The Malm? model: a problem-based learning curriculum in undergraduate dental education

A new undergraduate dental curriculum was introduced in Malm? in 1990 which is based on problem-based learning (PBL). The principles of PBL are strongly influenced by evidence from cognitive psychology and they form the educational strategy throughout the whole curriculum. Two further essential principles underpin the curriculum: a holistic attitude to patient care, and the promotion of oral health. Basic sciences and clinical dentistry are integrated within a structure based on oral conditions prevalent in the community. Students are encouraged to build their new knowledge, understanding and skills into the context of what they have already learned. This approach is facilitated by the presentation of conceptual models, one of which, The Oral Ecosystem is described in detail. The educational programme also gives students opportunities to learn in the clinical context from an early stage, and we endeavour to promote a scientific attitude from the very beginning of the programme. This paper describes the curriculum at three organisational levels (whole curriculum, single course, individual week).     

A factor analysis of managers' ratings.

Assignment ratings on 97 insurance company division managers, for a list of 20 assignments, were factor-analyzed into an orthogonal solution containing a general factor and five group factors. The group factors were named: "Skill in dealing with others," "Judgment," "Effectiveness in supervising the work," "Effectiveness in planning the work," and "Effectiveness in improving operating efficiency." The general factor accounted for more of the variance than any of the group factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implementing problem-based learning in a family medicine clerkship

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Problem-based learning (PBL) has been implemented in the curriculum of many medical schools, but limited information is available about the outcome of this learning technique. The educational intervention presented in this paper implemented a PBL learning component in our third-year family medicine clerkship and measured the outcomes of this curricular change. METHODS: One third of the curricular time devoted to didactic teaching in our family medicine clerkship was replaced with PBL activities. Simulated cases were developed and presented to students who, with the aid of faculty facilitators, studied the cases, gathered information about the cases, and developed diagnostic and management plans for the cases. The outcome of the intervention was measured by a) comparing students' scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) family medicine clerkship examination to scores achieved by students in the year before PBL was introduced and b) students' evaluations of the relevance and success of PBL in the clerkship curriculum. RESULTS: Students' NBME clerkship examination scores increased from a mean of 66 the year before PBL began to 73 after PBL was implemented. More than 80% of students reported that PBL was a good way to learn family medicine, and 85% reported that the PBL technique provided sufficient information to formulate learning issues. CONCLUSIONS: PBL can be introduced into a third-year family medicine clerkship curriculum with general acceptance by students. Students rated the technique highly, and their examination scores improved.     

A model for integrating women's health issues into a problem-based curriculum

The process of incorporating new material into an existing medical curriculum frequently produces lengthy debate, political maneuvering, and competition for curricular time. The faculty of the Women's Health Education Program at MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine, developed a stepwise process, or framework, for including women's health teaching for students in the problem-based curriculum. This process can be applied to the integration of any body of information. The key elements of the process are to define the full scope of what needs to be taught, develop teaching objectives, identify opportunities to introduce the information into the curriculum, develop strategies that capitalize on existing curricula, enlist the collaboration of a broad range of key faculty, develop evaluation tools, and assess whether students have achieved the expected competencies.     

Exploratory factor analysis of MRI brain structure measures in schizophrenia

Much of the literature shows various regional structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia, but the complexity and variability of brain makes it difficult to determine how these regions are related. Statistical methods which estimate factors underlying patterns of covariance have not been widely used, but could be useful for analyzing such complex data. We applied exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis procedures to specific cortical and subcortical regional brain volume measures from MRI data in 60 normal and 44 schizophrenic subjects. Basal ganglia, heteromodal cortical gray, and medial temporal lobe factors were present in both the normal and the schizophrenia groups. The factor structure observed in the normal group showed a high degree of bilateral symmetry which is present but disrupted in the schizophrenia group. In the bilateral data, the disruption is most pronounced with medial and lateral temporal lobe structures including entorhinal cortex and anterior and posterior superior temporal gyri. There was a significant correlation between the basal ganglia factor and the heteromodal cortical gray factor in the normal group that was not present in the schizophrenia group. In the unilateral data, left posterior superior temporal gyrus did not load onto any factor in the schizophrenia group. Confirmatory factor analyses showed significant differences between the two groups in factor structure. A number of specific brain regions are affected in schizophrenia, and structural relationships between groups of regions also are abnormal. The results suggest that heteromodal dorsolateral prefrontal and superior temporal cortical gray regions are structurally related, whereas inferior parietal cortical gray is less so. These results should be viewed as preliminary as the ratio of parameters to subjects was relatively low, and replication is needed. However, the results demonstrate the potential utility of latent structure methods such as factor analysis in study of complex relationships in neuropsychiatric data.     

Exploring the potential of problem-based learning in nurse education

Despite the increased attention that problem-based learning has received as an appropriate pedagogical technique for educating adults for professional practice, reports that evaluate the process are rare and usually relate to professions other than nursing. A study was undertaken in order to discover the graduates' own perceptions of a problem-based learning programme and its effectiveness in preparing them for the reality of their chosen profession. Twelve practising graduate nurses who had completed the programme were interviewed according to the ethnographic method. Three categories were identified from the data: 'and all of a sudden...', which describes the transition from PBL student to staff nurse; 'not an unthinking assistant', where the characteristics that the PBL graduates believe make them different from traditionally trained nurses are described; and 'the buck stops here', which describes the sense of personal responsibility that the graduates experience in terms of their learning and actions.     

Situational specificity in assessment center ratings: A confirmatory factor analysis.

Assessment center ratings of eight abilities from each of five situational exercises were examined for their cross-situational consistency and discriminant validity. A series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the ratings were largely (if not totally) situation specific, and that assessors failed to distinguish among the eight target abilities. These results combined with previous research suggest that the assessment center method measures mainly situation-specific performance, not cross-situational managerial abilities. We suggest that the intended constructs might be better measured if more ability-related behaviors were elicited within each exercise and if the cognitive demands placed on assessors were reduced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structuring a clinical learning environment for a hybrid-PBL dental curriculum

The standard noninvasive test to assess the severity of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is the ankle/brachial systolic blood pressure index (ABI). While ankle systolic blood pressure is obtained by the Doppler ultrasound technique, brachial systolic blood pressure can be obtained by the Doppler, auscultatory, or oscillometric (Dinamap 1846 SX) methods. The purpose was to determine whether the three methods yielded similar brachial systolic blood pressure values, and consequently similar ABI values, in PAOD patients with intermittent claudication. Fifty patients who had a history of intermittent claudication of 2.3 +/- 2.0 blocks for a duration of 5.7 +/- 5.8 years were recruited. Following 10 minutes of supine rest, brachial systolic blood pressure was measured in the right arm by the three techniques in a randomized order, and ankle systolic blood pressure (87.3 +/- 28.9 mmHg) was measured in the more symptomatic leg with the Doppler technique. Brachial systolic blood pressure was not significantly different (p=0.954) among the Doppler (128.5 +/- 18.4 mmHg), auscultatory (128.4 +/- 17.4 mmHg), and oscillometric (128.2 +/- 17.1 mmHg) methods. Corresponding ABI values also were similar (p=0.922) among the three respective methods (0.68 +/- 0.22, 0.68 +/- 0.22, and 0.68 +/- 0.21), indicating that ABI did not vary according to the technique used to obtain brachial systolic blood pressure. It is concluded that the accuracy of determining ABI in PAOD patients with intermittent claudication was minimally affected by the method chosen to obtain brachial systolic blood pressure.     

A qualitative study of six medical students in a problem-based curriculum: Toward a situated model of self-regulation.

The authors followed 6 first-year medical students through their first semester in a problem-based learning curriculum to understand how they self-regulated their learning. The study, using a situated research strategy, resulted in a grounded theory built around the central phenomenon of stance. In short, learners illustrated different types of stances-proactive, reactive, retroactive, interactive, and transactive-that served to govern their perceptions of themselves and the environment, their selection of goals, and their adoption of learning strategies. Furthermore, recursive patterns of stances were longitudinally described as either evolving or shifting. Findings indicated that more successful students demonstrate an evolving, interactive-transactive stance that affected the ways they participated in the learning environment and the professional identities they were beginning to develop. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wiki环境下基于问题的大学英语协作学习模式研究

本文介绍了Wiki及基于问题的协作学习的基本概念,分析了Wiki运用于PBL的天然优势,构建了在Wiki环境下基于问题的协作学习的大学英语教学模式及其学习效果的评价标准.Wiki CPBL模式是一个互动的过程,并追求不断的改进.     

Tutoring in problem-based learning: perceptions of teachers and students

This study examined teacher and student perceptions during the first 2 years of a complete transition from a conventional to a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at Dalhousie University. Teaching staff who had tutored in the two pre-clinical years (n = 88) completed a questionnaire at the end of the 1993-94 academic year, and student assessments of their tutors were collated for all nine units (n = 597). Seven research questions were addressed in the study which examined the faculty, student and administrative aspects of tutoring. The results showed that faculty tutors rated PBL more highly than traditional medical school methods on eight of the nine items. Teaching staff were very satisfied with their tutoring experience, but expressed a need for further training in group facilitation, questioning, handling 'difficult' situations and evaluating students. They reported that their workload outside tutorials was cut almost in half in their second year of tutoring. Students expected a tutor to be a skilled group facilitator who would guide them in their learning, while helping to maintain a positive group climate. They did not want the tutor to teach the content as they perceived the task of learning to be their responsibility. Several major administrative factors affected tutors' and students' perceptions of tutorials, including: changing tutorial group composition and tutor every 8-10 weeks; team tutoring; end-of-unit exam; conflicting demands of basic science 'vertical' units and ongoing 'horizontal' units; departmental budgetary requirements for basic medical education; recognition of tutoring in promotion and tenure decisions; and recruitment of tutors.     

Importance ratings in job analysis: Note on the misinterpretation of factor analyses.

A common practice in job analysis involves having subject matter experts (SMEs) provide importance weights for the behaviors identified as characteristics of a given job, and then grouping those behaviors by factor analysis. Two problems with using factor analysis on these data are explored: (a) The factors that emerge from such an analysis are not interpretable as important dimensions of the job, and (b) job dimensions that SMEs agree are important will not emerge as factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers' coaching of learning and its relation to students' strategic learning.

This study examined types and frequency of coaching of learning at the middle school level and its relation to students' strategic learning. Teachers (n?=?11) were videotaped during daily instruction on 3 separate occasions, and students (n?=?235) responded to a self-report questionnaire about learning-strategy use. Consistent with previous research at the elementary level (E. B. Moely et al., 1992), average instances of teachers' coaching of learning (e.g., describing cognitive processes, suggesting strategy use) occurred in only 9% of the instruction segments. Teachers most frequently recommended use of learning aids, engagement in metacognitive activity, and use of elaboration strategies. Results from a multiple regression analysis indicate that students' strategic-learning activity was significantly related to teachers' coaching of learning (R2?=?.18). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex role stereotyping of college professors: Bias in students' ratings of instructors.

We investigated the impact of three variables on students' ratings of instruction (SRIs): social contact between instructor and students (present vs. absent), the instructor's facial expression (smiling vs. neutral), and the instructor's sex. Subjects were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which these factors varied while behaviors directly related to teaching were held constant. Results revealed an interaction between instructor sex and both of the other two factors: Behaviors indicative of friendliness toward students elevated SRIs for female instructors but not for male instructors. In addition, subjects rated the male professors as more effective than female professors. These findings are consistent with other reports that students expect female instructors to excel in both stereotypically masculine (e.g., competence) and feminine (e.g., warmth) domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

大学生学习焦虑因素分析

本文通过对不同性别、不同年级、不同专业、不同学习成绩、不同院校等不同群体大学生多种因素的分析，试图了解目前大学生学习和生活中的各种焦虑，以期帮助大学生减轻心理上的焦虑．探寻适合大学生学习的方法和途径。     

College students' memories of their parents: A factor analysis of the CRPBI.

Administered the revised 18-scale form of the Children's Reports of Parental Behavior Inventory to 119 college females and 99 males. 4 factor analyses females' reports on fathers, females' reports on mothers, males' reports on fathers, and males' reports on mothers were performed. 3 factors, corresponding to Schafer's 3 dimensions of acceptance vs. rejection, psychological autonomy vs. psychological control, and firm control vs. lax control, emerged. Factor structures were similar in all analyses except males' reports of mothers. These differences are discussed in terms of the relative importance of dimensions used by students to evaluate their parents' behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factor analysis of programmed learning and ability measures.

An oblique factor analysis of 23 tests of cognitive abilities and 6 measures of performance on a programed learning task given to 104 6th-graders, revealed 8 factors defined primarily by the tests and 2 defined by speed of performance on the programed task. 2 measures of program achievement, i.e., error frequency and posttest performance, did not define a separate factor but exhibited high loadings on 1 of the test factors, i.e., following directions. The intercorrelations among the 10 factors defined 2 2nd-order factors, verbal-numerical-educational and mental speed. Results indicate that measures of performance on a learning program may contain information about human abilities not assessed by tests of well-known cognitive factors. However, this new information is related at a more general level to the information provided by the tests. Results also provide some understanding of the abilities required to perform well on learning programs of the type employed here. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)