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Background: The transition from upper secondary to higher education and from higher education to professional practice requires that students adapt to new literacy practices, academic and professional. However, there is a gap of knowledge regarding literacy practices in dental education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify what characterizes dental students' notetaking and secondarily to determine what dental students express regarding their notetaking., Methods: To analyze students' perspectives about the purposes of notetaking and to examine their written notes in depth, three volunteer students, out of the 24 students that voluntarily and anonymously handed in their notes, were interviewed. The three undergraduate dental students that participated in this material-based, semi-structured interview study, framed within a New Literacy Studies approach, were on their third year (6th semester). The focus of these material-based interviews was on each student's notes. Questions prepared for semi-structured interviews were open-ended and allowed for individual follow-up questions related to the interviewee's answer. To analyze the outcome of the interviews a thematic analysis was used., Results: From the material-based interviews eight themes that relate to what, how and for what purpose students write were discerned. These eight themes include professional vocabulary, core content as well as clinical examples that belong to what students read and write; multimodal accentuation as well as synthesis that belong to how students read and write; and mnemonic strategies, academic purposes, and professional purposes that belong to for what purpose students read and write., Conclusions: Findings from the interviews indicate that the digital development, offering a variety of available tools, has expanded the notion of notetaking. This study identified that dental students' notetaking has changed during their education from initially being synchronous, to also include multimodal and asynchronous writing, making notetaking more of a writing practice. Further, students' writing practices seem to be motivated by their knowledge formation in relation to a subject matter, but also in relation to their experiences during clinical training. Although, our hypothesis was that the main purpose of notetaking and writing was to pass their course examinations, this study showed that students that were half-way through their dental education, are aware that literacy practices are for learning for their future profession, and not only for passing their exams.

Introduction: Students enrolled in professional pharmacy programs tend to have high prior academic achievement. This achievement may be predicated on their learning strategies. However, when entering a professional program, it is unclear if their strategies change to adopt to a new, more rigorous academic environment. The purpose of this research note is to document a single cohort of students' learning strategies over time within a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum., Methods: A single cohort from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy received yearly surveys regarding their learning strategies used during the past academic year. This cohort was tracked from prior to the start of the PharmD curriculum throughout the three-year duration of didactic course work. The survey was based on prior research of learning strategies., Results: Most learning strategies remained constant over time including the primary strategy of re-reading or re-watching videos. Using flashcards and completing practice problems decreased over time. In addition, students seem to migrate to cramming for examinations rather than spacing their study over time. Similar patterns were noted in the small cohort of students that completed all four surveys., Conclusions: Primary learning strategies do not seem to change with time but some secondary learning strategies may change over time., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Although tests and assessments--such as those used to maintain a physician's Board certification--are often viewed merely as tools for decision-making about one's performance level, strong evidence now indicates that the experience of being tested is a powerful learning experience in its own right: The act of retrieving targeted information from memory strengthens the ability to use it again in the future, known as the testing effect. We review meta-analytic evidence for the learning benefits of testing, including in the domain of medicine, and discuss theoretical accounts of its mechanism(s). We also review key moderators--including the timing, frequency, order, and format of testing and the content of feedback--and what they indicate about how to most effectively use testing for learning. We also identify open questions for the optimal use of testing, such as the timing of feedback and the sequencing of complex knowledge domains. Lastly, we consider how to facilitate adoption of this powerful study strategy by physicians and other learners.

Strategic note-taking is beneficial to students in that it provides a certain way a student can learn, and it can help a student perform better in courses. Taking strategic notes is seen as an important skill that is needed in a college setting. Strategic note-taking involves active listening, processing information, and writing. It is hypothesized that a student's strategic and extensive note-taking can yield a higher performance and achievement. Proper note-taking is a skill that many college students lack. The objective of this research study is to examine whether strategic-note taking improves science, engineering, and mathematics students' performance, achievement, and learning. A survey research was done and collected from 160 students of the City College of New York. The survey questionnaire included Likert-type and open-ended questions, which served to understand the students' views, perceptions, and beliefs about the benefits of strategic note-taking. Data collected from this research project show that note-taking improves students' recall of material, increases students' understanding of the content, assists in preparation for examinations, and improves their overall grades. Note-taking plays a role in gaining knowledge, learning and success in courses. Also, it is noteworthy that our data show a correlation between note-taking and grade point average (GPA); students who take better notes have higher GPAs.

Background: Pre-registration nursing students throughout the United Kingdom (UK) are required to complete a minimum number of theory hours within the course. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students are required to attend campus for approximately fifty percent of the theory hours. The remaining theory hours are often labelled as 'study time' in which students are not required to attend campus. There is a general assumption amongst many academics that all students are prepared and motivated to direct their learning and therefore use this time to study. However some students chose to work during this time and many have dependents. Considering the increasing cost of nurse education combined with the government cuts to student bursaries in England it is timely to review the literature to determine how study time is used within pre-registration nurse education., Objective: To present a critical review of the literature pertaining to study time in pre-registration nurse education., Design: An integrative review of the literature., Data Sources: A search of electronic databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL); Cochrane; Medline; Science Direct; Blackwell Synergy; Electronic Journals Service (EJS); Scopus; Taylor & Francis, Eric and Routledge Wiley was undertaken., Review Methods: The inclusion criteria consisted of peer reviewed primary research, discussion papers, unpublished doctoral theses' and editorial papers directly related to the key words and nurse education published in English., Results: Twelve papers were included in the review. Analysis of the papers led to the development of two themes: orientation to self-directed learning (SDL) and preparation for SDL., Conclusions: The literature demonstrates that pre-registration nursing students lack the necessary skills for SDL. There is a lack of research on how study time is used within pre-registration nurse education. This calls for empirical research to fully explore how nursing students and lecturers perceive study time within pre-registration nursing curricula., (Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine factors that determine the interindividual variability of learning within a team-based learning environment., Methods: Students in a pharmacokinetics course were given 4 interim, low-stakes cumulative assessments throughout the semester and a cumulative final examination. Students' Myers-Briggs personality type was assessed, as well as their study skills, motivations, and attitudes towards team-learning. A latent curve model (LCM) was applied and various covariates were assessed to improve the regression model., Results: A quadratic LCM was applied for the first 4 assessments to predict final examination performance. None of the covariates examined significantly impacted the regression model fit except metacognitive self-regulation, which explained some of the variability in the rate of learning. There were some correlations between personality type and attitudes towards team learning, with introverts having a lower opinion of team-learning than extroverts., Conclusion: The LCM could readily describe the learning curve. Extroverted and introverted personality types had the same learning performance even though preference for team-learning was lower in introverts. Other personality traits, study skills, or practice did not significantly contribute to the learning variability in this course.

Students take three approaches to learning and studying: deep, surface and strategic, influenced by the learning environment. Following the General Medical Council's report "Tomorrow's Doctors," a deep approach was cultivated in Years 1 and 2 of a university undergraduate medical programme by introducing explicit written learning objectives constructed according to Biggs' SOLO taxonomy, problem-based learning and constructively aligned in-course assignments and examinations. The effect of these changes was measured with the Approaches to Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST). Scores were highest for a deep approach and lowest for a surface approach and showed relatively little change during the degree programme, apart from a slight fall in the scores for a surface approach, particularly for students undertaking an intercalated science degree. Possible explanations include: students' approaches may be established prior to university entry; deep scores were already high at the beginning of the programme and may be difficult to increase further; the changes in learning environment may not be strong enough to alter approaches which students perceive as having been successful.

Examined dissonant forms of teaching and their relation to student learning. Found that in units of study, students report a higher quality learning experience (deep approaches), and the relationships between approaches to teaching and perceptions of the teaching context are consonant and coherent for the more senior teachers. In units of study in which students report a lower quality learning experience (surface approaches), the relationships are more dissonant and incoherent. (EV)

Compared 20 high school sophomores who participated in a special program on personal and academic growth and 128 of their nonprogram peers on achievement and related measures. Found significant differences on achievement, attendance, learning and study behavior skills, self-concept, and other pertinent psychosocial attributes. (Author/ABL)

Students in a large lecture course were asked to complete the Notetaking Perceptions Survey, an instrument that assesses students' perceptions of the worth or value of notetaking, their perceived level of notetaking activity, and their degree of confidence about their own notetaking skill. (Author/MLW)

Current approaches to helping students learn, chiefly in Britain and involving groups rather than individuals, are reviewed and related to research on learning. Four issues are explored: learning and studying; problems of subject and context; change, autonomy and the learner; and the relationship between research and development. (Author/JMD)

A learning strategy system and a set of training procedures to facilitate the communication of this system to college-age students were developed. Students receiving this training exhibited significantly greater positive precourse-postcourse changes on comprehension/retention and self-report measures than did students in the control groups. (Author/RD)