Julie Grundman, who will enter her third year in medical school at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center this fall, recently won a national
award for her research project dealing with a computer-based teaching method.
The Society of General Internal Medicine presented Grundman with the
Mack Lipkin Sr. Award for the best research presentation by a fellow, resident
or medical student. Grundman received the award at the societys annual
meeting in Boston earlier this month.
Grundmans research compared the traditional teaching methods of eye
and ear diagnoses to methods using a multimedia, interactive approach.
Her findings showed that statistically, students tested better if they
learned through the newer, computer-generated method than if they used
only written materials.
We wanted to show that at least in the area of physical diagnosis,
pictures and multimedia learning would be more effective to teach students,
Grundman said. It actually turned out that it is.
Grundmans research is the first to show that a computer-based virtual
reality program can produce better learning than traditional methods, said
Robert Wigton, M.D., associate dean in the UNMC College of Medicine.
Many universities have begun using multimedia interactive courses to
teach diagnosis classes, Dr. Wigton said, but nobody had ever done a carefully
designed study to show the teaching method worked better.
This research showed that it works better for this particular setting,
he said.
Dr. Wigton and Devin Nickol, M.D., co-authored Grundmans research.
Dr. Nickol teaches the physical and history class in which students participated
in Grundmans project. Dr. Wigton noted that the material covered during
the weeklong period is additional subject matter to what first-year students
would normally learn.
The research was conducted last fall among 121 first-year UNMC medical
students in a physical diagnosis class. Grundman said the multimedia teaching
programs simulate an actual patient exam.
Students were divided into two groups that were as similar as possible
in terms of undergraduate grade point average and pre-test scores.
When studying diagnoses of the eye, one group used the multimedia approach
while the other group learned via traditional methods. The groups were
flip-flopped when learning about the ear.
In each case, the group that used the multimedia approach tested statistically
better and those students spent more time studying. Their study time was
tracked through computer log-on and log-out times, and by the time they
spent using the traditional, written teaching versions in the library.
There were a lot more pictures in that multimedia version, Grundman
said. We also included a lot of interactivity to get the students thinking
about the material as they were going through the programs.
Grundman began her research in the summer of 1999, after she received
a fellowship through the deans office of the UNMC College of Medicine.
Throughout last summer, Grundman completed the bulk of her research
and developed its multimedia programs. This spring, she submitted her abstract
to the SGIM, a group of 2,200 members of general internists from academic
centers. Her project was chosen from more than 650 submitted. She presented
her paper at the three-day SGIM meeting, and was awarded a plaque and $250
for winning.
Grundman is the first Nebraskan to receive the award, Dr. Wigton said.
He said its highly unusual for a medical student to win over research
fellows.
Grundman had no inkling that shed win the award until her name was
announced.
I actually was quite amazed that I won, Grundman said. Its one of
those things that you know you are against a lot of people whove done
research for a lot longer than you have and are much more experienced at
it. Its hard to think that my research was comparable to theirs when I
havent done it as much. But I was very happy.
Grundman, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate and Nebraska City
native, said she worked with chemical education and multimedia development
when she was at UNL. Her first research project, she said, took what she
learned and applied it to medicine.
Grundman said she may continue the research this fall on the same group
of students.
We might want to give them another test to see if theyre retaining
the knowledge; to see if theres still that difference a year afterwards,
she said.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,
UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for
cancer research and treatment, solid organ transplantation and arthritis.
During the past year, nearly $31 million in research grants and contracts
were awarded to UNMC scientists, and UNMCs funding from the National Institutes
of Health increased by 28 percent, going from $16.2 million to $20.7 million.
UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals
practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.