Blogging in a biostatistics and research design graduate dental course: for learning or interaction?
(9/75)
The use of the Internet in health professions education has markedly increased in recent years. There is a need to understand the methods used by students to benefit from Internet-based teaching methods, especially those initially designed to promote social interaction such as blogs. This study describes how students used a blog in a biostatistics and research design graduate dental course. The aims of the blog were to offer exercises to train students for the exam and to enhance interaction among students and between students and instructor. Some features of the blog were modified to suit the course. Posts and comments were counted and classified by type, and their time statistics were analyzed. Students filled out a questionnaire to indicate whether and how exactly they used the blog or reasons for not using it. The relation between final exam scores and different methods of using the blog was assessed. Most of the posts were by the instructor offering exercises and model answers, whereas most of the comments were by students answering the exercises. Students were significantly more satisfied with blog uses related to interaction than with uses related to exercises (9.15+/-1.19, 8.73+/-1.34, P=0.001). The most frequently cited reason for not using the blog was lack of time. The most frequently reported method of using the blog was reading exercises and answers without actively contributing to the blog. Methods of using the blog significantly associated with higher scores in the final exam were actively contributing to the blog by posts or comments and interacting with colleagues. The main advantage of using the blog was promoting interaction between students and instructor, which is essential for the success of online learning in particular and adult learning in general. (+info)
The influence of technology on reflective learning in dental hygiene education.
(10/75)
The role of reflection in the learning process is essential to drive a meaningful experience for the student. Educators have recognized this concept and continue to research the impact of reflection on learning. The purpose of this research project was to investigate the level of reflection that takes place when students use two different types of media for reflective journaling: hard copy vs. electronic. Journal data, both hard copy and electronic, were gathered from groups of university dental hygiene students. As part of regular course requirements, students were assigned to maintain a reflective journal regarding their clinical experiences. Written data were evaluated using a rubric and coding scheme to determine the levels of reflective thinking evidenced in student journals for both media. Researchers applied qualitative methods to analyze the textual content and/or discourse using a constant comparative, "counting and coding" approach. Results were analyzed and presented as comparisons of descriptive statistics between student group and with qualitative discourse. The evidence suggests that the electronic format of journaling influenced the students' ability to engage in reflective thinking and action, as well as develop higher levels of critical thinking skills. (+info)
Diagnosis blog: checking up on health blogs in the blogosphere.
(11/75)
Social media policies at US medical schools.
(12/75)
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Today's medical students are learning in a social media era in which patient confidentiality is at risk yet schools' social media policies have not been elucidated. The purpose of this study is to describe the presence of medical schools on top social media sites and to identify whether student policies for these schools explicitly address social media use. METHOD: Websites of all 132 accredited US medical schools were independently assessed by two investigators for their presence (as of March 31, 2010) on the most common social networking and microblogging sites (Facebook and Twitter) and their publicly available policies addressing online social networking. Key features from these policies are described. RESULTS: 100% (n=132) of US medical schools had websites and 95.45% (126/132) had any Facebook presence. 25.76% (34/132) had official medical school pages, 71.21% (94/132) had student groups, and 54.55% (72/132) had alumni groups on Facebook. 10.6% of medical schools (14/132) had Twitter accounts. 128 of 132 medical schools (96.97%) had student guidelines or policies publicly available online. 13 of these 128 schools (10.16%) had guidelines/policies explicitly mentioning social media. 38.46% (5/13) of these guidelines included statements that defined what is forbidden, inappropriate, or impermissible under any circumstances, or mentioned strongly discouraged online behaviors. 53.85% (7/13) encouraged thoughtful and responsible social media use. CONCLUSIONS: Medical schools and their students are using social media. Almost all US medical schools have a Facebook presence, yet most do not have policies addressing student online social networking behavior. While social media use rises, policy informing appropriate conduct in medical schools lags behind. Established policies at some medical schools can provide a blueprint for others to adopt and adapt. (+info)
Biomedical informatics techniques for processing and analyzing web blogs of military service members.
(13/75)