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Introduction: The curricular implementation of events (or programs) for science-related training in human medicine has been on the agenda of the medical faculties since the publication of the Federal-State Working Group . The Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne developed and established a systematic, longitudinal science curriculum together with the start of the model curriculum in human medicine in 2003. Here, we investigate the questions of whether the described (para-) curricular elements are accepted by students and lecturers and how they are evaluated, especially by students. In addition, we investigate whether selected parameters can be used to demonstrate changes in the students' scientific activities.Project description: The program “Research and Medical Studies” (RaMS) consists of several components: these elements of the mandatory curricular (Scientific Projects, SP) and optional components (Research in Medical Studies (RiMS), Research Track (RT), Research Fair Cologne (RFC)) are described here. Results were recorded at various levels: Results: The students’ acceptance of mandatory and paracurricular courses of the RaMS program is pleasingly high, which is not surprising, at least in the case of the voluntary courses. The participation of students in RiMS, RT and RFC is satisfactory for voluntary courses. In the case of the RT, with certified participation of approximately 47% of all registrations (corresponding to 10% of the total cohort), this is comparable to similar programs. It can be shown that the number of experimental science projects has more than doubled over time in parallel with the development of RaMS. The average number of provided projects according to the RFC is 42 (which corresponds to a placement rate of approx. 1:4). The number of successful student applications for a research support grant during the period the measures were implemented has doubled.Discussion and conclusion: The RaMS program shows a route for the implementation of the SP required by the next licensing regulations in medical education, which was initially supported and expanded solitarily, later by further elements (RiMS), also in the sense of a science-based career development (RT, RFC). The student acceptance and the measured success, in the form of successful participation in the Research Track, increased choice of experimental projects, significant increase of submitted as well as approved research grants and the high project placement rate of the Research Fair, encourage the further development of the program, which is indicated in the conclusion.

Background: The 2002 Medical Licensure Act gave German universities certain freedoms for reforming their medical degree courses. The Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne took advantage of this opportunity and introduced a model study course in the winter semester 2003/04 through §41 of the Medical Licensure Act. One of the main reasons for this was that back then there was an increasing shortage of doctors in clinical curative medicine and GP primary care. This study investigates whether the introduction of the Cologne Model Study Course (MSG) can show stronger interest in curative medical work (especially General Practice) compared to students of the standard degree course (RSG).Methodology: The proof of added value was examined through graduate surveys conducted at the University of Cologne and through the proportion of students who completed the PY elective rotation “General Practice”. The students of the standard degree course (start of studies prior to winter semester 2003/2004) were compared with students of the model study course (start of studies from winter semester 2003/04 onwards). Measurements were carried out using descriptive frequency tables and correlation analyzes according to Spearman.Results: The students’ interest in curative medicine was already high (91%) even before the model study course was introduced and increased only slightly (to 91.9%). There is also only a slight increase in specialization in General Practice (RSG=5.9% vs. MSG=9.2%). However, selection of rotations in General Practice was significantly increased (RSG=1.9% vs. MSG=3.4%, r=0.046 **, p

Objective: The internationalization of teaching and studying as well as increasing numbers of students with increasingly heterogeneous educational biographies and lifestyles require universities to develop awareness of this diversity and the need for adequate diversity management. For some diversity criteria at least it has been proven that they can influence the individual study success of students. The Dean’s Office of the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne has empirically determined a stable prognosis parameter for study progression on the basis of selected criteria in order to enable early detection of students in need of guidance. This will then be used for targeted, diversity-oriented study guidance. On the one hand a correspondingly adapted guidance offer should take into account individual study progressions. On the other hand, measures to improve the equal opportunities of students with regard to their academic success can be discussed.Methodology: With the help of study progression analyses, study progress of cohorts can be recorded longitudinally. The study progression analysis implemented in the control of faculty teaching serves as a central forecasting and steering tool for the forthcoming concept of diversity-oriented study guidance. The significance measurement of the various features is determined using binary logistic regression analyses.Results: As part of the study progression analyses, the has the strongest influence on the concordance with the minimum duration of study in the pre-clinical phase, followed by the characteristics and The school leaving grade only just misses the required significance level of p

Introduction: Teaching social and communicative competences has become an important part of undergraduate dental education. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of a longitudinal curriculum, addressing social and communication skills, on dental students’ attitudes towards learning these skills.Material and methods: Data on the attitudes towards learning communication skills were collected at two German universities and compared in a cross-sectional survey. 397 dental students were included, 175 students attended a longitudinal curriculum addressing social and communicative competences while 222 students did not. The dental students’ attitude towards learning communication skills was measured by a German version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS-D). Results: Dental students who participated in a longitudinal communication curriculum had significantly lower negative attitudes towards learning communication skills than students who did not attend such courses. Differences in positive attitudes could not be found. Significant interaction effects were found for the factors gender and section of study: female students in the clinical section of their study who participated in the longitudinal curriculum reported higher positive attitudes and lower negative attitudes compared to female students in the preclinical section of study. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that a longitudinal curriculum addressing communication skills can enhance positive and reduce negative attitudes towards learning communication skills. More longitudinal data is needed to explore to what extent gender affects development of communication skills and how students’ attitudes towards learning communication change in the long run.

Introduction: The external chest compression is a very important skill required to maintain a minimum of circulation during cardiac arrest until further medical procedures can be taken. Peyton’s 4-Steps-Approach is one method of skill training, the four steps being:Based on CPR skill training, this method is widely, allegedly predominantly used, although there are insufficient studies on Peyton’s 4-Steps-Approach for skill training in CPR in comparison with other methods of skill training. In our study, we compared the medium- term effects on learning external chest compression with a CPR training device in three different groups: PEY (Peyton’s 4-Steps-Approach), PMOD (Peyton’s 4-Steps-Approach without Step 3) and STDM, the standard model, according to the widely spread method “see one, do one” (this is equal to Peyton’s step 1 and 3).Material and Methods: This prospective and randomised pilot study took place during the summer semester of 2009 at the SkillsLab and Simulation Centre of the University of Cologne (Kölner interprofessionelles Skills Lab und Simulationszentrum - KISS). The subjects were medical students (2 and 3 semester). They volunteered for the study and were randomised in three parallel groups, each receiving one of the teaching methods mentioned above. One week and 5/6 months after the intervention, an objective, structured single assessment was taken. Compression rate, compression depth, correct compressions, and the sum of correct checklist items were recorded. Additionally, we compared cumulative percentages between the groups based on the correct implementation of the resuscitation guidelines during that time.Results: The examined sample consisted of 134 subjects (68% female; age 22±4; PEY: n=62; PMOD: n=31; STDM: n=41). There was no difference between the groups concerning age, gender, pre-existing experience in CPR or time of last CPR course. The only significant difference between the groups was the mean compression rate (bpm): Group 1 (PEY) with 99±17 bpm, Group 2 (PMOD) with 101±16 bpm and Group 3 (STDM) with 90±16 bpm (p=0,007 for Group 3 vs. Group 1 and Group 3 vs. Group 2, Mann-Whitney- U-Test). We observed no significant differences between the groups after the second assessment.Conclusion: Our study showed that there are no essential differences in external chest compression during CPR performed by medical students dependent on the teaching method (Peyton vs. “Non-Peyton”) implemented with regard to the medium-term effects. The absence of benefits could possibly be due to the simplicity of external chest compression.

Objectives: Since 2009, the University of Cologne has been developing a longitudinal curriculum for teaching social and communicative skills to dental students (LSK-Dent) based on the recommendations of the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE). As a part of this curriculum it was considered to develop a reception service in the undergraduate treatment courses of the Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology involving the organizational and administrative handling of the patients by the students. Students should gain an insight into everyday practice and the reception service should function as a learning environment for social und communicative competences. This article introduces the LSK-Dent project, the implementation of the reception service and presents initial evaluation results.Methods: Patients (n=575) and students (n=53) filled out a questionnaire. Additionally, four semi-structured interviews with students were conducted.Results: The reception service was successfully implemented and endorsed by the students. First indications suggest that the reception service was well received by students as a learning environment for social und communicative competences and viewed as an opportunity to gain an insight into everyday practice.Conclusion: The reception service is an innovative addition to the treatment courses and an example for transforming an already existing reality in a course into a new learning environment for students. To what extent the implementation of reflexive elements can increase the subjectively perceived additional benefit by students, has to be addressed in further studies.

[english] Objectives: As a fundamental element of medical practice, clinical reasoning should be cultivated in courses of study in human medicine. To date, however, no conclusive evidence has been offered as to what forms of teaching and learning are most effective in achieving this goal. The Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) was developed as a means of measuring knowledge-unrelated components of clinical reasoning. The present pilot study examines the adequacy of this instrument in measuring differences in the clinical reasoning of students in varying stages of education in three curricula of medical studies. Methods: The Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) comprises 41 items in two subscales (“Flexibility in Thinking” and “Structure of Knowledge in Memory”). Each item contains a statement or finding concerning clinical reasoning in the form of a stem under which a 6-point scale presents opposing conclusions. The subjects are asked to assess their clinical thinking within this range. The German-language version of the DTI was completed by 247 student volunteers from three schools and varying clinical semesters. In a quasi-experimental design, 219 subjects from traditional and model courses of study in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia took part. Specifically, these were 5, 6 and 8 semester students from the model course of study at Witten/Herdecke University (W/HU), from the model (7 and 9 semester) and traditional (7 semester) courses of study at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and from the model course of study (9 semester) at the University of Cologne (UoC). The data retrieved were quantitatively assessed.Results: The reliability of the questionnaire in its entirety was good (Cronbach’s alpha between 0.71 and 0.83); the reliability of the subscales ranged between 0.49 and 0.75. The different groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney test, revealing significant differences among semester cohorts within a school as well as between students from similar academic years in different schools. Among the participants from the model course of study at the W/HU, scores increased from the 5 to the 6 semester and from the 5 to the 9 semester. Among individual cohorts at RUB, no differences could be established between model and traditional courses of study or between 7 and 9 semester students in model courses of study. Comparing all participating highest semester students, the 8 semester participants from the W/HU achieved the highest scores – significantly higher than those of 9 semester RUB students or 9 semester UoC students. Scores from the RUB 9 semester participants were significantly higher than those of the 9 semester UoC participants.Discussion: The German-language version of the DTI measures self-assessed differences in diagnostic reasoning among students from various semesters and different model and traditional courses of study with satisfactory reliability. The results can be used for discussion in the context of diverse curricula. The DTI is therefore appropriate for further research that can then be correlated with the different teaching method characteristics and outcomes of various curricula.

[english] During the last decade, medical education in the German-speaking world has been striving to become more practice-oriented. This is currently being achieved in many schools through the implementation of simulation-based instruction in Skills Labs. Simulators are thus an essential part of this type of medical training, and their acquisition and operation by a Skills Lab require a large outlay of resources. Therefore, the Practical Skills Committee of the Medical Education Society (GMA) introduced a new project, which aims to improve the flow of information between the Skills Labs and enable a transparent assessment of the simulators via an online database (the Simulator Network).[german] Die medizinische Ausbildung im deutschsprachigen Raum bemüht sich vermehrt in der letzten Dekade um mehr Praxisbezug. Dieser wird mittlerweile an vielen Fakultäten durch simulations-basierten Unterricht in Skills Labs implementiert. Simulatoren sind damit essentieller Bestandteil für diese Art der medizinischen Ausbildung. Ihre Beschaffung und der Betrieb im Rahmen eines Skills Lab verlangen einen großen Einsatz von Ressourcen. Hier soll daher ein Projekt des Ausschusses für praktische Fertigkeiten der Gesellschaft für medizinische Ausbildung vorgestellt werden, welches eine Online-Datenbank (das Simulatorennetzwerk) für einen bessern Informationsfluss zwischen den Skills Labs und für eine transparente Bewertung der Simulatoren ermöglicht.

[english] Objective: Simulations of doctor-patient interactions have become a popular method for the training of medical skills, primarily communication skills. A new questionnaire for the measurement of students’ satisfaction with medical courses using this technique is presented, the Student Evaluation Scale for Medical Courses with Simulations of the Doctor-Patient Interaction (SES-Sim).Method: A set of items focusing on the course quality and the core elements of simulations was created and presented to 220 medical students who had been trained with this method.Results: Based on factor-analyses 18 items were selected for the final version of the scale, which represent five dimensions: learning success, actors, premises, tutors and students. The five dimensions are all significantly correlated with a 1-item-measure of the general satisfaction with the course.Conclusion: The SES-Sim enables tutors to assess in an economic way whether the course has met the students’ needs and what can be done better.[german] Zielsetzung: Simulationen von Arzt-Patient-Interaktionen sind zu einer beliebten Methode für das Training medizinischer Kompetenzen, insbesondere kommunikativer Fähigkeiten, geworden. Ein neuer Fragebogen zur Erfassung der studentischen Zufriedenheit mit Lehrveranstaltungen, in denen diese Methode eingesetzt wird, wird vorgestellt, die Studentische Evaluations-Skala für Lehrveranstaltungen mit Simulationen der Arzt-Patient-Interaktion (SES-Sim).Methodik: Eine Zusammenstellung von Items, die inhaltlich auf die Qualität des Kurses und die zentralen Elemente von Simulationen abzielen, wurde gebildet und 220 Medizinstudierenden vorgelegt, die mit dieser Methode trainiert worden waren.Ergebnisse: Auf der Basis von Faktorenanalysen wurden 18 Items für die Endversion der Skala ausgewählt, die fünf Dimensionen repräsentieren: Lernerfolg, Schauspielpatienten, Räumlichkeiten, Dozenten und Studierende. Die fünf Dimensionen korrelieren alle bedeutsam mit einer 1-Item-Messung der generellen Zufriedenheit mit dem Kurs.Schlussfolgerung: Die SES-Sim ermöglicht es Lehrenden, auf ökonomische Weise einschätzen zu können, ob der Kurs den Bedürfnissen der Studierenden entsprach und was verbessert werden kann.

[english] Introduction: Encouraged by the change in licensing regulations the practical professional skills in Germany received a higher priority and are taught in medical schools therefore increasingly. This created the need to standardize the process more and more. On the initiative of the German skills labs the German Medical Association Committee for practical skills was established and developed a competency-based catalogue of learning objectives, whose origin and structure is described here.Goal of the catalogue is to define the practical skills in undergraduate medical education and to give the medical schools a rational planning basis for the necessary resources to teach them.Methods: Building on already existing German catalogues of learning objectives a multi-iterative process of condensation was performed, which corresponds to the development of S1 guidelines, in order to get a broad professional and political support.Results: 289 different practical learning goals were identified and assigned to twelve different organ systems with three overlapping areas to other fields of expertise and one area of across organ system skills. They were three depths and three different chronological dimensions assigned and the objectives were matched with the Swiss and the Austrian equivalent.Discussion: This consensus statement may provide the German faculties with a basis for planning the teaching of practical skills and is an important step towards a national standard of medical learning objectives.Looking ahead: The consensus statement may have a formative effect on the medical schools to teach practical skills and plan the resources accordingly.[german] Einleitung: Angestoßen durch die Änderung der Approbationsordnung haben die berufspraktischen Kompetenzen in Deutschland eine höhere Priorität erhalten und werden in den medizinischen Fakultäten deswegen vermehrt vermittelt. Dadurch entstand die Notwendigkeit, den Prozess mehr und mehr zu standardisieren. Auf Initiative der deutschsprachigen Skills Labs wurde der GMA-Ausschuss für praktische Fertigkeiten gegründet, der einen kompetenzbasierten Lernzielkatalog entwickelte, dessen Entstehung und Struktur hier beschrieben wird.Ziel des Kataloges ist es, die praktischen Fertigkeiten im Medizinstudium zu definieren und damit den Fakultäten eine rationale Planungsgrundlage für die zur Vermittlung praktischer Fertigkeiten notwendigen Ressourcen zu geben.Methodik: Aufbauend auf schon vorhandenen deutschsprachigen Lernzielkatalogen wurde mittels einem mehrfach iterativem Kondensationsprozesses, der der Erarbeitung von S1-Leitlinien entspricht, vorgegangen, um eine breite fachliche und politische Abstützung zu erhalten. Ergebnisse: Es wurden 289 verschiedene praktische Lernziele identifiziert, die zwölf verschiedenen Organsystemen, drei Grenzbereichen zu anderen Kompetenzbereichen und einem Bereich mit organsystemübergreifenden Fertigkeiten zugeordnet. Sie wurden drei verschiedenen zeitlichen und drei verschiedenen Tiefendimensionen zugeordnet und mit dem Schweizer und dem Österreichischem Pendant abgeglichen. Diskussion: Das vorliegende Konsensusstatement kann den deutschen Fakultäten eine Grundlage zur Planung der Vermittlung praktischer Fertigkeiten bieten und bildet einen wichtigen Schritt zu einem nationalen Standard medizinischer Lernziele.Blick in die Zukunft: Das Konsensusstatement soll einen formativen Effekt auf die medizinischen Fakultäten haben, ihre praktischen Unterrichtsinhalte entsprechend zu vermitteln und die Ressourcen danach zu planen.

[english] Background: With the reformed curriculum “4C”, the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne has started to systematically plan practical skills training, for which Clerkship Maturity is the first step. The key guidelines along which the curriculum was development were developed by experts. This approach has now been validated. Materials and methods: Both students and teachers were asked to fill in a questionnaire regarding preclinical practical skills training to confirm the concept of Clerkship Maturity. Results and discussion: The Cologne training program Clerkship Maturity can be validated empirically overall through the activities of the students awaiting the clerkship framework and through the evaluation by the medical staff providing the training. The subjective ratings of the advantages of the training by the students leave room for improvement. Apart from minor improvements to the program, the most likely solution providing sustainable results will involve an over-regional strategy for establishing skills training planned as part of the curriculum.[german] Hintergrund: Mit dem Modellstudiengang Humanmedizin hat die Medizinische Fakultät der Universität zu Köln begonnen, die praktische Ausbildung, deren erster Schritt die „Famulaturreife“ ist, systematisch zu planen. Dabei wurden die handlungsleitenden Strukturen, entlang derer das Curriculum entwickelt wurde, auf Experteneinschätzung basierend entworfen. Dieses Vorgehen wurde nun einer Validierung unterworfen.Material und Methode: Sowohl Studierende als auch Lehrende wurden mit einem Fragebogen zur Ausbildung in Praktischen Fertigkeiten konfrontiert, um das Konstrukt „Famulaturreife“ zu bestätigen. Ergebnisse und Diskussion: Das Kölner Ausbildungsprogramm zur „Famulaturreife“ kann insgesamt empirisch durch die Tätigkeiten der Studierenden im Rahmen der Famulatur sowie durch die Einschätzung seitens der ausbildenden Ärzte bestätigt werden. Der subjektiv durch die Studierenden bewertete Nutzen ist steigerungsfähig. Hier kann, neben kleineren Programmverbesserungen, am ehesten eine überregionale Gesamtstrategie für die Etablierung von curricular geplantem Fertigkeitstraining nachhaltig Abhilfe schaffen.

[english] The aim of this paper, written by the committee of educational research methodology of the “Society for Medical Education” of the German-speaking countries, will give recommendations for the review process of scientific papers in medical education. The recommendations are based on the results of a workshop in 2007 and on a survey among reviewers of the journal GMS Z Med Ausbild. It reflects on international standards and research in medical education in Germany. The paper describes reviewer’s function concerning the journal of GMS Z Med Ausbild and specifies criteria for the review process with regard to the editors and reviewers; it also gives proposals for a feedback to the author. The catalogue of criteria for the reviewers is pictured in a checklist. The present recommendations shall help to increase the quality of the review process and to improve the national and international acceptance of the journal GMS Z Med Ausbild. Additionally, transparency of the review processes will support authors to submit a scientific article of high quality. [german] Ziel des vorliegenden Artikels des „Ausschusses für Methodik der Ausbildungsforschung“ der Gesellschaft für Medizinische Ausbildung ist, Empfehlungen für die Begutachtung von Manuskripten in der medizinischen Ausbildungsforschung vorzustellen. Die Empfehlungen basieren auf den Ergebnissen eines Workshops 2007 und einer Befragung von Gutachtern. Sie berücksichtigen darüber hinaus sowohl internationale Standards als auch die Situation der medizinischen Ausbildungsforschung in Deutschland. Es werden die Aufgaben eines Gutachters der GMS Z Med Ausbild dargelegt und Kriterien für den Begutachtungsprozess sowohl für die Herausgeber als auch für die Gutachter beschrieben. Sie enthalten außerdem Vorschläge für ein Autoren-Feedback. Der Kriterienkatalog für die Gutachter wird darüberhinaus in einer Checkliste abgebildet. Die vorliegenden Empfehlungen sollen dazu beitragen, die Qualität des Begutachtungsprozesses zu steigern und das nationale und internationale Ansehen der Fachzeitschrift GMS Z Med Ausbild zu verbessern. Die Transparenz des Begutachtungsprozesses dient den Autoren, einen qualitativ hochwertigen und anspruchsvollen Beitrag einzureichen.

[english] The new Medical Licensure Act (Approbationsordnung für Ärzte 2002, ÄAppO) involves several changes to preclinical education: In particular, the new “seminars with clinical context” and “integrated seminars” stipulated by the ÄAppO are points of discussion. Since there are only a few publications on this topic, it is the target of this article to describe the “new” seminars and to comment on their implementation. We contacted all 36 German medical faculties and, using a semistandardized questionnaire (rate of return: 50%), surveyed them about their implementation and appreciation of these seminars. Thirty-nine percent of medical faculties combine both seminars into one course. In the remaining faculties, there seems to be a close conceptual connection between these seminars, so that the actual difference between the two remains blurred. In many cases, the new seminars are integrated into preexisting seminars and practical training courses. Only two out of three medical faculties seem to have concrete instructions in the curriculum regarding the implementation of these seminars. The integration of clinical content in preclinical education enjoys a high acceptance among students and teaching staff alike. However, there has been criticism that, by fulfilling the concrete legal requirements of the new ÄAppO, students are overburdened in terms of time and content and the faculties’ teaching capacity is overstretched. Nevertheless, we can conclude that the requirements of the ÄAppO concerning implementation of the new seminars are being fulfilled. [german] Die neue Approbationsordnung für Ärzte vom 27.06.2002 brachte auch für den vorklinischen Bereich einige Neuerungen mit sich. So sind insbesondere die nun eingeführten „Seminare mit Klinischem Bezug“ bzw. „Integrierten Seminare“ nach § 2 Abs. 2 zu nennen. Da bisher nur wenige Publikationen zu diesem zentralen Thema des Einbezugs von Klinischem in die Vorklinik existieren, ist das Ziel dieser Arbeit diese „neuen“ Seminare zu beschreiben und ihre Umsetzung zu kommentieren. Hierzu wurden alle 36 Medizinischen Fakultäten Deutschlands angeschrieben (verwertbarer Rücklauf 50%) und mittels eines semistandardisierten Fragebogens nach Ihrer Umsetzung bzw. Wertschätzung jener Seminare befragt. 39% der Befragten bieten die beiden Seminare als gemeinsame Veranstaltung an. Auch bei den übrigen Veranstaltern scheint es eine enge konzeptionelle Verknüpfung zu geben. Die inhaltliche Differenzierung zwischen den „Seminaren mit Klinischem Bezug“ und den „Integrierten Seminaren“ bleibt offen. Die neuen Veranstaltungen werden häufig in bereits nach Anlage 1 ÄAppO bestehende Seminare und/oder Praktika integriert. Zwei Drittel der Fakultäten gaben an, curriculare Vorgaben für die Umsetzung der Seminare zu haben, jedoch nur zwei konnten oder wollten diese auch ausweisen. Bezüglich der Wertschätzung durch die Studierenden und Lehrenden ergab sich, dass das Einbringen von klinischen Inhalten in die Vorklinik von beiden Seiten her überwiegend begrüßt wird. Die konkreten Anforderungen durch § 2 Abs. 2 der neuen ÄAppO, werden vereinzelt kritisiert, hauptsächlich aus dem Grunde, dass sie die Studierenden zeitlich und/oder inhaltlich überfordern bzw. die Lehrkapazität sprengen würden. Insgesamt kann aber trotzdem resümiert werden, dass die Umsetzung dieser vorklinischen Anforderungen der ÄAppO zwar sehr unterschiedlich aber dennoch vollzogen wurde.

[english] The use of portfolio offers the possibility to get an overall picture of the learning process and the learning progress. Here, the possibility to learn from experience by self-reflection is in the centre of attention. Depending on the strictness of the given format the rather moderate reliability can be improved significantly. Content validity understood as face validity is guaranteed, while otherwise data on the validity of portfolios are insufficient at the moment. Thus portfolio is a tool, which particularly fits to a formative use (feedback to the students) and only with restrictions to the summative assessment of the students' work. It always has to be discussed considering the "teach and learn philosophy" the framing curriculum is based on. Portfolio assessment as such has to be understood (for the moment) not as a substitute for traditional assessment formats but as a useful complement in the learning process (of which examinations are an indispensable part). [german] Der Portfolio-Ansatz bietet die Möglichkeit, ein umfassendes Bild des Lernprozesses sowie des Lernfortschrittes zu erhalten. Die Möglichkeit, durch (Selbst-) Reflexion aus Erfahrung zu lernen, steht hier im Vordergrund. In Abhängigkeit von der Strenge des vorgegebenen Formates kann die eher moderate Reliabilität deutlich verbessert werden. Inhaltliche Validität im Sinne der "face validity" ist sichergestellt, während ansonsten die Daten zur Validität des Portfolio bislang unzureichend sind. Das "Portfolio" ist somit ein Instrument, das sich besonders zum formativen Einsatz (Rückmeldung an die Studierenden) und nur mit Einschränkungen zur summativen Prüfung des Leistungsstandes von Studierenden eignet. Dies ist stets im Zusammenhang mit der "Lehr- und Lernphilosophie" zu diskutieren, die einem Curriculum zugrunde liegt, im Rahmen dessen Portfolios zum Einsatz kommen sollen. Das Portfolio ist somit (derzeit) kein Ersatz für etablierte Prüfungsformate, sondern will als wertvolle Ergänzung im Lernprozess (dessen unabdingbarer Bestandteil Prüfungen sind) verstanden werden.

Medical education is experiencing a paradigm shift towards more interactive and collaborative pedagogical approaches. Barcamps, also known as unconferences, offer an interactive, participant-driven learning approach. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of using barcamps as an educational model in medical education. Furthermore, the possibility of establishing barcamps in medical education as a pedagogical tool is discussed. The study integrates two evaluations to achieve a multifaceted understanding: a pilot study conducted in 2022 and a subsequent feasibility study in 2023. Participation in the barcamps and their evaluations was voluntary. We combined quantitative data, primarily from post-event evaluations, and qualitative data from open-ended survey questions. These methods were designed to capture a broad range of participant experiences and perceptions. The pilot study in 2022 included 11 participants and produced a response rate for the evaluations. The feasibility study in 2023 had 34 participants but a lower evaluation response rate of 53%. Both barcamps were generally positively evaluated by the participants, indicating a high level of satisfaction and perceived value. Regarding the active participation of participants, the wide range of presented topics highlights the adaptability and flexibility of the barcamp model. Attendees at the pilot mentioned a significantly higher previous experience with barcamps. The study suggests that barcamps are generally well received as an interactive and collaborative educational tool in medical education, reflected by high participant evaluation scores. The wide range of topics presented and discussed indicates that barcamps can accommodate diverse educational needs and interests. However, the study also identified areas for improvement, most notably in the structure of topic plans and the overall learning environment. Finally, the principals for barcamps might adapt to other educational methods by adding more interaction, choice, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, and caring to the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]