Lecturers at medicine have implemented video in their dermatology lectures. The small video tutorials make the lectures more dynamic and dialogue-based and build bridges between theory and practice.

2017.04.20 | Sabina Bjerre Hansen

When the lecturers from the subject dermatology met in Autumn 2016 to evaluate the recently completed courses, they decided to really shake things up. And not only when it came to content.

It was time for something new 

"Our teaching was moved from one semester to another, and we had been dissatisfied with the outcome of the lectures as a teaching method for a while. So it seemed like the right time to rethink form and content – both for our own sake and in particular for the sake of the students. We therefore started working on the video project," explains Clinical Professor and Chair Lars Iversen from the Department of Clinical Medicine, who is responsible for the teaching in dermatology.

The teaching staff contacted the faculty's university pedagogic centre at the Centre for Health Sciences Education – CESU and entered into an agreement on sparring for both the pedagogical and technical choices which followed from a reorganisation of the teaching.

Teaching in dermatology is now completely changed. Lectures in the traditional sense of the word are gone. Instead, lecturers and students work case-based, and the content of the lectures are now based on evidence-based learning theories and pedagogics supported by Educational IT.

Received positive feedback 

Lars Iversen and his colleagues have not yet been able to measure the results and outcome of their altered teaching practice. But the feedback from the students has been positive. 

"I am pleased with the videos we use for the theoretical work. They are brief and they force the lecturer to concentrate on the most relevant aspects of the subject," says medical student Nikolaj Schmidt, who has just taken the course in dermatology.

During the course, the teaching team could see that there was an unusually lively amount of traffic on Blackboard, which is where the videos are found. Their statistics correspond well with the lecturers' own perception that video-supported teaching is the way forward.

“The videos add a new dimension to the teaching. Our teaching has become more dynamic. We are focused on interaction and want to encourage dialogue between lecturer and students and among the students themselves. Our impression is that we have succeeded in doing this," says Lars Iversen.

Medical student Nikolaj Schmidt also has a positive view of the use of video in teaching. However, he does stress that the initiative must not be introduced at the expense of the lessons.

"I fear that it can generally be easier to cutback on the classroom teaching now that we students can 'just' download the lesson from the internet. But the videos cannot replace the dialogue we have with experienced clinicians, as I largely see the course as a form of apprenticeship," says Nikolaj Schmidt. 

Instructive and challenging process 

"It has been both instructive, time-consuming and challenging to restructure the course as case-based and video-supported teaching. But I think it has been worth the effort. Lecturing on the course has become more satisfying and also more fun," says Lars Iversen.

The teaching material in dermatology now includes 40-50 videos, and Lars Iversen explains that medical doctor Kristian Arvesen, who is taking his main speciality training position in dermatology, has been a real motivating force in the process of producing the videos. Kristian Arvesen has participated in the project as part of the research training that he must undergo as part of his course of study.

Lars Iversen and his colleagues do not hesitate to recommend the use of video to their teaching colleagues. They plan to expand their own repertoire and use video in connection with the training of new foundation doctors.

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Are you interested in using video in teaching?

If you are considering introducing video in your teaching, you can register for CESU’s new online course in video production. The course focuses on the pedagogical considerations that you should consider as a lecturer before deciding to implement video in your teaching.

You can find out more about the course and register on the CESU website. Here you also find the centre's course catalogue and information about tailor-made courses. 

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Hvordan bruger underviserne video i dermatologi-kurset/faget?

• The lecturers have produced 40-50 brief videos that last between 3-7 minutes.
• Each video focuses on one or a part of a topic such as e.g. urticaria or atopic eczema.
• The content of the videos is either a review of theory or a treatment instruction.
• In the treatment instructions, the students are given an insight into practice through the presentation of e.g. suture techniques.
• One topic can also be repeated in several cases to present diseases and diagnoses from different angles.
• The lecturers do not review theory during the lessons.
• The students make their own course catalogue.
• The videos are distributed to students via Blackboard.
• The students watch the videos when they have time and are motivated to see them.
• The students can watch the videos several times if they need to.
• The course lasts a total of three weeks.

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Contact

Manager for the pre-graduate area Liza Strandgaard
Centre for Health Sciences Education (CESU)
Mobile: (+45) 2033 4777
Email: lis@cesu.au.dk