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Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences - Volume:12 Issue: 1, Mar 2021

Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences
Volume:12 Issue: 1, Mar 2021

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1399/12/12
  • تعداد عناوین: 8
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  • MohammadHassan Abbasi, Gholamali Montazer, Fatemeh Ghrobani, Zahra Alipour Pages 1-21
    Background

    The development of learner models in learning management systems is among the most significant steps in designing personalized e-learning environments. The primary purpose of this modeling is to extract user characteristics in order to personalize the learning process based on learners’ needs, learning style, personality, and individual circumstances.

    Methods

    The present study provides a review of published literature over the past 20 years in academic databases including IEEE, Sciencedirect, Wiley, and Springer. The search was limited to the studies on the personalization of e-learning environments based on learner characteristics, specifically the ones providing a reliable method for integrating these characteristics, as appropriate input variables, in the design of personalized e-learning systems.

    Results

    This study proposed a new method of classifying the learner characteristics as the variables for designing a personalized e-learning system. A total of 111 papers were considered for analysis. In the end, 22 influential learner characteristics were extracted and classified into six subcategories, namely cognitive, motivational, behavioral, emotional, metacognitive aspects, and combined domains. The proposed classification method was also compared with available related categorizations to demonstrate this method’s advantage in designing a personalized e-learning environment.

    Conclusion

    The findings represent the learning criteria that can be utilized in designing adaptive learning systems. Moreover, it can also aid other researchers in this field to achieve a better perspective in learner modeling. Applying these characteristics as input design variables in personalized e-learning systems can result in a better solution for personalization.

    Keywords: E-learning, Learner characteristics, Learner model, Personalized learning
  • Sudhir Bhandari, Monica Jain, Amarjeet Mehta, Shruti Bhargava, Deepali Pathak, Mohnish Grover, Ishwar Dayal Gupta Pages 22-28
    Background

    The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic posed a serious challenge to undergraduate medical education. With the principles of social distancing in place, all classroom sessions had to be suspended during the lockdown. Therefore, tele-teaching was planned and live online classes were regularly held for all undergraduate medical students at our institute. This study was conducted to gather the students’ perception of tele-teaching through live online classes.

    Methods

    The present descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled 680 undergraduate students in Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur, India. It was conducted after two months of regular live teleteaching during April-May 2020, immediately after the lockdown was announced. The classes were held through video conference platform, Cisco WebEx software, for all medical undergraduates at our institute. Two sessions were held every day for each of the four batches of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). The students’ perception was collected at the end of two months of such teaching, through a pre-validated open-ended questionnaire using Google Form platform.

    Result

    Majority of students [n=493, (72.5%)] found the online classes beneficial and were satisfied with the content and relevance of the courses delivered. The most common challenges were internet connectivity issues and limited interaction with the faculty, yet the students’ general perceptions reflect that they have benefitted from these online classes during the pandemic period and want them to continue even after the lockdown.

    Conclusion

    This study described the undergraduate medical students’ response to the live online classes and the encountered challenges. It concluded that this endeavour was a welcome note for the students as well as the medical teachers, in the time of COVID-19 pandemic, when all undergraduate teaching/learning had come to a standstill.

    Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Medical education, Online classes, Tele-teaching, Undergraduate learning
  • Mahjoube Goldani Moghadam, Sadegh Hosseini Sede, Seiedeh Bentolhoda Mousavi, Saeid Mohtasham, Alireza Ehteshampour, Rosa Alikhani, Hamed Aramjoo, Majid Zare Bidaki Pages 29-37
    Background

    Fear of dental procedures is one of the main reasons why patients tend to avoid dental clinics. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of using Virtual Reality (VR) videos during dental treatments on anxiety levels of the adolescents receiving treatment in dental clinics.

    Methods

    A total of 66 patients aged 12-15 years were referred to the dental clinic at the Orthodontic Department of Birjand University of Medical Sciences. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups (n=33). The patients in the experimental group were engaged in watching a VR clip using a headset, while the control group directly observed the treatment procedure. Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was administered to measure the participants’ anxiety levels before and after the treatment. SPSS (Version 22) was used to analyze the data.

    Results

    The results of Mann-Whitney U test revealed a statistically significant difference between the anxiety levels of the participants in experimental and control groups (P=0.014). However, the results of Spearman Correlation test did not suggest any significant direct correlation between the participants’ age and anxiety scores after the intervention in control (r=0.002, P=0.992) and experimental (r=0.2755, P=0.122) groups. Additionally, the results of the Mann- Whitney U test indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between gender and anxiety scores after the intervention in the control (P=0.203) and experimental (P=0.207) groups.

    Conclusion

    The results of the present study showed that the patients receiving VR distraction experienced lower anxiety caused by orthodontic procedures. This finding implies the effectiveness of the VR-based techniques to reduce anxiety during dental treatments.

  • Zainab Gorzinmataee, Ebrahim Talaee, Omid Noroozi, Javad Hatami Pages 38-48
    Background

    Geographical/geometric indicators like azimuth provide a real-time and low-cost method of measuring spatial performance during navigation, especially in view of their accessibility on mobile phones in the form of a compass or GPS. This study aimed to investigate azimuth-based assessment of spatial orientation performance and its potential in diagnosing cognitive problems.

    Methods

    This was a descriptive survey, and included multivariate logistic regression and multi-layer neural network analysis. We measured the spatial orientation performance of participants using an azimuth-based compass. Their demographic data, including age, gender, years of driving experience, field of study, and cognitive health status were collected. The statistical population consisted of 52 females and 48 males, 18 of whom had experienced cognitive problems in their lives. The participants were from different ethnic backgrounds living in the US, and in the age range of 20-85. The census method was then applied. Multivariate data analysis was conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of each feature variable on spatial orientation performance. Logistic regression was run by fitting a logit function, and multi-layer neural network analysis was developed and evaluated to predict the risk of cognitive problems based on spatial orientation performance and four other features under study.

    Results

    Multivariate analysis showed that participants’ age (P=0.005), years of driving experience (P<0.001), and cognitive problems (P<0.001) contributed to predicting spatial orientation performance. Those who had experienced cognitive problems deviated 13.50 degrees from the destination with increasing age. The accuracy of the fitted logit model by NN analysis over training process was 0.8, indicating that the model can predict 8 out of 10 cases accurately.

    Conclusion

    According to the findings, azimuth-based assessment of performance and other demographic data could be an appropriate means of determining individuals’ spatial orientation ability, especially when performed on larger and more homogeneous groups.

    Keywords: Cognitive problems, Impairments, Spatial ability, Spatial orientation, Navigation
  • Meimanat Abedini Baltork Pages 49-57
    Background

    The design quality of a virtual program is highly instrumental to the success of that program. Accordingly, proper curriculum planning in virtual universities necessitates the integration of specialized features in the design and codification of curriculums. Despite the central role of virtual curriculums in higher education, one can hardly find relevant literature on this topic in Iran’s medical universities. The present study sought to assess the students’ opinions about the features of the curriculum offered for virtual programs at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), in Tehran, Iran.

    Methods

    A descriptive survey was performed in the first half of 2019-2020 academic year. The statistical population included 150 students attending the virtual programs at TUMS. Among them, 108 were selected by stratified random sampling and 102 responded to the questionnaire. The research instrument was the questionnaire for virtual teaching curriculums created by Azizi et al., and its reliability stood at 0.90 as measured by Cronbach’s alpha.

    Results

    The findings revealed that the students’ opinions about the objectives (M=3.97, SD=0.07), content (M=3.10, SD=0.24), educational software (M=3.03, SD=0.31), interaction (M=3.18, SD=0.34), assessment (M=3.29, SD=0.42) and the overall quality of the curriculums (M=3.70, SD=0.39) at TUMS were rated above the average score in each category.

    Conclusion

    From the students’ perspective, the overall quality of the curriculum developed for the virtual courses at TUMS was found to be at a desirable level (above average).

    Keywords: Medical Sciences, Virtual curriculum, Virtual programs, Components
  • Leila Bazrafkan, Leila Mohammadinia, Mohammad Nikrou, Nasrin Shokrpour Pages 58-67
    Background

    Cost assessment with modern costing systems can be conducive to the efficiency of education. In this study, activitybased costing was applied to calculate the cost of in-person training for undergraduate nursing students, and to evaluate the adjustable cost in virtual education.

    Methods

    It was a descriptive-applied research using cross-sectional economic analysis based on activity-based costing system. The statistical population included undergraduate nursing students in Lamerd, Iran. Data analysis was performed using the data obtained from a 4-year undergraduate program (2012 to 2016). The data were compiled in three categories, namely educational costs, support costs and cultural-welfare expenditure. The acquired data in faceto- face education were considered as the reference for comparison. Furthermore, the adjustable costs for the alternative e-learning approach were measured.

    Results

    The total training cost at Lamerd Nursing School during the four-year study program stood at US$382,761. The per capita cost in this period was equal to US$13,693. It was measured at US$8,659 for educational activities, US$3,933 for support, and US$1,077 for welfare. Therefore, the highest per capita cost was in the area of education and the lowest cost was attributed to welfare. Furthermore, the curriculum cost in face-to-face training was calculated to be US$664. Finally, it was found that virtual education would reduce the total cost by US$156,199.

    Conclusion

    Activity-based costing system is a new model that helps restructure the financial systems of universities. It enables the senior management in these institutions to make informed decisions on adjusting educational activities based on the information acquired. One of these decisions involves comparing the cost-effectiveness of in-person paramedical training with that of virtual training. This is especially important in adopting modern educational models.

    Keywords: Activity-based costing system, Learning, Training, Virtual education, Nursingstudents
  • Justin DeCleene Pages 68-72

    The scope of health professions is widening at an exponential rate. As such, training in these fields must adapt quickly. Pharmacy is one of the fields in the healthcare sector that needs to change to meet the needs of the industry. Currently, pharmacy schools utilize Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) to teach clinical skills to their students. Schools also utilize simulations and offer elective post-graduate residencies to give their students more hands-on experience. Simulations are becoming more prevalent in the field of education. Whether they are physical or virtual simulations, studies have shown that they are equally beneficial to students. Furthermore, a blended learning model of combining simulations with other modes of learning has shown to be more effective than utilizing simulations alone. Due to the expanding scope of the pharmacy profession, residencies are expanding in time and content. Some educators suggest that residencies should be extended from two years to three years to teach leadership skills, while others believe APPEs should have more rigid accreditation criteria. There has been some research done as to which methods of teaching allow students to learn most effectively. This paper explores such findings.

    Keywords: Medical education, Pharmacy education, Pharmacy practice, Simulation, Blendedlearning
  • Hamidreza Sodagar, Mousareza Es'haghpour Rezaee, Hamideh Rezaei Pages 73-75

    The Forester Navigation Application (FNA) is a new software application specifically developed to provide mobile training to the workforce in environmental organizations. The user interface of FNA is comprised of 6 main menus and 17 subsets. The menus include navigation, training, support, chat service, familiarity with protected areas, and foresters’ duties. Foresters can use FNA to proceed with their mandate, become acquainted with protected environments, and prevent environmental violations.

    Keywords: Navigation, Forester, Mobile Learning