Journal of Medical Education Development
Volume:15 Issue: 47, Autumn 2022

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is an active and self-centered process in which learners systematically guide and evaluate their cognitive, environmental, motivational, and behavioral factors to achieve learning goals using special strategies. The present study aimed to validate the Persian version of the short SRL questionnaire as an effective tool.

The present cross-sectional study was conducted among students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2020-2021. A total of 322 students participated by stratified random sampling. The research tool was a short SRL developed by Carey & Neal (2004). The convergent and divergent validities were evaluated using the average variance extracted (AVE). The validity of the structure was assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as the Fornelli-Larcker criterion. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by calculating the total Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data were analyzed statistically using SPSS software (version 22) and Smart PLS 2.

The results identified six main components of goal achievement, self-assessment, consistency, self-efficacy, decision-making, and mindfulness, with a total variance of 60.96%. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.90 was calculated for the whole questionnaire, and it was approved with 27 items. The AVE and the Fornell-Larcker criterion confirmed the high level of convergence and divergence of the questionnaire. Moreover, this questionnaire has a high correlation coefficient with the matched questionnaire.

The internal coherence, validity, and reliability of the short SRL questionnaire were confirmed in this study, and a short and standard tool was provided for the measurement of SRL in students. This questionnaire with an extracted scope can be used in future research.

Professionalism and interprofessional cooperation are essential capabilities of health team members. Educational systems must use an appropriate approach for training and evaluating these capabilities. The present study aimed to investigate the adherence of surgical residents and personnel to interprofessional professionalism behavior in the operating units using the interprofessional professionalism Assessment (IPA).

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences from 2019 to 2020. The performance of surgical team members, including 113 residents, surgical technologists (operating room), and anesthesia technicians, was evaluated using the interprofessional professionalism assessment tool (IPA). Data were analyzed using descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and analytical (ANOVA, Chi-square) tests.

The score of interprofessional professionalism behavior of the team members in the operating units were reported as 1.16 ± 0.27 out of 5. No significant difference (F=0.24, P=0.333) was observed between the participants' scores in different disciplines. The lowest scores of the participants in the "excellent" range were 1.04±0.31 out of 5.

The results showed that interprofessional professionalism behavior among the participants was weak. It is suggested that planning for formal curriculum and continuous evaluation of adherence to improve the interprofessional behavior among surgical team members.

Learners prefer to use a system for learning that improves their interaction; therefore, self-regulated learning is important. The present study aimed to determine online self-regulated learning (OSRL) and its related factors among medical science students during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 249 students affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Iran, using a non-randomized quota sampling method. The required data were collected using a demographic form, an Online Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire, and a researcher-made questionnaire of related factors of OSRL based on a literature review. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, such as ANOVA, t-test, Pearson, and multivariate linear regression using the Enter method.

The mean of the total score of self-regulated learning was 80.2±15.5 and in a good range. Among the related factors, students' gender (β=-0.239), marital status (β=-0.210), age (β=0.195), and time management (β=-0.125) explored 16.5% of the variance OSRL. The other variables had no significant relationship with OSRL.

In the present study, marital status, gender, age, and time management significantly correlated with the variance of OSRL. Different studies are necessary to investigate the variables that explore OSRL so that educational managers can provide a better virtual learning environment for students by considering these variables.

This study contributed to the current body of literature on educational games by comparing medical students’ flow experience in three types of educational games developed based on three learning theories: behavioral, cognitive, and social.

A quasi-experimental repeated measure design was employed. A total of 39 second-year medical students played three neuroanatomy educational games developed based on cognitive, behavioral, and social learning theories. At the end of each game, students completed a standard flow experience scale developed by Pearce et al. (2005) with Content Validity Ratio=0.65 and Alpha=0.76 in our context. The repeated-measures ANOVA was used for the comparisons of three games.

  No evidence was found to indicate that the flow experience of medical students differs when they play cognitive, behavioral, or social educational games (P=0.40). The repeated measure test showed that the mean of students’ scores on subdomains of flow experience (Enjoyment (P=0.10), engagement (P=0.46), and control (P=0.82) did not differ significantly in three different games.

Based on the results of this study, it was observed that the different dimensions of flow (i.e., engagement, control, and enjoyment) are not statistically significant in the three types of games. It seems that all three types of games have brought a high level of engagement, a sense of control over learning, and a high level of enjoyment for students. However, considering the lessons learned from this intervention, the social game could be seen as a “learning ground” for enabling a host of skills, including the ability to engage in shared decision-making in teams.

To recognize the challenges and obstacles of academic culture in institutionalizing the quality culture in higher education, the Grounded Theory research method helped us to provide a conceptual model in higher education. This model would provide a correct understanding of the challenges and obstacles of academic culture for the beneficiaries.

The present qualitative study was conducted using Strauss and Corbin's Grounded Theory approach and carried out on 20 clinical and basic science faculty members of Iran's medical sciences universities, in 2022. The process of selecting participants was based on the objective method.

  The results showed that academic culture was recognized as a central category; infrastructures, educational and research challenges, academic independence, and scientific freedom as causal conditions; individual, cultural, and social factors, communication, and global knowledge as intervening conditions; management challenges, monitoring, evaluation, strategy, and leadership as the context of the formation of the most important challenges and obstacles of academic culture in institutionalizing the quality culture in higher education. The strategies to solve the challenges were divided into three levels, namely micro, mid, and macro, each of which with different subclasses.

The results of the present study showed a deeper understanding of the direct and indirect challenges and obstacles of academic culture in institutionalizing the quality culture in higher education, which should be taken into consideration by the beneficiaries.

The sudden outbreak of Covid-19 affected the educational systems worldwide and highlighted the necessity of students' virtual education. Therefore, the present study aimed to compile, implement, and evaluate an introductory course on virtual learning for medical students.

The present scholarly research was conducted in four stages: 1) needs assessment and establishment of objectives, 2) content determination, 3) implementation, and finally, 4) evaluation of the program at Arak University of Medical Sciences in the years 2020-2021. Needs assessment data were obtained via structured interviews and focus group meetings for 30 students and 12 professors. The content was produced for each purpose and uploaded on the Navid system for training. The first two levels of the Kirkpatrick model were used for evaluation. A researcher-made questionnaire was employed and electronically distributed to assess the level of students' satisfaction.

Based on the results, the mean scores of students' satisfaction and learning were 18.43±1.5 and 16.8±2.5 out of 20, respectively.

The curriculum developed in this study for first-semester students can increase their knowledge of virtual education methods and satisfaction during the Covid-19 and Post-COVID-19 era.

Virtual education is considered a considerable transformation in educational systems, which depends on cultural creation, human sources, technological, educational, administrative, social, cultural, managerial, and economic infrastructures. This study investigated the opportunities and challenges in the virtual teaching of theoretical courses based on medical students' perspectives at Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 505 students at Shahroud University of Medical Sciences using simple random sampling. Two demographic questionnaires and e-learning challenges and opportunities were used to collect information. The data were entered into SPSS software (version 18) and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics.

According to the results, most of the students were female (n=274; 54.3%). The mean±SD age of the participants was 21.78±0.13 years. Most of the students participating in the general medicine study were studying at a medical school, were non-native, and lived in dormitories. Moreover, virtual education challenges and opportunities showed a significant relationship with gender (P=0.001), age (P=0.001), place of residence (P=0.001), satisfaction with the field of study (P=0.001), history of Coronavirus disease (P=0.001), history of vaccination (P=0.001), the Internet problems (P=0.001), and access to virtual learning tools (P=0.001). Among the variables, the highest mean±SD score was cost and effectiveness (37.26±5). The overall mean±SD of the questionnaire was obtained at 101.60±11.78.

Considering the relationship between opportunities and challenges of e-learning with several variables, we call for proper planning to improve the situation.

Despite the emergence of the concept of boundary spanning in the fields of behavioral psychology and organization theories, this concept is still somewhat unknown in the health and medical education system. Meanwhile, one of the approaches and activities that can help to improve the health and medical education system is boundary spanning activities. Thus, boundary spanning is considered as a valuable feature for the working people in the health and medical education system, which not only makes the flow of knowledge and information exchange happen faster, but also improves management and teamwork, develops knowledge and innovation, and encourages interdisciplinary and inter- organization research in this system. Therefore, knowing the facts of boundary-spanning in academic systems and subsequently the role of boundary-spanners in this field can help universities and subsequently academics in developing and expanding the capacities of boundary-spanning.