Using instructor-developed study resources to increase evidence-based learning strategies among medical students: A mixed-methods study

Abstract

Purpose

Applying effective learning strategies to address knowledge gaps is a critical skill for lifelong learning, yet prior studies demonstrate that medical students use ineffective study habits.

Methods

To address this issue, the authors created and integrated study resources aligned with evidence-based learning strategies into a medical school course. Pre-/post-course surveys measured changes in students’ knowledge and use of evidence-based learning strategies. Eleven in-depth interviews subsequently explored the impact of the learning resources on students’ study habits.

Results

Of 139 students, 43 and 66 completed the pre- and post-course surveys, respectively. Students’ knowledge of evidence-based learning strategies was unchanged; however, median time spent using flashcards (15% to 50%, p < .001) and questions (10% to 20%, p = .0067) increased while time spent creating lecture notes (20% to 0%, p = .003) and re-reading notes (10% to 0%, p = .009) decreased. In interviews, students described four ways their habits changed: increased use of active learning techniques, decreased time spent creating learning resources, reviewing content multiple times throughout the course, and increased use of study techniques synthesizing course content.

Conclusion

Incorporating evidence-based study resources into the course increased students’ use of effective learning techniques, suggesting this may be more effective than simply teaching about evidence-based learning.

Keywords:

• Science of learning
• study skills
• learning techniques
• undergraduate medical education

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Emory University School of Medicine students in the Class of 2023 for their feedback on the learning resources used in this study during their first year of implementation and the Class of 2024 for those who volunteered to participate in the study. They would also like to thank all of the faculty teaching in the Introduction to Human Disease course for their help in the creation of learning resources for the students.

Ethical approval

This study was deemed exempt from review by the Emory University Institutional Review Board on November 24, 2020 (IRB ID: STUDY00001784).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported in part by Imagine, Innovate and Impact (I3) from the Emory School of Medicine, a gift from Woodruff Fund Inc., and through the Georgia CTSA NIH award (UL1-TR002378). LSW is supported in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR002378 and Award Number TL1TR002382.

Notes on contributors

Jennifer O. Spicer

Jennifer O. Spicer, MD, MPH, is an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;Twitter @JenniferSpicer4

Katherine C. Ujunwa

Katherine C. Ujunwa, MPH, is a clinical research coordinator in Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.

Lucy S. Witt

Lucy S. Witt, MD, MPH, MSc, is an infectious diseases fellow in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;Twitter @drwittID.

Jennifer Meka

Jennifer Meka, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Medicine, and Director, Medical Education and Educational Research, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, New York, Twitter @JenniferMeka.

Holly C. Gooding

Holly C. Gooding, MD, MSc, is an associate professor in the Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia;Twitter @HollyGoodMD.