Journal
MEDICAL TEACHER
Volume 35, Issue 9, Pages E1478-E1484Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2013.785628
Keywords
-
Funding
- Robert Leffert Scholar in Medical Education grant through HMS
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background: Medical student education is challenging, and concept maps (CMs) can help students link new and existing knowledge, promote critical thinking and identify knowledge gaps. Aims: To study the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of CMs in problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials. Method: Students and tutors were randomized to tutorials that used or did not use CMs. A mixed-methods approach generated qualitative and quantitative results of participants' perspectives on and the effects of CMs in PBL tutorials. Results: Student survey response rate was 71% (122/172). Most students (82.6%) planned to use CMs in the future at least occasionally, and students in CM tutorials endorsed increased likelihood of using CMs in the future (p = 0.02) versus students in non-CM tutorials. Qualitative analyses identified consistent associations between CMs and recurrent themes: integration of physiological mechanisms, challenging students' knowledge of the material, and identification of knowledge gaps. Quantitative assessment of final exam scores revealed a statistically significant increase in the students' scores in CM tutorials versus students in non-CM tutorials with an a priori alpha of <0.10. Conclusions: CMs are well accepted by students and faculty, feasible to incorporate into PBL tutorials, and may result in improved exam performance and student learning of physiologic concepts.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available