Straight into the second semester, a very interesting article (Twenge, J. M. (2009), Generational changes and their impact in the classroom: teaching Generation Me. Medical Education, 43: 398–405) was presented by Hamde Nazar, School of Pharmacy. This sparked discussion on the generational changes we may be seeing in our students and how this has perhaps led to a generation of students who have high expectations, not only from us but also increasingly of themselves.

To get us talking about feedback, Chris Eggett, School of Biomedical Sciences, presented ‘Pitt, E & Norton, L (2017), ‘Now that’s the feedback I want!’ Students’ reactions to feedback on graded work and what they do with it. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42:4, 499-516.’ In the paper, the authors had stated that there could be de-motivational negative feedback but they did not acknowledge positive feedback that could be de-motivating! This got us discussing! I guess we could think a bit more about how we word positive-only feedback reports to allow students to maximise their potential in further assessments.

I would like to say that by March the warmer weather had kicked in but the trip down to the Ridley building was a cold, Siberian-like one. Nonetheless, there was an article that I was very much looking forward to discussing with the usual crowd (who showed up despite the heavy snow!). Richard Holmes, School of Dental Sciences, delivered to us ‘Chen, V, Foster Page, L, McMillan, J, Lyons, K & Gibson, B (2016) Measuring the attitudes of dental students towards social accountability following dental education – Qualitative findings, Medical Teacher, 38:6, 599-606.’ We explored the term ‘social accountability’ and discussed the comments from students documented in the paper. We concluded that it was very important in all disciplines to allow students to explore social accountability and it was discussed that this could be explored when we are interviewing prospective students for medicine and dentistry.

A big thank you to all our speakers of the Spring term. As always, these sessions are extremely informative and I am certain elements are captured by our Faculty teachers and used in their everyday practice. To kick off the summer term, Laura Woodhouse, School of Medical Education will be presenting on the 4^th May. Title to follow.

Here’s to a well-deserved Easter!

Luisa Wakeling

All links to articles and up and coming speakers can be found at the Journal Club webpage

Dr Martina Finetti has recently been awarded a Higher Education Academy Fellowship for her commitment to professionalism in learning and teaching in higher education.  This is a great achievement and recognises the work she has put into her research-led teaching and post-graduate mentoring for Newcastle and Padua University.

Martina said of the award:

“I am pleased to receive this award at such an early stage of my career.  The recognition process helped me to reflect on my ongoing commitment to teaching with a view towards a future career as a lecturer.”

Martina is currently a Research Associate and Associate Fellow at Northern Institute for Cancer Research. She gained her Pharm.D from the University of Padua and achieved her PhD in Molecular Pediatric Oncology in 2015 at Newcastle University. Her interests include characterization of SMARCB1 dependency in Malignant Rhabdoid Tumours (MRT) and drug targets prioritisation in epigenetic driven paediatric tumours using next generation approaches.

Congratulations to everyone in the Faculty who has published their research this quarter. If anything is missing let us know.

Moxham BJ, McHanwell S, Berkovitz B,  The development of a core syllabus for the teaching of oral anatomy, histology, and embryology to dental students via an international ‘Delphi Panel’. Clinical Anatomy. https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23002

Anyiam O, Ware V, McKenna M, Hanley J,  Junior doctor teaching delivered by near peers. Clinical Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.12745

Wiskin C, Barrett M, Fruhstorfer B, Schmid ML,  Recommendations for undergraduate medical electives: a UK consensus statement. Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.13445

Blaylock P, Ellis JS, McCracken GI, The transition from dental school to postgraduate dental foundation training: strengthening the interaction between stakeholders. British Dental Journal. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.79

Gursoy M, Wilensky A, Claffey N, Herrera D, Preshaw PM, Sanz M, Schlagenhauf U, Trombelli L, Demirel K,  Periodontal education and assessment in the undergraduate dental curriculum-A questionnaire-based survey in European countries. European Journal of Dental Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12330

Hester KLM, Newton J, Rapley T, Ryan V, De Soyza A,  Information and education provision in bronchiectasis: co-development and evaluation of a novel patient-driven resource in a digital era. European Respiratory Journal. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.02402-2017

B Abdulmohsen, I Gharib, S Mchanwell (2018). How to enhance student engagement through transforming assessment? A creative pedagogic approach. Higher Education Academy STEM Conference 2018: Creativity in Teaching, Learning and Student Engagement.  https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/training-events/hea-stem-conference-2018-creativity-teaching-learning-and-student-engagement

Lim CP, Roberts M, Chalhoub T, Waugh J, Delgaty L.,   Cadaveric surgery in core gynaecology training: a feasibility study. Gynecological Surgery 2018, 15, 4.. .

Iain D. Keenan, J. Duncan Slater., Joanna Matthan,  Social media: Insights for medical education from instructor perceptions and usage. . https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2018.0000027.1

In 2015 the ERDP funded a development project looking at the influences of clinical teachers on GP Trainees choice of career.  The findings highlighted denigration of GP as a career as a problem and it was reported that this starts as an undergraduate student.

Our aim in this follow up ERDP funded project was to explore comments about GP as a career made by clinical teachers to medical students so that we start to understand the current difficulties in recruitment to GP training better and work on ways that those difficulties might be addressed.

Methods
This was a qualitative, explorative study. Data was collected by conducting two focus groups of Medical Students who were undertaking an SSC in GP at Newcastle Medical School.

A semi structured interview format was utilised. They were digitally recorded and professionally transcribed. Results were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results
The study confirmed that students hear comments from clinical teachers which denigrate General Practice as a career. The nature of these comments are consistent with those reported in other work to date.

Themes identified consisted of: the individual, the curriculum and culture in the Medical profession. These were used to postulate a model which may explain why negative comments shape a students’ perception of GP.

Conclusion

Denigration of GP is an ongoing problem with the Medical profession and strategies to address it must be developed or recruitment to the specialty will continue to decline. This study suggests a model which can help to understand the complex relationship between different factors which result in negative comments being taken on board by a student.

Emmet Carlin & Hugh Alberti,  School of Medical Education

We had lots of work showcased at this year’s University Learning and Teaching Conference. Here’s a list, in no particular order, of what was being discussed via presentations, workshops and Lightening Talks.  If your work has been missed off, let us know fms.educational.research@ncl.ac.uk.

Presentations

Recommendations for integrating innovative and creative learning approaches within higher education, Dr Iain Keenan, Lecturer, School of Medical Education

Using neuroscience research to influence teaching: Could ‘spaced learning’work in higher education?, Dr Paul Hubbard, Teaching Fellow, School of Medical Education

Workshops

Reconceptualising and rewarding teaching and teaching excellence in higher education, Prof Danny McLaughlin, School of Medical Education, Prof Stephen McHanwell, School of Medical Education and Prof Sue Robson, School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences

Lightning talks

Strand B: How can we encourage an educational experience supported and enhanced by technology? Session chaired by Dr Laura Delgaty, Deputy Degree Programme Director, School of Medical

Using ePortfolio to record the development of professional behavioural attributes and facilitate reflective practice in Pharmacy, Dr Hamde Nazar, Senior Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, Simon Cotterill, L & T Projects and Innovation Manager, Learning Technology Support Unit

Supporting the student voice through the MBBS Medical Learning Environment, Dr David Kennedy, Deputy Head of School, School of Medical Education, John Moss, Faculty Learning Technology Systems Manager, Learning Technology Support Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences.

Successful use of multiple technologies to reinforce anatomy and physiology theory for first year sport and exercise science undergraduates, Dr Chris Eggett, Senior Lecturer, School of Biomedical Sciences.

How might we develop students as whole people, preparing them to flourish for futures we can’t predict? Cultivating resilience through mindfulness. Michael Atkinson, Teaching Fellow, School of Medical Education, Dr Richy Hetherington, Postgraduate Skills Development Co-ordinator, FMS Graduate School.

Embedding employability skills into an action learning module. Dr Sharron Kuznesof, Senior Lecturer, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences and Dr Helen Mason, Teaching Fellow, School of Biomedical Sciences.

Strand C: How can we encourage an educational experience supported and enhanced by technology? Session chaired by Dr Floor Christie-de Jong, Lecturer, FMS Graduate School.

In February the ERDP Unit hosted the seminar ‘Training Tomorrow’s Healthcare Professionals in Exercise Medicine: Prevention and therapeutic management including perioperatively’.

It was delivered on behalf of Public Health England by Ann B Gates, MRPharmS, Associate Editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine & Mr Ian Ritchie, FRCSEd, Past President of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and their message was very clear.

The UK is more physically inactive than many other developed nations in Europe and North America. Around 20 million adults in the UK are so inactive that they are at risk of non-communicable disease, immobility and premature death. This is a major public health matter for all who work in healthcare.

The evidence is that physical activity prevents disease, treats a variety of physical and mental health conditions and helps in the rehabilitation from acute episodes. It is also an effective part of the skillset for any healthcare worker in helping people to manage long term conditions.

Against this background, we believe that there is an imperative for all undergraduate courses to include teaching on physical activity (PA) in their curricula.

Not only is information about PA important, but so is teaching about how to raise the topic in consultations and how to tailor the discussion to meet the individual needs of patients.

The next generation of healthcare professionals have to understand and take on the leadership role on behalf of their communities to ensure that decisions about transport, housing and community facilities recognise the health benefits of encouraging people to walk more and be physically active.

This is a large topic, but there are many resources available at the #MovementForMovement site. These materials have been endorsed by the UK Council of Deans of Health. The UK Chief Medical Officers have also produced excellent infographics to inform about the minimum levels of activity for health for all ages.

For more information contact:

Stephen.mchanwell@newcastle.ac.uk

Ann Gates, Founder and CEO of Exercise Works! annbgates@googlemail.com

Ian Ritchie, Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, i.ritchie@rcsed.ac.uk

On Wednesday 8th of November Dr Naomi Winstone, Lecturer in Cognitive and Educational Psychology & Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching at the University of Surrey, visited Newcastle to deliver a talk as part of the ERDP seminar series.  The focus of the session was Naomi’s recent work looking at student engagement with feedback.

Her work is embedded in the context of recent efforts by many educators to respond to the student voice calling for “better” feedback but seeks to address why, despite these efforts, many departments still face NSS results that indicate persistent student dissatisfaction.  Naomi and her collaborators have sought to understand this phenomenon in terms of student engagement with feedback.

In experimental situations Naomi and her colleagues have shown that students are more likely to remember evaluative rather than instructive comments which suggests that students are not as good at recalling the parts of their feedback that they might feed-forward into future pieces of work.  Naomi argued that findings such as these indicate the need to foster skills in students that allow them to become ‘proactive recipients’ of feedback not only as essential abilities for their educational journeys but also beyond.

Naomi presented The Developing Engagement with Feedback Toolkit that she has developed alongside Dr Rob Nash for the HEA which provides educators with resources developed in collaboration with students to facilitate their proactive engagement with feedback.

The audience was very receptive to Naomi’s work and whilst voicing some thoughts about how the experimental findings would be replicated in real assessment settings there was a strong consensus about the need to understand feedback as dialogue rather than unidirectional and to ensure educators and students spoke the same “feedback language”. On the back of this seminar session the School of Psychology’s Educational Research in Psychology (ERiP) group has instigated a number of research collaborations with Naomi to start in the new year.

Dr Amy Fielden, School of Psychology