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Bioscience in the pre-registration curriculum: finding the right teaching strategy.

With the transition of pre-registration nursing programmes into higher education, a disproportionate number of problems have arisen in relation to the bioscience component of the curriculum. Therefore, a survey was undertaken to obtain the views of students (n = 294) and staff (n = 57) to identify effective teaching strategies to facilitate students' learning and understanding of this difficult area of the curriculum. In contrast to the staff, the majority of students found all three teaching strategies (lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions) of approximately equal value to their learning and practice. Our findings suggest that students' problems with the biosciences could be ameliorated by adjustments in curriculum apportionment. Our data would support the continuation of lead lectures and laboratory work in bioscience. However, a tutorial system, specifically designed to overcome the particular difficulties experienced by nursing students in this area, is needed. This should augment, not replace, lectures and teaching laboratories. There was little indication that such a redistribution of resources would be favoured by the majority of the staff.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

A comparison of CAL with a conventional method of delivery of cell biology to undergraduate nursing students using an experimental design.

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a series of computer assisted learning (CAL) packages on cell biology produced for an undergraduate nursing course. The CAL packages were based on the material originally delivered in Kindermann's slide practical classes. The decision to convert this teaching material into CAL packages was taken for a number of reasons, but mainly in response to student evaluations and lack of equipment and staff resources needed to adequately deliver the sessions. Student feedback showed that CAL was preferred to the slide classes. Two studies were carried out to compare the CAL method of delivery with the conventional method using an experimental design. Students taught using CAL felt more confident that they would be able to use the material they had learnt if required as a basis for future work. The distributions rating 'how necessary was the contribution of a teacher in the session' were skewed towards the 'essential' end of the scale for the slide group but towards the 'unnecessary' end for the CAL group. Learning effectiveness was not compromised by the introduction of CAL, even though this meant that no lecturer was on hand to deal with questions.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Why is biological science difficult for first-year nursing students?

Many factors contribute to poor performance in examinations in nurse education. Some of these are specific to the biological science subject area. In this study the results of two cohorts of first-year nursing students' biological science examination results were analysed to see if entry criteria and study habits significantly affected examination results. chi(2) contingency tables were used. The following parameters were shown to have a significant effect on biological science examination results: 1. Studied biology previously, chi(2)=48.06, DF=20, n=112 (significant at 0.001); 2. Level of achievement in school biology, chi(2)=11.15, DF=8, n=104 (significant at 0.05); 3. Attendance in class, chi(2)=60.71, DF=36, n=201 (significant at 0.001); 4. Use of recommended readings, chi(2)=34.86, DF=20, n=119 (significant at 0.05). Are nursing students of today giving themselves a decent chance through their study and attendance behaviour in a busy demanding course? Is overloading within the curriculum leading to these behaviours? This study shows that poor previous theoretical biological science significantly influenced biological science examination results. Biological science will continue to prove difficult, particularly for students who have a poor biological background, unless appropriate strategies are put in place both within the course and prior to entry.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

The principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science.

OBJECTIVE: To specify the principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science. PURPOSE: To identify nutrition, with its application in food and nutrition policy, as a science with great width and breadth of vision and scope, in order that it can fully contribute to the preservation, maintenance, development and sustenance of life on Earth. METHOD: A brief overview shows that current conventional nutrition is defined as a biological science, although its governing and guiding principles are implicit only, and no generally agreed definition is evident. Following are agreements on the principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science, made by the authors as participants at a workshop on this theme held on 5-8 April 2005 at the Schloss Rauischholzhausen, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany. RESULT: Nutrition science as here specified will retain its current 'classical' identity as a biological science, within a broader and integrated conceptual framework, and will also be confirmed as a social and environmental science. As such it will be concerned with personal and population health, and with planetary health--the welfare and future of the whole physical and living world of which humans are a part.

Biological Science Disciplines↗

Pros and cons of vertical integration between clinical medicine and basic science within a problem-based undergraduate medical curriculum: examples and experiences from Linköping, Sweden.

Problem-based learning (PBL), combined with early patient contact, multiprofessional education and emphasis on development of communications skills, has become the basis for the medical curriculum at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Linköping (FHS), Sweden, which was started in 1986. Important elements in the curriculum are vertical integration, i.e. integration between the clinical and basic science parts of the curriculum and horizontal integration between different subject areas. This article discusses the importance of vertical integration in an undergraduate medical curriculum, according to experiences from the Faculty of Health Sciences in Linköping, and also give examples on how it has been implemented during the latest 15 years. Results and views put forward in published articles concerning vertical integration within undergraduate medical education are discussed in relation to the experiences in Linköping. Vertical integration between basic sciences and clinical medicine in a PBL setting has been found to stimulate profound rather than superficial learning, and thereby stimulates better understanding of important biomedical principles. Integration probably leads to better retention of knowledge and the ability to apply basic science principles in the appropriate clinical context. Integration throughout the whole curriculum entails a lot of time and work in respect of planning, organization and execution. The teachers have to be deeply involved and enthusiastic and have to cooperate over departmental borders, which may produce positive spin-off effects in teaching and research but also conflicts that have to be resolved. The authors believe vertical integration supports PBL and stimulates deep and lifelong learning.

Biological Science Disciplines↗

Attitudes among students and teachers on vertical integration between clinical medicine and basic science within a problem-based undergraduate medical curriculum.

Important elements in the curriculum at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Linköping are vertical integration, i.e. integration between the clinical and basic science sections of the curriculum, and horizontal integration between different subject areas. Integration throughout the whole curriculum is time-consuming for both teachers and students and hard work is required for planning, organization and execution. The aim was to assess the importance of vertical and horizontal integration in an undergraduate medical curriculum, according to opinions among students and teachers. In a questionnaire 102 faculty teachers and 106 students were asked about the importance of 14 different components of the undergraduate medical curriculum including vertical and horizontal integration. They were asked to assign between one and six points to each component (6 points = extremely important for the quality of the curriculum; 1 point = unimportant). Students as well as teachers appreciated highly both forms of integration. Students scored horizontal integration slightly but significantly higher than the teachers (median 6 vs 5 points; p=0.009, Mann-Whitney U-test), whereas teachers scored vertical integration higher than students (6 vs 5; p=0.019, Mann-Whitney U-test). Both students and teachers considered horizontal and vertical integration to be highly important components of the undergraduate medical programme. We believe both kinds of integration support problem-based learning and stimulate deep and lifelong learning and suggest that integration should always be considered deeply when a new curriculum is planned for undergraduate medical education.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Human biology in international research programmes.

This lecture draws to the attention of human biologists the opportunities that are available for their participation in international research programmes. Relevant past and present research programmes of the International Union of Biological Sciences are described, together with the larger programmes of the human genome initiative, and the international geosphere biosphere programme on global change of the International Council of Scientific Unions; and the smaller programmes of the World Health Organization and the Council of the European Community. Human biologists have much to contribute to such programmes, but, to do so, personal interests need to be tailored to the requirements of each specific programme.

Biological Science Disciplines↗

Teaching statistical thinking to life scientists a case-based approach.

We describe a workshop on statistical thinking for scientists involved in pharmaceutical discovery research. The objectives were 1) to improve the quality of research data by developing a structured approach to bias and variability and 2) to establish a collaborative and informed relationship between scientists and statisticians by broadening their common basis. The corner stone was the introduction of statistical thinking and the didactical route to achieve this goal.

Bias↗

Future opportunities for life science programs in space.

Most space-related life science programs are expensive and time-consuming, requiring international cooperation and resources with trans-disciplinary expertise. A comprehensive future program in "life sciences in space" needs, therefore, well-defined research goals and strategies as well as a sound ground-based program. The first half of this review will describe four key aspects such as the environment in space, previous accomplishments in space (primarily focusing on amphibian embryogenesis), available resources, and recent advances in bioinformatics and biotechnology, whose clear understanding is imperative for defining future directions. The second half of this review will focus on a broad range of interdisciplinary research opportunities currently supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Health (NIH), and National Science Foundation (NSF). By listing numerous research topics such as alterations in a diffusion-limited metabolic process, bone loss and skeletal muscle weakness of astronauts, behavioral and cognitive ability in space, life in extreme environment, etc., we will attempt to suggest future opportunities.

Animals↗

Slouching toward policy: lazy bioethics and the perils of science fiction.

Too much contemporary bioethical discourse is weak on science, lazily citing and adopting science fiction scenarios rather than science facts in the framing of analyses and policies. We challenge bioethicists to take more seriously the role of providing informed insight into and oversight over contemporary science and its implications and applications. Bioethicists must work harder to understand the fast-changing truths and limits of basic science, and they must incorporate only appropriate and authentic science into their discourse, just as they did in the past when addressing the quandaries of clinical medicine. The field of bioethics is not so old and entrenched that its future is assured. Bioethicists must make themselves useful to society in order to deserve and retain the public's trust. They can best do this by ensuring that decision making and public policy are grounded in facts, not fictions and fantasies.

Advisory Committees↗

Consequentialism and harsh interrogations.

With this issue, we begin a regular feature on bioethics and public health. We welcome Matthew K. Wynia, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Institute for Ethics of the American Medical Association as our new Contributing Editor. If you have comments or suggestions regarding this feature, please email us at manuscript@ bioethics.net.

Ethical Theory↗