Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Dec 2021)
Assessment of Radiological Sciences Students’ and Interns’ Long-Term Retention of Theoretical and Practical Knowledge: A Longitudinal Panel Study
Abstract
Khalid M Alshamrani,1– 3 Muhammad A Khan,2,4 Sarah Alyousif2,5,6 1Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia; 2King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia; 3Medical Imaging Department, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia; 5College of Pharmacy, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences, Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Medical Education, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University of Health Sciences, Riyadh City, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Khalid M AlshamraniDepartment of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, P. O. Box 9515, Jeddah 21423, Internal Mail Code 6610, Jeddah City, Saudi ArabiaTel +966-12-2266666 Ext. 46396Email [email protected]: This study examined the long-term retention of radiological sciences’ theoretical and practical knowledge among two cohorts of Saudi male and female students and interns at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)-Jeddah campus.Methods: A longitudinal panel study was conducted among fourth-year radiological sciences undergraduate students and interns at KSAU-HS, KSA-Jeddah campus. The students were invited to voluntarily retake three onsite 40-multiple-choice-questions midterm exams after one-year interval from their initial midterm exams, whereas the interns retook the same three exams after two years interval. One of the three exams was for a practical course, while the other two were for theoretical courses (ie, one incorporated a blending learning instructional strategy and the second employed a passive learning strategy). The initial exams’ scores were retrieved. Paired samples t-test was used to compare paired test scores, and one-way analysis of variance was used to examine differences in the retention percentages between the three courses.Results: Out of all 42 fourth-year students and interns, 35 (83.3%) participated. The one-year and two-year retake exams’ mean scores were significantly lower than the initial exams’ mean scores for the three courses and among students and interns (P < 0.05). The one-to-two years retention of practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge via a blended learning instructional approach was 61.5– 78.6%, more than the retention of theoretical knowledge via a passive learning approach (47.6– 64.1%). The one-year retention of practical and theoretical information was significantly higher among male students (64.1– 78.6%) than females (47.6– 62.9%).Conclusion: Students and interns showed higher long-term retention of practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge using a blended-learning instructional approach than passive learning approach, with male students showing higher long-term knowledge retention than females. It is essential to incorporate innovative teaching strategies that promote long-term knowledge retention, such as active and blended learning.Keywords: long-term knowledge retention, learning, undergraduate medical education, radiological sciences, curriculum structure
