Connecting Classrooms, Clinicians, and Community Clinics Through Technology (C4Tech) for Active and Collaborative...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Cognitive Science in Learning

Background:

• Traditional PA education models face challenges in fostering higher-order cognition.
• Integrating clinical practice with classroom learning is crucial for developing advanced cognitive skills.
• Social determinants of health and health disparities require sophisticated understanding from future clinicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the cognitive levels achieved by physician assistant (PA) students using the C4Tech blended learning model.
• To investigate the effectiveness of electronic-learning (e-learning) technologies in connecting classroom, clinicians, and community clinics.
• To determine if the intervention facilitates authentic learning collaborations for higher-order cognition regarding health disparities.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was employed to evaluate cognitive changes.
• Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive domains was used for content analysis.
• The study involved 70 PA students and 8 clinical instructors from diverse community clinics.

Main Results:

• The C4Tech model application resulted in high levels of student cognition.
• All groups reached at least the "evaluate" cognitive level by the end of the course.
• Fifty percent of the groups attained the highest "create" cognitive level, indicating significant learning gains.

Conclusions:

• E-learning technologies effectively blend academic and clinical environments for authentic learning.
• The C4Tech model promotes collaborative learning and enhances higher-order cognition in PA students.
• The intervention shows promise for improving understanding of complex health issues like social determinants of health.