Preparation for lab
Almost anything beats lecture. Yet, most of us put together PowerPoint images of the steps and materials needed in lab.
It is better to flip the classroom for lab prep:
- discussions about when to do the skill, complications, after care needs
- mini lectures followed by practice
- online resources and quizzes
- videos
Of these, videos are the stickiest and work the best, as long as the videos are accurate.
A study in South Africa by Langebaek et al, found that veterinary students watched videos repeatedly while many didn’t open the textbook. And, even though the instructors discussed how they wanted the procedure performed and deliberately identified which part of the video was “wrong”, more students followed the video version than the PowerPoint version.
R Langebaek et al. Student Preparation and the Power of Visual Input in Veterinary Surgical Education: An Empirical Study. J Vet Med Educ. 2016 Summer;43(2):214-21
When practice viewing slides was substituted for all but 10 minutes of lecture time, students were able to outperform experts in diagnosing neoplastic cell types on cytology as well as their classmates that spent more time listening and less time practicing.
AL Warren et al. Educational Interventions to Improve Cytology Visual Diagnostic Reasoning Measured by Eye Tracking. J Vet Med Educ. 2015 Spring;42(1):69-78
Students do need to be held accountable for the pre-lab prep. This can be done by quizzes or by starting the lab with students attempting the skill rather than with instructor demonstrations. If every lab starts with a demo, students will quickly learn they don’t need to do the pre-lab prep.
Videos can also be used for mental imagery (mental practice) when the lab space is not available. Mental imagery improves skills and avoids inaccurate practice.
S Arora et. al. Mental Practice Enhances Surgical Technical Skills A Randomized Controlled Study. Ann Surg 2011;253:265–270
Key Takeaways
For student laboratory prep, create your own videos of exactly how you want the procedure performed. Include as many details as possible and supplement with a handout of the steps. Hold students accountable for watching the videos; avoid enabling them.
Please note – lecturing in the lab space is unfair to your students. Lecture halls are designed for lecture with tiered seating and microphones. Labs are typically not. Labs are for practice, not listening to lecture.
Additional resources
R Lehmann et al. An innovative blended learning approach using virtual patients as preparation for skills laboratory training: perceptions of students and tutors. BMC Medical Education 2013, 13:23
S Sirikumpiboon. Comparison of didactic lectures and open-group discussions in surgical teaching. J Med Assoc Thai. 2014 Nov;97 Suppl 11:S140-4. ISSN: 0125-2208, 0125-2208 see below
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:
The teaching of medicine has varied and has continued to develop until today. Most courses rely on the lecture although it may bring less benefit to students. Another teaching technique, the open group discussion, may not be the most effective, but is widely accepted as a teaching development especially for its overall improvement of student skills. Basically, the teaching of surgery has more limitations than other subjects because patients with critical conditions are required. The present study was designed to compare the effectiveness of these two teaching methods, the lecture and the open group discussion, in the Department of Surgery, Rajavithi Hospital.
MATERIAL AND METHOD:
Fifth year medical students enrolled from 2554-2555 BE (AD 2011-2012) were recruited in the study and randomly divided in groups by the Office of Administration, College of Medicine, Rangsit University. A colorectal surgeon taught the subject, common anorectal disease, throughout the study year. The drawing method was used to randomize the members grouped by teaching methods. The assessment comprised multiple choice questions (MCQ) and multiple essay questions (MEQ).
RESULTS:
Seventy-three students (39 females, 34 males) were recruited. Students’ basic characteristic showed no association between groups of teaching methods. Higher mean MEQ scores were found in the open discussion group (55.83%) compared with those taught by lecture (31.23%), exhibiting significant difference (p<0.001). With respect to MCQ1 and MCQ4, students in the open discussion group had higher scores than those in the lecture group), was also with statistical significance (p = 0.02).
CONCLUSION:
Teaching medicine differs from other disciplines. To achieve the most effective teaching performance, teaching methods may be limited in some subjects. This study was a partial project for teaching in the Department of Surgery. It was shown that students in the open discussion group had better MCQ and MEQ scores than those in the lecture group. In developing student skills, giving open discussion provided greater interaction between instructors and students. Importantly, the instructor should manage and facilitate questioning techniques to more effectively transfer course content.
