Biomedical subjects

Kirsti Lonka

Publications and source records attributed to Kirsti Lonka.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

How do medical teachers address the problem of transfer?

Clinical teachers often complain that medical students have forgotten or somehow "lost" knowledge that has been taught at pre-clinical levels at the time of entering the clinical part of education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore, whether transfer of knowledge was identified as a problem by the teaching staff of anatomy and surgery, and if so, what strategies they used to overcome it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten medical teachers in anatomy and surgery. Most teachers recognised that there was a problem of transfer and some individuals had adopted strategies to address this. However, there was no formal educational strategy suggested to overcome the problem of transfer. The conclusion is that transfer needs to be addressed both by basic science teachers and clinical teachers. There is a need for a mutual educational discourse of the contexts students will face.

Anatomy↗

PubMed2006

Health care students' differing conceptions of expertise: a challenge for inter-professional care.

The aim of the study was to examine do health care students, who study at different programs, value similar expert qualities. To investigate this issue, a questionnaire was administered among health care students in a Finnish polytechnic (two cohorts, total n = 466), consisting of a scale for rating the importance of different expert qualities. The questionnaire resulted in the following dimensions of the conceptions of expertise: (1) social skills, (2) scientific skills, (3) innovativeness, (4) continuing self-development, and (5) problem-solving skills. Also the Inventory of General Study Orientations (IGSO) was applied to analyse possible motivational explanations for different conceptions of expertise. In addition to the scales, an open-ended writing task was used to explore in depth students' conceptions of expertise. It appeared that study orientations were a minor factor in the study, while study environment (study programs) clearly differentiated students' conceptions of expertise. Thus, the study argues that health care students' conceptions of expertise are constituted mainly on domain-specific bases and that students who graduate from different programs may possess very diverse ideas about their profession. Consequently, different conceptions captured during the education form a major challenge for inter-professional care later in work-life. This phenomenon should be taken into account when organising health care education.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2006

Impact of medical students' descriptive evaluations on long-term course development.

BACKGROUND: In medical education, feedback from students is helpful in course evaluation. However, the impact of medical students' feedback on long-term course development is seldom reported. In this project we studied the correspondence between medical students' descriptive evaluations and key features of course development over five years. METHODS: Qualitative content analysis was used. The context was consultation skills courses in the middle of the Göteborg undergraduate curriculum during five years. An analysis of 158 students' descriptive evaluations was brought together with an analysis of key features of course development; learning objectives, course records, protocols from teachers' evaluations and field notes. Credibility of data was tested by two colleagues and by presenting themes at seminars and conferences. Authors' experiences of evaluating the course over many years were also used. RESULTS: A corresponding pattern was found in students' descriptive evaluations and key features of course development, indicating the impact of students' open-ended feed-back. Support to facilitators and a curriculum reform also contributed. Students' descriptive feedback was both initiating and validating longitudinal course implementation. During five years, students' descriptive evaluations and teachers' course records were crucial sources in a learner-centred knowledge-building process of course development. CONCLUSION: Students' descriptive evaluations and course records can be seen as important instruments in developing both courses and students' learning. Continuity and endurance in the evaluation process must be emphasized for achieving relevant and useful results.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

On the relationship between group functioning and study success in problem-based learning.

INTRODUCTION: In problem-based learning (PBL), discussion in the tutorial group plays a central role in stimulating student learning. Problems are the principal input for stimulating discussion. The quality of discussion is assumed to influence student learning and, in the end, study success. AIMS: To investigate the relationships between aspects of group functioning and study success. METHODS: First-year medical students (n = 116), forming 12 PBL groups, completed a 21-item questionnaire on various aspects of a PBL session. At the end of the unit, a course examination was administered. Scales were constructed and reliability analyses conducted. RESULTS: Group functioning and case quality were strongly correlated with students' grades in a course examination. Further, students' perceptions of group functioning, case quality and the quality of their own contribution were linked strongly with each other. CONCLUSIONS: Group functioning, case quality and study success are associated with each other in PBL. The interaction between these aspects of PBL in promoting learning calls for further investigation.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Learning in a web-based system in medical education.

New learning environments such as distance education and computer-aided instruction promise to bring a change in today's learning environments by adjusting the relationship between the learner, the educational content and the organization of education. In this study, we explored whether students' approaches to learning related to their perception of a particular virtual learning environment. Scales of the ASSIST questionnaire were loaded in a two-principal component solution, surface and deep-strategic. We found statistically significant correlations between the approaches to learning and the student's attitudes towards ICT. Early identification of approaches to learning and attitudes towards ICT may prove to be important in order to provide assistance to aid the transition of students with diverse individual characteristics and to the design of new learning environments.

Attitude to Computers↗

PubMed2004

Interprofessional training in the context of clinical practice: goals and students' perceptions on clinical education wards.

AIMS: This paper describes the context of interprofessional training on clinical education wards (CEWs) and reports students' perceptions of this type of interprofessional and professional training. CONTEXT: A 2-week interprofessional clinical course was designed for medical students in their surgical eighth term, and nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy students, all in their sixth term. Clinical tutors were responsible for the patients and also supervised the students. The goals for the students included: to provide the patients with good medical care, nursing and rehabilitation; to develop their own professional roles; to enhance their level of understanding of the other professions; to stress the importance of good communication for teamwork and for patient care; to enhance understanding of the role of the patient, and to become more aware of ethical aspects of health care. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire developed by teachers from the 4 educational departments was used. A total of 962 students responded (78%). RESULTS: The CEWs provided the students with good clinical practice in terms of training in their own professions as well in learning more about the other professions. The importance of good communication for teamwork and for patient care was recognised. The quality of supervision and students' perception of their own professional roles were important factors regarding satisfaction with the CEW course. CONCLUSIONS: The CEW course seemed to provide the students with an opportunity to develop their own professional roles and their functions as team members.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2001

The problem-based learning tutorial laboratory - a method for training medical teachers.

An extensive staff development program was started in 1998 in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki. A problem-based learning method was introduced as a new style of teaching in the curriculum reform. This paper describes a teaching method 'Problem-based learning - tutorial laboratory' for training medical teachers to act as tutors and to understand their roles as facilitators of learning and the dynamics of a small group. The method was based on learning cycles: teachers had a possibility to experience tutoring, to get feedback about it from an educational expert and from a peer teacher and also they were able to reflect on their views in the group. The teachers were content with the training. Sessions improved teacher cooperation across the departments and brought new teaching ideas for shared use. It also helped to cope with the resistance related to the curriculum change process.

Journal Article↗