Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is increasing in popularity in medical education. While PAL has been used informally for generations, more formal use of it as a tool to teach and consolidate information and practical skills has been shown to be beneficial to both tutors and those being taught. This scoping study aimed to garnish a clearer understanding of the concept of PAL in undergraduate medical education and its benefits to both tutors and students alike. A five-stage methodology was performed as follows. The research question and aim of the scoping study were identified, and relevant studies were identified on a search of the literature. Screening took place to select a smaller number of studies by measurement against inclusion (e.g. referring to medical students) and exclusion (e.g. qualified doctors acting as tutors) criteria. Data was extracted and charted by two reviewers. Finally, results were collated, summarised and reported upon. Fifty-six papers met inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Many related to clinical examination, though students had identified medical sciences, mock examinations and epidemiology/statistics as subjects of interest. Organisation varied from mandatory involvement as part of a core curriculum to sporadic or once off teaching with volunteer tutors and participants. Training from tutors ranged from six weeks to nil documented. Numerous benefits for students and tutors were identified, including some within the "Hidden Cirriculum". This scoping study includes suggestions for future PAL research projects including evaluation of the degree of formal training required for tutor success; use of this practice in the teaching of basic clinical sciences (specifically statistics and epidemiology) and patient management and prospective studies into whether PAL as an undergraduate inspires future involvement in medical education for both students and tutors.
A formative evaluation was conducted of Changing the Course, a behaviorally oriented, activity-based nutrition education curriculum for elementary students from the American Cancer Society, to assess feasibility of program implementation. Sixteen teachers in six schools in the Northeast taught the 15-16 session lower and upper elementary curricula to 702 students. Teacher satisfaction with the curriculum was high. Fidelity of implementation of the curriculum also was high and relatively few modifications to learning activities were made. Teachers reported the one day of training they received was adequate. They also reported a positive influence of the curriculum on themselves and their students. Student achievement results showed most children achieved most of the learning objectives at posttest--80% giving the correct answers on more than 75% of the test items. An examination of children's item-by-item answers on the posttest and of teachers' logs provided information useful for the final stages of development of the curricula and teacher training procedures, before national dissemination.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.