Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.

Clinical workplace learning is often suboptimal due to the dynamics of the clinical learning environment and several challenges encountered in clinical practice. At LUMC, clinical teachers introduced a novel blended learning program that included both the introduction of a Clinical Teaching Unit (CT...

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Main Authors: Esther C Hamoen, Floris M van Blankenstein, Peter G M de Jong, Marlies E J Reinders
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316858
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author Esther C Hamoen
Floris M van Blankenstein
Peter G M de Jong
Marlies E J Reinders
author_facet Esther C Hamoen
Floris M van Blankenstein
Peter G M de Jong
Marlies E J Reinders
author_sort Esther C Hamoen
collection DOAJ
description Clinical workplace learning is often suboptimal due to the dynamics of the clinical learning environment and several challenges encountered in clinical practice. At LUMC, clinical teachers introduced a novel blended learning program that included both the introduction of a Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) and Small Private Online Course (SPOC). This study aimed to analyze the educational content and design of our educational interventions, by categorizing and comparing the dimensions of the learning program before and after the interventions. The novel blended learning program was integrated into a clerkship internal medicine, aiming to optimize clerks' clinical workplace learning. Therefore, a traditional inpatient ward was transformed into a CTU, featuring the introduction of learning activities that promoted multidisciplinary and interprofessional learning. It included an integrated SPOC, aiming to improve clinical reasoning skills, feedback and collaboration of the clerks. The authors analyzed the clerkships' content and design, by categorizing the social-epistemological dimensions of the teaching modes offered before (traditional clerkship) and after (including CTU and SPOC) the intervention. These dimensions consisted of individual versus group (collaborative), and objectivist versus constructive learning categories. The CTU model added eleven group activities to the clinical workplace, of which nine were characterized as constructivist-group activities. It also led to more active learning of the clerks, compared to the traditional clerkship. Analysis of the SPOC revealed 344 teaching modes in total, which included 113 objectivist-individual, 205 constructive-individual and 23 constructive-group activities. Compared to a traditional clerkship, the CTU with SPOC led to more constructivist and collaborative learning and a more diverse educational program. This study illustrates a methodology to address active and collaborative learning activities in an educational program, and offers tools to evaluate and redesign one's teaching program. The methods and models described can be applied to clinical environments in other areas of medicine.
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spelling doaj-art-23eddb87a58d418baaccc8c988d131522025-02-05T05:31:29ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01201e031685810.1371/journal.pone.0316858Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.Esther C HamoenFloris M van BlankensteinPeter G M de JongMarlies E J ReindersClinical workplace learning is often suboptimal due to the dynamics of the clinical learning environment and several challenges encountered in clinical practice. At LUMC, clinical teachers introduced a novel blended learning program that included both the introduction of a Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) and Small Private Online Course (SPOC). This study aimed to analyze the educational content and design of our educational interventions, by categorizing and comparing the dimensions of the learning program before and after the interventions. The novel blended learning program was integrated into a clerkship internal medicine, aiming to optimize clerks' clinical workplace learning. Therefore, a traditional inpatient ward was transformed into a CTU, featuring the introduction of learning activities that promoted multidisciplinary and interprofessional learning. It included an integrated SPOC, aiming to improve clinical reasoning skills, feedback and collaboration of the clerks. The authors analyzed the clerkships' content and design, by categorizing the social-epistemological dimensions of the teaching modes offered before (traditional clerkship) and after (including CTU and SPOC) the intervention. These dimensions consisted of individual versus group (collaborative), and objectivist versus constructive learning categories. The CTU model added eleven group activities to the clinical workplace, of which nine were characterized as constructivist-group activities. It also led to more active learning of the clerks, compared to the traditional clerkship. Analysis of the SPOC revealed 344 teaching modes in total, which included 113 objectivist-individual, 205 constructive-individual and 23 constructive-group activities. Compared to a traditional clerkship, the CTU with SPOC led to more constructivist and collaborative learning and a more diverse educational program. This study illustrates a methodology to address active and collaborative learning activities in an educational program, and offers tools to evaluate and redesign one's teaching program. The methods and models described can be applied to clinical environments in other areas of medicine.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316858
spellingShingle Esther C Hamoen
Floris M van Blankenstein
Peter G M de Jong
Marlies E J Reinders
Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.
PLoS ONE
title Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.
title_full Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.
title_fullStr Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.
title_short Analysis of the social-epistemological dimensions of a Clinical Teaching Unit and Small Private Online Course compared to a traditional clerkship Internal Medicine.
title_sort analysis of the social epistemological dimensions of a clinical teaching unit and small private online course compared to a traditional clerkship internal medicine
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316858
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