reflection on performance through student self-video, and exposure to peer benchmarks, may promote greater levels of skill competency. This study examines the impact of student self-video on the attainment of clinical skills. A total of 60 Physiotherapy students (100%) consented to participate in the randomised controlled trial. One group (50%) was taught a complex clinical skill with regular practical tutoring, whilst the other group (50%) supplemented the tutoring with a self-video task aimed at promoting reflection on performance. Student skill performance was measured in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Students also completed an anonymous questionnaire, which explored their perception of their learning experiences. Students received significantly higher scores in the OSCE when the examined clinical skill had been supplemented with a self-video of performance task (P = 0.048). Descriptive analysis of the questionnaires relating to student perceptions on the teaching methods identified that the self-video of performance task utilised contributed to improvement in their clinical performance and their confidence for future clinical practice. Students identified a number of aspects of the submission process that contributed to this perception of educational value. The novel results of this study demonstrate that greater clinical skill competency is achieved when traditional tutoring methods are supplemented with student self-video of performance tasks. Additional benefits included the ability of staff and students to monitor longitudinal performance, and an increase in feedback opportunities.

  3. Career Management Skills Among Vocational Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakaria, Normah; Yamin, Azlin; Maarof, Rosmawati

    2017-08-01

    Career management skills are important elements that should be present in each individual, because career selection process is crucial for school leavers. The phenomenon of students who are less knowledgeable about career at the end of school is among the main reasons they choose a career that does not fit. The situation is very worrying and poses various negative implications such as work stress and frequent swapping of jobs. In fact, research has found that most vocational students have a low level of career management. Therefore, this study is aimed to identify career management skills that students possess. The research design was a survey using a quantitative approach with a number of samples, n = 480. Data was analysed using statistical software, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results show that students’ overall career management skills are moderate. To develop human capital with the right competence, career management skills are critical requirements that can fill the gaps in industry.

  4. Relationship between the Phonological Awareness Skills and Writing Skills of the First Year Students at Primary School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erdogan, Ozge

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the phonological awareness skills and writing skills of the first year students at primary school. In the study, the phonological awareness skills and writing skills of the students were measured at the beginning of the term. Students' writing skills were measured in the middle of


  5. Problem-Solving Skills Appraisal Mediates Hardiness and Suicidal Ideation among Malaysian Undergraduate Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdollahi, Abbas; Talib, Mansor Abu; Yaacob, Siti Nor; Ismail, Zanariah

    2015-01-01

    Objectives Recent evidence suggests that suicidal ideation is increased among university students, it is essential to increase our knowledge concerning the etiology of suicidal ideation among university students. This study was conducted to examine the relationships between problem-solving skills appraisal, hardiness, and suicidal ideation among university students. In addition, this study was conducted to examine problem-solving skills appraisal (including the three components of problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style, and personal control of emotion) as a potential mediator between hardiness and suicidal ideation. Methods The participants consisted of 500 undergraduate students from Malaysian public universities. Results Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) estimated that undergraduate students with lower hardiness, poor problem-solving confidence, external personal control of emotion, and avoiding style was associated with higher suicidal ideation. Problem-solving skills appraisal (including the three components of problem-solving confidence, approach-avoidance style, and personal control of emotion) partially mediated the relationship between hardiness and suicidal ideation. Conclusion These findings underline the importance of studying mediating processes that explain how hardiness affects suicidal ideation. PMID:25830229

  6. Development and evaluation of a learner-centered educational summer camp program on soft skills for baccalaureate nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Ying; Wang, Wenru

    2014-01-01

    The objectives were to develop a learner-centered educational camp program for nursing students and to evaluate 4 areas of soft skills, communication ability, clinical interaction, interpersonal relationships, and social problem solving, before and after the program. The results showed that the summer camp program was effective in improving nursing students' soft skills.

  7. A COMPARISON OF SOCIAL SKILLS OF STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS AND TYPICALLY DEVELOPING STUDENTS

    OpenAIRE

    Demir, Fatih Emrah; Ozdemir, Selda

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the social skills of students with visual impairments with social skills of typically developing students. The study groups consisted of 64 students with visual impairments and 68 typically developing students from the first to fourth grade. The Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) Teacher Form was used to evaluate the social skills of both groups. The results of the study indicated that cooperation, assertiveness, and self-control sub-scale scores and o...

  8. Pre-registration dietetic students' attitudes to learning communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Power, B T; Lennie, S C

    2012-04-01

      Communication is a core skill and a prerequisite for dietitians' clinical competence. It is generally acknowledged that communication skills can be taught and learned. There is a paucity of published work identifying dietetic students' attitudes towards learning communication skills, and understanding this is important.   The present cross-sectional study aimed to address this issue using an adapted version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), which was designed to capture information concerning positive and negative attitudes to learning communication skills. An online questionnaire was sent to all undergraduate and post-graduate dietetic programmes in the UK.   Of the students' solicited for enrolment in the study, 33.4% (n = 300) completed the questionnaire. A one-way analysis of variance showed attitudes to learning communication skills differed significantly between years of study on both subscales of the CSAS. Subsequent analyses indicated that first-year students' attitudes to learning communication skills were significantly more positive than those of fourth-year students (P = 0.042). Third-year students had significantly more positive attitudes to learning communication skills than fourth-year students (P = 0.028). Negative attitudes were also linked to the year of study with fourth-year students having significantly more negative attitudes than third-year students (P = 0.046). Sex, practice placement experience and parental occupation did not significantly influence attitudes to learning communication skills.   These findings indicate that efforts are required to maintain positive attitudes to learning communication skills. Further longitudinal studies are recommended in this respect. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics © 2012 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

  9. Contribution of Oral Language Skills, Linguistic Skills, and Transcription Skills to Chinese Written Composition among Fourth-Grade Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeung, Pui-sze; Ho, Connie Suk-han; Chan, David Wai-ock; Chung, Kevin Kien-hoa

    2013-01-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the contribution of oral language skills, linguistic skills, and transcription skills to Chinese written composition among Grade 4 students in Hong Kong. Measures assessing verbal working memory, oral language skills, linguistic skills (i.e., syntactic skills and discourse skills), transcription skills (i.e.,


  10. Knowledge and psychomotor skills of nursing students in North Cyprus in the area of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dal, Umran; Sarpkaya, Dilek

    2013-07-01

    Objective : The aim of the study was to determine the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge and skill levels of nursing students in North Cyprus. Methods : The study design was quasi-experimental and longitudinal. A questionnaire was applied to the students before the CPR lecture. Then the students were informed about adult CPR by the researchers and all of the students practiced CPR on a Resusci-Anne manikin. One and six months after this training the same questionnaire and skills checklist of CPR were applied. Results : Eighty three third year students of nursing participated in the study. While the average CPR knowledge score of these students was 9.3 ± 2.9 out of 23 before the lecture, this average increased to 17.0 ± 1.8 one month after the CPR lecture and decreased by two points back to 14.9 ± 3.8 after six months. Skill score of the students one month after the CPR skills training was 18.4 out of 21, and that this average decreased to 13.8 after six months (p<0.05). Nursing students tend to forget theoretical and applied CPR training after couple of months. Hence there is a need for continuous CPR training and education and repeating the skills at regular intervals even after they have graduated to ensure sustainability in the CPR skills.

  11. The Relationship among Localization Skill, Existence Constancy and Object Permanence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townes-Rosenwein, Linda

    Two component skills of object permanence were studied: existence constancy -- the infants' ability to expect that an object continues to exist after it is hidden, and localization skill -- infants' ability to search in the correct place for a hidden object. Contradictions within the literature may occur because of task lability caused by failure


  12. The Effect of Training Problem-Solving Skills on Coping Skills of Depressed Nursing and Midwifery Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebrahimi, Hossein; Barzanjeh Atri, Shirin; Ghavipanjeh, Somayeh; Farnam, Alireza; Gholizadeh, Leyla

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: Nurses have a considerable role in caring and health promotion. Depressed nurses are deficient in their coping skills that are important in mental health. This study evaluated the effectiveness of training problem-solving skills on coping skills of depressed nursing and midwifery students. Methods: The Beck Depression Scale and coping skills questionnaire were administered in Tabriz and Urmia nursing and midwifery schools. 92 students, who had achieved a score above 10 on the Beck Depression Scale, were selected. 46 students as study group and 46 students as control group were selected randomly. The intervention group received six sessions of problem-solving training within three weeks. Finally, after the end of sessions, coping skills and depression scales were administered and analyzed for both groups. Results: Comparing the mean coping skills showed that before the intervention there were no significant differences between the control and study groups. However, after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the control group and the study group. By comparing the mean coping skills before and after the intervention, a significant difference was observed in the study group. Conclusion: Training problem-solving skills increased the coping skills of depressed students. According to the role of coping skills in people's mental health, increasing coping skills can promote mental health, provide the basis for caring skills, and improve the quality of nurses’ caring skills. PMID:25276704

  13. The effect of training problem-solving skills on coping skills of depressed nursing and midwifery students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebrahimi, Hossein; Barzanjeh Atri, Shirin; Ghavipanjeh, Somayeh; Farnam, Alireza; Gholizadeh, Leyla

    2013-03-01

    Nurses have a considerable role in caring and health promotion. Depressed nurses are deficient in their coping skills that are important in mental health. This study evaluated the effectiveness of training problem-solving skills on coping skills of depressed nursing and midwifery students. The Beck Depression Scale and coping skills questionnaire were administered in Tabriz and Urmia nursing and midwifery schools. 92 students, who had achieved a score above 10 on the Beck Depression Scale, were selected. 46 students as study group and 46 students as control group were selected randomly. The intervention group received six sessions of problem-solving training within three weeks. Finally, after the end of sessions, coping skills and depression scales were administered and analyzed for both groups. Comparing the mean coping skills showed that before the intervention there were no significant differences between the control and study groups. However, after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the control group and the study group. By comparing the mean coping skills before and after the intervention, a significant difference was observed in the study group. Training problem-solving skills increased the coping skills of depressed students. According to the role of coping skills in people's mental health, increasing coping skills can promote mental health, provide the basis for caring skills, and improve the quality of nurses' caring skills.

  14. A mentor-based portfolio program to evaluate pharmacy students' self-assessment skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalata, Lindsay R; Abate, Marie A

    2013-05-13

    Objective. To evaluate pharmacy students' self-assessment skills with an electronic portfolio program using mentor evaluators. Design. First-year (P1) and second-year (P2) pharmacy students used online portfolios that required self-assessments of specific graded class assignments. Using a rubric, faculty and alumni mentors evaluated students' self-assessments and provided feedback. Assessment. Eighty-four P1 students, 74 P2 students, and 59 mentors participated in the portfolio program during 2010-2011. Both student groups performed well overall, with only a small number of resubmissions required. P1 students showed significant improvements across semesters for 2 of the self-assessment questions; P2 students' scores did not differ significantly. The P1 scores were significantly higher than P2 scores for 3 questions during spring 2011. Mentors and students had similar levels of agreement with the extent to which students put forth their best effort on the self-assessments. Conclusion. An electronic portfolio using mentors based inside and outside the school provided students with many opportunities to practice their self-assessment skills. This system represents a useful method of incorporating self-assessments into the curriculum that allows for feedback to be provided to the students.

  15. Medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students in Finland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grandell-Niemi, H; Hupli, M; Leino-Kilpi, H

    2001-01-01

    The aim of this study was to describe the basic mathematical proficiency and the medication calculation skills of graduating nursing students in Finland. A further concern was with how students experienced the teaching of medication calculation. We wanted to find out whether these experiences were associated with various background factors and the students' medication calculation skills. In spring 1997 the population of graduating nursing students in Finland numbered around 1280; the figure for the whole year was 2640. A convenience sample of 204 students completed a questionnaire specially developed for this study. The instrument included structured questions, statements and a medication calculation test. The response rate was 88%. Data analysis was based on descriptive statistics. The students found it hard to learn mathematics and medication calculation skills. Those who evaluated their mathematical and medication calculation skills as sufficient successfully solved the problems included in the questionnaire. It was felt that the introductory course on medication calculation was uninteresting and poorly organised. Overall the students' mathematical skills were inadequate. One-fifth of the students failed to pass the medication calculation test. A positive correlation was shown between the student's grade in mathematics (Sixth Form College) and her skills in medication calculation.

  16. Employability Skills among Students and Employers’ Perceptions: An Assessment of Levels of Employability Skills Acquired by Business Students at Ishik University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fayeq Ali Ali

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Skills are prerequisite for managers and employees success, especially for newly graduate students. This study is to evaluate the employability skills of business students at Ishik University and to assess how employability skills are perceived by potential employers. Three sets of employability skills have been used in this study such as basic academic skills, high-order thinking, and personal qualities. A questionnaire has been developed which included above dimensions and was distributed among students in the faculty of administrative sciences and economics at Ishik University, Kurdistan Region. Respondents’ opinions were assessed using a Likert scale analysis that shows divergent opinions between two extremes of levels of agreement and disagreement. Another technique of an open-ended questionnaire was used when conducting interviews with a few of the potential employers in some private sector companies. Study focuses on the common employability skills of business graduates by evaluating the faculty of administrative sciences and economics courses. Study find out that communication skills, team working skills, computer skills, and critical thinking were among the employability skills which are expected by potential employers. The paper concludes that business graduates have developed an adequate level of employability skill through their years of academic training at business department in Ishik University. Thus, the curriculum of business department at Ishik University is adequately developed to prompt the employability skills that are sought by potential employers that every business student should acquire to stand out in the aggressively competitive job market.

  17. Assessing Business Student Thinking Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Gerald F.

    2014-01-01

    The development of student thinking skills is a major goal of business education. As with other such goals, student outcomes assessment must be undertaken to measure goal achievement. Thinking is difficult to teach; it is also difficult to assess. The purpose of this article is to improve management educators' understanding of student thinking


  18. Do medical students like communication? Validation of the German CSAS (Communication Skills Attitude Scale)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Busch, Anne-Kathrin; Rockenbauch, Katrin; Schmutzer, Gabriele; BrÀhler, Elmar

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: Attitudes towards communication skills of medical undergraduates can be gathered using the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS). We aimed to develop a German version of the CSAS (CSAS-G) in order to explore attitudes towards communication skills in a German cohort. Additionally the potential influence of demographic factors was examined. Methods: We realized the CSAS-G and conducted a survey with 529 participants from 3 different years of study. We then carried out an explorative as well as confirmatory factor analysis and compared the attitudinal scores. Multiple regression analysis was performed. Results: The confirmatory analysis confirmed the two-subscale system revealed by the explorative factor analysis. Students indicate low levels of negative attitudes and moderate levels of positive attitudes. Attitudinal scores differ significantly in relation to gender. Conclusion: The CSAS-G can be used in German cohorts to evaluate attitudes towards communication skills. Medical students in our study show basically a positive approach. Further investigation is necessary to explore and understand attitudes towards communication skills of German medical students. PMID:25699103

  19. The Effectiveness of Emotional Intelligence Training on Communication Skills in Students with Intellectual Disabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Sheydaei

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Emotional intelligence skills begin at home, and with positive interactions with parents and other children. Parents can help children recognize their emotions, name them, and learn how to respect their feelings and adapt to social situations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional intelligence training on the communication skills of students with intellectual disabilities. Methods: This study was quasi-experimental, with a pre-test, post-test design and a control group. The sample consisted of 32 educable students with intellectual disabilities (14-18 years old. Results: The results showed that the intervention program had created a significant difference between the scores of the experimental and control groups (P<0.05, and that the scores for communication skills were increased, both post-test and also in the experimental group follow-up (P<0.05. Discussion: Emotional intelligence training enhanced the communication skills of students with intellectual disabilities. Teachers, professionals, and clinicians could use these training in their practices.

  20. Medical Students Teaching Medical Students Surgical Skills: The Benefits of Peer-Assisted Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Samuel Robert; Morris, Simon Rhys; Mirza, Salman

    2018-04-10

    Teaching surgical skills is a labor intensive process, requiring a high tutor to student ratio for optimal success, and teaching for undergraduate students by consultant surgeons is not always feasible. A surgical skills course was developed, with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of undergraduate surgical peer-assisted learning. Five surgical skills courses were conducted looking at eight domains in surgery, led by foundation year doctors and senior medical students, with a tutor to student ratio of 1:4. Precourse and postcourse questionnaires (Likert scales 0-10) were completed. Mean scores were compared precourse and postcourse. Surgical skills courses took place within clinical skills rooms in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (UK). Seventy students (59 medical, 2 dental, and 9 physician associate students) from a range of academic institutions across the UK completed the course. There was an overall increase in mean scores across all eight domains. Mean improvement score precourse and postcourse in WHO surgical safety checklist (+3.94), scrubbing (+2.99), gowning/gloving (+3.34), knot tying (+5.53), interrupted sutures (+5.89), continuous sutures (+6.53), vertical mattress sutures (+6.46), and local anesthesia (+3.73). Peer-assisted learning is an effective and feasible method for teaching surgical skills in a controlled environment, subsequently improving confidence among healthcare undergraduates. Such teaching may provide the basis for feasibly mass-producing surgical skills courses for healthcare students. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Endotracheal intubation skill acquisition by medical students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry E. Wang MD MS

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available During the course of their training, medical students may receive introductory experience with advanced resuscitation skills. Endotracheal intubation (ETI – the insertion of a breathing tube into the trachea is an example of an important advanced resuscitation intervention. Only limited data characterize clinical ETI skill acquisition by medical students. We sought to characterize medical student acquisition of ETI procedural skill.11Presented as a poster discussion on 17 October 2007 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in San Francisco, CA.The study included third-year medical students participating in a required anesthesiology clerkship. Students performed ETI on operating room patients under the supervision of attending anesthesiologists. Students reported clinical details of each ETI effort, including patient age, sex, Mallampati score, number of direct laryngoscopies and ETI success. Using mixed-effects regression, we characterized the adjusted association between ETI success and cumulative ETI experience.ETI was attempted by 178 students on 1,646 patients (range 1–23 patients per student; median 9 patients per student, IQR 6–12. Overall ETI success was 75.0% (95% CI 72.9–77.1%. Adjusted for patient age, sex, Mallampati score and number of laryngoscopies, the odds of ETI success improved with cumulative ETI encounters (odds ratio 1.09 per additional ETI encounter; 95% CI 1.04–1.14. Students required at least 17 ETI encounters to achieve 90% predicted ETI success.In this series medical student ETI proficiency was associated with cumulative clinical procedural experience. Clinical experience may provide a viable strategy for fostering medical student procedural skills.

  2. Communication skills of medical students during the OSCE: Gender-specific differences in a longitudinal trend study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graf, Joachim; Smolka, Robert; Simoes, Elisabeth; Zipfel, Stephan; Junne, Florian; Holderried, Friederike; Wosnik, Annette; Doherty, Anne M; Menzel, Karina; Herrmann-Werner, Anne

    2017-05-02

    Communication skills are essential in a patient-centred health service and therefore in medical teaching. Although significant differences in communication behaviour of male and female students are known, gender differences in the performance of students are still under-reported. The aim of this study was to analyse gender differences in communication skills of medical students in the context of an OSCE exam (OSCE = Objective Structured Clinical Examination). In a longitudinal trend study based on seven semester-cohorts, it was analysed if there are gender differences in medical students' communication skills. The students (self-perception) and standardized patients (SP) (external perception) were asked to rate the communication skills using uniform questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed by using frequency analyses and t-tests in SPSS 21. Across all ratings in the self- and the external perception, there was a significant gender difference in favour of female students performing better in the dimensions of empathy, structure, verbal expression and non-verbal expression. The results of male students deteriorated across all dimensions in the external perception between 2011 and 2014. It is important to consider if gender-specific teaching should be developed, considering the reported differences between female and male students.

  3. SOCIAL SKILLS AND ACADEMIC BACKGROUND: A COMPARATIVE STUDY AMONG STUDENTS AND PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSIONALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DiĂȘgo Ferreira de Oliveira

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The present research had as an objective the comparison of Social Skills (SS on psychology course undergraduates' and professionals working in the area with at least one year of work performance. Three groups participated in this study: 63 students at the beginning of the course (1st, 2nd and 3rd semesters; 54 students at the end of the course (8th, 9th and 10th semesters; and 25 psychologists. For the data collect it was used a Social Skills Inventory (SSI that was applied at the university places of work or availability, or via e-mail, with the professionals. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the overall score of Social Skills, neither between the students at the beginning and the end of the course (p=0.319 nor between students at the end of the course and the psychologists (p= 0,70. There was a significant difference in the comparison of students at the beginning of the course and psychologists (p= 0.009. From the manual, it was possible to verify that the majority, of students and professionals, presented a good repertory of SS in its different factors. It was considered still relevant, the development of activities that could enable a major learning of these SS still during graduation, evaluating that they are fundamental to the psychologists' performance. Keywords: Social skills. Psychology. Psychology students. Psychologists.

  4. Teaching medical students consultation skills using e-learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    JĂžrgensen, Merete; Witt, Klaus; Fridorff-Jens, Peter Kindt

    2015-01-01

    of a student includes a test-video of a consultation with the student in the doctor role, seeing a real patient, and the student®s skills in the subsequent analysis of the communication process according to its patientcentredness. The aim of the study is to measure the effect of adding access to 16 video cases......Teaching consultation skills to medical students using e-learning. Introduction: We have been teaching Family Medicine at the University of Copenhagen for more than twenty years. We wish to develop a method to evaluate the current teaching of consultation skills and the effect of new interventions...... of the ten items. The students were able to identify more elements in the test-video, related to patient function, to inform the patient properly, the use of summarizing and safety-netting Conclusion On-line video cases used interactively in the classroom sessions increase the students’ skills in analysing...

  5. An observational study investigating the impact of simulated patients in teaching communication skills in preclinical dietetic students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, S J; Davidson, Z E

    2016-08-01

    Simulated patients (SPs) are often used in dietetics for the teaching and assessment of communication skills. The present study aimed to determine the impact of a SP encounter on communication skills in undergraduate preclinical dietetic students in the context of the resources required for delivering this educational strategy. This observational study collected assessment data from four cohorts of third-year dietetic students to examine the effect of participation in SP-embedded Objective Structured Clinical Exams. Students completed two SP interviews, 2 weeks apart, and communication skills were measured on both occasions. A subgroup of students received a video of their SP encounter. Differences between the two SP interview scores were compared to assess the impact of the SP encounter on communication skills. The required staff and resources were described. Data were collected involving 215 students. Out of 30 marks, there was a modest mean (SD) improvement in communication skills from the first to the second SP interview of 2.5 (4.2) (P skills, with failing students demonstrating the greatest improvement between SP encounters. There were no observed benefits for the subset of students who received videos. Providing repeat SP interview opportunities results in only modest improvement in communication skills for most students. The use of SPs needs to be considered in context of the substantial costs and resources involved and tailored to student ability. © 2015 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

  6. Enhancing medical students' communication skills: development and evaluation of an undergraduate training program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background There is a relative lack of current research on the effects of specific communication training offered at the beginning of the medical degree program. The newly developed communication training "Basics and Practice in Communication Skills" was pilot tested in 2008 and expanded in the following year at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. The goal was to promote and improve the communicative skills of participants and show the usefulness of an early offered intervention on patient-physician communication within the medical curriculum. Methods The students participating in the project and a comparison group of students from the standard degree program were surveyed at the beginning and end of the courses. The survey consisted of a self-assessment of their skills as well as a standardised expert rating and an evaluation of the modules by means of a questionnaire. Results Students who attended the communication skills course exhibited a considerable increase of communication skills in this newly developed training. It was also observed that students in the intervention group had a greater degree of self-assessed competence following training than the medical students in the comparison group. This finding is also reflected in the results from a standardised objective measure. Conclusions The empirical results of the study showed that the training enabled students to acquire specialised competence in communication through the course of a newly developed training program. These findings will be used to establish new communication training at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf. PMID:22443807

  7. Assessment of the critical thinking skills of student radiographers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castle, Alan [University of Portsmouth, Centre for Radiography Education, St George' s Building, Portsmouth PO1 2HY (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: alan.castle@port.ac.uk

    2006-05-15

    Purpose: Enabling students to develop critical thinking skills is one of the key aims of higher education and in preparing student radiographers for the future, there are increasing demands on educators to teach critical thinking skills to facilitate reflective, evidence-based practice and inter-professional working. The aim of the paper is to attempt to compare students' self-perception of their critical thinking skills to their actual written assessment performance. Methods: Students were asked to self-report how they thought the course had developed their critical thinking skills and the outcomes of this exercise were compared to the scores of previous assessments that required the demonstration of these skills. Results: The results suggest that whilst students report having developed critical thinking skills during the course, the results of their written assessments requiring the demonstration of these skills all had a mean score of less than 60% which indicates (in terms of the university's grade criteria guidelines) 'little attempt to use critical discussion in their work.' Discussion: Thirteen components of critical thinking are proposed, together with ways in which they could be incorporated into a radiographic curriculum. Conclusions: It is suggested that educators may need to review the constructive alignment of their curricula and re-assess their teaching and assessment strategies in order to effectively develop students' critical thinking skills.

  8. Assessment of the critical thinking skills of student radiographers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castle, Alan

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: Enabling students to develop critical thinking skills is one of the key aims of higher education and in preparing student radiographers for the future, there are increasing demands on educators to teach critical thinking skills to facilitate reflective, evidence-based practice and inter-professional working. The aim of the paper is to attempt to compare students' self-perception of their critical thinking skills to their actual written assessment performance. Methods: Students were asked to self-report how they thought the course had developed their critical thinking skills and the outcomes of this exercise were compared to the scores of previous assessments that required the demonstration of these skills. Results: The results suggest that whilst students report having developed critical thinking skills during the course, the results of their written assessments requiring the demonstration of these skills all had a mean score of less than 60% which indicates (in terms of the university's grade criteria guidelines) 'little attempt to use critical discussion in their work.' Discussion: Thirteen components of critical thinking are proposed, together with ways in which they could be incorporated into a radiographic curriculum. Conclusions: It is suggested that educators may need to review the constructive alignment of their curricula and re-assess their teaching and assessment strategies in order to effectively develop students' critical thinking skills

  9. Undergraduate Students' Resistance to Study Skills Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuksel, Sedat

    2006-01-01

    Research indicate that students generally fail to benefit from study skills courses and show resistance to this course in higher education level. The purpose of this research is to investigate reasons why students show resistance to the course of study skills and habits. In this research, a qualitative design utilizing retrospective interviews was


  10. Fostering Spatial Skill Acquisition by General Chemistry Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlisle, Deborah; Tyson, Julian; Nieswandt, Martina

    2015-01-01

    The study of chemistry requires the understanding and use of spatial relationships, which can be challenging for many students. Prior research has shown that there is a need to develop students' spatial reasoning skills. To that end, this study implemented guided activities designed to strengthen students' spatial skills, with the aim of improving


  11. Supporting Law Students' Skills Development Online--A Strategy to Improve Skills and Reduce Student Stress?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hewitt, Anne; Stubbs, Matthew

    2017-01-01

    Law students internationally suffer from a high level of psychological distress compared with the general and student populations, and anecdotal evidence suggests that students developing skills without adequate support experience significant stress and anxiety. This article considers an initiative at one Australian law school to develop a


  12. Medical and psychology students' self-assessed communication skills: A pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiuraniemi, Juhani; LÀÀrÀ, Riitta; Kyrö, Tuuli; Lindeman, Sari

    2011-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe how psychology and medical students assess their own competency and skills before and after training, in which role-play was used to teach interpersonal and communication skills. Interpersonal and communication skills were assessed with a semi-structured questionnaire before and after the training. The students of both medicine and psychology estimated their skill levels to be higher after the course. The psychology students estimated their skills for communication, motivating interviewing, empathy and reflection, and change orientation to be better at the end of the course. Medical students estimated their communication skills, motivating interviewing skills, and change orientation skills to be better at the end of the course. Even a short period of training in interpersonal and communication skills can positively affect the self-assessed skills of the medical students. In the future, it would be worthwhile to pay attention to reflective teaching practices in the training of both medical and psychology students. The cognitive and emotional components of these practices help students to develop their own communication skills. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Can a multisensory teaching approach impart the necessary knowledge, skills, and confidence in final year medical students to manage epistaxis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Objective The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a multisensory teaching approach in imparting the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage epistaxis in a cohort of fourth year medical students. Methods One hundred and thirty four fourth year medical students were recruited into the study from Aug 2011 to February 2012 in four groups. Students listened to an audio presentation (PODcast) about epistaxis and viewed a video presentation on the technical skills (VODcast). Following this, students completed a 5-minute Individual Readiness Assessment Test (IRAT) to test knowledge accrued from the PODcast and VODcast. Next, students observed a 10-minute expert demonstration of the technical skills on a human cadaver and spent half an hour practicing these techniques on cadaver simulators with expert guidance. The students’ confidence was assessed with Confidence Level Questionnaires (CLQs) before and after their laboratory session. The skill level of a subset of students was also assessed with a pre- and post-laboratory Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS). Results Eighty two percent of the participants achieved a score of at least 80% on the IRAT. The CLQ instrument was validated in the study. There was a statistically significant improvement between the pre- and post-laboratory CLQ scores (pepistaxis. PMID:24479815

  14. Laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training in medical students as assessed by augmented reality simulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomura, Tsutomu; Mamada, Yasuhiro; Nakamura, Yoshiharu; Matsutani, Takeshi; Hagiwara, Nobutoshi; Fujita, Isturo; Mizuguchi, Yoshiaki; Fujikura, Terumichi; Miyashita, Masao; Uchida, Eiji

    2015-11-01

    Definitive assessment of laparoscopic skill improvement after virtual reality simulator training is best obtained during an actual operation. However, this is impossible in medical students. Therefore, we developed an alternative assessment technique using an augmented reality simulator. Nineteen medical students completed a 6-week training program using a virtual reality simulator (LapSim). The pretest and post-test were performed using an object-positioning module and cholecystectomy on an augmented reality simulator(ProMIS). The mean performance measures between pre- and post-training on the LapSim were compared with a paired t-test. In the object-positioning module, the execution time of the task (P virtual reality simulator improved the operative skills of medical students as objectively evaluated by assessment using an augmented reality simulator instead of an actual operation. We hope that these findings help to establish an effective training program for medical students. © 2015 Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery, Asia Endosurgery Task Force and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  15. Attitudes towards Communication Skills among Engineering Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovac, Mirjana M.; Sirkovic, N.

    2017-01-01

    Good communication skills are of utmost importance in the education of engineering students. It is necessary to promote not only their education, but also to prepare them for the demanding and competitive job market. The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes towards communication skills after formal instruction between the students of


  16. Dental student attitudes towards communication skills instruction and clinical application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenzie, Carly T

    2014-10-01

    This study investigated dental students' attitudes towards communication skills instruction and clinical application and explored the impact of a one-semester course and year in school on students' attitudes, measured by the Communication Skills Attitude Scale. Demographic characteristics and self-assessment of communication skills were also analyzed. The study employed a pretest-posttest survey design combined with cross-sectional data. Participants were first- and fourth-year students at a U.S. dental school. Out of a possible 120 students, 106 (fifty-seven D1 and forty-nine D4) participated in the pretest, an 88 percent response rate; out of a possible 121 students, 115 (fifty-seven D1 and fifty-eight D4) participated in the posttest, a 95 percent response rate. In the results, D4 students consistently demonstrated less positive attitudes towards communication skills instruction and more negative attitudes regarding the importance of interpersonal skills in clinical encounters than did their D1 counterparts. A single communications course had no discernible effect on attitudes or self-assessments for either cohort. Females reported more positive attitudes towards clinical application of interpersonal skills than did males. Gender significantly interacted with two demographic variables: primary language and parent as health care professional. Female children of health care professionals reported poorer attitudes towards clinical communication skills training and application than did their male counterparts. Generally, parental occupation in health care moderated the decrease in positive attitudes over time towards clinical usefulness of communication skills. The D4 students rated their communication skills higher than did the D1 students. Students who demonstrated more positive attitudes towards communication skills training and application were more likely to say their own skills needed improvement.

  17. Communication skills training and the conceptual structure of empathy among medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Daisuke; Shimizu, Ikuo; Ishikawa, Hirono; Aomatsu, Muneyoshi; Leppink, Jimmie

    2018-04-18

    Medical and healthcare professionals' empathy for patients is crucially important for patient care. Some studies have suggested that a significant decline in empathy occurs during clinical training years in medical school as documented by self-assessed empathy scales. Moreover, a recent study provided qualitative evidence that communication skills training in an examination context, such as in an objective structured clinical examination, might stimulate perspective taking but inhibit the development of compassionate care. Therefore, the current study examined how perspective taking and compassionate care relate to medical students' willingness to show empathic behaviour and how these relations may change with communication skills training. A total of 295 fourth-year Japanese medical students from three universities completed the Jefferson Empathy Scale and a newly developed set of items on willingness to show empathic behaviour twice after communication skills training, pertaining to post-training and retrospectively for pre-training. The findings indicate that students' willingness to show empathic behaviour is much more correlated with perspective taking than with compassionate care. Qualitative descriptive analysis of open-ended question responses revealed a difficulty of feeling compassion despite showing empathic behaviour. These findings shed light on the conceptual structure of empathy among medical students and generate a number of hypotheses for future intervention and longitudinal studies on the relation between communication skills training and empathy.

  18. [Assessment of clinical observation skills of last year medical students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steichen, O; Georgin-Lavialle, S; Grateau, G; Ranque, B

    2015-05-01

    Clinical examination skills are poorly evaluated by theoretical tests. We observed the clinical examination of real patients by 6th year medical students. Four internists involved in teaching activities defined 11 clinical examination items, with two objective performance criteria each. The students were evaluated in two internal medicine departments during the rotation preceding or following their national graduation test. Scores by item and by criterion and an overall score were calculated and correlated with their rank at the national graduation test. Thirty-two students were evaluated in one department and 18 in the other; each evaluation lasted approximately 30 minutes. The results were similar in both departments. Only 2 items got a score over 75% in this students' sample (acute respiratory failure, peripheral pulses); 4 items were satisfied at less than 50% (lymph nodes, right heart failure, liver failure, and attention). The mean overall score was 6.5/11 (standard deviation 1.5). National rankings were good (median 1605/8001, interquartile 453-3036) but uncorrelated with the global score (Spearman coefficient -0.13; P=0.39). Bedside evaluation of the students reveals substantial deficiencies, a few months or weeks before taking their position as residents. Several elementary skills are mastered by a minority of them (search for an asterixis, distended jugular veins, deep tendon reflexes), even among those successful at the national graduation test. Bedside evaluation of clinical examination skills should be more systematically performed. Copyright © 2014 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Objective assessment of technical surgical skills

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hove, P. D.; Tuijthof, G. J. M.; Verdaasdonk, E. G. G.; Stassen, L. P. S.; Dankelman, J.

    2010-01-01

    Surgeons are increasingly being scrutinized for their performance and there is growing interest in objective assessment of technical skills. The purpose of this study was to review all evidence for these methods, in order to provide a guideline for use in clinical practice. A systematic search was

  20. A Cognitive Skill Classification Based On Multi Objective Optimization Using Learning Vector Quantization for Serious Games

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moh. Aries Syufagi

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, serious games and game technology are poised to transform the way of educating and training students at all levels. However, pedagogical value in games do not help novice students learn, too many memorizing and reduce learning process due to no information of player’s ability. To asses the cognitive level of player ability, we propose a Cognitive Skill Game (CSG. CSG improves this cognitive concept to monitor how players interact with the game. This game employs Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ for optimizing the cognitive skill input classification of the player. CSG is using teacher’s data to obtain the neuron vector of cognitive skill pattern supervise. Three clusters multi objective target will be classified as; trial and error, carefully and, expert cognitive skill. In the game play experiments using 33 respondent players demonstrates that 61% of players have high trial and error cognitive skill, 21% have high carefully cognitive skill, and 18% have high expert cognitive skill. CSG may provide information to game engine when a player needs help or when wanting a formidable challenge. The game engine will provide the appropriate tasks according to players’ ability. CSG will help balance the emotions of players, so players do not get bored and frustrated. Players have a high interest to finish the game if the player is emotionally stable. Interests in the players strongly support the procedural learning in a serious game.

  1. How volunteering helps students to develop soft skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khasanzyanova, Albina

    2017-06-01

    It is widely recognised that tertiary education does not provide all of the knowledge and skills required to succeed in modern societies. Personal and interpersonal skills - so-called "soft skills" - are also needed to complement professional skills and expertise, and become an essential part of an individual's personality. One way of acquiring soft skills is volunteering with associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This paper discusses the involvement of French third-level students in voluntary activities and the skills they acquire as a result. The author presents the findings of a study involving a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Results show that many students develop skills linked to their future professional career, that they reflect on this consciously and feel enriched by the experience. The author argues that "non-professional" activities like volunteering can be actively incorporated into students' learning process, making their overall experience of higher education more active, enjoyable and relevant. Learning through action was found to be the most important factor in the acquisition of soft skills. This article aims to contribute to research on the educational dimension of volunteering, demonstrating that it benefits both personal and professional development.

  2. Information literacy skills of undergraduate medical radiation students

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shanahan, Madeleine C. [Medical Radiations, School of Medical Sciences, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora, Victoria (Australia)]. E-mail: mshanahan@rmit.edu.au

    2007-08-15

    Undergraduate education is undergoing a shift away from the traditional transmission of a fixed body of knowledge to a learning approach where the emphasis is on supporting learners to learn. Central to this change is recognition that undergraduate education programmes should aim to develop independent learners who become effective lifelong learning practitioners. Successful independent learning as an undergraduate student or as a lifelong learner requires the learner to have well developed information literacy skills. An Online Electronic Information Skills (OEIS) intervention was designed to develop the information literacy skills in a cohort of second year undergraduate radiography students. An evaluation focused on learning outcomes was used to provide evidence of development of information literacy within the undergraduate course. The evaluation clearly demonstrated substantial skill development in students' ability to access scholarly information in their discipline area. The reported continued use of database searching by this cohort of students seven months after the OEIS intervention provides evidence that they are continuing to access and use scholarly information, information literacy skills necessary for their future work context.

  3. Information literacy skills of undergraduate medical radiation students

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shanahan, Madeleine C.

    2007-01-01

    Undergraduate education is undergoing a shift away from the traditional transmission of a fixed body of knowledge to a learning approach where the emphasis is on supporting learners to learn. Central to this change is recognition that undergraduate education programmes should aim to develop independent learners who become effective lifelong learning practitioners. Successful independent learning as an undergraduate student or as a lifelong learner requires the learner to have well developed information literacy skills. An Online Electronic Information Skills (OEIS) intervention was designed to develop the information literacy skills in a cohort of second year undergraduate radiography students. An evaluation focused on learning outcomes was used to provide evidence of development of information literacy within the undergraduate course. The evaluation clearly demonstrated substantial skill development in students' ability to access scholarly information in their discipline area. The reported continued use of database searching by this cohort of students seven months after the OEIS intervention provides evidence that they are continuing to access and use scholarly information, information literacy skills necessary for their future work context

  4. Making Students Eat Their Greens: Information Skills for Chemistry Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah George

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Employers are increasingly requiring a range of "soft" skills from chemistry graduates, including the ability to search for and critically evaluate information. This paper discusses the issues around encouraging chemistry students to engage with information skills and suggests curricular changes which may help to "drip-feed" information skills into degree programs.

  5. Improving Narrative Writing Skills of Secondary Students with Disabilities Using Strategy Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foxworth, Lauren L.; Mason, Linda H.; Hughes, Charles A.

    2017-01-01

    Writing standards and objectives outline complex skills for narrative essay writing at the secondary level. Students with disabilities often produce disorganized narratives with fewer narrative elements than their peers without disabilities. A multiple-probe design was used to examine effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development for the Pick my


  6. Using Reflection to Assess Students Ability to Learn and Develop Leadership Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Heather M.; Burk, Brooke

    2014-01-01

    Leadership skill development has been identified as an important element of future leisure service professionals academic preparation. Thus, the purpose of this paper was to utilize in-depth course reflection and service-learning to assess whether undergraduate students enrolled in a leadership course were meeting the leadership objectives set


  7. Relationship between Female Pre University Students' Critical Thinking Skills and Their Mental Health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Maroofi

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction & Objective: Critical thinking is simply defined as ability for analysis and evaluation of information. Today, this skill is considered as an undeniable necessity for social life. So fostering critical thinking ability is one of the basic goals of different levels of education from primary school to higher education. Each conscious behavior is related to the theoretical and intellectual foundation and origin. Therefore, the quality and types of thought play an important role in human mental health. This research studies the relationship between female pre-university students' critical thinking skills and their mental health in the academic year 2009-2010 in Hamadan city. Materials & Methods: This study is a cross sectional research and our method is based on correlation. Using random multiple stages clustering method, we selected 331 students as statistical sample. The data gathering instruments are two standard questionnaires: California form b critical thinking questionnaire and 28-question Goldberg and Hilier general health questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistic indexes such as frequency, percent, mean and standard deviation and inferential tests such as Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regressions. Results: Research findings show that the average point of students' critical thinking skills is (6.51 out of 34 and their average point of mental health is (31.52 .About 61 persons(18.4 percent have not any psychological disorder, about 270 person (81.6 percent seemed to have psychological disorder symptoms. There are negative and significant differences between critical thinking skills and disorder in mental health. Multiple regression analysis show that: there is negative and significant differences between critical analysis and deductive rational skills with psychological disorder symptoms, that is when students' critical thinking skills increases, the psychological disorder symptoms decrease

  8. How well do second-year students learn physical diagnosis? Observational study of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon Steven R

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Little is known about using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE in physical diagnosis courses. The purpose of this study was to describe student performance on an OSCE in a physical diagnosis course. Methods Cross-sectional study at Harvard Medical School, 1997–1999, for 489 second-year students. Results Average total OSCE score was 57% (range 39–75%. Among clinical skills, students scored highest on patient interaction (72%, followed by examination technique (65%, abnormality identification (62%, history-taking (60%, patient presentation (60%, physical examination knowledge (47%, and differential diagnosis (40% (p Conclusions Students scored higher on interpersonal and technical skills than on interpretive or integrative skills. Station scores identified specific content that needs improved teaching.

  9. How Effective Are Community College Remedial Math Courses for Students with the Lowest Math Skills?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Di; Dadgar, Mina

    2018-01-01

    Objective: This article examines the effectiveness of remediation for community college students who are identified as having the lowest skills in math. Method: We use transcript data from a state community college system and take advantage of a regression discontinuity design that compares statistically identical students who are assigned to the


  10. Implementation of science process skills using ICT-based approach to facilitate student life skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahayu, Y. S.; Yuliani; Wijaya, B. R.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to describe the results of the implementation of a teaching-learning package in Plant Physiology courses to improve the student’s life skills using the science process skills-based approach ICT. This research used 15 students of Biology Education of Undergraduate International Class who are in the Plant Physiology course. This study consists of two phases items, namely the development phase and implementation phase by using a one-shot case study design. Research parameters were the feasibility of lesson plans, student achievement, Including academic skills, thinking skills, and social skills. Data were descriptively Analyzed According to the characteristics of the existing data. The result shows that the feasibility of a lesson plan is very satisfied and can be improvements in student’s life skills, especially with regards to student’s thinking skills and scientific thinking skills. The results indicate that the science process skills using ICT-based approach can be effective methods to improve student’s life skills.

  11. A Study of Interpersonal Communication Skills and its Associated Factors among Students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boshra vahabi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: Communication skills are behaviors that help the individual to properly express emotions and their needs and achieve the goals of interpersonal relations. The study was carried out to determine interpersonal communication skills and its associated factors among students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional. The study population were students of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences that 720 of them were selected and studied. A two-part questionnaire including demographic characteristics and 34questions about interpersonal communication skills was used. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: The mean score of the students' communication skills was 102.49±9.74. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean communication skills of the students and academic semester (p=0.62.The lowest (99.33±9.5 and the highest (104.25±10.18 mean score of communication skills were related to operating room and radiotherapy students. Conclusion: Capabilities of the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in the field of interpersonal communication skills is not good. Intervention studies to enhance communication skills are recommended.

  12. Culturally Responsive Social Skill Instruction for Latino Male Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, Ya-yu; Correa, Vivian I.; Anderson, Adrienne L.

    2015-01-01

    Cross-cultural friendships and peer interactions are important skills for Latino students to become socially adjusted in U.S. schools. Culturally responsive social skill instruction allows educators to teach essential social skills while attending to the native culture and personal experiences of the students. The present study examined the


  13. A Cultured Learning Environment: Implementing a Problem- and Service-Based Microbiology Capstone Course to Assess Process- and Skill-Based Learning Objectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, Rachel M.; Willford, John D.; Pfeifer, Mariel A.

    2018-01-01

    In this study, a problem-based capstone course was designed to assess the University of Wyoming Microbiology Program's skill-based and process-based student learning objectives. Students partnered with a local farm, a community garden, and a free downtown clinic in order to conceptualize, propose, perform, and present studies addressing problems


  14. Supporting law students’ skills development online – a strategy to improve skills and reduce student stress?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Hewitt

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Law students internationally suffer from a high level of psychological distress compared with the general and student populations, and anecdotal evidence suggests that students developing skills without adequate support experience significant stress and anxiety. This article considers an initiative at one Australian law school to develop a degree-wide structured online skills development programme as a means to both improve student skills acquisition and reduce student stress. The project implements, through the use of learning technology, the principles proposed by McKinney for making small changes to law school teaching, informed by self-efficacy theory, which can have powerful results.

  15. The Electronic Health Record Objective Structured Clinical Examination: Assessing Student Competency in Patient Interactions While Using the Electronic Health Record.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biagioli, Frances E; Elliot, Diane L; Palmer, Ryan T; Graichen, Carla C; Rdesinski, Rebecca E; Ashok Kumar, Kaparaboyna; Galper, Ari B; Tysinger, James W

    2017-01-01

    Because many medical students do not have access to electronic health records (EHRs) in the clinical environment, simulated EHR training is necessary. Explicitly training medical students to use EHRs appropriately during patient encounters equips them to engage patients while also attending to the accuracy of the record and contributing to a culture of information safety. Faculty developed and successfully implemented an EHR objective structured clinical examination (EHR-OSCE) for clerkship students at two institutions. The EHR-OSCE objectives include assessing EHR-related communication and data management skills. The authors collected performance data for students (n = 71) at the first institution during academic years 2011-2013 and for students (n = 211) at the second institution during academic year 2013-2014. EHR-OSCE assessment checklist scores showed that students performed well in EHR-related communication tasks, such as maintaining eye contact and stopping all computer work when the patient expresses worry. Findings indicated student EHR skill deficiencies in the areas of EHR data management including medical history review, medication reconciliation, and allergy reconciliation. Most students' EHR skills failed to improve as the year progressed, suggesting that they did not gain the EHR training and experience they need in clinics and hospitals. Cross-institutional data comparisons will help determine whether differences in curricula affect students' EHR skills. National and institutional policies and faculty development are needed to ensure that students receive adequate EHR education, including hands-on experience in the clinic as well as simulated EHR practice.

  16. STUDEnT EnGAGEMEnT AnD PARTnERInG FOR EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS DEVELOPMEnT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebiringa Ofoegbunam Thaddeus

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This study is motivated by the current high rate of graduates’ unemployment in Nigeria, occasioned by poor exposure of students to practical entrepreneurial skills development. The objective is to develop a tripartite partnering (public institutions, private institution and the students model for employability skills development in Nigerian universities. The paper employed survey method for data collection and non-parametric statistics for exploration of entrepreneurial perception of 480 students’ drawn from eight universities in the South East and South regions of Nigeria. The result shows that students that engaged in practical and collaborative entrepreneurial extra curricula activities have had opportunities to be mentored by experienced entrepreneurial minded academic and business leaders. The out-of-classroom experiences equipped them with critical personality traits and business management skills favourable to entrepreneurial venturing upon graduation. Unfortunately, this is not the case for students who are not involved in such extra curricula entrepreneurial activities.

  17. Development of biology student worksheets to facilitate science process skills of student

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahayu, Y. S.; Pratiwi, R.; Indana, S.

    2018-01-01

    This research aims to describe development of Biology student worksheets to facilitate science process skills of student, at the same time to facilitate thinking skills of students in senior high school are equipped with Assesment Sheets. The worksheets development refers to cycle which includes phase analysis (analysis), planning (planning), design (design), development (development), implementation (implementation), evaluation and revision (evaluation and revision). Phase evaluation and revision is an ongoing activity conducted in each phase of the development cycle. That is, after the evaluation of the results of these activities and make revisions at any phase, then continue to the next phase. Based on the test results for grade X, XI, and XII in St. Agnes Surabaya high school, obtained some important findings. The findings are as follows. (1) Developed biology student worksheets could be used to facilitate thinking ability of students in particular skills integrated process that includes components to formulate the problem, formulate hypotheses, determine the study variables, formulate an operational definition of variables, determine the steps in the research, planning data tables, organizing Data in the form of tables/charts, drawing conclusions, (2) Developed biology student worksheets could also facilitate the development of social interaction of students such as working together, listening/respect the opinions of others, assembling equipment and materials, discuss and share information and facilitate the upgrading of skills hands-on student activity. (3) Developed biology worksheets basically could be implemented with the guidance of the teacher step by step, especially for students who have never used a similar worksheet. Guidance at the beginning of this need, especially for worksheets that require special skills or understanding of specific concepts as a prerequisite, such as using a microscope, determine the heart rate, understand the mechanism of

  18. Study skills and habits in Shiraz dental students; strengths and weaknesses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarshenas, Ladan; Danaei, Shahla Momeni; Mazarei, Elham; Zarif Najafi, Hooman; Shakour, Mahsa

    2014-01-01

    The dental students, the same as other students, during their academic courses are required to learn a wide range of scientific subjects. Obviously, choosing the inappropriate method of study leads to confuse and disenchantment of students and it causes wasting of their energy. The purpose of this study was to assess the existing strengths and weaknesses of the skills and study habits in Dental Students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2009-10. In this cross-sectional study, all of the dental students (n = 274), who studied at the time of study at all levels in the academic year of 2009-10, were selected by the census. Data were collected by using the Huston University questionnaire consisted of two parts of demographic questions and 64 specific areas of study skills in eight domains of time management, concentration/memory, study aids/note taking, test strategies, information processing, motivation, self-assessment/reading, and writing skills. Following the retranslation of the questionnaire, the validity was confirmed by using the content validity method. The reliability was obtained by using the Cronbach's Alpha of 0.92. The data were analyzed with SPSS software version 17 and using analytical statistic tests. Students who have previously participated in the study skills workshops had stronger skills in comparison with the students who had not participated in these workshops. Time management skills (P = 0.04), motivation (P = 0.0001) and information processing (P = 0.03) in students with professional status were in a more favorable position and showed significant differences in terms of educational levels. The study skills mean score of the students living in student housings in comparison with the other students were significantly higher (P = 0.04). Marital status showed no significant differences in reading skills. The review of study skills in the undergraduate and post-graduate dental students indicated that the residents had higher reading skills

  19. Defining and assessing critical thinking skills for student radiographers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castle, Alan

    2009-01-01

    Developing critical thinking skills is a key aim of higher education and is important in preparing student radiographers for their future careers in clinical practice. The aim of this paper was to attempt to devise and assess six key components of critical thinking appropriate for radiographic practice. Each of the six components was divided into three dimensions and a Critical Thinking Skills Scoring Chart (CTSSC) devised to assess students' written performance against each dimension. Scores revealed that approximately 30% of students were rated as good and approximately 10% of students were rated as poor in each component, although there was some variability between different dimensions. It is suggested that educators need to encourage and support students to develop their critical thinking skills by reviewing their curriculum to clearly define specific skills and ensure that they are appropriately taught and assessed

  20. Improving Students' Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Communication Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geissler, Gary L.; Edison, Steve W.; Wayland, Jane P.

    2012-01-01

    Business professors continue to face the challenge of truly preparing their students for the workplace. College students often lack skills that are valued by employers, such as critical thinking, creativity, communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork skills. Traditional classroom methods, such as lectures, may fail to produce adequate


  1. A qualitative evaluation of scalpel skill teaching of podiatry students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Causby, Ryan S; McDonnell, Michelle N; Reed, Lloyd; Fryer, Caroline E; Hillier, Susan L

    2017-01-01

    Degrees in health disciplines need a balance of theoretical knowledge and sufficient clinical practice to meet registration requirements, in particular those requiring specialist skills such as the use of scalpels and other small instruments, such as podiatry. However, despite this requirement there is a scarcity of literature and research to inform teaching of these particular manual clinical skills. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine the current approaches being used to teach manual skills, in particular scalpel skills, in university podiatry programs in Australia and New Zealand, and to explore what issues, challenges and innovations exist. A qualitative study, consisting of semi-structured interviews with staff at eight university podiatry programs in Australia and New Zealand was undertaken to determine how these skills are taught and evaluated, and how poor performers are managed. A conventional content analysis technique was used to analyse and code interview data, with the resultant categories reported. Approaches to teaching manual clinical skills, in particular scalpel skills, appear to be consistent between university programs in Australia and New Zealand in utilising didactic-style content, demonstration, physical practice on inanimate objects and real skin, and often the use of supplementary audio-visual material. The main reported differences between programs were in methods and processes of practice, with controversy regarding the use of inanimate objects versus real skin for practice. Despite a lack of research and literature surrounding this topic, the approach to teaching is relatively consistent between programs with greatest disparity being the structure and duration of practice. Key issues for teaching staff in teaching manual skills were students' clinical exposure, motivation, levels of anxiety and dexterity.

  2. Critical-Thinking Skills of First-Year Athletic Training Students Enrolled in Professional Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bates, Dana K.; Sikkema, Jill A.; Nynas, Suzette M.; Culp, Clinton

    2017-01-01

    Context: The Examination of Professional Degree Level document presented to the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Directors states that research in athletic training education has not investigated differences in the critical-thinking skills of professional athletic training students. Objective: Investigate the differences in


  3. A whole-of-curriculum approach to improving nursing students' applied numeracy skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van de Mortel, Thea F; Whitehair, Leeann P; Irwin, Pauletta M

    2014-03-01

    Nursing students often perform poorly on numeracy tests. Whilst one-off interventions have been trialled with limited success, a whole-of-curriculum approach may provide a better means of improving applied numeracy skills. The objective of the study is to assess the efficacy of a whole-of-curriculum approach in improving nursing students' applied numeracy skills. Two cycles of assessment, implementation and evaluation of strategies were conducted following a high fail rate in the final applied numeracy examination in a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) programme. Strategies included an early diagnostic assessment followed by referral to remediation, setting the pass mark at 100% for each of six applied numeracy examinations across the programme, and employing a specialist mathematics teacher to provide consistent numeracy teaching. The setting of the study is one Australian university. 1035 second and third year nursing students enrolled in four clinical nursing courses (CNC III, CNC IV, CNC V and CNC VI) were included. Data on the percentage of students who obtained 100% in their applied numeracy examination in up to two attempts were collected from CNCs III, IV, V and VI between 2008 and 2011. A four by two χ(2) contingency table was used to determine if the differences in the proportion of students achieving 100% across two examination attempts in each CNC were significantly different between 2008 and 2011. The percentage of students who obtained 100% correct answers on the applied numeracy examinations was significantly higher in 2011 than in 2008 in CNC III (χ(2)=272, 3; p<0.001), IV (χ(2)=94.7, 3; p<0.001) and VI (χ(2)=76.3, 3; p<0.001). A whole-of-curriculum approach to developing applied numeracy skills in BN students resulted in a substantial improvement in these skills over four years. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Developing Critical Thinking Skills of Students in Mathematics Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firdaus Firdaus

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Critical thinking skills should be owned by students. Therefore, schools should be responsible to develop and  evaluate critical thinking skills through teaching and learning process in schools. This study aims to identify the effects of mathematical learning modules based on problem-based learning to critical thinking skills at secondary school students in District of Bone. Assessment of critical thinking skills in mathematical problem solving non-routine includes three parts;  the identification and interpretation of information, information analysis, and evaluate of evidence and arguments. This study involved a total of 68 students grade 12 science state secondary school (SMAN in Bone District of South Sulawesi, Indonesia in academic year 2014-2015. The sample consists of 38 students in the city and 30 rural students. The design of the study was quasi experimental one group pretest-posttest. The data was analysed using the inferential t-test with SPSS 20.0 for windows. The study found that there are effects of the use of mathematical learning module based PBL to enhance the ability of critical thinking skills in mathematics students in all three components, namely, identifying and interpreting information, information analysis, and evaluate of evidence and argument.

  5. Objective assessment of technical skills in surgery

    OpenAIRE

    Moorthy, Krishna; Munz, Yaron; Sarker, Sudip K; Darzi, Ara

    2003-01-01

    In the past few years, considerable developments have been made in the objective assessment of technical proficiency of surgeons. Technical skills should be assessed during training, and various methods have been developed for this purpose

  6. Physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their Bachelor studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurunsaari, Merja; Piirainen, Arja; TynjÀlÀ, PÀivi

    2015-05-01

    Skills have recently received widespread attention in education policy documents and discussions. This article reports the results of research on Bachelor's degree physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their studies. The aim of the present study was to examine how beginning students understand skill, and the focus was on conceptions of skill in general rather than on any particular skills. The participants of the study were 35 physiotherapy students. The data were gathered within the first two weeks of their university studies. Specifically, requested essays written by the students were analyzed using the phenomenographic approach. The data-driven analysis yielded four descriptive categories which reflect the students' conceptions of skill: (1) Talents; (2) Skills requiring individual practice; (3) Skills requiring social practice; and (4) Competence requiring collaboration. The categories form a hierarchy. The differences between the categories are described along seven themes of variation. The themes were named: (1) Acquisition; (2) Emotions; (3) Motivation; (4) Reflection; (5) Evaluation; (6) Agency; and (7) Social Environment. This hierarchical system of categories sheds new light on students' understanding of the skill. The findings can be used as a basis for planning physiotherapy curricula, especially for designing skills education and training, and for supporting students along their educational path, especially in offering opportunities for students to reflect on their skill conceptions. Ultimately, physiotherapy students' awareness of different skill conceptions and developing their skills to advise and treat will benefit patients.

  7. The Development of Students' Writing Skills by Teaching Critical Thinking

    OpenAIRE

    äč…äżç”°, 焐歌

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present some approaches to teaching critical thinking to college students for developing their Japanese academic writing skills. By examining the literature of critical thinking and writing, this paper shows the following. (1)How philosophy faculty can teach critical thinking skills to their own students the way they can improve their skills necessary for writing argumentative essays. (2)By what class and curriculum students' academic writing skills can be fost...

  8. Mastery learning improves students skills in inserting intravenous access: a pre-post-study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Friederichs, Hendrik

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Inserting peripheral venous catheters (PVCs has been identified as a core competency for medical students. Because the performance – even of hygienic standards – of both students and novice physicians is frequently inadequate, medical faculties must focus on competence-based learning objectives and deliberate practice, features that are combined in mastery learning. Our aim was to determine the competency of students in inserting PVCs before and after an educational intervention. Design: This study comprised a skills assessment with pre- and post-tests of a group of third-year students who received a simulation-based intervention. A newly established curriculum involved one hour of practice at inserting PVCs on simulators. Students were required to pass a test (total 21 points, pass mark 20 points developed on the concept of mastery learning. An unannounced follow-up test was performed one week (8 days after the intervention.Setting: The simulation center of the medical faculty in Muenster.Participants: Third-year students who received the intervention.Results: One hundred and nine complete data sets were obtained from 133 students (82.5%. Most students (97.2% passed the test after the intervention (mean score increase from 15.56 to 20.50, <0.001. There was a significant decrease in students’ performance after one week (8 days: only 74.5% of participants passed this retest (mean score reduction from 20.50 to 20.06, <0.001. Conclusion: Mastery learning is an effective form of teaching practical skills to medical students, allowing a thorough preparation for the challenges of daily clinical practice.

  9. A Peer-Assisted Learning Program and Its Effect on Student Skill Demonstration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carr, W. David; Volberding, Jennifer; Vardiman, Phillip

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To explore the effect of an intentional Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) program on peer-tutors and peer-tutees for performance on specific psychomotor skills. Design and Setting: Randomized, pretest-posttest experimental design. Participants: Undergraduate students (N = 69, 42 females and 27 males, all participants were 18 to 22 years old,


  10. Student Learning Strategy and Soft-skill in Clothing Business Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ampera, D.

    2018-02-01

    Clothing Business Management course is a subject delivering knowledge and skills about how to manage clothing business. This course requires students’ ethics, leadership, commitment, toughness, honesty, and the ability to take initiative, argue logically, and work together. However, students are not fully efficient in managing a business during practical task. The purpose of the study is to investigate: (1) the differences of students’ learning achievement between those receiving gradual and conventional learning strategy, (2)the effect of interactions between learning strategy and soft skills toward students learning achievement, (3) the differences of learning achievement of high soft skills students who receive gradual and conventional learning strategy, (4) the differences of learning achievement of low soft skills students who receive gradual and conventional learning strategy. The 2x2 treatment-by-level experimental study was carried out in Dressmaking Study Program. The result proved significantly that, overall, differences of students learning achievement exist, except of low soft skills students.

  11. Factors associated with pharmacy students' attitudes towards learning communication skills - A study among Nordic pharmacy students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svensberg, Karin; Brandlistuen, Ragnhild Eek; Björnsdottir, Ingunn; Sporrong, Sofia KÀlvemark

    2018-03-01

    Good communication skills are essential for pharmacy students to help patients with their medicines. Students' attitudes towards communication skills learning will influence their willingness to engage in communication training, and their skills when dealing with patients later on in their professional life. The aim of this study was to explore Nordic pharmacy students' attitudes to communication skills learning, and the associations between those attitudes and various student characteristics. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in 11 Nordic pharmacy schools between April 2015 and January 2016. The overall response rate for the final study population was 77% (367 out of 479 students). Pharmacy students who had fulfilled all mandatory communication training and most of their pharmacy practical experience periods were included. The communication skills attitudes scale was the main outcome. Linear regression models were fitted with the outcome variable and various student characteristics as the predictors, using generalized estimating equations to account for clustering within pharmacy schools. Nordic pharmacy students in general have moderately positive attitudes towards learning communication skills. Positive attitudes towards learning communication skills among pharmacy students were associated with being female (ÎČ adjusted 0.42, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.63, p skills improvement (ÎČ adjusted 0.50, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.71, pskills are not the result of personality (ÎČ adjusted  -0.24, 95% CI -0.44 to -0.04, p=0.017). The study provides important information for faculty members responsible for curriculum improvements and teachers to refine their teaching of communication skills. From this, the teaching can be better tailored to suit different students. The students' chances of being able to effectively help patients in the future will be increased by that. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Benchmarking HEI impact on students' soft skills development with labour market demands

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    JĂžrgensen, Henning P.; Roth, Eva

    Report on an international comprison of students' and companies attitudes regarding soft skills aiming at securing correspondence between students perception of own skills and companies demands.......Report on an international comprison of students' and companies attitudes regarding soft skills aiming at securing correspondence between students perception of own skills and companies demands....

  13. Relationships among video gaming proficiency and spatial orientation, laparoscopic, and traditional surgical skills of third-year veterinary students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millard, Heather A Towle; Millard, Ralph P; Constable, Peter D; Freeman, Lyn J

    2014-02-01

    To determine the relationships among traditional and laparoscopic surgical skills, spatial analysis skills, and video gaming proficiency of third-year veterinary students. Prospective, randomized, controlled study. A convenience sample of 29 third-year veterinary students. The students had completed basic surgical skills training with inanimate objects but had no experience with soft tissue, orthopedic, or laparoscopic surgery; the spatial analysis test; or the video games that were used in the study. Scores for traditional surgical, laparoscopic, spatial analysis, and video gaming skills were determined, and associations among these were analyzed by means of Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient (rs). A significant positive association (rs = 0.40) was detected between summary scores for video game performance and laparoscopic skills, but not between video game performance and traditional surgical skills scores. Spatial analysis scores were positively (rs = 0.30) associated with video game performance scores; however, that result was not significant. Spatial analysis scores were not significantly associated with laparoscopic surgical skills scores. Traditional surgical skills scores were not significantly associated with laparoscopic skills or spatial analysis scores. Results of this study indicated video game performance of third-year veterinary students was predictive of laparoscopic but not traditional surgical skills, suggesting that laparoscopic performance may be improved with video gaming experience. Additional studies would be required to identify methods for improvement of traditional surgical skills.

  14. Students' Competence in some Problem Solving Skills throughout ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    NICO

    Cognitive skills, thinking skills, problem solving, students' difficulties with cognitive skills. 1. Introduction ... storage of information in memory, and the retrieval and use of ..... 18 P. Eggen and D. Kauchak, Educational Psychology, Windows on.

  15. Metabolic Pathways Visualization Skills Development by Undergraduate Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    dos Santos, Vanessa J. S. V.; Galembeck, Eduardo

    2015-01-01

    We have developed a metabolic pathways visualization skill test (MPVST) to gain greater insight into our students' abilities to comprehend the visual information presented in metabolic pathways diagrams. The test is able to discriminate students' visualization ability with respect to six specific visualization skills that we identified as key to


  16. Porcine wet lab improves surgical skills in third year medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drosdeck, Joseph; Carraro, Ellen; Arnold, Mark; Perry, Kyle; Harzman, Alan; Nagel, Rollin; Sinclair, Lynnsay; Muscarella, Peter

    2013-09-01

    Medical students desire to become proficient in surgical techniques and believe their acquisition is important. However, the operating room is a challenging learning environment. Small group procedural workshops can improve confidence, participation, and performance. The use of fresh animal tissues has been rated highly among students and improves their surgical technique. Greater exposure to surgical procedures and staff could positively influence students' interest in surgical careers. We hypothesized that a porcine "wet lab" course for third year medical students would improve their surgical skills. Two skills labs were conducted for third year medical students during surgery clerkships in the fall of 2011. The students' surgical skills were first evaluated in the operating room across nine dimensions. Next, the students performed the following procedures during the skills lab: (1) laparotomy; (2) small bowel resection; (3) splenectomy; (4) partial hepatectomy; (5) cholecystectomy; (6) interrupted abdominal wall closure; (7) running abdominal wall closure; and (8) skin closure. After the skills lab, the students were re-evaluated in the operating room across the same nine dimensions. Student feedback was also recorded. Fifty-one participants provided pre- and post-lab data for use in the final analysis. The mean scores for all nine surgical skills improved significantly after participation in the skills lab (P ≀ 0.002). Cumulative post-test scores also showed significant improvement (P = 0.002). Finally, the student feedback was largely positive. The surgical skills of third year medical students improved significantly after participation in a porcine wet lab, and the students rated the experience as highly educational. Integration into the surgery clerkship curriculum would promote surgical skill proficiency and could elicit interest in surgical careers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. A Closer Look at Social Skills and School Performance: Students' Peer Relations Skills and Assertion Skills as Predictors for Their Written and Oral Performances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurkowski, Susanne; HĂ€nze, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Students' individual learning is supposed to be based on cognitive and social processes. Therefore, students' social skills are assumed to play an important role for school performance. This study set out to investigate the links between students' peer relations skills and assertion skills and their grades for written performances and oral


  18. Critical thinking skills of undergraduate nursing students: description and demographic predictors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Sharyn; Pitt, Victoria; Croce, Nic; Roche, Jan

    2014-05-01

    This study investigated the critical thinking skills among undergraduate nursing students in Australia to obtain a profile and determine demographic predictors of critical thinking. There is universal agreement that being a critical thinker is an outcome requirement for many accreditation and registering nursing bodies. Most studies provide descriptive statistical information about critical thinking skills while some have studied the changes in critical thinking after an intervention. Limited research about factors that predict critical thinking skills is available. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using convenience sampling. Two hundred and sixty-nine students were recruited across three years of an undergraduate programme in 2009. Most students' age ranged from under 20 to 34 years (58%), 87% were female, 91% were Australian and 23% of first and second year students had nursing associated experience external to the university. Data about critical thinking skills were collected via the Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT). Linear regression analysis investigated the predictors of nursing students' critical thinking skills. The students in third year had a profile of critical thinking skills comparable with HSRT norms. Year of study predicted higher critical thinking scores for all domains (p<0.001) except the subscale, analysis. Nationality predicted higher scores for total CT skill scores (p<0.001) and subscales, inductive (p=0.001) and deductive reasoning (p=0.001). Nursing associated experience predicted higher scores for the subscale, analysis (p<0.001). Age and gender were not predictive. However, these demographic predictors only accounted for a small variance obtained for the domains of CT skills. An understanding of factors that predict nursing students' CT skills is required. Despite this study finding a number of significant predictors of nursing students' CT skills, there are others yet to be understood. Future research is recommended

  19. Attitudes of medical students toward communication skills learning in Western Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alotaibi, Fawaz S; Alsaeedi, Abdullah

    2016-07-01

    To explore medical students' attitudes towards communication skills learning in Western Saudi Arabia and to examine impact of socio-demographic variables on the attitudes towards learning these skills.   In this cross-sectional study, sample of medical students were recruited from Taif University, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the second semester (January-May 2014). Participants were all year 2 (197 students) and year 5 (151 students). The study utilize the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) to measure students' attitudes toward communication skills learning. The response rate was 93.9%.  The study showed that Taif medical students hold highly positive attitudes towards learning communication skills. Positive attitude score (PAS) was significantly higher in level 5 students, older age group.   Significant positive attitude toward learning communication skills clearly observed in target group. Students with more positive attitudes towards communication skills learning tended to be higher level and older age.

  20. The Effects of Using Concept Cartoons in Astronomy Subjects on Critical Thinking Skills among Seventh Grade Student

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demirci, Filiz; ÖzyĂŒrek, Cengiz

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study is to research the effects of using concept cartoons in the "Solar System and Beyond" unit, which is included in seventh grade science lessons, on students' critical thinking skills. The study group consisted of 58 students, selected using an appropriate sampling method, who were students in a state secondary


  1. Factors Influencing Students' Perceptions of Their Quantitative Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, Kelly E.; Hodgson, Yvonne; Varsavsky, Cristina

    2013-01-01

    There is international agreement that quantitative skills (QS) are an essential graduate competence in science. QS refer to the application of mathematical and statistical thinking and reasoning in science. This study reports on the use of the Science Students Skills Inventory to capture final year science students' perceptions of their QS across


  2. A pilot study: the effects of music therapy interventions on middle school students' ESL skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, Roy; Scott, Amanda

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of music therapy techniques on the story retelling and speaking skills of English as a Second Language (ESL) middle school students. Thirty-four middle school students of Hispanic heritage, ages 10-12, in high and low-functioning groups participated in the study for 12 weeks. Pretest to posttest data yielded significant differences on the story retelling skills between the experimental and control groups. Chi Square comparisons on English speaking skills also yielded significant results over 3 months of music therapy intervention. A variety of music therapy techniques were used including music and movement, active music listening, group chanting and singing, musical games, rhythmic training, music and sign language, and lyric analysis and rewrite activities as supplemental activities to the ESL goals and objectives. Comparisons of individual subjects' scores indicated that all of the students in the experimental groups scored higher than the control groups on story retelling skills (with the exception of 1 pair of identical scores), regardless of high and low functioning placement. Monthly comparisons of the high and low functioning experimental groups indicated significant improvements in English speaking skills as well.

  3. Attitudes of Sri Lankan medical students toward learning communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marambe, Kosala N; Edussuriya, D H; Dayaratne, K M P L

    2012-01-01

    The General Medical Council of the UK, advocates that by the end of their undergraduate course, medical students should be proficient in communicating with patients. However, the attitude of some medical students toward formal training in communication skills seems lukewarm. Although several studies on assessing attitudes of medical students on learning communication skills have been carried out in Europe and America, Asian studies are very few and literature in the Sri Lankan context is lacking. To explore the attitudes of first to fourth year medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya (FOMUP), Sri Lanka on learning communication skills and to identify possible factors that may influence student attitudes. A total of 675 students from year 1 to 4 of the FOMUP were asked to complete a modified version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale. Items of its positive attitude scale (PAS) were analyzed together while negative items were considered individually. Response rates ranged from 70% to 98% for the various year groups. There were no significant differences between the PAS for males and females and for those exposed to formal training and those who were not. The junior students scored significantly higher on the PAS than seniors. Most students of all the groups disagreed with the item "I don't see why I should learn communication skills". Approximately one-quarter of the students of each group endorsed the statement "Nobody is going to fail their medical degree for having poor communication skills". Out of the students who have undergone formal communication training, almost one-third agreed that they find it difficult to take communication skills learning seriously. Although medical students seem to have realized the importance of communication skills training for the practice of medicine, a significant minority have reservations on attending such sessions. Sri Lanka faculty will need to make a concerted effort to change this

  4. Empowering Engineering Students through Employability Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaushal, Urvashi

    2016-01-01

    A professional course program like engineering strives to get the maximum number of its students placed through campus interviews. While communication skills have been added in all the engineering courses with the aim to improve their performance in placement, the syllabus mostly concentrates on the development of four language skills. The


  5. Reading skills among students with intellectual disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratz, Christoph; Lenhard, Wolfgang

    2013-05-01

    Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) display an extremely wide variety of skills in the field of literacy, and the ability to read and write are central learning aims in the education of students with ID. It is vital to gain detailed knowledge on the literacy skills of students with ID in order to plan instruction, create learning environments, implement educational policies or funding models and specify future fields of research. However, there has been little research into the prevalence and variation of their reading skills. The present study assessed the reading stages of 1629 school-aged students with ID regardless of aetiology (age 6-21) in Bavaria, one of the largest regions in Germany within a randomly chosen and representative sample. Teachers described the reading and writing stages of their students in a questionnaire following the developmental model of Frith. Results indicate that 29.3% do not read at all, 6.8% read at a logographic stage, 31.9% at an alphabetic and 32% at an orthographic level. Writing achievements are lower on average. We analyze and discuss the determinants of literacy in this sample with regard to the sociocultural background of students with ID and draw conclusions for teaching and school policies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Time Management Skills of Nursing Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tulay Basak

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available AIM: The purpose of this research was to determine time management skills of nursing students. METHOD: Time Management Inventory and the form that has been developed via screening the literatures by researcher were used gather data. The descriptive study was carried out between the 1st May 2007 and 31st May 2007. The research population of this study constituted nursing students in a Nursing School in Turkey. The sample was consisted of 323 students. Statistical analysis was made using Mann-Whithey U test, One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis, Sperman’s correlation analysis. RESULTS: Nursing student’s total time management points were minimum 46 maximum 127 and median is 89.41±12.71. Total time management points were higher at older age group than the other group. There was a significant correlation between total time management points and academic achievement of nursing students. CONCLUSION: Nursing students needs progress about time planing. Students who are older age had better time management skills. As the total time management point increased also academic achievement point increased. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2008; 7(5.000: 429-434

  7. Assessment of collaborative problem solving skills in Undergraduate Medical Students at Ziauddin College of Medicine, Karachi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mughal, Arsalan Manzoor; Shaikh, Sirajul Haque

    2018-01-01

    Objective: Collaborative Problem Solving Empirical Progressions from the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) framework were used to determine the level of collaborative problem solving skills (CPS) in first, second and third year MBBS students at Ziauddin College of Medicine during Problem-Based Learning (PBL) sessions. Variations based on gender and roles were studied. Methods: It is an analytical comparative cross-sectional study in which seven PBL groups were selected per year by non-probability convenient sampling. Data was collected using the Collaborative Problem Solving Five Strands Empirical Progressions by the primary investigator through observation of the students during PBL sessions. Duration of study was six months. Results: We found that in our students, development of social dimension skills is facilitated to a greater extent than the development of cognitive dimension skills through the process of PBL. These skills are generally better developed in the leader compared to the scribe and members in a group. They are also more developed in females compared to males. Modification in them is also observed as the year's progress. Conclusion: Although PBLs facilitate development of CPS skills' progression however in our curriculum, PBLs mainly focus on social skills development and have less emphasis on cognitive skill development. Thus, hybrid instructional strategies with components from TBL and mentorship are recommended for better development of CPS skills. PMID:29643904

  8. Enhancing College Students' Life Skills through Project Based Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wurdinger, Scott; Qureshi, Mariam

    2015-01-01

    This study examined whether life skills could be developed in a Project Based Learning (PBL) course. The participants were students enrolled in a graduate level PBL course. The same 35-question survey was given to students at the beginning and end of the course, and students were asked to rank their life skills using a Likert scale. Additionally,


  9. Making Students Eat Their Greens: Information Skills for Chemistry Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    George, Sarah; Munshi, Tasnim

    2016-01-01

    Employers are increasingly requiring a range of "soft" skills from chemistry graduates, including the ability to search for and critically evaluate information. This paper discusses the issues around encouraging chemistry students to engage with information skills and suggests curricular changes which may help to "drip-feed"


  10. A Study on Tourism Students' Communication Skills: Afyon Kocatepe University Example

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elbeyi PELÄ°T

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Today, as in every business, human resources is also very important in the labor intensive tourism sector. Providing and improving communication skills of tourism students who continue their vocational training is an important issue in the educational process. In this context, determining communication skills of the people in this process is important. The purpose of this research is to determine the graduate-level tourism students' communication skills. In this context, this research was carried out to the undergraduate level students studying at Afyon Kocatepe University Faculty of Tourism on 2014-2015 academic year spring semester. Survey method was used as a data collection method and 345 students participated to the research. According to the results of the study, students' communication skills were found to be generally high. Also according to the findings, female students have higher communication skills than male students

  11. A Scale Development for 21st Century Skills of Primary School Students: A Validity and Reliability Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyaci, S. Dilek Belet; Atalay, Nurhan

    2016-01-01

    The objective of the present study is to develop a measurement tool to assess 21st Century learning and innovation skills of primary school students. Study data was collected from 632 fourth grade students in five different primary schools during 2014-2015 academic year and data obtained from 609 fourth grade students were utilized in the study.


  12. A comparison of students' self-assessments with faculty evaluations of their communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundquist, Lisa M; Shogbon, Angela O; Momary, Kathryn M; Rogers, Hannah K

    2013-05-13

    To compare students' self-assessment of their communication skills with faculty members' formal evaluation of their skills in a therapeutics course. Over a 3-year period, faculty members evaluated second-year pharmacy students' communication skills as part of a requirement in a therapeutics course. Immediately following an individual oral assessment and again following a group oral assessment, students self-assessed their communication skills using the same rubric the faculty members had used. Students' self-assessments were then compared with faculty members' evaluation of students' communication skills. Four hundred one (97.3%) students consented to participate in this study. Faculty evaluation scores of students for both the individual and group oral assessments were significantly higher than students' self-assessment scores. Students' self-assessment scores of their communication skills increased from the individual to the group oral assessment. Students' self-assessments of communication skills were consistently lower than faculty members' evaluations. Greater use of oral assessments throughout the pharmacy curriculum may help to improve students' confidence in and self-assessment of their communication skills.

  13. Exploring the Self-Reported ICT Skill Levels of Undergraduate Science Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jef C. Verhoeven

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Computers have taken an important place in the training of science students and in the professional life of scientists. It is often taken for granted that most students have mastered basic Information and Communication Technologies (ICT skills; however, it has been shown that not all students are equally proficient in this regard. Starting from theories of socialization and technology acceptance we report how we constructed a structural equation model (SEM to explore the variance in the basic ICT skill levels of science students. We also present the results of a test of this model with university bachelor’s science students. Basic ICT skills were measured using a new, elaborate instrument allowing students to rate their skills in detail. Our results show that science students score high on basic ICT skills and that our SEM explains a large part of the variation in the ICT skill levels of these students. The most explanatory power is coming from four variables: the perceived ease of use and the perceived usefulness of a personal computer, the anxiety for using a personal computer, and students’ belief that ICT is necessary for scientific research.

  14. Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills of Undergraduate Nursing Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yalçın KANBAY

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Due to the fact that critical thinking and problem solving skills are essential components of educational and social lives of individuals, this present study which investigate critical thinking and problem solving skills of undergraduate students of nursing was planned. This is a descriptive study. The study population consisted of undergraduate nursing students of a university during the 2011-2012 academic year. Any specific sampling method was not determined and only the voluntary students was enrolled in the study . Several participants were excluded due to incomplete questionnaires, and eventually a total of 231 nursing students were included in the final sampling. Socio Demographic Features Data Form and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Scale and Problem Solving Inventory were used for data collection. The mean age of 231 subjects (148 girls, 83 boys was 21.34. The mean score of critical thinking was 255.71 for the first-grade, 255.57 for the second-grade, 264.73 for the third-grade, and 256.468 for the forth-grade students. The mean score of critical thinking was determined as 257.41 for the sample, which can be considered as an average value. Although there are mean score differences of critical thinking between the classes , they were not statistically significant (p> 0.05. With regard to the mean score of problem solving, the first-grade students had 92.86, the second-grade students had 94. 29, the third-grade students had 87.00, and the forth-grade students had 92.87. The mean score of problem solving was determined as 92.450 for the sample. Although there are differences between the classes in terms of mean scores of problem solving, it was not found statistically significant (p> 0.05. In this study, statistically significant correlation could not be identified between age and critical thinking skills of the subjects (p>0.05. However, a negative correlation was identified at low levels between critical thinking skills and

  15. Improving the interview skills of college students using behavioral skills training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stocco, Corey S; Thompson, Rachel H; Hart, John M; Soriano, Heidi L

    2017-07-01

    Obtaining a job as a college graduate is partly dependent on interview performance. We used a multiple baseline design across skills to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training with self-evaluation for five college students. Training effects were evaluated using simulated interviews as baseline and posttraining assessments. All participants acquired targeted skills, but we observed some individual differences. Participants were satisfied with training outcomes and rated the procedures as acceptable. Furthermore, ratings from university staff who provide interview training indicated that training improved performance across several skills for the majority of participants. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

  16. Implementation of an Electronic Objective Structured Clinical Exam for Assessing Practical Skills in Pre-Professional Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Programs: Examiner and Course Coordinator Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snodgrass, Suzanne J.; Ashby, Samantha E.; Rivett, Darren A.; Russell, Trevor

    2014-01-01

    Assessment of practical clinical skills is essential in the health fields. Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs), where examiners assess students performing clinical procedures on simulated patients (actors), are central to the evaluation of practical skills. However, traditional OSCEs require considerable time-investment to administer, and


  17. Pairing students in clinical assignments to develop collaboration and communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartges, Mali

    2012-01-01

    Skillful collaboration and communication among healthcare team members are associated with favorable patient outcomes. Student nurses need opportunities for supervised development of these crucial and intertwined skills. The author describes the implementation of a practice-change project for simultaneously developing collaboration and communication skills by pairing prelicensure student nurses in clinical assignments. This easily adapted strategy increases options for faculty looking to stimulate student acquisition of these professional skills.

  18. StudentÂŽs self-assessment of clinical competence and objective clinical performance in OSCE evaluation

    OpenAIRE

    JĂŒnger, J; Schellberg, D; Nikendei, C

    2006-01-01

    [english] Overestimating one's clinical competence can be dangerous to patient's safety. Therefore the goal of this study was to identify students with high confidence in their own clinical competence but low performance in objective assessment. 171 students in the 14 week course in internal medicine completed the clinical skills-related self-assessment expectations (SE) and were tested in a 12 station OSCE. Both measures were obtained within three days. In total we identified 16% of students...

  19. Rapid application design of an electronic clinical skills portfolio for undergraduate medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dornan, Tim; Lee, Catherine; Stopford, Adam; Hosie, Liam; Maredia, Neil; Rector, Alan

    2005-04-01

    The aim was to find how to use information and communication technology to present the clinical skills content of an undergraduate medical curriculum. Rapid application design was used to develop the product, and technical action research was used to evaluate the development process. A clinician-educator, two medical students, two computing science masters students, two other project workers, and a hospital education informatics lead, formed a design team. A sample of stakeholders took part in requirements planning workshops and continued to advise the team throughout the project. A university hospital had many features that favoured fast, inexpensive, and successful system development: a clearly defined and readily accessible user group; location of the development process close to end-users; fast, informal communication; leadership by highly motivated and senior end-users; devolved authority and lack of any rigidly imposed management structure; cooperation of clinicians because the project drew on their clinical expertise to achieve scholastic goals; a culture of learning and involvement of highly motivated students. A detailed specification was developed through storyboarding, use case diagramming, and evolutionary prototyping. A very usable working product was developed within weeks. "SkillsBase" is a database web application using Microsoft Active Server Pages, served from a Microsoft Windows 2000 Server operating system running Internet Information Server 5.0. Graphing functionality is provided by the KavaChart applet. It presents the skills curriculum, provides a password-protected portfolio function, and offers training materials. The curriculum can be presented in several different ways to help students reflect on their objectives and progress towards achieving them. The reflective portfolio function is entirely private to each student user and allows them to document their progress in attaining skills, as judged by self, peer and tutor assessment, and

  20. Teaching Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Service (ALSCS) to medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Adam O; Calleson, Diane; Bearman, Rachel; Steiner, Beat D; Frasier, Pamela Y; Slatt, Lisa

    2009-06-01

    Inadequate access to health care, lack of health insurance, and significant health disparities reflect crises in health care affecting all of society. Training U.S. physicians to possess not only clinical expertise but also sufficient leadership skills is essential to solve these problems and to effectively improve health care systems. Few models in the undergraduate medical curriculum exist for teaching students how to combine needed leadership competencies with actual service opportunities.The Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Service (ALSCS) selective developed in response to the shortage of leadership models and leadership training for medical students. The ALSCS selective is designed specifically to increase students' leadership skills, with an emphasis on community service. The selective integrates classroom-based learning, hands-on application of learned skills, and service learning. More than 60 medical students have participated in the selective since inception. Short-term outcomes demonstrate an increase in students' self-efficacy around multiple dimensions of leadership skills (e.g., fundraising, networking, motivating others). Students have also successfully completed more than a dozen leadership and community service projects. The selective offers an innovative model of a leadership-skills-based course that can have a positive impact on leadership skill development among medical school students and that can be incorporated into the medical school curriculum.

  1. A Scale Development for 21st Century Skills of Primary School Students: A Validity and Reliability Study1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ƞ. Dilek Belet Boyacı

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present study is to develop a measurement tool to assess 21st Century learning and innovation skills of primary school students. Study data was collected from 632 fourth grade students in five different primary schools during 2014 – 2015 academic year and data obtained from 609 fourth grade students were utilized in the study. The scale was developed in six stages. These were; establishing the scale items, consultation of experts, pretest stage, determination of structural validity, reliability assessment, and finalization of the scale, respectively. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient for the whole scale, which consisted of three factors, was calculated as 0.95. 0.89. As a result of the current study, a Likert-type 21st Century learning and innovation skills scale with 39 items was developed. 20 items of the scale were related to creativity and innovation skills, 12 were related to critical thinking and problem solving skills, and 7 were related to cooperation and communication skills.

  2. An investigation to find strategies to improve student nurses' maths skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Kerri

    Being able to perform drug calculations accurately is an essential skill for nurses. Many studies, however, have demonstrated that nurses need to improve this area of their practice and in particular their mathematical skills. Several strategies have been implemented to develop the drug calculation skills of nurses, with mixed success. This article reports on a study that was carried out to investigate whether strategies implemented within a second-year pre-registration course were perceived by students to be helpful in improving their mathematical skills for drug calculations. The results demonstrated that students felt their mathematics and confidence improved as a result of these strategies. The students' evaluation of the learning strategy that they found most helpful in learning drug calculation gave a mixed result, indicating that students have differing learning styles and needs. The study also indicates that student nurses were able to integrate the mathematical skills into their nursing practice by having different strategies that allowed them to develop conceptual, mathematical and practical skills concurrently. The study recommends the implementation of integrated strategies to address drug calculation skills in student nurses, although further research is still required.

  3. Nursing students' perceptions of soft skills training in Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laari, Luke; Dube, Barbara M

    2017-09-22

    The quality of nursing care rendered today is markedly reducing and the amount of time spent with patients listening to and explaining issues concerning their conditions is gradually diminishing. The therapeutic touch and the listening ear of the nurse are no longer accessible to the patient. Understanding what non-technical skills are and their relevance for healthcare practitioners has become a new area of consideration. Although recent literature has highlighted the necessity of introducing soft skills training and assessment within medical education, nursing education is yet to fully embrace this skills training. The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' understanding of the concept of soft skills and to acquire their perception on the need for soft skills training to promote quality nursing care. A quantitative research design with descriptive and explorative strategies was used. One hundred and ten nursing students were sampled after permission to conduct the study was requested and obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Ethics Committee. The results indicated that a majority (68.8%) of respondents understood the concept of soft skills and agreed with the definition of 'soft skills'. They furthermore agreed that soft skills should be part of the training that student nurses receive during their professional training. The study revealed that there is a need for nursing students to be educated in soft skills and that this will enhance their job performances in the clinical environment and improve the way in which they communicate with their clients.

  4. Medical students' clerkship experiences and self-perceived competence in clinical skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katowa-Mukwato, P; Andrews, B; Maimbolwa, M; Lakhi, S; Michelo, C; Mulla, Y; Banda, S S

    2014-01-01

    In a traditional curriculum, medical students are expected to acquire clinical competence through the apprenticeship model using the Halstedian "see one, do one, and teach one, approach". The University of Zambia School of Medicine used a traditional curriculum model from 1966 until 2011 when a competence-based curriculum was implemented. To explore medical students' clerkships experiences and self-perceived competence in clinical skills. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 5th, 6 th , and 7 th year medical students of the University of Zambia, School of Medicine two months prior to final examinations. Students were asked to rate their clerkship experiences with respect to specific skills on a scale of 1 to 4 and their level of self-perceived competence on a scale of 1 to 3. Skills evaluated were in four main domains: history taking and communication, physical examination, procedural, and professionalism, team work and medical decision making. Using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS), correlations were performed between experiences and self-perceived competence on specific skills, within domains and overall. Out of 197 clinical students 138 (70%) participated in the survey. The results showed significant increase in the proportion of students performing different skills and reporting feeling very competent with each additional clinical year. Overall correlations between experience and self-perceived competence were moderate (0.55). On individual skills, the highest correlation between experience and self-perceived competence were observed on mainly medical and surgical related procedural skills with the highest at 0.82 for nasal gastric tube insertion and 0.76 for endotracheal intubation. Despite the general improvement in skills experiences and self-perceived competence, some deficiencies were noted as significant numbers of final year students had never attempted common important procedures especially those performed in emergency situations

  5. Self-assessment of intercultural communication skills: a survey of physicians and medical students in Geneva, Switzerland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudelson, Patricia; Perron, Noelle Junod; Perneger, Thomas

    2011-09-01

    Physicians working with multicultural populations need to know how to elicit the patient's understanding of the illness; determine the patient's sociocultural context and identify any issues that might affect care; communicate effectively across patient-provider social and cultural differences; and collaborate effectively with an interpreter. Skills self-assessment can contribute to identifying training needs and monitoring skills development in these areas. As part of a larger study exploring the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Geneva physicians and medical students regarding the care of immigrant patients, we asked respondents to self-rate their ability to perform a range of common yet challenging intercultural communication tasks. Overall, respondents rated themselves less competent at intercultural tasks than at basic medical skills and less competent at specific intercultural communication skills than at general intercultural skills. Qualified doctors (as opposed to students), those with greater interest in caring for immigrants, and those who rarely encountered difficulties with immigrants rated themselves significantly more competent for all clinical tasks. Having a higher percentage of immigrant patients and previous cultural competence training predicted greater self-rated intercultural communication skills. Our self-assessment results suggest that students and physicians should be provided with the opportunity to practice intercultural skills with immigrant patients as part of their cultural competence training. To strengthen the validity of self-assessment measures, they should ideally be combined with more objective methods to assess actual skills.

  6. Drawing skill is related to the efficiency of encoding object structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perdreau, Florian; Cavanagh, Patrick

    2014-01-01

    Accurate drawing calls on many skills beyond simple motor coordination. A good internal representation of the target object's structure is necessary to capture its proportion and shape in the drawing. Here, we assess two aspects of the perception of object structure and relate them to participants' drawing accuracy. First, we assessed drawing accuracy by computing the geometrical dissimilarity of their drawing to the target object. We then used two tasks to evaluate the efficiency of encoding object structure. First, to examine the rate of temporal encoding, we varied presentation duration of a possible versus impossible test object in the fovea using two different test sizes (8° and 28°). More skilled participants were faster at encoding an object's structure, but this difference was not affected by image size. A control experiment showed that participants skilled in drawing did not have a general advantage that might have explained their faster processing for object structure. Second, to measure the critical image size for accurate classification in the periphery, we varied image size with possible versus impossible object tests centered at two different eccentricities (3° and 8°). More skilled participants were able to categorise object structure at smaller sizes, and this advantage did not change with eccentricity. A control experiment showed that the result could not be attributed to differences in visual acuity, leaving attentional resolution as a possible explanation. Overall, we conclude that drawing accuracy is related to faster encoding of object structure and better access to crowded details.

  7. The Importance of Spatial Reasoning Skills in Undergraduate Geology Students and the Effect of Weekly Spatial Skill Trainings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gold, Anne; Pendergast, Philip; Stempien, Jennifer; Ormand, Carol

    2016-04-01

    Spatial reasoning is a key skill for student success in STEM disciplines in general and for students in geosciences in particular. However, spatial reasoning is neither explicitly trained, nor evenly distributed, among students and by gender. This uneven playing field allows some students to perform geoscience tasks easily while others struggle. A lack of spatial reasoning skills has been shown to be a barrier to success in the geosciences, and for STEM disciplines in general. Addressing spatial abilities early in the college experience might therefore be effective in retaining students, especially females, in STEM disciplines. We have developed and implemented a toolkit for testing and training undergraduate student spatial reasoning skills in the classroom. In the academic year 2014/15, we studied the distribution of spatial abilities in more than 700 undergraduate Geology students from 4 introductory and 2 upper level courses. Following random assignment, four treatment groups received weekly online training and intermittent hands-on trainings in spatial thinking while four control groups only participated in a pre- and a posttest of spatial thinking skills. In this presentation we summarize our results and describe the distribution of spatial skills in undergraduate students enrolled in geology courses. We first discuss the factors that best account for differences in baseline spatial ability levels, including general intelligence (using standardized test scores as a proxy), major, video gaming, and other childhood play experiences, which help to explain the gender gap observed in most research. We found a statistically significant improvement of spatial thinking still with large effect sizes for the students who received the weekly trainings. Self-report data further shows that students improve their spatial thinking skills and report that their improved spatial thinking skills increase their performance in geoscience courses. We conclude by discussing the

  8. Graduate Student Needs in Relation to Library Research Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Shawna; Jacobs, Warren

    2013-01-01

    Traditionally, graduate study includes a research component, requiring library skills to locate relevant literature. Upon matriculation into graduate programs, many students are underprepared in library research skills, making library instruction a priority for the success of graduate students. This qualitative study, utilizing emergent design,


  9. Comparing the Social Skills of Students Addicted to Computer Games with Normal Students

    OpenAIRE

    Zamani, Eshrat; Kheradmand, Ali; Cheshmi, Maliheh; Abedi, Ahmad; Hedayati, Nasim

    2010-01-01

    Background This study aimed to investigate and compare the social skills of studentsaddicted to computer games with normal students. The dependentvariable in the present study is the social skills. Methods The study population included all the students in the second grade ofpublic secondary school in the city of Isfahan at the educational year of2009-2010. The sample size included 564 students selected using thecluster random sampling method. Data collection was conducted usingQuestionnaire o...

  10. Assessing computer skills in Tanzanian medical students: an elective experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melvin Rob

    2004-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background One estimate suggests that by 2010 more than 30% of a physician's time will be spent using information technology tools. The aim of this study is to assess the information and communication technologies (ICT skills of medical students in Tanzania. We also report a pilot intervention of peer mentoring training in ICT by medical students from the UK tutoring students in Tanzania. Methods Design: Cross sectional study and pilot intervention study. Participants: Fourth year medical students (n = 92 attending Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Main outcome measures: Self-reported assessment of competence on ICT-related topics and ability to perform specific ICT tasks. Further information related to frequency of computer use (hours per week, years of computer use, reasons for use and access to computers. Skills at specific tasks were reassessed for 12 students following 4 to 6 hours of peer mentoring training. Results The highest levels of competence in generic ICT areas were for email, Internet and file management. For other skills such as word processing most respondents reported low levels of competence. The abilities to perform specific ICT skills were low – less than 60% of the participants were able to perform the core specific skills assessed. A period of approximately 5 hours of peer mentoring training produced an approximate doubling of competence scores for these skills. Conclusion Our study has found a low level of ability to use ICT facilities among medical students in a leading university in sub-Saharan Africa. A pilot scheme utilising UK elective students to tutor basic skills showed potential. Attention is required to develop interventions that can improve ICT skills, as well as computer access, in order to bridge the digital divide.

  11. A learning skills course for the 1st year medical students: an experience at a Saudi medical school

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siddiqui IA

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Imran A Siddiqui,1 Khalid A Bin Abdulrahman,2 Mohammed A Alsultan3 1Department of Medical Education and Postgraduate Studies, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Medicine, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Background: Every year nearly 1,500 students enter into medical program after passing high school and national aptitude exams. However, many students experience frustration, failure, and psychological morbidities like stress, depression, and anxiety because they are not aware of their learning styles or do not have effective learning skills and strategies. The College of Medicine of Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University has adopted the outcome based, community oriented, Spiral Curriculum. Although the curriculum is innovative, on the other hand, it is very demanding. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to share educational structure and evaluation results of the course on effective learning and study skills for the 1st year medical students. Methods: To prepare our students in order to cope with this demanding but promising curriculum, we conducted an effective and comprehensive learning skills course for 16 weeks in the first semester of year 1 in the medical program. Performance of each student was assessed and the course evaluation was done by students at the end of the course. Results: The attendance of the students throughout the course was over 90%. The average performance of students in the summative assessment was 78% and the course was generally liked by the students. Discussion: Students overall had a positive attitude toward the learning skills course. Majority of the students showed interest in attending the sessions regularly and realized the significance of this course to improve their learning skills. Keywords: medical students, learning

  12. Peer-teaching in the food chemistry laboratory: student-produced experiments, peer and audio feedback, and integration of employability skills

    OpenAIRE

    Julie Lisa Dunne

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the author’s experience over the last several years of implementing an alternative Food Chemistry laboratory practical model for a group of third-year BSc Nutraceuticals students. The initial main objectives were to prepare students for the more independent final-year research project; to incorporate innovative approaches to feedback; and to integrate key employability skills into the curriculum. These were achieved through building the skills required to ultimately allow...

  13. Relationship between smartphone addiction of nursing department students and their communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerit, BirgĂŒl; Çıtak Bilgin, Nevin; Ak, Bedriye

    2018-03-14

    The use of technological devices today is widespread. One of these devices is the smartphone. It can be argued that when smartphones are thought of as a means of communication, they can influence communication skills. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of nursing students' smartphone addiction on their communication skills. A relational screening model was used for the study. The study's data were obtained from 214 students studying in the nursing department. Smartphone addiction levels of students are below average (86.43 ± 29.66). Students think that their communication skills are at a good level (98.81 ± 10.88). Correlation analysis results show that students have a negative, significant and very weak relationship between the smartphone addiction of students and communication skills (r = -.149). Smartphone addiction explains 2.2% of the variance in communication skills. Communication skills of nursing students is affected negatively by smartphone addiction..

  14. Critical Thinking Skills among Elementary School Students: Comparing Identified Gifted and General Education Student Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kettler, Todd

    2014-01-01

    Education reform efforts, including the current adoption of Common Core State Standards, have increased attention to teaching critical thinking skills to all students. This study investigated the critical thinking skills of fourth-grade students from a school district in Texas, including 45 identified gifted students and 163 general education


  15. Improving advanced cardiovascular life support skills in medical students: simulation-based education approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamidreza Reihani

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: In this trial, we intend to assess the effect of simulation-based education approach on advanced cardiovascular life support skills among medical students. Methods: Through convenient sampling method, 40 interns of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in their emergency medicine rotation (from September to December 2012 participated in this study. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS workshops with pretest and post-test exams were performed. Workshops and checklists for pretest and post-test exams were designed according to the latest American Heart Association (AHA guidelines. Results: The total score of the students increased significantly after workshops (24.6 out of 100 to 78.6 out of 100. This demonstrates 53.9% improvement in the skills after the simulation-based education (P< 0.001. Also the mean score of each station had a significant improvement (P< 0.001. Conclusion: Pretests showed that interns had poor performance in practical clinical matters while their scientific knowledge, such as ECG interpretation was acceptable. The overall results of the study highlights that Simulation based-education approach is highly effective in Improving ACLS skills among medical students.

  16. Online Professional Skills Workshops: Perspectives from Distance Education Graduate Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauvreau, Sarah; Hurst, Deborah; Cleveland-Innes, Martha; Hawranik, Pamela

    2016-01-01

    While many online graduate students are gaining academic and scholarly knowledge, the opportunities for students to develop and hone professional skills essential for the workplace are lacking. Given the virtual environment of distance learning, graduate students are often expected to glean professional skills such as analytical thinking,


  17. Mathematical literacy skills of students' in term of gender differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lailiyah, Siti

    2017-08-01

    Good mathematical literacy skills will hopefully help maximize the tasks and role of the prospective teacher in activities. Mathematical literacy focus on students' ability to analyze, justify, and communicate ideas effectively, formulate, solve and interpret mathematical problems in a variety of forms and situations. The purpose of this study is to describe the mathematical literacy skills of the prospective teacher in term of gender differences. This research used a qualitative approach with a case study. Subjects of this study were taken from two male students and two female students of the mathematics education prospective teacher who have followed Community Service Program (CSP) in literacy. Data were collected through methods think a loud and interviews. Four prospective teachers were asked to fill mathematical literacy test and video taken during solving this test. Students are required to convey loud what he was thinking when solving problems. After students get the solution, researchers grouped the students' answers and results think aloud. Furthermore, the data are grouped and analyzed according to indicators of mathematical literacy skills. Male students have good of each indicator in mathematical literacy skills (the first indicator to the sixth indicator). Female students have good of mathematical literacy skills (the first indicator, the second indicator, the third indicator, the fourth indicator and the sixth indicator), except for the fifth indicators that are enough.

  18. How Students Make Sense of Criticality Skills in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Alison

    2015-01-01

    Critical thinking skills in students, employees and citizens are endorsed for a wide range of positive reasons. What seems less well-known and the aim of this research was to investigate how students make sense of these skills. A semi-structured interview was loosely designed, using questions to ascertain criticality skills before, during and at


  19. Assessing students' communication skills: validation of a global rating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheffer, Simone; Muehlinghaus, Isabel; Froehmel, Annette; Ortwein, Heiderose

    2008-12-01

    Communication skills training is an accepted part of undergraduate medical programs nowadays. In addition to learning experiences its importance should be emphasised by performance-based assessment. As detailed checklists have been shown to be not well suited for the assessment of communication skills for different reasons, this study aimed to validate a global rating scale. A Canadian instrument was translated to German and adapted to assess students' communication skills during an end-of-semester-OSCE. Subjects were second and third year medical students at the reformed track of the Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin. Different groups of raters were trained to assess students' communication skills using the global rating scale. Validity testing included concurrent validity and construct validity: Judgements of different groups of raters were compared to expert ratings as a defined gold standard. Furthermore, the amount of agreement between scores obtained with this global rating scale and a different instrument for assessing communication skills was determined. Results show that communication skills can be validly assessed by trained non-expert raters as well as standardised patients using this instrument.

  20. Vocabulary skills are well developed in university students with dyslexia: Evidence from multiple case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavalli, Eddy; Casalis, Séverine; El Ahmadi, Abdessadek; Zira, Mélody; Poracchia-George, Florence; Colé, Pascale

    2016-01-01

    Most studies in adults with developmental dyslexia have focused on identifying the deficits responsible for their persistent reading difficulties, but little is known on how these readers manage the intensive exposure to written language required to obtain a university degree. The main objective of this study was to identify certain skills, and specifically vocabulary skills, that French university students with dyslexia have developed and that may contribute to their literacy skills. We tested 20 university students with dyslexia and 20 normal readers (matched on chronological age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and level of education) in reading, phonological, vocabulary breadth (number of known words), and vocabulary depth (accuracy and precision) tasks. In comparing vocabulary measures, we used both Rasch model and single case study methodologies. Results on reading and phonological tasks confirmed the persistence of deficits in written word recognition and phonological skills. However, using the Rasch model we found that the two groups performed at the same level in the vocabulary breadth task, whereas dyslexics systematically outperformed their chronological age controls in the vocabulary depth task. These results are supplemented by multiple case studies. The vocabulary skills of French university students with dyslexia are well developed. Possible interpretations of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Evaluating Employability Skills: Employer and Student Perceptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Venetia; Zuzel, Katherine

    2010-01-01

    Graduate employability is a key issue for Higher Education. In this two-part study student employability skills have been evaluated from the perspective of sandwich students and graduates in biomolecular science, and their employers. A strong correlation was found between employer and sandwich student/graduate perceptions of the relative


  2. Predictors of Career Adaptability Skill among Higher Education Students in Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amos Shaibu Ebenehi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper examined predictors of career adaptability skill among higher  education students in Nigeria. A sample of 603 higher education students randomly selected from six colleges of education in Nigeria participated in this study.  A set of self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data.  Results indicated that 33.3% of career adaptability skill was explained by the model.  Four out of the five predictor variables significantly predicted career adaptability skill among higher education students in Nigeria.  Among the four predictors, career self-efficacy sources was the most statistically significant predictor of career adaptability skill among higher education students in Nigeria, followed by personal goal orientation, career future concern, and perceived social support respectively.  Vocational identity did not statistically predict career adaptability skill among higher education students in Nigeria.  The study suggested that similar study should be replicated in other parts of the world in view of the importance of career adaptability skill to the smooth transition of graduates from school to the labor market.  The study concluded by requesting stakeholders of higher institutions in Nigeria to provide career exploration database for the students, and encourage career intervention program in order to enhance career adaptability skill among the students.

  3. The Model of the Development of Instructional Material for Enhancing Students' English Speaking Skills at Elementary Schools in Bandar Lampung

    OpenAIRE

    Sutiyono, Akhmad

    2014-01-01

    The main problem of the research is what instructional material that should be developed to enhance students' speaking skills. The main objective of this research is to develop English instructional material for enhancing students' speaking skills at elementary schools. In conducting the research, the writer used Research and Development method. The data of the research were collected through observation, questionnaire, interview, test, and documentation. The validation of the model was carri...

  4. Examining the Critical Thinking Dispositions and the Problem Solving Skills of Computer Engineering Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özyurt, Özcan

    2015-01-01

    Problem solving is an indispensable part of engineering. Improving critical thinking dispositions for solving engineering problems is one of the objectives of engineering education. In this sense, knowing critical thinking and problem solving skills of engineering students is of importance for engineering education. This study aims to determine


  5. The objective assessment of experts' and novices' suturing skills using an image analysis program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frischknecht, Adam C; Kasten, Steven J; Hamstra, Stanley J; Perkins, Noel C; Gillespie, R Brent; Armstrong, Thomas J; Minter, Rebecca M

    2013-02-01

    To objectively assess suturing performance using an image analysis program and to provide validity evidence for this assessment method by comparing experts' and novices' performance. In 2009, the authors used an image analysis program to extract objective variables from digital images of suturing end products obtained during a previous study involving third-year medical students (novices) and surgical faculty and residents (experts). Variables included number of stitches, stitch length, total bite size, travel, stitch orientation, total bite-size-to-travel ratio, and symmetry across the incision ratio. The authors compared all variables between groups to detect significant differences and two variables (total bite-size-to-travel ratio and symmetry across the incision ratio) to ideal values. Five experts and 15 novices participated. Experts' and novices' performances differed significantly (P 0.8) for total bite size (P = .009, d = 1.5), travel (P = .045, d = 1.1), total bite-size-to-travel ratio (P algorithm can extract variables from digital images of a running suture and rapidly provide quantitative summative assessment feedback. The significant differences found between groups confirm that this system can discriminate between skill levels. This image analysis program represents a viable training tool for objectively assessing trainees' suturing, a foundational skill for many medical specialties.

  6. Feedback on students' clinical reasoning skills during fieldwork education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Beer, Marianne; MĂ„rtensson, Lena

    2015-08-01

    Feedback on clinical reasoning skills during fieldwork education is regarded as vital in occupational therapy students' professional development. The nature of supervisors' feedback however, could be confirmative and/or corrective and corrective feedback could be with or without suggestions on how to improve. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of supervisors' feedback on final-year occupational therapy students' clinical reasoning skills through comparing the nature of feedback with the students' subsequent clinical reasoning ability. A mixed-method approach with a convergent parallel design was used combining the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. From focus groups and interviews with students, data were collected and analysed qualitatively to determine how the students experienced the feedback they received from their supervisors. By quantitatively comparing the final practical exam grades with the nature of the feedback, their fieldwork End-of-Term grades and average academic performance it became possible to merge the results for comparison and interpretation. Students' clinical reasoning skills seem to be improved through corrective feedback if accompanied by suggestions on how to improve, irrespective of their average academic performance. Supervisors were inclined to underrate high performing students and overrate lower performing students. Students who obtained higher grades in the final practical examinations received more corrective feedback with suggestions on how to improve from their supervisors. Confirmative feedback alone may not be sufficient for improving the clinical reasoning skills of students. © 2015 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Occupational Therapy Australia.

  7. Critical thinking skills in nursing students: a comparison between freshmen and senior students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizi-Fini, Ismail; Hajibagheri, Ali; Adib-Hajbaghery, Mohsen

    2015-03-01

    Critical thinking is one of the most important concepts in the field of education. Despite studies published on nursing students' critical thinking skills (CTS), some suggest that there is not enough evidence supporting the relationship between content of nursing education programs and nursing students' CTS. Given the existing discrepancies, this study aimed to compare the critical thinking skills of freshmen and senior nursing students. This comparative study was conducted on 150 undergraduate freshmen and senior nursing students in Kashan University of Medical Sciences, during 2012. The students in the first and the last semesters of their study in nursing were entered in the study using the census method. Data were collected using a questionnaire including questions on demographic data and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, form B. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS v.13 software. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Moreover, independent sample t-test and Spearman and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used in the data analysis. Both the freshmen and senior nursing students had low CTS. The mean critical thinking scores were 11.79 ± 4.80 and 11.21 ± 3.17 for the freshmen and the senior students, respectively (P = 0.511). Moreover, no significant correlation was found between the students' score in CTS and their age, gender, high school grade point average (GPA), rank in university entrance examination (RUEE) and interest in the nursing profession. The students were low skilled in critical thinking and their CTS did not significantly change during their nursing degree. Thus it may be concluded that the nursing education program did not affect the CTS of its students. Longitudinal studies are suggested for assessing nursing students' critical thinking over time. Moreover, revising the curriculum and preparing nursing educators for implementing innovative and active teaching strategies are suggested.

  8. New Setting, Same Skill: Teaching Geography Students to Transfer Information Literacy Skills from Familiar to Unfamiliar Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, Caleb; Laxman, Kumar; Lai, Mei

    2016-01-01

    Existing research shows that high school students do not possess information literacy skills adequate to function in a high-tech society that relies so heavily on information. If students are taught these skills, they struggle to apply them. This small-scale intervention focused on helping Geography students at a low-socioeconomic high school in


  9. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SOCIAL SKILLS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF ARGENTINA

    OpenAIRE

    Matias GarcĂ­a TerĂĄn; Gabriela A Cabanillas; Valeria E MorĂĄn; FabiĂĄn O Olaz

    2014-01-01

    Different authors claim that the differences found in the social skills repertoire of men and women could be explained by gender orientation. The purpose of this study is to determine if there are gender differences in social skills in university students from Córdoba (Argentina). The  Social Skills Questionnaire for College Students (SSQ-C) (Morån, Olaz & Del Prette, in preparation) was applied to a sample of 1076 university students of both sexes, aged between 18 and 25 years old, from 56 u...

  10. Graduate students' teaching experiences improve their methodological research skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldon, David F; Peugh, James; Timmerman, Briana E; Maher, Michelle A; Hurst, Melissa; Strickland, Denise; Gilmore, Joanna A; Stiegelmeyer, Cindy

    2011-08-19

    Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate students are often encouraged to maximize their engagement with supervised research and minimize teaching obligations. However, the process of teaching students engaged in inquiry provides practice in the application of important research skills. Using a performance rubric, we compared the quality of methodological skills demonstrated in written research proposals for two groups of early career graduate students (those with both teaching and research responsibilities and those with only research responsibilities) at the beginning and end of an academic year. After statistically controlling for preexisting differences between groups, students who both taught and conducted research demonstrate significantly greater improvement in their abilities to generate testable hypotheses and design valid experiments. These results indicate that teaching experience can contribute substantially to the improvement of essential research skills.

  11. Engineering Students: Enhancing Employability Skills through PBL

    Science.gov (United States)

    H, Othman; Mat Daud K., A.; U, Ewon; Salleh B, Mohd; Omar N., H.; Baser J, Abd; Ismail M., E.; A, Sulaiman

    2017-05-01

    As a developing country, Malaysia faces challenging tasks to develop her economy just like many other countries. Nowadays, change involves many aspects like the economy from agriculture to manufacturing, technology from modern to more advanced ones; mindset from traditional to advanced and so on. Previous studies show that one of the major issues facing local graduates is the lack of employability skills. This problem concerns not only the government but undergraduates and institutions alike. From the pedagogical aspect, one of the more effective ways to improve this is through instructional delivery and in this case the use of Problem-based Learning (PBL). The need to adopt PBL should involved applied subjects undertaken by engineering students. Studies have shown that the use of PBL has been proven to make learning more attractive and effective. In this research, we studied the effectiveness of PBL towards enhancing employability skills among engineering undergraduates. This study adopted a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data was collected using documents analysis. Student samples comprised manufacturing engineering undergraduates from public institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. The results show that student’s employability skills can be enhanced using PBL. In addition, students become more competitive towards making them more relevance with the needs of the industry with regard to employability skills. In conclusion, PBL is a very effective catalyst towards raising the employability skills among engineering undergraduates and should be adopted in all engineering education.

  12. Use of online clinical videos for clinical skills training for medical students: benefits and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Hye Won; Kim, Kyong-Jee

    2014-03-21

    Multimedia learning has been shown effective in clinical skills training. Yet, use of technology presents both opportunities and challenges to learners. The present study investigated student use and perceptions of online clinical videos for learning clinical skills and in preparing for OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). This study aims to inform us how to make more effective us of these resources. A mixed-methods study was conducted for this study. A 30-items questionnaire was administered to investigate student use and perceptions of OSCE videos. Year 3 and 4 students from 34 Korean medical schools who had access to OSCE videos participated in the online survey. Additionally, a semi-structured interview of a group of Year 3 medical students was conducted for an in-depth understanding of student experience with OSCE videos. 411 students from 31 medical schools returned the questionnaires; a majority of them found OSCE videos effective for their learning of clinical skills and in preparing for OSCE. The number of OSCE videos that the students viewed was moderately associated with their self-efficacy and preparedness for OSCE (p mobile devices; they agreed more with the statement that it was convenient to access the video clips than their peers who accessed the videos using computers (p students reported lack of integration into the curriculum and lack of interaction as barriers to more effective use of OSCE videos. The present study confirms the overall positive impact of OSCE videos on student learning of clinical skills. Having faculty integrate these learning resources into their teaching, integrating interactive tools into this e-learning environment to foster interactions, and using mobile devices for convenient access are recommended to help students make more effective use of these resources.

  13. 'Students-as-partners' scheme enhances postgraduate students' employability skills while addressing gaps in bioinformatics education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mello, Luciane V; Tregilgas, Luke; Cowley, Gwen; Gupta, Anshul; Makki, Fatima; Jhutty, Anjeet; Shanmugasundram, Achchuthan

    2017-01-01

    Teaching bioinformatics is a longstanding challenge for educators who need to demonstrate to students how skills developed in the classroom may be applied to real world research. This study employed an action research methodology which utilised student-staff partnership and peer-learning. It was centred on the experiences of peer-facilitators, students who had previously taken a postgraduate bioinformatics module, and had applied knowledge and skills gained from it to their own research. It aimed to demonstrate to peer-receivers, current students, how bioinformatics could be used in their own research while developing peer-facilitators' teaching and mentoring skills. This student-centred approach was well received by the peer-receivers, who claimed to have gained improved understanding of bioinformatics and its relevance to research. Equally, peer-facilitators also developed a better understanding of the subject and appreciated that the activity was a rare and invaluable opportunity to develop their teaching and mentoring skills, enhancing their employability.

  14. Peer-Assisted History-Taking Groups: A Subjective Assessment of their Impact Upon Medical Students' Interview Skills

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    Keifenheim, Katharina Eva

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Among the clinical skills needed by all physicians, history taking is one of the most important. The teaching model for peer-assisted history-taking groups investigated in the present study consists of small-group courses in which students practice conducting medical interviews with real patients. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the expectations, experiences, and subjective learning progress of participants in peer-assisted history-taking groups.Methods: The 42 medical student participants completed a 4-month, peer-assisted, elective history-taking course, which both began and ended with a subjective assessment of their interview skills by way of a pseudonymized questionnaire. Measures comprised the students’ self-assessment of their interview skills, their expectations of, and their experiences with the course and especially with the peer tutors. Results: Medical students’ most important motivations in attending peer-assisted history-taking groups were becoming able to complete a structured medical interview, to mitigate difficult interviewing situations, and to address patients’ emotional demands appropriately. By the end of the course, students’ self-assessment of both their interview skills and management of emotional issues improved significantly. Students especially benefitted from individual feedback regarding interview style and relationship formation, as well as generally accepted and had their expectations met by peer tutors. Conclusions: To meet the important learning objectives of history-taking and management of emotional issues, as well as self-reflection and reflection of student–patient interactions, students in the field greatly appreciate practicing medical interviewing in small, peer-assisted groups with real patients. At the same time, peer tutors are experienced to be helpful and supportive and can help students to overcome inhibitions in making contact with patients.

  15. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) evaluation of hysteroscopy training: a prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alici, Ferizan; Buerkle, Bernd; Tempfer, Clemens B

    2014-07-01

    To describe the performance curve of hysteroscopy-naïve probands repeatedly working through a surgery algorithm on a hysteroscopy trainer. We prospectively recruited medical students to a 30min demonstration session teaching a standardized surgery algorithm. Subjects subsequently performed three training courses immediately after training (T1) and after 24h (T2) and 48h (T3). Skills were recorded with a 20-item Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) at T1, T2, and T3. The presence of a sustained OSATS score improvement from T1 to T3 was the primary outcome. Performance time (PT) and self assessment (SA) were secondary outcomes. Statistics were performed using paired T-test and multiple linear regression analysis. 92 subjects were included. OSATS scores significantly improved over time from T1 to T2 (15.21±1.95 vs. 16.02±2.06, respectively; ptraining courses on a hysteroscopy trainer. Serial hysteroscopy trainings may be helpful for teaching hysteroscopy skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Self-assessment of intercultural communication skills: a survey of physicians and medical students in Geneva, Switzerland

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    Perneger Thomas

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Physicians working with multicultural populations need to know how to elicit the patient's understanding of the illness; determine the patient's sociocultural context and identify any issues that might affect care; communicate effectively across patient-provider social and cultural differences; and collaborate effectively with an interpreter. Skills self-assessment can contribute to identifying training needs and monitoring skills development in these areas. Methods As part of a larger study exploring the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Geneva physicians and medical students regarding the care of immigrant patients, we asked respondents to self-rate their ability to perform a range of common yet challenging intercultural communication tasks. Results Overall, respondents rated themselves less competent at intercultural tasks than at basic medical skills and less competent at specific intercultural communication skills than at general intercultural skills. Qualified doctors (as opposed to students, those with greater interest in caring for immigrants, and those who rarely encountered difficulties with immigrants rated themselves significantly more competent for all clinical tasks. Having a higher percentage of immigrant patients and previous cultural competence training predicted greater self-rated intercultural communication skills. Conclusion Our self-assessment results suggest that students and physicians should be provided with the opportunity to practice intercultural skills with immigrant patients as part of their cultural competence training. To strengthen the validity of self-assessment measures, they should ideally be combined with more objective methods to assess actual skills.

  17. A Model for Evaluating Student Clinical Psychomotor Skills.

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    And Others; Fiel, Nicholas J.

    1979-01-01

    A long-range plan to evaluate medical students' physical examination skills was undertaken at the Ingham Family Medical Clinic at Michigan State University. The development of the psychomotor skills evaluation model to evaluate the skill of blood pressure measurement, tests of the model's reliability, and the use of the model are described. (JMD)

  18. Improving creative thinking skills and scientific attitude through inquiry-based learning in basic biology lecture toward student of biology education

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    Bayu Sandika

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Inquiry-based learning is one of the learning methods which can provide an active and authentic scientific learning process in order students are able to improve the creative thinking skills and scientific attitude. This study aims at improving creative thinking skills and scientific attitude through inquiry-based learning in basic biology lecture toward students of biology education at the Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN Jember, Indonesia. This study is included in a descriptive quantitative research. The research focused on the topic of cell transport which was taught toward 25 students of Biology 2 class from 2017 academic year of Biology Education Department at the IAIN Jember. The learning process was conducted in two meetings in November 2017. The enhancement of students' creative thinking skills was determined by one group pre-test and post-test research design using test instrument meanwhile the scientific attitude focused on curiosity and objectivity were observed using the non-test instrument. Research result showed that students' creative thinking skills enhanced highly and students' scientific attitude improved excellently through inquiry-based learning in basic biology lecture.

  19. Efficacy of Polytechnic Students' Interpersonal Communication Skills

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    Zainuddin, Zaharatul Akmar Ahmad; Selamat, Suzanah

    2012-01-01

    Every year polytechnics in Malaysia produce thousands of graduates in vocational areas, however, these graduates have to strive in a competitive job market against graduates from other tertiary institutions. This study aims to investigate polytechnic students efficacy on their communication skills. These skills are crucial in determining their


  20. Effectiveness of Life Skill Instruction on the Mental Health of Hearing Loss Students

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    Mohammad A'shouri

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of the present research was to investigation of the effectiveness of life skill instruction on the mental health of students with hearing loss in Tehran province. Materials & Methods: The present research was an experimental study by pre-test, post-test design with control group. The study population included of male students with hearing loss from second and third level of high schools in Tehran province. Subjects were selected by in available method. Forty students participated in the study. Subjects were divided into two groups by randomly (experimental and control group, each of group was consisted of 20 students. Experimental group received life skill training in 9 sessions while control group did not. The instruments of present research were Wechsler Intelligence Scale for adult and General Health Questionnaire. The obtained data were statistically analyzed by Mancova. Results: The findings of this research showed that there was significant increase in mental health scores of experimental group in the post intervention in comparison with control group (P<0.05. Also mental health scores of experimental group was significantly in somatic symptoms, anxiety, deficiency in social performance and depression (P<0.05. Conclusion: The life skill instructional program led to improvement of the mental health of hearing loss students and decreased somatic symptoms, anxiety, deficiency in social performance and depression. Therefore, planning for providing of social competence instruction is of a particular importance.

  1. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFE BUILDING SKILLS AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT OF STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNSELING

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    Samuel O. ADENIYI

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Hearing impairment contributes greatly to social and psychological deficits of the affected individuals, which can affect their interpersonal relation. The inability to hear and communicate effectively results in adjustment problem that leads to social isolation. Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between life building skills and social adjustment of students with hearing impairment. Methods: The study employed descriptive survey research design. The samples consisted of 150 students with hearing impairment purposively selected from two inclusive schools in Lagos state, Nigeria. The samples comprised of 65 boys and 85 girls with age range between 15 and 18 years in the Senior Secondary School. The instruments used for data collection were Life building skills inventory (adapted with reliability of 0.80 and Social adjustment scale (Self developed. The instruments consisted of two sections namely: A&B. Section A of Life building skills contained bio- data of the respondents, while B contained 3 subscales: Self-efficacy inventory adapted from Schwarzer and Jerusalem 1995 with reliability of 0.85, Decision-making inventory adapted from Rowe 1997 with reliability of 0.75, Assertiveness inventory adapted from Aberti and Emmons 1995 with reliability of 0.80. The self-constructed Social Adjustment scale contained 10 items probing questions with reliability of 0.69. Data collected was analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression. Results: The results revealed relative contributions of some life building skills to social adjustment of students with hearing impairment. There were joint contributions of the independent variables to dependent variable, while decision-making contributed mostly. Conclusion: This study examined relationship between life building skills and social adjustment of students with hearing impairment with a bid to provide adequate counseling services. It was

  2. Medical students can learn the basic application, analytic, evaluative, and psychomotor skills of critical care medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, P L; Jacob, H; Thomas, E A; Harwell, M; Willenkin, R L; Pinsky, M R

    2000-02-01

    To determine whether fourth-year medical students can learn the basic analytic, evaluative, and psychomotor skills needed to initially manage a critically ill patient. Student learning was evaluated using a performance examination, the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Students were randomly assigned to one of two clinical scenarios before the elective. After the elective, students completed the other scenario, using a crossover design. Five surgical intensive care units in a tertiary care university teaching hospital. Forty fourth-year medical students enrolled in the critical care medicine (CCM) elective. All students evaluated a live "simulated critically ill" patient, requested physiologic data from a nurse, ordered laboratory tests, received data in real time, and intervened as they deemed appropriate. Student performance of specific behavioral objectives was evaluated at five stations. They were expected to a) assess airway, breathing, and circulation in appropriate sequence; b) prepare a manikin for intubation, obtain an acceptable airway on the manikin, demonstrate bag-mouth ventilation, and perform acceptable laryngoscopy and intubation; c) provide appropriate mechanical ventilator settings; d) manage hypotension; and e) request and interpret pulmonary artery data and initiate appropriate therapy. OSCEs were videotaped and reviewed by two faculty members masked to time of examination. A checklist of key behaviors was used to evaluate performance. The primary outcome measure was the difference in examination score before and after the rotation. Secondary outcomes included the difference in scores at each rotation. The mean preelective score was 57.0%+/-8.3% compared with 85.9%+/-7.4% (ppsychomotor skills necessary to initially manage critically ill patients. After an appropriate 1-month CCM elective, students' thinking and application skills required to initially manage critically ill patients improved markedly, as demonstrated by an OSCE

  3. Affective Education: A Teacher's Manual to Promote Student Self-Actualization and Human Relations Skills.

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    Snyder, Thomas R.

    This teacher's manual presents affective education as a program to promote student self-actualization and human relations skills. Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Erik Erikson's life stages of psychosocial development form the conceptual base for this program. The goals and objectives of this manual are concerned with problem-solving


  4. Enhancing Students' Speaking Skills through Peer Team Teaching: A Student Centered Approach

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    Vani, V. Vijaya

    2016-01-01

    The present paper attempts to establish that peer team teaching of a prescribed English lesson of 1st year B.Tech course by the students will provide more opportunities to enhance their public speaking skills. This kind of classroom activity will also help them to develop their vocabulary, reading skills, team working skills, etc. It is assumed


  5. Scientific Approach to Improve Mathematical Problem Solving Skills Students of Grade V

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    Roheni; Herman, T.; Jupri, A.

    2017-09-01

    This study investigates the skills of elementary school students’ in problem solving through the Scientific Approach. The purpose of this study is to determine mathematical problem solving skills of students by using Scientific Approach is better than mathematical problem solving skills of students by using Direct Instruction. This study is using quasi-experimental method. Subject of this study is students in grade V in one of state elementary school in Cirebon Regency. Instrument that used in this study is mathematical problem solving skills. The result of this study showed that mathematical problem solving skills of students who learn by using Scientific Approach is more significant than using Direct Instruction. Base on result and analysis, the conclusion is that Scientific Approach can improve students’ mathematical problem solving skills.

  6. Soft skills and their progress by students FM VĆ E

    OpenAIRE

    JedounovĂĄ, Lucie

    2009-01-01

    In theoretic part of bachelor I define term soft skills, point out their importance generally for human, specially for students (graduates) as future job candidates and describe constituent soft skills. The goal of practical part this work is map situation in soft skills by students 1st and 3rd year bachelor, attendance study and find out, if they have during their study ample opportunity for progress soft skills and if they feel improvement at the end 3rd year in this sphere.

  7. Impact of focused training on communication skills of final-year medical students in a medical school in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iqbal, Nayyar; Mookkappan, Sudhagar; Basheer, Aneesh; Kandasamy, Ravichandran

    2015-01-01

    Although communication skills are important for a good physician-patient relationship, Indian medical curricula give very little emphasis on training medical students in this aspect. To determine the change in communication skills of final-year medical students following focused training. This was an educational interventional study done at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India, to assess communication skills among final-year MBBS students. Fifty-two students (24 males and 28 females) participated in the study. A pre-test was conducted in the form of an objectively structured clinical examination (OSCE), followed by focused training for four hours. The same OSCE was administered as post-test. A comparison between the pre-test and post-test scores was done using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. Ninety-six per cent of participants (50 out of 52) showed improvement in their performance after the focused training. The mean marks of the pre-test and post-test were 10.77± 3 and 18.04±2, respectively, out of a maximum mark of 20 (pcommunication skills of medical students. Hence, it may be included in the curriculum of undergraduate medical teaching programmes in India.

  8. Student-Directed Video Validation of Psychomotor Skills Performance: A Strategy to Facilitate Deliberate Practice, Peer Review, and Team Skill Sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeBourgh, Gregory A; Prion, Susan K

    2017-03-22

    Background Essential nursing skills for safe practice are not limited to technical skills, but include abilities for determining salience among clinical data within dynamic practice environments, demonstrating clinical judgment and reasoning, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork competence. Effective instructional methods are needed to prepare new nurses for entry-to-practice in contemporary healthcare settings. Method This mixed-methods descriptive study explored self-reported perceptions of a process to self-record videos for psychomotor skill performance evaluation in a convenience sample of 102 pre-licensure students. Results Students reported gains in confidence and skill acquisition using team skills to record individual videos of skill performance, and described the importance of teamwork, peer support, and deliberate practice. Conclusion Although time consuming, the production of student-directed video validations of psychomotor skill performance is an authentic task with meaningful accountabilities that is well-received by students as an effective, satisfying learner experience to increase confidence and competence in performing psychomotor skills.

  9. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SOCIAL SKILLS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF ARGENTINA

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    Matias GarcĂ­a TerĂĄn

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Different authors claim that the differences found in the social skills repertoire of men and women could be explained by gender orientation. The purpose of this study is to determine if there are gender differences in social skills in university students from Córdoba (Argentina. The  Social Skills Questionnaire for College Students (SSQ-C (Morån, Olaz & Del Prette, in preparation was applied to a sample of 1076 university students of both sexes, aged between 18 and 25 years old, from 56 undergraduate programs  distributed on five public and private universities of the city of Córdoba, Argentina. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA was conducted to analyze the existence of differences between men and women. We found differences in favour of men in social skills for affective and sexual approach, and in favour of women in conversational skills, refusal assertiveness and empathic skills and expression of positive feelings; there were no differences in social skills for academic and workplace settings. The results and their possible practical implications are discussed.

  10. Prevalence of specific developmental disorder of scholastic skill in school students in Chandigarh, India

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    Priti Arun

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background & objectives: Several studies have been conducted in India to determine the prevalence of learning disabilities in school children which has been reported to be 3-10 per cent among students population. The present study was conducted to find out prevalence of specific developmental disorder of scholastic skills in students of classes VII to XII and to find out feasibility of screening tool in Chandigarh, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study on school students was carried out in two phases. The students were drawn from classes VII to XII from 10 schools of Chandigarh, India. Details of academic performance of all the students was taken, subjectively from class teachers and objectively from the marks obtained in the last academic session. In phase I, 2402 students were assessed. In phase II, 108 students were randomly selected for evaluation for assessing sensitivity and specificity of screening proforma for teachers. A total of 124 students from phase I and all students in phase II were assessed in detail. Tests of intelligence (Malinâ€Čs Intelligence Scale for Indian Children and Standard Progressive Matrices, and NIMHANS Index for specific learning disability (SLD battery were administered. Results: A total of 38 students were found to be having specific developmental disorder of scholastic skills in phase I, that gave a prevalence of 1.58 per cent. Majority had mixed type of errors on SLD battery. There were more boys diagnosed with specific learning disability. Teacherâ€Čs screening instrument had high sensitivity (90.385 and specificity (94.68. Interpretation & conclusions: The findings of our study conducted in community, showed that specific learning disability was not identified even till later age. The screening instrument thus could be used by teachers to suspect students with specific learning disability.

  11. Graduate student's guide to necessary skills for nonacademic conservation careers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blickley, Jessica L; Deiner, Kristy; Garbach, Kelly; Lacher, Iara; Meek, Mariah H; Porensky, Lauren M; Wilkerson, Marit L; Winford, Eric M; Schwartz, Mark W

    2013-02-01

    Graduate education programs in conservation science generally focus on disciplinary training and discipline-specific research skills. However, nonacademic conservation professionals often require an additional suite of skills. This discrepancy between academic training and professional needs can make it difficult for graduate students to identify the skills and experiences that will best prepare them for the conservation job market. We analyzed job advertisements for conservation-science positions and interviewed conservation professionals with experience hiring early-career conservation scientists to determine what skills employers of conservation professionals seek; whether the relative importance of skills varies by job sector (government, nonprofit, and private); and how graduate students interested in careers in conservation science might signal competency in key skills to potential employers. In job advertisements, disciplinary, interpersonal, and project-management skills were in the top 5 skills mentioned across all job sectors. Employers' needs for additional skills, like program leadership, conflict resolution and negotiation, and technical and information technology skills, varied across sectors. Our interview results demonstrated that some skills are best signaled to employers via experiences obtained outside thesis or dissertation work. Our findings suggest that graduate students who wish to be competitive in the conservation job market can benefit by gaining skills identified as important to the job sector in which they hope to work and should not necessarily expect to be competent in these skills simply by completing their chosen degree path. © 2012 Society for Conservation Biology.

  12. ANALYSIS OF STUDENT CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS IN SOLVING PROBLEM PATTERN NUMBERS WITH PARTITION TECHNIQUES BASED ON METACOGNITION SKILLS

    OpenAIRE

    Nila Herawati1, Dafik 2,3 & I Made Tirta4

    2018-01-01

    High-order thinking or Higher Order Thinking Skill (HOTS) is one of the most needed thinking skills in a person's life. Creative thinking is the highest level of thinking skills. Creative thinking skills in students have the characteristics of fluency (fluency), flexibility (flexibility), elaboration and originality (originality). Metacognition is the ability of one's thinking in using strategies to produce problem solving in their learning. This ability helps students get personal feedback a...

  13. Concept-Mapping Tools and the Development of Students' Critical-Thinking Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tseng, Sheng-Shiang

    2015-01-01

    Developing students' critical-thinking skills has recently received attention at all levels of education. This article proposes the use of concept-mapping tools to improve students' critical-thinking skills. The article introduces a Web-based concept-mapping tool--Popplet--and demonstrates its application for teaching critical-thinking skills in


  14. The Effect of Theory of Mind Training on Social Skills Improvement in Intellectually Disabled Students

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    mahboub bakhshi-Barzili

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The development of theory of mind is considered as one aspect of social cognition by researchers and have attracted their attention in recent years. The purpose was to determine the effect of theory of mind training on social skills in male students with intellectual disability in Meshkinshahr City. Materials & Methods: In present experimental study, pretest-posttest design with control group were used. All intellectually disabled male students (aged 8-12 years old who educating in Meshkinshahr (43 individuals answered to theory of mind tests. Students who could not pass the tests (39 individuals selected as a sample and their teachers completed Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS Gresham & Elliot, 1990 for them. They assigned randomly to experimental and control groups. Experimental group participated in 8 training sessions (for 2 weeks, 30 minutes per session. After last session, theory of mind tests and SSRS administered for all subjects again. Data were assesed with analysis of covariance.  Results: Analysis of covariance showed that experimental group performed better than control group in social skills index, cooperation and self-control components significantly (P=0.001. But, two groups were not significantly different in assertion component.  Conclusion: theory of mind training leads to improvement in social skills and its components of intellectually disabled students and will guarantee their success on these areas in adulthood.

  15. Secondary school students' perceptions of working life skills in science-related careers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salonen, Anssi; Hartikainen-Ahia, Anu; Hense, Jonathan; Scheersoi, Annette; Keinonen, Tuula

    2017-07-01

    School students demonstrate a lack of interest in choosing science studies and science-related careers. To better understand the underlying reasons, this study aims to examine secondary school students' perceptions of working life skills and how these perceptions relate to the skills of the twenty-first century. The participants in this study were 144 Finnish 7th graders (aged 13-14 years). Using a questionnaire and qualitative content analysis, we examined their perceptions of working life skills in 'careers in science' and 'careers with science'. Results reveal that although students have a great deal of knowledge about working life skills, it is often just stereotyped. Sector-specific knowledge and skills were highlighted in particular but skills related to society, organisation, time and higher order thinking, were often omitted. Results also indicate that students do not associate 'careers in science' with creativity, innovation, collaboration or technology and ICT skills. Conversely, according to the students, these careers demand more sector-specific knowledge and responsibility than 'careers with science'. We conclude that students need more wide-ranging information about scientific careers and the competencies demanded; such information can be acquired by e.g. interacting with professionals and their real working life problems.

  16. The efficacy of video monitoring-supported student self-evaluation of dental explorer skills in dental hygiene education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tano, R; Takaku, S; Ozaki, T

    2017-11-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate whether having dental hygiene students monitor video recordings of their dental explorer skills is an effective means of proper self-evaluation in dental hygiene education. The study participants comprised students of a dental hygiene training school who had completed a module on explorer skills using models, and a dental hygiene instructor who was in charge of lessons. Questions regarding 'posture', 'grip', 'finger rest' and 'operation' were set to evaluate explorer skills. Participants rated each item on a two-point scale: 'competent (1)' or 'not competent (0)'. The total score was calculated for each evaluation item in evaluations by students with and without video monitoring, and in evaluations by the instructor with video monitoring. Mean scores for students with and without video monitoring were compared using a t-test, while intraclass correlation coefficients were found by reliability analysis of student and instructor evaluations. A total of 37 students and one instructor were subject to analysis. The mean score for evaluations with and without video monitoring differed significantly for posture (P Dental Hygiene Published by John Wiley& Sons Ltd.

  17. Assessment of minimally invasive surgical skills of pre-medical students: What can we learn from future learners?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borahay, Mostafa A; Jackson, Mary; Tapısız, Omer L; Lyons, Elizabeth; Patel, Pooja R; Nassar, Ramsey; Kılıç, Gökhan Sami

    2014-01-01

    Knowledge of baseline laparoscopic and robotic surgical skills of future learners is essential to develop teaching strategies that best fit them. The objectives of this study are to determine baseline laparoscopic and robotic skills of high school and college students and compare them to those of current obstetrics and gynecology residents. A cross-sectional (Class II-2) pilot study. Laparoscopic and robotic surgical skills of college and high (secondary) school students were evaluated using simulators and compared to those of obstetrics and gynecology residents. In addition, questionnaire data were collected regarding video game playing and computer use. A total of 17 students, both high school (n=9) and college (n=8), in addition to 11 residents, completed the study. Overall, students performed comparably to the residents in simple exercises (p>.05). However, students took significantly longer time to complete complex exercises (p=.001). Finally, students played video games significantly more than residents (pskill set. This difference may be related to improved hand-eye coordination, possibly due to playing video games. The results of this pilot study should spur more research into surgical teaching strategies.

  18. Mentoring in the acquisition of professional skills through practices in companies by degree students

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    Teresa Maria Monllau Jaques

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This work has had as objective to analyze the skills acquired through internships in business companies by gender that have made the students of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University Pompeu Fabra. The internship is a basic item in order to obtain a hard connection between the University and social-economic world where University and Enterprises develop their activity. In this study we want to know about two aspects. The first one, we want to know the profit that is obtained from the Student as a consequence of internship and mentoring. Also, we want to study about the importance of mentoring as a principal element that establish the relationship between the Student and the Company. Moreover, it has sought to analyze if certain factors such as the size of the company where the practices has been performed, the study rank level that was achieved or the fact of being a man or a woman, were among the determining factors at the time of acquiring the skills. The results presented here indicate that the size of the company that have been making the practices and the gender of the student are related to the acquisition of certain skills. There was not a statistically significant relationship related to the rank level have by the students in the practice. In the future we are going to study if the labor market Integration is easier if the Student has performed work placement.

  19. Student attitude towards communication skills learning in a Caribbean medical school.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shankar, Pr; Dubey, Ak; Balasubramanium, R; Dwivedi, Nr

    2013-01-01

    Medical student attitudes towards communication skills are important for curriculum planners and teachers. Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM) is a private medical school admitting students mainly from the United States and Canada. Attitude of students towards communication skills has not been previously studied in the institution. Hence the present study was carried out. The study was carried out among the first, second, third and fourth semester undergraduate medical (MD) students at XUSOM, Aruba during July 2013 using the communication skills attitude scale (CSAS). Respondents' age, gender, nationality, occupation of parents, place of residence of family, semester of study were noted. The positive and negative attitude scale scores were calculated and compared among different subgroups of respondents (pcommunication skills. The mean positive attitude scale (PAS) score was 47.65 (maximum being 65) and the mean negative attitude scale (NAS) score was 31.06 (maximum 65). PAS score was significantly higher among respondents whose fathers were not in health related professions. NAS scores were significantly lower among the third and fourth semester respondents. Students overall had a positive attitude towards communication skills but negative attitudes were also noted Based on results of the study and a review of literature we are planning to start communication skills learning in the institution right from the first semester and students will be provided opportunities for supervised practice during early clinical exposure, hospital observership and with standardised patients. The medical humanities module will be expanded and communication skills learning will continue during the clinical years with higher order skills being taught.

  20. Teaching communications skills to medical students: Introducing the fine art of medical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhary, Anjali; Gupta, Vineeta

    2015-08-01

    Like many other people based professions, communications skills are essential to medical practice also. Traditional medical teaching in India does not address communication skills which are most essential in dealing with patients. Communication skills can be taught to medical students to increase clinical competence. To teach basic communication and counseling skills to fourth-year undergraduate students to increase their clinical competence. A total of 48, fourth-year MBBS students participated in the study. They were given training in basic communication and counseling skills and taught the patient interview technique according to Calgary-Cambridge guide format. Improvement in communication was assessed by change in pre- and post-training multiple choice questions, clinical patient examination, and Standardized Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (SPSQ) scores. About 88% of the students in the sample were convinced of the importance of learning communication skills for effective practice. Almost 90% students were communicating better after training, as tested by improved SPSQ. As judged by Communication Skill Attitude Scale, student's positive attitude toward learning communication skill indicated that there is a necessity of communication skill training during undergraduate years. The ability to communicate effectively is a core competency for medical practitioners. Inculcating habits of good communications skill during formative years will help the medical students and future practitioners. Regular courses on effective communication should be included in the medical school curriculum.

  1. The Relationship between Student Teachers' Citizenship Skills and Critical

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ä°smail Acun

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the research is to investigate the relationship between student teachers’ citizenship skills and their critical thinking skills. The New Turkish Primary Curriculum aims at educating pupils with pre-requisite skills and knowledge that are necessary for operating efficiently in a knowledge based society. There is a strong emphasis on improving generic skills of students. The skills of critical thinking, reflective thinking, inquiry and working in groups are thought to be necessary skills for effective teaching and learning. When it comes to citizenship education those skills, especially critical thinking skills, become even more important.There has been a shift in policy with the curriculum both in terms of its structure and its philosophy from ‘creating good citizens’ to ‘empowerment’. The teachers will be the agents for the proposed shift to occur in schools and in pupils’ hearts and minds. That is why it is important that teachers themselves should be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge. In order to predict whether those aims will be realized or not, it is important to know whether teachers have those knowledge and skills. Thus, the question of whether there is relationship with citizenship qualifications and critical thinking skills will be investigated through student teachers.This study employs a survey research method. In order to collect data two different research tools are used. The data on student teachers’ citizenship skills were gathered through a ‘Citizenship Qualifications Scale’ developed by Yucel, Acun, Demirhan and Goz. The scale has to parts. First part contains questions on demographic information about teachers and teachers’ professional practice. Second part of the scale includes question/statements to determine teachers’ level of knowledge on citizenship themes, level of their behaviors and level of their importance attribution on the same themes. Those themes are categorized as

  2. Objective structured assessment of technical skills evaluation of theoretical compared with hands-on training of shoulder dystocia management: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buerkle, Bernd; Pueth, Julia; Hefler, Lukas A; Tempfer-Bentz, Eva-Katrin; Tempfer, Clemens B

    2012-10-01

    To compare the skills of performing a shoulder dystocia management algorithm after hands-on training compared with demonstration. We randomized medical students to a 30-minute hands-on (group 1) and a 30-minute demonstration (group 2) training session teaching a standardized shoulder dystocia management scheme on a pelvic training model. Participants were tested with a 22-item Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scoring system after training and 72 hours thereafter. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were the primary outcome. Performance time, self-assessment, confidence, and global rating scale were the secondary outcomes. Statistics were performed using Mann-Whitney U test, χ test, and multiple linear regression analysis. Two hundred three participants were randomized. Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills scores were significantly higher in group 1 (n=103) compared with group 2 (n=100) (17.95±3.14 compared with 15.67±3.18, respectively; PTechnical Skills scores were still significantly higher in group 1 (n=67) compared with group 2 (n=60) (18.17±2.76 compared with 14.98±3.03, respectively; PTechnical Skills scores. Hands-on training helps to achieve a significant improvement of shoulder dystocia management on a pelvic training model. www.ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01618565. I.

  3. A comparison of medical students', residents' and tutors' attitudes towards communication skills learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinuevo, Beatriz; Aradilla-Herrero, Amor; Nolla, Maria; ClĂšries, Xavier

    2016-01-01

    The consensus about the importance of communication skills in patient-care does not guarantee that students and faculty perceive the usefulness of these skills. This study evaluated and compared medical students', residents' and tutors' attitudes towards learning communication skills, and examined the association with gender and year of residency. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 492 participants (282 second-year students, 131 residents and 79 tutors). They completed the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) and demographic/educational information. In general, participants showed positive attitudes towards learning communication skills. Medical students, residents and tutors did not differ on the Positive Attitudes Scale (CSAS-PAS). Residents scored higher than medical students on the Negative Attitudes Scale (CSAS-NAS) (P communication skills an essential component for clinical practice and they agree about the need to learn these communication skills. Attention should be paid to measuring attitudes at all three levels of medical education in the design of communication skills courses.

  4. Using peer-assisted learning and role-playing to teach generic skills to dental students: the health care simulation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Tantawi, Maha M A; Abdelaziz, Hytham; AbdelRaheem, Amira S; Mahrous, Ahmed A

    2014-01-01

    Increasing importance is attached to teaching generic skills to undergraduate students in various disciplines. This article describes an extracurricular, student-led activity for teaching generic skills using the Model United Nations over three months. The activity used the Health Care Simulation Model (HCSM) with peer learning and role-playing to accomplish its objectives. An interview was used to select from undergraduate and postgraduate dental students at Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt, to develop a group of staff to act as peer teachers after receiving training (n=77). These peer teachers provided training for 123 undergraduate dental students to serve as delegates who acted as trainees or peer learners. At the end of the training sessions, a conference was held in which the students played the roles of delegates representing officials responsible for health care systems in ten countries. The students reported improvement in generic skills, enjoyed several aspects of the experience, and disliked other aspects of the model to a lesser extent. In multivariate analysis, perceived usefulness of the HCSM was significantly greater for staff than delegates and increased as self-reported improvement in knowledge of health care systems increased. This study suggests that innovative, student-centered educational methods can be effective for teaching generic skills and factual information.

  5. Elementary School Students Perception Levels of Problem Solving Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yavuz, GĂŒnes; Yasemin, Deringöl; Arslan, Çigdem

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to reveal the perception levels of problem solving skills of elementary school students. The sample of the study is formed by totally 264 elementary students attending to 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade in a big city in Turkey. Data were collected by means of "Perception Scale for Problem Solving Skills" which


  6. Gender-fair assessment of young gifted students' scientific thinking skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dori, Y. J.; Zohar, A.; Fischer-Shachor, D.; Kohan-Mass, J.; Carmi, M.

    2018-04-01

    This paper describes an Israeli national-level research examining the extent to which admissions of elementary school students to the gifted programmes based on standardised tests are gender-fair. In the research, the gifted students consisted of 275 boys, 128 girls, and additional 80 girls who were admitted to the gifted programme through affirmative action (AA). To assess these young students' scientific thinking skills, also referred to as science practices, open-ended questions of case-based questionnaires were developed. The investigated scientific thinking skills were question posing, explanation, graphing, inquiry, and metacognition. Analysis of the students' responses revealed that gifted girls who entered the programmes through AA performed at the same level as the other gifted students. We found significant differences between the three research groups in question posing and graphing skills. We suggest increasing gender-fairness by revising the standard national testing system to include case-based narratives followed by open-ended questions that assess gifted students' scientific thinking skills. This may diminish the gender inequity expressed by the different number of girls and boys accepted to the gifted programmes. We show that open-ended tools for analysing students' scientific thinking might better serve both research and practice by identifying gifted girls and boys equally well.

  7. Preparing nursing students for contemporary practice: restructuring the psychomotor skills laboratory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, M D; Fitzloff, B M; Fiedler, R; Lambke, M R

    2000-05-01

    The restructured laboratory experience offered a safe environment that supported student experimentation with psychomotor skills and self-initiated approaches to problem solving. Restructuring psychomotor laboratory experiences with emphasis on communication and conceptualization of principles supported students to begin addressing clinical problems with flexibility, creativity, and the premise for lifelong skill acquisition. Students who have skills that extend beyond technique will inevitably be better prepared to meet the demands of health care systems and patients now and in the future.

  8. Retention of laparoscopic and robotic skills among medical students: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orlando, Megan S; Thomaier, Lauren; Abernethy, Melinda G; Chen, Chi Chiung Grace

    2017-08-01

    Although simulation training beneficially contributes to traditional surgical training, there are less objective data on simulation skills retention. To investigate the retention of laparoscopic and robotic skills after simulation training. We present the second stage of a randomized single-blinded controlled trial in which 40 simulation-naïve medical students were randomly assigned to practice peg transfer tasks on either laparoscopic (N = 20, Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery, Venture Technologies Inc., Waltham, MA) or robotic (N = 20, dV-Trainer, Mimic, Seattle, WA) platforms. In the first stage, two expert surgeons evaluated participants on both tasks before (Stage 1: Baseline) and immediately after training (Stage 1: Post-training) using a modified validated global rating scale of laparoscopic and robotic operative performance. In Stage 2, participants were evaluated on both tasks 11-20 weeks after training. Of the 40 students who participated in Stage 1, 23 (11 laparoscopic and 12 robotic) underwent repeat evaluation. During Stage 2, there were no significant differences between groups in objective or subjective measures for the laparoscopic task. Laparoscopic-trained participants' performances on the laparoscopic task were improved during Stage 2 compared to baseline measured by time to task completion, but not by the modified global rating scale. During the robotic task, the robotic-trained group demonstrated superior economy of motion (p = .017), Tissue Handling (p = .020), and fewer errors (p = .018) compared to the laparoscopic-trained group. Robotic skills acquisition from baseline with no significant deterioration as measured by modified global rating scale scores was observed among robotic-trained participants during Stage 2. Robotic skills acquired through simulation appear to be better maintained than laparoscopic simulation skills. This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02370407).

  9. HISTORICAL-PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM OF DEVELOPING RESEARCH SKILLS IN STUDENTS, AS A FACTOR IN EFFECTIVE LEARNING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marianna Albertovna Gorodilova

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available A special form of the process of cognition this study, i.e. targeted and systematic study that uses the tools of science, and which results in the formation of knowledge about the studied objects. In a broad sense, research is the search for new knowledge. On the other hand (in the narrow sense research is a scientific method of studying something. Cognitive abilities of students based on the ability to «explore».The aim of our study is the problem of formation and development of research skills among students. These skills characterize many kinds of activities corresponding to different levels of professionalism. The development of research skills determines the success of the training. Methodical skill of the teacher is manifested, not only in dealing with certain tasks of teaching, but rather in how these tasks are solved. Without knowledge of historical and pedagogical heritage is impossible to solve the problem of development of research skills in the students.The article conducts historical and pedagogical analysis of literary sources on the problem of developing research skills in students. Considered certain periods in the formation process of formation and development of research abilities of students during their education. This idea existed not in isolation, but in the General system of other Sciences, especially mathematics and philosophy and relevant is not a single century. Changing pedagogical approaches to the implementation of this idea, as changing the conditions of teaching and the individual characteristics of students. But to form and develop in students the ability to think independently, implement research – one of methods of successful training.

  10. Coping Strategies Applied to Comprehend Multistep Arithmetic Word Problems by Students with Above-Average Numeracy Skills and Below-Average Reading Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nortvedt, Guri A.

    2011-01-01

    This article discusses how 13-year-old students with above-average numeracy skills and below-average reading skills cope with comprehending word problems. Compared to other students who are proficient in numeracy and are skilled readers, these students are more disadvantaged when solving single-step and multistep arithmetic word problems. The


  11. Communication Skills of Nursing Students : Focusing on the Relationship between Life Experience and Communication Skills

    OpenAIRE

    長柶, æ™ș歐

    2003-01-01

    Guidelines of teaching communications to nursing students have been shown. However they are not fully mature to help to recognize each student's communication ability. Communication skills of nursing students in basic nursing education are very important.

  12. Critical thinking skills profile of senior high school students in Biology learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saputri, A. C.; Sajidan; Rinanto, Y.

    2018-04-01

    Critical thinking is an important and necessary skill to confront the challenges of the 21st century. Critical thinking skills accommodate activities that can improve high-order thinking skills. This study aims to determine senior high school students' critical thinking skills in Biology learning. This research is descriptive research using instruments developed based on the core aspects of critical thinking skills according to Facione which include interpretation, analysis, evaluation, explanation, conclusion, and self-regulation. The subjects in this study were 297 students in grade 12 of a senior high school in Surakarta selected through purposive sampling technique. The results of this study showed that the students' critical thinking skills on evaluation and self-regulation are in good criterion with 78% and 66% acquisition while 52% interpretation, 56% analysis, 52% conclusion and 42% explanation indicate sufficient criteria. The conclusion from this research is that critical thinking skill of the students still was in enough category, so that needed a way to enhance it on some indicators.

  13. Video capture on student-owned mobile devices to facilitate psychomotor skills acquisition: A feasibility study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinck, Glori; Bergmann, Thomas F

    2013-01-01

    Objective : We evaluated the feasibility of using mobile device technology to allow students to record their own psychomotor skills so that these recordings can be used for self-reflection and formative evaluation. Methods : Students were given the choice of using DVD recorders, zip drive video capture equipment, or their personal mobile phone, device, or digital camera to record specific psychomotor skills. During the last week of the term, they were asked to complete a 9-question survey regarding their recording experience, including details of mobile phone ownership, technology preferences, technical difficulties, and satisfaction with the recording experience and video critique process. Results : Of those completing the survey, 83% currently owned a mobile phone with video capability. Of the mobile phone owners 62% reported having email capability on their phone and that they could transfer their video recording successfully to their computer, making it available for upload to the learning management system. Viewing the video recording of the psychomotor skill was valuable to 88% of respondents. Conclusions : Our results suggest that mobile phones are a viable technology to use for the video capture and critique of psychomotor skills, as most students own this technology and their satisfaction with this method is high.

  14. Gauging the Association of Employability Skills and Being Employable among Students

    OpenAIRE

    Fayeq Ali Ali

    2017-01-01

    The current study is to measure the employability skills of students and to assess how employability skills are perceived in higher educations. Three sets of employability skills have been used such as Basic Academic Skills, Personal Qualities and High-Order Thinking. A questionnaire has been developed and distributed among students in universities, Erbil, Kurdistan. Respondents’ opinions were assessed using a Likert scale analysis that shows opinions between two extremes of levels of agreeme...

  15. Comparison between young male drivers' self-assessed and objectively measured driving skills

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martinussen, Laila Marianne; MĂžller, Mette; Prato, Carlo Giacomo

    2017-01-01

    Self-assessment of skills is a self-generated feedback process that contributes to confidence in one's skills. The higher one's self-assessed skills, the more likely one is to feel competent a particular domain thereby influencing the related behaviors. Drivers' self-assessed driving skills...... are not always accurate, which may cause serious problems such as underestimation of risk, reckless driving and accidents. Most previous research on self-assessment of driving skills did not compare self-reported skills to objectively measured driving skills, so the aim of this study was to test the accuracy...

  16. Improving Students' Interpersonal Skills through Experiential Small Group Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skinner, Kay Lesley; Hyde, Sarah J.; McPherson, Kerstin B. A.; Simpson, Maree D.

    2016-01-01

    Health professional students must be equipped with the skills necessary to interact with patients. Effective interpersonal skills are difficult to both learn and teach, requiring development, practise and evaluation in both educational and clinical settings. In professions such as physiotherapy, traditional approaches to teaching these skills have


  17. Third year medical students perceptions towards learning communication skills: implications for medical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loureiro, Elizabete; Severo, Milton; Bettencourt, Paulo; Ferreira, Maria Amélia

    2011-12-01

    To analyze students' perceptions towards learning communication skills pre-and-post training in a Communication and Clinical Skills Course (CCSC) at a Portuguese Medical School. Content analysis was used to describe and systematically analyze the content written by students (n=215 from a total of 229) in an open-ended survey. In addition, content analysis association rules were used to identify meaning units. Students' pre-training definitions of communication skills were not specific; their post-training definitions were more precise and elaborated. Students perceived communications skills in Medicine as important (61%), but recommended that teaching methodologies (52%) be restructured. There appeared to be no connection between criticism of teaching skills performance and perceptions of the other aspects of the course. Students' experiences at CCSC are associated with their perceptions of communications skills learning. Content analysis associations indicated that these perceptions are influenced by context. Improvement of curricula, teaching and assessment methods, and investment in faculty development are likely to foster positive perceptions towards learning communication skills in these students. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Focused didactic training for skills lab student tutors – which techniques are considered helpful?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heni, Martin; Lammerding-Köppel, Maria; Celebi, Nora; Shiozawa, Thomas; Riessen, Reimer; Nikendei, Christoph; Weyrich, Peter

    2012-01-01

    Objective: Peer-assisted learning is widely used in medical education. However, little is known about an appropriate didactic preparation for peer tutors. We herein describe the development of a focused didactic training for skills lab tutors in Internal Medicine and report on a retrospective survey about the student tutors’ acceptance and the perceived transferability of attended didactic training modules. Methods: The course consisted of five training modules: ‘How to present and explain effectively’: the student tutors had to give a short presentation with subsequent video analysis and feedback in order to learn methods of effective presentation. ‘How to explain precisely’: Precise explanation techniques were trained by exercises of exact description of geometric figures and group feedback. ‘How to explain on impulse’: Spontaneous teaching presentations were simulated and feedback was given. ‘Peyton’s 4 Step Approach’: Peyton‘s Method for explanation of practical skills was introduced and trained by the participants. ‘How to deal with critical incidents’: Possibilities to deal with critical teaching situations were worked out in group sessions. Twenty-three student tutors participated in the retrospective survey by filling out an electronic questionnaire, after at least 6 months of teaching experience. Results: The exercise ‘How to present and explain effectively’ received the student tutors’ highest rating for their improvement of didactic qualification and was seen to be most easily transferable into the skills lab environment. This module was rated as the most effective module by nearly half of the participants. It was followed by ‘Peyton’s 4 Step Approach’ , though it was also seen to be the most delicate method in regard to its transfer into the skills lab owing to time concerns. However, it was considered to be highly effective. The other modules received lesser votes by the tutors as the most helpful exercise in

  19. Mastery learning improves students skills in inserting intravenous access: a pre-post-study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friederichs, Hendrik; Brouwer, Britta; Marschall, Bernhard; Weissenstein, Anne

    2016-01-01

    Inserting peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) has been identified as a core competency for medical students. Because the performance - even of hygienic standards - of both students and novice physicians is frequently inadequate, medical faculties must focus on competence-based learning objectives and deliberate practice, features that are combined in mastery learning. Our aim was to determine the competency of students in inserting PVCs before and after an educational intervention. This study comprised a skills assessment with pre- and post-tests of a group of third-year students who received a simulation-based intervention. A newly established curriculum involved one hour of practice at inserting PVCs on simulators. Students were required to pass a test (total 21 points, pass mark 20 points) developed on the concept of mastery learning. An unannounced follow-up test was performed one week (8 days) after the intervention. The simulation center of the medical faculty in Muenster. Third-year students who received the intervention. One hundred and nine complete data sets were obtained from 133 students (82.5%). Most students (97.2%) passed the test after the intervention (mean score increase from 15.56 to 20.50, Pstudents' performance after one week (8 days): only 74.5% of participants passed this retest (mean score reduction from 20.50 to 20.06, Plearning is an effective form of teaching practical skills to medical students, allowing a thorough preparation for the challenges of daily clinical practice.

  20. Does the inclusion of 'professional development' teaching improve medical students' communication skills?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background This study investigated whether the introduction of professional development teaching in the first two years of a medical course improved students' observed communication skills with simulated patients. Students' observed communication skills were related to patient-centred attitudes, confidence in communicating with patients and performance in later clinical examinations. Methods Eighty-two medical students from two consecutive cohorts at a UK medical school completed two videoed consultations with a simulated patient: one at the beginning of year 1 and one at the end of year 2. Group 1 (n = 35) received a traditional pre-clinical curriculum. Group 2 (n = 47) received a curriculum that included communication skills training integrated into a 'professional development' vertical module. Videoed consultations were rated using the Evans Interview Rating Scale by communication skills tutors. A subset of 27% were double-coded. Inter-rater reliability is reported. Results Students who had received the professional development teaching achieved higher ratings for use of silence, not interrupting the patient, and keeping the discussion relevant compared to students receiving the traditional curriculum. Patient-centred attitudes were not related to observed communication. Students who were less nervous and felt they knew how to listen were rated as better communicators. Students receiving the traditional curriculum and who had been rated as better communicators when they entered medical school performed less well in the final year clinical examination. Conclusions Students receiving the professional development training showed significant improvements in certain communication skills, but students in both cohorts improved over time. The lack of a relationship between observed communication skills and patient-centred attitudes may be a reflection of students' inexperience in working with patients, resulting in 'patient-centredness' being an abstract concept

  1. Does the inclusion of 'professional development' teaching improve medical students' communication skills?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kubacki Angela M

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This study investigated whether the introduction of professional development teaching in the first two years of a medical course improved students' observed communication skills with simulated patients. Students' observed communication skills were related to patient-centred attitudes, confidence in communicating with patients and performance in later clinical examinations. Methods Eighty-two medical students from two consecutive cohorts at a UK medical school completed two videoed consultations with a simulated patient: one at the beginning of year 1 and one at the end of year 2. Group 1 (n = 35 received a traditional pre-clinical curriculum. Group 2 (n = 47 received a curriculum that included communication skills training integrated into a 'professional development' vertical module. Videoed consultations were rated using the Evans Interview Rating Scale by communication skills tutors. A subset of 27% were double-coded. Inter-rater reliability is reported. Results Students who had received the professional development teaching achieved higher ratings for use of silence, not interrupting the patient, and keeping the discussion relevant compared to students receiving the traditional curriculum. Patient-centred attitudes were not related to observed communication. Students who were less nervous and felt they knew how to listen were rated as better communicators. Students receiving the traditional curriculum and who had been rated as better communicators when they entered medical school performed less well in the final year clinical examination. Conclusions Students receiving the professional development training showed significant improvements in certain communication skills, but students in both cohorts improved over time. The lack of a relationship between observed communication skills and patient-centred attitudes may be a reflection of students' inexperience in working with patients, resulting in 'patient-centredness' being

  2. Parent assessment of medical student skills in ambulatory pediatrics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erika Persson

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Partnership with parents is a vital part of pediatric medical education, yet few studies have examined parent attitudes towards learners in pediatric settings. Methods: Questionnaires were used to determine parent and student assessment of professional and clinical skills (primary outcome and parent attitudes towards 3rd year medical students (secondary outcome at the University of Alberta. Chi Square, Kendall’s Tau and Kappa coefficients were calculated to compare parent and student responses in 8 areas: communication, respect, knowledge, listening, history taking, physical examination, supervision, and overall satisfaction. Results: Overall satisfaction with medical student involvement by parents was high: 56.7% of all parents ranked the encounter as ‘excellent’. Areas of lesser satisfaction included physician supervision of students. Compared to the parent assessment, students tended to underrate many of their skills, including communication, history taking and physical exam. There was no relationship between parent demographics and their attitude to rating any of the students’ skills. Conclusions: Parents were satisfied with medical student involvement in the care of their children. Areas identified for improvement included increased supervision of students in both history taking and physical examination. This is one of the largest studies examining parent attitudes towards pediatric students. The results may enhance undergraduate curriculum development and teaching in pediatric ambulatory clinics and strengthen the ongoing partnership between the community and teaching clinics.

  3. Using Physical Education to Improve Literacy Skills in Struggling Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wachob, David A.

    2014-01-01

    Literacy skills are an essential part of academic performance. When physical educators collaborate with classroom teachers to address these skills, student engagement in the learning process can greatly improve. This article begins by reviewing the growing issues surrounding student literacy and its impact on academic performance. The discussion


  4. Relationships between fundamental movement skills and objectively measured physical activity in preschool children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cliff, Dylan P; Okely, Anthony D; Smith, Leif M; McKeen, Kim

    2009-11-01

    Gender differences in cross-sectional relationships between fundamental movement skill (FMS) subdomains (locomotor skills, object-control skills) and physical activity were examined in preschool children. Forty-six 3- to 5-year-olds (25 boys) had their FMS video assessed (Test of Gross Motor Development II) and their physical activity objectively monitored (Actigraph 7164 accelerometers). Among boys, object-control skills were associated with physical activity and explained 16.9% (p = .024) and 13.7% (p = .049) of the variance in percent of time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total physical activity, respectively, after controlling for age, SES and z-BMI. Locomotor skills were inversely associated with physical activity among girls, and explained 19.2% (p = .023) of the variance in percent of time in MVPA after controlling for confounders. Gender and FMS subdomain may influence the relationship between FMS and physical activity in preschool children.

  5. Teaching effective problem solving skills to radiation protection students

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waller, Edward

    2008-01-01

    Full text: Problem solving skills are essential for all radiation protection personnel. Although some students have more natural problem solving skills than others, all students require practice to become comfortable using these skills. At the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), a unique one-semester course was developed as part of the core curriculum to teach students problem solving skills and elements of modelling and simulation. The underlying emphasis of the course was to allow students to develop their own problem solving strategies, both individually and in groups. Direction was provided on how to examine problems from different perspectives, and how to determine the proper root problem statement. A five-point problem solving strategy was presented as: 1) Problem definition; 2) Solution generation; 3) Decision; 4) Implementation; 5) Evaluation. Within the strategy, problem solving techniques were integrated from diverse areas such as: De Bono 's six thinking hats, Kepner-Tregoe decision analysis, Covey's seven habits of highly effective people, Reason's swiss cheese theory of complex failure, and Howlett's common failure modes. As part of the evaluation step, students critically explore areas such as ethics and environmental responsibility. In addition to exploring problem solving methods, students learn the usefulness of simulation methods, and how to model and simulate complex phenomena of relevance to radiation protection. Computational aspects of problem solving are explored using the commercially available MATLAB computer code. A number of case studies are presented as both examples and problems to the students. Emphasis was placed on solutions to problems of interest to radiation protection, health physics and nuclear engineering. A group project, pertaining to an accident or event related to the nuclear industry is a course requirement. Students learn to utilize common time and project management tools such as flowcharting, Pareto

  6. Engaging Business Students in Quantitative Skills Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cronin, Anthony; Carroll, Paula

    2015-01-01

    In this paper the complex problems of developing quantitative and analytical skills in undergraduate first year, first semester business students are addressed. An action research project, detailing how first year business students perceive the relevance of data analysis and inferential statistics in light of the economic downturn and the


  7. The Soft Skill Analysis of the Students and the Graduates of POLMAN Bandung

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Achmad Muhammad

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This study analysis show not only the results of soft skills measurement among POLMAN Bandung students and alumni, but also the users satisfaction to graduate soft skills achievement. This study is conducted in POLMAN Bandung and in some industries that employing POLMAN Bandung graduates. The results of analysis depict the soft skills profile of POLMAN Bandung students and alumni. The analysis reveals that the general description of soft skills of POLMAN Bandung graduates and students is moderate, a little bit higher above the average. Among the elements measured in this study, motivation and communication skills have the lowest rates. This becomes a concern, especially for POLMAN Bandung institution and its students themselves. They should realize that without high motivation to learn and communication skills, it will be more difficult to achieve the successfulness in study. Therefore, some of the soft skill trainings need to be conducted by the institution and the students themselves.

  8. Development of a patient-doctor communication skills model for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Young Hee; Lee, Young-Mee

    2010-09-01

    Communication is a core clinical skill that can be taught and learned. The authors intended to develop a patient-doctor communication model for teaching and assessing undergraduate medical students in Korea. To develop a model, literature reviews and an iterative process of discussion between faculty members of a communication skills course for second year medical students were conducted. The authors extracted common communication skill competencies by comparing the Kalamazoo Consensus Statement, SEGUE framework communication skills, the Calgary Cambridge Observation Guides, and previous communication skills lists that have been used by the authors. The content validity, with regard to clinical importance and feasibility, was surveyed by both faculty physicians and students. The first version of the model consisted of 36 items under 7 categories: initiating the session (8 items), building a relationship (6), gathering information (8), understanding a patient's perspectives (4), sharing information (4), reaching an agreement (3), and closing the session (3). It was used as a guide for both students and teachers in an actual communication skills course. At the end of the course, student performance was assessed using two 7-minute standardized patient interviews with a 34-item checklist. This assessment tool was modified from the first version of the model to reflect the case specificity of the scenarios. A patient-doctor communication model, which can be taught to those with limited patient care experience, was finally developed. We recommended a patient-doctor communication skills model that can be used for teaching and evaluating preclinical and clinical students. Further studies are needed to verify its validity and reliability.

  9. Self-confidence of medical students in performing clinical skills acquired during their surgical rotation. Assessing clinical skills education in Kuwait.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karim, Jumanah A; Marwan, Yousef A; Dawas, Ahmed M; Akhtar, Saeed

    2012-12-01

    To assess the self-confidence of clinical years` medical students in performing clinical skills/procedures. A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2011 at the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait. A questionnaire was used to collect data from students who had completed their surgical rotation of their first clinical year. The students reported their level of self-confidence in performing specific skills/procedures related to that rotation. Data were presented using frequencies and percentages. A total score of confidence was calculated for each student. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to assess the association between the students` sociodemographic characteristics and confidence score. Of the 122 students invited to participate in the study, only 15 (12.3%) declined to comply. Most students reported high confidence level (more than 75%) in performing 7 of the 13 history taking/physical examination skills, and 2 of the 39 diagnostic/treatment procedure skills. The highest confidence level was in performing abdominal examination, while the lowest level was in care of Jackson-Pratt drain site and emptying the drain bulb. The total confidence score was significantly higher among males (p=0.021), and students with higher monthly income (p=0.002). Medical students appeared to have poor self-confidence in performing clinical skills/procedures. Curriculum planners should explore potential reasons, and methods for the improvement of confidence level among medical students in performing skills/procedures they were expected to learn during their surgical rotation.

  10. Students' Perceptions of Life Skill Development in Project-Based Learning Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Kimberly; Wurdinger, Scott

    2016-01-01

    This research aimed to examine students' perceptions of their life skills while attending project-based learning (PBL) schools. The study focused on three questions including: (1) What are students' perceptions of their development of life skills in project-based learning schools?; (2) In what ways, if any, do students perceive an increase in


  11. THE EFFECT OF INQUIRY TRAINING MODEL USE THE MEDIA PHET AGAINST SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS AND LOGICAL THINKING SKILLS STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fajrul Wahdi Ginting

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The Purpose of The study: science process skills and logical thinking ability of students who use inquiry learning model training using PhET media; science process skills and logical thinking ability of students who use conventional learning model; and the difference science process skills and logical thinking ability of students to use learning model Inquiry Training using PhET media and conventional learning models. This research is a quasi experimental. Sample selection is done by cluster random sampling are two classes of classes VIII-E and class VIII-B, where the class VIII-E is taught by inquiry training model using media PhET and VIII-B with conventional learning model. The instrument used consisted of tests science process skills such as essay tests and tests of the ability to think logically in the form of multiple-choice tests. The data were analyzed using t test. The results showed that physics science process skills use Inquiry Training models using PhET media is different and showed better results compared with conventional learning model, and logical thinking skills students use Inquiry Training model using PhET media is different and show better results compared with conventional learning, and there is a difference between the ability to think logically and science process skills of students who use Inquiry Training model using PhET media and conventional learning models.

  12. [Attitudes of freshman medical students towards education in communication skills].

    Science.gov (United States)

    TĂłth, IldikĂł; BĂĄn, IldikĂł; FĂŒzesi, Zsuzsanna; KesztyĂŒs, MĂĄrk; Nagy, Lajos

    2011-09-18

    In their institute authors teach medical communication skills in three languages (Hungarian, English and German) for medical students in the first year of their studies. In order to improve teaching methods, authors wanted to explore the attitudes of students towards the communication skills learning. For this purpose authors applied the Communication Skills Attitudes Scale created by Rees et al., which is an internationally accepted and well adaptable instrument. In this survey authors wanted to validate the Hungarian and German version of the Communication Skills Attitudes Scale. In addition, their aim was to analyze possible differences between the attitudes of each of the three medical teaching programs. Questionnaires were filled anonymously at the beginning of the practices. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was performed to evaluate the attitudes using the SPSS 10.5 version for analysis. Authors created a model consisting of 7 factors. Factors were the following: 1: respect and interpersonal skills; 2: learning; 3: importance of communication within medical profession; 4: excuse; 5: counter; 6: exam; 7: overconfidence. It was found that students had mainly positive attitudes. Except the learning factor, all other factors showed significant differences between the three medical teaching programs. although students had mainly positive attitudes toward learning communication skills, there were negative attitudes which can be partly modified by improving the teaching methods. However, results may create a proper base for further research to help improving communication skills teaching methods of the authors.

  13. THE EFFECT OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS TEACHING IN FINAL-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chit Soe

    2016-12-01

    In the communication skills station, 290 out of 363 (79.9% passed. For OSLAR, the pass rate was 288 out of 363 (79.3%, and for OSCE it was 279 out of 363 (76.9%. There was a significant association between passing communication skills and OSLAR (χ 2 = 10.2, p = .001. Especially, there was correlation between the history taking part of OSLAR scores and CS scores (r = .257, p = 0.000. To test whether it was because of the phenomenon that good students will pass whatever station it is and poor students will fail, association between communication skills score and OSCE (the station where the students do not need to speak and are tested for manual skills only was analyzed. There was no association between those two skill stations.

  14. Walking the bridge: Nursing students' learning in clinical skill laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewertsson, Mona; Allvin, Renée; Holmström, Inger K; Blomberg, Karin

    2015-07-01

    Despite an increasing focus on simulation as a learning strategy in nursing education, there is limited evidence on the transfer of simulated skills into clinical practice. Therefore it's important to increase knowledge of how clinical skills laboratories (CSL) can optimize students' learning for development of professional knowledge and skills, necessary for quality nursing practice and for patient safety. Thus, the aim was to describe nursing students' experiences of learning in the CSL as a preparation for their clinical practice. Interviews with 16 students were analysed with content analysis. An overall theme was identified - walking the bridge - in which the CSL formed a bridge between the university and clinical settings, allowing students to integrate theory and practice and develop a reflective stance. The theme was based on categories: conditions for learning, strategies for learning, tension between learning in the skills laboratory and clinical settings, and development of professional and personal competence. The CSL prepared the students for clinical practice, but a negative tension between learning in CSL and clinical settings was experienced. However, this tension may create reflection. This provides a new perspective that can be used as a pedagogical approach to create opportunities for students to develop their critical thinking. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Undergraduate paramedic student psychomotor skills in an obstetric setting: An evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenson, Shane; Mills, Jason

    2018-01-01

    The clinical education of paramedic students is an international concern. In Australia, student placements are commonly undertaken with local district ambulance services, however these placements are increasingly limited. Clinical placements within inter-professional settings represent an innovative yet underdeveloped area of investigation. This paper addresses that gap by reporting a pilot evaluation of paramedic student clinical placements in a specialised obstetrics setting. Using a case study approach, the evaluation aimed to identify paramedic psychomotor skills that could be practised in this setting, and understand the nature of key learning events. A purposive sample of paramedic students was recruited following completion of the obstetrics placement. A combination of student reflection and assessed psychomotor skills data were collected from clinical placement logs. Content analysis of all data was conducted inductively and deductively, as appropriate. Findings indicated a comprehensive range of psychomotor skills can be practised in this setting, with over thirty psychomotor skills identified directly related to the paramedic curriculum; and seven psychomotor skills indirectly related. The themes finding confidence in maternity care, watching the experts, and putting theory into practice provide narrative insight into the clinical learning experience of paramedic students in this setting. Further research is recommended to build upon this pilot. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Evaluating Psychology Students' Library Skills and Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Steve; Allen, Julie

    2012-01-01

    Extensive engagement with current academic sources is expected of all psychology undergraduates. Thirty-eight undergraduate psychology students took part in a series of focus group discussions of their information-searching experiences and skills. The majority of students had not been required to engage with any form of information searching while


  17. Psychometric properties of the Calgary Cambridge guides to assess communication skills of undergraduate medical students.

    OpenAIRE

    Simmenroth-Nayda, Anne; Heinemann, Stephanie; Nolte, Catharina; Fischer, Thomas; Himmel, Wolfgang

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the short version of the Calgary Cambridge Guides and to decide whether it can be recommended for use in the assessment of communications skills in young undergraduate medical students. METHODS: Using a translated version of the Guide, 30 members from the Department of General Practice rated 5 videotaped encounters between students and simulated patients twice. Item analysis should detect possible floor and/or...

  18. Critical Thinking Skills Of Junior High School Female Students With High Mathematical Skills In Solving Contextual And Formal Mathematical Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail; Suwarsono, St.; Lukito, A.

    2018-01-01

    Critical thinking is one of the most important skills of the 21st century in addition to other learning skills such as creative thinking, communication skills and collaborative skills. This is what makes researchers feel the need to conduct research on critical thinking skills in junior high school students. The purpose of this study is to describe the critical thinking skills of junior high school female students with high mathematical skills in solving contextual and formal mathematical problems. To achieve this is used qualitative research. The subject of the study was a female student of eight grade junior high school. The students’ critical thinking skills are derived from in-depth problem-based interviews using interview guidelines. Interviews conducted in this study are problem-based interviews, which are done by the subject given a written assignment and given time to complete. The results show that critical thinking skills of female high school students with high math skills are as follows: In solving the problem at the stage of understanding the problem used interpretation skills with sub-indicators: categorization, decode, and clarify meaning. At the planning stage of the problem-solving strategy is used analytical skills with sub-indicators: idea checking, argument identification and argument analysis and evaluation skills with sub indicators: assessing the argument. In the implementation phase of problem solving, inference skills are used with subindicators: drawing conclusions, and problem solving and explanatory skills with sub-indicators: problem presentation, justification procedures, and argument articulation. At the re-checking stage all steps have been employed self-regulatory skills with sub-indicators: self-correction and selfstudy.

  19. Effects of a skill demonstration video delivered by smartphone on facilitating nursing students' skill competencies and self-confidence: A randomized controlled trial study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuang, Yeu-Hui; Lai, Fu-Chih; Chang, Chia-Chi; Wan, Hsu-Tien

    2018-07-01

    The correct and appropriate performance of nursing skills by students can ensure patient safety and care quality. However, developing appropriate teaching and learning strategies to enhance nursing students' nursing skills and knowledge are challenging tasks for nursing faculty members. Nowadays, smartphones are popular mobile devices that are used on campuses by students and could be considered a potential tool to deliver learning materials to nursing students. This study aimed to examine the effects of a skill demonstration video delivered by smartphone on facilitating nursing students' nursing skill competency and confidence. A randomized controlled trial study design was used. A convenience sample of nursing students at a university was recruited. After receiving a regular nursing skills lab demonstration, pre-test data were collected from nursing students in an intervention group (n = 44) and a comparison group (n = 43). Then, students in the intervention group downloaded the skill demonstration video onto their smartphones, while the comparison group did not. Post-test data were collected at 2 weeks after the intervention. There were significant differences in students' urinary catheterization knowledge (F = 4.219, p = 0.04) and skills (F = 6.739, p = 0.013), but there was no difference in students' confidence level (F = 2.201, p = 0.142) between the two groups after the intervention. Furthermore, the average score of the satisfaction level regarding the intervention was 4.46 (SD = 0.43) on a scale of 1-5. This study found that delivering learning materials through smartphones to nursing students is suitable. Although there was no significant difference in students' self-confidence level, students' knowledge and skills were improved by the intervention. Smartphones can serve as a supplemental tool for learning nursing skills. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Fostering a student's skill for analyzing test items through an authentic task

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setiawan, Beni; Sabtiawan, Wahyu Budi

    2017-08-01

    Analyzing test items is a skill that must be mastered by prospective teachers, in order to determine the quality of test questions which have been written. The main aim of this research was to describe the effectiveness of authentic task to foster the student's skill for analyzing test items involving validity, reliability, item discrimination index, level of difficulty, and distractor functioning through the authentic task. The participant of the research is students of science education study program, science and mathematics faculty, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, enrolled for assessment course. The research design was a one-group posttest design. The treatment in this study is that the students were provided an authentic task facilitating the students to develop test items, then they analyze the items like a professional assessor using Microsoft Excel and Anates Software. The data of research obtained were analyzed descriptively, such as the analysis was presented by displaying the data of students' skill, then they were associated with theories or previous empirical studies. The research showed the task facilitated the students to have the skills. Thirty-one students got a perfect score for the analyzing, five students achieved 97% mastery, two students had 92% mastery, and another two students got 89% and 79% of mastery. The implication of the finding was the students who get authentic tasks forcing them to perform like a professional, the possibility of the students for achieving the professional skills will be higher at the end of learning.

  1. The conceptualisation of "soft skills" among medical students before ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adele

    undergraduate medical students before and after curriculum reform at the School of Medicine ... Keywords: Soft skills; Interpersonal skills; Doctor-patient relationship; Professional socialisation .... speak out, like you listen to what their problem.

  2. Concordance between Self and Standardized Patient Ratings of Medical Students' Communication Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Je, Min Ji; Lee, Su Hyun; Lee, Chang Hyung; Kim, Sung Soo

    2013-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the concordance between self and standardized patient (SP) ratings of medical students' communication skills. Forty-three students interviewed SPs. The students were asked to complete a communication skills questionnaire that comprised 2 measures (empathy and interpersonal communication) before the interview. After each student's interview with the SP, the latter completed the same questionnaire as the students. Based on Lin's concordance coefficient, there was strong disconcordance between students' self-ratings and the SPs' ratings. With regard to empathic communication, more than 50% of students who considered themselves higher than middle level were regarded by SP as low level. On interpersonal communication, 39% of students who assessed themselves as higher than middle level were scored low level by SPs. There was strong disconcordance between students' self-ratings and the SPs' ratings-students tended to overevaluate themselves regarding their communication skills. These differences might result in patient dissatisfaction and noncompliance. Further, it could become a serious hindrance to the development of a good doctor-patient relationship. Medical educators should make sincere efforts to reduce this gap by teaching medical students the importance of the patients' perception of his doctors' communication skills.

  3. Association of gender and specialty interest with video-gaming, three-dimensional spatial analysis, and entry-level laparoscopic skills in third-year veterinary students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bragg, Heather R; Towle Millard, Heather A; Millard, Ralph P; Constable, Peter D; Freeman, Lyn J

    2016-06-15

    OBJECTIVE To determine whether gender or interest in pursuing specialty certification in internal medicine or surgery was associated with video-gaming, 3-D spatial analysis, or entry-level laparoscopic skills in third-year veterinary students. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE A convenience sample of 68 (42 female and 26 male) third-year veterinary students. PROCEDURES Participants completed a survey asking about their interest in pursuing specialty certification in internal medicine or surgery. Subsequently, participants' entry-level laparoscopic skills were assessed with 3 procedures performed in box trainers, their video-gaming skills were tested with 3 video games, and their 3-D spatial analysis skills were evaluated with the Purdue University Visualization of Rotations Spatial Test. Scores were assigned for laparoscopic, video-gaming, and 3-D spatial analysis skills. RESULTS Significantly more female than male students were interested in pursuing specialty certification in internal medicine (23/42 vs 7/26), and significantly more male than female students were interested in pursuing specialty certification in surgery (19/26 vs 19/42). Males had significantly higher video-gaming skills scores than did females, but spatial analysis and laparoscopic skills scores did not differ between males and females. Students interested in pursuing specialty certification in surgery had higher video-gaming and spatial analysis skills scores than did students interested in pursuing specialty certification in internal medicine, but laparoscopic skills scores did not differ between these 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE For this group of students, neither gender nor interest in specialty certification in internal medicine versus surgery was associated with entry-level laparoscopy skills.

  4. Higher Order Thinking Skills among Secondary School Students in Science Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saido, Gulistan Mohammed; Siraj, Saedah; Bin Nordin, Abu Bakar; Al Amedy, Omed Saadallah

    2015-01-01

    A central goal of science education is to help students to develop their higher order thinking skills to enable them to face the challenges of daily life. Enhancing students' higher order thinking skills is the main goal of the Kurdish Science Curriculum in the Iraqi-Kurdistan region. This study aimed at assessing 7th grade students' higher order


  5. Helping Students Acquire Thinking Skills through Mathematics Instruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Devender, Evelyn M.

    1992-01-01

    Describes three activities that the teacher can employ to help students develop thinking skills through mathematics instruction: (1) memorization using the technique of chunking; (2) higher order thinking with magic squares; and (3) predicting games. Identifies eight facets of the teacher's role in promoting thinking skills. (MDH)

  6. Research Skills Development in Higher Education Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergamini, Tiziana Priede; Navarro, Cristina Lopez-Cozar

    2014-01-01

    This case study presents the development of a research project in a third-year undergraduate course, Family Business Administration. The research project aimed at promoting research skills in students. The authors formed working groups of no more than six students, and each group had to select an original research topic after conducting a


  7. STUDENT TEAMS-ACHIEVEMENT DIVISION TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Wahyuni

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Acquiring writing skill needs a lot of practices, and to produce a piece of writing needs a long process; hence, the appropriate method of the teaching and learning is very important to help students master writing skill. This article aims at reporting a research on the implementation of Student Teams-Achievement Division (STAD as an alternative teaching method to improve students’ writing skill. Through Classroom Action Research design, the researcher did the research at fourth semester students of English Education study program of STAIN Kediri in academic year 2012-1013. The research procedures are planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. The findings show that the implementation of STAD can improve the students’ writing skill which were indicated by the high percentage of the students’ active involvement and positive response on the implementation, and the students’ product of writing in which all of writing components can achieve good level in marking scheme as the minimum level.

  8. An Analysis on Students' Speaking Skill at Second Grade SMP 8 Rambah Hilir

    OpenAIRE

    Harahap, Siti Surinah; Antoni, Rivi; Rasyidah, Ummi

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to find out students speaking skill. Speaking is one of the some skills among listening, writing, reading.This research used descriptive qualitative research design.where the writer described and analyzed the students' errors in speaking skill. The population of this research was taken from the second grade students' at Smp 8 Rambah Hilir in Rambah Hilir district is about 21 students.Based on the result, the writer concludes that the second grade students' of ...

  9. Evaluation of life skills in students of Nursing: a descriptive study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Kavga

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Life skills are a set of human skills acquired via teaching or direct experience that areused to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily human life. The basic elementof a skill is the ability to create and materialise an effective sequence of choices, so as to achieve thedesirable effect. It is important that somebody allocates life skills in six broad sectors: sensitivity,experiencing emotions, realism thought, language and the internal logos, harmony in self-attributionand communication and finally, remuneration activity in finding a meaning in professionAim: The determination of nursing students’ opinions with regard to the existence of life skills and towhat degree they impact.Methodology: The answers of 144 students of two Nursing Departments in Greece (one from Athensand one from providences were evaluated using a questionnaire in order to determine their opinionsabout the non-existence or existence of life skills and if so what level of impact they had on. Thequestionnaire included 69 questions describing the following seven dimensions of life skills: emotion,thought, relations, study, professional settlement, leisure time, mental – bodily health. The answerswere given based on the 4 point Likert scale (no need for improvement, minimal need, small need,large need. For data process we used SPSS 14 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windowsand more concretely, the Mann –Whitney U control and Pearson’ s cross-correlation parametriccoefficient.Results: The descriptive analysis of this questionnaire showed that the sample of students had aneffectual or a large need of improvement at a percentage of 42.9% in the emotional sector, 32.2% in thesector of thought, 31% in the sector of relations, 41.3% in the sector of study, 32.7% in the sector ofprofessional settlement, 30.7% in the sector of leisure time and 35.1% in the sector of health. Mann –Whitney U control showed statistically important

  10. Preparing Students for the 21st Century: Exploring the Effect of Afterschool Participation on Students' Collaboration Skills, Oral Communication Skills, and Self-Efficacy. CRESST Report 777

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Denise; Leon, Seth; Hodson, Cheri; La Torre, Deborah; Obregon, Nora; Rivera, Gwendelyn

    2010-01-01

    This study addressed key questions about LA's BEST afterschool students' self-efficacy, collaboration, and communication skills. We compared student perceptions of their own 21st century skills to external outcome measures including the California Standardized Test (CST), attendance, and teacher ratings. We found a substantial relationship


  11. Preparedness and Practice Management Skills of Graduating Dental Students Entering the Work Force

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jane Manakil

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Dental education aims to produce competent graduates with the ability to provide quality care to the patients and facilitate the smooth integration into professional practice. The objective of this study was to explore the overall preparedness of graduands for integrating into professional practice. The survey was tested for reliability and analysed the career paths, learning preferences, overall knowledge, and confidence amongst graduating dentists in integrating and managing a dental practice on graduation. Sixty-nine students (89.6% in age group of 20–50 years participated in the study. Students indicated a high level of confidence in their skills and ability to work in a team in a practice or collaboratively with other colleagues and specialists but expressed some reservation on their practice management skills (73.1%. Challenges in gaining employment and pressures to repay educational debts are amongst the reasons for graduands preferring a paid job immediately on graduation regardless of demographics. Students indicated that an increase in speciality training and clinical/outreach placements could enhance employability. This study explores the students’ perception of their confidences, knowledge, learning preferences, and practice management skills as a method of evaluating their preparedness to practice on graduation and provides a base line for curriculum structuring to prepare graduands to enter the competitive dental work force.

  12. Faculty Teaching Skills and Their Influence on the College Student Departure Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braxton, John M.; Bray, Nathaniel J.; Berger, Joseph B.

    2000-01-01

    Examines the influence of student perceptions of faculty teaching skills on social integration, subsequent institutional commitment, and student departure decisions. Using path analysis to consider this link, the findings demonstrate a significant influence of faculty teaching skills on student persistence. Theoretical and practical implications


  13. Implementing Tablet-Based Devices to Improve Communication Skills of Students with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alzrayer, Nouf M.; Banda, Devender R.

    2017-01-01

    Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties in communication that limit their opportunities to participate in daily living and educational activities. Augmentative alternative communication is one of the strategies used to strengthen the communication skills of students with limited communication skills. Students with ASD


  14. Impact of Communication Competency Training on Nursing Students' Self-advocacy Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doherty, Christi; Landry, Heidi; Pate, Barbara; Reid, Helen

    2016-01-01

    Deficiencies in nursing students' communication skills need to be addressed for students to influence and skillfully collaborate in crucial patient and self-advocacy conversations. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a communication competency educational program for nursing students (N = 61). A paired-sample t test determined that there was a statistical significance from pre to post intervention, indicating the importance of communication competency education for nursing students' ability to advocate for themselves and their patients.

  15. Selection and Review of Measurement Item to Study Students' Generic Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokhtar, Seri Bunian; Rahman, Saemah; Mokhtar, Seri Intan; Husain, Mohd Yusof

    2012-01-01

    This study was carried out to review the GS (generic skills) instruments used for engineering students. A total of 455 respondents were involved in this study. The variables presented in this study were the information management skills, communication skill, team working skill, problem-solving skill, lifelong learning skill, technology utilization


  16. Social skills and loneliness in junior high school students

    OpenAIRE

    Kanayama, Motoharu; Ono, Masahiko; Ohashi, Tsutomu; Tsujimoto, Yuichi; Oi, Shizuyo; Matsui, Kayoko; Tsujimoto, Ikuhiro; Yoshida, Hatsuko

    2003-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between social skills and loneliness, and to contribute to prevention and intervention of loneliness in junior high school students. Questionnaires were administered to 83 students (45 males and 38 females). Correlation analysis showed that loneliness score was negatively related to the scores of peer reinforcement, social initiation, conflict resolution and assertion skills, and also positively related to the score of withdrawal beh...

  17. ICT Knowledge and Skills Among Students of Library and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ICT Knowledge and Skills Among Students of Library and Information Science in Umaru ... Information Manager (The) ... The aim of the study is to investigate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge and skills amongst the ...

  18. Communication Skills of a Teacher and Its Role in the Development of the Students' Academic Success

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Alamgir; Khan, Salahuddin; Zia-Ul-Islam, Syed; Khan, Manzoor

    2017-01-01

    Basically the current study sought to assess the perception of students regarding the role of teacher communication skills in their academics success. Comprehensive questionnaire carrying information including social economic and demographic aspects of the study was designed by the researcher to achieve the set objectives. All those universities


  19. Is there a second level divide in students Internet skills?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dau, Susanne; Purushothaman, Aparna

    2015-01-01

    The concept of digital divide have moved beyond physical disparities in usage and also encompasses issues impending access like human (skills) social, cultural, and psychological barriers that affect the usage of existing available technologies apart from ownership. This paper focuses on the insu......The concept of digital divide have moved beyond physical disparities in usage and also encompasses issues impending access like human (skills) social, cultural, and psychological barriers that affect the usage of existing available technologies apart from ownership. This paper focuses...... on the insufficient level of skills which students have in making the best use of available Internet technology. Varying online skills of the students in higher education from two countrywide scenarios - Denmark and India are discussed. The paper emphasizes on the reflective and conceptual issues which the students...... face to take information from the Internet that brings a second level of divide. Through a cross-national comparison the paper hopes to contribute to the literature to learn from each otherÂŽs experiences and giving insights to researchers on digital divide. The digital divide in Internet skills...

  20. Objective psychomotor skills assessment of experienced, junior, and novice laparoscopists with virtual reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallagher, A G; Richie, K; McClure, N; McGuigan, J

    2001-11-01

    Objective assessment of psychomotor skills in surgery is now a priority; however, this assessment is difficult to achieve because of measurement difficulties associated with the reliability and validity of assessing surgical skills in vivo and in the laboratory. In this study virtual reality (VR) was used to overcome these problems in the objective psychomotor assessment of senior, junior, and novice laparoscopists. Twelve experienced laparoscopic surgeons (performed >50 Minimal Access Surgery (MAS) procedures), 12 inexperienced laparoscopic surgeons (psychomotor skills for laparoscopic surgery.

  1. Instituting a Surgical Skills Competition Increases Technical Performance of Surgical Clerkship Students Over Time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leraas, Harold J; Cox, Morgan L; Bendersky, Victoria A; Sprinkle, Shanna S; Gilmore, Brian F; Gunasingha, Rathnayaka M; Tracy, Elisabeth T; Sudan, Ranjan

    2017-10-04

    Surgical skills training varies greatly between institutions and is often left to students to approach independently. Although many studies have examined single interventions of skills training, no data currently exists about the implementation of surgical skills assessment as a component of the medical student surgical curriculum. We created a technical skills competition and evaluated its effect on student surgical skill development. Second-year medical students enrolled in the surgery clerkship voluntarily participated in a surgical skills competition consisting of knot tying, laparoscopic peg transfer, and laparoscopic pattern cut. Winning students were awarded dinner with the chair of surgery and a resident of their choice. Individual event times and combined times were recorded and compared for students who completed without disqualification. Disqualification included compromising cutting pattern, dropping a peg out of the field of vision, and incorrect knot tying technique. Timed performance was compared for 2 subsequent academic years using Mann-Whitney U test. Overall, 175 students competed and 71 students met qualification criteria. When compared by academic year, 2015 to 2016 students (n = 34) performed better than 2014 to 2015 students (n = 37) in pattern cut (133s vs 167s, p = 0.040), peg transfer (66s vs 101s, p skills competition improves student technical performance. Further research is needed regarding long-term benefits of surgical competitions for medical students. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. The effect of listening comprehension skills on students ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper presents the report of a study that investigated the effects of listening comprehension skill training on students' performance in Oral English Test. To investigate the effects that the teaching of listening comprehension skills would have on the performance in Oral English test, 82 Senior Secondary School 2 ...

  3. Developing Critical Thinking and Communication Skills in Students ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Critical thinking and communication competence are recognized by educators as vital skills required for mastery of school subjects. However, it is observed that these two skills are underdeveloped in students. In order, to fill this void, this paper aims at constructing a framework that would be employed by teachers in ...

  4. Skill development in experimental courses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HĂ©ctor BagĂĄn

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Experimental courses offer a good opportunity to work with competences, promoting the incorporation of strategies oriented towards motivating students to actively involve in the learning process, promoting reflexive learning and developing generic skills. This study presents different ways of developing and evaluating some important general skills, settle on four specific objectives: 1. To increase student motivation using samples of potential interest to students and explaining real-live application of their samples analyses; 2. To assist students’ self-regulation and learning autonomy by using the portfolio; 3. To promote group work through experiments in pairs and small-group discussions; 4. To develop communication skills through small-group discussions and oral presentations. Results show that the type of sample used and real-life application has important influence on motivation. The portfolio is a good tool to promote reflection and to evaluate both specific and generic skills in experimental courses, the dynamics of a laboratory course permit students to develop their group-work and communicative skills, and peer evaluations both improve students’ communication skills and promote metacognitive reflection. Finally, the project demonstrates that it is possible to train students in general skills using the specific course content and that the incorporation of participatory methodologies encourages students to become actively involved in the teaching-learning process.

  5. Improving Science Process Skills for Primary School Students Through 5E Instructional Model-Based Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choirunnisa, N. L.; Prabowo, P.; Suryanti, S.

    2018-01-01

    The main objective of this study is to describe the effectiveness of 5E instructional model-based learning to improve primary school students’ science process skills. The science process skills is important for students as it is the foundation for enhancing the mastery of concepts and thinking skills needed in the 21st century. The design of this study was experimental involving one group pre-test and post-test design. The result of this study shows that (1) the implementation of learning in both of classes, IVA and IVB, show that the percentage of learning implementation increased which indicates a better quality of learning and (2) the percentage of students’ science process skills test results on the aspects of observing, formulating hypotheses, determining variable, interpreting data and communicating increased as well.

  6. Improving Students Soft Skills Using Thinking Process Profile Based on Personality Types

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunarto, M. J. Dewiyani

    2015-01-01

    The challenge in education field these days rises as the cause of society's expectation for higher education. This increasingly complex expectation demands that higher education prepares the students to gain integrity. Higher education provides not only hard skills for the student, but also soft skills. By observing the hard skills side, in the


  7. Utilizing visual art to enhance the clinical observation skills of medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jasani, Sona K; Saks, Norma S

    2013-07-01

    Clinical observation is fundamental in practicing medicine, but these skills are rarely taught. Currently no evidence-based exercises/courses exist for medical student training in observation skills. The goal was to develop and teach a visual arts-based exercise for medical students, and to evaluate its usefulness in enhancing observation skills in clinical diagnosis. A pre- and posttest and evaluation survey were developed for a three-hour exercise presented to medical students just before starting clerkships. Students were provided with questions to guide discussion of both representational and non-representational works of art. Quantitative analysis revealed that the mean number of observations between pre- and posttests was not significantly different (n=70: 8.63 vs. 9.13, p=0.22). Qualitative analysis of written responses identified four themes: (1) use of subjective terminology, (2) scope of interpretations, (3) speculative thinking, and (4) use of visual analogies. Evaluative comments indicated that students felt the exercise enhanced both mindfulness and skills. Using visual art images with guided questions can train medical students in observation skills. This exercise can be replicated without specially trained personnel or art museum partnerships.

  8. A STUDY ON EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS OF MBA STUDENTS FROM THE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTES IN THE STATE OF KERALA

    OpenAIRE

    Bindhu Ann Thomas; Dr. K. V. Unninarayanan

    2018-01-01

    This study of employability skills among management students identifies various abilities of students including communication skills, problem solving skills , planning and organising skills , interpersonal skills, motivation skills, attitude skills , leadership skill, team work skills, decision making skills, computer skills, learning skills, and functional skills. This study identifies the mean score of each skill and overall employability skills possessed by managements students in the sta...

  9. Mathematical calculation skills required for drug administration in undergraduate nursing students to ensure patient safety: A descriptive study: Drug calculation skills in nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagnasco, Annamaria; Galaverna, Lucia; Aleo, Giuseppe; Grugnetti, Anna Maria; Rosa, Francesca; Sasso, Loredana

    2016-01-01

    In the literature we found many studies that confirmed our concerns about nursing students' poor maths skills that directly impact on their ability to correctly calculate drug dosages with very serious consequences for patient safety. The aim of our study was to explore where students had most difficulty and identify appropriate educational interventions to bridge their mathematical knowledge gaps. This was a quali-quantitative descriptive study that included a sample of 726 undergraduate nursing students. We identified exactly where students had most difficulty and identified appropriate educational interventions to bridge their mathematical knowledge gaps. We found that the undergraduate nursing students mainly had difficulty with basic maths principles. Specific learning interventions are needed to improve their basic maths skills and their dosage calculation skills. For this purpose, we identified safeMedicate and eDose (Authentic World Ltd.), only that they are only available in English. In the near future we hope to set up a partnership to work together on the Italian version of these tools. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Evaluating the short-term effects of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Young-Mee; Lee, Young Hee

    2014-09-01

    Regardless of the growing importance of communication skills as a core clinical competence, few studies have determined the effects of communication skills courses in undergraduate medical curricula in Asian medical schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students. A communication skills course was provided to 111 second-year medical students in a medical college in Korea. Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills was evaluated by a questionnaire survey. To examine the improvement in observed communication skills, the students' encounters with standardized patients (SPs) were assessed at the first session and at the final course assessment. A structured checklist, consisting of 25 communication skills items, was used for the assessment. Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills increased significantly after completion of the course (pcommunication skills scores also improved significantly at the end of the course; the mean scores of the first SPs encounters was 49.6 (standard deviation [SD], 11.1), and those of cases A and B at the final assessment were 61.5 (SD, 8.4) and 69.6 (SD, 7.8), respectively (F61=269.54, pcommunication skills course was beneficial in developing and improving communication skills competency in preclinical medical students. Further studies should be followed to examine whether the acquisition of communication skills during preclinical studies can be sustained into clerkship and actual practice.

  11. Information and strategic Internet skills of secondary students: A performance test

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Deursen, Alexander Johannes Aloysius Maria; van Diepen, S.

    2013-01-01

    In this study, the information and strategic Internet skills of Dutch secondary students were measured in a performance test. Participating students were asked to complete assignments on the Internet. The findings reveal that the levels of both information and strategic Internet skills have much

  12. Clinical psychomotor skills among left and right handed medical students: are the left-handed medical students left out?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alnassar, Sami; Alrashoudi, Aljoharah Nasser; Alaqeel, Mody; Alotaibi, Hala; Alkahel, Alanoud; Hajjar, Waseem; Al-Shaikh, Ghadeer; Alsaif, Abdulaziz; Haque, Shafiul; Meo, Sultan Ayoub

    2016-03-22

    There is a growing perception that the left handed (LH) medical students are facing difficulties while performing the clinical tasks that involve psychomotor skill, although the evidence is very limited and diverse. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical psychomotor skills among Right-handed (RH) and left-handed (LH) medical students. For this study, 54 (27 left handed and 27 right handed) first year medical students were selected. They were trained for different clinical psychomotor skills including suturing, laparoscopy, intravenous cannulation and urinary catheterization under the supervision of certified instructors. All students were evaluated for psychomotor skills by different instructors. The comparative performance of the students was measured by using a global rating scale, each selected criteria was allotted 5-points score with the total score of 25. There were no significant differences in the performance of psychomotor skills among LH and RH medical students. The global rating score obtained by medical students in suturing techniques was: LH 15.89 ± 2.88, RH 16.15 ± 2.75 (p = 0.737), cannulation techniques LH 20.44 ± 2.81, RH 20.70 ± 2.56 (p = 0.725), urinary catheterization LH 4.33 ± 0.96 RH 4.11 ± 1.05 (p = 0.421). For laparoscopic skills total peg transfer time was shorter among LH medical students compared to RH medical students (LH 129.85 ± 80.87 s vs RH 135.52 ± 104.81 s) (p = 0.825). However, both RH and LH students completed their procedure within the stipulated time. Among LH and RH medical students no significant difference was observed in performing the common surgical psychomotor skills. Surgical skills for LH or RH might not be a result of innate dexterity but rather the academic environment in which they are trained and assessed. Early laterality-related mentoring in medical schools as well as during the clinical residency might reduce the inconveniences faced by the left

  13. Students' Voices: A Report of the Student View of Dyslexia Study Skills Tuition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirwan, Bernadette; Leather, Carol

    2011-01-01

    This article reports research using case studies of 22 university students receiving study skills development funded by the Disabled Student's Allowance at an independent dyslexia consultancy. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. The students identify the primary benefits of the tuition as: developing an understanding of dyslexia


  14. Student-Led Objective Tutorial (SLOT) in Medical Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivagnanam, Gurusamy; Saraswathi, Simansalam; Rajasekaran, Aiyalu

    2006-12-01

    Purpose - To assess an innovative tutoring program named 'Student-Led Objective Tutorial' (SLOT) among undergraduate medical students. Method - The program was conceptualized by the Pharmacology Unit of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Asian Institute of Medicine Science & Technology (AIMST), Malaysia and implemented in the middle of 2005. A cohort of 246 medical undergraduate students (spread across 5 consecutive batches) participated. Following a brief explanation on the purpose and nature of SLOT, each batch was divided into small groups and was given a reading assignment on 4 previously delivered lecture topics. Each group was asked to prepare 3-5 multiple choice questions (MCQs) of their own in PowerPoint format to be presented, in turns, to the whole class on the day of SLOT. The proceedings were facilitated by 2 lecturers. Student feedback on the efficacy and benefits were assessed through an anonymous self administered questionnaire. Results - About 76% (188) of the students favored SLOT. The acceptance rate of SLOT was higher among males. There was no significant difference between batches in their opinions on whether to pursue SLOT in future. The most prevalent positive comment was that SLOT enhanced learning skills, and the negative comment being, it consumed more time. Conclusions - SLOT is a novel tutorial method which can offset faculty shortage with advantages like enhanced interest among teachers and learners, uniform reach of content, opportunities for group learning, and involvement of visual aids as teaching-learning (T-L) method. SLOT unraveled the students' potential of peer tutoring both inside as well as outside the classroom. Consumer tutors (students) can be tapped as a resource for SLOT for all subjects and courses in healthcare teaching.

  15. The use of objective structured self-assessment and peer-feedback (OSSP) for learning communication skills: evaluation using a controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perera, Jennifer; Mohamadou, Galy; Kaur, Satpal

    2010-05-01

    Feedback is essential to guide students towards expected performance goals. The usefulness of teacher feedback on improving communication skills (CS) has been well documented. It has been proposed that self-assessment and peer-feedback has an equally important role to play in enhancing learning. This is the focus of this study. Objectively structured self-assessment and peer feedback (OSSP) was incorporated into small group CS teaching sessions of a group of semester one medical students who were learning CS for the first time, to minimise the influence of previous educational interventions. A control group matched for academic performance, gender and age was used to enable parallel evaluation of the innovation. A reflective log containing closed and open ended questions was used for OSSP. Facilitators and simulated patients provided feedback to students in both groups during CS learning as per routine practice. Student perceptions on OSSP and acceptability as a learning method were explored using a questionnaire. CS were assessed in both groups using objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) as per routine practice and assessors were blinded as to which group the student belonged. Mean total score and scores for specific areas of interview skills were significantly higher in the experimental group. Analysis of the questionnaire data showed that students gained fresh insights into specific areas such as empathy, addressing patients' concerns and interview style during OSSP which clearly corroborated the specific differences in scores. The free text comments were highly encouraging as to acceptability of OSSP, in spite of 67% being never exposed to formal self- and peer-assessment during pre-university studies. OSSP promotes effective CS learning and learner acceptability is high.

  16. Geography literacy can develop Geography skills for high school students: is it true?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Utami, W. S.; Zain, I. M.; Sumarmi

    2018-01-01

    The most important issue related to education in Indonesia is the low quality of student learning and competence. The basic thing that is important to be studied is the demands of 21st-century skills that are difficult to fulfil with the low competence of student learning. Low competence of student learning demonstrated by low capacity of scientific literacy includes geography literacy. Geography skills of Indonesian students are also low. It is shown from the students’ ability to use maps to describe and to analyze is low. The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the literacy skills of geography to develop geography skills of high school students in Surabaya. Written and performance tests were given to the sample of 29 high school students. The results of the tests we analyzed based on Geography literacy and its correlation to Geography skills in terms of the ability to use the media, map, and analyze the phenomenon of the geosphere. The results showed that the students who have low literacy geography have difficulty in using map.

  17. Clinical skills training in undergraduate medical education using a student-centered approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tolsgaard, Martin GrĂžnnebĂŠk

    2013-01-01

    This thesis focuses on how to engage students in self-directed learning and in peer-learning activities to improve clinical skills training in undergraduate medical education. The first study examined the clinical skills teaching provided by student teachers compared to that provided by associate...... demonstrated remarkable advantages to peer-learning in skills-lab. Thus, peer-learning activities could be essential to providing high-quality medical training in the face of limited clinical teacher resources in future undergraduate medical education.......This thesis focuses on how to engage students in self-directed learning and in peer-learning activities to improve clinical skills training in undergraduate medical education. The first study examined the clinical skills teaching provided by student teachers compared to that provided by associate....... The Reporter-Interpreter-Manager-Educator framework was used to reflect this change and construct validity was explored for RIME-based evaluations of single-patient encounters. In the third study the effects of training in pairs--also known as dyad practice--examined. This study showed that the students...

  18. DEVELOPING LINGUISTIC SKILLS AND ABILITIES IN EMP STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nataơa Milosavljević

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available English for medical purposes falls within the category of discipline-specific language learning. It is characterized by specific linguistic features and requires specific study that is possible to carry out using specially designed programmes. Reading skill is one way of learning strategy of English for medical purposes. Most often, students use this skill in order to obtain information for some particular topic from the area of medical science, or because they need some sort of instruction in order to carry out certain task. Vocabulary acquisition plays a very important role in EMP teaching. It is achieved best through learning vocabulary in context, rather than in isolation. One of the most important questions in EMP teaching is related to what grammatical constructions should be analysed and emphasised. Some types of these activities would include, for example, asking students to find examples of one particular structure in the text or fill in the blanks with the missing forms such as tenses, passive forms, prepositions, etc. Speaking skill represents productive skill the aim of which is communication. In order for foreign language communication to be suucessful, a student should know linguistic and cultural features of native speakers and follow certain rules and conventions that are not easy to define. It is of crucial importance that during teaching process students develop strategies and techniques that will help them use linguistic structures fluently, apply language in different situations, take part in discussions, and use acquired vocabulary in accurate and precise way.

  19. Teaching communication skills and medical ethics to undergraduate medical student

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SADIA AHSIN

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The purpose of this study was to improve communication skills and knowledge of bioethics of last year medical students doing clerkship and to evaluate the effectiveness of using workshops for this purpose from students’ point of view, in order to continue such programs in future. Methods: After Ethical approval for the study a two-day workshop on teaching effective communication skills and principles of medical ethics was planned and conducted by the department of Medical Education through multidisciplinary faculty of Foundation University Medical College, Pakistan. A total of 102 last year medical students participated in this workshop. The students were divided into 8 groups each containing 12 students. A team of pre trained facilitators for each group conducted the group activities. Teaching strategies including interactive discussions on basic principles of doctor-patient relationship, power point presentations, day to day case scenarios, video clips and presentations involving students in role plays were used. Pre and post workshop self evaluation proformas about knowledge and skills of communication and medical ethics were rated (0=none, 1=below average, 2=average, 3=above average, 4=very good, 5=excellent by the students. Results: 89 out of 102 participants returned the proformas. A significant percentage of students (%82 showed improvement in their knowledge and skills of appreciating bioethical issues like valid informed consent, patient confidentiality, end of life issues and breaking bad news by rating as “very good” after participation in the workshop. More than %70 students recommended this activity for other students. Conclusion: Teaching through interactive workshops was found to be an effective method as reflected by students’ feedback. Therefore, the program will be continued in future.

  20. Student nurses need more than maths to improve their drug calculating skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Kerri

    2007-05-01

    Nurses need to be able to calculate accurate drug calculations in order to safely administer drugs to their patients (NMC, 2002). Studies have shown however that nurses do not always have the necessary skills to calculate accurate drug dosages and are potentially administering incorrect dosages of drugs to their patients (Hutton, M. 1998. Nursing Mathematics: the importance of application. Nursing Standard 13(11), 35-38; Kapborg, I. 1994. Calculation and administration of drug dosage by Swedish nurses, Student Nurses and Physicians. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 6(4), 389-395; O'Shea, E. 1999. Factors contributing to medication errors: a literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 8, 496-504; Wilson, A. 2003. Nurses maths: researching a practical approach. Nursing Standard 17(47), 33-36). The literature indicates that in order to improve drug calculations strategies need to focus on both the mathematical skills and conceptual skills of student nurses so they can interpret clinical data into drug calculations to be solved. A study was undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of implementing several strategies which focussed on developing the mathematical and conceptual skills of student nurses to improve their drug calculation skills. The study found that implementing a range of strategies which addressed these two developmental areas significantly improved the drug calculation skills of nurses. The study also indicates that a range of strategies has the potential ensuring that the skills taught are retained by the student nurses. Although the strategies significantly improved the drug calculation skills of student nurses, the fact that only 2 students were able to achieve 100% in their drug calculation test indicates a need for further research into this area.

  1. Enhancing Students' Communication Skills in the Science Classroom through Socioscientific Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Yoonsook; Yoo, Jungsook; Kim, Sung-Won; Lee, Hyunju; Zeidler, Dana L.

    2016-01-01

    Communication skills are one of the most important competencies for 21st century global citizens. Our guiding presupposition was that socioscientific issues (SSIs) could be used as an effective pedagogical tool for promoting students' communication skills by increasing peer interactions, stimulating students' reasoning, and in constructing shared


  2. Reviewing the relation between the problem solving skills of school of health students and their social skill levels

    OpenAIRE

    GĂŒl ErgĂŒn; Buket ƞimƟek Arslan

    2017-01-01

    This research aims at reviewing the relation between the problem solving skills of health high school students and their social skill levels.  It was planned to be descriptive. The universe of the research was composed of nursing students in the health high school. The sample was determined to be the whole of the universe. A written permission was taken from the management of the health high school regarding the research. Problem Solving Inventory and Social Skill Inventory; the form towards ...

  3. The Role of Visual Learning in Improving Students' High-Order Thinking Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raiyn, Jamal

    2016-01-01

    Various concepts have been introduced to improve students' analytical thinking skills based on problem based learning (PBL). This paper introduces a new concept to increase student's analytical thinking skills based on a visual learning strategy. Such a strategy has three fundamental components: a teacher, a student, and a learning process. The


  4. Medical students' perception of objective structured clinical examination: a feedback for process improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasir, Abdulrasheed A; Yusuf, Ayodeji S; Abdur-Rahman, Lukman O; Babalola, Olasunkanmi M; Adeyeye, Ademola A; Popoola, Ademola A; Adeniran, James O

    2014-01-01

    Medical educators have always been desirous of the best methods for formative and summative evaluation of trainees. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is an approach for student assessment in which aspects of clinical competence are evaluated in a comprehensive, consistent, and structured manner with close attention to the objectivity of the process. Though popular in most medical schools globally, its use in Nigeria medical schools appears limited. This study was conceived to explore students' perception about the acceptability of OSCE process and to provide feedback to be used to improve the assessment technique. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on final-year medical students, who participated in the final MBBS surgery examination in June 2011. A 19-item self-administered structured questionnaire was employed to obtain relevant data on demographics of respondents and questions evaluating the OSCE stations in terms of the quality of instructions and organization, learning opportunities, authenticity and transparency of the process, and usefulness of the OSCE as an assessment instrument compared with other formats. Students' responses were based on a 5-point Likert scales ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 15 (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL). The study took place at the University of Ilorin, College of Health Science. A total of 187 final-year medical students were enrolled in to the survey. Of 187 eligible students, 151 completed the self-administered questionnaire representing 80.7% response rate. A total of 61 (40.4%) students felt that it was easy to understand written instructions at the OSCE stations. In total, 106 (70.2%) students felt that the time allocated to each station was adequate. A total of 89 (58.9%) students agreed that the OSCE accurately measured their knowledge and skill, and 85 (56.3%) reported that OSCE enhanced their communication skill. Of the respondents, 80 (53

  5. Longitudinal effects of medical students' communication skills on future performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Ting; LaRochelle, Jeffrey S; Durning, Steven J; Saguil, Aaron; Swygert, Kimberly; Artino, Anthony R

    2015-04-01

    The Essential Elements of Communication (EEC) were developed from the Kalamazoo consensus statement on physician-patient communication. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) has adopted a longitudinal curriculum to use the EEC both as a learning tool during standardized patient encounters and as an evaluation tool culminating with the end of preclerkship objective-structured clinical examinations (OSCE). Medical educators have recently emphasized the importance of teaching communication skills, as evidenced by the United States Medical Licensing Examination testing both the integrated clinical encounter (ICE) and communication and interpersonal skills (CIS) within the Step 2 Clinical Skills exam (CS). To determine the associations between students' EEC OSCE performance at the end of the preclerkship period with later communication skills assessment and evaluation outcomes in the context of a longitudinal curriculum spanning both undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education. Retrospective data from preclerkship (overall OSCE scores and EEC OSCE scores) and clerkship outcomes (internal medicine [IM] clinical points and average clerkship National Board of Medical Examiners [NBME] scores) were collected from 167 USU medical students from the class of 2011 and compared to individual scores on the CIS and ICE components of Step 2 CS, as well as to the communication skills component of the program directors' evaluation of trainees during their postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) residency. In addition to bivariate Pearson correlation analysis, we conducted multiple linear regression analysis to examine the predictive power of the EEC score beyond the IM clerkship clinical points and the average NBME Subject Exams score on the outcome measures. The EEC score was a significant predictor of the CIS score and the PGY-1 communication skills score. Beyond the average NBME Subject Exams score and the IM clerkship clinical points, the EEC score

  6. Test of Science Process Skills of Biology Students towards Developing of Learning Exercises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judith S. Rabacal

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This is a descriptive study aimed to determine the academic achievement on science process skills of the BS Biology Students of Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Philippines with the end view of developing learning exercises which will enhance their academic achievement on basic and integrated science process skills. The data in this study were obtained using a validated questionnaire. Mean was the statistical tool used to determine the academic achievement on the above mentioned science process skills; t-test for independent means was used to determine significant difference on the academic achievement of science process skills of BS Biology students while Pearson Product Moment of Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the significant relationship between basic and integrated science process skills of the BS Biology students. A 0.05 level of significance was used to determine whether the hypothesis set in the study will be rejected or accepted. Findings revealed that the academic achievement on basic and integrated science process skills of the BS Biology students was average. Findings revealed that there are no significant differences on the academic performance of the BS Biology students when grouped according to year level and gender. Findings also revealed that there is a significant difference on the academic achievement between basic and integrated science process skills of the BS Biology students. Findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between academic achievement on the basic and integrated science process skills of the BS Biology students.

  7. Ensuring relational competency in critical care: Importance of nursing students' communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sånchez Expósito, Judit; Leal Costa, César; Díaz Agea, José Luis; Carrillo Izquierdo, María Dolores; Jiménez Rodríguez, Diana

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study was to analyse the communication skills of students in interactions with simulated critically-ill patients using a new assessment tool to study the relationships between communication skills, teamwork and clinical skills and to analyse the psychometric properties of the tool. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the communications skills of 52 students with critically-ill patients through the use of a new measurement tool to score video recordings of simulated clinical scenarios. The 52 students obtained low scores on their skills in communicating with patients. The reliability of the measuring instrument showed good inter-observer agreement (ICC between 0.71 and 0.90) and the validity yielded a positive correlation (pskills when communicating with critically ill patients in simulated scenarios. The measuring instrument used is therefore deemed valid and reliable for assessing nursing students through a clinical simulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Business Communication Skills in Information Systems (IS) Curricula: Perspectives of IS Educators and Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alshare, Khaled A.; Lane, Peggy L.; Miller, Donald

    2011-01-01

    As the importance of communication skills for students, regardless of their disciplines, becomes evident, it is important to determine whether colleges provide students with adequate opportunities to acquire such skills. The authors compared information systems (IS) educator and student perceptions of communication skills in IS curricula. Gender,


  9. Student Perceptions of Communication Skills in Undergraduate Science at an Australian Research-Intensive University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercer-Mapstone, Lucy D.; Matthews, Kelly E.

    2017-01-01

    Higher education institutions globally are acknowledging the need to teach communication skills. This study used the Science Student Skills Inventory to gain insight into how science students perceive the development of communication skills across the degree programme. Responses were obtained from 635 undergraduate students enrolled in a Bachelor


  10. Using Communicative Games in Improving Students' Speaking Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewi, Ratna Sari; Kultsum, Ummi; Armadi, Ari

    2017-01-01

    The aims of the study are to know whether communicative games have an impact on teaching speaking skill and describe how communicative games give an influence on speaking skills of students at junior high schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. Classroom Action Research (CAR) was implemented based on Kurt. L model. The procedures used were planning,


  11. Learning object for teacher training aimed to develop communication skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Norma Esmeralda RODRÍGUEZ RAMÍREZ

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the results and reflections obtained across a research aimed to analyze the quality criteria of an opened learning object oriented to develop communication skills in order to be able to report and validate it according to its content, pedagogic structure, technological structure, graphical and textual language and usability to teacher training, in order to base it theoretically, pedagogically and technologically. The research question was: Which are the quality criteria that a learning object aimed to develop communication skills must cover? Under a quantitative approach, there were electronic questionnaires applied to: 34 Technological University teachers, eight experts about of communicative competence, teaching, technology and graphic design. The results indicated that some of the quality criteria of learning object are: the effective managing of the learning content, the balanced composition of his pedagogic structure, the technological structure efficiency and the proper managing of graphical and textual language.

  12. Long-term impact of a preclinical endovascular skills course on medical student career choices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jason T; Son, Ji H; Chandra, Venita; Lilo, Emily; Dalman, Ronald L

    2011-10-01

    Surging interest in the 0 + 5 integrated vascular surgery (VS) residency and successful recruitment of the top students in medical school requires early exposure to the field. We sought to determine the impact of a high-fidelity simulation-based preclinical endovascular skills course on medical student performance and ultimate career specialty choices. Fifty-two preclinical medical students enrolled in an 8-week VS elective course from 2007 to 2009. Students completed a baseline and postcourse survey and performed a renal angioplasty/stent procedure on an endovascular simulator (pretest). A curriculum consisting of didactic teaching covering peripheral vascular disease and weekly mentored simulator sessions concluded with a final graded procedure (posttest). Long-term follow-up surveys 1 to 3 years after course completion were administered to determine ultimate career paths of participants as well as motivating factors for career choice. Objective and subjective performance measured on the simulator and through structured global assessment scales improved in all students from pre- to posttest, particularly with regard to technical skill and overall procedural competency (P choices including surgical subspecialties (64%), radiology (10%), and cardiology (6%). Most respondents indicated major reasons for continued interest in VS were the ability to practice endovascular procedures on the simulator (92%) and mentorship from VS faculty (70%). Basic endovascular skills can be efficiently introduced through a simulation-based curriculum and lead to improved novice performance. Early exposure of preclinical medical students provides an effective teaching and recruitment tool for procedural-based fields, particularly surgical subspecialties. Mentored exposure to endovascular procedures on the simulator positively impacts long-term medical student attitudes toward vascular surgery and ultimate career choices. Copyright © 2011 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by

  13. Undergraduate Sport Management Students' Perceptions of Leadership Skills through Service Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romsa, Bryan; Romsa, Katelyn; Lim, Jon; Wurdinger, Scott

    2017-01-01

    Researchers have discovered that service learning affects students' academic, personal, and social development. However, currently there is a gap in literature analyzing ways in which service learning affects students' perceived leadership skills. This study examined the effectiveness of service learning on the perceived leadership skills of 74


  14. Utilizing Science Outreach to Foster Professional Skills Development in University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eng, Edward; Febria, Catherine

    2011-01-01

    Students seek unique experiences to obtain and enhance professional development skills and to prepare for future careers. Through the Let's Talk Science Partnership Program (LTSPP), a voluntary science outreach program at University of Toronto Scarborough, students are given the opportunity to continually improve on skills which include: the


  15. An Investigation of the Relationships between the Teaching Climate, Students' Perceived Life Skills Development and Well-Being within Physical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cronin, Lorcan Donal; Allen, Justine; Mulvenna, Claire; Russell, Paul

    2018-01-01

    Background: Both education policies and curriculum documents identify the personal development of students as a key objective of modern education. Physical education (PE) in particular has been cited as a subject that can promote students' life skills development and psychological well-being. However, little research has investigated the processes


  16. Effect of web-based education on nursing students' urinary catheterization knowledge and skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ÖztĂŒrk, Deniz; Dinç, Leyla

    2014-05-01

    Nursing is a practice-based discipline that requires the integration of theory and practice. Nurse educators must continuously revise educational curricula and incorporate information technology into the curriculum to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of web-based education on students' urinary catheterization knowledge and skills. A convenience sample of 111 first year nursing students enrolled at two universities in Ankara during the academic year of 2011-2012 participated in this quasi-experimental study. The experimental group (n=59) received a web-based and web-enhanced learning approach along with learning and practicing the required material twice as much as the control group, whereas the control group (n=52) received traditional classroom instruction. A knowledge test of 20 multiple-choice questions and a skills checklist were used to assess student performance. There was no difference between the experimental group and the control group in knowledge scores; however, students in the web-based group had higher scores for urinary catheterization skills. The highest scores in knowledge and skills were obtained by students who experienced web-based education as a supplement to tradition instruction. Web-based education had positive effects on the urinary catheterization skills of nursing students, and its positive effect increased for both knowledge and skills when it supplements classroom instruction. Based on these results, we suggest the use of web-based education as a supplement to traditional classroom instruction for nursing education. © 2013.

  17. Students interest in learning science through fieldwork activity encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills among UPSI pre-university students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamil, Siti Zaheera Muhamad; Khairuddin, Raja Farhana Raja

    2017-05-01

    Graduates with good critical thinking and problem solving (CTPS) skills are likely to boost their employability to live in 21st century. The demands of graduates to be equipped with CTPS skills have shifted our education system in focusing on these elements in all levels of education, from primary, the secondary, and up to the tertiary education, by fostering interesting teaching and learning activities such as fieldwork activity in science classes. Despite the importance of the CTPS skills, little is known about whether students' interests in teaching and learning activities, such as fieldwork activity, have any influence on the students CTPS skills. Therefore, in this investigation, firstly to examine students interests in learning science through fieldwork activity. Secondly, this study examined whether the students' interest in learning science through fieldwork activity have affect on how the students employ CTPS skills. About 100 Diploma of Science students in Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) were randomly chosen to participate in this study. All of the participants completed a survey on how they find the fieldwork activity implemented in their science classes and it relevents towards their CTPS skills development. From our findings, majority of the students (91%) find that fieldwork activity is interesting and helpful in increasing their interest in learning science (learning factor) and accommodate their learning process (utility). Results suggest that students' interest on the fieldwork activity in science classes does have some influence on the students development of CTPS skills. The findings could be used as an initial guideline by incorporating students' interest on other teaching and learning activities that being implemented in science classes in order to know the impacts of these learning activities in enhancing their CTPS skills.

  18. Greek Undergraduate Physical Education Students' Basic Computer Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamakis, Manolis; Zounhia, Katerina

    2013-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to determine how undergraduate physical education (PE) students feel about their level of competence concerning basic computer skills and to examine possible differences between groups (gender, specialization, high school graduation type, and high school direction). Although many students and educators believe


  19. Investigating Secondary School Students' Unmediated Peer Assessment Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsivitanidou, Olia E.; Zacharia, Zacharias C.; Hovardas, Tasos

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary school students' unmediated peer assessment skills. Specifically, 36 seventh graders, without receiving any kind of support, were anonymously assigned to reciprocally assess their peers' science web-portfolios. Additionally, students' attitudes towards and intentions about the use of


  20. Effects of Student Skill Level on Knowledge, Decision Making, Skill Execution and Game Performance in a Mini-Volleyball Sport Education Season

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahedero, Pilar; Calderón, Antonio; Arias-Estero, José Luis; Hastie, Peter A.; Guarino, Anthony J.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of the paper was to examine the effects of student skill level on knowledge, decision making, skill execution and game performance in a mini-volleyball Sport Education season. Forty-eight secondary school students from two classes participated in a 12 lesson season. Knowledge, decision-making and skill execution (components of game


  1. Efforts to Improve Writing Skills of High School Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nurul Inayah

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Writing in English is one of the language skills that are taught in the context of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL in Indonesian senior high schools. According to previous studies, most of the students consider writing is the most difficult of the four skills. This research was aimed at finding out the main difficulties in writing faced by the grade XI students at SMA Negeri 10 Fajar Harapan, Banda Aceh, and the efforts made by their teacher to overcome those problems. The design of this study was a descriptive qualitative study. To obtain the data, the writers used document collection and interviews. The results from the document collection showed that the highest percentages of problems faced by the students were in the aspect of language use and the least problems were in the aspect of content. The results from the interviews showed that the most common correcting efforts made by the teacher were giving written feedback for all aspects of writing i.e. language use, mechanics, vocabulary, organization, and content. Likewise, teachers need to develop systemized forms of feedback and make it clear to students what the feedback means and what they are to do with them to assist students in improving their writing skills.

  2. Teaching Online Social Skills to Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Joseph John; Higgins, Kyle; Miller, Susan; Pierce, Thomas B.; Boone, Randall; Tandy, Richard

    2016-01-01

    Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) often lack appropriate social skills. Participation in direct and explicit instruction related to social skills is common in their educational programming. For these interventions to be effective, it is important that students have the opportunity to apply them in the natural environment.


  3. Enhancement of Students' Independent Learning through Their Critical Thinking Skills Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopzhassarova, Umit; Akbayeva, Gulden; Eskazinova, Zhanar; Belgibayeva, Gulbarshyn; Tazhikeyeva, Akerke

    2016-01-01

    The article focuses on the problem of developing students' critical thinking skills, which help them become independent learners. Analysis of research works of educators and scholars enable the authors to reveal qualities, necessary for students to enhance their critical thinking skills and become independent learners. Different points of view on


  4. The Effect of the Cherry Hill Study Skills Program on Eighth Grade Students' Reading Comprehension and Study Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    La Marca, Marilyn Tierney

    A study was conducted to determine the effects of the "Cherry Hill Study Skills Program" on eighth grade students' reading comprehension and study skills. The "Cherry Hill Study Skills Program" is a process oriented course dealing with the sequential development of nine specific skills deemed essential to the retrieval and retention of information


  5. Technical Skills Training for Veterinary Students: A Comparison of Simulators and Video for Teaching Standardized Cardiac Dissection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allavena, Rachel E; Schaffer-White, Andrea B; Long, Hanna; Alawneh, John I

    The goal of the study was to evaluate alternative student-centered approaches that could replace autopsy sessions and live demonstration and to explore refinements in assessment procedures for standardized cardiac dissection. Simulators and videos were identified as feasible, economical, student-centered teaching methods for technical skills training in medical contexts, and a direct comparison was undertaken. A low-fidelity anatomically correct simulator approximately the size of a horse's heart with embedded dissection pathways was constructed and used with a series of laminated photographs of standardized cardiac dissection. A video of a standardized cardiac dissection of a normal horse's heart was recorded and presented with audio commentary. Students were allowed to nominate a preference for learning method, and students who indicated no preference were randomly allocated to keep group numbers even. Objective performance data from an objective structure assessment criterion and student perception data on confidence and competency from surveys showed both innovations were similarly effective. Evaluator reflections as well as usage logs to track patterns of student use were both recorded. A strong selection preference was identified for kinesthetic learners choosing the simulator and visual learners choosing the video. Students in the video cohort were better at articulating the reasons for dissection procedures and sequence due to the audio commentary, and student satisfaction was higher with the video. The major conclusion of this study was that both methods are effective tools for technical skills training, but consideration should be given to the preferred learning style of adult learners to maximize educational outcomes.

  6. The Role of Reading Skills on Reading Comprehension Ability of Turkish EFL Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebru Kaya

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Reading is a part of our daily lives. It is performed both for pleasure and information. Reading skills are important for the individuals since they foster comprehension in reading. If the students do not have knowledge of reading skills, they cannot be expected to be successful readers. Thus, they cannot achieve the level of comprehension required to pass exams in their own departments. For this reason, reading skills should be taught in universities for the students to be able to cope with comprehension problems. This case study aims to find out whether or not reading skills has a role on the reading comprehension ability of Turkish EFL students. This study is both a qualitative and a quantitative study which lasted for a duration of 14 weeks. Two groups were selected (experimental and control among prep classes at KahramanmaraƟ SĂŒtĂ§ĂŒ Imam University. Both groups were administered a pre-test and questionnaire at the beginning of the study to find out if they were aware of reading skills. In addition, 10 students were chosen randomly for interview. During the study, reading skills were infused into the curriculum through designing lesson plans in accordance with the language content and topics for level C students, as determined by the Common European Language Framework. The lessons required the students to use reading skills before, during, and post reading. At the end of the study, the same questionnaire was re-administered. The students were given the post-test and then interviewed. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The obtained data revealed that the students enhanced their comprehension ability provided that they were taught to use reading skills.

  7. Accounting Students' Reflections on a Course to Enhance Their Interpersonal Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daff, Lyn

    2013-01-01

    Communication skills are critical for an accountant's workplace success; however accounting education research to date has mainly focused on the writing and presentation skills aspects of communication skills. Research on developing accounting students' interpersonal skills has received scant attention. This paper provides an example of how to


  8. The outcomes and acceptability of near-peer teaching among medical students in clinical skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khaw, Carole; Raw, Lynne

    2016-06-12

    To determine the outcomes and acceptability of final-year students tutoring in Clinical Skills to Years 1-2 students in a 4-week Medical Education elective. A paper-based survey with 14 questions requiring responses on a Likert-like scale and 2 questions with free-text responses was used to investigate Year 6 student-tutor (n=45) and Years 1-2 tutee (n=348) perceptions of near-peer teaching in Clinical Skills. The independent t-test compared mean responses from student-tutors and tutees, and thematic analysis of free-text responses was conducted. Tutee perceptions were significantly higher than student-tutor self-perceptions in small-group teaching and facilitation skills (p=0.000), teaching history-taking skills (p=0.046) and teaching physical examination skills (p=0.000). Perceptions in aspects of 'Confidence in tutoring' were not significantly different for student-tutors and tutees, with both having lowest perceptions for identifying and providing remediation for underperforming tutees. Student-tutors rated all areas of personal and professional development highly. Main themes emerging from analysis of student comments were the benefits to student-tutors, benefits to tutees and areas needing improvement, with outcomes of this near-peer teaching relating well to cognitive and social theories in the literature. Both student tutors and their tutees perceived near-peer teaching in Clinical Skills to be acceptable and beneficial with particular implications for Medical Education.

  9. Instructor and Dental Student Perceptions of Clinical Communication Skills via Structured Assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenzie, Carly T

    2016-05-01

    The aim of this study was to use structured assessments to assess dental students' clinical communication skills exhibited during patient appointments. Fourth-year dental students (n=55) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham evaluated their own interpersonal skills in a clinical setting utilizing the Four Habits Coding Scheme. An instructor also assessed student-patient clinical communication. These assessments were used to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses in students' clinical communication. Both instructor assessments and student self-assessments pinpointed the following clinical communication skills as effective the most often: patient greeting, avoidance of jargon, and non-verbal behavior. There was also relative agreement between instructor assessments and student self-assessments regarding clinical communication skills that were rated as not effective most frequently: ensuring patient comprehension, identification of patient feelings, and exploration of barriers to treatment. These resulted pointed to strengths and weaknesses in the portion of the curriculum designed to prepare students for effective provider-patient communication. These results may suggest a need for the school's current behavioral science curriculum to better address discussion of potential treatment barriers and patient feelings as well as techniques to ensure patient comprehension.

  10. Research skills development in higher education students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiziana Priede Bergamini

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This case study presents the development of a research project in a third-year undergraduate course, Family Business Administration. The research project aimed at promoting research skills in students. The authors formed working groups of no more than six students, and each group had to select an original research topic after conducting a literature review. Students were guided by the teachers and provided with initial reading materials, as well as an activity rubric specifying the minimum requirements of a scientific paper. The activity evaluation consisted of two parts, a written article (group assessment and an oral presentation (individual assessment. After the activity concluded, students were asked to answer an online satisfaction survey. Results showed students viewed the activity as positive and appreciated the chance to develop several competencies, including research skills. The authors conclude several objectives were achieved, including: familiarize students with scientific research; make sure students are cable of finding information through primary sources; have students apply the knowledge acquired during the course; promote responsibility in students; cultivate in students the capacity to summarize ideas and expose them in a reasoned way; have students learn from the experiences and knowledge of others; and develop in students the capacity to synthesize all that information. -------------------------- El desarrollo de la capacidad investigadora en estudiantes de educaciĂłn superior Resumen  Este estudio de caso presenta el desarrollo de un proyecto de investigaciĂłn en la asignatura “AdministraciĂłn de la Empresa Familiar” de tercer curso. El proyecto de investigaciĂłn tenĂ­a como propĂłsito fomentar de forma especĂ­fica la capacidad investigadora de los alumnos. Se formaron grupos de trabajo de no mĂĄs de seis estudiantes, y cada grupo tenĂ­a que seleccionar un tema de investigaciĂłn original tras realizar una bĂșsqueda de

  11. Correlation Between the Two Manual and Cavity Preparation Skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moravej-Salehi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background Acquiring fine psychomotor skills is challenging for dental students. Objectives This study aimed to assess the correlation of cavity preparation skills with drawing skills and handwriting of dental students. Methods Ninety-two male and female dental students taking the preclinical course of restorative dentistry in Shahid Beheshti dental school participated in three tests of handwriting, drawing a smile and an amalgam class (CL I cavity preparation and were scored using a specific scoring system. The correlation among the three skills was assessed using multivariate linear regression. Results Most dental students had cavity preparation, handwriting and drawing skills above the average. A significant correlation was found between drawing and tooth preparation skills (P < 0.05. Conclusions A statistically significant difference existed between drawing and cavity preparation skills in students; however, this correlation was not clinically considerable.

  12. Development of performance assessment instrument based contextual learning for measuring students laboratory skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susilaningsih, E.; Khotimah, K.; Nurhayati, S.

    2018-04-01

    The assessment of laboratory skill in general hasn’t specific guideline in assessment, while the individual assessment of students during a performance and skill in performing laboratory is still not been observed and measured properly. Alternative assessment that can be used to measure student laboratory skill is use performance assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the performance assessment instrument that the result of research can be used to assess basic skills student laboratory. This research was conducted by the Research and Development. The result of the data analysis performance assessment instruments developed feasible to implement and validation result 62.5 with very good categories for observation sheets laboratory skills and all of the components with the very good category. The procedure is the preliminary stages of research and development stages. Preliminary stages are divided in two, namely the field studies and literature studies. The development stages are divided into several parts, namely 1) development of the type instrument, 2) validation by an expert, 3) a limited scale trial, 4) large-scale trials and 5) implementation of the product. The instrument included in the category of effective because 26 from 29 students have very high laboratory skill and high laboratory skill. The research of performance assessment instrument is standard and can be used to assess basic skill student laboratory.

  13. Developing Students' Mathematical Skills Involving Order of Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali Rahman, Ernna Sukinnah; Shahrill, Masitah; Abbas, Nor Arifahwati; Tan, Abby

    2017-01-01

    This small-scale action research study examines the students' ability in using their mathematical skills when performing order of operations in numerical expressions. In this study, the "hierarchy-of-operators triangle" by Ameis (2011) was introduced as an alternative BODMAS approach to help students in gaining a better understanding


  14. Improving Geoscience Students' Spatial Thinking Skills: Applying Cognitive Science Research in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ormand, C. J.; Shipley, T. F.; Manduca, C. A.; Tikoff, B.

    2011-12-01

    Spatial thinking skills are critical to success in many subdisciplines of the geosciences (and beyond). There are many components of spatial thinking, such as mental rotation, penetrative visualization, disembedding, perspective taking, and navigation. Undergraduate students in introductory and upper-level geoscience courses bring a wide variety of spatial skill levels to the classroom, as measured by psychometric tests of many of these components of spatial thinking. Furthermore, it is not unusual for individual students to excel in some of these areas while struggling in others. Although pre- and post-test comparisons show that student skill levels typically improve over the course of an academic term, average gains are quite modest. This suggests that it may be valuable to develop interventions to help undergraduate students develop a range of spatial skills that can be used to solve geoscience problems. Cognitive science research suggests a number of strong strategies for building students' spatial skills. Practice is essential, and time on task is correlated to improvement. Progressive alignment may be used to scaffold students' successes on simpler problems, allowing them to see how more complex problems are related to those they can solve. Gesturing has proven effective in moving younger students from incorrect problem-solving strategies to correct strategies in other disciplines. These principles can be used to design instructional materials to improve undergraduate geoscience students' spatial skills; we will present some examples of such materials.

  15. Senior veterinary students' perceptions of using role play to learn communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandt, Jennifer C; Bateman, Shane W

    2006-01-01

    Recent studies of veterinary practice have suggested a correlation between well-developed communication skills and job satisfaction, career retention, customer satisfaction, decreased lawsuits, and financial remuneration for veterinarians. Veterinary educators are under growing pressure to teach functional communication skills to veterinary students; however, the methods employed have not been well evaluated. In this study we have evaluated veterinary student's attitudes to learning communication skills by participating in role play. The study indicates that experiential learning modalities such as role play are perceived as effective by students, despite reluctance to participate and some discomfort surrounding participation.

  16. Student Perceptions of the Importance of Employability Skill Provision in Business Undergraduate Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Denise

    2013-01-01

    Studies examining student perceptions of employability skill development in business undergraduate programs are limited. Assurance of student buy-in is important to ensure learners engage with skill provision; to enable them to articulate their capabilities to potential employers; and to facilitate the transfer of acquired skills. The author


  17. EXAMINATION OF THE COMPUTATIONAL THINKING SKILLS OF STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agah Tugrul Korucu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Computational thinking is generally considered as a kind of analytical way of thinking. According to Wings (2008 it shares with mathematical thinking, engineering thinking and scientific thinking in the general ways in which we may use for solving a problem, designing and evaluating complex systems or understanding computability and intelligence as well as the mind and human behaviour. It is generally accepted important that like high order thinking skills the analytical way of thinking should be taught to the children at very early ages. The aim of this study is to investigate the computational thinking skills of secondary school students in terms of different variables. The study group of the research is 160 secondary school students who continue their education at different levels in Konya. The “Computational Thinking Skills Scale” which has been developed by Korkmaz, Çakır and Özden (2015 used for data collection. The scale includes 22 items and it is a 5 point likert type scale. The Cronbach Alpha reliability of the scale has been calculated as 0.80 and it has been found to be valid to measure the computational skills levels of the secondary school students as a result of the analysis. As a result of this research, the computational thinking skill levels of participants differ meaningfully in terms of their class levels, do not differ meaningfully in terms of their genders, do not differ meaningfully in terms of their weekly internet usage durations, do not differ meaningfully in terms of their mobile device usage competence situations, differ meaningfully in terms of their mobile Technologies possession durations.

  18. Developing Research-Ready Skills: Preparing Early Academic Students for Participation in Research Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlevoix, D. J.; Morris, A. R.

    2015-12-01

    Engaging lower-division undergraduates in research experiences is a key but challenging aspect of guiding talented students into the geoscience research pipeline. UNAVCO conducted a summer internship program to prepare first and second year college students for participation in authentic, scientific research. Many students in their first two years of academic studies do not have the science content knowledge or sufficient math skills to conduct independent research. Students from groups historically underrepresented in the geosciences may face additional challenges in that they often have a less robust support structure to help them navigate the university environment and may be less aware of professional opportunities in the geosciences.UNAVCO, manager of NSF's geodetic facility, hosted four students during summer 2015 internship experience aimed to help them develop skills that will prepare them for research internships and skills that will help them advance professionally. Students spent eight weeks working with UNAVCO technical staff learning how to use equipment, prepare instrumentation for field campaigns, among other technical skills. Interns also participated in a suite of professional development activities including communications workshops, skills seminars, career circles, geology-focused field trips, and informal interactions with research interns and graduate student interns at UNAVCO. This presentation will outline the successes and challenges of engaging students early in their academic careers and outline the unique role such experiences can have in students' academic careers.

  19. Student Satisfaction with EFL Speaking Classes: Relating Speaking Self-Efficacy and Skills Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asakereh, Ahmad; Dehghannezhad, Maliheh

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between student satisfaction with speaking classes, speaking skills self-efficacy beliefs, and speaking skills achievement. To this end, one hundred Iranian EFL undergraduate students filled out two questionnaires; a research-made and pilot-tested questionnaire for student satisfaction with speaking


  20. Effectiveness of training intervention to improve medical student's information literacy skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdekhoda, Mohammadhiwa; Dehnad, Afsaneh; Yousefi, Mahmood

    2016-12-01

    This study aimed to assess the efficiency of delivering a 4-month course of "effective literature search" among medical postgraduate students for improving information literacy skills. This was a cross-sectional study in which 90 postgraduate students were randomly selected and participated in 12 training sessions. Effective search strategies were presented and the students' attitude and competency concerning online search were measured by a pre- and post-questionnaires and skill tests. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 using t-test. There was a significant improvement (p=0.00), in student's attitude. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) was 2.9 (0.8) before intervention versus the mean (SD) 3.9 (0.7) after intervention. Students' familiarity with medical resources and databases improved significantly. The data showed a significant increase (p=0.03), in students' competency score concerning search strategy design and conducting a search. The mean (SD) was 2.04 (0.7) before intervention versus the mean (SD) 3.07 (0.8) after intervention. Also, students' ability in applying search and meta search engine improved significantly. This study clearly acknowledges that the training intervention provides considerable opportunity to improve medical student's information literacy skills.

  1. Pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst clinical dental students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu Kasim, N H; Abu Kassim, N L; Razak, A A A; Abdullah, H; Bindal, P; Che' Abdul Aziz, Z A; Sulaiman, E; Farook, M S; Gonzalez, M A G; Thong, Y L; Ahmad, N A; Naimie, Z; Abdullah, M; Lui, J L; Abdul Aziz, A

    2014-02-01

    Training dentists today is challenging as they are expected to provide a wide range of dental care. In the provision of good dental care, soft skills are equally important as clinical skills. Therefore in dental education the development of soft skills are of prime concern. This study sought to identify the development of soft skills when dental students are paired in their clinical training. In this perception study, four open-ended items were used to elicit students' feedback on the appropriateness of using clinical pairing as an instructional strategy to promote soft skills. The most frequently cited soft skills were teamwork (70%) and communication (25%) skills. However, both negative and positive behaviours were reported. As for critical thinking and problem solving skills, more positive behaviours were reported for abilities such as to explain, analyze, find ideas and alternative solutions, and make decisions. Leadership among peers was not evident as leading without legitimate authority could be a hindrance to its development. If clinical pairing is to be used as an effective instructional strategy to promote soft skills amongst students, clear guidelines need to be developed to prepare students to work in a dental team and the use of appropriate assessment tools can facilitate the development of these soft skills. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Critical thinking skills of basic baccalaureate and Accelerated second-degree nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newton, Sarah E; Moore, Gary

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to describe the critical thinking (CT) skills of basic baccalaureate (basic-BSN) and accelerated second-degree (ASD) nursing students at nursing program entry. Many authors propose that CT in nursing should be viewed as a developmental process that increases as students' experiences with it change. However, there is a dearth of literature that describes basic-BSN and ASD students' CT skills from an evolutionary perspective. The study design was exploratory descriptive. The results indicated thatASD students had higher CT scores on a quantitative critical thinking assessment at program entry than basic-BSN students. CT data are needed across the nursing curriculum from basic-BSN and ASD students in order for nurse educators to develop cohort-specific pedagogical approaches that facilitate critical thinking in nursing and produce nurses with good CT skills for the future.

  3. Investigating the Perception of Stakeholders on Soft Skills Development of Students: Evidence from South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Estelle Taylor

    2016-03-01

    Results show that stakeholders feel that soft skills of students are not developed adequately, that there is some uncertainty about who should be responsible for developing soft skills, and that the development of soft skills is seen as a difficult task. A list is compiled of the most important soft skills according to literature, lecturers, industry, and students. This list can be used in further research on the soft skills of IT-students. Recommendations are made for the teaching and learning of soft skills.

  4. Study habits and skills, and academic achievement of students in Kerman University of medical sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esmat Noohi

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: Study skills is one important factor influencing academic achievement of students . We must replace ineffective models and habits of study with more fruitful skills in order to gain better learning. This study investigates the study skills and habits of medical students and their educational achievement.Methods: Based on a pilot study the sample size was estimates as 400. Systematic cluster sampling based on medical school registry of students was used. The subjects were medical sciences students of different program. Data gathered with a researcher – made questioner of study skills containing five part including demographic question ; 14 items on planning and time management; 20 on active reading , 8 on concentration and 18 on note taking; and 20 on study habits.Results: The mean score was 163/1±28/2 (range 50-250 for study skill and 25/6±6/86 (range 20-60 for study habits. The mean scores of students for different components of study skills were 16.89±1.7 for planning and time management (Possible of 14-70, 59.1±14.1 for reading comprehension and speed (20-100, 19.8±6.6 for concentration (8-40, and 46.43±13.8 for note taking (18-90.The major defects in students’ study skills were planning and time management followed by concentration and note taking skills. Study skills had a significant correlation with educational achievement (r = 0.101, P < 0.05 while study habits correlation with educational achievement was not significant (r = 0.085, P > 0.05. Although males scored slightly better in study habits and all components of study skills but this superiority was only significant for reading comprehension and speed.Conclusion: Students need to learn study skills early in their university life. results showed weakness in study habits and study skill and deficit in planning and time management ,concentration and note taking skill. We suggest educational course or workshop about university skills for students

  5. High School Students' Time Management Skills in Relation to Research Anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akcoltekin, Alpturk

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to determine the opinions of high school students relating to time management and present a correlation of their time management skills with demographic variables, as well as examining the relation between their level of research anxiety and time management skills. The study group composed 270 12th-grade students (127 males and


  6. Relations of Preschoolers' Visual-Motor and Object Manipulation Skills With Executive Function and Social Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, Megan; Lipscomb, Shannon; McClelland, Megan M; Duncan, Rob; Becker, Derek; Anderson, Kim; Kile, Molly

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this article was to examine specific linkages between early visual-motor integration skills and executive function, as well as between early object manipulation skills and social behaviors in the classroom during the preschool year. Ninety-two children aged 3 to 5 years old (M age  = 4.31 years) were recruited to participate. Comprehensive measures of visual-motor integration skills, object manipulation skills, executive function, and social behaviors were administered in the fall and spring of the preschool year. Our findings indicated that children who had better visual-motor integration skills in the fall had better executive function scores (B = 0.47 [0.20], p gender, Head Start status, and site location, but not after controlling for children's baseline levels of executive function. In addition, children who demonstrated better object manipulation skills in the fall showed significantly stronger social behavior in their classrooms (as rated by teachers) in the spring, including more self-control (B - 0.03 [0.00], p social behavior in the fall and other covariates. Children's visual-motor integration and object manipulation skills in the fall have modest to moderate relations with executive function and social behaviors later in the preschool year. These findings have implications for early learning initiatives and school readiness.

  7. Skills training of junior medical students

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2013-11-02

    Nov 2, 2013 ... Peer tutors enjoyed and benefited from this teaching method without it negatively affecting their own learning. Discussion. ... addressing the problem of skills training of junior medical students where there is a shortage of trained clinical teachers. AJHPE 2013 ... [1] Informal peer teaching usually takes place.

  8. French Speaking Skills of Grade 8 English Program Students. Research Report 82-08.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wightman, Margaret

    The speaking skills of grade 8 students in a core French program in Ottawa were compared with the skills of grade 6 students enrolled in the core program. A total of 337 grade 8 students were given a French speaking test. Two-hundred and nine students had taken the test in grade 6. In general, the grade 8 students seemed prepared to express basic


  9. 176: EVIDENCE-BASED AND EFFECTIVE RESEARCH SKILLS OF IRANIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

    OpenAIRE

    Mostafaei, Helia; Sadeghi-Ghyassi, Fatemeh; Mostafaei, Hadi

    2017-01-01

    Background and aims Recently, digital research is very popular in schools. The capacity of students to do an effective search is unclear which can lead to utilization of unacceptable evidence in their research. Aims To evaluate middle school students' effective search skills. Methods This survey was done during the summer school of Farzanegan talented students middle school. The self-administrated questionnaire studied 30 items about effective search and digital research skills of students. O...

  10. Identification of the students' critical thinking skills through biochemistry laboratory work report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anwar, Yunita Arian Sani; Senam, Laksono, Endang W.

    2017-08-01

    This work aims to (1) identify the critical thinking skills of student based on their ability to set up laboratory work reports, and (2) analyze the implementation of biochemistry laboratory work. The method of quantitative content analysis was employed. Quantitative data were in the form of critical thinking skills through the assessment of students' laboratory work reports and questionnaire data. Hoyo rubric was used to measure critical thinking skills with 10 indicators, namely clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, evidence, reason, depth, breadth, and fairness. The research sample consisted of 105 students (35 male, 70 female) of Mataram University who took a Biochemistry course and 2 lecturers of Biochemistry course. The results showed students' critical thinking skills through laboratory work reports were still weak. Analysis of the questionnaire showed that three indicators become the biggest problems during the laboratory work implementation, namely, lecturers' involved in laboratory work implementation, the integration of laboratory work implementation of learning in the classroom has not been done optimally and laboratory work implementation as an effort to train critical thinking skills is not optimal yet.

  11. Implementation and outcome evaluation of high-fidelity simulation scenarios to integrate cognitive and psychomotor skills for Korean nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Heejung; Kim, Hyun-Young

    2015-05-01

    This study is involved in designing high-fidelity simulations reflecting the Korean nursing education environment. In addition, it evaluated the simulations by nursing students' learning outcomes and perceptions of the simulation design features. A quantitative design was used in two separate phases. For the first phase, five nursing experts participated in verifying the appropriateness of two simulation scenarios that reflected the intended learning objectives. For the second phase, 69 nursing students in the third year of a bachelor's degree at a nursing school participated in evaluating the simulations and were randomized according to their previous course grades. The first phase verified the two simulation scenarios using a questionnaire. The second phase evaluated students' perceptions of the simulation design, self-confidence, and critical thinking skills using a quasi-experimental post-test design. ANCOVA was used to compare the experimental and control groups, and correlation coefficient analysis was used to determine the correlation among them. We created 2 simulation scenarios to integrate cognitive and psychomotor skills according to the learning objectives and clinical environment in Korea. The experimental group had significantly higher scores on self-confidence in the first scenario. The positive correlations between perceptions of the simulation design features, self-confidence, and critical thinking skill scores were statistically significant. Students with a more positive perception of the design features of the simulations had better learning outcomes. Based on this result, simulations need to be designed and implemented with more differentiation in order to be perceived more appropriately by students. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Guided-inquiry laboratory experiments to improve students' analytical thinking skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wahyuni, Tutik S.; Analita, Rizki N.

    2017-12-01

    This study aims to improve the experiment implementation quality and analytical thinking skills of undergraduate students through guided-inquiry laboratory experiments. This study was a classroom action research conducted in three cycles. The study has been carried out with 38 undergraduate students of the second semester of Biology Education Department of State Islamic Institute (SII) of Tulungagung, as a part of Chemistry for Biology course. The research instruments were lesson plans, learning observation sheets and undergraduate students' experimental procedure. Research data were analyzed using quantitative-descriptive method. The increasing of analytical thinking skills could be measured using gain score normalized and statistical paired t-test. The results showed that guided-inquiry laboratory experiments model was able to improve both the experiment implementation quality and the analytical thinking skills. N-gain score of the analytical thinking skills was increased, in spite of just 0.03 with low increase category, indicated by experimental reports. Some of undergraduate students have had the difficulties in detecting the relation of one part to another and to an overall structure. The findings suggested that giving feedback the procedural knowledge and experimental reports were important. Revising the experimental procedure that completed by some scaffolding questions were also needed.

  13. Analysis of the study skills of undergraduate pharmacy students of the University of Zambia School of Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezeala, Christian Chinyere; Siyanga, Nalucha

    2015-01-01

    It aimed to compare the study skills of two groups of undergraduate pharmacy students in the School of Medicine, University of Zambia using the Study Skills Assessment Questionnaire (SSAQ), with the goal of analysing students' study skills and identifying factors that affect study skills. A questionnaire was distributed to 67 participants from both programs using stratified random sampling. Completed questionnaires were rated according to participants study skill. The total scores and scores within subscales were analysed and compared quantitatively. Questionnaires were distributed to 37 students in the regular program, and to 30 students in the parallel program. The response rate was 100%. Students had moderate to good study skills: 22 respondents (32.8%) showed good study skills, while 45 respondents (67.2%) were found to have moderate study skills. Students in the parallel program demonstrated significantly better study skills (mean SSAQ score, 185.4±14.5), particularly in time management and writing, than the students in the regular program (mean SSAQ score 175±25.4; Pstudy. The students in the parallel program had better time management and writing skills, probably due to their prior work experience. The more intensive training to students in regular program is needed in improving time management and writing skills.

  14. Using data to help increase STEM retention rates for at-risk students; Student expectations and skill building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, D. E.; Jones, G.; Heaney, A.

    2013-12-01

    Retention in the STEM fields is often a focus for higher education due to a shortage of trained workforce members. In particular, much effort has been spent on first year retention rates and introductory level courses under the assumption that students are more likely to drop out of STEM majors early in their higher education degree progress. While the retention rates of women, minorities, and low income students have been a priority by both the National Science Foundation and the private sector, we are interested in at-risk first year students for this study. The University of Wyoming Synergy Program's goal is to promote academic success and retention for underprepared and at-risk students by creating a series of first semester curricula as theme-based college transition skills courses that are paired with English courses. This creates a cohort group of courses for the students with increased communication between instructors at the same time allowing greater development of student social networks. In this study we are highlighting the results of the STEM students as compared with other at-risk participants in the program. The Synergy Program enrolls approximately 144 students each year with pre- and post-course surveys that directly measure which college skills students select as important as well as student expectations of the amount of time required for STEM courses. Follow-up surveys track the same queries for students who persist to their junior and senior year. In addition, instructors complete a summative survey about skills they find important to student success and individual student's challenges and successes with a variety of skills. Our results show a large gap in skills between those identified as important by students and those identified by their instructors. Expectations for the amount of time required to complete work for STEM courses and the reported time spent on course work are not constant when progressing throughout college. This analysis

  15. Qualitative Evaluation of the Design Variables of a Teaching Intervention to Expose Accounting Students to Pervasive Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viviers, Herman Albertus

    2016-01-01

    The primary objective of this article is to evaluate the design variables of a newly developed teaching intervention, "The Amazing Tax Race". It comprises a race against time in which accounting students participate within teams in multiple tax-related activities so that they are exposed to pervasive skills. The findings provide


  16. Impact of Student vs Faculty Facilitators on Motivational Interviewing Student Outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widder-Prewett, Rebecca; Draime, Juanita A; Cameron, Ginger; Anderson, Douglas; Pinkerton, Mark; Chen, Aleda M H

    2017-08-01

    Objective. To determine the impact of student or faculty facilitation on student self-assessed attitudes, confidence, and competence in motivational interviewing (MI) skills; actual competence; and evaluation of facilitator performance. Methods. Second-year pharmacy (P2) students were randomly assigned to a student or faculty facilitator for a four-hour, small-group practice of MI skills. MI skills were assessed in a simulated patient encounter with the mMITI (modified Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity) tool. Students completed a pre-post, 6-point, Likert-type assessment addressing the research objectives. Differences were assessed using a Mann-Whitney U test. Results. Student (N=44) post-test attitudes, confidence, perceived or actual competence, and evaluations of facilitator performance were not different for faculty- and student-facilitated groups. Conclusion. Using pharmacy students as small-group facilitators did not affect student performance and were viewed as equally favorable. Using pharmacy students as facilitators can lessen faculty workload and provide an outlet for students to develop communication and facilitation skills that will be needed in future practice.

  17. Facilitating Experiential Learning of Study Skills in Sports Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, Mark; Bowd, Belinda; Smith, Julian

    2010-01-01

    In recent years the student population in the UK has grown considerably, and students are entering higher education with a more diverse range of qualifications and skills. This is particularly the case in post-1992 universities with a widening participation agenda, as these institutions have a larger share of students from non-traditional


  18. Guided-inquiry based laboratory instruction: Investigation of critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and implementing student roles in chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Tanya

    Recent initiatives in the laboratory curriculum have encouraged an inquiry-based approach to learning and teaching in the laboratory. It has been argued that laboratory instruction should not just be hands-on, but it should portray the essence of inquiry through the process of experiential learning and reflective engagement in collaboration with peers and in facilitation by the instructor. A student-centered active learning approach may be an effective way to enhance student understanding of concepts in the laboratory. The dissertation research work explores the impact of laboratory instruction and its relevance for college-level chemistry. Each chapter is different from the preceding chapter in terms of the purpose of the study and the research questions asked. However, the overarching idea is to address the importance of guided-inquiry based laboratory instruction in chemistry and its relevance in helping students to make connections with the chemistry content and in imparting skills to students. Such skills include problem solving, collaborative group work and critical thinking. The first research study (Chapter 2) concerns the impact of first year co-requisite general chemistry laboratory instruction on the problem-solving skills of students. The second research study (Chapter 3) examines the impact of implementing student roles also known as Student-Led Instructor Facilitated Guided-Inquiry based Laboratories, SLIFGIL) by modifying the Science Writing Heuristic approach of laboratory instruction. In the third research study (Chapter 4), critical thinking skills of first semester general chemistry laboratory students were compared to advanced (third or fourth year) chemistry laboratory students based on the analysis of their laboratory reports.

  19. Improvement of Engineering Students' Communication Skills in English through Extensive Reading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishizawa, Hitoshi; Yoshioka, Takayoshi; Itoh, Kazuaki

    The students' communication skills in English have improved after introducing Extensive Reading courses into the curriculum of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department. The students' average TOEIC scores, which used to be far lower than the ones of students in other educational institutions, have increased in recent two years. The students who used to avoid learning English have welcomed extensive reading of graded readers for foreign learners and books for native children of English. This is because the extensive reading causes less stress and it is enjoyable. The students who have read more than 0.2 million words of English texts have faster reading speed and more confidence in reading. They seem to change their reading style from English-to-Japanese translation (and comprehension in Japanese) to direct comprehension in English. Their listening comprehension is also improved. Extensive reading is an effective educational method to improve English communication skills of engineering students, and it also becomes a useful method of continuous education for engineers in need of improving their skills.

  20. Neuroplasticity-based Cognitive and Linguistic Skills Training Improves Reading and Writing Skills in College Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beth eRogowsky

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available This study reports an evaluation of the effect of computer-based cognitive and linguistic training on college students’ reading and writing skills. The computer-based training included a series of increasingly challenging software programs that were designed to strengthen students’ foundational cognitive skills (memory, attention span, processing speed, and sequencing in the context of listening and higher level reading tasks. Twenty-five college students (12 native English language; 13 English Second Language who demonstrated poor writing skills participated in the training group. The training group received daily training during the spring semester (11 weeks with the Fast ForWord Literacy (FFW-L and upper levels of the Fast ForWord Reading series (Levels 3, 4 and 5. The comparison group (n=28 selected from the general college population did not receive training. Both the training and comparison groups attended the same university. All students took the Gates MacGinitie Reading Test (GMRT and the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS Written Expression Scale at the beginning (Time 1 and end (Time 2 of the spring college semester. Results from this study showed that the training group made a statistically greater improvement from Time 1 to Time 2 in both their reading skills and their writing skills than the comparison group. The group who received training began with statistically lower writing skills before training, but exceeded the writing skills of the comparison group after training.

  1. Metacognitive skills and students' motivation toward chemical equilibrium problem solving ability: A correlational study on students of XI IPA SMAN 2 Banjarmasin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muna, Khairiatul; Sanjaya, Rahmat Eko; Syahmani, Bakti, Iriani

    2017-12-01

    The demand for students to have metacognitive skills and problem solving ability can be seen in the core competencies of the 2013 curriculum. Metacognitive skills are the skills which affect students' success in solving problems depending on students' motivation. This explains the possibility of the relationship between metacognition and motivation in affecting students' achievement including problem solving. Due to the importance of metacognitive skills to solve problems and the possible relationship between metacognition and motivation, a study to find the relationship among the variables is necessary to conduct, particularly on chemistry problem solving. This one shot case study using quantitative method aimed to investigate the correlation between metacognitive skills and motivation toward problem solving ability focusing on chemical equilibrium. The research population was students of grade XI of majoring Science of Banjarmasin Public High Scool 2 (XI IPA SMAN 2 Banjarmasin) with the samples of 33 students obtained by using purposive sampling technique. The research data were collected using test and non-test and analyzed using multiple regression in SPSS 21. The results of this study showed that (1) the students' metacognitive skills and motivation correlated positively with coefficient of +0.450 to problem solving ability on chemical equilibrium: (2) inter-variables of students' motivation (self-efficacy, active learning strategies, science/chemistry learning value, performance goal, achievement goal, and learning environment stimulations) correlated positively to metacognitive skills with the correlation coefficients of +0.580, +0.537, +0.363, +0.241, +0.516, and +0.271, respectively. Based on the results, it is necessary for teachers to implement learning which develops students' metacognitive skills and motivation, such as learning with scientific approach. The implementation of the learning is also supposed to be complemented with the use of learning

  2. The Protective Effects of Adaptability, Study Skills, and Social Skills on Externalizing Student-Teacher Relationships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Sycarah D.; Reynolds, Jennifer L.; Sheehan, Chelsea E.

    2016-01-01

    Although students with externalizing behaviors inherently exhibit behaviors that contribute to poor teacher relationships, little research has examined the positive characteristics these students may possess that serve to facilitate positive teacher relationships. This study explores the moderating effects of adaptability, social skills, and study


  3. Employer Perceptions of Student Informational Interviewing Skills and Behaviors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orr, Claudia; Sherony, Bruce; Steinhaus, Carol

    2011-01-01

    Employers continue to report that soft skills are critically important in obtaining employment and achieving long-term career success. Given the challenging job market for college graduates, business school faculty need to provide practical opportunities for students to develop their soft skills in professional settings. A longitudinal study was


  4. What Spreadsheet and Database Skills Do Business Students Need?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coleman, Phillip D.; Blankenship, Ray J.

    2017-01-01

    The Principles of Information Systems course taught at a medium-sized Midwest University consists of Information Systems conceptual material plus Microsoft Excel and Access skills that the Information Systems faculty feel are most important to business students from all business disciplines. These skills range from using basic mathematic functions


  5. Adaptation of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) to dental students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laurence, Brian; Bertera, Elizabeth M; Feimster, Tawana; Hollander, Roberta; Stroman, Carolyn

    2012-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to adapt the twenty-six-item Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) developed for medical students for use among dental students and to test the psychometric properties of the modified instrument. The sample consisted of 250 students (an 80.1 percent response rate) in years D1 to D4 at a dental school in Washington, DC. The mean age of participants was 26.6 years with a range from twenty-one to forty-two years. Slightly more than half of the participants were female (52.4 percent) and were African American or of African descent (51.7 percent). Principal components analysis was used to test the psychometric properties of the instrument. The index that resulted measured both positive and negative attitudes toward learning communications skills. The final twenty-four-item scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.87), and the study obtained four important factors-Learning, Importance, Quality, and Success-that explained a significant portion of the variance (49.1 percent). Stratified analysis by demographic variables suggested that there may be gender and ethnic differences in the students' attitudes towards learning communication skills. The authors conclude that the CSAS modified for dental students, or DCSAS, is a useful tool to assess attitudes towards learning communication skills among dental students.

  6. Deaf Students' Receptive and Expressive American Sign Language Skills: Comparisons and Relations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beal-Alvarez, Jennifer S.

    2014-01-01

    This article presents receptive and expressive American Sign Language skills of 85 students, 6 through 22 years of age at a residential school for the deaf using the American Sign Language Receptive Skills Test and the Ozcaliskan Motion Stimuli. Results are presented by ages and indicate that students' receptive skills increased with age and


  7. Conscientious objection in medical students: a questionnaire survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strickland, Sophie Lm

    2012-01-01

    To explore attitudes towards conscientious objections among medical students in the UK. Medical students at St George's University of London, Cardiff University, King's College London and Leeds University were emailed a link to an anonymous online questionnaire, hosted by an online survey company. The questionnaire contained nine questions. A total of 733 medical students responded. Nearly half of the students in this survey stated that they believed in the right of doctors to conscientiously object to any procedure. Demand for the right to conscientiously object is greater in Muslim medical students when compared with other groups of religious medical students. Abortion continues to be a contentious issue among medical students and this may contribute to the looming crisis in abortion services over the coming years. This project sheds some light on how future doctors view some of their ethical rights and obligations. Using empirical evidence, it reveals that conscientious objection is an issue in the UK medical student body today. These data could help anticipate problems that may arise when these medical students qualify and practise medicine in the community. Clearer guidance is needed for medical students about the issue of conscientious objection at medical school.

  8. Comparison of midwifery students' satisfaction with direct observation of procedural skills and current methods in evaluation of procedural skills in Mashhad Nursing and Midwifery School.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoseini, Bibi Leila; Mazloum, Seyed Reza; Jafarnejad, Farzaneh; Foroughipour, Mohsen

    2013-03-01

    The clinical evaluation, as one of the most important elements in medical education, must measure students' competencies and abilities. The implementation of any assessment tool is basically dependent on the acceptance of students. This study tried to assess midwifery students' satisfaction with Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) and current clinical evaluation methods. This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the university hospitals affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The subjects comprised 67 undergraduate midwifery students selected by convenience sampling and allocated to control and intervention groups according to the training transposition. Current method was performed in the control group, and DOPS was conducted in the intervention group. The applied tools included DOPS rating scales, logbook, and satisfaction questionnaires with clinical evaluation methods. Validity and reliability of these tools were approved. At the end of training, students' satisfaction with the evaluation methods was assessed by the mentioned tools. The data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics. Satisfaction mean scores of midwifery students with DOPS and current methods were 76.7 ± 12.9 and 62.6 ± 14.7 (out of 100), respectively. DOPS students' satisfaction mean score was significantly higher than the score obtained in current method (P satisfactory domains in the current method were "consistence with learning objectives" (71.2 ± 14.9) and "objectiveness" in DOPS (87.9 ± 15.0). In contrast, the least satisfactory domains in the current method were "interested in applying the method" (57.8 ± 26.5) and "number of assessments for each skill" (58.8 ± 25.9) in DOPS method. This study showed that DOPS method is associated with greater students' satisfaction. Since the students' satisfaction with the current method was also acceptable, we recommend combining this new clinical evaluation method with the current method, which covers

  9. Determining the effect of periodic training on the basic psychomotor skills of nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ÖztĂŒrk, Deniz; ÇalÄ±ĆŸkan, Nurcan; Baykara, Zehra Gocmen; Karadağ, Ayise; Karabulut, Hatice

    2015-02-01

    Basic psychomotor skill training starts in the first year in nursing education. The psychomotor skills taught in the first year of nursing training constitute a foundation for all professional practices. Conducting periodic training for skills with which students are deficient can support mastery learning. The study was conducted as an interventional study for determining the effect of periodic training on the basic psychomotor skills learned in the Fundamentals of Nursing course. The sample consisted of 70 students attending the Fundamentals of Nursing course at nursing students in a university in Ankara, over 4 years between 2010 and 2013. The study was conducted as an interventional study for a period of 4 years. The data were collected through a questionnaire that was applied 4 times at the end of each academic year. According to the results of the forms evaluated at the end of each year, 4 additional laboratory activities were conducted addressing the deficient psychomotor skills of students at the beginning of the new academic semester in the 2nd and 3rd years. In the 4th-year clinic practice, courses were arranged to practice still deficient psychomotor skills. It was determined that students practiced nearly all of the basic psychomotor skills during clinical practice and that the practices with which they felt themselves to be inadequate gradually decreased following periodic training; this decrease was significant (ppsychomotor skills of nursing students was effective. We recommend that students' psychomotor skills be evaluated periodically and repetitive training based on the results of this evaluation be provided throughout the undergraduate nursing education process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. 'TeamUP': An approach to developing teamwork skills in undergraduate midwifery students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hastie, Carolyn Ruth

    2018-03-01

    to develop an effective model to enable educators to teach, develop and assess the development of midwifery students' teamwork skills DESIGN: an action research project involving participant interviews and academic feedback. a regional university PARTICIPANTS: midwifery students (n = 21) and new graduate midwives (n = 20) INTERVENTIONS: a whole of course program using a rubric, with five teamwork domains and behavioural descriptors, to provide a framework for teaching and assessment. Students self and peer assess. Lectures, tutorials and eight different groupwork assignments of increasing difficulty, spread over the three years of the undergraduate degree are incorporated into the TeamUP model. the assignments provide students with the opportunity to practice and develop their teamwork skills in a safe, supported environment. the social, emotional and practical behaviours required for effective teamwork can be taught and developed in undergraduate health students. students require a clear overview of the TeamUP model at the beginning of the degree. They need to be informed of the skills and behaviours that the TeamUP model is designed to help develop and why they are important. The success of the model depends upon the educator's commitment to supporting students to learn teamwork skills. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Skills learned through professional internships can contribute to higher confidence in students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamalavage, A.

    2014-12-01

    Through completing an internship, a student has the opportunity to learn skills that may not be typically emphasized in the classroom. Students can create a unique professional identity by participating in internships that may be relevant to their career path. The diversity of internships can also allow a student to try an experience in a job that may be away from their assumed career trajectory, contributing to students finding where their skills could fit best. I have learned a core set of skills that have supported my transition from an undergraduate degree through two internships in both a non-profit organization and an oil and gas company. This presentation will include an analysis of the project management and communication skills that have given me "real-world" experience to understand what skills could be useful in pursuing a career in the Earth sciences. I believed that participation in clubs, mentoring assignments, and classes abroad during my undergraduate were fully providing me with the fundamental skills to enter the professional job market. Although I did learn time management, facilitation and collaboration, I did not fully gauge the necessity of a crucial understanding of these skills in the workplace. My skills using collaborative work have strengthened most since finishing my undergraduate degree. Through group work at each of my internships, I learned clear communication, management, respect, financial responsibility and how to fulfill an obligation towards a common goal. Without strengthening those skills, I do not think I would be pursuing a graduate degree in the Earth sciences with confidence. The essential skills I have learned have furthered my assurance to approach a problem with certainty when developing a hypothesis, seeking help from others, and developing a solution. This presentation will suggest further research and how specific feedback can be gathered from other Earth science students who have completed internships. With further

  12. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade-7 Public Secondary Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emil C. Alcantara

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The study aimed to assess the academic performance, critical thinking skills, and problem solving skills in mathematics of Grade-7 students in the five central public secondary schools of Area 2, Division of Batangas, Philippines. This study utilized descriptive method of research. Three hundred forty one (341 students of the public secondary schools out of the total of 2,324 Grade-7 students were selected through systematic random sampling as the subjects of the study. It was found out that the level of performance in Mathematics of the Grade-7 students is proficient. The level of critical thinking skills of students from the different schools is above average as well as their level of problem solving skills. The mathematics performance of the students is positively correlated to their level of critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Students considered the following learning competencies in the different content areas of Grade-7 Mathematics as difficult to master: solving problems involving sets, describing the development of measurement from the primitive to the present international system of units, finding a solution of an equation or inequality involving one variable, using compass and straightedge to bisect line segments and angles, and analyzing, interpreting accurately and drawing conclusions from graphic and tabular presentations of statistical data.

  13. Midwifery and nursing students' communication skills and life orientation: correlation with stress coping approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozdemir, GĂŒlsĂŒn; Kaya, Hatice

    2013-06-01

    Methods learnt by nursing and midwifery students' such as communication skills, optimisim and coping with stress would be used in their profeesional life. It is very important to promote their positive thinking and communication skills to raise coping with stress. This cross sectional study was performed to examine the nursing and midwifery students' communication skills and optimistic life orientation and its correlation with coping strategies with stress. The study population included 2572 students who were studying in departments of nursing and midwifery in Istanbul. The sample was included 1419 students. Three questionnaires including Communication Skills Test, Life Orientation Test and Ways of Coping Inventory were used for data collection. The data were evaluated by calculating frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coefficient. Students' total mean score from the Communication Skills Scale was 165.27 ± 15.39 and for the Life Orientation Test was 18.51 ± 4.54. There was a positive correlation between their Life Orientation scores and the scores for self confidence (r = 0.34, P students in optimistic life orientation and communication skills increased self confidence approach, optimistic, and social support seeking scores increased, whereas helpless, and submissive scores decreased.

  14. Do iPad Applications Help Students with Developmental Disabilities Improve Life-Readiness Skills?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunn, Michael; Barrio, Brenda; Hsiao, Yun-Ju

    2016-01-01

    Students with developmental disabilities often struggle with life-readiness skills (e.g., literacy skills such as reading and writing, task completion, and communication), which also help prepare students for the workplace. Assistive technology tools offer these students a means to do better in these areas. In this action-research study, we


  15. An Effective Teaching Method to Enhance History-Taking Skills for Chinese Medical Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Simin; Xu, Peng; Feng, Lie; Lu, Chunting; Yang, Jing

    2018-01-01

    History taking is an extremely important skill for medical students to master. In China, medical students usually have opportunities to practise this skill on real patients after they have learned diagnostics and basic relevant theoretical knowledge. Today, however, several factors, such as increased enrolment of medical students and the need to


  16. Multidimensional student skills with collaborative filtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergner, Yoav; Rayyan, Saif; Seaton, Daniel; Pritchard, David E.

    2013-01-01

    Despite the fact that a physics course typically culminates in one final grade for the student, many instructors and researchers believe that there are multiple skills that students acquire to achieve mastery. Assessment validation and data analysis in general may thus benefit from extension to multidimensional ability. This paper introduces an approach for model determination and dimensionality analysis using collaborative filtering (CF), which is related to factor analysis and item response theory (IRT). Model selection is guided by machine learning perspectives, seeking to maximize the accuracy in predicting which students will answer which items correctly. We apply the CF to response data for the Mechanics Baseline Test and combine the results with prior analysis using unidimensional IRT.

  17. Changes in Badminton Game Play across Developmental Skill Levels among High School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jianyu; Liu, Wenhao

    2012-01-01

    The study examined changes in badminton game play across developmental skill levels among high school students in a physical education setting. Videotapes of badminton game play of 80 students (40 boys and 40 girls) in the four developmental skill levels (each skill level had 10 boys and 10 girls) were randomly selected from a database associated


  18. Do Instructional Interventions Influence College Students' Critical Thinking Skills? A Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Lian; Behar-Horenstein, Linda S.; Garvan, Cyndi W.

    2013-01-01

    Promoting students' critical thinking skills is an important task of higher education. Colleges and universities have designed various instructional interventions to enhance students' critical thinking skills. Empirical studies have yielded inconsistent results in terms of the effects of such interventions. This meta-analysis presents a synthesis


  19. Student teachers can be as good as associate professors in teaching clinical skills

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tolsgaard, Martin G; Gustafsson, Amandus; Rasmussen, Maria B

    2007-01-01

    AIM: The aim of this study is to compare student teachers and clinical associate professors regarding the quality of procedural skills teaching in terms of participants' technical skills, knowledge and satisfaction with the teaching. METHODS: This is an experimental, randomized, controlled study....... CONCLUSION: Trained student teachers can be as good as associate professors in teaching clinical skills. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Sep...... comparing the teaching of student teachers and associate professors regarding participants' learning outcome and satisfaction with the teaching. Two skills are chosen for the experiment, i.v.-access and bladder catheterization. Learning outcome is assessed by a pre- and post testing of the participants...

  20. EFFECTIVENESS OF QUIZ TEAM AND MURDER METHOD ON LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS IN SOCIAL SCIENCE LEARNING FOR 8th GRADE STUDENTS AT UPI LABORATORY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darwanti Darwanti

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available There are three objectives that shape the study, first, the study is aimed at identifying different problem-solving skills of the students' who were acquainted with quiz team, lecture and MURDER method. Secondly, the study is to point out the difference of students' problem-solving skills when they are exposed to the three methods in a high, moderate, and low intensity. The third objective is to determine interactions among learning methods, learning activities and problem-solving skills. Quasi experiment is used as a method of the study by applying two experiment classes, and one controlled factorial designed class. In analyzing the data, a two-way Anova analysis and variants analysis are implemented to measure the interaction level among the three variables. The results of the study indicate that (1 there are differences in students' problem-solving skills who were exposed to quiz team, lecture and MURDER method; (2 there are also differences in students' problem-solving skills when they were exposed by the mentioned methods in a high, moderate, and low intensity; there are no relevant interactions among learning methods, learning activities and problem-solving skills. The current results are presented such that they can be used as an aid to the methods of social science learning.

  1. Basic airway skills acquisition using the American College of Surgeons/Association for Surgical Education medical student simulation-based surgical skills curriculum: Initial results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muratore, Sydne; Kim, Michael; Olasky, Jaisa; Campbell, Andre; Acton, Robert

    2017-02-01

    The ACS/ASE Medical Student Simulation-Based Skills Curriculum was developed to standardize medical student training. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and validity of implementing the basic airway curriculum. This single-center, prospective study of medical students participating in the basic airway module from 12/2014-3/2016 consisted of didactics, small-group practice, and testing in a simulated clinical scenario. Proficiency was determined by a checklist of skills (1-15), global score (1-5), and letter grade (NR-needs review, PS-proficient in simulation scenario, CP-proficient in clinical scenario). A proportion of students completed pre/post-test surveys regarding experience, satisfaction, comfort, and self-perceived proficiency. Over 16 months, 240 students were enrolled with 98% deemed proficient in a simulated or clinical scenario. Pre/post-test surveys (n = 126) indicated improvement in self-perceived proficiency by 99% of learners. All students felt moderately to very comfortable performing basic airway skills and 94% had moderate to considerable satisfaction after completing the module. The ACS/ASE Surgical Skills Curriculum is a feasible and effective way to teach medical students basic airway skills using simulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Effect of Direct Grammar Instruction on Student Writing Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Lisa; Feng, Jay

    2016-01-01

    Grammar Instruction has an important role to play in helping students to speak and write more effectively. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of direct grammar instruction on the quality of student's writing skills. The participants in this study included 18 fifth grade students and two fifth grade teachers. Based on the results


  3. Simulation-guided cardiac auscultation improves medical students' clinical skills: the Pavia pilot experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perlini, Stefano; Salinaro, Francesco; Santalucia, Paola; Musca, Francesco

    2014-03-01

    Clinical evaluation is the cornerstone of any cardiac diagnosis, although excessive over-specialisation often leads students to disregard the value of clinical skills, and to overemphasize the approach to instrumental cardiac diagnosis. Time restraints, low availability of "typical" cardiac patients on whom to perform effective bedside teaching, patients' respect and the underscoring of the value of clinical skills all lead to a progressive decay in teaching. Simulation-guided cardiac auscultation may improve clinical training in medical students and residents. Harvey(©) is a mannequin encompassing more than 50 cardiac diagnoses that was designed and developed at the University of Miami (Florida, USA). One of the advantages of Harvey(©) simulation resides in the possibility of listening, comparing and discussing "real" murmurs. To objectively assess its teaching performance, the capability to identify five different cardiac diagnoses (atrial septal defect, normal young subject, mitral stenosis with tricuspid regurgitation, chronic mitral regurgitation, and pericarditis) out of more than 50 diagnostic possibilities was assessed in 523 III-year medical students (i.e. at the very beginning of their clinical experience), in 92 VI-year students, and in 42 residents before and after a formal 10-h teaching session with Harvey(©). None of them had previously experienced simulation-based cardiac auscultation in addition to formal lecturing (all three groups) and bedside teaching (VI-year students and residents). In order to assess the "persistence" of the acquired knowledge over time, the test was repeated after 3 years in 85 students, who did not repeat the formal 10-h teaching session with Harvey(©) after the III year. As expected, the overall response was poor in the "beginners" who correctly identified 11.0 % of the administered cardiac murmurs. After simulation-guided training, the ability to recognise the correct cardiac diagnoses was much better (72.0 %; p

  4. Teaching crucial skills: An electrocardiogram teaching module for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chudgar, Saumil M; Engle, Deborah L; Grochowski, Colleen O'Connor; Gagliardi, Jane P

    2016-01-01

    Medical student performance in electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation at our institution could be improved. Varied resources exist to teach students this essential skill. We created an ECG teaching module (ECGTM) of 75 cases representing 15 diagnoses to improve medical students' performance and confidence in ECG interpretation. Students underwent pre- and post-clerkship testing to assess ECG interpretation skills and confidence and also end-of-clinical-year testing in ECG and laboratory interpretation. Performance was compared for the years before and during ECGTM availability. Eighty-four percent of students (total n=101) reported using the ECGTM; 98% of those who used it reported it was useful. Students' performance and confidence were higher on the post-test. Students with access to the ECGTM (n=101) performed significantly better than students from the previous year (n=90) on the end-of-year ECG test. The continuous availability of an ECGTM was associated with improved confidence and ability in ECG interpretation. The ECGTM may be another available tool to help students as they learn to read ECGs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Listening Skills. Instructor/Lesson Guide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decker, Carol; And Others

    This instructor/lesson guide provides instructional materials for a 4-hour course in listening skills in the workplace. Stated objectives are to help students to become more effective listeners, to assist students in obtaining an understanding of how effective they are as listeners, and to assist students in identifying bad listening habits. Two


  6. Design and rationale of the medical students learning weight management counseling skills (MSWeight) group randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ockene, Judith K; Ashe, Karen M; Hayes, Rashelle B; Churchill, Linda C; Crawford, Sybil L; Geller, Alan C; Jolicoeur, Denise; Olendzki, Barbara C; Basco, Maria Theresa; Pendharkar, Jyothi A; Ferguson, Kristi J; Guck, Thomas P; Margo, Katherine L; Okuliar, Catherine A; Shaw, Monica A; Soleymani, Taraneh; Stadler, Diane D; Warrier, Sarita S; Pbert, Lori

    2018-01-01

    Physicians have an important role addressing the obesity epidemic. Lack of adequate teaching to provide weight management counseling (WMC) is cited as a reason for limited treatment. National guidelines have not been translated into an evidence-supported, competency-based curriculum in medical schools. Weight Management Counseling in Medical Schools: A Randomized Controlled Trial (MSWeight) is designed to determine if a multi-modal theoretically-guided WMC educational intervention improves observed counseling skills and secondarily improve perceived skills and self-efficacy among medical students compared to traditional education (TE). Eight U.S. medical schools were pair-matched and randomized in a group randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether a multi-modal education (MME) intervention compared to traditional education (TE) improves observed WMC skills. The MME intervention includes innovative components in years 1-3: a structured web-course; a role play exercise, WebPatientEncounter, and an enhanced outpatient internal medicine or family medicine clerkship. This evidence-supported curriculum uses the 5As framework to guide treatment and incorporates patient-centered counseling to engage the patient. The primary outcome is a comparison of scores on an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) WMC case among third year medical students. The secondary outcome compares changes in scores of medical students from their first to third year on an assessment of perceived WMC skills and self-efficacy. MSWeight is the first RCT in medical schools to evaluate whether interventions integrated into the curriculum improve medical students' WMC skills. If this educational approach for teaching WMC is effective, feasible and acceptable it can affect how medical schools integrate WMC teaching into their curriculum. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Using patients as educators for communication skills: Exploring dental students' and patients' views.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, C; Pooler, J; Lloyd, H

    2018-05-01

    A qualitative study to explore the issues for patients and students when giving feedback on the communication of dental students. The Department of Health and National Institute for Health Research are committed to involving patients in improving clinical education, research and service delivery. Yet, there is a limited body of evidence on the perceptions of patients when asked to be involved in this way, and specifically when asked to provide feedback on the communication skills of dental students. This study seeks to address this gap and heighten the understanding of the issues faced by patients when asked to be involved in clinical education. Data were collected using focus groups with dental students (n=10) and patients (n=8) being treated by these students. Both groups were asked about their thoughts, feelings and beliefs about patients being asked to provide feedback on the communication skills of dental students. Data analysis involved inductive thematic analysis of transcribed audio recordings. Four themes emerged from the data: "legitimacy," "co-educators," "maintaining the equilibrium of the patient-student relationship" and the "timing of patient feedback." Support for involving patients in giving feedback on students' communication skills was established, with patients considering they were best placed to comment on the communication skills of dental students. Patients and students do not want to provide feedback alone and want support to assist them, especially if feedback was negative. Issues of anonymity, confidentiality and ownership of the feedback process were worrisome, and the positioning of patient feedback in the programme was seen as critical. Patients and students are willing to engage in patient feedback on students' communication skills, and with support and training, the concerns around this are not insurmountable and the benefits could potentially profit both groups. These findings have resonance with other healthcare educators when

  8. Teacher Compliance and Accuracy in State Assessment of Student Motor Skill Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Tina J.; Hicklin, Lori K.; French, Karen E.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher compliance with state mandated assessment protocols and teacher accuracy in assessing student motor skill performance. Method: Middle school teachers (N = 116) submitted eighth grade student motor skill performance data from 318 physical education classes to a trained monitoring


  9. Effect of Participation in Student Success Skills on Prosocial and Bullying Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mariani, Melissa; Webb, Linda; Villares, Elizabeth; Brigman, Greg

    2015-01-01

    This study involved fifth-grade students (N = 336) from one Florida school district and examined prosocial behaviors, bullying behaviors, engagement in school success skills and perceptions of classroom climate between the treatment group who received the school counselor-led Student Success Skills classroom guidance program, and their peer


  10. Attitudes and anxiety levels of medical students towards the acquisition of competencies in communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loureiro, Elizabete M; Severo, Milton; Bettencourt, Paulo; Ferreira, Maria A

    2011-12-01

    Results of third year medical students' attitudes and stress levels towards the acquisition of communication skills before and after a Communication and Clinical Skills Course (CCSC) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Portugal, are presented. 115 students attending third-year CCSC completed a demographic questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Communication Skills Attitudes Scale and Interpersonal Behavior Survey. Significant negative correlation was found between anxiety levels and attitudes towards learning communication skills in general as well as the teaching and learning process. At the end of the Course students reported that when compared to the start, their communication skills are less sufficient. At the end of this CCSC at FMUP, students recognized its major importance and how they need to invest and improve communication skills. However, it seems important to monitor the attitudes and anxiety levels of students towards patient care and communication during the medical course and to identify ways of overcoming barriers towards learning communication skills. It is recommended that there should be a complete (transversal and vertical) integration of communication skills, including effective teaching methods, assessments, and examinations in order to be valued by the students. This would necessitate curricular changes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Development and validation of a new assessment tool for suturing skills in medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundhagen, Henriette Pisani; Almeland, Stian Kreken; Hansson, Emma

    2018-01-01

    In recent years, emphasis has been put on that medical student should demonstrate pre-practice/pre-registration core procedural skills to ensure patient safety. Nonetheless, the formal teaching and training of basic suturing skills to medical students have received relatively little attention and there is no standard for what should be tested and how. The aim of this study was to develop and validate, using scientific methods, a tool for assessment of medical students' suturing skills, measuring both micro- and macrosurgical qualities. A tool was constructed and content, construct, concurrent validity, and inter-rater, inter-item, inter-test reliability were tested. Three groups were included: students with no training in suturing skills, students who have had training, plastic surgery. The results show promising reliability and validity when assessing novice medical students' suturing skills. Further studies are needed on implementation of the instrument. Moreover, how the instrument can be used to give formative feedback, evaluate if a required standard is met and for curriculum development needs further investigation.Level of Evidence: Not ratable.

  12. Face, content, and construct validity of the EndoViS training system for objective assessment of psychomotor skills of laparoscopic surgeons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escamirosa, Fernando Pérez; Flores, Ricardo Manuel Ordorica; García, Ignacio Oropesa; Vidal, Cristian Rubén Zalles; Martínez, Arturo Minor

    2015-11-01

    The aim of this study is to present face, content, and constructs validity of the endoscopic orthogonal video system (EndoViS) training system and determines its efficiency as a training and objective assessment tool of the surgeons' psychomotor skills. Thirty-five surgeons and medical students participated in this study: 11 medical students, 19 residents, and 5 experts. All participants performed four basic skill tasks using conventional laparoscopic instruments and EndoViS training system. Subsequently, participants filled out a questionnaire regarding the design, realism, overall functionality, and its capabilities to train hand-eye coordination and depth perception, rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Motion data of the instruments were obtained by means of two webcams built into a laparoscopic physical trainer. To identify the surgical instruments in the images, colored markers were placed in each instrument. Thirteen motion-related metrics were used to assess laparoscopic performance of the participants. Statistical analysis of performance was made between novice, intermediate, and expert groups. Internal consistency of all metrics was analyzed with Cronbach's α test. Overall scores about features of the EndoViS system were positives. Participants agreed with the usefulness of tasks and the training capacities of EndoViS system (score >4). Results presented significant differences in the execution of three skill tasks performed by participants. Seven metrics showed construct validity for assessment of performance with high consistency levels. EndoViS training system has been successfully validated. Results showed that EndoViS was able to differentiate between participants of varying laparoscopic experience. This simulator is a useful and effective tool to objectively assess laparoscopic psychomotor skills of the surgeons.

  13. Body expression skills training in a communication course for dental students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riga, Vassiliki; Kossioni, Anastassia

    2014-01-01

    In the health professions, competency in communication skills is necessary for the development of a satisfactory physician-patient interaction. Body expression is an important domain of the communication process, often not adequately addressed. The aim of this study was to describe the methodology and content of a pilot introductory training session in body expression for dental students before the beginning of their clinical training. The educational methods were based on experiential learning and embodied training, where the session's content focused on five themes representing different phases of the dental treatment session. A questionnaire was distributed before and after the session to assess any changes in students' self-perceptions in communication skills. There were statistically significant improvements in the total values of the students self-perceptions of their communication skills obtained before and after the training and in specific elements such as small group situations, performing an interview, understanding the feelings of others and expressing one's own feelings. The dental students in the present study felt that this preclinical experiential learning session improved their communication skills. The feedback from this training experience will enable further development of an effective communication course for clinical dentistry.

  14. Improving 4th Grade Primary School Students' Reading Comprehension Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulut, Aydin

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to carry out action research to investigate reading comprehension skills when using the SQ3R reading comprehension strategy. To that end, this strategy was used for improving the reading comprehension skills of 7 primary school 4th grade students who had problems with these skills. An action plan was prepared for 3hours a


  15. A Systems Approach to Scaffold Communication Skills Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Er, Nelson L.

    2008-01-01

    Objectives To implement a communication skills development (CSD) system and evaluate its effectiveness in a clinical communications course. Design Students conducted baseline interviews and wrote SOAP notes, and based on faculty, patient, self- and peer assessments, set goals for improvement of their communication skills. Students participated in various activities to scaffold their learning, several of which took place in a web-based environment to enhance access and function for both students and faculty members. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed. Assessment Students' communication skills improved as evidenced by assessment scores. Student and faculty comments offered additional evidence of the effectiveness of standardized patient interviews, learning strategies, and assessment methods. Conclusion The CSD system effectively integrated various types of learning activities and feedback processes. The use of scaffolding strategies appeared to enhance the development of students' communication skills. PMID:18483601

  16. Effects of peer review on communication skills and learning motivation among nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Moon Sook; Chae, Sun-Mi

    2011-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of video-based peer review on communication skills and learning motivation among nursing students. A non-equivalent control with pretest-posttest design was used. The participants were 47 sophomore nursing students taking a fundamentals of nursing course at a nursing college in Korea. Communication with a standardized patient was videotaped for evaluation. The intervention group used peer reviews to evaluate the videotaped performance; a small group of four students watched the videotape of each student and then provided feedback. The control group assessed themselves alone after watching their own videos. Communication skills and learning motivation were measured. The intervention group showed significantly higher communication skills and learning motivation after the intervention than did the control group. The findings suggest that peer review is an effective learning method for nursing students to improve their communication skills and increase their motivation to learn. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

  17. The Effectiveness of a Simulation-Based Flipped Classroom in the Acquisition of Laparoscopic Suturing Skills in Medical Students-A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Hsin-Yi; Kang, Yi-No; Wang, Wei-Lin; Huang, Hung-Chang; Wu, Chien-Chih; Hsu, Wayne; Tong, Yiu-Shun; Wei, Po-Li

    To evaluate the effectiveness of a simulation-based flipped classroom in gaining the laparoscopic skills in medical students. An intervention trial. Taipei Medical University Hospital, an academic teaching hospital. Fifty-nine medical students participating in a 1-hour laparoscopic skill training session were randomly assigned to a conventional classroom (n = 29) or a flipped classroom approach (n = 30) based on their registered order. At the end of the session, instructors assessed participants' performance in laparoscopic suturing and intracorporeal knot-tying using the assessment checklist based on a modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills tool. Students in the flipped group completed more numbers of stitches (mean [M] = 0.47; standard deviation [SD] = 0.507) than those in the conventional group (M = 0.10; SD = 0.310) (mean difference: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.114-582; p = 0.002). Moreover, students in the flipped group also had higher stitch quality scores (M = 7.17; SD = 2.730) than those in the conventional group (M = 5.14; SD = 1.767) (mean difference = 2.03; 95% CI: 0.83-3.228; p = 0.001). Meanwhile, students in the flipped group had higher pass rates for the second throw (p flipped classroom approach may improve laparoscopic intracorporeal knot-tying skill acquisition in medical students. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A comparative study of student-teacher cognitive abilities and skills on evaluation of academic achievement practices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shirindokht habibzadeh

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available During the past few years, there have been some changes on traditional training methodologies in the world, specially, in elementary schools. Many schools have decided to perform their assessments in elementary schools based on qualitative methods compared with traditional quantitative techniques. This paper performs an empirical investigation to find out whether the new evaluation technique has been able to improve student teacher’s cognitive abilities and skills on evaluation of academic achievement practices. These student-teacher people taught at elementary schools while they also were studying at university. There are two types of questionnaires: The first one measures cognitive capabilities in four categories including levels of learning and educational objectives, designing paper and pencil test, functional test design and analysis and interpretation of results. The second test is associated with measuring functional skills in the evaluation of academic progress. The information were analyzed based on t-student test as well as two-way analysis of variance. The result of t-statistics was significant only for the last item, analysis and interpretation. In addition, the results of ANOVA test have indicated that there were some differences on cognitive capabilities between two methods of assessments but gender did not make any meaningful difference on functional skills.

  19. DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS STUDENTS WITH PROJECT BASED LEARNING MODEL- BASED TRAINING IN LEARNING PHYSICS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ratna Malawati

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to improve the physics Science Process Skills Students on cognitive and psychomotor aspects by using model based Project Based Learning training.The object of this study is the Project Based Learning model used in the learning process of Computationa Physics.The method used is classroom action research through two learning cycles, each cycle consisting of the stages of planning, implementation, observation and reflection. In the first cycle of treatment with their emphasis given training in the first phase up to third in the model Project Based Learning, while the second cycle is given additional treatment with emphasis discussion is collaboration in achieving the best results for each group of products. The results of data analysis showed increased ability to think Students on cognitive and Science Process Skills in the psychomotor.

  20. THE CONTRIBUTION OF ACCOUNTING DISCIPLINES TO DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SKILLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ștefan BUNEA

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Expectations of teachers and employers are not always confirmed by student response and performance. The objective of our research is to find out the perception of final-year undergraduate students towards the contribution of accounting disciplines to shaping and developing skills and competencies, but also to developing student personality. We have found that students prefer courses based on detailed rules rather than courses based on general principles and concepts which require ongoing recourse to professional judgment, scenarios, assumptions, tests, simulations, etc. Concerning professional judgment, students prefer judgments made in financial accounting rather than judgments made for management purposes, which are heavily based on the use of certain competencies such as communication skills, persuasion skills, critical thinking skills, interdisciplinary thinking skills, and decision-making skills.

  1. Analysis of the study skills of undergraduate pharmacy students of the University of Zambia School of Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Chinyere Ezeala

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available It aimed to compare the study skills of two groups of undergraduate pharmacy students in the School of Medicine, University of Zambia using the Study Skills Assessment Questionnaire (SSAQ, with the goal of analysing students’ study skills and identifying factors that affect study skills. A questionnaire was distributed to 67 participants from both programs using stratified random sampling. Completed questionnaires were rated according to participants study skill. The total scores and scores within subscales were analysed and compared quantitatively. Questionnaires were distributed to 37 students in the regular program, and to 30 students in the parallel program. The response rate was 100%. Students had moderate to good study skills: 22 respondents (32.8% showed good study skills, while 45 respondents (67.2% were found to have moderate study skills. Students in the parallel program demonstrated significantly better study skills (mean SSAQ score, 185.4±14.5, particularly in time management and writing, than the students in the regular program (mean SSAQ score 175±25.4; P<0.05. No significant differences were found according to age, gender, residential or marital status, or level of study. The students in the parallel program had better time management and writing skills, probably due to their prior work experience. The more intensive training to students in regular program is needed in improving time management and writing skills.

  2. Students Computer Skills in Faculty of Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Caglar

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays; the usage of technology is not a privilege but an obligation. Technological developments influence structures andfunctions of educational institutions. It is also expected from the teachers that they integrate technology in their lessons inorder to educate the individuals of information society. This research has covered 145(68 female, 78 male students, studying inNear East University Faculty of Education. The Computer Skills Scale developed by GĂŒĂ§lĂŒ (2010 was used as a data collectingtool. Data were analysed using SPSS software program. In this study, students’ computer skills were investigated; the variationsin the relationships between computer skills and (a gender, (b family’s net monthly income, (c presence of computers athome, (d presence of a computer laboratory at school and (e parents’ computer skills were examined. Frequency analysis,percentage and mean calculations were used. In addition, t-test and multi-variate analysis were used to look at the relationshipbetween different variables. As a result of this study, a statistically significant relationship between computer skills of studentswho had a computer at home and computer skills of those who didn’t have a computer at home were found.

  3. Reciprocal Relations between Student-Teacher Conflict, Children's Social Skills and Externalizing Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    SkalickĂĄ, Vera; Stenseng, Frode; WichstrĂžm, Lars

    2015-01-01

    Research suggests that the relation between student-teacher conflict and children's externalizing behavior might be reciprocal, and possibly also between student-teacher conflict and children's social skills. Because children with externalizing behavior also tend to display low levels of social skills, we do not know if one or both of these


  4. Examination of motor skill competency in students: evidence-based physical education curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weiyun Chen

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Researchers found that children with a competent level of motor skill performance are more likely to be physically active. This study examined how well K-1 students demonstrated motor skill competency in relation to Physical Education Content Standard 1. Methods Participants were K-1 grade students (N = 1,223-1,588; boys = 568–857; girls = 526–695; Mean age = 5.5 yrs old who were enrolled in nine elementary schools. The K-1 students’ motor skill competency in running, weight transferring, hand dribbling, and underhand catching skills was assessed using four PE Metrics skill assessment rubrics in the intervention year 1 and year 2, respectively. Data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests. Results The students in the intervention year 1 and year 2 cohorts performed at the Competent Level or higher in the four skill assessments. The prevalence of the students’ demonstration of skill competency across the four skills was high in the two intervention years. The intervention year 2 cohort scored significantly higher than the intervention year 1 cohort in the four skill assessments. The boys significantly outperformed than the girls in the two manipulative skills in the intervention year 1 and in the two manipulative skills and the weight transferring skill in the intervention year 2. No gender differences in the running skill in either year were found. Conclusions The evidence-based CATCH PE play a critical role in developing and building K-1 students’ ability to demonstrate motor skill competency in four fundamental skills. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03015337 , registered date: 1/09/2017, as "retrospectively registered".

  5. Self-perceptions of basic skills for career development and competence in undergraduate students

    OpenAIRE

    Maeda, Kenichi; Niimi, Naoko

    2005-01-01

    This study was designed to investigate the relationships among basic skills for career development, competence, and self-esteem in undergraduate students. Ninety-three students (41 male, 52 female) participated in this study. Results indicated that high self-esteem students scored significantly higher than low self-esteem students on self-perceptions of four basic skills for career development (communication, exploration of information, future planning, and decision-making) and of four domain...

  6. Factors Influencing the Acquisition of Employability Skills by Students of Selected Technical Secondary School in Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dania, Jovinia; Bakar, Ab Rahim; Mohamed, Shamsiah

    2014-01-01

    The main purpose of the study was to assess the acquisition of employability skills by vocational students in Malaysia. A total of 214 students participated in the study. We used the SCANS instrument to assess vocational students' employability skills. The overall mean of vocational secondary students' employability skills was 3.81 (SD = 0.34).


  7. Asking a Great Question: A Librarian Teaches Questioning Skills to First-Year Medical Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Nancy E

    2015-01-01

    In a single one-hour session, first-year medical students were taught a framework for differentiating between lower-order questions that lead to knowledge of facts and higher-order questions that lead to integration of concepts and deeper learning, thereby preparing them for problem-based learning (PBL). Students generated lists of questions in response to an assertion prompt and categorized them according to Bloom's Taxonomy. These data were analyzed in addition to data from the course exam, which asked them to formulate a higher-level question in response to a prompt. Categorizing questions according to Bloom's Taxonomy was a more difficult task for students than was formulating higher-order questions. Students reported that the skills that they learned were used in subsequent PBL sessions to formulate higher-order learning objectives that integrated new and previously-learned concepts.

  8. Fundamental Movement Skills among Iranian Primary School Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aalizadeh, Bahman; Mohamadzadeh, Hassan; Hosseini, Fatemeh Sadat

    2014-12-01

    To determine the relationship between anthropometric indicators, physical activity (PA) and socioeconomic status (SES) with fundamental movement skills (FMS) among Iranian male students. In this descriptive study, based on SES scores, 241 students (7-10 years) were randomly selected and classified in high, medium and low groups. All children were measured by 8 morphology anthropometric measures. In order to examine a subset of manipulative skills and to measure physical activity and socioeconomic status, Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD2) and, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. There was a significant positive correlation between SES and body mass index (BMI), while a significant negative correlation existed between PA and BMI. Object control skills were significantly correlated with height, foot length, forearm length, hand length and physical activity. Students with low socioeconomic status were more qualified in movements than other students who were in medium and high socioeconomic status. Therefore, parents need to encourage students to be more active in order to prevent obesity and to facilitate development of object control skills in high socioeconomic status.

  9. Fundamental Movement Skills among Iranian Primary School Children.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bahman Aalizadeh

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available To determine the relationship between anthropometric indicators, physical activity (PA and socioeconomic status (SES with fundamental movement skills (FMS among Iranian male students.In this descriptive study, based on SES scores, 241 students (7-10 years were randomly selected and classified in high, medium and low groups. All children were measured by 8 morphology anthropometric measures. In order to examine a subset of manipulative skills and to measure physical activity and socioeconomic status, Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD2 and, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression.There was a significant positive correlation between SES and body mass index (BMI, while a significant negative correlation existed between PA and BMI. Object control skills were significantly correlated with height, foot length, forearm length, hand length and physical activity.Students with low socioeconomic status were more qualified in movements than other students who were in medium and high socioeconomic status. Therefore, parents need to encourage students to be more active in order to prevent obesity and to facilitate development of object control skills in high socioeconomic status.

  10. Learning endotracheal intubation using a novel videolaryngoscope improves intubation skills of medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbstreit, Frank; Fassbender, Philipp; Haberl, Helge; Kehren, Clemens; Peters, JĂŒrgen

    2011-09-01

    Teaching endotracheal intubation to medical students is a task provided by many academic anesthesia departments. We tested the hypothesis that teaching with a novel videolaryngoscope improves students' intubation skills. We prospectively assessed in medical students (2nd clinical year) intubation skills acquired by intubation attempts in adult anesthetized patients during a 60-hour clinical course using, in a randomized fashion, either a conventional Macintosh blade laryngoscope or a videolaryngoscope (C-MACÂź). The latter permits direct laryngoscopy with a Macintosh blade and provides a color image on a video screen. Skills were measured before and after the course in a standardized fashion (METI Emergency Care Simulator) using a conventional laryngoscope. All 1-semester medical students (n = 93) were enrolled. The students' performance did not significantly differ between groups before the course. After the course, students trained with the videolaryngoscope had an intubation success rate on a manikin 19% higher (95% CI 1.1%-35.3%; P incidence of "difficult (manikin) laryngoscopy" was less frequent in the group trained with the videolaryngoscope (8% vs 34%; P = 0.005). Education using a video system mounted into a traditional Macintosh blade improves intubation skills in medical students.

  11. Undergraduate basic surgical skills education: impact on attitudes to a career in surgery and surgical skills acquisition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAnena, P F; O'Halloran, N; Moloney, B M; Courtney, D; Waldron, R M; Flaherty, G; Kerin, M J

    2018-05-01

    Basic surgical skills modules in medical education are effective in teaching skills and increasing confidence among students approaching surgery. However, these modules are not delivered universally and their effect on the professional development of graduates has not been established. We aimed to assess the impact of a 10-week basic surgical skills module on attitudes and technical skills of first year medical students compared to interns. Eighteen students participated and were assessed using a 4-part questionnaire. Technical skills were assessed by observing students perform a basic interrupted suture, using the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) tool. Fourteen interns were recruited. Students were more confident in surgical scrubbing (mean score 4.0 vs. 2.86, p = 0.001), and performing a basic suture (4.05 vs. 1.93, p = 0.000), more enthusiastic about assisting with an operation (4.5 vs. 3.0, p = 0.001) and more likely to consider a career in surgery (4.16 vs. 2.28, p = 0.000). Technical skills were greater in the student group (mean score 30.8 vs. 19.6, p = 0.001). Five interns had taken part in surgical skills modules as undergraduates. Their technical skills were significantly higher compared to interns who had not (n = 9) (28.8 vs. 14.5, p = 0.006), and they were more likely to consider a career in surgery (3.6 vs. 1.5, p = 0.036). The introduction of surgical skills teaching to the undergraduate medical curriculum has a positive impact on students' attitudes towards surgery and accelerates basic technical skills development. Consideration should be given to development of a standardised undergraduate core curriculum in basic surgical skills teaching.

  12. Developing students' time management skills in clinical settings: practical considerations for busy nursing staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cleary, Michelle; Horsfall, Jan

    2011-06-01

    In clinical settings, nursing staff often find themselves responsible for students who have varying time management skills. Nurses need to respond sensitively and appropriately, and to teach nursing students how to prioritize and better allocate time. This is important not only for developing students' clinical skills but also for shaping their perceptions about the quality of the placement and their willingness to consider it as a potential work specialty. In this column, some simple, practical strategies that nurses can use to assist students with improving their time management skills are identified. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

  13. Nursing students' self-evaluation using a video recording of foley catheterization: effects on students' competence, communication skills, and learning motivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Moon Sook; Yoo, Il Young; Lee, Hyejung

    2010-07-01

    An opportunity for a student to evaluate his or her own performance enhances self-awareness and promotes self-directed learning. Using three outcome measures of competency of procedure, communication skills, and learning motivation, the effects of self-evaluation using a video recording of the student's Foley catheterization was investigated in this study. The students in the experimental group (n = 20) evaluated their Foley catheterization performance by reviewing the video recordings of their own performance, whereas students in the control group (n = 20) received written evaluation guidelines only. The results showed that the students in the experimental group had better scores on competency (p communication skills (p performance developed by reviewing a videotape appears to increase the competency of clinical skills in nursing students. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  14. Developing 21st century skills through the use of student personal learning networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Robert D.

    This research was conducted to study the development of 21st century communication, collaboration, and digital literacy skills of students at the high school level through the use of online social network tools. The importance of this study was based on evidence high school and college students are not graduating with the requisite skills of communication, collaboration, and digital literacy skills yet employers see these skills important to the success of their employees. The challenge addressed through this study was how high schools can integrate social network tools into traditional learning environments to foster the development of these 21st century skills. A qualitative research study was completed through the use of case study. One high school class in a suburban high performing town in Connecticut was selected as the research site and the sample population of eleven student participants engaged in two sets of interviews and learned through the use social network tools for one semester of the school year. The primary social network tools used were Facebook, Diigo, Google Sites, Google Docs, and Twitter. The data collected and analyzed partially supported the transfer of the theory of connectivism at the high school level. The students actively engaged in collaborative learning and research. Key results indicated a heightened engagement in learning, the development of collaborative learning and research skills, and a greater understanding of how to use social network tools for effective public communication. The use of social network tools with high school students was a positive experience that led to an increased awareness of the students as to the benefits social network tools have as a learning tool. The data supported the continued use of social network tools to develop 21st century communication, collaboration, and digital literacy skills. Future research in this area may explore emerging social network tools as well as the long term impact these tools

  15. Addressing Perceived Skill Deficiencies in Student Affairs Graduate Preparation Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Jay; Mitchell, Donald, Jr.; Eckerle, Kayle; Martin, Kyle

    2016-01-01

    This article explores existing literature on perceived skill deficiencies among entry-level student affairs practitioners. Through a review of recent literature, seven perceived skill deficiencies were identified, including budgeting and financial management, strategic planning, research and assessment, legal knowledge and standards, supervision,


  16. Generic learning skills in academically-at-risk medical students: a development programme bridges the gap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burch, Vanessa C; Sikakana, Cynthia N T; Gunston, Geney D; Shamley, Delva R; Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah

    2013-08-01

    Widening access to medical students from diverse educational backgrounds is a global educational mandate. The impact, on students' generic learning skills profiles, of development programmes designed for students at risk of attrition is unknown. This study investigated the impact of a 12-month Intervention Programme (IP) on the generic learning skills profile of academically-at-risk students who, after failing at the end of the first semester, completed the IP before entering the second semester of a conventional medical training programme. This prospective study surveyed medical students admitted in 2009 and 2010, on entry and on completion of first year, on their reported practice and confidence in information handling, managing own learning, technical and numeracy, computer, organisational and presentation skills. Of 414 first year students, 80 (19%) entered the IP. Levels of practice and confidence for five of the six skills categories were significantly poorer at entry for IP students compared to conventional stream students. In four categories these differences were no longer statistically significant after students had completed the IP; 62 IP students (77.5%) progressed to second year. A 12-month development programme, the IP, effectively addressed generic learning skills deficiencies present in academically-at-risk students entering medical school.

  17. Using a Multimedia Tool to Improve Cardiac Auscultation Knowledge and Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, David T; Mangrulkar, Rajesh S; Gruppen, Larry D; Lang, Angela L; Grum, Cyril M; Judge, Richard D

    2001-01-01

    OBJECTIVE Today's medical school graduates have significant deficits in physical examination skills. Medical educators have been searching for methods to effectively teach and maintain these skills in students. The objective of this study was to determine if an auscultation curriculum centered on a portable multimedia CD-ROM was effective in producing and maintaining significant gains in cardiac auscultatory skills. DESIGN Controlled cohort study PARTICIPANTS All 168 third-year medical students at 1 medical school in an academic medical center. INTERVENTIONS Students were tested before and after exposure to 1 or more elements of the auscultation curriculum: teaching on ward/clinic rotations, CD-ROM comprehensive cases with follow-up seminars, and a CD-ROM 20-case miniseries. The primary outcome measures were student performance on a 10-item test of auscultation skill (listening and identifying heart sound characteristics) and a 30-item test of auscultation knowledge (factual questions about auscultation). A subset of students was tested for attenuation effects 9 or 12 months after the intervention. RESULTS Compared with the control group (1 month clinical rotation alone), students who were also exposed to the CD-ROM 20-case miniseries had significant improvements in auscultation skills scores (P auscultation knowledge beyond the miniseries alone (P auscultation skills. Students' auscultation knowledge diminished one year after the intervention, but auscultation skills did not. CONCLUSION In addition to the standard curriculum of ward and conference teaching, portable multimedia tools may help improve quality of physical examination skills. PMID:11722691

  18. Note-Taking Skills of Middle School Students with and without Learning Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyle, Joseph R.

    2010-01-01

    For middle school students with learning disabilities (LD), one major component of learning in content area classes, such as science, involves listening to lectures and recording notes. Lecture learning and note-taking are critical skills for students to succeed in these classes. Despite the importance of note-taking skills, no research has been


  19. Secondary School Students' Perceptions of Working Life Skills in Science-Related Careers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salonen, Anssi; Hartikainen-Ahia, Anu; Hense, Jonathan; Scheersoi, Annette; Keinonen, Tuula

    2017-01-01

    School students demonstrate a lack of interest in choosing science studies and science-related careers. To better understand the underlying reasons, this study aims to examine secondary school students' perceptions of working life skills and how these perceptions relate to the skills of the twenty-first century. The participants in this study were


  20. Using a Brand Revitalization Project to Develop Students' Analytical and Creativity Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geissler, Gary L.

    2015-01-01

    The skillset that students acquire during college is not always well-aligned and/or well-developed relative to the skills needed to be successful in the business world. Employers have complained for many years that graduating students often lack adequate critical thinking and communication skills, in particular. In the marketing field (and other


  1. Educational Needs Assessment Highlights Several Areas of Emphasis in Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine Skills to Physician Assistant Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuntz, Susan; Ali, Syed Haris; Hahn, Emily

    2016-08-03

    An assessment of educational needs is essential for curricular reform in medical education. Using the conceptual framework of needs assessment, this study aimed to determine which content should be emphasized in teaching evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills to physician assistant (PA) students. Key content areas were identified from the published literature and objectives for previous courses. A questionnaire-type needs assessment instrument was created and given to a graduating class of PA students (n = 21) at the University of North Dakota. The response format had two 5-option scales, one to assess current skill levels and the other to assess ideal skill levels. Means for each category were calculated, and a mean difference analysis was performed. An average mean difference of 0.5 was noted in 3 domains (information retrieval skills, writing skills, and overall gains), and a mean difference of 0.7 was noted in one domain (statistical skills). Items with a mean difference of ≄ 0.7 were identified for prioritization for curricular reform. Open-ended input from respondents substantiated the need for greater emphasis on these content areas. Several content areas related to EBM skills can be identified and prioritized through a systematically conducted educational needs assessment. This method can be used to identify discrepancies between the existing and ideal states of affairs in PA education.

  2. Measurement Model of Reasoning Skills among Science Students Based on Socio Scientific Issues (SSI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MOHD AFIFI BAHURUDIN SETAMBAH

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The lack of reasoning skills has been recognized as one of the contributing factors to the declined achievement in the Trends in Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA assessments in Malaysia. The use of socio-scientific issues (SSI as a learning strategy offers the potential of improving the level of students' reasoning skills and consequently improves students’ achievement in science subjects. This study examined the development of a measurement model of reasoning skills among science students based on SSI using the analysis of moment structure (AMOS approach before going to second level to full structured equation modelling (SEM. A total of 450 respondents were selected using a stratified random sampling. Results showed a modified measurement model of reasoning skills consisting of the View Knowledge (VK was as a main construct. The items that measure the level of pre-reflection of students fulfilled the elements of unidimensionality, validity, and reliability. Although the level of student reasoning skills was still low but this development of measurement model could be identified and proposed teaching methods that could be adopted to improve students’ reasoning skills.

  3. Skills training in laboratory and clerkship: connections, similarities, and differences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berit Eika, MD, PhD

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available Context: During the third semester of a 6 year long curriculum medical students train clinical skills in the skills laboratory (2 hours per week for 9 weeks as well as in an early, 8 week clinical clerkship at county hospitals. Objectives: to study students’ expectations and attitudes towards skills training in the skills laboratory and clerkship. Subjects: 126 medical students in their 3rd semester. Methods: During the fall of 2001 three consecutive, constructed questionnaires were distributed prior to laboratory training, following laboratory training but prior to clerkships, and following clerkships respectively. Results: Almost all (98% respondents found that training in skills laboratory improved the outcome of the early clerkship and 70% believed in transferability of skills from the laboratory setting to clerkship. Still, a majority (93% of students thought that the clerkship provided students with a better opportunity to learn clinical skills when compared to the skills laboratory. Skills training in laboratory as well as in clerkship motivated students for becoming doctors. Teachers in both settings were perceived as being committed to their teaching jobs, to demonstrate skills prior to practice, and to give students feed back with a small but significant more positive rating of the laboratory. Of the 22 skills that students had trained in the laboratory, a majority of students tried out skills associated with physical examination in the clerkship, whereas only a minority of students tried out more intimate skills. Female medical students tried significantly fewer skills during their clerkship compared to male students. Conclusions: Students believe that skills laboratory training prepare them for their subsequent early clerkship but favour the clerkship over the laboratory

  4. Developing seventh grade students' systems thinking skills in the context of the human circulatory system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raved, Lena; Yarden, Anat

    2014-01-01

    Developing systems thinking skills in school can provide useful tools to deal with a vast amount of medical and health information that may help learners in decision making in their future lives as citizen. Thus, there is a need to develop effective tools that will allow learners to analyze biological systems and organize their knowledge. Here, we examine junior high school students' systems thinking skills in the context of the human circulatory system. A model was formulated for developing teaching and learning materials and for characterizing students' systems thinking skills. Specifically, we asked whether seventh grade students, who studied about the human circulatory system, acquired systems thinking skills, and what are the characteristics of those skills? Concept maps were used to characterize students' systems thinking components and examine possible changes in the students' knowledge structure. These maps were composed by the students before and following the learning process. The study findings indicate a significant improvement in the students' ability to recognize the system components and the processes that occur within the system, as well as the relationships between different levels of organization of the system, following the learning process. Thus, following learning students were able to organize the systems' components and its processes within a framework of relationships, namely the students' systems thinking skills were improved in the course of learning using the teaching and learning materials.

  5. A major trauma course based on posters, audio-guides and simulation improves the management skills of medical students: Evaluation via medical simulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuisinier, Adrien; Schilte, Clotilde; Declety, Philippe; Picard, Julien; Berger, Karine; Bouzat, Pierre; Falcon, Dominique; Bosson, Jean Luc; Payen, Jean-François; Albaladejo, Pierre

    2015-12-01

    Medical competence requires the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and technical skills. Severe trauma management teaching is poorly developed during internship. Nevertheless, the basics of major trauma management should be acquired by every future physician. For this reason, the major trauma course (MTC), an educational course in major traumatology, has been developed for medical students. Our objective was to evaluate, via a high fidelity medical simulator, the impact of the MTC on medical student skills concerning major trauma management. The MTC contains 3 teaching modalities: posters with associated audio-guides, a procedural workshop on airway management and a teaching session using a medical simulator. Skills evaluation was performed 1 month before (step 1) and 1 month after (step 3) the MTC (step 2). Nineteen students were individually evaluated on 2 different major trauma scenarios. The primary endpoint was the difference between steps 1 and 3, in a combined score evaluating: admission, equipment, monitoring and safety (skill set 1) and systematic clinical examinations (skill set 2). After the course, the combined primary outcome score improved by 47% (P<0.01). Scenario choice or the order of use had no significant influence on the skill set evaluations. This study shows improvement in student skills for major trauma management, which we attribute mainly to the major trauma course developed in our institution. Copyright © 2015 SociĂ©tĂ© française d’anesthĂ©sie et de rĂ©animation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  6. IMPACT OF MENTAL SKILLS ON MOTOR LEARNING IN MOROCCAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

    OpenAIRE

    A. Eloirdi; A. Arfaoui; A.O.T. Ahami

    2016-01-01

    The issue of motor learning and underlying factors are widely debated. This work has a double aim, to bring out the profile of mental skills and to evaluate their correlation with performance in sport and physical education in Moroccan secondary school students. The study was based on a sample of 202 Moroccan students. We used the test Mental Skills Assessment Tool (OMSAT-3) to assess mental skills. According to the results, the OMSAT-3 displayed a very satisfactory internal consistency, ...

  7. Examination of the PISA 2009 Reading Skills and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Use Skills of Turkish Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acar, TĂŒlin

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to determine relation between PISA Reading Skills and ICT use skills of Turkish students. In this study are four variables such as joy/like Reading, use of Libraries, Online Reading and Plausible value in reading which are dealt with as indications of reading skills. It constitutes six variables such as attitude towards


  8. Promotion of Problem Solving Skills by Using Metacognitive-based Instruction in Students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    yahya safari

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and objective: Studies have indicated that metacognitive strategies control and direct cognitive strategies. Thus, application of metacognitive and cognitive strategies together is essential for successful learning to happen. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of metacognitive-oriented instruction on development of problem solving skills in students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental research with pretest/posttest and control group design. The study sample included the students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (n=4283 in the academic year of 2013-2014. A total number of 40 students were selected through convenient sampling method as the study sample. The samples were randomly placed in experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, problem solving skills were taught based on metacognitive strategies in 8 sessions, each session for 1 and half hours. For the control group, however, problem solving skills were taught through conventional teaching method. The instrument for data collection was Heppner’s problem solving inventory (1988 whose validity and reliability were confirmed previously. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation, and the hypotheses were tested through t-test. Results: The results of the posttest showed that the total mean of scores for problem solving skills in the experimental group (99.75 was higher than that of the control group (26.800 (p<0.0001. This difference was significant in the case of confidence, approach/avoidance and personal control components (p<0.0001. Moreover, the mean of students’ scores was not significant in terms of gender and major. Conclusion: Given the positive effect of metacognitive strategies on the students’ performance and the necessity of teaching metacognition for the sake of academic achievement, these strategies are recommended to be

  9. Comparison of Concept Mapping and Conventional Teaching Methods on Critical Thinking Skills of Nursing Students

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    Masoumeh Delaram

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: Development of critical thinking and practical skills has remained a serious and considerable challenge throughout the nursing educational system in Iran. Conventional methods of teaching such as lectures as the dominant method used in higher education system is a passive style which ignores critical thinking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of instruction by Concept-Mapping and conventional Method on critical thinking skills of nursing students. Materials and Methods:This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 70 nursing students of Tehran Nursing and Midwifery schoolwho were selected through convenient sampling method, then were divided randomly into the two equal Experimental and Control groups. Educational content was presented in the form of Concept-Mapping in the Experimental group and Lecture,Demonstration and Practicalexercises in the control group. Data collection included a demographic information and California Critical Thinking Skills (form B questionnairewhich was completed at the beginning and at the end of the fourth week of Instructional period. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (V: 21, descriptive and analytical Statistics; at the significant level P<0.05. Results: Before the intervention, the mean of critical thinking skill score was 9.71±2.66 in concept mapping group and 9.64 ± 2.14 in conventional group and the difference was not significant (P=0.121, but after the intervention, a significant difference was found between the intervention and conventionalgroup (15.20±2.71 vs 10.25±2.06, P=0.003. Conclusion: Using Concept mapping strategy in the education of nursing students may lead to developing critical thinking skills as one of the important missions of higher education. So it is recommended to usethis method in clinical nursing education.

  10. Psychometric Properties of Interpersonal Communication skills Questionnaire (ISAQ from the Viewpoint of Students at Tabriz University and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

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    Firoz Mahmoodi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objective: One of the skills needed for social life is interpersonal communication skills. Assessing the Interpersonal communication skills due to the growth and development of social networks is very important. This study aimed to validate the Fetro's (2000 interpersonal communication skills questionnaire among students of Tabriz University and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In this descriptivestudy, 750 students of Tabriz University and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences were selected by simple random sampling. Data collected by Fetro (2000 interpersonal communication skills questionnaire. This questionnaire has 65 items with five degrees based on Likert scale. Data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis through SPSS 23. Results: In total 750 Students filled questionnaires. 423 from University of Tabriz and 327 from of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis on original 65 items, 6 factors extracted and 54 items remained. Based on original questionnaire factors and literature extracted factors were labeled. So 45.26% of total variance were explained by these six factors (empathy and intimacy, communication skills, ability to maintain communication, assertiveness, listening and conflict resolution skills. Conclusion: According to the result of factor analysis, new validated questionnaire has less items and more components than the original questionnaire. So it is a suitable instrument for measuring interpersonal communication skills by researchers.

  11. Investigating the Relationship between Internet Addiction and Strengthening Students' Social Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimzadeh, Nazanin

    2015-01-01

    The present study is about "Investigating the relationship between internet addictions and strengthening students' social skill reinforcement." One of the social elements in all cultures is social skill or ability to communicate with others effectively. One of the factors that affect this skill is addiction to Internet which has recently


  12. A comparison of medical and pharmacy students' knowledge and skills of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keijsers, Carolina J P W; Brouwers, Jacobus R B J; de Wildt, Dick J; Custers, Eugene J F M; Ten Cate, Olle Th J; Hazen, Ankie C M; Jansen, Paul A F

    2014-10-01

    Pharmacotherapy might be improved if future pharmacists and physicians receive a joint educational programme in pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics. This study investigated whether there are differences in the pharmacology and pharmacotherapy knowledge and skills of pharmacy and medical students after their undergraduate training. Differences could serve as a starting point from which to develop joint interdisciplinary educational programmes for better prescribing. In a cross-sectional design, the knowledge and skills of advanced pharmacy and medical students were assessed, using a standardized test with three domains (basic pharmacology knowledge, clinical or applied pharmacology knowledge and pharmacotherapy skills) and eight subdomains (pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, interactions and side-effects, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification groups, prescribing, prescribing for special groups, drug information, regulations and laws, prescription writing). Four hundred and fifty-one medical and 151 pharmacy students were included between August 2010 and July 2012. The response rate was 81%. Pharmacy students had better knowledge of basic pharmacology than medical students (77.0% vs. 68.2% correct answers; P students had better skills than pharmacy students in writing prescriptions (68.6% vs. 50.7%; P students had similar knowledge of applied pharmacology (73.8% vs. 72.2%, P = 0.124, Ύ = 0.15). Pharmacy students have better knowledge of basic pharmacology, but not of the application of pharmacology knowledge, than medical students, whereas medical students are better at writing prescriptions. Professional differences in knowledge and skills therefore might well stem from their undergraduate education. Knowledge of these differences could be harnessed to develop a joint interdisciplinary education for both students and professionals. © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.

  13. Analysis of Student Service-Learning Reflections for the Assessment of Transferable-Skills Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizzo, D. M.; Dewoolkar, M.; Hayden, N.; Oka, L.; Pearce, A. R.

    2010-12-01

    The civil and environmental engineering (CEE) programs at the University of Vermont (UVM) incorporate systems thinking and a systems approach to sustainable engineering problem solving. A systems approach considers long-term social, environmental and economic factors within the context of the engineering problem solution and encompasses sustainable engineering solutions. Our goal is to prepare students to become leaders in their chosen field who can anticipate co-products associated with forecasted solutions. As a way of practicing the systems approach, we include service-learning projects in many of our undergraduate engineering courses, culminating with the senior capstone design course. We use a variety of formative and summative assessment methods to gage student understanding and attitudes including student surveys, focus groups, assessment of student projects, and student reflections. Student reflections from two courses -Modeling Environmental and Transportation Systems (31 juniors) and Senior Design Project (30 seniors) are compared. Of these, 25 students were common to both courses. The focus of the systems modeling service-learning project involved mentoring home-schooled children (11-14 yrs old) to solve problems of mobility, using the fun and inspiration of biomimicry. Students were required to invent innovative methods to move people or goods that improve associated constraints (i.e., minimize congestion, reduce pollution, increase safety), or reduce the need for transportation altogether. The capstone design project required a comprehensive engineering design involving two or more CEE sub-disciplines. Both service-learning projects were intended to enhance students’ academic learning experience, attain civic engagement and reinforce transferable skills (written and oral communication, teamwork, leadership and mentoring skills). The student course reflections were not guided; yet they provided valuable data to assess commonalities and differences in

  14. The Challenge of Teaching Quantitative Skills to Students with Limited Mathematical Background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anosike, Nnamdi

    There is a myth in the African American community that only a few students are bright enough to effectively learn quantitative skills, and many African American students attend college with the assumption that they are not good at mathematics and as a result cannot choose majors that require the mastery of quantitative skills. African American


  15. Effects of Using Graphics and Animation Online Problem-Based Learning on Visualization Skills among Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariffin, A.; Samsudin, M. A.; Zain, A. N. Md.; Hamzah, N.; Ismail, M. E.

    2017-05-01

    The Engineering Drawing subject develops skills in geometry drawing becoming more professional. For the concept in Engineering Drawing, students need to have good visualization skills. Visualization is needed to help students get a start before translating into a drawing. So that, Problem Based Learning (PBL) using animation mode (PBL-A) and graphics mode (PBL-G) will be implemented in class. Problem-solving process is repeatedly able to help students interpret engineering drawings step work correctly and accurately. This study examined the effects of PBL-A online and PBL-G online on visualization skills of students in polytechnics. Sixty eight mechanical engineering students have been involved in this study. The visualization test adapted from Bennett, Seashore and Wesman was used in this study. Results showed significant differences in mean scores post-test of visualization skills among the students enrolled in PBL-G with the group of students who attended PBL-A online after effects of pre-test mean score is controlled. Therefore, the effects of animation modes have a positive impact on increasing students’ visualization skills.

  16. Developing critical thinking skills from clinical assignments: a pilot study on nursing students' self-reported perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchigiano, Gail; Eduljee, Nina; Harvey, Kimberly

    2011-01-01

    Clinical assignments in nursing education provide opportunities for students to develop thinking skills vital to the effective delivery of patient care. The purpose of the present study was to examine students' perceived levels of confidence for using thinking skills when completing two types of clinical assignments. Clinical educators and managers are challenged to develop teaching and learning strategies that help students think critically and reflectively and transfer these skills into sound nursing practice. This study is based on the theoretical framework of critical thinking within the nursing process framework. Undergraduate nursing students (n=51) completed surveys indicating their confidence in using seven thinking skills for nursing care. Students indicated significantly more confidence when implementing the journal format as compared with the care plan format when analysing information, determining relevance, making connections, selecting appropriate information, applying relevant knowledge and evaluating outcomes. The findings of the present study propose a new approach for enhancing students' thinking skills. Journaling is an effective strategy for enhancing students' thinking skills. Nursing managers are in key organisational positions for supporting and promoting the use of the journal format and building supportive and collaborative learning environments for students to develop thinking skills for managing patient care. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  17. Non-technical skills assessment for prelicensure nursing students: An integrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pires, Sara; Monteiro, Sara; Pereira, Anabela; ChalĂł, Daniela; Melo, Elsa; Rodrigues, Alexandre

    2017-11-01

    In nursing, non-technical skills are recognized as playing an important role to increase patient safety and successful clinical outcomes (Pearson and McLafferty, 2011). Non-technical skills are cognitive and social resource skills that complement technical skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance (Flin et al., 2008). In order to effectively provide non-technical skills training, it is essential to have an instrument to measure these skills. An online search was conducted. Articles were selected if they referred to and/or described instruments assessing non-technical skills for nurses and/or prelicensure nursing students in educational, clinical and/or simulated settings with validation evidence (inclusion criteria). Of the 53 articles located, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Those referred to and/or described 16 instruments with validation evidence developed to assess non-technical skills in multidisciplinary teams including nurses. Although articles have shown 16 valid and reliable instruments, to our knowledge, no instrument has been published or developed and validated for the assessment of non-technical skills of only nurses in general, relevant for use in high-fidelity simulation-based training for prelicensure nursing students. Therefore, there is a need for the development of such an instrument. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. The impact of an immunization training certificate program on the perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes of pharmacy students toward pharmacy-based immunizations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcum ZA

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess the impact of a national immunization training certificate program on the perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes of pharmacy students toward pharmacy-based immunizations.Methods: The study design utilized a pre- and post-survey administered to pharmacy students before and after the American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery program. The primary outcome explored was a change in the perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the pharmacy students. A five-point Likert scale (i.e. strongly agree = 5, strongly disagree = 1 was used for measuring the main outcomes, which was summated by adding the individual item scores in each section to form a composite score for each outcome. Results: The certificate training program resulted in a significant improvement in knowledge (38.5% increase in score, p<0.001 and skills (34.5% increase in score, p<0.001, but not attitudes (1% increase in score, p=0.210.Conclusions: The national immunization training certificate program had a positive impact on the perceived knowledge and skills of pharmacy students. However, no change was observed regarding students’ perceived attitudes toward pharmacy-based immunizations.

  19. Investigating the key factors in designing a communication skills program for medical students: A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahdi Hazavehei, Seyyed M; Karimi Moonaghi, Hossein; Moeini, Babak; Moghimbeigi, Abbas; Emadzadeh, Ali

    2015-11-01

    Medical students have a serious need to acquire communication skills with others. In many medical schools, special curriculums are developed to improve such skills. Effective training of communication skills requires expert curriculum design. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and views of experts and stakeholders in order to design a suitable training program in communication skills for medical students. The content analysis approach was used in this qualitative study. Forty-three participants were selected from the faculty, nurses, physicians, residents, and medical students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences using purposive sampling. The data were collected through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. To ensure the accuracy of the data, the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability were met. The data were analyzed by MAXQDA software using the Graneheim & Lundman model. The findings of this study consisted of two main themes, i.e., "The vast nature of the present communication skills training" and "administrative requirements of the training program regarding communication skills." The first theme included the educational needs of students, the problems associated with training people to have good communication skills, the importance of good communication skills in performing professional duties, communication skills and job requirements, the learning environment of communication skills, and the status of existing training programs for communication skills. Strategies and suitable methods for teaching communication skills and methods of evaluating the students in this regard also were obtained. The findings of this study were the elements required to design a proper and local model to teach communication skills to medical students through analyzing the concepts of effective communication. The results of this study can be useful for medical faculties in designing a proper program for

  20. Investigating the key factors in designing a communication skills program for medical students: A qualitative study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahdi Hazavehei, Seyyed M.; Moonaghi, Hossein Karimi; Moeini, Babak; Moghimbeigi, Abbas; Emadzadeh, Ali

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Medical students have a serious need to acquire communication skills with others. In many medical schools, special curriculums are developed to improve such skills. Effective training of communication skills requires expert curriculum design. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and views of experts and stakeholders in order to design a suitable training program in communication skills for medical students. Methods The content analysis approach was used in this qualitative study. Forty-three participants were selected from the faculty, nurses, physicians, residents, and medical students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences using purposive sampling. The data were collected through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. To ensure the accuracy of the data, the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability were met. The data were analyzed by MAXQDA software using the Graneheim & Lundman model. Results The findings of this study consisted of two main themes, i.e., “The vast nature of the present communication skills training” and “administrative requirements of the training program regarding communication skills.” The first theme included the educational needs of students, the problems associated with training people to have good communication skills, the importance of good communication skills in performing professional duties, communication skills and job requirements, the learning environment of communication skills, and the status of existing training programs for communication skills. Strategies and suitable methods for teaching communication skills and methods of evaluating the students in this regard also were obtained. Conclusion The findings of this study were the elements required to design a proper and local model to teach communication skills to medical students through analyzing the concepts of effective communication. The results of this study can be useful for medical

  1. Teaching Social Skills and Assertiveness to Students with Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moffett, Aaron; Alexander, Melissa G. F.; Dummer, Gail M.

    2006-01-01

    This article discusses teaching social skills and assertiveness to students with disabilities. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) content standards for physical education emphasize teaching responsible personal and social behaviors to students of all abilities, to help them develop an understanding of and respect for


  2. The development and validation of the Blended Socratic Method of Teaching (BSMT: An instructional model to enhance critical thinking skills of undergraduate business students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eugenia Arazo Boa

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Enhancing critical thinking skills is one of the paramount goals of many educational institutions. This study presents the development and validation of the Blended Socratic Method of Teaching (BSMT, a teaching model intended to foster critical thinking skills of business students in the undergraduate level. The main objectives of the study were to 1 to survey the critical thinking skills of undergraduate business students, and 2 to develop and validate the BSMT model designed to enhance critical thinking skills. The research procedure comprised of two phases related to the two research objectives: 1 surveying the critical thinking skills of 371 undergraduate business students at Naresuan University International College focusing on the three critical thinking competencies of the RED model—recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, and draw conclusion, and the determination of the level of their critical thinking; and 2 developing the instructional model followed by validation of the model by five experts. The results of the study were: 1 the undergraduate business students have deficient critical thinking based on the RED Model competencies as they scored “below average” on the critical thinking appraisal, and 2 the developed model comprised six elements: focus, syntax, principles of reaction, the social system, the support system, and application. The experts were in complete agreement that the model is “highly appropriate” in improving the critical thinking skills of the business students. The main essence of the model is the syntax comprising of five steps: group assignment, analysis and writing of case studies; group presentation of the business case analysis in class; Socratic discussion/questioning in class; posting of the case study on the class Facebook account; and online Socratic discussion/questioning. The BSMT model is an authentic and comprehensive model combining the Socratic method of teaching, information and

  3. Sex in the Curriculum: The Effect of a Multi-Modal Sexual History-Taking Module on Medical Student Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindau, Stacy Tessler; Goodrich, Katie G.; Leitsch, Sara A.; Cook, Sandy

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a multi-modal curricular intervention designed to teach sexual history-taking skills to medical students. The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the National Board of Medical Examiners, and others, have identified sexual history-taking as a learning objective


  4. Teaching Problem Solving Skills to Elementary Age Students with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cote, Debra L.; Jones, Vita L.; Barnett, Crystal; Pavelek, Karin; Nguyen, Hoang; Sparks, Shannon L.

    2014-01-01

    Students with disabilities need problem-solving skills to promote their success in solving the problems of daily life. The research into problem-solving instruction has been limited for students with autism. Using a problem-solving intervention and the Self Determined Learning Model of Instruction, three elementary age students with autism were


  5. Student Self-Assessment of Professional Communication Skills at the Illinois College of Optometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Sanford M.; Zoltoski, Rebecca K.; Cornick, Michelle L.; Wong, Kenneth K. W.

    2000-01-01

    A self-evaluation of communication skills was administered to approximately 500 optometry students before, during, and after a curriculum intervention to enhance these skills. Findings indicated that the intervention had a modest impact that was differential over the skill categories (interpersonal skills, patient care, interdisciplinary skills,


  6. Using web-based video to enhance physical examination skills in medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orientale, Eugene; Kosowicz, Lynn; Alerte, Anton; Pfeiffer, Carol; Harrington, Karen; Palley, Jane; Brown, Stacey; Sapieha-Yanchak, Teresa

    2008-01-01

    Physical examination (PE) skills among U.S. medical students have been shown to be deficient. This study examines the effect of a Web-based physical examination curriculum on first-year medical student PE skills. Web-based video clips, consisting of instruction in 77 elements of the physical examination, were created using Microsoft Windows Moviemaker software. Medical students' PE skills were evaluated by standardized patients before and after implementation of the Internet-based video. Following implementation of this curriculum, there was a higher level of competency (from 87% in 2002-2003 to 91% in 2004-2005), and poor performances on standardized patient PE exams substantially diminished (from a 14%-22%failure rate in 2002-2003, to 4% in 2004-2005. A significant improvement in first-year medical student performance on the adult PE occurred after implementing Web-based instructional video.

  7. The Influence of Skill Process of Science and Motivation to Students Learn of Creativity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoga Budi Bhakti

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to understand the influence process of science skill and motivation learning with creativity learn. Data about the process of scince skill, motivation and creativity learn collected by test questioner instrument. Data analysis with regression analysis and correlation . Research shows that: There is the influence of skill process of science to the process of creativity learn with correlation coefficient r = 0.634 , there is the influence of motivation learn students to creativity learning with correlation coefficient r = 0.55, the process of science skills and motivation to study for students influence of creativity learn with correlation coefficient r = 0.935. This study concluded that skill process of science and the motivation to study student could creative learning.

  8. Usefulness of virtual reality in assessment of medical student laparoscopic skill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matzke, Josh; Ziegler, Craig; Martin, Kevin; Crawford, Stuart; Sutton, Erica

    2017-05-01

    This study evaluates if undergraduate medical trainees' laparoscopic skills acquisition could be assessed using a virtual reality (VR) simulator and how the resultant metrics correlate with performance of Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) tasks. Our hypothesis is that the VR simulator metrics will correlate with passing results in a competency-based curriculum (FLS). Twenty-eight fourth-year medical students applying for surgical residency were recruited to participate in a VR training curriculum comprised of camera navigation, hand eye coordination, and FLS tasks: circle cutting (CC), ligating loop (LL), peg transfer (PT), and intracorporeal knot tying (IKT). Students were given 8 wk to achieve proficiency goals, after which they were observed performing FLS tasks. The ability of the VR simulator to detect penalties in each of the FLS tasks and correlations of time taken to complete tasks are reported. Twenty-five students trained in all components of the curriculum. All students were proficient in camera navigation and hand eye coordination tasks. Proficiency was achieved in CC, LL, PT, and IKT by 21, 19, 23, and one student, respectively. VR simulation showed high specificity for predicting zero penalties on the observed CC, LL, and PT tasks (80%, 75%, and 80%, respectively). VR can be used to assess medical student's acquisition of laparoscopic skills. The absence of penalties in the simulator reasonably predicts the absence of penalties in all FLS skills, except IKT. The skills acquired by trainees can be used in residency for further monitoring of progress toward proficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Cooking for Independence: Middle School Students Gain Skills While Cooking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mixon, Gloria

    2011-01-01

    Middle school students with intellectual disabilities often have difficulties achieving independence with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs); therefore, these skills must be taught in school. IADLs are a complex component of skills that require a higher level of cognitive reasoning such as community mobility, shopping, meal


  10. INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF CHEMICAL TEACHING MATERIALS ON MATERIAL BASED THERMOCHEMICAL SOFT SKILLS FOR VOCATIONAL STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. D. Purnawan

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Business and industrial field need workers who have not only good academic achievement but also the ability of hard skills and soft skills.  In order to prepare students who have a good academic skills, hard skills, soft skills it has to be done in all subjects including chemistry expertise to integrate the competencies of Motorcycle Engineering.  The research design uses One Group Pretest Posttest Design imposed on students in class XI SMK 1 Kedung TSM. Validator assessment results indicate that teaching materials developed very feasible for use in learning chemistry.  The result show that the learning device by using the integrated chemistry materials can increase students understanding of the thermo chemistry material with the acquisition of N-gain is at 0.63 or in the medium category.  Group of high-achieving students have the score of N-gain of 0.65, while the medium-achieving students get 0.63 and low-achieving students get 0.61, all have medium category.  Percentage  of students who passes the mastery learning  if mastery learning (KKM > 75 or reach 87 %.  The percentage of students’ soft skills in at least good criteria is at 87.10 %.  Students gave positive responses  90.71 % towards the learning material that is developed.

  11. SKIPing with Head Start Teachers: Influence of T-SKIP on Object-Control Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brian, Ali; Goodway, Jacqueline D.; Logan, Jessica A.; Sutherland, Sue

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Children from disadvantaged settings are at risk for delays in their object-control (OC) skills. Fundamental motor skill interventions, such as the Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Preschoolers (SKIP) Program, are highly successful when led by motor development experts. However, few preschools employ such experts. This study


  12. Using problem-based learning to improve students' creative thinking skills on water purification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wahyu, Wawan; Kurnia, Eli, Rohaeni Nur

    2016-02-01

    The aim of this study is to obtain information about the using Problem-based Learning (PBL) to improve students' creative thinking skills on water purification. The research adopted quasi-experimental method with one group pre-test-post-test design, involving 31students of class XI in one SMK in Cimahi as the subjects of study. The students were divided into three groups categories: high, medium, and low based on the average grades of daily tests. The used instruments in this study were essay, observation sheet, questionnaire (Likert scale), and interview sheet Aspects of creative thinking skills are developed including: fluency, flexibility, originality, detailing (elaborative), and judging (evaluative). To identify the improvement of students' creative thinking skills on water purification, "normalized gain" or of the pre-test and post-test scores was calculated. The results showed that PBL can enhance students' creative thinking skills by means high category (percentage of = 70.12%). This nformation can be used as an input to teachers in the school and teacher education programs.

  13. Causal Relationship Model of the Information and Communication Technology Skill Affect the Technology Acceptance Process in the 21ST Century for Undergraduate Students

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    Thanyatorn Amornkitpinyo

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study is to design a framework for a causal relationship model of the Information and Communication Technology skills that affect the Technology Acceptance Process (TAP for undergraduate students in the 21ST Century. This research uses correlational analysis. A consideration of the research methodology is divided into two sections. The first section involves a synthesis concept framework for process acceptance of the causal relationship model of the Information and Communication Technology skills that affect the Technology Acceptance Process for undergraduate students in the 21ST Century. The second section proposes the design concept framework of the model. The research findings are as follows: 1 The exogenous latent variables included in the causal relationship model of the Information and Communication Technology skills that affect the Technology Acceptance Process for undergraduate students in the 21ST Century are basic ICT skills and self-efficacy. 2 The mediating latent variables of the causal relationship model of the Information and Communication Technology skills that affect the Technology Acceptance Process for undergraduate students in the 21ST Century are from the TAM Model, these includes three components: 1 perceived usefulness, 2 perceived ease of use and 3 attitudes. 3 The outcome latent variable of the causal relationship model of the Information and Communication Technology skills that affect the Technology Acceptance Process for undergraduate students in the 21ST Century is behavioural intention.

  14. A Study on Metacognitive Thinking Skills of University Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coskun, Yemliha

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the university students' metacognition thinking skills. The research is a descriptive study in the screening model.The study was carried out with 407 students from the faculties of physical education and sports, education science and letters, business administration, theology, engineering, forestry and


  15. Graduate Student Library Research Skills: Is Online Instruction Effective?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaffer, Barbara A.

    2011-01-01

    Graduate students are a significant segment in online instruction programs, yet little is known about how well they learn the necessary library research skills in this increasingly popular mode of distance learning. This pre- and posttest study and citation analysis examined learning and confidence among students in graduate education programs,


  16. How Medical Students Use Objectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mast, Terrill A.; And Others

    Two related studies were undertaken at Southern Illinois University on how students in the School of Medicine use the instructional objectives faculty prepare for them. Students in the classes of 1978 and 1979 were surveyed in their final month of training. The second survey was modified, based on responses from the first. The five research


  17. A Web-Based Telehealth Training Platform Incorporating Automated Nonverbal Behavior Feedback for Teaching Communication Skills to Medical Students: A Randomized Crossover Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    Background In the interests of patient health outcomes, it is important for medical students to develop clinical communication skills. We previously proposed a telehealth communication skills training platform (EQClinic) with automated nonverbal behavior feedback for medical students, and it was able to improve medical students’ awareness of their nonverbal communication. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of EQClinic to improve clinical communication skills of medical students. Methods We conducted a 2-group randomized crossover trial between February and June 2016. Participants were second-year medical students enrolled in a clinical communication skills course at an Australian university. Students were randomly allocated to complete online EQClinic training during weeks 1–5 (group A) or to complete EQClinic training during weeks 8–11 (group B). EQClinic delivered an automated visual presentation of students’ nonverbal behavior coupled with human feedback from a standardized patient (SP). All students were offered two opportunities to complete face-to-face consultations with SPs. The two face-to-face consultations were conducted in weeks 6–7 and 12–13 for both groups, and were rated by tutors who were blinded to group allocation. Student-Patient Observed Communication Assessment (SOCA) was collected by blinded assessors (n=28) at 2 time points and also by an SP (n=83). Tutor-rated clinical communications skill in face-to-face consultations was the primary outcome and was assessed with the SOCA. We used t tests to examine the students’ performance during face-to-face consultations pre- and postexposure to EQClinic. Results We randomly allocated 268 medical students to the 2 groups (group A: n=133; group B: n=135). SOCA communication skills measures (score range 4–16) from the first face-to-face consultation were significantly higher for students in group A who had completed EQClinic training and reviewed the nonverbal behavior

  18. Effectiveness of simulation-based learning on student nurses' self-efficacy and performance while learning fundamental nursing skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hsin-Hsin

    2015-01-01

    It was noted worldwide while learning fundamental skills and facing skills assessments, nursing students seemed to experience low confidence and high anxiety levels. Could simulation-based learning help to enhance students' self-efficacy and performance? Its effectiveness is mostly unidentified. This study was conducted to provide a shared experience to give nurse educators confidence and an insight into how simulation-based teaching can fit into nursing skills learning. A pilot study was completed with 50 second-year undergraduate nursing students, and the main study included 98 students where a pretest-posttest design was adopted. Data were gathered through four questionnaires and a performance assessment under scrutinized controls such as previous experiences, lecturers' teaching skills, duration of teaching, procedure of skills performance assessment and the inter-rater reliability. The results showed that simulation-based learning significantly improved students' self-efficacy regarding skills learning and the skills performance that nurse educators wish students to acquire. However, technology anxiety, examiners' critical attitudes towards students' performance and their unpredicted verbal and non-verbal expressions, have been found as possible confounding factors. The simulation-based learning proved to have a powerful positive effect on students' achievement outcomes. Nursing skills learning is one area that can benefit greatly from this kind of teaching and learning method.

  19. Examining patterns of change in the critical thinking skills of graduate nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMullen, Maureen A; McMullen, William F

    2009-06-01

    Although critical thinking in undergraduate nursing education has been explored in depth, little is known about the critical thinking skills of graduate nursing students. Prior research on change in critical thinking scores is based primarily on pretest and posttest assessments that provide minimal information about change. This study used individual growth modeling to investigate how critical thinking skills change during a 2-year graduate nurse program. Scores from the evaluation, inference, and analysis subscales of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test comprised the empirical growth record. Change in the three critical thinking skills was more dynamic than that reported in previous studies. Patterns of change differed by critical thinking skill and in relation to students' initial critical thinking skill levels at program entry.

  20. "Become a Reporter", the Four Skills News Project: Applying and Practising Language Skills Using Digital Tools for Level C1/C2 Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magedera-Hofhansl, Hanna

    2016-01-01

    The Four Skills News Project is an example of communicative language learning, developed for final year German students at the University of Liverpool. It focuses on how students use and practise their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills via the creative use of news reports and digital technology. Each student creates an avatar using


  1. Lost in translation: Cultural divides in communication skills teaching identified in the ICCH 2016 student symposium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schopper, Heather K; Mohamed, Nasteha A; Seegel, Max; Gorina, Kseniya; Silverman, Jonathan; Rosenbaum, Marcy

    2017-11-01

    To provide a platform for learners' voices at an international conference on communication in healthcare. A group of medical students were invited to explore their experiences with communication skills learning at a symposium at the 2016 International Conference on Communication in Healthcare in Heidelberg, DE. Students from the US, Denmark, Germany, and Russia discussed their experiences with communication skills curriculum at their institutions. We identified divides that have challenged our ability to develop and maintain strong communication skills: 1) valuation of communication skills vs. other topics, 2) curricular theory vs. practice, 3) evaluation vs. feedback, 4) preclinical vs. clinical learning, and 5) the medical student vs. practicing clinician role. The points of transition we identified on the road of communication skills teaching highlight opportunities to strengthen the educational experience for students. Without an effort to address these divides, however, our communication skills may be lost in translation. Students value communication skills teaching during their medical education and there are opportunities to translate this to countries that currently lack robust curricula and to the real-life post-graduate setting. Support is necessary from students, teachers, and administrators, and focus on translation of skills during role transitions is needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Student reflections on learning cross-cultural skills through a 'cultural competence' OSCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Elizabeth; Green, Alexander R

    2007-05-01

    Medical schools use OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations) to assess students' clinical knowledge and skills, but the use of OSCEs in the teaching and assessment of cross-cultural care has not been well described. To examine medical students' reflections on a cultural competence OSCE station as an educational experience. Students at Harvard Medical School in Boston completed a 'cultural competence' OSCE station (about a patient with uncontrolled hypertension and medication non-adherence). Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of twenty-two second year medical students, which were recorded, transcribed, and analysed. Students' reflections on what they learned as the essence of the case encompassed three categories: (1) eliciting the patient's perspective on their illness; (2) examining how and why patients take their medications and inquiring about alternative therapies; and (3) exploring the range of social and cultural factors associated with medication non-adherence. A cultural competence OSCE station that focuses on eliciting patients' perspectives and exploring medication non-adherence can serve as a unique and valuable teaching tool. The cultural competence OSCE station may be one pedagogic method for incorporating cross-cultural care into medical school curricula.

  3. The Acquisition of Generic Skills of Culturally-Diverse Student Cohorts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keneley, Monica; Jackling, Beverley

    2011-01-01

    The changing nature of higher education and the structure of graduate labour markets have increased emphasis on employability and graduate outcomes. Universities have responded to this changed environment by embedding generic skills in the curriculum. This paper examines the generic skills that students perceived they acquired in their accounting


  4. The Practices of Students' Generic Skills among Economics Students at National University of Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadiyanto; Suratno

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to examine students' generic skills practices (communication, IT, numeracy, learning how to learn, problem solving, working with others, and subject-specific competencies) at National University of Indonesia (UI). Survey design with quantitative method was applied in this study. Questionnaires were distributed to 355 students at


  5. Assessment of Written Expression Skills of University Students in Terms of Text Completion Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdulkadir KIRBAƞ

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Writing is to transfer the visualised ideas on the paper. Writing, one of the language skills, is a significant tool of communication which provides the permanency of information conveying emotions and thoughts. Since writing has both cognitive and physical aspects, it makes writing the hardest and the latest language skill to improve. The studies show that writing activity is the most difficult skill students have difficulty. In higher education, in order to improve writing skills of students and give basic information and skills about writing skills written expression, composition and writing education lessons are taught both in the department of Turkish Language and Literature and in the departments of Turkish Language in the Faculties of Education. One of the aims of these lessons is to teach students written expression techniques together with the purposes and practices. One of the written expression techniques is text completion skill that improves student’s creativity and enhances her/his imaginary world. The purpose of this study is to assess students’ skills of using text completion technique with reference to the writing studies of students in higher education. the sample of the study consists of 85 college students studying in the department of Turkish Language and Literature in GĂŒmĂŒĆŸhane University in 2016-2017 academic year. The data of the study were obtained from the written expression studies of the students. The introduction part of the article ‘On Reading’ by F. Bacon was given to the students and they were required to complete the text. ‘Text Completion Rating Scale in Writing Expression’ was developed to assess the data of the study by taking opinions of lecturers and Turkish education experts. The data of the study were presented with percentage and frequency rates. At the end of the study, it was concluded that students had weakness in some skills such as writing an effective body part about the topic given

  6. Interpersonal Skills and FacebookÂź Use among College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, Darson L.; Sniatecki, Jessica L.; Rocco, Mary; Todd, Lauren

    2015-01-01

    The use of Facebook¼ among college students is prevalent, and its relationship with interpersonal skills is unknown. A cross-sectional design study using a convenience sample of undergraduate students enrolled in one of four sections of an upper-level nutrition course at a Northeastern, public university was conducted to investigate this


  7. Motor skills and functional characteristics of students of different somatotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.M. Kolokoltsev

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available He purpose of the article is to study correlation of motor and functional characteristics of students of different somatotypes. Material : it was examined first year students (n=577, 17-18 years old. All students were trained in discipline “Physical education”. It was carried out somatotyping. It was considered motor skills and functional characteristics of students. Results : it was determined the reliable differences in values of parameters of motor tests and functional characteristics of students’ organism. It is determined that by the end of the first year of study the positive dynamics is registered: in sthenics (in two of seven motor tests; in asthenics (in four tests. It wasn’t found the reliable positive changes in group of hypersthenics. Students of sthenic and asthenic somatotypes have higher functional reserves of cardiorespiratory system, than girls of hypersthenics somatotype. Conclusions: constitutional features of motor skills and functional parameters of students of different somatotypes allow to concretize provisions of methodology of planning the individual differentiated training in discipline Physical education.

  8. The Effects of an Interactive Nursing Skills Mobile Application on Nursing Students' Knowledge, Self-efficacy, and Skills Performance: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyunsun; Suh, Eunyoung E

    2018-03-01

    Clinical nursing practice is important because it helps nursing students experience realities of clinical nursing that cannot be learned through theoretical education. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an interactive nursing skills mobile application for nursing students. Sixty-six senior nursing students were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. The experimental group used an interactive nursing skills mobile application for 1 week. The control group was provided with a mobile application containing noninteractive nursing video contents for 1 week. Before (pre-test) and 1 week after (post-test) using the mobile application, participants' knowledge of clinical nursing skills, self-efficacy of nursing practice, and nursing skills performance were assessed. The experimental group showed a significantly higher value for knowledge after 1 week of treatment via their mobile application than the control group (t = 3.34, p = .001). In addition, they showed significantly improved self-efficacy before and after intervention (t = 2.46, p = .017) than the control group. The experimental group's nursing skills performance was also significantly enhanced after intervention (t = 7.05, p mobile application with systematic contents was an effective method for students to experience practical nursing skills. Developing and applying a mobile application with other nursing contents that can be effectively used across all range of nursing students is recommended. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Assessment and Teaching of Science Skills: Whole of Programme Perceptions of Graduating Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodgson, Yvonne; Varsavsky, Cristina; Matthews, Kelly E.

    2014-01-01

    This study reports on science student perceptions of their skills (scientific knowledge, oral communication, scientific writing, quantitative skills, teamwork and ethical thinking) as they approach graduation. The focus is on which teaching activities and assessment tasks over the whole programme of study students thought utilised each of the six


  10. Developing thinking skill system for modelling creative thinking and critical thinking of vocational high school student

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewanto, W. K.; Agustianto, K.; Sari, B. E.

    2018-01-01

    Vocational students must have practical skills in accordance with the purpose of vocational school that creating the skilled graduates according to their field. Graduates of vocational education are required not just as users, but be able to create. Thus requiring critical and creative thinking skills to assist students in generating ideas, analyzing and creating a product of value. Based on this, then this research aims to develop a system to know the level of ability to think critically and creative students, that resulted students can do self-reflection in improving the ability to think critically and creatively as a supporter of practical ability. The system testing using Naïve Bayes Correlation shown an average accuracy of 93.617% in assessing the students’ critical and creative thinking ability. By using modeling with this system will be known level of students’ critical and creative thinking ability, then the output of the system is used to determine the type of innovation in the learning process to improve the critical and creative thinking skills to support the practical skills of students as skilled vocational students.

  11. Analysis of students critical thinking skills in socio-scientific issues of biodiversity subject

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santika, A. R.; Purwianingsih, W.; Nuraeni, E.

    2018-05-01

    Critical thinking is a skills the which students should have in order to face 21st century demands. Critical thinking skills can help people in facing their daily problems, especially problems roommates relate to science. This research is aimed to analyze students critical thinking skills in socio-scientific issues of biodiversity subject. The method used in this research was descriptive method. The research subject is first-grade students’ in senior high school. The data collected by interview and open-ended question the which classified based on framework : (1) question at issue, (2) information (3) purpose (4) concepts (5) assumptions, (6) point of view, (7) interpretation and inference, and (8) implication and consequences, then it will be assessed by using rubrics. The result of the data showed students critical thinking skills in socio-scientific issues of biodiversity subject is in low and medium category. Therefore we need a learning activity that is able to develop student’s critical thinking skills, especially regarding issues of social science.

  12. The Effects of "Second Step" and Inclusion on Special Education Students' Social Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado, Andrea Kathleen

    2017-01-01

    Many students lack social skills that hinder their success in school; students in special education are even more at risk. Social-emotional curricula have been developed to help build these social skills school-wide. Most research on the effects of social-emotional curricula has been conducted on general education students. The first purpose of


  13. Teaching home care electronic documentation skills to undergraduate nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nokes, Kathleen M; Aponte, Judith; Nickitas, Donna M; Mahon, Pamela Y; Rodgers, Betsy; Reyes, Nancy; Chaya, Joan; Dornbaum, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Although there is general consensus that nursing students need knowledge and significant skill to document clinical findings electronically, nursing faculty face many barriers in ensuring that undergraduate students can practice on electronic health record systems (EHRS). External funding supported the development of an educational innovation through a partnership between a home care agency staff and nursing faculty. Modules were developed to teach EHRS skills using a case study of a homebound person requiring wound care and the Medicare-required OASIS documentation system. This article describes the development and implementation of the module for an upper-level baccalaureate nursing program located in New York City. Nursing faculty are being challenged to develop creative and economical solutions to expose nursing students to EHRSs in nonclinical settings.

  14. Impact of tailored feedback in assessment of communication skills for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uhm, Seilin; Lee, Gui H; Jin, Jeong K; Bak, Yong I; Jeoung, Yeon O; Kim, Chan W

    2015-01-01

    Finding out the effective ways of teaching and assessing communication skills remain a challenging part of medication education. This study aims at exploring the usefulness and effectiveness of having additional feedback using qualitative analysis in assessment of communication skills in undergraduate medical training. We also determined the possibilities of using qualitative analysis in developing tailored strategies for improvement in communication skills training. This study was carried out on medical students (n=87) undergoing their final year clinical performance examination on communication skills using standardized patient by video-recording and transcribing their performances. Video-recordings of 26 students were randomly selected for qualitative analysis, and additional feedback was provided. We assessed the level of acceptance of communication skills scores between the study and nonstudy group and within the study group, before and after receiving feedback based on qualitative analysis. There was a statistically significant increase in the level of acceptance of feedback after delivering additional feedback using qualitative analysis, where the percentage of agreement with feedback increased from 15.4 to 80.8% (pskills assessment gives essential information for medical students to learn and self-reflect, which could potentially lead to improved communication skills. As evident from our study, feedback becomes more meaningful and effective with additional feedback using qualitative analysis.

  15. Teaching Oral Hygiene Skills to Elementary Students with Visual Impairments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Yeng-Hung; Chang, Chien-Huey Sophie

    2005-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of a program that taught oral hygiene skills to students with visual impairments using group instruction and individual coaching. The results showed that the program enhanced the oral hygiene skills of the three participants significantly, and its effectiveness lasted for at least two months after the


  16. Improving Student Academic Success through the Promotion of Listening Skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owca, Sally; Pawlak, Emmie; Pronobis, Melanie

    This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for improving listening skills in order to improve academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of sixth- and eighth-grade students of three upper/middle class communities located near a large Midwestern city. The problem of poor listening skills was observed when students


  17. Environmental Discourse: Helping Graduate Students Build Effective Deliberation and Communication Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huntzinger, D. N.; Downard, J.; Nielsen, E.

    2015-12-01

    The environmental sciences are at the forefront of critical issues facing society in the coming decades. As a result, many graduates in the environmental sciences find themselves working with the public to help inform the democratic process of making reasonable public policies. In order to be successful, students need to be confronted with the same kinds of questions and problems that practicing scientists face when they are working at the intersection of science and public policy. Otherwise, they lack the skills and confidence needed to work effectively with the public—especially on hotly contested environmental issues when the skills are needed the most. As part of a new Professional Science Master's (PSM) Program in Climate Science and Solutions at Northern Arizona University we have developed a three-semester course series focused on framing discussions on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Each semester, students use a deliberative model to design, frame, and facilitate a public discussion on a targeted issue of regional and local interest. The deliberative model is built around an approach to practical dilemmas that enables students to isolate and clarify the various sources of conflict around the issue. Working in an iterative manner, students learn to identify and untangling some of the sources of disagreement (e.g., policy, ethics and ideals, difference in scientific understanding) around and issue. As a result, students are in a much better position to clarify the key questions and sort through the competing solutions. The course series helps to improve the communication skills of students and promote productive public discourse with individuals from diverse backgrounds within the community. This type of experiential learning provides unique training to our students that not only broadens there understanding of complex issues surrounding climate change, but also provides them with professional skills that are transferrable to their careers.

  18. NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 51: Workplace communications skills and the value of communications and information-use skills instruction: Engineering students' perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Barclay, Rebecca O.; Kennedy, John M.

    1995-01-01

    Studies indicate that communications and information-related activities take up a substantial portion of an engineer's work week; therefore, effective communications and information use skills are one of the key engineering competencies that recent graduates of engineering programs are expected to possess. Feedback from industry rates communications and information use skills of entry-level engineers low. Missing from current discussions of communications and information use skills and competencies for engineering students is a clear explanation from the professional engineering community about what constitutes 'acceptable and desirable communications and information norms' within that community. To gather adequate and generalizable data about communications and information skills instruction and to provide a student perspective on the communications skills of engineers, we undertook a national study of aerospace engineering students in March 1993. The study included questions about the importance of certain communications and information skills to professional success, the instruction students had received in these skills, and perceived helpfulness of the instruction. Selected results from the study study are reported in this paper.

  19. More than a camera holder: teaching surgical skills to medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbas, Paulette; Holder-Haynes, Juliet; Taylor, Deborah J; Scott, Bradford G; Brandt, Mary L; Naik-Mathuria, Bindi

    2015-05-15

    Students often experience passive learning in their surgical rotations as they are delegated to holding the camera during laparoscopic cases. We introduced a laparoscopic skills course to medical students to provide hands-on experience. We hypothesized that the course will improve basic laparoscopic skills and increase interest in a surgical career. All students on the core surgery rotation attended two sessions in the surgical simulation laboratory lead by Department of Surgery faculty members. Surveys were used before and after the course to assess video game (VG) use and interest in a surgical career. Course effectiveness was assessed with a laparoscopic peg transfer exercise. One hundred one students participated with 82 students documenting preinstruction and postinstruction peg transfer times. There was an overall improvement in median transfer times after instruction (before 63 s [interquartile range {IQR} 46-84.5] versus after 50.5 s [IQR 39-65.2], P men (n = 40) had faster median preintervention peg transfer times than women (n = 61; 65 s [IQR 51-88]) versus 81 s [IQR 65-98] (P = 0.030). However, both genders had equivalent postinstruction transfer times (men 48 s [IQR 36-61] versus women 51.3 s [IQR 43.2-68.3], P = 0.478). A similar trend was observed between students with and without prior VG use. Of the 50 students who completed both surveys, there was no significant increase (pre-24% versus post-34%, P = 0.29) or decrease (pre-32% versus post-22%, P = 0.13) in interest in a surgical career after the course. A laparoscopic course for medical students is effective in improving laparoscopic skills. Although male gender and VG use may be associated with better intrinsic skills, instruction and practice allow female students and non-VG users to "catch up." A longer follow-up study is warranted to determine true interest in a surgical career. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Critical thinking skills profile of high school students in learning chemistry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budi Utami

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Critical thinking skill is the priority in the goals of education. In this case, the critical thinking has the higher process, such as analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, drawing conclusion and reflecting which enables the individual to make the reasonable assessment both in the classroom and in the daily life.  This research is aimed to determine the students’ critical thinking skill in learning Chemistry at senior high school. This research used descriptive method in which the instruments were developed based on the indicators of critical thinking skill. The population of this research was 100 students of tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade from senior high schools in Surakarta which was chosen using cluster random sampling technique. The result of the research shows that the students of tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade have adequate critical thinking skills.