Radiation oncology as part of medical education—current status and possible digital future prospects

Abstract

Purpose Education as part of medical education is currently changing rapidly. Not least because of the corona crisis, more and more digital teaching formats and innovative teaching concepts such as the flipped classroom model are finding their way into teaching. We analyzed the acceptance and effectiveness of traditional teaching methods as well as the interest in innovative e‑learning methods among medical students in the field of radiation oncology at the medical school of the Technical University of Munich. Methods We carried out an online-based survey as well as a knowledge test on all students from two terms who had completed the seminar series of radiation oncology. The survey comprised seven questions on the frequency of participation, acceptance, and judgment of the effectiveness in terms of learning and on a potential use of e‑learning methods using a six-point Likert scale. The test consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions. Results Traditional teaching methods are largely accepted by students and most students consider the current learning format to be effective in terms of the teaching effect in the field of radiation oncology. However, only about 50% of all knowledge questions were answered correctly. The possible use of e‑learning methods was judged critically or desired in roughly equal parts among the students. Conclusion Traditional seminars enjoy a high level of acceptance among students. Effectiveness with regard to the internalization of content taught, however, should be increased. After all, the future seems to lie in the integration of e‑learning in the form of educational videos and practical seminars.

Flipped classrooms in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings and future research recommendations

“…Additionally, datasets showed no significant differences in coping behavior, self-efficacy or emotional status Collado-Valero et al, ( 2021 ) Spain teachers Education science Comparative research quantitative 45 The results revealed an increase in the implementation of FC during the pandemic. Teachers considered that the circumstances encouraged the implementation of FC Dapper et al, ( 2020 ) Germany students Medical education (radiation oncology) graduate Case-study research mixed 125 Traditional teaching methods were largely accepted by students, but opinions on the application of alternative teaching methods or e-learning formats, in particular on the application of FC method, differed widely Durfee et al, ( 2020 ) USA students Medical education (radiology) graduate Action research mixed 111 Virtual radiology core clerkship design included online FC modules and this was shown to be successful, since student performance on the standardized final exam was similar to the in-person teaching Feijóo et al, ( 2021 ) Spain, Peru students Engineering undergraduate Action research mixed 220 Authors concluded that the flipped teaching methods implemented by them during the pandemic shift to remote teaching suffered less than other classical teaching approaches, not only with regards to lectures but also to the outcomes Hoshang et al, ( 2021 ) UAE students and teachers Information systems and Engineering undergraduate Action research mixed 300 students and 10 teachers Students and teachers were in favor of FC usage, but not strongly and without criticism. More training in the tools and concepts of FC is required.…”

“…As expected, many difficulties were encountered at the beginning of online teaching during COVID-19. In several studies students reported to be dissatisfied with online learning in general, and especially with communication with teachers (Tang et al, 2020 ; Dapper et al, 2020 ). Furthermore, teachers noticed problems with student engagement in online learning.…”

“…In addition, the satisfaction of students and teachers with online FC approaches differed across disciplines and educational tradition contexts , but also within a discipline and institutional culture and context. For example, in medical education a one-case study incorporating the perspective of German students (Dapper et al, 2020 ) reported that students' perspectives differed widely. In contrast, results from a USA context showed successful implementation of FC in virtual radiology core clerkship (Durfee et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Additionally, student and teacher perspectives can be biased because they might not have had experiences with the online FC before the pandemic, or had a scarce encounter during the pandemic. For example, Dapper et al ( 2020 ) surveyed 125 German medical students whose acceptance of e-learning methods was not very high and the authors stated that it was possible that some students had no experience with the FC and therefore could not evaluate its potential benefits. Furthermore, the use of the final grade as a single proxy of achievement when analyzing students’ academic performance in emergency remote teaching (e.g., Iglesias-Pradas, 2021 ) can be a limitation.…”

Integration of radiation oncology teaching in medical studies by German medical faculties due to the new licensing regulations

“…Despite the mostly provisional offerings during the COVID pandemic, these formats will gain importance in future curricula. In the future, hybrid courses consisting of virtual and face-to-face courses, self-study, lecture, seminar, patient teaching, and case discussion will be interlinked [ 17 , 18 ]. In principle, very complex hybrid formats lend themselves to the teaching of radiation oncology due to its highly interdisciplinary nature and the linking of basic and clinical knowledge as well as competency-based skills [ 19 ].…”