Application of self-directed teaching methods related to microlecture and flipped classroom in the teaching of obstetrics and gynecology in a non-directly affiliated hospital

Wen-Ming Cao ,Guo-Qiang Qi ,Xiu-Ling Liu ,Wen-Wen Wang ,Jie Zhong ,Kun Qian ,Juan Wang,Zi-Guo Liu＊

1Changle People's Hospital,No.278 Limin Street,Weifang 262400,China.

Abstract With the rapid development of the technology of information network and the era of big data,information technology is now widely used in the field of education.Comprehensive popularity of mobile phones,computers,tablet computers and portable communication devices and WIFI also facilitate the widespread use of online learning,learning in free time,free learning and other modes.The emergence of microlecture follows the learning mode and trend of modern society,special for young medical students who are highly passionate in accepting new things and have a strong ability in using information technology.In this paper,the necessity and feasibility of self-directed teaching methods related to microlecture and flipped classroom in the teaching in a non-directly affiliated hospital.Using the advantages of the "microlecture and flipped classroom" teaching model,it is possible to improve the learning effect of medical students,construct high-quality online courses,and make quality teaching resources widely shared.

Keywords:Microlecture,Flipped classroom,Self-directed teaching,Non-directly affiliated hospitals

Background

As the Internet,mobile communication and network technology develop rapidly,various new types of learning,such as U-Learning,mobile learning,personalized learning and learning in free time,are increasingly of interest to learners.As the primary place for the delivery of knowledge,the development of skills and the promotion of development,school education has also been influenced by the developments on information technology and has undergone changes in the mode of teaching,the students’ learning way,the types of learning resources and the way teachers and students interact.These changes are mainly characterized by the wide dissemination of various "micro" resources and the success of the flipped classroom.So the possibility of using microlecture and flipped classroom in medical teaching and clinical practice has been the focus of a large number of medical school teachers and clinical teachers in affiliated and non-directly affiliated hospitals.

Although there are few studies on the integrated application of microlecture and flipped classroom in clinical teaching in non-directly affiliated hospitals.Under the current situation where mobile communication devices and network technology are widely spread,it is significant to vigorously promote the application of "microlecture and flipped classroom" in clinical teaching in non-directly affiliated hospitals.

Concept

Microlecture means a short,full teaching activity that uses video as its main carrier to record the teacher's teaching activities around a knowledge point or teaching link.Microlecture is a teaching method for explaining knowledge points in lessons or teaching problems that requires a breakthrough through short and simple videos and other multi-media methods.The teachers can elaborate and cite the knowledge points in the classroom before the lesson,or students can prepare,review and expand the knowledge out of class,etc.The teachers can present the short micro-videos in the classroom.Presenting short micro-videos in class can also stimulate students'interest in learning knowledge in the classroom and make them concentrate better so that they can better grasp the main points,difficulties and points of the course [1].

Flipped classroom is also known as reversed classroom or flipped teaching.On the basis of the traditional teaching mode and internalization,the flipped classroom is a place where students can learn knowledge before class by watching online teaching videos and reading related materials on an online platform,completing training before class in accordance with the required knowledge and learning situation,which leads students to take advantage of online resources for independent learning.

Current development status of microlecture and flipped classrooms in China and abroad

Development and application of microlecture

Microlecture originated at the University of Northern Iowa in the U.S.,where in 1993 Professor McGrew introduced the "one-minute organic chemistry course",and in 1995 Professor Terence Kee of Napier University in the U.K.developed the One Minute Lecture (OML) [2]. He believed that students must develop the ability to think positively and accurately in order to grasp core ideas as quickly as possible while studying in a major or specific field to deal with the fast-changing nature of knowledge and information.

In 2008,David Penrose of San Juan College (USA)proposed the concept of microlecture and applied it to online courses [3]. He suggests that microlecture is a minute course based on the theory of constructivism,which is mainly conducted through online and mobile learning methods,recorded and produced by recording devices around a point of knowledge or a problem.With the convenience of modern information devices and network communication,microlecture enables students to obtain knowledge resources easily and freely,and serves the ultimate purpose of learning and strengthening knowledge to improve learning effects.

Different kinds of educators in China have also been exploring and expressing different opinions on the subject of microlecture.Hu Tiesheng is the first to introduce the concept of microlecture and explain its definition:"Based on the new curriculum standards and teaching practices,microlecture is a teaching video that becomes the main part of the teaching process and combines all kinds of teaching resources that provide the teacher with a certain knowledge point or teaching link".As a result of its ability to adapt to the popularization of information technology and to improve the traditional boring teaching in modern society,microlecture has received much attention from educators from all walks of life in China and abroad,and according to some research data,it has been widely used in mobile learning and online learning and achieved good teaching results through some research data [4].

Khan Academy and TED-Ed are the most influential microlecture resource sites around the world.The Khan Academy's microlecture courses have a wide range of scope and reach to a wide audience,including mathematics,humanities and social sciences,science and economics,computer science,test preparation,and medical labs.The TED(Technology Entertainment Design) Conference offers an educational channel on its official website that is focused on the development of students' proactive thinking skills and the appropriate use of TED Talks in teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools.32 topics from schools to universities can be found in the TED-Ed microlecture.

In non-directly affiliated hospitals,microlecture requires medical students to possess the ability to analyze and identify,search,collect,and apply information and knowledge flexibly.To teachers,the teaching place is not only limited to the traditional classroom anymore,they can also send the recorded or downloaded microlectur videos to students online,through modern and convenient online communication tools such as QQ,WeChat,Baidu.com,etc,so that medical students can study anytime and anywhere.So it is necessary to improve teachers’ computer skills in addition to their subject expertise and teaching skills.

In non-directly affiliated hospitals,traditional theoretical teaching and field trial teaching can not completely satisfy the learners' demand for today's rapidly developing medical theoretical knowledge and practical skills; by applying microlecture to the traditional teaching of medical trainees,it allows the organic connection between theory and practice in clinical teaching,and enhances students'understanding of new cutting-edge knowledge and skills,and promotes the comprehensive development of medical teachers [5].

Status of development of flipped classroom in China and abroad

The flipped classroom originated in the "Woodland Park" high school in Colorado,USA.A survey conducted by the University of Wisconsin showed that more than 11,000 teachers are using flipped classrooms at school today,up from 2,500 in 2012.The Khan Academy offers 3,250 free digital videos that serve to enhance the knowledge and skills.

The flipped classroom makes students prospectively and proactively explore and learn knowledge before class through modern advanced information technologies,and the traditional way of reversing the roles of teachers and students in the classroom to complete the pre-designed teaching links,promoting active thinking and a better internalization of knowledge points in class,which is an improved and optimized version of conventional teaching methods.

The characteristics of the flipped classroom application in non-directly affiliated hospitals of medical schools are based on the medical students'preparation before class,which can extend their knowledge into the classroom learning and communication,thus improving learning efficiency[6].Upon completion of the learning tasks arranged in the online classroom,the students will complete flexible and distinctive forms of classroom activities to replace the traditional boring classroom lectures taking the initiative to ask questions,think independently,and express their opinions through the process of students' active questioning and opinions to promote students' deep understanding of the learning content,active problem-solving ideas and approaches and cooperation.

"Application of microlecture and flipped classroom" status and design discussion

On the teaching method,it has completely subverted the previous mode in which students listen quietly while the teacher sometimes raises questions and students answer passively.The short and effective microlecture videos are used to illustrate the specific knowledge points in class and challenges of the system's knowledge system.They are integrated with the "task-based" teaching in the flipped classroom where students prepare their course before class so that they respond to the lectures in class,thus successfully encouraging medical students to use their free and spare time before and after class for preparation and review.Compared with traditional classroom teaching,it avoids the limitations of traditional classroom in space and time,and medical students can make questions and comments online through mobile phones or computers at anytime before and after class,and teachers can also follow student dynamics actively [7].Microlecture integrates with the flipped classroom mode enhances the fun of knowledge teaching and learning,and alters the boredom and passivity of traditional teaching.

The "microlecture and flipped classroom"self-directed teaching method takes place on bases of meticulously designed teaching sessions,perfected production of microlecture videos,sending them to students immediately and supervising the sharing of learning by teachers from hospitals not directly affiliated to the university.This model is based on students' questions,reports and discussions,and medical students design teaching activities focusing on difficult points,key points or scenarios that apply to microlecture or flipped classroom teaching,such as flipped transformation and micro-video presentation.

Normally,a face-to-face classroom teaching in medical courses takes 45-50 minutes.Teaching tasks must be carried out within the limited time in class.With the introduction of the " microlecture and flipped classroom" independent mode,the long traditional classroom mode will be "reduced to zero" by the effective and unique microlecture and flipped teaching process [8].Students can learn clearly through self-directed learning before class and student explanations in class.The emergence of microlecture makes the teaching task and emphasis of each stage more concrete.

The short and concise design of microlecture needs to adequately reflect the essentials,not only to comply with the length of effective attention span,but also to guarantee the best reflection of the teaching content.It is important not only to represent the respective teaching content and key points in class,but also to make the presentation diverse in order to enhance learning interest and effectiveness [9].In addition,microlecture has high requirements on the format of the production application,with due consideration given to whether the format is brief to view,download and save.The video of a microlecture is a teaching passage or a teaching question,characterized by being short,concise and appealing,which should turn knowledge points into brief,abstract and intuitive ones.Therefore,clinical teachers should design each microlecture video to be less than 10 minutes long,which can increase students' interest with less time and more learning efficiency.

For example,in view of the characteristic of combining theory with practice in teaching obstetrics and gynecology,students can make full use of such methods as scene demonstrations,group competitions and cooperation,and students' explanations and questions to appropriately design the "microlecture and flipped classroom" independent teaching link,based on the fact that students are always on their mobile phones,have a wide access to information and can easily accept new things.Positively they can take advantage of the subjective advantages of the student community to increase their understanding of theoretical knowledge and practical operations and maximize their motivation to engage in learning in class and in practice [10].The concrete measures are as follows:

①Discussion:the teacher leads the discussion of the learning tasks required before the lesson and shares the results of the discussion in small groups.In class,the teacher uses a variety of ways to bring out the key points or difficulties of the course,as well as to reset the content of new discussions or presentations to facilitate students' digestion and incorporation of knowledge.

②Scenario simulation:In the obstetrics and gynecology practice teaching course,we can change the previous mode that clinical teachers merely give operation demonstrations,and let students practice individually,positively cite real people and scenes,make video recordings together with teachers'demonstrations,and train students' basic operating skills in obstetrics and gynecology by simulating the virtual teaching environment after observation,and organize task groups and mutual practice within the groups in order to make the best of the both worlds[11].

③Course competition:To inspire students to learn independently and show the significance of knowledge learning before class,knowledge quizzes or skill competitions can be carried out within the groups,thereby increasing the frequency of classroom interaction and communication,as well as enhancing professional knowledge learning effects and learning ability.

④Full use of modern communication devices:It targets “Everyone has a mobile phone,the network is a must”.Apps like WeChat,QQ software should be used for learning,management and interaction out of the classroom [12].Such communication is not limited by time and space as face-to-face communication,so students can use their time for information retrieval,learning discussion and feedback.Sharing knowledge and posting information and tasks through communication groups as well asstudents' opinions and suggestions regarding different issues of teaching and management also prompt teachers and students to focus on each other to save time,and significantly improve the effectiveness and accessibility of communication overall.

Status and necessity of the "microlecture and flipped classroom" teaching method in obstetrics and gynaecology courses in non-directly affiliated hospitals

Microlecture can resolve many problems that appear in the teaching of obstetrics and gynecology effectively.The application of micro-lessons to such chapters as female anatomy,female physiology and female endocrine system,which are hard to understand,can allow students to grasp the knowledge more easily.The situational,thematic,specific,intuitive and comprehensive qualities of microlecture can sufficiently arouse students' interest in learning and enhance their learning efficiency and performance[13].Gynecological examination,four palpation,posterior vault puncture and medical knowledge production microlecture,enhance students' ability to accept,grasp and master the knowledge.The surgical videos of uterine fibroids,ovarian tumors,and ectopic pregnancy can be conveyed to students to give them an in-depth understanding of the dry anatomy and equip them to become qualified medical professionals later in life [14].

The self-directed teaching mode of "microlecture and flipped classroom" is different from the traditional teaching method,which is generally not widely used in the field of medical education in China,especially in the primary stage of application in the teaching of obstetrics and gynecology in non-directly affiliated hospitals.According to the advantages of"microlecture and flipped classroom" teaching method,we must take into account our own teaching characteristics,construct high-quality online courses,explore new teaching methods,and share high-quality teaching resources widely.