Accepted Type
Oral
Code
OB2-2-2
Acceptance Declaration
Accept
Additional Information
I declare I have no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this program.
Was this work accepted for CCME 2020?
no
Category
General Call (Workshop, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation)
Type
Oral
Sub Type
Education Innovation
Will the presenter be a:
Student
Affiliation
Considered for Poster
yes
Title
Problem-Based Learning: Future of Genetic Education
Length of Presentation
Background/Purpose
The incorporation of genetics into medical practice has the potential to improve patient health outcomes but is often overlooked. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a well-established pedagogy in medical education but there is little literature exploring PBL to improve genetics literacy. The medical school at McMaster University, which uses PBL as the primary pre-clerkship pedagogy, launched a renewed spiral curriculum in 2019 involving revision of the PBL scenarios. Feedback is provided throughout with no formal examinations. Our goal was to explicitly integrate genetics into PBL cases and determine if objectives were met.
Summary of the Innovation
PBL scenarios were reviewed for opportunities to integrate the Canadian genetics (2019 consensus), and McMaster specific objectives. Initially, objectives were mapped to each case. Subsequently, a medical student (BA), through lived experience and informal peer feedback assessed the extent to which, if at all, genetics concepts were explored and scaffolded during PBL. Genetics was also blueprinted into formative assessments to successfully include concepts from the curriculum. Recommendations were made to address gaps in content and organization of the spiral curriculum.
Conclusion
Although the objectives were covered, repetition of basic concepts and less attention to more complex objectives was observed as the cases progressed. Challenges included finding opportunities to include genetics in common patient scenarios and variation between PBL groups. The PBL process inherently includes self-directed learning and application of genetics in common clinical contexts, thus improving gaps in translation of genetics into daily practice. Therefore, these students are well-positioned to adapt to the rapidly changing role of genetics in healthcare.
Keyword 1
Education, Medical, Undergraduate
Keyword 2
Problem-Based Learning
Keyword 3
Genetics
Level of Training
Undergraduate
Abstract Themes
Curriculum
Curriculum
Case-Based
Additional Theme (First choice)
Undergraduate
Additional Theme (Second Choice)
Additional Theme (Third Choice)
Authors
Presenter
Bipandeep Abbat
Term 1
Yes
Term 2
Yes
Term 3
Yes
Term 4
Yes
Term 5
Yes
