Back to Search
Start Over
Total Student Workload: Implications of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System for an Integrated, Problem-Based Medical Curriculum
- Source :
- Health Professions Education, Vol 3, Iss 2, Pp 99-107 (2017)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Purpose: How much time students spent on unstructured self-study activities in problem-based learning is not clear. The study addressed this issue by (1) identifying the nature of students’ unstructured learning activities in a problem-based medical curriculum, (2) measuring the unstructured student workload per week and per semester, and (3) assigning European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System units to the medical problem-based modules based on calculating the total student workload. Method: Nineteen undergraduate medical students in the pre-clerkship phase were enrolled in the study. Data about the nature of unstructured learning activities and the amount of time spent on them were collected through focus group interviews (n=19); and a log diary method (n=13) describing their unstructured educational activities over one week. A response evaluation model and a thematic description approach were employed for data collection and data analysis respectively. Results: A broad variations of unstructured learning activities were identified. The unstructured student workload ranged from 33 to 41 h/wk., while the total student workload was 63/58 h/wk. for years 2 and 3 respectively. The total student workload in a 15-week semester was 945 h in year 2 and 870 h in year 3, which equates with about 34 and 31 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System per semester for years 2 and 3, respectively. Discussion: Measuring student total workload in a problem-based program is important for evading the associated overload, and improving the quality of teaching and learning. Calculating student workload in an integrated problem-based curriculum is a challenge. Total student workload is the foundation for determination of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System units. Measuring unstructured student workload (or “out-of-class” learning time) is an important component of total student workload. Assigning the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System to problem-based programs improves its quality assurance, and has educational, curricular, and organizational impact. Therefore, student workload in such programs should be regularity monitored and evaluated.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 24523011
- Volume :
- 3
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Health Professions Education
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.7f460ee1661b4ff08253c6fa2385d9ec
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpe.2017.01.002