A technology using feedback to manage experience based learning

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Medical Education
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Background:

• Experience-based learning requires effective feedback mechanisms for student development.
• Traditional feedback methods in medical education can be inconsistent or insufficient.
• Integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers potential for structured feedback.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the application of ICT-driven feedback principles in experience-based learning.
• To develop and evaluate a personalized educational technology system for medical students.
• To enhance the feedback loop between students, patients, and educators.

Main Methods:

• A survey of student and staff requirements informed the development of the 'iSUS' system.
• The iSUS system was designed to clarify learning objectives, facilitate patient interaction, and encourage reflective feedback.
• Bench testing and a seven-week real-time trial with 111 students were conducted.

Main Results:

• The iSUS system successfully clarified learning objectives and facilitated patient encounters.
• Students engaged in reflective feedback, with 46% of feedback episodes being self-initiated.
• The system provided benchmarks and compared individual student feedback against them, also informing teachers.

Conclusions:

• A novel application of feedback principles to experience-based learning using ICT has been successfully prototyped.
• The developed educational technology, iSUS, appears to be a useful tool for medical students.
• The system demonstrates potential for improving the quality and structure of feedback in medical education.