problem-based learning

Several studies have investigated the application of crossword puzzles in educational sectors. However, little research has particularly addressed their application and effectiveness in dentistry. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to map the current evidence regarding the inclusion of crossword puzzles in dental educational programs and their influence on the educational outcomes of dental students.

We electronically searched the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases and hand-searched pertinent article references to solicit appropriate studies. A narrative synthesis was performed since the studies were heterogeneous in the result parameters. 

Crossword puzzles provide students with an enjoyable and engaging learning experience, improve cognitive skills like comprehension and problem-solving, and promote active learning. They have received substantial backing from dental students for inclusion in the dental curricula.

Incorporation of crossword puzzles and other gamified approaches could be a promising option to enhance dental education practices.

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sudden shift toward online learning, enabling students to continue learning from their homes.

This study aimed to investigate students’ and tutors’ perspectives on the effectiveness of online problem-based learning (PBL) in medical and health professions.

A descriptive online survey was conducted on the PBL tutors and undergraduate students from the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine. Two online questionnaires (one for students consisting of 23 items and one for PBL tutors comprising 24 items) were developed to capture respondents’ perspectives on the effectiveness of online PBL in medical and health professional education during COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using percentage and Chi-square tests in SPSS V.26 software.

A total of 485 students and 39 tutors completed the questionnaires. The majority of the students (77.1%, p<0.01) and tutors (89.8%, p<0.01) were comfortable using online PBL. They felt that it was easy to use Blackboard Collaborate through University’s Learning Management System (myeLearning). However, 71.5% (p<0.01) of the students reported being distracted in online PBL classes due to connectivity issues.

The study indicated that both students and tutors generally found online PBL effective, successfully utilizing all features of Blackboard Collaborate during classes. However, students encountered connectivity issues and had difficulty sharing videos, images, and PowerPoint presentations. Continuous and thorough monitoring is essential to identify and resolve issues with the University's Learning Management System to enhance the delivery experience of online PBL.

Proficiency in physical examination is a crucial aspect of the nursing process. Enhancing this skill in nursing students will improve the quality of future nursing care. However, as technology evolves, new educational methods are required to keep pace. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the effect of the flipped classroom method on nursing students’ physical examination skills.

This quasi-experimental, non-randomized study used a control group and a posttest-only design. The study was conducted at the Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Eastern Iran, in 2023. A total of 77 nursing students were selected using a census method. The intervention group received training using the flipped classroom method, while the control group followed the routine method (lectures and practice on simulators). After the intervention, the physical examination skills of both groups were evaluated using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Data were analyzed in SPSS 16 using the Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, two-way analysis of variance, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and the Point-Biserial correlation coefficient test.

The mean score of physical examination skills was 14.0±1.56 in the control group and 18.6±1.29 in the intervention group. The Mann-Whitney test showed a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of physical examination skills between the two groups (p=0.0001).

The higher mean score of physical examination skills in the intervention group compared to the control group suggests that the flipped classroom method is effective in modern nursing education.

The nursing process (NP) is an organizing framework for planning and providing individualized nursing care. Nurse educators are encouraged to pare down curricular content and integrate ingenious learning-centered education. In this contemporary period, nurse educators need improve nursing education and move beyond traditional education. In this regard, problem-based learning (PBL) has become increasingly popular and group discussion (GD) increases the focus on the topics and facilities learning. This study aimed to determine the effect of blending PBL with a GD on clinical NP education.

This educational evaluation study by quasi-experimental, one side blind methods was conducted on all 28 third-semester undergraduate nursing students by census sampling method. The students were taught all of the phases of NP and PBL at the beginning of the semester. This study was performed on the “Medical-Surgical Nursing 1”(Med-Surg 1) clinical course. Three group (n = 18) was randomly selected as the experimental group and three other groups (n = 20) were randomly selected as the control group.

The results of independent samples t-test indicated a significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups for each of the assessed nursing process stages, as well as for the all NP phases and overall score; t= 3.36 , P= 0.002, which confirmed that blending PBL with GD was effective.

This blended method might encourage students to engage more effectively in the learning process and to be considered as an influential method in teaching the clinical nursing.

Two common teaching methods, the lecture and concept map method, focus on understanding how people learn effectively. The concept of learning styles pertains to the different ways that individuals prefer to learn. This study compares the effectiveness of lecture and concept map methods on student learning outcomes, considering the influence of learning styles (visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic).

This randomized controlled trial with 78 public health students compared the effectiveness of concept mapping and traditional lecture methods. The VARK questionnaire was used to assess participants' learning styles. The intervention group received concept mapping instruction, while the control group received traditional lecture instruction. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software.

The concept map method employed in the intervention group had a statistically significant effect on the learning of students with visual learning styles (p = 0.036). The mean learning style scores for the intervention group in the visual learning style increased from 45.2 to 51.3, while the mean scores for the control group increased from 44.8 to 46.1. No statistically significant differences were reported between the two groups in the other three learning styles (auditory, read/write, kinesthetic).

Concept mapping is an effective teaching strategy with visual learning styles. Educators can use concept mapping to enhance deep learning experiences with different learning styles. The VARK model can be used to assess students' learning styles and guide instructional decisions. To create an inclusive and effective learning environment, educators should use a variety of teaching strategies and regularly assess students' learning styles.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common medical complication of pregnancy, resulting both maternal and fetal/neonatal negative consequences. Since health care staff in health care centers, including general practitioners and midwives encounter the condition at the first line, they should be well trained about it. This study aimed to investigate whether the problem-based learning (PBL) or the lecture-based learning (LBL) method is preferred regarding medical pedagogy. 

A descriptive test about GDM screening and diagnosis was given to the health care staff of 10 health care centers in Mashhad. 66 individuals with the lowest points were involved in the study in two groups of 33. The first group joined a lecture-based educational program about GDM, while the other group were trained using the PBL method. After a week, a test was given to them, and the results were compared between the two groups.

The scores of the gestational diabetes diagnosis test in both groups increased significantly after the training (change from 3.50±1.40 to 6.20±1.51 in the PBL group, P<0.001; and 3.32±1.64 to 5.58±1.66, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the results between the two groups (P=0.13).

  The results of PBL educational programs about GDM are not superior to the results of the LBL method.

Active methodologies promote critical thinking, synthesis, and inferences. Simulation techniques create a safe environment that facilitates multidisciplinary clinical decision-making. Problem-based learning develops autonomous learning and teamwork, while the inverted classroom model promotes communication, leadership, patient-centered care, and conflict resolution. Service learning initiatives motivate new knowledge and skills and develop values such as solidarity and civic responsibility. This study aimed to explain how successful practices, understood as the application of active methodologies centered on the learner, contribute to the teaching and learning of physical therapy.

In this systematic review, 80 articles were identified using a bibliographic methodology. Then, the number of documents was reduced to 49, comprising 44 articles, 3 books, and 2 theses, by searching different databases such as Scopus, Elsevier, SciELO, ERIC, ReseachGate, Dialnet, and Clinical Key.

The results correspond to active methodologies, simulation in physical therapy, problem-based learning, collaborative or team-based learning, inverted classroom, interprofessional learning, and formative practices. These diverse pedagogical strategies have been demonstrated effectively in festering autonomous, self-managed, and self-regulated learning, as well as enhancing clinical reasoning, critical thinking, communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative teamwork within the teaching-learning process of physical therapy.

The active teaching methodologies foster the development of communication and problem-solving skills, equipping students to tackle challenges in their professional futures.

In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, there is a requirement of innovative strategies to enhance nursing students’ learning transfer. Virtual Reality Simulation Problem-Based Learning (VRS-PBL) has been validated to be an advantageous strategy that can improve knowledge, clinical performance, and self-efficacy. We aimed to identify the effectiveness of VRS-PBL for improving nursing students’ neurologic examination.

Data were collected in 2021. Seventy-six participants were recruited via the convenience sampling. Students in the control group underwent conventional lecture and demonstration of neurological assessment prior to practicum, whereas students in the experimental group underwent VRS-PBL once a week for 2 weeks (60 minutes per session).

Compared with the control group, the academic self-efficacy (t = -2.80, P = .007) and neurological examination performance (t = -11.62, P < .001) of the nursing students increased significantly in the experimental group. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between the two groups of the transfer motivation (t = -1.76, P = .082).

The nursing students integrated the knowledge and skills learned through VRS-PBL, and improved the effectiveness and efficiency of their learning. VRS-PBL that reflects various clinical situations can be used as a foundation for establishing effective teaching strategies to improve nursing competency from novice to expert nurses.

Self-Directed Learning (SDL) has grown popular in the medical curriculum and is recommended as an effective learning approach for medical students. As medical research is continuously changing and information is exploding, it is critical to prepare doctors for SDL. The present study aimed to assess the impact and perception of SDL among medical students.

This longitudinal study was done among 131 first-year medical students for 2 months. A poster competition was conducted and the students were asked to give their feedback through an online Google form, one week after the competition. Descriptive statistics were applied and analyzed using SPSS software. The location of the participants was obtained, and the geographical data were analyzed in the Quantum Geographical Information System (QGIS).

Among the 131 study participants, 61.8% were female. Almost 94.7% of participants informed SDL was a helpful learning approach and 97.7% informed it had helped them learn at their own pace. SDL exercises also helped the participants determine their level of readiness to learn (52.67%), set learning goals (56.48%), engage in the learning process (75.57%), and evaluate their learning (47.33%).

SDL was deemed beneficial by the majority of participants in terms of grasping the subject and studying at their own speed. Studies correlating the SDL perception and the student’s academic performance are lacking, which makes it difficult to predict their success in the upcoming exams. As a result, additional research is needed in this area.

Learning can be promoted through learning games since they are fun and amusing with a competitive nature that creates a stimulating atmosphere in the classroom. The educational system puts an emphasis on student ownership and creative thinking as critical factors in learning. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of crossword puzzles on the learning of operating room students in a hematology course.

The study was conducted based on a quasi-experimental pretest and post-test design with an intervention group (designing crossword puzzles) and a control group (solving crossword puzzles) at North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences in 2018. The participants were selected via the census sampling method. A total of 56 students were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. They were divided into seven groups of four. The intervention was administered during the first 15-20 min of the seven sessions. The data collection instrument consisted of a questionnaire divided into two sections: assessing satisfaction and determining procedural knowledge. PRISM Statistics (version 7) was used for statistical analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The result of the independent t-test demonstrated that the crossword puzzle design group, compared to solving crossword puzzles, significantly improved the knowledge of hematology (P=0.0047). Paired t-tests illustrated that both groups had significant learning gains in the topics covered in the sessions (P<0.0001).

The crossword puzzle design in this study proved to be an effective method to engage students, resulting in higher participation. In this study, crossword puzzles proved to be an effective teaching tool for learning hematology concepts.

 Problem-based learning (PBL) has been one of the most attractive and effective teaching-learning programs during the last 40 years and is one of the newest methods of medical education. In this method, students usually work on a problem in small groups and learn the objectives of education, which include basic and clinical knowledge. The purpose of this study was to seek the opinions of dermatology department students about a viral skin diseases course delivered in a PBL style.

 The purpose of this study was to seek the opinions of dermatology department students about a viral skin diseases course delivered in a PBL style.

 This survey-type cross-sectional collected the opinions of 175 medical students (99 externs and 76 interns) at the dermatology department of Sinai Educational, Research and Treatment Center from April to July 2022. In this study, a researcher-made questionnaire with 25 questions that evaluated learning of viral skin diseases through the PBL method was utilized for data collection. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts.

 The collected opinions of the students showed that this teaching method improved their learning attitude and performance, developed critical thinking skills, improved their ability to learn interactive communication and self-evaluation, and enhanced their time management capacities and motivation to learn clinical subjects.

 According to the results, the PBL method is effective in teaching theoretical courses on skin diseases, and this method can be recommended for delivering other similar courses.