Abstract
Article 1
Practical, Applied, and Research-Based Strategies for Physicians
Stephanie M. Williams, PennWest University, Edinboro, Pennsylvania, USA John F. Ziegler, PennWest University, Edinboro, Pennsylvania, USA
Aspiring physicians face a large amount of information that must be learned and retrieved in real time. The skills that helped medical students reach residency may not be the enough to succeed as a physician. For example, like many students, cramming the night before an exam probably helped achieve a satisfactory score. Unfortunately, cramming does not require that the information be retained and applied overtime. The content acquired in medical school is cumulative, that is, the information learned remains relevant months and even years later. Not only does content need to remembered, the knowledge must be constantly updated as new research makes some information more relevant and other information less important. Finally, the stakes as a physician are high. Forgetting a critical piece of information will not result in a lower test score, it can seriously harm patients. This article is a practical approach to teaching medical doctors, based on a literature review, including practical, scientific, and applied research and strategies ways in which teaching can be done that result in depth of learning in the resident.
Article 2
Using the Lessons of Learning Science to Improve Medical Education
Jason DeGiovanni, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA Mattie Rosi-Schumacher, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
Objective: This review synthesizes information from original research in the field of learning theory and the psychology of learning in order to provide evidence-based study methods to adult learners in the field of medicine.
Methods: A literature review was conducted and results were synthesized in a narrative fashion. Results: Deeper levels of analysis produce longer-lasting memory, therefore, the concept of creating a “desirable level of difficulty” when it comes to study material and methods has been shown to promote learning. When the learner uses a higher subjective level of effort in processing information, they can maximize the efficacy of their studying efforts. This review describes how memory encoding can be enhanced by applying several theories of learning psychology including the generation effect and the interleaving effect. The use of mnemonics, the “memory palace,” and hand-written notes have also proven useful to enhance information recall. Methods that promote long-term learning including the spacing effect and delayed repetition are reviewed. Learning theory shows that the most effective learners use self-testing and forced recall to retain more information with limited study time.
Conclusions: The application of these learning methods may help to improve information retention and productiveness among adult learners.
Article 3
The New Normal—Virtual and Hybrid Presentations: Developing Content, Designing Slides, and Delivery Guidelines
Jackie L. Gartner-Schmidt, Carlow University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Virtual and hybrid presenting are not new, but they are new to many more people since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some people may long for the past in-person conferences and presentations, the new normal is here like it or not. If you were an excellent in-person presenter and have not modified your presentation approach, you may now be an average virtual/hybrid presenter. If you were a poor in-person presenter before, well, now your audience is not listening to you. If you want to present in this new space, you need to be good at it. Surprisingly, virtual and hybrid presenting is not so dependent on all the new technical and software bells and whistles. The virtual medium is shining a light on those who never fully learned the basic foundations of excellent presentation effectiveness in the first place: developing a solid story with one clear focus, designing slides that visually communicate your story, and delivery skills that connect with your audience. Bottom line, the purpose of a presentation is the same whether in person, virtual, or hybrid: communication. The difference is that we must adapt our slides and delivery and hone our clear story for ultimate engagement because our audience is our presentation’s most valuable stakeholder.
Article 4
The Smart Use of Smart Technologies in Teaching and Learning: Where We Are and Where We Need to Be
Patricia A. Alexander, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Brian Pettitt-Schieber, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA Andrew Steehler, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
In this article, the current state of learning and teaching in medical education and residency are described. Following these characterizations, consideration is given to changes that are worth exploring in the habits of mind and habits of action medical students and residents exhibit to deepen their learning and improve their performance. Relevant transformations in instructional practices in medical school and residency are also overviewed that can contribute to more effective learning environments. The role that technology plays in current learning and teaching practices and the role smart technologies can play in supporting needed changes are also addressed.
Article 5
An Introduction to the Cornell Note System
Manick Saran, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA, Madeline Krentz Gober, VeritaSci Consulting, LLC, Lexington, KY, USA, E Berryhill McCarty, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Introduction: The success of note writing has been continuously researched for decades since the days of Plato. Students now have access to books and notes on computers, tablets, and even phones. A few ways students can take notes are by using premade handouts, “Chalk Talk” lectures with faculty, and using prescribed note-taking strategies. Here, we discuss one such strategy, the Cornell Note System
Methods: An updated review of the original Cornell Note system originally outlined in How to Study in College
Conclusion: The outline and unique aspects of the Cornell Note system are discussed and how it can be incorporated into the modern-day curriculum
Article 6
Spaced Effect Learning and Blunting the Forgetfulness Curve
Yael Wollstein, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, Noel Jabbour, University of Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Article 7
Building Surgical Expertise through Deliberate Practice
Yael Wollstein, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Noel Jabbour, University of Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA