The Use of Interactive PowerPoint Files in Medical Education

1. The Use of Interactive PowerPoint Files in Medical Education IAMSE Workshop June 2014

2. Interactive eLearning – the MD Students Perspective • Advantages • Helps develop reasoning skills • Increased retention of material • Maintains engagement • Opportunities to apply knowledge • Facilitates self-directed and user-paced learning • Disadvantages • “Just tell me what I need to know to pass Step I” • Perceived usefulness

3. Interactive eLearning – the Faculty Perspective • Advantages • Student learning is self-directed • Efficient, ubiquitously available resource • Less time in the lecture hall and in office hours • Disadvantages • “I don’t have time to learn a new way to teach” • Use of specialized and potentially expensive software programs to develop content • Students may not utilize instructional tools • Link to assessment

4. Necessity and Invention… • In 2007, the Clinician who assisted with our Medical Microbiology “Wet Labs” was appointed Course Director of Pathophysiology • Necessity – figure out a way for a group of PhD scientists to present the wet-lab clinical cases to medical students • Invention – converted the verbal presentation of cases into “Interactive PowerPoints” or IPPs!

5. Why Interactive PowerPoints? • Simple and Universal • Result is user-paced but faculty directed • Students learn through trial and error • Encourages application of knowledge • Non-passive • Can incorporate words and pictures simultaneously • Video and reference article link-outs

6. So let’s see a sample… • These Microbiology Wet Lab PowerPoints are designed for the students to work through in small groups • Physical specimens (i.e., agar plates, slides, chemical sensitivity tests, etc.) relating to each case study are provided for students to interpret • This format facilitates integration of other disciplines • IPP’s are made available after class for further review • Strep Lab Case 3 Demo

7. What do the students think?

8. What do the students think?

9. What do the students think?

10. Other applications? • Independent study for application of pedigree construction and genetic risk assessment methods • Explanation of difficult concepts • Protein Translation • Orientation of integral membrane proteins

11. Does it work? • Study to assess student perceptions of Genetic Risk Assessment Learning tools currently underway… • 8% of students indicated that the IPP’s were one of the top 3 most effective components of the course • Evidence from MCQ analysis • Question regarding insertion of integral membrane proteins • IPP introduced in 2013 • The same year, the lecture was shortened from 2 hours to 1 hour

12. Does it work? • One published study using a similar approach • 3 Modules focused on Endocrine Pharmacology • Voluntary Registration • Only 38% completed all 3 modules • Significant increase in pre-test score vs. post-test score (p<0.001) • High student rankings for: • Understanding • Utility • User friendliness • Overall learning experience

13. The Nuts and Bolts • Let’s take a look at the Demo as a regular PPT file… • Plan out your presentation • Generate slides as you would in a normal PowerPoint • To link a slide • Highlight the text or image • “Insert” a hyperlink • Select “Place in this document” • Select the slide number and click “OK”

14. The Nuts and Bolts • To use the Action Buttons • Click in “Insert” and “Shapes” • Select the appropriate Action Button • Click and drag the Action Button in the region you wish to insert • A dialog box will automatically open enabling you to hyperlink the Action Button to the appropriate slide

15. Testing the Module! • To run through the module, make sure you are on full-screen mode • Test early and often! • Summer students are a great resource for testing the material!! • Once you are satisfied, there are a few key steps to ensure interactivity!!

16. Preparing for Posting… • There are a few additional steps to ensure that your IPP is truly interactive • Go to the “Transitions” tab and unclick the “On Mouse Click” under the “Advance Slide” section • Make sure you also select “Apply To All” • Next, click on the “Slide Show” tab and select “Set Up Slide Show” • Under “Show Type” select “Browse at a Kiosk” • Finally, save the document at a “Power Point Show”

17. So lets get to work… • You have been provided with an outline of a fairly simple case on Genetic inheritance risk assessment • Working in groups, map out an IPP • If you have a computer, try generating the PowerPoint

18. Results • Let’s compare the IPP we just generated to the one that I had prepared previously • What worked and what didn’t?

19. Pro’s and Con’s • “The key to choosing technology lies in the intersection of pedagogy, content and technology where technology affords the best support of pedagogy and understanding of content” • IPPs are • Relatively easy to prepare • Do not require specialized software • Can be an effective self-directed learning tool • Mayer’s multimedia principles • Only relevant information is included • Information presented in user paced segments • Words and pictures simultaneously • But there are some limitations… • Keeping track of the hyperlinks can be difficult with really complex problems • Not good for narrative branching

20. References • Cook et al. “Internet-Based Learning in the Health Professions” JAMA 2008;300(10):1181-1196 • Gaikwad, N. & Tankhiwale, S.” Interactive E-learning module in pharmacology: a pilot project at a rural medical college in India” Perspectives on Medical Education 2014; 3. 15-30 • Triolaet al. “New directions in e-learning research in health professions education: Report of two symposia” Medical Teacher 2012;34: e15–e20 • Mayer, R. E. “Multimedia learning” (2nd ed.). 2009; NY: Cambridge University Press. • Wittrock, M. C. “Generative learning processes of the brain” Educational Psychologist 1992;27(4), 531-541 • Wong et al. “Internet-based medical education: a realist review of what works, for whom and in what circumstances” BMC Medical Education 2010;10:12