Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education
Background Online instruction within higher education is a growing trend. Asynchronous online courses vary widely in design elements. Research is needed to evaluate the impact of course design on student outcomes. A large, asynchronous undergraduate medical terminology course was modified to increas...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Medical Education Online |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2024.2413051 |
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| author | Kimberley Scott Julie Young Jeff Barbee Marcia Nahikian-Nelms |
| author_facet | Kimberley Scott Julie Young Jeff Barbee Marcia Nahikian-Nelms |
| author_sort | Kimberley Scott |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Online instruction within higher education is a growing trend. Asynchronous online courses vary widely in design elements. Research is needed to evaluate the impact of course design on student outcomes. A large, asynchronous undergraduate medical terminology course was modified to increase authentic language use, student interaction, formative feedback, retrieval practice, and metacognition. The purposes of this study were to describe modified course design elements and evaluate the impact of modifications on student outcomes compared with a standard course implemented concurrently.Methods This prospective, quasi-experimental study included 494 students (modified course, n = 277; standard course, n = 217). Measures included student participation, performance, course satisfaction, self-efficacy (SE), and engagement.Results Participation in assignments was high (88–94%). Students in both courses experienced growth in SE for medical terminology use. Students in the modified course earned significantly higher course grades and reported higher satisfaction levels. No significant differences in SE or exam scores were found between courses. Marginal significance was found for increased behavioral engagement for students in the modified course.Conclusions Modifications based on language learning and learning science principles were feasible to implement within a large, asynchronous online medical terminology course. Modifications resulted in greater student satisfaction and improved course grades. Exam performance was not significantly different between the modified and standard courses. Future research should focus on modifications preparing students for summative assessments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a7771030cb944638a79b27f187ce92d0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1087-2981 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medical Education Online |
| spelling | doaj-art-a7771030cb944638a79b27f187ce92d02024-11-29T14:20:59ZengTaylor & Francis GroupMedical Education Online1087-29812024-12-0129110.1080/10872981.2024.2413051Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology educationKimberley Scott0Julie Young1Jeff Barbee2Marcia Nahikian-Nelms3Department of Physical Therapy, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, UKResearch Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, UKOffice of Curriculum and Scholarship, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, UKAssistant Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, UKBackground Online instruction within higher education is a growing trend. Asynchronous online courses vary widely in design elements. Research is needed to evaluate the impact of course design on student outcomes. A large, asynchronous undergraduate medical terminology course was modified to increase authentic language use, student interaction, formative feedback, retrieval practice, and metacognition. The purposes of this study were to describe modified course design elements and evaluate the impact of modifications on student outcomes compared with a standard course implemented concurrently.Methods This prospective, quasi-experimental study included 494 students (modified course, n = 277; standard course, n = 217). Measures included student participation, performance, course satisfaction, self-efficacy (SE), and engagement.Results Participation in assignments was high (88–94%). Students in both courses experienced growth in SE for medical terminology use. Students in the modified course earned significantly higher course grades and reported higher satisfaction levels. No significant differences in SE or exam scores were found between courses. Marginal significance was found for increased behavioral engagement for students in the modified course.Conclusions Modifications based on language learning and learning science principles were feasible to implement within a large, asynchronous online medical terminology course. Modifications resulted in greater student satisfaction and improved course grades. Exam performance was not significantly different between the modified and standard courses. Future research should focus on modifications preparing students for summative assessments.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2024.2413051Instructional designmedical education researcheducation environmentlearning outcomescourse design |
| spellingShingle | Kimberley Scott Julie Young Jeff Barbee Marcia Nahikian-Nelms Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education Medical Education Online Instructional design medical education research education environment learning outcomes course design |
| title | Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education |
| title_full | Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education |
| title_fullStr | Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education |
| title_short | Leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education |
| title_sort | leveraging learning science to improve student outcomes in asynchronous online medical terminology education |
| topic | Instructional design medical education research education environment learning outcomes course design |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2024.2413051 |
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