Problem-Based Learning for Healthy Hearts

Action Research Project

Nan Ketpura-Ching

University of Hawai‘i, Manoa

What is PBL?

Questions for you:Are you familiar with problem-based learning?

Questions for you:Are you familiar with problem-based learning?

Have you used PBL in your own locus of control?

Why PBL?Currently, new information is introduced to

students via PowerPoint lectures.

Boring, teacher-centered, inactive learning

Why PBL?Currently, new information is introduced to

students via lecture using PowerPoint.

Hands-on activities such as dissection, labs, and/or games reinforce topics discussed in lectures.Students find these activities to be engaging

and helpful.

Why PBL?Currently, new information is introduced to

students via lecture using PowerPoint.

Hands-on activities such as dissection, labs, and/or games reinforce topics discussed in lectures.

Would students retain more information when role playing as medical assistants in a problem-based learning module?

Authentic Task-centered Goal-orientedActive thinking

Literature ReviewPBL did not impede students learning in undergraduate

Biology students in Spain (Carrio et al. 2011).

Literature ReviewPBL did not impede students learning in undergraduate

Biology students in Spain (Carrio et al. 2011).

PBL had a positive effect on undergraduate Physics students' understanding first law of thermodynamics in Turkey (Tatar and Oktay, 2011)

Literature ReviewPBL did not impede students learning in undergraduate

Biology students in Spain (Carrio et al. 2011).

PBL had a positive effect on undergraduate Physics students' understanding first law of thermodynamics in Turkey (Tatar and Oktay, 2011)

PBL used as tool to change misconceptions in first year medical students regarding the cardiovascular system (Mikkila-Erdman et al., 2012)

Problem StatementThe purpose of this action research project is to

evaluate the effectiveness of problem-based

learning in a blended learning environment to

increase concept attainment of the

cardiovascular system for high school students in

an Anatomy and Physiology course at a private

school in Honolulu.

Research Questions

What are students’ perceived attitudes towards PBL in general?

What are students’ perceived attitudes towards long-term group work as part of the PBL module?

What are students’ perceived attitudes about concept attainment using PBL?

How effective was PBL in concept attainment?

High School Anatomy and Physiology

Grades 10 - 12 students at large independent school in Honolulu.

Total of 34 students26 girls and 8 boys

Students are digital natives with experience with accessing information on Moodle - the school’s course management system.

Participants & DemographicsPre-requisite for

course is Biology

Many have taken other science courses

15 students stated that they have been taught about the Cardiovascular System before

Methodology

Methodology

http://tinyurl.com/cardiac-care-clinic

Methodology

MethodologyScenario-based PBL

Students as newly hired Medical Assistants Instructor/researcher as Training Supervisor

MethodologyScenario-based PBL

Students as newly hired Medical Assistants Instructor/researcher as Training Supervisor

Teams of 3 - 4 to complete 4 tasks Draw and label heart anatomy and describe blood

flow through the body Create a report on cardiovascular system vital

signs (BP, HR, and EKG) Report on common heart maladies Apply their knowledge of cardiovascular system to

solve a medical mystery case

MethodologyScenario-based PBL

Students as newly hired Medical Assistants Instructor/researcher as Training Supervisor

Teams of 3 - 4 to complete 3 tasks Draw and label heart anatomy and describe blood

flow through the body Create a report on cardiovascular system vital

signs (BP, HR, and EKG) Solve a medical mystery case and apply their

knowledge of cardiovascular system

Use of Vernier Probeware and Web 2.0 tools to collaborate and create content. Google Docs, VoiceThread, Haiku LMS

Medical Mystery – Sample Patient A 72-year-old man

Admitted to hospital due to acute onset of a right facial droop, right arm weakness, and some difficulty speaking.

Occurred while he was sitting at the breakfast table

No headache, no diminishment of consciousness, and no abnormal involuntary movements.

Medical Mystery – Sample Patient A 72-year-old man

Admitted to hospital due to acute onset of a right facial droop, right arm weakness, and some difficulty speaking.

Occurred while he was sitting at the breakfast table

No headache, no diminishment of consciousness, and no abnormal involuntary movements.

Two weeks ago, he had a transient painless loss of vision in his left eye, which resolved spontaneously within a few hours.

Medical Mystery – Sample Patient A 72-year-old man

Admitted to hospital due to acute onset of a right facial droop, right arm weakness, and some difficulty speaking.

Occurred while he was sitting at the breakfast table

No headache, no diminishment of consciousness, and no abnormal involuntary movements.

Two weeks ago, he had a transient painless loss of vision in his left eye, which resolved spontaneously within a few hours.

Has had long-standing hypertension and myocardial infarction 4 years previously, which was treated with percutaneous angioplasty.

Medical Mystery – Sample Patient A 72-year-old man

Admitted to hospital due to acute onset of a right facial droop, right arm weakness, and some difficulty speaking.

Occurred while he was sitting at the breakfast table

No headache, no diminishment of consciousness, and no abnormal involuntary movements.

Two weeks ago, he had a transient painless loss of vision in his left eye, which resolved spontaneously within a few hours.

Has had long-standing hypertension and myocardial infarction 4 years previously, which was treated with percutaneous angioplasty.

He is afebrile, heart rate 62 bpm, and blood pressure 135/87 mmHg. The corner of his mouth droops, with slight flattening of the right nasolabial fold, but his is able to fully elevate his eyebrows. His strength is 4/5 in his right arm and hand, and the rest of his neurologic

examination is normal.Adapted from Toy et al. (2007) Case Files: Internal Medicine.

Materials – Data collected Pre-Module Survey

Google Form

Materials – Data collected Pre-Module Survey

Google Form

Classroom observations

Students' work Google Docs VoiceThread

Materials – Data collected Pre-Module Survey

Google Form

Classroom observations

Students' work Google Docs VoiceThread

Cardiovascular System Unit Test online assessment on Haiku LMS

Materials – Data collected Pre-Module Survey

Google Form

Classroom observations

Students' work Google Docs VoiceThread

Cardiovascular System Unit Test online assessment on Haiku LMS

Post-Module Survey Google Form

Results

Results

Results

Results

Results

Results

Results

Results

ResultsWhat are students’ perceived attitudes towards PBL in

general?

Questions% agreed or

strongly agreed

I think problem-based learning is a good way of learning new material.

75%

PBL should be used in other courses too. 69%

ResultsWhat are students’ perceived attitudes towards long-term

group work as part of the PBL module?

Questions% agreed or

strongly agreed

Did you enjoy working with a team in this unit? 91%

Did you feel that your team worked productively during class time?

91%

Working in groups was a waste of time 15%

ResultsWhat are students’ perceived attitudes about concept

attainment using PBL?

Questions% agreed or

strongly agreed

I found it helpful for this Cardiovascular PBL Unit to be based on a real-life company. It made learning the cardiovascular system more real to me.

78%

I feel very confident about the knowledge I gained from this cardiovascular unit.

63%

Did you learn new concepts about the cardiovascular system from this unit?

97%

Did you find the tasks to be interesting? 94%

ResultsHow effective was PBL in concept attainment?

ResultsHow effective was PBL in concept attainment?

ResultsHow effective was PBL in concept attainment?

Discussion - Successes

Discussion - Successes

Discussion - Successes

Discussion - Challenges

Discussion - Challenges

Discussion - Challenges

Students’ thoughts“I really enjoyed being able to stretch my

learning and being able to solve something with what I learned [in] this unit. My experience with problem based learning this year has fostered a basic want for education and excitement to learn that I haven't had in a school environment in a long time…

Students’ thoughts“I really enjoyed being able to stretch my learning

and being able to solve something with what I learned [in] this unit. My experience with problem based learning this year has fostered a basic want for education and excitement to learn that I haven't had in a school environment in a long time…

Even though I struggled, I appreciated the learning that I did in this class and the progression of my thinking that it fostered and I feel so inspired by what I learned in this problem based learning this year.”

Conclusion

PBL does not offer a universal panacea for teaching and learning in medicine. Wood, 2003

Conclusion

Picture Credits http://www.trade-schools.net/program-directory/images/medical-assistant-schools.jpg

http://0.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com/92/46/collegehumor1b3f179c5ea22aad7b75ea8323fad20a.jpg

http://www.examiner.com/article/finding-your-research-question-a-helpful-exercise

http://www.projectappleseed.org/question-mark.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Linia_izoelektryczna_EKG.svg/435px-Linia_izoelektryczna_EKG.svg.png

http://preparednessadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BloodPressureCuff1.jpg

http://paulrheller.com/2010/08/the-unfortunate-motivation-behind-assigning-group-work

http://sclworkshop.wordpress.com/scl-vs-traditional/

http://www.personal.psu.edu/glh10/ist110/topic/topic67/topic67_05.html

https://changeforkids.org/blog/tag/new-york-city-public-schools/

OTEC Professors:Dr. Peter LeongDr. Mike MenchacaDr. Ari Eichelberger

Critical friends group:Kasey FernandezMarie Sack

OTEC Cohort

OTEC Professors:Dr. Peter LeongDr. Mike MenchacaDr. Ari Eichelberger

Critical friends group:Kasey FernandezMarie Sack

OTEC Cohort

PRLS Workshop Leaders:Leanne Chun RiseleyLani Ho

Colleagues:Darcy IamsTerry Yamamoto-EdwardsAnna Liem

My family

Questions?

Nan Ketpura-Ching

nankc@hawaii.edu

https://sites.google.com/a/hawaii.edu/cardiac-care-clinic/home