Background and justification of the project
The guided self-study hours of the course Structure and Function of Joints are not well attended by the students as they do not see the added value and have the feeling that learning independently is more efficient. This is a generic trend that is seen throughout courses in the BME department. From the teachers’ perspective, however, students are obtaining the required knowledge but fail when they need to apply this knowledge. Something which is normally practiced during guided self-study.
An extra difficulty is that the subject of the course, joints, is essentially three dimensional, while all study material (textbooks, video’s) is two dimensional. This makes it more difficult for students to really comprehend the course material, and makes that students are memorizing and reproducing facts instead of understanding and applying knowledge.
Objectives and expected outcomes
The objective is to implement a new set-up of the guided self-study hours in which the students will discuss in small groups about the course content by making use of anatomical models. These anatomical models facilitate students in understanding the relation between structure and function of the joints and the different parts that they are composed of. In this way students are challenged to think about the movements in a joints and the function of the ligaments and other structures herein.
The outcome of each discussion should be a question that is put in a digital question databank (Cirrus or Canvas quiz). All students will make the test that is composed of these questions and in this way prepare for the final exam. To motivate students a bonus will be rewarded to the students that on the one hand were able to score high on the test and on the other hand submitted the most challenging questions.
This new set-up of the guided self-study should result in a higher attendance, activated and motivated students and a higher level of understanding of the course content.
Project design and management
The new set-up of the guided self-study hours can be readily implemented in the course. The preparation will consist of the purchase of the anatomical models and the set-up of the required structure in Canvas. During the course, a student assistant will install the question databank, collect and process the questions. This student assistant will also help in evaluating this project and determining student satisfaction with the new setup.
Dissemination and sustainability of the project
If the new set-up of the guided self-study results in the intended improvements in active student participation and student satisfaction, it will become a permanent part of this course. In addition, experiences will be shared, e.g. as an example of good practice during educational lunches, since the low attendance rates in guided self- study is something that also other teachers within the BME department are struggling with.
Results and learnings
This project is still ongoing.
For more information, please contact:
