1 / 22

Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre

This study investigates the use of podcasts as a learning tool to support pharmacology education for nurse prescribers. The study found that podcasts were helpful for students in understanding complex concepts and improving exam scores. However, managing students' expectations and encouraging independent learning were identified as potential challenges. Overall, podcasts were deemed to be an important learning tool for pharmacology education.

prema
Download Presentation

Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre E-Learning Special Interest Group 26th June 2009

  2. Podcasting as a learning tool to support pharmacology education for nurse prescribers Joanne Lymn, Dianne Bowskill, Oonagh Meade

  3. Non-Medical Prescribing (NMP) • Following qualification nurses have similar prescribing rights to doctors. • Understanding of pharmacological concepts hugely important for patient safety • 56 hours of pharmacology • Approximately 50% of NMP students have no more than a GCSE in a biological science (Lymn, Bath-Hextall & Wharrad 2008).

  4. Pharmacological Understanding among NMP students • NMP students often express anxiety about the subject of pharmacology during their NMP course. • Students often admit that learning pharmacological concepts is like learning a new language. • Extra tutorial support is often necessary in this subject.

  5. Why podcasts? • Learning a foreign language – important to be able to listen & listen again • NMP course is WebCT based – links can be added into WebCT. • Mobile learning - audio content can be downloaded to MP3s, iPODs etc and listened to on the move.

  6. Methodology • 7 key pharmacology lectures were recorded using MP3 recording equipment available within the university. • Recordings were edited using ‘Audacity’ – whole lectures and short sections. • Links to individual podcasts, and the associated downloadable MP3 files were added to the NMP WebCT site. • Lecture slides also available on WebCT • Student use of podcasts monitored WebCT tracking

  7. Methodology 2 • Postal questionnaire sent to two cohorts of students who had access to podcasts (n=43) • Comparison of exam scores from cohorts with access to podcasts (n=64) with historical cohorts (no access to podcasts, n=70) • Semi-structured interviews conducted with small number of high, medium and low users

  8. Demographics < 30 > 50 30 - 39 40 - 49 Age of NMP students (years)

  9. Computer Access • 100% students had access to a computer • 42% rated their comfort levels with internet technology as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ • 63% had access to an iPod or MP3 player

  10. Student Use of the Podcasts Web CT tracking results: 83% of students accessed at least one podcast. Links to the podcasts were clicked 376 times which a range of 0 to 48 clicks per student.

  11. Student Use of the Podcasts • Reasons why students used the podcasts:

  12. Use of podcasts for a specific question • 93% of students who used the podcasts for a specific question found the answer. • 56% rated it easy or very easy to find the answer • 23% of students generally listened to selected parts of the podcast (77% of students generally listened to the entire podcast)

  13. Student perception of the usefulness of podcasts Usefulness as a learning tool Usefulness as a revision aid Usefulness in promoting understanding 80 90 70 80 70 60 70 60 50 60 50 40 Student responders (%) 50 Student responders (%) Student responders (%) 40 40 30 30 30 20 20 20 10 10 10 0 0 0 unhelpful neither helpful Very helpful very unhelpful unhelpful neither helpful Very helpful very unhelpful unhelpful neither helpful Very helpful very unhelpful

  14. *** 4.7 8.5 4.6 8.4 4.5 8.3 4.4 Exam score (out of 10) Exam score (out of 5) 4.3 8.2 4.2 8.1 4.1 8 4 7.9 3.9 7.8 3.8 Pharmacokinetics Autonomic Nervous System Analgesia Statistical analysis was performed by unpaired t-test, *** p = 0.001 No podcasts Podcasts Student knowledge – measured by exam score

  15. Student feedback on pharmacology podcasts. Qualitative Feedback “An excellent learning tool to reinforce my understanding of the basics of dynamics, kinetics & ANS. I would not have understood these subjects without revisiting the lecture time & again” “I used it as a repetitive tool to familiarise myself with terminology I hadn’t heard before – to promote my comfort – to then go on and digest the subject.” “Podcasts were a great way to learn and revisit! Excellent learning tool!! Thank you.” “Absolutely brilliant as an assistant to course content.”

  16. Interview Data Podcast use

  17. Impact on learning • Enhanced control Learning at own pace, gauging study needs using podcasts, portability increasing learning opportunities • Adding value to course materials Complementary learning tool • Building Understanding Aiding understanding of a complex subject, explanation of slides helpful (aural learning), repetition reinforcing learning, lost information recovered.

  18. Disadvantages of podcasts. • Time consuming to edit initially • Managing students unrealistic expectations • Encourage dependency and ‘rote learning’ rather than developing understanding

  19. Conclusions • Students make use of podcasts • Students feel podcasts support their learning • Exam results suggest podcasts may improve knowledge & understanding • Podcast all pharmacology lectures • One of a number of important learning tools.

  20. Thank you • Dianne Bowskill • Oonagh Meade • Fred Riley • Non-medical prescribing students Funded by; University of Nottingham, Learning & teaching development fund

  21. Contact Us Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre http://www.health.heacademy.ac.uk info-hsap@kcl.ac.uk Higher Education Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk

More Related