Postgraduate Curriculum Design of Medical Digital Library

Objective: Information and communication technology has led to the emergence of a new generation of libraries called digital libraries. These libraries need specialized and trained staff to provide services to users. In developed countries, independent curricula have been designed and implemented to train librarians. In Iran, medical librarians do not have the appropriate training to provide services in digital libraries. Method: This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive type. In this article, in order to meet the needs of medical librarians with a qualitative approach (comparative method and Delphi technique), the digital medical library program was designed. Results: The content of the digital library master's degree curriculum was first searched in Spain, Sweden, the United States and the joint international curriculum of Italy, Norway and Estonia. The content of the curriculum was studied. . The credits of each program and the amount of subscriptions and differences in each curriculum were determined. Then, the selected courses from these programs as well as the opinions of experts in this field were reached and ranked by the faculty members of the Iranian Library and Medical Information Departments by Delphi Durandeh. Originality of the work: Finally, inspired by the elements of the curriculum in the mentioned countries and the opinions of the faculty members of the curriculum, the digital medical library was designed. The results of this article can be a guide for curriculum designers in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education Be. Keywords: Digital Library, Curriculum , digital librar

Teaching and Learning in Small Groups

In recent decades, there have been numerous attempts to define precisely what is meant by small group teaching. Many writers argue that small group teaching method is among the most difficult and highly skilled of teaching techniques, in which in addition to the primary objective of teaching students to think, the tutor must have a number of subsidiary objectives if the small group is to function. In other words, the interpersonal and interactive nature of small groups makes them a challenging and appropriate vehicle for engaging students in their own learning. However, not only do tutors have to learn how to teach using small group methods but students also have to learn how to work in small groups. On the other hand, nowadays it is not only that there are more students participating in higher education than before it is also the case that students are coming from more diverse backgrounds, so inclusion and internationalization are matters to concern ourselves with, and there is a need for providing a more diversified curriculum, that they are responsible not only for what is taught but also, in part, for how students learn. These entire changes mean that the small group is now seen as a means of fostering student engagement, cooperative and collaborative learning. Planning for effective small group teaching is as important as planning any other teaching activity. This point sometimes goes unrecognized because learning in small groups can at first glance appear unstructured. Some lecturers are put off by the seemingly informal, loose or open-ended nature of small group learning, or they fear this informality will be a recipe for chaos, whereas behind the facade of the informal group lies a backdrop in which all the learners are playing within a known set of rules which are spoken or unspoken. In this paper, after the introduction of the context and features of small groups, the necessity of planning for this teaching method is mentioned. Moreover, stages of group development and management as well as the teaching - learning nature in small groups are described. Next, the teacher and learner skills needed for teaching and learning in small groups and other qualifications required to teach in a small group, such as instructional space group, and the use of small groups in clinical and medical education are offered

Knowledge, Attitude and Faculty Members’ performance on e-Learning in Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Introduction : E-learning is used in the worldwide in higher education to improve the quality of the learning experience by students; at the same time using this approach requires behavioral changes in the faculty members. One of the steps in the implementation and monitoring of e-learning, is audience analysis using techniques such as knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP). This study investigates the knowledge, attitude and faculty members’ performance of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) on e-learning. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014-15 through a research-made questionnaire. Face validity was determined by expert opinion, Cronbach’s alpha was measured to assess the reliability and its construct validity was investigated through exploratory factor analysis. . The questionnaire was e-mailed to all TUMS faculty members . 218 faculty members responded to the questionnaire. Results: The reliability score of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach alphs, and it was 0.79. Exploratory factor analysis of the attitude part of the questionnaire produced a single factor that explained 53% of the variance. The results showed the positive attitude of faculty members regarding e-learning, although their knowledge and practice scores was less than half of the total score. There wass not found any meaningful differences between knowledge, attitude and performance of the participants based on sex, rank and work experience. ANOVA test showed that the difference of scores among schools was statistically significant (  = 0.000;  = 0.003 and  = 0.000, respectively). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed the state of knowledge, attitude and faculty members’ performance of TUMS on e-learning. Over the past years, TUMS has established suitable e-learning infrastructure such as educational websites and virtual programs as well as training workshop for faculty members. The results of this study can help the revision and improvement of the faculties’ educational programs

Determining the Criteria and Their Weights for Medical Schools' Ranking: A National Consensus

Delphi as a consensus development technique enables anonymous, systematic refinement of expert opinion with the aim of arriving at a combined or consensual position. In this study, we determined the criteria and their weights for Iranian Medical Schools' ranking through a Delphi process. An expert committee devised 13 proposed criteria with 32 indicators with their weights, which were arranged hierarchically in the form of a tree diagram. We used the Delphi technique to reach a consensus on these criteria and weights among the deans of 38 public Iranian medical schools. For this purpose, we devised and sent a questionnaire to schools and asked them to suggest or correct the criteria and their weights. We repeated this process in two rounds till all the schools reached an acceptable consensus on them. All schools reached a consensus on the set of 13 criteria and 30 indicators and their weights in three main contexts of education, research and facilities, and equipment which were used for Medical Schools’ ranking. Using Delphi technique for devising the criteria and their weights in evaluation processes such as ranking makes their results more acceptable among universities

Evaluation Methods Of Theoretical And Practical Courses Of Paramedical Faculty Laboratory Sciences Undergraduate Students At Tehran University Of Medical Sciences In The Academic Year 2009-2010

Background and Aim: Achievement-based evaluation is an important part of the educational planning process, in which learners are screened; besides, it helps teachers in their self-evaluation. The purpose of present study is to survey the methods through which laboratory sciences students were evaluated by their professors at Tehran University of Medical Sciences(TUMS) in the academic year 2009-2010. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the population consisted of the faculty members who teach laboratory sciences courses. Data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed to describe all evaluation methods using tables and necessary distribution frequencies. Then, the results were compared with those of Medical Planning Council resolutions. Results: The results show that mid-term exams were used for the evaluation of students in 35% of all theoretical and practical courses. Besides, of the evaluation methods used, multiple-choice questions occupied the first rank(70%) among the methods normally employed. Conclusion: According to the results, routine evaluation of undergraduate students of laboratory sciences at the Paramedical Faculty of Tehran University of Medical sciences not only conformed to the ratifications of the Supreme Council of Medical Planning, but also was done more extensively and with a higher degree of consistency in the academic year 2009-2010

Assessment of nanopolyamidoamine-G7 dendrimer antibacterial effect in aqueous solution

Background: Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer derivatives have been investigated for their biological applications, especially for delivery of drugs, including antimicrobial drugs to eukaryotic cells, but their effects on bacterial cells are largely unexplored. Nanotechnology and its application is one of the rapidly developing sciences. As demand of fresh drinking water is increasing, nanotechnology can contribute noticeable development and improvement to water treatment process. This study was aimed to examine synthesis and the antibacterial effect of Nanopolyamidoamine-G7 (NPAMAM-G7) dendrimer on Escherichia Coli (E. Coli), Klebsiella Oxytoca (K. Oxytoca), Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (P. Aeruginosa), Proteus Mirabilis (P. Mirabilis) and Staphylococcus Aureus (S. Aureus) from aqueous solution. Methods: In this experimental study that has been conducted in August to December 2015 in the laboratory of microbiology of Iran University of Medical Sciences, initially dilution of 103 CFU/ml were prepared from each strain of bacteria. Then different concentrations of dendrimer (0.025, 0.25, 2.5 and 25 µg/ml) in the laboratory temperature (23-25 °C) was added to water. In order to determine the efficiency of dendrimers in removal of bacteria, samples were taken at different times (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min) and were cultured on nutrient agar medium. Samples were incubated for 24 hours at 37 °C and then number of colonies were counted. Results: Antibacterial properties of dendrimers in aqueous solution by increasing the dendrimer concentration and contact time is directly related. At a concentration of 25 μg/ml at 60 minutes all bacteria except S. Aureus, and at 30 minutes, E. Coli and K. Oxytoca bacteria for 100% excluded. The concentration of 2.5 μg/ml at 60 minutes of bacteria, E. Coli, K. Oxytoca and P. Mirabilis are 100% excluded. All concentrations of dendrimers at different times were reduced bacteria in the PAMAM- G7 dendrimer effect on gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria was better. Conclusion: The NPAMAM-G7 dendrimer with end amine groups exhibited a positive impact on the removal of standard strains, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, it is possible to use these nanodendrimers as antibacterial in the future

Critical Thinking Dispositions among Medical Students in Two stages: Basic Medical Sciences and Pre-Internship

Introduction: Critical thinking is considered as an ultimate goal for education, and a criteria for academic accreditation. So, organizations such as World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) emphasize its importance. This study aimed to assess critical thinking dispositions among medical students’ at two medical school stages (basic medical science and pre-internship) in two medical universities in year 2010. performance on at the two different levels of on all the students at two universities of medical sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study run in Tehran (TUMS) and Mashhad Universities of medical sciences (MUMS). A census sample of medical students (n=635) studying in basic medical sciences or pre-internship stages received California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCDI) and demographic questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive indices and t-test. Results: The total mean score on CCDI according to the completed (n=442) questionnaires, was 291.08±30.51. It was 291.38±31.98 for the basic science students and 290.70±28.6 at the pre-internship level. While the performance of the students at the two levels of basic science and pre-internship showed no significant differences, on the three subscales of inquisitiveness (p=0.012), self-confidence (p=0.011)and truth-seeking(p=0.012), we observed significant differences. The total mean score on CCDI was 290.68±30.9 for Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) and 291.67±29.97 for MUMS. The total scores for the two universities was not significantly different (p>0.7) however, the performance of the students at TUMS on the subtest for systematicity was found to be significantly better (p=0.023).Only two top deciles of the students had strongly positive critical thinking dispositions. Conclusion: Students’ critical thinking dispositions were intermediate and positive. It seems that our educational system requires to be revised in order to improve students’ critical thinking dispositions. This study could be the first step to doing research to find better ways to intervening curriculum in order to promote critical thinking dimensions

Critical Thinking Skills and Critical Thinking Dispositions in Freshmen and Senior Students of Health Care Management

Introduction: Nowadays, experts introduce critical thinking as the main outcome of higher education and consider teaching "how to think" as the basis for learning. This study compares the critical thinking skills and critical thinking dispositions in freshmen and senior students of health care management. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 60 freshmen and senior students of health care management. The data gathering tools included California critical thinking skills test, as well as California critical thinking dispositions inventory. Data was analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics, T-test, and Chi². Results: The mean and standard deviation of critical thinking skills total score in freshmen and senior students was respectively 11.55±2.18 and 11.21±2.59, which was in the normal limit for both. There was no significant difference between the freshmen and senior students' score patterns. Considering critical thinking disposition total score, the mean and standard deviation in freshmen, was 282.37±27.93 and in senior students was 289.64±21.13. There was a significant difference between the score pattern of critical thinking disposition in freshmen and senior students. The scores of senior students were higher than freshmen scores. Conclusion: The total score of critical thinking skills achieved by students was in a normal limit. Also, the total score of critical thinking dispositions revealed the students' positive tendency. But, with regard to the reported scores from other similar schools of the world, administrators and teachers should pay more attention to their educational planning in developing cultivating critical thinking skills