教育学最新文献

The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated content creation across sectors, including education and academia. While these tools can streamline workflows and support learning, their use by students to complete assignments poses risks to academic integrity. This case study quantitatively evaluated the vulnerability of existing coursework assessments and exams to cheating using generative AI. Specifically, we compared ChatGPT-4's performance to student grades on 131 assessments from 40 modules in the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences at a UK University. ChatGPT excelled in "exam-like" assessments, including coursework-associated tests, exams (particularly those involving multiple choice), and, at some levels of study, in essay-style assessments. Conversely, AI performance and hence vulnerability were low on assessments requiring in-class data collection, collaboration, or the creation of reports, posters, or presentations. Overall, ChatGPT-produced work was often superficial and vague but better than expected, posing risks to assessing learning in all fields within the biological sciences, including physiology. While generative AI holds promise as a tool to help students understand, organize, and structure, it raises concerns around misuse. Designing creative, individualized tasks that require genuine intellectual engagement is essential, with greater emphasis on ethical conduct and the importance of integrity. Synthesizing information across multiple biological scales and applying clinical or experimental scenarios is recommended to develop higher-order physiological reasoning in students. Continuous, collaborative monitoring of generative AI performance on assessments should become part of routine assessment design and evaluation, given the continuous development and improvement of these tools. In cases where basic knowledge testing remains necessary, reversion to in-person examinations is recommended to replace online testing.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study reveals that current assessments in biological and environmental sciences are highly vulnerable to generative artificial intelligence (AI) misuse, which threatens assessment validity. ChatGPT-4 either outperformed or approximated students in exam-style testing and on some essay assignments but struggled with tasks involving data collection, collaboration, and presentations. The authors recommend redesigning assessments to require deeper reasoning, ethical engagement, and clinical or experimental application, alongside ongoing monitoring of AI capabilities and increased use of in-person exams.

The shortened preclerkship phase in integrated medical curricula has raised concerns about whether medical students retain and apply foundational basic science knowledge during clerkship. Yet few studies incorporate perspectives of clerkship faculty, who directly observe students' mechanistic reasoning and are well positioned to inform curricular interventions for vertical integration. This mixed-method study addresses that gap by conducting a clerkship faculty-centered needs assessment evaluating basic science integration, students' preparedness, and priorities for physiology-focused electives during clerkship. Faculty overwhelmingly affirmed the importance of basic science integration during clerkship (83%). However, fewer than half believed that the curriculum adequately achieves this. Whereas 71% reported opportunities to assess students' application of basic science knowledge during clerkship, only 53% felt that students possessed adequate baseline knowledge. These findings suggest that integration on the wards is opportunistic, completely dependent on individual faculty initiative or clinical encounter rather than deliberate curriculum design. Clerkship faculty identified renal/electrolyte physiology, pharmacology, and neuropsychiatric physiology as potential high-yield elective topics for the elective course. Additionally, 79% of faculty agreed that students would benefit from proposed fourth-year physiology electives, with the course on obesity pathophysiology receiving the highest number of first-choice rankings. Overall, the findings demonstrate a persistent gap in basic science integration during clerkship and support the development of a clerkship faculty-informed, need-based physiology elective to reinforce mechanistic understanding and enhance receptivity among clinical educators, who cite time constraints and dense curricular expectations as major barriers to basic science integration.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study is among the few to use perspectives of clerkship faculty, those who directly observe students' clinical reasoning, to evaluate basic science preparedness and integration during clerkships. Faculty reported strong support for basic science relevance but identified gaps in its structured integration and in students' application of foundational knowledge. Findings highlight high-yield domains for reinforcement and demonstrate broad support for targeted fourth-year physiology electives, offering a data-driven model for strengthening vertical basic science integration.

The study of hematopoiesis is based on the understanding of precursor cell maturation through various lineage stages. The standard educational approach uses premade slides and digital images because of the limited availability of fresh bone marrow samples and the associated ethical constraints. This laboratory module presents an economical teaching method by using goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) rib marrow obtained from licensed slaughterhouses to demonstrate smear preparation and Romanowsky staining for hematopoietic precursor cell identification. The experimental approach was developed as a potential practical teaching activity for first-year medical students, in accordance with Competency Based Medical Education (CBME). Goat ribs (an animal by-product of meat consumption) obtained from a licensed meat shop were immediately transported to the laboratory and cleaned, and bone marrow was extracted, followed by thick and thin smear preparation, which was then fixed with chilled methanol, air-dried, and stained with Leishman and May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG) stains. The smear was examined under an oil-immersion microscope for identification of the blood cell lineages and determination of the myeloid-to-erythroid (M:E) ratio. The method for thick and thin smear preparation consistently produced samples that contained cells with intact morphology. The precursor cells could be identified based on their characteristic morphological features, and M:E ratio was calculated from the smears. The procedure was successfully repeated with consistent smear quality and cellular morphology, indicating that the technique is feasible and reproducible for incorporation into the proposed teaching model.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The present model introduces an active, hands-on learning approach that moves beyond passive slide-based instruction by directly engaging students in laboratory preparation and microscopic analysis. It establishes a sustainable, low-cost teaching resource for physiology laboratories while effectively bridging theoretical concepts of hematopoiesis with their clinical and morphological correlates. Importantly, the method is scalable and well suited for institutions with limited infrastructure, enabling authentic laboratory-based learning experiences without reliance on scarce human samples.

Teaching abstract molecular concepts poses persistent challenges in high school biology education. This study evaluated a custom-developed three-dimensional (3D) bacteriophage T4 model for teaching the Hershey-Chase experiment in a Grade 11 classroom. Using a quasi-experimental design, 92 students were assigned to either model-based instruction (n = 46) incorporating hands-on assembly of a disassemblable 3D-printed phage model, or conventional instruction (n = 46). Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessed conceptual understanding and affective outcomes. ANCOVA revealed no significant overall cognitive difference between groups, F_{(1, 89)} = 1.42, p = 0.237. However, item-level analysis showed the model group significantly outperformed on structural component identification (52.2% vs 26.1%, p = 0.018, ϕ = 0.27). Affective outcomes significantly favored the model condition, including lesson enjoyment (p = 0.038), model construction interest (p = 0.028), perceived knowledge mastery (p = 0.033), perceived instructional utility (p = 0.028), and modeling skill need (p = 0.049). These findings suggest that curriculum-aligned 3D model-based instruction selectively enhances representational competence for spatially complex concepts and improves situational affective engagement.

Abstract: The Arkansas Naloxone Education and Training (ANET) program, based at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, was developed to address the urgent need for opioid-overdose prevention across the state. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), ANET uses a train-the-trainer model to equip health care professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to deliver naloxone education in their local settings. In its first year, the program launched a three-module curriculum, accredited for continuing education, of health care professionals and delivered using an academic detailing teaching strategy, prioritized recruitment from counties through a needs assessment including the highest rates of opioids dispensed and of overdose deaths, and implemented a comprehensive evaluation plan that is grounded in an evidence-based framework that facilitates continuous evaluation and improvement (ie, RE-AIM framework-Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance). Knowledge and attitudes were assessed before and after health care professionals completed the training program. All trainers received technical support and outreach materials. The program also fostered strategic statewide partnerships to support recruitment, implementation, and community engagement. ANET is embedded within an academic medical center and aligned with continuing professional development infrastructure, offering a replicable model for community-centered overdose prevention. Lessons learned during the program's implementation underscore its potential to inform future design, delivery, and sustainability of similar interventions.

We recently published two papers that collectively highlight the essential nature of causality in the development of higher-order cognitive skills (analysis and evaluation) during the teaching of physiology. Prediction, an ability derived from these skills, is the pinnacle of learning outcomes and depends upon comprehension of the biological, chemical, or physical causal links between events in physiological cascades. The challenge in creating essential cognitive frameworks is to effectively present complex topics as a series of linked causal events. Presented individually and as a logical unit, each event stays within working memory capacity, while the causal links connecting them provide the very framework students need to reason with the content rather than merely recall it. We have found that the difficulty in proposing such an approach is not in conveying the value of it but rather in expressing what that instruction looks like in practice. To complete our trilogy of papers, we here describe how we would develop such a logic-driven explanation using the classical Wiggers diagram, a complex summary of all cardiac electrical and mechanical activity during a single heartbeat. We derive every element of the graph, each from its prior stimulus, using cause-and-effect core principles such that students can cognitively follow a clear progression of falling biological "dominoes." In this way, students will more fully understand the multifaceted Wiggers plot and realize that even the most challenging topics in physiology can be mastered via sound cause-and-effect reasoning.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Prediction in physiology is the pinnacle of learning outcomes and depends upon comprehension of the biological, chemical, or physical causal links between mechanistic events. The challenge of creating essential cognitive frameworks within which students can successfully think and reason in physiology is to present complex topics in small logical units that do not exceed the working memory capacity. Here we describe how we would develop a logic-driven explanation using the classical Wiggers diagram.

Practice inquiry (PI) is a structured method of discussion that helps primary care clinicians explore uncertainty and learn from challenging cases. An understanding of what aspect of PI primary care clinicians value could guide leaders who are contemplating implementation of collaborative discussion formats in their clinical systems. We administered a survey examining clinicians' perceptions of PI in a large nationwide membership-based primary care service. Two hundred ninety-six surveys (61%, N = 296/482) were received from participants and 69 surveys (75%, N = 69/92) were received from facilitators. Most respondents (>70% across five queries) felt that PI led to enhancement of knowledge and management skills and helped them become more comfortable managing uncertainty. Colleagues in PI groups provided validation and reassurance, valuable health system information, and insights into reasoning and patient-clinician relationships. Participants and facilitators outlined ways PI sessions could be improved (eg, case follow-up) and how the organization could support PI sessions (eg, enhanced facilitator training). This is the first program evaluation of PI in a large, community primary care setting. Future directions include examining what group-level characteristics mediate PI efficacy and how clinicians and patients fare after PI discussions. Such insights could inform enhancements to the group facilitation process.

Introduction: Medical educators often face challenges in planning and prioritizing professional development due to a lack of structured guidance. The Clinician Educator Milestones (CEMs) were introduced to address this gap, providing a roadmap for educators' growth and development. This study explores the effectiveness of CEMs as a tool for self-assessment and goal setting in medical education.

Methods: Participants in a medical education course at our University undertook self-assessment using CEMs and used this to develop educational development plans. Interviews were conducted to gather feedback and insights. The data were transcribed and analyzed thematically.

Results: Participants reported that CEMs supported effective goal setting, identifying development needs and recognizing support required. Thematic analysis revealed themes on the use of CEMs related to developing a clear vision for professional development, identifying new perspectives, relating theory to practice, reflecting on their own understanding and capabilities, and recognizing educational role models.

Discussion: The structured approach facilitated by CEMs aligns with the principles of Self-Determination Theory, empowering educators to take control of their development, enhance competence, and foster a sense of belonging within the medical education community. This research supports the efficacy of using CEMs to promote educators' growth and well-being.

Abstract: The underpinnings of adult learning theory are foundational to continuing medical education (CME). Several widely studied learning theories are relevant to medical providers including deliberate practice, situated learning theory and community of practice, social cognitive theory and self-determination, adaptive expertise, and experiential learning theory. The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education recognizes 11 types of CME activities each integrating these learning theories to some degree. Provider preferences are shaped by accessibility, cost, flexibility, and opportunities for networking leaving many balancing the convenience of online programs with the value of in-person interactions. The degree to which learning theories are integrated within CME activities is widely understudied despite their interwoven relationship and association to provider preferences. This analysis aims to (1) evaluate the degree various CME models integrate learning theory; (2) identify theory-led strengths and limitations of CME models; and (3) extrapolate themes for CME planners to strengthen theory integration. The three most common types of CME activities are enduring material (ie, web-based courses, web-based courses with simulation), live courses (ie, conferences, webinars, simulations), and regular scheduled series (ie, Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, speaker series). Integration of learning theory across 7 CME models was evaluated through a content analysis using a trichotomous classification system (fully integrated, partially integrated, or no integration). Results varied, with Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes and live simulations having the highest degree of theory integration. A thematic analysis identified five themes for improving theory integration including feedback mechanisms, structured self-reflection, adaptability to promote autonomy, repeat exposure to complex skills, and practice of humility.

Pulse of Surgery is an immersive educational initiative for the general public created in 2011 in partnership with the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Louisville Jewish Hospital/UofL Health and the Kentucky Science Center (Louisville, KY). Pulse of Surgery integrates a livestreamed cardiac surgery complemented by real-time bidirectional engagement and discussions with the surgical team and fun hands-on complementary educational activities. The goal of this initiative is to create an innovative, accessible, and equitable platform that may support cardiovascular health awareness and scientific curiosity and help participants envision themselves participating in and making potentially significant contributions to the STEM and health care fields. To date, 33,962 participants have participated in 238 Pulse of Surgery events. Total program reach includes broad community audiences, whereas student survey data came from a small sampling of middle/high school attendees (n = 94 respondents from November 2025 to May 2026, 6th-12th grades). Enthusiastic programmatic ratings included 90% of survey respondents reporting that it was an excellent or good educational experience and 79% reporting that participating improved their understanding of healthy lifestyle choices. The objective of this article is to present a programmatic overview of Pulse of Surgery and summary of participant and teacher feedback, with the aims of sharing our experiences and providing a roadmap for others to reproduce a memorable and educational surgical experience for the public.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Pulse of Surgery is a unique immersive experiential initiative for students and community members that integrates a live cardiac surgery complemented by real-time bidirectional engagement and discussions with the surgical team and fun hands-on educational activities. Overarching goals are to promote the health care fields, educate participants in strategies for maintaining cardiovascular health, and inspire the next generations to consider a STEM or health care career.