Neurosurgery Lectures Benefit from a Flipped Class Approach

Flipped classroom applied to Neurosurgery in undergraduate medical education

“…Be considered that this is our students' first experience with FC and that the subject is taught in their fourth year (the first three years they study basic sciences) when they have their first contact with patients during practical workshops. We agree with other authors that this approach increases student motivation, interest, and engagement [ 1 , 16 ]. Real examples highlight the relevance of the topics and the connection between pre-class and in-class activities [ 20 ].…”

“…One of the most critical factors that affected students' satisfaction was the quality and time-consuming of pre-class videos, as well as the impossibility, as the activity was designed, to fast forward or rewinding the video whenever necessary, forcing it to be watched entirely. However, the insertion of multi-choice questions to engage the pupil and provide quick feedback was appreciated, as observed in other studies [8,16]. Additional scientific articles were delivered not only to fill some topics but to make students get in touch with a tool they will use as future doctors.…”

“…The literature supports the benefit of active learning [1,2,16]. The FC is based on different pre-class, inclass, and after-class activities, properly integrated and aligned with clear learning objectives that the students must understand and recognize [20].…”

“…Only two studies have been published to date regarding the effect of FC in Neurosurgery [ 16 , 17 ]. One was performed with undergraduate students and suggested that FC methodology is preferred.…”

“…One was performed with undergraduate students and suggested that FC methodology is preferred. However, it only included two topics of the whole subject and focused on students’ satisfaction, missing the assessment of academic achievement [ 16 ]. Another experience with postgraduate residents, based on case discussions, showed better achievement when compared with the traditional method used the previous years [ 17 ].…”