Studien- und Lebenssituation von Medizinstudierenden an der Universität Freiburg

Um zu untersuchen, wie die Studierenden mit dem Medizinstudium zurecht- kommen, wurden an der Universität Freiburg Medizinstudierende zu ihrer Studien- und Lebenssituation und anschließend zu ihrer Einschätzung der elektronischen Lehre an der Fakultät befragt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Medizinstudium mit einem Studienaufwand einhergeht, der deutlich über dem anderer Fächer liegt. Weitere aufwendige außeruniversitäre Verpflichtungen bestehen in der Erwerbstätigkeit oder ehrenamtlichem Engagement. Um die zeitliche Belastung zu verringern und das Studium mit anderweitigen Verpflichtungen besser vereinbaren zu können, wünschen sich die Studierenden vor allem eine Flexibilisierung des Studiums. Der gezielte Einsatz von E-Learning-Angeboten als Ergänzung zur herkömmlichen Präsenzlehre soll die Möglichkeiten für das Selbststudium qualitativ verbessern und eine Flexibilisierung des Studiums unterstützen. 10.08.2011 | Peter Brüstle, Silke Biller & Marianne Giesler (Freiburg

Promotion of family-friendliness at the Medical Faculty of Freiburg – Taking Stock of Study Participation

The survey on family-friendly study organisation in medical schools conducted by the University Hospital in Ulm has identified a need for improvement in various respects in Freiburg. Due to the specific structure of medical school and the high amount of mandatory lectures, students with children face serious problems in balancing family life and their studies at the same time. On the other hand, the freer, modular structure of the clinical curriculum in Freiburg has been mainly rated as positive by the interviewees. In order to improve the situation of students with children, the interviewees favour a more flexible curriculum in general as well as an increase in information and advice services offered by the faculty

Veralltäglichung und Degendering von E-Learning: Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts "Das aufwändige Geschlecht"

"Der Bericht beschreibt die wichtigsten Ergebnisse des von der DFG geförderten Forschungsprojekts „Das aufwändige Geschlecht“. Ausgehend von der Theorie über die Ko-Konstruktion von Technik & Geschlecht wurden im Rahmen des Projekts die Möglichkeiten untersucht, durch die Nutzung von E-Learning an Hochschulen das Geschlecht zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Einige Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass E-Learning in seiner täglichen Nutzung von den Studierenden nicht mehr als Technologie angesehen wird und diese Technologie folglich in ihrer Alltäglichkeit nicht mehr dazu genutzt wird, das Geschlecht zu performieren. Darüber hinaus zeigt sich, dass durch E-Learning die Möglichkeit unterstützt wird, das ‚Studium zu konsumieren‘. Lernunterlagen werden immer mehr und sollen beispielsweise immer mehr über die unterschiedlichsten Lehrplattformen digital zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Dies laut den Studierenden einerseits so umfassend wie nötig, aber auch so konzentriert wie möglich, sodass für die Studierenden selber keine weitere Recherche- und Lesearbeiten mehr notwendig werden." (Autorenreferat)"The report describes key results of the research project ‘Das aufwändige Geschlecht’ (‘The Arduous Gender’), which was funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation). Based on the theory of the co-construction of gender and technology the project analysed whether it is possible to perform one’s gender by using e-learning in higher education. The results of the project show that students no longer regard e-learning in everyday use as technology. Thus, students do not use this technology in their daily routine to perform their gender. Furthermore, the results show that e-learning supports the attitude that we call ‘studying as consumption’. More and more learning materials are being digitised and students prefer to get all these materials via e-learning services, without having to put any effort into fi nding other scientifi c materials themselves and reading other (not digitised) materials." (author's abstract

Normierung der Testbatterie COGBAT bei Jugendlichen im Alter von 12 bis 15 Jahren

Das Jugendalter stellt eine wichtige Phase in der Entwicklung der Verarbeitungsgeschwindigkeit, der Aufmerksamkeit, des Gedächtnisses und der exekutiven Funktionen dar. Im Rahmen einer Normierungsstudie der kognitiven Basistestung (COGBAT) für das Jugendalter wurden Testwerte bei n = 269 Jugendlichen im Alter von 12 bis 15 Jahren erhoben und mit den Normen der Altersgruppe der 16- bis 30-Jährigen verglichen. Zusätzlich wurde überprüft, inwiefern sich diese Testergebnisse in der subjektiven Einschätzung zur Leistungsfähigkeit (FLei) und Psychopathologie (SDQ) abbilden lassen. Im Jugendalter zeigte sich ein starker Zuwachs in der kognitiven Flexibilität, der Verarbeitungs- und Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit sowie der Inhibitions- und Planungsfähigkeit. Ein bedeutsamer Geschlechtsunterschied fand sich in der Inhibition, mit stärkeren Leistungen bei Mädchen als bei Jungen. Zwischen den Testergebnissen und den subjektiven Einschätzungen zeigten sich keine Zusammenhänge

Cancer Genes Hypermethylated in Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Developmental genes are silenced in embryonic stem cells by a bivalent histone-based chromatin mark. It has been proposed that this mark also confers a predisposition to aberrant DNA promoter hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) in cancer. We report here that silencing of a significant proportion of these TSGs in human embryonic and adult stem cells is associated with promoter DNA hypermethylation. Our results indicate a role for DNA methylation in the control of gene expression in human stem cells and suggest that, for genes repressed by promoter hypermethylation in stem cells in vivo, the aberrant process in cancer could be understood as a defect in establishing an unmethylated promoter during differentiation, rather than as an anomalous process of de novo hypermethylation

Rapid establishment of the European Bank for induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC):The Hot Start experience

A fast track “Hot Start” process was implemented to launch the European Bank for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC) to provide early release of a range of established control and disease linked human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. Established practice amongst consortium members was surveyed to arrive at harmonised and publically accessible Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) for tissue procurement, bio-sample tracking, iPSC expansion, cryopreservation, qualification and distribution to the research community. These were implemented to create a quality managed foundational collection of lines and associated data made available for distribution. Here we report on the successful outcome of this experience and work flow for banking and facilitating access to an otherwise disparate European resource, with lessons to benefit the international research community. eTOC: The report focuses on the EBiSC experience of rapidly establishing an operational capacity to procure, bank and distribute a foundational collection of established hiPSC lines. It validates the feasibility and defines the challenges of harnessing and integrating the capability and productivity of centres across Europe using commonly available resources currently in the field

The Final Oral/Practical State Examination at Freiburg Medical Faculty in 2012 – Analysis of grading to test quality assurance

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the grades given for the oral/practical part of the German State Examination at the Medical Faculty of Freiburg. We examined whether or not the grades given for the written and the oral/practical examinations correlated and if differences in grading between the Freiburg University Medical Center (UMC) and the other teaching hospitals could be found.In order to improve the quality of the state examination, the medical school has been offering standardized training for examiners for several years. We evaluated whether or not trained and untrained examiners differed in their grading of the exam and how these differences have changed over time.Methods: The results of the 2012 spring and fall exams were analyzed (N=315). The relevant data set was made available to us by the Baden-Württemberg Examination Office (). The data were analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: We observed a correlation of ρ=0.460** between the grades for the written and the oral/practical exams. The UMC and the teaching hospitals did not differ significantly in their grade distributions. Compared to untrained examiners, trained ones assigned the grade of “very good” less often. Furthermore, they displayed a significantly higher variance in the grades given (p=0.007, phi=0.165). This effect is stronger when concentrating specifically on those examiners who took part in the training less than a year before.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the standardized training for examiners at the Medical Faculty of Freiburg is effective for quality assurance. As a consequence, more examiners should be motivated to take part in the training

E-Learning und Geschlechterdifferenzen? Zwischen Selbsteinschätzung, Nutzungsnötigung und Diskurs

Der Beitrag behandelt das Zusammenspiel von geschlechtlichen Identitätskonstruktionen und E-Learning-Nutzung. Geschlecht steht regelmäßig im Fokus von Untersuchungen zur Techniknutzung. Diese haben allerdings in der Regel zum Ziel, mit quantitativen Datenerhebungen Geschlechterunterschiede zu identifizieren und nebeneinander zu stellen. Der Beitrag beschreibt den Ansatz, das Thema auch qualitativ zu untersuchen, sowie erste Ergebnisse. Zentraler Ansatzpunkt ist die Selbsteinschätzung von E-Learning-bezogenen Kompetenzen. Drei Fragestellungen stehen im Zentrum des Forschungsvorhabens: 1. Unterstützen die Struktur und die Handhabung von E-Learning-Settings Geschlechterkonstruktionen – v.a. auch Selbstzuschreibungen – der Studierenden, die sie nutzen? Wenn ja (2), auf welche Weise? 3. Welche geschlechtlichen Differenzierungen werden so produziert und wirksam? (DIPF/ Orig.

Validation and perception of a key feature problem examination in neurology.

OBJECTIVE:To validate a newly-developed Key Feature Problem Examination (KFPE) in neurology, and to examine how it is perceived by students. METHODS:We have developed a formative KFPE containing 12 key feature problems and 44 key feature items. The key feature problems covered four typical clinical situations. The items were presented in short- and long-menu question formats. Third- and fourth-year medical students undergoing the Neurology Course at our department participated in this study. The students' perception of the KFPE was assessed via a questionnaire. Students also had to pass a summative multiple-choice question examination (MCQE) containing 39 Type-A questions. All key feature and multiple-choice questions were classified using a modified Bloom's taxonomy. RESULTS:The results from 81 KFPE participants were analyzed. The average score was 6.7/12 points. Cronbach's alpha for the 12 key-feature problems was 0.53. Item difficulty level scores were between 0.39 and 0.77, and item-total correlations between 0.05 and 0.36. Thirty-two key feature items of the KFPE were categorized as testers of comprehension, application and problem-solving, and 12 questions as testers of knowledge (MCQE: 15 comprehension and 24 knowledge, respectively). Overall correlations between the KFPE and the MCQE were intermediate. The KFPE was perceived well by the students. CONCLUSIONS:Adherence to previously-established principles enables the creation of a valid KFPE in the field of Neurology

Effects of additional team-based learning on students’ clinical reasoning skills: a pilot study

Abstract Background In the field of Neurology good clinical reasoning skills are essential for successful diagnosing and treatment. Team-based learning (TBL), an active learning and small group instructional strategy, is a promising method for fostering these skills. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of a supplementary TBL-class on students’ clinical decision-making skills. Methods Fourth- and fifth-year medical students participated in this pilot study (static-group comparison design). The non-treatment group (n = 15) did not receive any additional training beyond regular teaching in the neurology course. The treatment group (n = 11) took part in a supplementary TBL-class optimized for teaching clinical reasoning in addition to the regular teaching in the neurology course. Clinical decision making skills were assessed using a key-feature problem examination. Factual and conceptual knowledge was assessed by a multiple-choice question examination. Results The TBL-group performed significantly better than the non-TBL-group (p = 0.026) in the key-feature problem examination. No significant differences between the results of the multiple-choice question examination of both groups were found. Conclusions In this pilot study participants of a supplementary TBL-class significantly improved clinical decision-making skills, indicating that TBL may be an appropriate method for teaching clinical decision making in neurology. Further research is needed for replication in larger groups and other clinical fields