Writing to Learn, Learning to Write: Improving Medical Students

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Writing to Learn, Learning to WriteImproving
Medical Students Writing Competence
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Presented byVirginia A. Brown, MAHU College
of MedicineCFM Program in Health Care Ethics
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OBJECTIVE

• To Improve Students Professional Writing
  Abilities Via
• Demonstration of Mastery of Relevant Ethical
  Theory,
• Utilization of Parenthetical Citation (APA), and
  
• Execution of Format and Mechanics Conventions.

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BACKGROUND

• History of Ethics Program
• Fall 1993 Inaugural Class
• Prerequisite - Clinical Experience
• Established as Required Course
• Course Delivery
• 2 Credit Hours
• Large Lecture, Small Group
• Quiz, Midterm, Research Paper w/o WAC Curriculum,
  and Practicum
• Fall 2005 Incorporated WAC Curriculum

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Background, contd

• Multidisciplinary Faculty
• Faculty Compliment/semester, 20-24
• Health Science, Law, Philosophy, and Divinity
• Interdisciplinary Health Science
• Allied Health - Jr/Sr, Graduate
• Dental - 3rd year
• Medicine - 3rd year
• Nursing - Jr/Sr, Graduate
• Pharmacy - 4th year
• Average enrollment, 400/year

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PROCEDURE

• Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)
• Established for over 30 years
• Features of WAC Include
• Fostering Critical Thinking,
• Utilizing Learning to Write and Writing to
  Learn Techniques,
• Incorporating Discipline Specific Vocabulary and
  Conventions (Professionalism in Writing),
• Responding and Adapting to Student Needs, and
• Linking Writing, Listening, and Speaking (Active
  Learning).

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IMPLEMENTATION

• Development of Getting Ready To Write (GRTW)
  Activities
• Identification of Bad vs Good Papers
• Selection of Interventions
• Development of Course Material

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GRTW

• Prepare, Pre/Re-write, and Submit
• Part 1.
• 500 Word Statement of Problem
• Annotated Bibliography (APA format)
• Part 2.
• Sentence Outline
• Peer Review Draft
• Part 3.
• Final Submission

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PARTICIPANTS
Allied Health N46
Clinical Health Science Students N251 Fall
2005
Dental N71
Medicine N57
Nursing N46
Pharmacy N46
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ASSESSMENT

• End of Semester Survey by Discipline
• Medical Student Survey Responses
• 28 multiple choice questions in total
• 4 WAC specific questions
• Standard Likert Scale
• Optional Essay
• Administered via Blackboard
• 39 of 57 students responded

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WAC SURVEY QUESTIONS

• Q1. The WAC techniques were helpful.
• Q2. WAC techniques introduced and utilized for
  this course were useful in preparing to
  research and write the research paper.
• Q3. I would recommend the WAC instruction to
  other students.
• Q4. The assignments regarding the
  bibliography and proper citation techniques
  were well outlined in the Concise Rules.

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RESPONSES
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CONCLUSION

• The combined average of strongly agreed and
  agreed respondents revealed that, on average, 56
  of the medical students found WAC strategies
  useful.
• Faculty noted that performance on WAC strategies
  correlated to final paper grades.

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NEXT STEPS

• Develop pre/post assessments of professional
  writing knowledge
• Incorporate collection of grade forecast
  correlation
• Expand survey questions re
• Attendance at writing lecture
• 1st language as English/ESL
• Frequency of paper submissions