A cybernetic approach to university teaching1

Cantrell, Ted

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.1973.tb02236.x

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Cybernetics has been widely used in machinery, physics, biology, cognition, social systems, and other elds [3]. In 1973, Cantrell from the School of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK, proposed the cybernetics model of teaching [4]. He believed that in a one-to-one situation between teacher and student, the teacher should constantly adjust the speed of speech and language style based on the student's feedback signals (expressions, body language, answers to questions) to make the student more interested and enthusiastic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Block-based teaching method based on cybernetics: A trial with 115 Chinese undergraduate medical students

Liu

Dai

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: The number of medical undergraduate students in Chinese college classes ranges from dozens to over 100. As a result, the interaction between teacher and students is difficult to conduct. Student attendance and participation need to be improved. Methods: Two classes of fourth-year undergraduate medical students, with each class comprising 115 students, participated in the study. One class was the trial group taught by the block-based teaching method based on cybernetics. This study was conducted with three of the courses in the Introduction to Oncology. The course of the trial group included several blocks. Each block had a test paper, which was answered immediately by students in class using the Internet. The teacher received feedback from the students when the correct rate of response was less than 90%. The teacher adjusted the teaching in the following blocks according to feedback information. The other class was the control group being taught with the traditional lecture-based teaching method. Results: The average number of attendees in the trial group was 104/115 (90.43%) and that in the control group was 83/115 (72.17%) (p=0.0003). The teacher adjusted teaching three times in the radiotherapy course due to the difficulty of knowledge. Feedback and adjustment of the upper body of chemotherapy was once and the lower body of chemotherapy was once due to the students’ attitudes to the class. The average total score of the trial group was 86.06 ± 7.46 and that of the control group was 80.38 ± 6.97 (p=0.041). Questionnaire I showed that the trial group students’ attendance and participation was better than the control group. Questionnaire II showed that the block-based teaching method based on cybernetics was approved by the students. Conclusions: The block-based teaching method based on cybernetics had good effects in medical classes with large number of Chinese undergraduates.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Block-based teaching method based on cybernetics: A trial with 115 Chinese undergraduate medical students

Liu

Dai

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has been widely used in machinery, physics, biology, cognition, social systems, and other fields [ 6 ]. In 1973, Ted Cantrell proposed the cybernetics model of teaching [ 7 ]. He believed that in a one-to-one situation between teacher and student, the teacher should constantly adjust the speed of speech and language style based on the student’s feedback signals (expressions, body language, answers to questions) to make the student more interested and enthusiastic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Block-based teaching method based on cybernetics: a trial with 115 Chinese undergraduate medical students

Liu,

Dai

et al. 2023

BMC Med Educ

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Background Class attendance is important for academic performance. Personal interactions between teachers and students are difficult in large classes; the number of medical undergraduate students in China ranges from dozens to over 100. It is important for teachers to control the teaching process to improve student attendance and participation. Methods Two classes of fourth-year undergraduate medical students, with each class comprising 115 students, participated in the study. One class, the trial group, was taught by the block-based teaching method based on cybernetics. This study was conducted with three of the courses in the Introduction to Oncology subject, and the trial group’s courses included several blocks. Each block had a test paper that the students responded to immediately in class using the Internet. The teacher obtained feedback from the students when the rate of correct responses to block-test questions was less than 90%. The teacher adjusted the teaching in the following blocks according to the feedback information. The other class, the control group, was taught using the traditional lecture-based teaching method. Results The average attendance in the trial group was 104/115 (90.43%), and that in the control group was 83/115 (72.17%) (p = 0.0003). The teacher adjusted the teaching three times in the radiotherapy course owing to the complex ideas. After feedback, information on chemotherapy for the upper body was adjusted once, as was that on chemotherapy for the lower body, owing to students’ attitudes. The average total score of the trial group was 86.06 ± 17.46 and that of the control group was 80.38 ± 6.97 (p = 0.041). Questionnaire I showed that the trial group students’ attendance and participation were better than in the control group. Questionnaire II showed that the block-based teaching method based on cybernetics was approved by the students. Conclusions The block-based teaching method based on cybernetics used in medical classes with large numbers of Chinese undergraduate students had positive effects.

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The design of short teacher-training courses

Cantrell

Abramsky

1977

Medical Education

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Summary Most Medical Schools do not run their own teacher‐preparation courses, but rely on those run in the Universities. Basic details have been studied from twenty‐eight different ‘teacher‐training’ courses. Of these, four were specifically for Medical School staff in the U.K., seven were for similar groups in Europe or America, two were for the Armed Services and thirteen for University staff in general. Most courses were short, and included a high proportion of time (50% or greater) in which the participants were passive members of an audience listening to someone lecturing or demonstrating (a ‘talk shop’). A minority rely mainly on small group discussions and a flexible timetable (a ‘genuine workshop’). Some important and interesting ideas are reported from the questionnaire answers and papers sent to us. Our own preferences are for a workshop design that is flexible, learner‐orientated, and encourages each person to study themselves in a learning group as a prelude to an examination of teaching methods.

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A cybernetic approach to university teaching1

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Block-based teaching method based on cybernetics: A trial with 115 Chinese undergraduate medical students

Block-based teaching method based on cybernetics: A trial with 115 Chinese undergraduate medical students

Block-based teaching method based on cybernetics: a trial with 115 Chinese undergraduate medical students

The design of short teacher-training courses

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