Impact of human skills training on affective learning among pre medical students.

Abstract

Background School of Medicine researchers are developing a method to measure students' learning in the 'affective domain'. This refers to changes in learners' feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasms, motivations and attitudes as a result of their educational experiences. This aspect of learning has traditionally been regarded as very difficult to measure. This project evaluates a new pre-medical human skills course through qualitative examination of student's reflective journals to identify learning examples in the affective domain.

Students enrolled in 'Human Skills for Medicine' kept textual reflective journals to support reflection on their educational experiences. 57 (out of a total of 62) enrolled students provided consent for their reflective journals to be examined using the qualitative methodology known as interpretative phenomenological analysis which provides an opportunity to identify evidence of student affective domain learning. The Krathwohl taxonomy will be used to classify the level of affective learning described.

Purpose /Objective To explore whether the Human Skills course has increased student's affective learning, if so how?

Issues/ questions for exploration or ideas for discussion To explore how Krathwohl's taxonomy can be used to classify the level of affective learning described. For the affective learning identified, determine which educational experiences contributed to the outcome

Results Data collection occurred between July 2012 and October 2012. Preliminary results will be presented at the conference. Discussion Will be developed when preliminary findings are available Conclusion Will be developed when preliminary findings are available