The Efficacy and Acceptance of Brief Intentional Teachings to Encourage Success

ABSTRACT

Students in medical laboratory sciences occasionally struggle in lecture to acquire the knowledge covered in the objectives. After review of the ASCLS Body of Knowledge, 9 clearly stated objectives in acid-base studies were distilled, and 2 Brief Intentional Teachings to Encourage Success (BITES) were created. These BITES are a form of microlearning, wherein students take 10- to 20-minute chunks of time to learn a brief topic. Five objectives are defined, and review questions are asked to stimulate active recall and retrieval. At the end, 3 questions are asked that require application of the knowledge gained over the previous 10–20 minutes. Three surveys were given to all students at different points in time to assess the efficacy and acceptance of BITES; Post-lecture (Pre-BITES) Questionnaire (PLQ), Post-BITES Questionnaire (PBQ), and Post–3-month Questionnaire (P3Q). In comparing the PLQ and the PBQ, 8 correct answers were recalled more often in the PBQ, and 3 correct answers were recalled more often in the PLQ. All correct answers were recalled more often in the P3Q than the PLQ. The question, “I enjoyed these BITES,” was answered with 1 “no” and 5 “yes” and received the following scores: 0 answered 1, 0 answered 2, 3 answered 3, 8 answered 4, and 11 answered 5. The question, “I preferred learning with…”, indicated that all students but 1 preferred BITES over lecture. As we continue to master our craft of teaching, we learn that MLS students prefer learning with BITES in a traditional lecture-based classroom and that durable learning was accomplished over 3 months with their use. Further studies are required to see if BITES improve student engagement.