Are students learning what faculty are intending to teach?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training

Background:

• Lectures are a common teaching method in surgical clerkships, but faculty often lack formal training.
• Existing research focuses on post-test performance, with limited exploration of students' free recall of lecture content.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the congruence between faculty-defined learning objectives and concepts recalled by junior surgery students.
• To explore the relationship between student recall and lecture evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Faculty submitted 3-6 learning objectives before teaching sessions.
• Students provided lecture evaluations and listed 3-6 concepts learned post-session.
• Qualitative data on student-recalled concepts were coded and analyzed against faculty objectives.

Main Results:

• Student recall congruence with faculty objectives ranged from 50% to 100%.
• Recalled concepts frequently included treatment, indications, and work-up.
• Lecture ratings showed a loose correlation with the congruence of faculty objectives and student recall.

Conclusions:

• Surgery students demonstrate substantial free recall of faculty teaching objectives.
• The degree of alignment between objectives and recall is weakly associated with student lecture ratings.
• Further investigation is required to identify factors influencing objective-student recall congruence.