Problem-based learning (PBL) with simulated cases is one method of delivering standardized pediatric curricular objectives, but the fact that students are dispersed and participating in community-based practices makes group meetings difficult. To address these issues, researchers developed and tested a new modality for presenting PBL cases, a…

The 1999 Minnesota Legislature asked for a study of the borrowing and repayment problems of students in the Academic Health Center (AHC) at the University of Minnesota. Findings of this study show that most graduate and professional students at the AHC borrowed by the time they completed their graduation or professional programs. Many borrowed…

Many educational institutions have moved toward situated learning and problem-based learning (PBL) in which students, to learn, must rely on investigations of problems within an authentic professional context. A study examined and described how students read and learn in such a context. Results of a 1995 qualitative study showed that four out of…

Assessed long-term effects of a seminar on aging for first-year medical students (N=19) prior to medical school graduation. Compared to controls (N=28), seminar students held more favorable attitudes toward the elderly and perceived contacts with elderly patients in a more complex manner, suggesting lasting effects. (Author/JAC)

First-year medical students participating in a psychiatry elective course experienced both a smaller decrease in satisfaction with school and student-faculty relationships and less loneliness than nonparticipants during the study period. Sex differences in the results are noted. (MSE)

A study of University of Arizona law and medical students revealed no difference in overall stress levels, but law students showed higher stress on the academic and fear-of-failing subscales. Some specific program areas were more stressful, certain stressors were found to be held in common, and support system use differed. (MSE)

The relationship between performance on a simulated patient and a real patient presenting a similar clinical problem is examined. Ten residents in family and internal medicine interviewed and examined four actual and four simulated patients and correctly identified 67 percent as real or simulated. (Author/MLW)

Multiple regression processes are employed to assess the effect of student age on preclinical medical school achievement in the context of eight other predictor variables. Results indicate that student age fails to contribute to the explanation of preclinical achievement after the influence of the other variables is taken into account. (Author/CM)

Investigated development of propositional logic and three formal logical schemata (underlying generic problem solving processes/operations) in adults (N=59) enrolled in their second year of medical school. Two students were formal on the 12-Piagetian tasks used, and the 57 remaining were classified as transitional formal. Implications are…

A problem-based, criterion-referenced examination of clinical competence was developed in order to positively influence students' learning in the direction of the faculty's clinical objectives. High satisfaction and high perceived relevance among students accompanied high reliability and validity. (MSE)

A three-year study compared entry-level and junior-level clinically oriented reading and writing skills of 231 medical students. Entry-level skills were found to be the best predictors of clinical skills. Inclusion of communication skills training in admission criteria and/or medical curriculum are recommended. (Author/MSE)

A study investigated possible relationships between performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners Part I exam and personality types to identify learning styles that may predict difficulty with that kind of testing. Results show the tests are most difficult for the personality types most easily admitted to medical school. (MSE)