Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Apr 2023)
Impact of Audience Response System in Enhancing Teaching of Anatomy and Physiology for Health Sciences Students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences
Abstract
Ahmaed Baashar,1,2 Raju Suresh Kumar,1,2 S M Irshad Akhtar,1,2 Sarah M Alyousif,2– 4 Abdulaziz I Alhassan,2,3 Nada Townsi2,5 1Department of Basic Science, College of Sciences and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmaceutical Care, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Pediatric, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ahmaed Baashar, Department of Basic Science, College of Sciences and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Tel +9661222 46666 Ext: 45529, Fax +96692000 8668 Ext: 45529, Email [email protected]: Instructional methods that offer students’ opportunity for engagement are essential to develop an active learning environment. This paper aims (1) to assess whether the use of an Audience Response System (ARS) during anatomy and physiology lectures improves students’ engagement, knowledge retention and academic achievement and (2) to evaluate the feasibility of introducing ARS as a formative tool from both instructors’ and students’ perspectives.Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted across ten lectures for the second-year Pre-Applied Medical Science (PAMS) and Pre-Medical (PMED) students at the College of Sciences and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The ARS was integrated into five lectures, whereas the remaining were conducted without ARS. A comparison of the immediate post-lecture and prior laboratory session quiz scores between the lectures with and without ARS was performed using an independent sample t-test. An online survey was completed by the students as well as informal feedback was taken from the instructors to assess ARS usefulness.Results: A total of 65 PMAS and 126 PMED students participated in the study. Students achieved significantly better scores for ARS lectures than non-ARS lectures: PAMS (p 0.038) and PMED (p 0.018). Students and instructors agreed that ARS was easy to use, allowing students to engage and actively participate in the teaching process by responding to questions and receiving instant and anonymous feedback about their learning progress.Conclusion: Employing suitable interactive teaching methods facilitates students’ learning and improves their retention of knowledge. Students and instructors positively view the ARS strategy as a means to promote learning in a traditional lecture setting. Increased practice on how to integrate its use into classrooms could lead to further utilization.Keywords: active and engaging learning, knowledge retention, educational technology, formative assessment, medical students
