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Published on: October 26, 2019
Applying Constructive Alignment to Enhance the Educational Structure of the European Society for Vascular Surgery
Carlota F Prendes1, Laurence Bertrand2, Vaiva Dabravolskaite3
1Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Objective:
Medical podcasts are increasingly being recognised as flexible, accessible tools for lifelong learning. However, their educational structure and cognitive demands often remain informal and unstandardised. This study aimed to evaluate the educational quality of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) vascular surgery podcasts using pedagogical frameworks and propose enhancements to improve their impact.
Methods:
A mixed methods educational design was employed, structured around three core components: an exploratory online survey guided by the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model; application of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy to analyse three selected podcast episodes; and creation of pedagogical enhancements for them according to constructive alignment principles. The primary outcome was to identify areas where targeted improvements could enhance their overall educational impact.
Results:
Fifty-seven participants completed the online survey. Over 70% indicated that the podcasts had improved their understanding of vascular surgery topics (Kirkpatrick Level 2) and 75% reported that they had applied podcast content in practice (Kirkpatrick Level 3). Content analysis of the selected podcast episodes revealed good alignment with Bloom's lower order cognitive skills (remembering, understanding, applying), with occasional support for higher order domains (analysing, evaluating, creating). Potential educational enhancements also supported by survey responders included brief episode summaries (68%), links to further readings and references (51%), and inclusion of intended learning objectives (37%). These enhancements were categorised as low to moderate effort with high potential educational impact.
Conclusion:
The ESVS podcast series is a valued educational tool. Integration of pedagogically informed features such as intended learning outcomes, summaries, and linked references, could enhance learning outcomes and retention without significantly increasing production demands.
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