Worksheet-Based Delivery System to Improve Participation and Engagement in Basic Science.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Adult Learning Principles

Background:

• Standard lectures in basic science curricula often result in poor engagement and satisfaction among surgical residents.
• Traditional lecture formats may not align with effective adult education principles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a worksheet-based delivery system to enhance participation and satisfaction in basic science education for surgical residents.
• To compare resident engagement and satisfaction between lecture-based and worksheet-based basic science curricula.

Main Methods:

• Interactive worksheets were developed based on SCORE curriculum objectives for advance completion and group review.
• The study involved 19 residents across all postgraduate year levels in a community-based program.
• Resident participation frequency and satisfaction surveys were collected before and after implementing the worksheet curriculum, with data analyzed using paired t-tests.

Main Results:

• Active resident participation increased from 30% or less with lectures to 100% with worksheets.
• A statistically significant improvement was observed in residents' perceived utility, learning style congruence, and knowledge gain.
• Pre-completion of worksheets correlated with increased engagement, with 92% of residents feeling it enhanced their didactic participation.

Conclusions:

• Transitioning from lectures to worksheets for basic science education capitalizes on adult learning principles, significantly boosting resident engagement and satisfaction.
• This easily translatable initiative can be implemented within existing basic science conference timeframes across various residency programs.