Journal of Medical Education Development
Volume:15 Issue: 48, Winter 2023

Background & Objective:

Today, several well-known factors involved in the educational environment could influence students’ level of learning because of academic burnout. Academic self-efficacy, a factor affecting academic burnout, is likely to affect students’ performance levels. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the perception of the educational environment and academic self-efficacy with the academic burnout of paramedical students studying at the Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.

Materials & Methods:

The present study was a cross-sectional type in which 300 paramedical students participated as the study sample. Data collection tools included the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), College Academic Self-Efficacy (CASES), and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Pearson’s correlation test was used to examine the relationship between variables, and linear regression applied to model the correlation between multiple variables. Data analysis was performed by SPSS (version 26).

Mean scores of academic burnout, perception of the educational environment, and academic self-efficacy were 41.79±13.4, 112.34± 24.63, and 102.65±18.73, respectively. Through linear regression, the identified predictors of academic burnout were: perception of educational environment (β=-0.769, 95%CI; -0.985, -0.553, P<0.001), academic self-efficacy (β=-0.366, 95%CI; -.544, -0.188, P<0.001) and marital status (β=0.351, 95%CI; 0.013, 0.688, P<0.05).

The results found a negative correlation between academic burnout and students' perceptions of the educational environment (EE) and academic self-efficacy. Therefore, one could consider effective factors in the learning environment to create favorable conditions for student learning and reduce academic burnout.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made universities of medical sciences face serious challenges as they are responsible for the preparation of the next generation of healthcare workers. The present study aimed to evaluate the online education of medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Mazandaran province, Iran.

This descriptive and analytical research was carried out from April 2022 to January 2023 in the universities of medical sciences in the Mazandaran province (Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Babol University of Medical Sciences, and Faculty of Medical Sciences of Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch). The participants were selected using the stratified random sampling method, and the sample size was calculated at 507 students. The required data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed in SPSS software (version 21). It should be mentioned that a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean age of the students was 21.47 ± 2.34 years, with an age range of 18-43 years. Their mean scores in the dimensions of research, namely interacting, teaching, and learning, were 34.54±8.23, 53.93±10.15, and 33.8±8.01, respectively. The undergraduate students on average acquired 3.72, 1.25, and 1.00 more units of score in the three dimensions of interacting, teaching, and learning, respectively; however, this difference was only significant for the interaction dimension (P<0.001). The results showed that among the variables, the year of study and the level of education had a relationship with the total score (P<0.05) and were identified as independent and strong predictor variables for online education.

Online education during the COVID-19 pandemic could become a suitable alternative to the traditional method of medical education. The most important factors that affect the quality of online education have been identified. Therefore, educational policymakers provide the required plans by considering the effective factors and attempt to improve the quality of online education by providing the necessary conditions and facilities

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual education was adopted as the only way to prevent the cessation of educational processes. This study aimed to identify the challenges experienced by faculty members and students of the faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tehran, Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, 218 students from all levels and 31 faculty members participated. Data were collected from February through March 2022, using two separate online questionnaires for students and faculty members to investigate potential problems and challenges in various educational areas. The results of the completed questionnaires were recorded in an Excel file and then transferred to the SPSS software (version 21) for statistical analysis.

Students were moderately satisfied with the quality of virtual education (P=0.02). Challenges related to “educational strategies” were the key challenges experienced by the students. Undergraduate students faced the most challenges (P=0.001). From the faculty members’ perspective, challenges related to “technical problems of virtual education” were the most important ones. Both faculty members and students viewed the challenges related to “policy-making, planning, and regulations” as the least important obstacles.

This study showed that the capacity development of students and faculty members to develop educational strategies and improving infrastructure to overcome technical problems in virtual education is probably the most important factor that needs to be addressed within the educational system.

To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of research methodology among ophthalmology residents.

The study was conducted by sharing a pretested semi-structured questionnaire to ophthalmology residents using an online Google form. Responses were collected, which were analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 28.

In our study, 372 responses were analyzed, and among respondents (71%) were females. Most residents had good knowledge (74.2%) and a positive attitude (91.9%) whereas only 64.5% had a good practice. The poor practice was attributed to barriers like lack of guidance (56.7%), lack of orientation (55%), and lack of time (48.3%). Among the participants, only 43.5% had been part of a research work other than a mandatory dissertation and publication. The practice levels are significantly good in respondents with good knowledge (p=<0.001). Residents who had taken part in research activity in their MBBS course have been considered part of the research work (p <0.001).

In our study, we found that ophthalmology residents had good knowledge and attitude towards research methodology but they were unsuccessful in transforming their good knowledge and positive attitude into a good practice because of barriers like lack of guidance, orientation, and time. There is a necessity to encourage Ophthalmology residents to carry out research by providing proper guidance, funds, conducting more workshops, and including research methodology sessions in all ophthalmic conferences.

Physiology is the knowledge of normal functions of the body. Although different teaching methods are used to teach the subject including didactic lectures, small group discussions, tutorials, etc., students’ perception of these methods is important. The study was designed to assess the perceptions of medical students about lectures and small group discussion (SGD) and to check the preference of high achievers about the two methods.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted at a medical college from April till July 2022. After approval from the Institutional review board, students of first- and second-year Bachelor of Medicine, and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) participated with consent. Data was collected with a structured questionnaire and described as frequency and percentages. To check the association between categorical variables chi-square test was applied.

A total number of 268 students participated including 148 females and 120 males. 65.3% of the students preferred SGDs over lectures. The Chi-square test revealed a significant association between high performance and SGDs regarding accountability in the session, communication skills, presentation skills, and analytical thinking as well as problem-solving (p-value < 0.05). Overall, 75% of the high achievers preferred SGDs while 25% were in favor of lectures. There was a significant association between the high achievers and SGDs (p < 0.001).

Medical students preferred SGDs over lectures as SGDs improved their communication, analytical and reasoning skills. SGDs are associated with high performance regarding communication skills, presentation skills, and analytical thinking as well as problem-solving.

Considering the role and importance of faculty members in promoting education as one of the major aspects of university life, paying attention to the educational empowerment of faculty members is an inevitable necessity. This study was conducted to design a comprehensive inter-university educational empowerment program for faculty members of six universities of medical sciences in Iran.

The present study was started as a scholarship process in 2018, and the 6 steps of Kern’s model were employed for its educational planning. First, in two stages of needs assessment (general level and target group), the dimensions of the program and the educational needs of the target group were determined. In the next step, the goals of the Purposeful Faculty Empowerment Program (PFEP) were defined and, based on them, educational strategies, including content and methods, were planned in the form of the PFEP document. In the following stages, the program entered the implementation phase and its effectiveness was evaluated.

The results of two stages of needs assessment at the general and the target group levels led to the formulation of PFEP needs assessment guidelines and the targeted educational capabilities, after which the educational topics of the PFEP were determined. The educational content related to each of the workshop topics and the method of holding the empowerment course were compiled as separate instructions for PFEP courses. The results of the formative evaluation of each PFEP course were published as final reports of each course, and the information obtained from it was used to improve future courses.

This study led to the formulation of a comprehensive program for educational empowerment in six universities of medical sciences in Iran. The methods of planning and implementing this course can be a model for other universities to hold inter-university educational empowerment courses

Pharmacology is an important part of nursing students 'education, but current program do not provide sufficient opportunities to enhance students' knowledge and skills in pharmacology. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of blended education on nursing students' learning and educational climate in pharmacology internship.

This quasi-experimental study was performed on 30 undergraduate nursing students with a pharmacology internship course in 1400 at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. All students participated in an 8-session internship through blended education (e-learning and traditional education). At the beginning and end of the internship, the familiarity with the educational objectives was measured using a researcher-made questionnaire by self-assessment method. Also, summative and formative evaluation score were used to assess students' learning. At the end of the internship, the educational climate was assessed using the DREEM questionnaire.

paired t-test showed a significant difference in the mean score of achieving educational goals before and after the course (t= 6.36, P < 0.001). The mean scores of summative (83.66 ± 7.51) and formative evaluation (83.26± 7.09) out of 100 were reported. The mean score of educational climate of pharmacology internship was 98.50± 18.86 out of 170.

The results showed that the rate of achieving the educational goals and educational climate of pharmacology internship by blended training method is desirable. It is suggested to use the blended education in accordance with the educational goals of other internships for students to learn more.

This study aimed to compare the perception of undergraduate dental students from digital, blended, and conventional learning experiences.

A search of the literature was performed in PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases for relevant articles, yielding 3541 articles. After removing the duplicates, and assessing the abstract and full text of the articles, 23 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were systematically reviewed. The quality of articles was analyzed by ROB2. 15 articles underwent meta-analysis. Using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software and random-effect model, 4 main outcomes of self-reported acquired knowledge, self-reported acquired competence, satisfaction level, and usefulness of learning were compared among the E-learning, blended, and conventional groups. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated. The GRADE approach was used to analyze the certainty of evidence.

Twenty-three articles were systematically reviewed, and 15 articles underwent meta-analysis. In quantitative analysis, 13 studies had a high risk of bias and 2 had some concern risk of bias. No significant difference was found among the E-learning, blended and conventional learning in self-reported acquired knowledge (SMD=0.19, 95% CI: -0.20-0.58, P=0.34), self-reported competence (SMD=-0.07, 95% CI: -0.57-0.43, P=0.77), satisfaction level (SMD=0.05, 95% CI: -0.42-0.31, P=0.77) or usefulness of learning (SMD=0.28, 95% CI: -0.72-0.15, P=0.2).

No significant difference was noted among the E-learning, blended and conventional groups in self-reported acquired knowledge and competence, satisfaction level and usefulness of learning according to the opinion of undergraduate dental students. However, considering the low level of evidence, the results should be interpreted with caution.

This letter comes to you in the hope of emphasizing how important trained peer reviewers are for the scientific workflow of academic journals. Normally, between 1 and 3 independent reviewers are required to peer-review a single manuscript. Most papers in Elsevier, for instance, receive feedback from three peer reviewers; shorter papers, e.g. brief reports or short communications, may emerge in journals only by the approval of two peer reviewers. In certain cases, editors in chief may choose to review some journal submissions (such as commentaries and book reviews) themselves, and do without external peer reviewers. This is however considered as a subjective decision making, which may even lead to desk rejection in certain cases