Academic half days, noon conferences and classroom-based education in postgraduate medical education: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Classroom-based education (CBE) is ubiquitous in postgraduate medical education (PGME), but to date no studies have synthesized the literature on the topic. We conducted a scoping review focusing on academic half days and noon conferences. Methods: We searched 4 databases (MEDLINE [OVID], Embase [OVID], ERIC [EBSCO] and Web of Science) from inception to December 2021, performed reference and citation harvesting, and applied predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria to our screening. We used 2 frameworks for the analysis: “experiences, trajectories and reifications” and “description, justification and clarification.” Results: We included 90 studies, of which 55 focused on resident experiences, 29 on trajectories and 6 on reification. We classified 44 studies as “description,” 38 as “justification” and 8 as “clarification.” In the description studies, 12 compared academic half days with noon conferences, 23 described specific teaching topics, and 9 focused on resources needed for CBE. Justification studies examined the effects of CBE on outcomes, such as examination scores (17) and use of teaching strategies in team-based learning, principles of adult learning and e-learning (15). Of the 8 clarification studies, topics included the role of CBE in PGME, stakeholder perspectives and transfer of knowledge between classroom and workplace. Interpretation: Much of the existing literature is either a description of various aspects of CBE or justification of particular teaching strategies. Few studies exist on how and why CBE works; future studies should aim to clarify how CBE facilitates resident learning within the sociocultural framework of PGME.

Classroom-Based Learning in an Academic Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Training Program

“…These formal educational activities often take the form of an academic half-day (AHD). 4,5 AHD is a regularly occurring protected block of time (often a half-day or a full-day each week), in which residents are expected to attend and participate in formal classroom-based learning. The AHD was implemented over 25 years ago in family practice programs in rural United States as a replacement for daily noon conferences with the goal of improving attendance and allowing for innovative teaching opportunities.…”