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MEDICAL EDUCATOR
VOL 2, No 1, January 2000 Audience response system makes learning interactiveby Kristen KarigPublic Relations You’ve seen it on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” A confused contestant asks the audience what they think is the answer to a question. Seconds later their responses appear on-screen.
That same technology—the audience response system—now comes to MUSC, bringing a new dimension to the traditional lecture and postgraduate learning. The College of Medicine acquired the equipment and began using it in 1999. The incorporation of audience response technology into a presentation makes learning more interactive. “It keeps the audience interested because they are being constantly challenged,” said Steven Sahn, M.D. Here’s how it works: Each audience member (up to 80) is given a small keypad at the beginning of the program. At designated points in the speaker’s presentation, a question and a selection of answers are displayed on a screen in the front of the room. Once the speaker has read the question and possible answers aloud, audience members have 10 seconds to press the keypad button that corresponds with what they think is the correct answer. Responses are then displayed in a bar graph that illustrates what percentage of the audience selected answer a, b, c, and so on. The use of audience response technology also gives the presenter an accurate picture of the audience’s knowledge base on a particular subject. “If a large percentage of the audience answers the question incorrectly, the speaker can focus on this indentified need,” said Jan Temple, Ph.D., CME director. The presenter can also receive a print-out of the audience responses at the end of the lecture—a useful tool for future content planning. Audience response technology is particularly helpful in a large class, noted Victor Del Bene, M.D. “Instead of asking a question and hearing a lot of rumbling and mumbling, you discover exactly what percentage of the class knows the correct answer.” Del Bene, associate dean for students, was the first faculty member to use audience response in an undergraduate College of Medicine lecture. “It allows students to respond without being put on the spot,” he said. Feedback from students, CME participants and faculty has been very positive. “We’ve used audience response equipment the past several years in the Charleston Pulmonary and Critical Care Symposium,” said Sahn, professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine. “The majority of our participants prefer the incorporation of audience response versus a standard lecture.” Sahn’s experience with audience response dates back to 20 years ago when he used the first generation of audience response technology during a national conference.
Questions and answers for use with the system must be submitted in advance and are limited to the true/false or multiple choice format. Holmes recommends that the response choices be limited to five. “It’s critical that questions be written well to challenge the audience,” Sahn said. Audience response equipment also has potential uses in the research arena—for data collection. Temple plans to use audience response to gather data from participants in a national conference this February in Florida. “It’s a great way to enhance a traditional presentation,” Temple said. “We hope to see its use evolve and expand in undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate learning.” For more on the system, call Dylan Holmes at 876-1925. Logcard debuts in 1st-year curriculumby Kristen KarigPublic Relations For first-year students, a newly implemented activities log offers experiences that bring textbook and lecture learning to life. Logcard activities were implemented into the first-year curriculum in fall 1999. Students were required to complete a certain number of activities on a self-directed basis. Whether in the Forensic Autopsy Office or Emergency Room, logcard activities are designed to integrate course material with relevant clinical applications and promote student interaction with practicing physicians. “I wish we’d had something like this when I was in medical school,” said Kim Collins, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and director of the forensic section. Collins described the forensic autopsy observation as a “chance for students to see real anatomy and fresh organs as opposed to the fixed organs in a cadaver.” It’s also a good way for them to learn the basic techniques of autopsy—useful
knowledge if during their rotations they should have to explain the procedure
to a deceased person’s family.
A close-up observation of an endoscopy procedure was also included on the fall activities log. “This first-hand look at gastrointestinal anatomy enhances their understanding of anatomical structures they’ve studied in textbooks and the classroom,” said Colleen Alcott, R.N. “I found it fascinating to observe a procedure that I have heard so much about, but never actually seen conducted before,” Crowther said. Attending a regularly scheduled physician activity like the Radiology Reading Conference and Grand Rounds gave students another glimpse into the experiences of a practicing physician.
Informatics workshops gave students a chance to hone their ability to search, manage and evaluate information—skills that will serve them throughout their career as students and practicing physicians. “We cover things like formulating better searches, evaluating web sites and using medical search engines, all basic building blocks for developing effective information habits,” said Elizabeth Connor, assistant director of public services and education. Informatics workshops are offered by the MUSC Library throughout the semester for all skill levels from beginner to advanced. Logcard activities will continue for first-year students this semester.
Tips for effective test writing: Guidelines for constructing multiple choice itemsThe multiple choice test question consists of two parts: the stem, or statement of the problem expressed as a complete or incomplete sentence, and the responses, one correct answer along with several wrong answers, or distractors.To improve your multiple choice questions follow these guidelines:
2. Eliminate unnecessary words or irrelevant information in the stem. This is not the place to teach. 3. Any words common to all responses should be included only in the stem to eliminate extra reading for students. 4. Avoid irrelevant cues such as grammatical structure, length of the correct response and indefinite articles (a, an). 5. Use negatives sparingly.
6. Include at least four response choices for each question.
7. Watch for overlap among response choices.
8. When possible, arrange responses in numeric order or alphabetically.
9. Only one response should be the correct or “best” answer to an item. 10. Use “none of the above” sparingly and only if the answer designated as correct is unequivocally right. 11. Avoid using “all of the above” as an answer choice.
Editor’s note: The above tips were provided by Carol Lancaster, Ph.D.,
associate professor of biometry and epidemiology, currently assigned to
the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.
..from the Dean Layton
McCurdy, M.D.
As we start the New Year, we also approach our first anniversary of the Medical Educator, this monthly newsletter to keep you, the college’s faculty, staff, residents and students informed about the curricular activities occurring in our undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education programs. We have come a long way during the past year toward our goal of renewing and revitalizing the undergraduate curriculum. Exciting changes are under way throughout all four years as we continue our tradition of producing superbly trained physicians. Graduate and continuing medical education are also implementing innovations, emphasizing our dedication to life-long learning across the medical education continuum. All of these changes have resulted from the hard work of faculty committed to excellence in education. We look forward to more changes and activities as we begin this next century. Keep reading the Medical Educator to stay informed. Share it with others, and as I stated a year ago, use it as a point of discussion and feedback so all of us can participate in designing the curriculum. Sincerely, Layton McCurdy, M.D.
Don't miss thisMarch 9 - 11AAMC Southern Group on Educational Affairs Richmond, Va. For more information, visit <http://www.cbil.vcu.edu/sgea/>.
Gradute Medical EductionCore Curriculum Lecture SeriesDinner is provided at Thursday sessions; lunch is provided at Friday sessions. February
4
11
18
24
25
Preregistration is required. Call Angela Ybarra at 792-0761 or Sandra
Murrow at 792-2575.
Continuing Medical EducationThe following conferences are sponsored by MUSC. All conferences are to be held in Charleston, S.C. unless otherwise noted.February
26
March
17 - 18
20 - 22
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From
left: Question and answer choices appear on a screen. The audience is then
instructed to press the button on the keypad that corresponds with what
they think is the correct answer. Dylan Holmes of CME operates the audience
response system during a lecture.
Dylan
Holmes
Marshall
Crowther
Angel
Lee