EXPERIENCE OF USING ACTIVE LEARNING METHODS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY OF DNIPRO STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Abstract. In the 21st century the spread of Internet technologies and changes in the students’ psychology have caused the popularity of active learning in higher school, which is aimed at training students in the ability to ask questions, obtain knowledge from reliable sources, and apply it in professional activities. At the Ophthalmology Department of Dnipro State Medical University active learning has been used since 2013. During this time, we have developed a certain algorithm for choosing active learning methods, which includes determining the level of basic training of the entire group, approximate ranking by the level of training of individual students, taking into account the topic of the lesson, and combining different methods. In particular, the case-based learning, which is very useful when studying clinical disciplines, does not promote development of communication skills, but its combination with the “flipped classroom” method and team-based learning stimulates students to defend reasonably their individual opinion. This approach is interesting when learning topics that require attention to minor details: “Refraction”, “Strabismus”, “Glaucoma”, “Ocular manifestations of general pathology”. The roleplay method, in our opinion, is better for topics where a large number of diseases with a similar clinical course and possible rapid development dynamics are discussed: “Red eye syndrome”, “Eye adnexa pathology”. Debriefing is of great importance during active learning, and involves a guided discussion where students reflect on their work, identify areas for improvement, and receive constructive feedback from the teacher. The disadvantage of the above methods is that they require a lot of time, which does not allow to discuss of absolutely all issues of the topic. An express method that allows to eliminate it is the analysis of test tasks in class: collective analysis of tests gives possibility not only to explain to students their mistakes, but also to quickly consider questions that remained uncovered. Finally, there are a certain number of questions (“Rapid loss of vision”, “Ocular trauma”) that, after a number of experiments with active learning, we decided to leave for traditional learning so that students would have the opportunity to remember clearly the symptoms of emergencies in ophthalmology and the algorithm for providing care in them. A differentiated approach to the choice of active learning methods allows us not only to increase students’ interest in studying the discipline, but also contributes to the development of their communication skills, the ability to defend reasonably their opinion and find the correct answers through interaction with peers.