Using appreciative inquiry on learning styles to facilitate student learning

Abstract

student's perspective. Students who have completed the curriculum have experience with its content and the perspective necessary to synthesise it in a meaningful way. This includes an understanding of when and how relevant material is presented and what level of content might be appropriate for students at particular time-points. Students can also draw connections between pieces of the curriculum because they experience it in its entirety. We felt that, with guidance from faculty staff, students interested in medical education could develop innovative and effective course material and, in doing so, would refine their knowledge and acquire valuable teaching skills. What was done The project's goal was to develop interactive content for a histology course that synthesised material drawn from throughout the basic science curriculum. A pilot was developed according to Tyler's curriculum development model and included input from student and faculty focus groups. Once the project had been approved by the course director and deputy dean for medical education, two students who had completed the Year 1 curriculum wrote the content of 18 laboratory sessions that were designed to teach basic histology while integrating content addressed in biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, genetics and immunobiology courses. The students conferred weekly with the course director to discuss essential content, but were free to organise and integrate this material as they saw fit. Each laboratory session was formatted with objectives, a pre-lab summary, interactive still images, virtual microscope slides and pathological examples. The latter formed part of the material used in the subsequent pathology course and were utilised to develop skills in distinguishing normal from abnormal specimens. The students also developed embedded questions and pre-and post-lab quizzes that challenged their colleagues to draw connections that otherwise might not be formally addressed in the curriculum. Course faculty members reviewed the laboratory sessions and found the material to be accurate and complete. The student involvement allowed the curriculum to be completed in 2 months and implemented during the subsequent year. Evaluation of results and impact According to course surveys, students and teaching assistants were enthusiastic about the new format. Preliminary data from 78 of 100 students indicated that 93% rated the integrated course material as 'excellent' or 'above average' and 92% utilised it to prepare for laboratory sessions. An unexpected outcome was that Year 2 students commented in focus groups that they utilised the material to prepare for Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Efforts are being made to develop this model of student participation in course redesign as a tool to improve other courses and better integrate different aspects of the curriculum. Using appreciative inquiry on learning styles to facilitate student learning Latha Rajendra Kumar & Thomas V ChackoContext and setting In India, the medica...

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