Environments, processes, and outcomes - using the LEPO framework to examine medical student learning preferences with traditional and electronic resources

Abstract

Changes in medical student learning preferences help drive innovation in teaching and require schools and commercial resources to quickly adapt. However, few studies have detailed the relationship of learner preferences to the environment and teaching modalities used in the pre-clerkship years, nor do they incorporate third-party resources. Our study attempts to analyze learner preferences by comparing the use of traditional and third-party resources. In 2017-18, a survey was distributed to medical students and residents at two accredited medical schools. Participants noted preferred styles of learning regarding lecture duration, timing, location, format, third-party resources, learner types and USMLE Step 1 scores. The 'Learning Environment, Learning Processes, and Learning Outcomes' (LEPO) framework [5] was used to examine learner preferences, with responses compared using the Mann-Whitney U and two proportion z-tests. A total of 329 respondents completed the survey: 62.7% medical students and 37.3% residents. The majority of participants identified their learning style by Kolb [6] as converging (33.0%) or accommodating (39.2%). Students preferred lectures 30-40 minutes long (43.3%), during morning hours (54.2%), in their own homes (52.0%), via online lectures with simultaneous drawings (56.0%), and classroom/ podcast lectures with PowerPoint® presentations (54.3%). Overall, students rated third-party resource characteristics higher than traditional curricula, including effectiveness of teachers, length, quality, time of day, and venue (p < 0.001), but also preferred small group formats. Students reported animated videos (46.6%) and simultaneous drawings (46.5%) as the most effective means of retaining information. Understanding changing learner preferences is important in creating optimal curricula for today's students. Using the LEPO framework, this study identifies critical preferences in successfully teaching medical students, inclusive of commercial and traditional resources. These results can also help guide changes in pedagogy necessary due to the more recent COVID-19 pandemic.

Preclerkship Medical Students’ Use of Third-Party Learning Resources

“…We conducted a pilot focus group with 6 fourth-year medical students at our institution after which we made small revisions to the focus group script. We revised the script as we conducted focus groups concordant with grounded theory technique . We ensured data saturation by using probing questions, exploring alternative views and perspectives, and member checking during the focus groups.…”

“…4 A 2-institution quantitative study comparing student preferences for medical school vs third-party resources found participants preferred third-party lecture length, teacher effectiveness, and material quality. 5 There is a notable research gap concerning students' decision-making processes about when and how to use third-party resources within the context of their school curriculum. If medical educators better understand the students' approach to learning, they may uncover novel opportunities to improve preclerkship education.…”

“…Another single-institution survey found that few students reviewed formal coursework to prepare for United States Medical Licensing Examining (USMLE) Step 1 and instead relied on third-party resources . A 2-institution quantitative study comparing student preferences for medical school vs third-party resources found participants preferred third-party lecture length, teacher effectiveness, and material quality …”

Injury Prevalence in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mitigation Strategies for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Practitioners and Instructors: A Literature Review

“…The "Learning Environment, Learning Processes, and Learning Outcomes" (LEPO) framework is another one BJJ curriculum designers might find useful. As a process of employing teaching as an activity, LEPO reworks learning and suggests that most learning happens outside structured lectures (Wong et al, 2021;Phillips et al, 2019). This curriculum framework supports active learning concepts and methodologies because it fundamentally operates under the same presupposition: learning occurs outside of lectures.…”

Online urological educational material for medical students: can search engines be trusted?

“…Online resources are likely to become an increasingly indispensable part of medical education, both formally through publishers and institutions, and informally through open‐access medical information sources [22]. FOAMed resources provide easily accessible, specific, and usually free information where textbooks and other conventional resources may not [23]. The COVID‐19 pandemic has further highlighted that students may turn to online sources when they represent the most convenient and accessible option [2].…”