School of Medicine and Health Sciences Poster Presentations

Medical Student Perceptions on the Effectiveness of an On-line, Interactive Quizzing Tool for Learning Histology and Pathology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (GWU-SMHS).

Document Type

Poster

Abstract Category

Education/Health Services

Keywords

histology, quiz, exam, medical school, pathology

Publication Date

Spring 5-1-2019

Abstract

Background A move toward blended teaching in medical school curricula often results in decreased in-class time for disciplines such as Histology and Pathology, as it has at GWU-SMHS. This study proposes to balance loss of in-class time with a self-study quizzing tool to increase medical student learning and comprehension of histology and pathology, which are foundational disciplines in preclinical organ system studies. Since many studies have shown that quizzing increases learning, we developed an online, interactive, quizzing tool that allows students to test their ability to recognize visual features and to recall information important to an understanding of histology and histopathology. This study reports preliminary results on the perceptions of medical students concerning the effectiveness of the quizzing tool as measured by survey. Methods Images for the quizzing tool were derived from the MicroAnatomy and Pathology Atlas (MAPA) currently used by students for studies of histology and pathology (http://microanatomyatlas.com/). The on-line quizzing tool was designed to display representative images without annotations or descriptions until these are activated by the student, allowing students to quiz themselves on the findings (http://microanatomyatlas.com). The quizzing tool was provided to students in the GWU-SMHS class of 2022 near the beginning of each system block and used by them at their discretion. On completion of the Pulmonary organ block, students are invited to complete a Google Form survey asking if and how they used the quiz tool and the extent of their use of it, with feedback about what they liked and did not like about the tool. A Likert scale (1-5 most useful) was used by students to rate the usefulness of the tool for their learning. Preliminary Results The quiz tool survey was completed by 29.8% of students (56/188) after the pulmonary organ system block in 2019. The quizzing tool was rated at 5 (most useful) by 60.7% of students, 30.4% rated it at 4, 7.1% at 3, 1.8% at 2, and 0% at 1. In answering the question ‘Did using the quizzes make you more comfortable about answering histology questions on your exam?’, 96.4% of respondents answered yes (54/56). Conclusions Preliminary results find that the majority of students perceive that the quizzing tool has a positive impact on learning histology and histopathology. Future studies using the quizzing tool will include additional qualitative analysis of survey results and the impact of using the tool on exam performance.

Open Access

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Presented at Research Days 2019.

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Medical Student Perceptions on the Effectiveness of an On-line, Interactive Quizzing Tool for Learning Histology and Pathology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (GWU-SMHS).

Background A move toward blended teaching in medical school curricula often results in decreased in-class time for disciplines such as Histology and Pathology, as it has at GWU-SMHS. This study proposes to balance loss of in-class time with a self-study quizzing tool to increase medical student learning and comprehension of histology and pathology, which are foundational disciplines in preclinical organ system studies. Since many studies have shown that quizzing increases learning, we developed an online, interactive, quizzing tool that allows students to test their ability to recognize visual features and to recall information important to an understanding of histology and histopathology. This study reports preliminary results on the perceptions of medical students concerning the effectiveness of the quizzing tool as measured by survey. Methods Images for the quizzing tool were derived from the MicroAnatomy and Pathology Atlas (MAPA) currently used by students for studies of histology and pathology (http://microanatomyatlas.com/). The on-line quizzing tool was designed to display representative images without annotations or descriptions until these are activated by the student, allowing students to quiz themselves on the findings (http://microanatomyatlas.com). The quizzing tool was provided to students in the GWU-SMHS class of 2022 near the beginning of each system block and used by them at their discretion. On completion of the Pulmonary organ block, students are invited to complete a Google Form survey asking if and how they used the quiz tool and the extent of their use of it, with feedback about what they liked and did not like about the tool. A Likert scale (1-5 most useful) was used by students to rate the usefulness of the tool for their learning. Preliminary Results The quiz tool survey was completed by 29.8% of students (56/188) after the pulmonary organ system block in 2019. The quizzing tool was rated at 5 (most useful) by 60.7% of students, 30.4% rated it at 4, 7.1% at 3, 1.8% at 2, and 0% at 1. In answering the question ‘Did using the quizzes make you more comfortable about answering histology questions on your exam?’, 96.4% of respondents answered yes (54/56). Conclusions Preliminary results find that the majority of students perceive that the quizzing tool has a positive impact on learning histology and histopathology. Future studies using the quizzing tool will include additional qualitative analysis of survey results and the impact of using the tool on exam performance.