Transforming Education Systems Amid Global Crises: Lessons from the Pandemic Era | Chapter 1 | Crisis, AI and the Future of Higher Education

 

The COVID-19 pandemic, as a typical global crisis event, has profoundly impacted the education sector. School closures and the shift to online teaching have led to major changes in educational models worldwide. This chapter explores the impact of global crises —specifically the COVID-19 pandemic—on education, as well as the transformations in teaching methods, curriculum settings, talent cultivation, and other aspects. Using a qualitative research approach, this study analysed the relevant literature on global crises and educational transformations. It also analysed the characteristics and deficiencies of current educational transformations, and put forward suggestions such as constructing a systematic theoretical system, paying attention to long-term impacts, and promoting sustainable development, aiming to provide theoretical references and practical ideas for the further development of education in the context of global crises. The findings showed that during COVID-19 pandemic, global educational reform exhibited trends such as the adoption of hybrid teaching models and a shift in educational philosophy. In particular, the importance of practical courses has become more prominent. Despite these advances, education systems continue to face significant challenges that require strategic responses. In the future, educational reform must continue to explore and adapt to changing social demands and global situations to cultivate innovative, practical, and well-rounded talents and promote sustainable educational development. Future research on the long-term impacts of global crises on education is of utmost importance for ensuring educational sustainability.

 

Author(s) Details

Yuanyuan Shi
School of Teacher Education, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212013, China.

 

Please see the link:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-81-990398-9-6/CH1

Exploring Learning Preferences of 2nd Year Medical Graduates: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Using a Modified VARK Questionnaire in the Context of a New Curriculum | Chapter 6 | Medical Research and Its Applications Vol. 11

Background: Medical education is a lifelong learning process that necessitates ongoing professional development for both educators and students. Learning preferences or enduring inclinations are referred to as learning styles. In order to meet the diverse learning demands of pupils, it is critical to evaluate their learning styles. Research has demonstrated that learners have four basic perceptual learning modalities, that are Visual (V), Auditory (A), Tactile (R), and Kinaesthetic (K). It is essential for an educator to recognise the most preferred learning style preference of students and they should tailor instructions to which they prefer to learn.

Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyse the learning preference among 2^nd-year Medical graduates using a modified validated VARK questionnaire based on a new curriculum.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 101 medical graduates. A validated VARK questionnaire was used to categorise the learning preferences. Students were instructed to tick or circle the most preferred learning style. The completed questionnaires were collected and statistically evaluated.

Results: Most of them preferred multimodal (64.35%) learning style as compared to unimodal (35.6%). In multimodal, the majority of the students preferred a bimodal (47.5%) learning style. In unimodal, the majority of the students preferred aural (14.8%) followed by visual (11.8%) mode of learning style. Active learning strategies are superior compared to the traditional didactic lecture format to exhibit analytical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Student’s academic achievement is likely to improve if teaching is done in all the sensory modalities.

Conclusion: Students now participate in more and more learning activities thanks to the revised curriculum. Teaching-learning can be more successful if it considers the learning styles of the students. Determining the learning preferences of pupils is an important teaching skill. Knowledge of learning styles may help educators identify and solve learning problems among students, thus helping the students to become more effective learners. Further studies are needed from different institutions that provide insight into the design of an efficient learning environment that would encourage students to achieve academic success.

 

Author(s) Details

Prasannakumari Sundararajan
Department of Pharmacology, Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Prasanna Xavier Anthonisamy

Department of Pharmacology, Government Medical College, Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Vinupradha Paulraj
Department of Physiology, Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Abdhul Rahman Abdul Azeez
Department of Pharmacology, Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mria/v11/1457

Effectiveness of Snowball Technique as a Teaching and Learning Method | Chapter 5 | An Overview of Literature, Language and Education Research Vol. 6

Background: The study is focused on applying the snowball throwing technique in teaching, and learning and figuring out whether it can improve students' learning, and comprehension skills among undergraduate medical students. Small-group instruction is used to get around these problems. The snowball technique is one such approach used in small-group instruction. The snowball technique is a more recent and inventive approach that is applied in corporate and educational settings. Worldwide, there is a dearth of literature on this technique. This method can be experimented with by medical students in teaching their subjects.

 

Aim: The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the snowball technique as a teaching and learning method.

 

Materials and Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study conducted in the Department of Pathology, ASRAMS, on phase II MBBS pathology students over a period of four months from September to December 2023. Around one hundred and fifty students were included in the study. A few topics were selected and discussed as routine in small-group teaching. Pre and post-tests were conducted and scores were taken. The same topics in other small groups (around 30 members each) were taken using the snowball technique. Pre and post-tests were conducted and scores were taken and ranks were given. A comparison of scores (ranks) obtained in routine small group teaching and those using snowball techniques was done.

 

Results: A comparison of pretest and posttest ranks in snowball technique and routine small group discussions were done. There were significant numbers of positive posttest ranks in snowball technique method. Snowballing allows time to become invested in the work as the stakes get higher. The class constructs the knowledge by working through a challenging topic in the subject, rather than having the teacher explain it in a way that may not suit all learning styles.

 

Conclusions: The snowball technique proved to be an effective way of teaching students and helped in a better understanding of the subject. This good impact was reflected in their summative examinations.

 

Author (s) Details

 

Gudeli Vahini
Department of Pathology, Alluri Sitaramaraju Academy of Medical Sciences, Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

S. Chaitanya Latha
Department of Pathology, Alluri Sitaramaraju Academy of Medical Sciences, Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

Sushma Vaddiraju
Department of Pathology, Alluri Sitaramaraju Academy of Medical Sciences, Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/aoller/v6/1482