The effect of implementing jigsaw method in the virtual flipped classroom on self-directed learning skill of medical students

Due to the evolving nature of medical sciences, it is necessary for medical students to acquire life-long learning skills such as self-direction in addition to professional knowledge so that they can keep up with the ever-increasing advancement of knowledge in this field. Using the jigsaw approach, as a collaborative method, provides an opportunity to overcome the limitations of traditional teaching approaches and can increase students' voluntary participation in class, self-directed learning, and learning quality. In the Jigsaw method, each group studies a specific topic and then teaches a larger group of classmates about it. Although different aspects of the jigsaw approach, flipped classroom and self-directed learning have been studied, the effectiveness of the jigsaw method in a virtual flipped classroom on students' self-directed learning skills has not been well studied. Therefore, the current research examined the effect of this teaching method in the virtual flipped classroom on students' self-directed learning skills.

The current research was semi-experimental research with pre-test, post-test, intervention group (jigsaw group) and control group, both of which participated in a virtual inverted classroom. The participants were 50 people (25 people in each group) who were master's students in the field of medicine in the course of research methods. Self-directed learning evaluation questionnaire in the e-learning environment was used in this research. For this purpose, the content was first prepared and all the resources including texts, curriculum and timetable were loaded by the teacher in a customized content management system (LMS). Students were required to review course material, complete assignments, and submit in a pre-planned schedule. The instructor used the problem-based learning method in virtual sessions where a problem or scenario was presented and the students had to solve the problem individually based on their knowledge and through private chat. In the last stage, all the students talked with each other to reach a common understanding of the problem. In the intervention group, students were divided into 5 groups of 5 and the content of the lesson plan was divided between the groups. Jigsaw groups assigned topics to expert groups and learned collaboratively, and then in home groups, they used the virtual inverted teaching method to teach other students. At the end of each training session, the members of the groups had the opportunity to exchange opinions and discuss the learned material. In the control group, all steps were performed by the teacher. In the evaluation stage, each member of the group was evaluated based on all educational materials.

The results showed that self-directed learning enhanced in both virtual inverted classes managed by the teacher or the student, but a significant difference was observed in the intervention group (Jigsaw).

Considering the advantages of virtual education and its effective capabilities in medical education, the integration of this approach in the current curricula of universities seems inevitable. This study showed how face-to-face educational approaches could be effectively implemented in a virtual environment. Educators can use the method used in this research to strengthen student collaboration in order to make more use of e-learning facilities and reduce the shortcomings of virtual education in attracting student participation. If the virtual flipped classroom is implemented along with the jigsaw approach, students' self-directed learning skills would improve.