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Evaluating Teaching Methods in Pulmonary Physiology

Evaluating Teaching Methods in Pulmonary Physiology 1024 683 Pam Georgiana

Does the flipped classroom or engaging lecture technique create better learning outcomes?

In the Pediatric Pulmonary Physiology fellowship program at Nationwide Children’s, the flipped classroom approach was primarily used to teach pulmonary physiology. This necessary curriculum component can be challenging to teach and learn, particularly due to the complex nature of the subject matter and the need for fellows to independently grasp the material. While there is evidence that the flipped classroom approach is the ideal method for adult learners, satisfaction scores among the fellows at Nationwide were declining, possibly due to the high level of understanding required and the lack of direct interaction with the instructor.

In a flipped classroom, students engage with course content before class with pre-recorded lectures, readings, or multimedia materials. Professors use class time to test students’ knowledge through interactive activities, discussions, and hands-on exercises that reinforce and deepen their understanding of the material.

“Even though the flipped classroom approach is the favorite teaching technique for many instructors, it’s not perfect,” Lisa M. Ulrich, MD, assistant fellowship director of the Pediatric Pulmonology fellowship program at Nationwide Children’s and assistant professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, says. “Because the material requires a high level of understanding for fellows to learn independently, I wondered if another lecture method would be a better approach.”

Dr. Ulrich decided to investigate the most effective physiology curriculum for pediatric pulmonary fellows by comparing the flipped classroom approach to the engaging lecture method. The study’s results were recently published in the Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development.

The engaging lecture style applies active teaching during class, utilizing short lecture sessions with visual aids, multimedia presentations, and other audiovisual resources to promote active participation in the learning process. After each session, the professors lead interactive discussions and activities with students to reinforce the information.

Seven pediatric pulmonary fellows enrolled in Dr. Ulrich’s study. The fellows attended five flipped classroom sessions and five engaging lecture-style sessions. After each session, they completed anonymous surveys assessing their satisfaction, utilizing a five-point Likert scale.

“While our students reported improved understanding of the topics after both session types, they reported significantly more improvement after the engaging lecture sessions,” Dr. Ulrich explains. “They also reported that the engaging lecture sessions improved their understanding of the material and test-taking confidence.”

In general, the fellows thought the engaging lecture sessions were more useful, and they were more likely to recommend them to future pulmonary fellows.

For now, the pulmonary physiology program will include more sessions using the engagement lecture approach. However, Dr. Ulrich points out that it’s important to be open to adapting teaching styles to the individual learner.

“This small study does not mean that one lecture style is the answer for all pulmonary students. These are just two excellent options for teaching techniques,” Dr. Ulrich explains. “Every year, new fellows bring with them new learning needs. It’s important to track yearly exam scores and adapt teaching styles based on the needs of individual fellow cohorts.”

 

References:

  1. Moquin R, Dewey M, Weinhold A, Green O, Young AR. The Flipped Classroom Approach in a Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Curriculum. Cureus. 2023;15(8):e43979.
  2. Ulrich LM, Palacios S, Boyer D, Kirkby S. Novel and Engaging Teaching Method for Pulmonary Physiology. Journal of Medical Education Curriculum Development. 2023;10:23821205231221722.

Image credit: Nationwide Children’s

About the author

Pam Georgiana is a brand marketing professional and writer located in Bexley, Ohio. She believes that words bind us together as humans and that the best stories remind us of our humanity. She specialized in telling engaging stories for healthcare, B2B services, and nonprofits using classic storytelling techniques. Pam has earned an MBA in Marketing from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.

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