Abstracts 2000

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Brief Writing Assignments: Rationale, Objectives, Evaluation

Robert Coleman, Ph.D.

Creighton School of Medicine

University of Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Rationale:

There are many good pedagogical reasons for including some form of writing assignments in the behavioral science and psychiatry curricula.

Writing promotes the “construction of knowledge” via its requirement that the student explain in his/her own words; too frequently, multiple choice tests require only that students succeed in the “recognition of knowledge” already provided in someone else’s words.

Writing goes beyond the student’s fund of memorized factual knowledge to require that he/she use and interpret facts and concepts, apply them, compare and contrast, differentiate, and integrate facts and concepts into a larger whole; in the process, writing helps develop more complex ways of understanding and applying the student’s fund of knowledge. If we refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Objectives, we can use writing assignments to meet learning objectives in levels 2 through 6, that is, for purposes of developing the cognitive skills of Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation.

Writing assignments make visible the student’s process of reasoning and demonstrate more completely the student’s degree of understanding and depth of knowledge about the subject. Moreover, the writing assignment highlights the student’s ability to organize ideas, adhere to evidence-based logic, and ability to think critically. The limitations of students’ development in these areas are usually quite visible, and therefore this visibility can be an aid to remediation.

Finally, students often derive a sense of personal ownership and self-knowledge from writing assignments that is an important developmental feature in the student’s growth toward professional levels of responsibility, knowledge, and skills.

The key obstacles in the use of writing assignments are 1) student resistance to learning tasks that challenge cognitive skills other than recall; 2) the perceived “subjectivity” of grading assigned writings; 3) the problem of numbers: how to make fair evaluation and grading a process that is manageable despite large class sizes. The successful use of writing assignments in medical student classes requires that instructors find ways to deal with these obstacles.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants should be able to:

· understand the application of Bloom’s Taxonomy to writing assignments

· conceive short high-value writing assignments in their courses

· delineate clear objectives for writing assignments that can be easily evaluated

· consider several evaluation methods in grading writing assignments

Methods:

The workshop leader will present several brief writing assignments used in M-1, M-2, and M-3 courses, address their learning value, student response, and evaluation method used for grading purposes. Through interaction and small-group discussions, the group will develop an expanded menu of learning activities that may utilize a writing component. In addition, they will evaluate several student papers and make judgements about different evaluation methods.

Writing for the Popular Market

Steven S. Simring, M.D.

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School

Newark, New Jersey

Presenting complicated material to medical students is very much like teaching intelligent lay people. Most medical educators routinely write for academic journals, and have skills that can readily be applied to writing books for the popular market. In psychiatry, our areas of special interest are often fascinating to the lay public, so we have a special edge.

The workshop leader has co-authored four books for the mass market, all of which have been published by major houses. Making Marriage Work for Dummies (IDG Books Worldwide) came out in 1999, and The Race Trap (HarperBusiness) will be published in November, 2000.

This will be a practical, hands-on workshop, in which the presenter will discuss and demonstrate:

Ø How to come up with an idea.

Ø Researching the book market and developing your topic.

Ø Writing the query letter and finding a literary agent.

Ø The role of ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors).

Ø Publishers and contracts.

Ø Hooking up with a collaborator.

Ø Working with a professional writer.

Ø Preparing the proposal.

Ø Doing the research for the book.

Ø Preparing the manuscript.

Ø Television, marketing, and the publicity tour.

ADMSEP Webpage

Mark H. Reed, M.D.

Dartmouth College Health Service

Hanover, New Hampshire

The purpose of this working group is to make our webpage more helpful to psychiatric educators and medical students. You do not need any “web/cyberspace” skills to attend. We will start off by brainstorming about things we would like to see on our webpage and then form smaller groups that will focus on a specific content area of the webpage and come up with a plan for organizing or soliciting the material. Anyone who has their work put on the webpage would be cited and have a “cyberspace publication” and a possible e-mail link to them so people could get more information if interested.

Materials would be most easily put on the webpage if they are in Microsoft Word or Office 98.

Below is a list of possible topics for us to focus on; other ideas are welcome:

ADMSEP Logo

Medical Student issues

Research/fellowship opportunities

Conferences

Electives

Lectures of psych topics

Centralizing of scholarships/awards

Access and membership information to different psychiatric organizations

A section of essays written by psychiatrists describing their own careers or development of interest in psychiatry to illustrate the diversity of our careers

Student development/support services/student mental health

ADMSEP Issues

Abstracts of presentations from our National Meeting

Our ADMSEP scrapbook

Faculty development

Copies of excellent journal articles for psychiatric educators

Model programs in psychiatric education

Resources

Psychiatric interest groups ideas/models

Cartoons

Films with psychiatric themes

The arts in medicine

Computers offer a wide range of innovative options for the teacher. However, as with previous multimedia innovations of audio- and video-tape, for example ‑‑ initial enthusiasm often becomes tempered by a realization that just because one can do something doesn't mean that one should. Overuse or misuse of technology can often lead more to distraction than teaching. There is no substitute for a good teacher. However, imaginative use of technology can enhance and extend one's teaching abilities.

The purpose of this workshop is to gather together individuals who use, or are interested in using, computerized techniques in their teaching. The goals will be (1) to share what seems to work, and what doesn't, (2) to discuss the appropriate settings for different techniques (what works in large group formats, small group or individual).

Ultimately, it would be useful to begin a collaboration across sites. Many interesting things are being pioneered by individuals across sites, and much free time is spent in development. Sharing techniques and resources could benefit us all.

Learning Objectives: Participants would learn useful ways to incorporate new computer technologies into their educational programs. Additionally, a basis for the future sharing of resources could be developed.

Many concerns have been expressed recently about how changes in philosophies of education and curricula among U.S. Medical Schools have been affecting the students’ exposure to behavioral science and clinical psychiatry. Anecdotal information suggests that courses previously dedicated to an understanding of the underpinnings of human behavior are being subsumed and integrated into each school’s Introduction to Clinical Medicine curriculum. Concomitantly, the amount of time allocated for behavioral topics may be diminishing. Psychiatry clerkships have been curtailed from a national average of 6.4 to 6.1 weeks.

Some ADMSEP members believe that a survey of approaches to instruction in human behavior and/or clinical psychiatry is warranted; however, there may be disagreement on what information should be elicited. What are the important questions? For example, rather than an assessment of what exists currently or what the trends have been, should we be more concerned about how we would use the time currently available?

This workshop is open to all ADMSEP members interested in considering the wisdom of a survey and, equally important, in determining the questions to be asked. Background information contributing to this subject and general information about useful survey instruments will be presented.

The White Coat Ceremony

2. Describe past and current trends in “white coat ceremonies” at medical schools

The white coat has a long legacy in medicine, simultaneously representing purity of intent in the context of special influence and power, the scientific method and the laboratory, asepsis, and ever advancing medical technologies. The white coat may be associated with the special nature of the doctor-patient relationship or serve as a symbol of a sterile, technical medical science.

White coat ceremonies (WCC) have occurred at medical schools, at various points in the curriculum, to reinforce the privilege of the physician’s role and the centrality of the doctor-patient relationship. As concerns over deterioration in the doctor-patient relationship have developed, the WCC has become more prevalent at medical schools and occurred earlier in curricula. A foundation has developed to support these ceremonies and “humanism in medicine.”

While it would seem these events could not fail, our five-year experience at Jefferson Medical College (JMC) suggests that the WCC can vary in its impact depending on its context and design. The Department of Psychiatry initiated the ceremony at JMC and oversees the multidepartmental event. Over the years, the event has become more highly anticipated by students and families, and attendance at the ceremonies has more than doubled. Critical changes in the WCC have included modification of the ceremony agenda, inclusion of signing of the Jefferson honor code, active involvement of students’ families in “cloaking,” and provision of adequate time for faculty, students, and families to gather following the event. The WCC at JMC also occurs in the context of a core behavioral science course, rather than as a freestanding event. Students and faculty use specific readings and discussion suggestions to prepare for the event and reflect upon it afterward.

Various components of the JMC WCC and student WCC evaluation data are highlighted. Missteps and successes in the JMC experience with the WCC will be emphasized.