Enhancing Early Tertiary Students' Education: a Novel Lecture Learning Objectives Strategy

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Preclinical Sciences
• Tertiary Education

Background:

• University lectures efficiently deliver complex material but require students to discern core concepts from supplementary information.
• Students often struggle to identify essential information within large volumes of lecture content.
• Effective learning requires students to actively engage with and prioritize key concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a lecture slide learning objectives method for Level 1 preclinical science students.
• To enhance students' ability to discriminate between core concepts and examples in lectures.
• To improve the overall student learning experience in tertiary preclinical science courses.

Main Methods:

• Applying the principles of constructive alignment to individual lecture slide activities.
• Integrating specific learning objectives directly into lecture slides.
• Utilizing a method focused on enhancing student discrimination of core concepts.

Main Results:

• Students reported improved focus during lectures.
• A decrease in student-reported stress levels during teaching sessions was observed.
• Students felt better prepared for assessments after the implementation of the method.

Conclusions:

• The lecture slide learning objectives method is a practicable addition to teaching materials.
• This methodology significantly enhances the student experience during and after lectures.
• The approach effectively builds students' capability to identify core concepts in preclinical sciences.