Authors

Mario Sameh Sanad
Mohamed Tarek Metawee
Talha Aamer Aleem
Abdulrahman Ba Abbad
Ahmed Bawazir
Dana Bou Matar
Mohammed AlTannir

Institutions

Al Faisal University

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Theme

Teaching and Learning

Title

Students perception towards the usefulness of Evening Dissection Lab

Background

  • Throughout the medical education history there has been always a constant need to develop new methods of teaching and learning such as Peer Assisted Learning (PAL).
  • Peer-assisted learning promotes more active engagement by students in the learning process and prevents them from leaving the course.
  • Students who are taught by similar social groups perceive the freedom to express opinions and the ownership of the learning process.
  • Dissection labs are becoming an overwhelming and tiresome experience for medical student.
  • Aim: Investigating the perception of first year medical students towards PAL in the evening dissection lab and its effect on the final grades of Musculoskeletal and Cardiovascular courses.

Summary of Results

  • One hundred eighty seven first year medical students returned the questionnaires.
  • 83.9% of the students attended the evening dissection lab, and 96.2% of them found these sessions helpful.
  • 83.3% of the students believed that dissection lab volunteer tutors explained the material effectively.
  • 84.6% perceived the knowledge acquired from the volunteer tutors as helpful in grasping a better understanding of the material.
  • 72.4% acknowledged that the knowledge acquired from the volunteer tutors aided in performing better on the exams.
  • Overall, around three quarters of the students were satisfied with the evening dissection lab sessions.
  • The key outcomes of this study indicated that the majority of students perceived the evening dissection lab as beneficial in gaining better understanding of the materials and better performance on the exams.
  • These results are consistent with the majority of literature on the topic.
  • The overall satisfaction with the PAL process is comparable with previously published research.
  • One limitation of this study was the reliance on perceived satisfaction level of the students instead of actual academic performance measures, such as the GPA.

Summary of Work

  • A cross-sectional study using an anonymous self-reported questionnaire was conducted on 187 first year medical students from Al-Faisal University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • First section of the questionnaire inquired about demographics including age and gender.
  • Second part probed whether the students attended the dissection lab and if they found it helpful.
  • Third part contained eight Likert 5-point scale questions measuring student’s satisfaction about the PAL process.
  • Fourth section investigated the students’ perceived benefits of the evening dissection lab and its impact on the final grades of Musculoskeletal and Cardiovascular courses.   
  • Ethical approval was granted from the institutional review board at Al-Faisal University.

Conclusion

  •  PAL boosted the understanding of the materials in the dissection lab and contributed to better academic performance of medical students.

Take-home Messages

  • Collaborative learning techniques such as the PAL provide strong grounds for enhanced academic performance for medical students.
  • Medical schools are recommended to encourage, foster and support such learning processes.
Background
Summary of Results
Summary of Work
Conclusion
Take-home Messages
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