Wang Ting-Huai, Xu Xiao-Dan, Long Zhi-Yuan, Cao Ying-Nan, Lai Ning-Yi, Ma Yong-Hong, Tan Xiao-Qiu, Xin Min, Jiang Jin-Yan, Yang Da-Ya
Department of Physiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Biofeedback Laboratory, Guangzhou Xinhua University, Guangzhou, 510520, China.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Aug 4;25(1):1144. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07412-3.
Addressing regional disparities in educational resources remains a persistent challenge in medical education. The Online Four-Step Teaching (OFST) method is a structured, team-based, task-driven approach designed to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes sequentially. When combined with Interprofessional Education (IPE), which promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration among healthcare students, OFST has the potential to bridge geographical and disciplinary boundaries. This study evaluates the integration of OFST and IPE in cross-regional physiology instruction and its effectiveness in improving learning outcomes and fostering interprofessional collaboration.
185 undergraduate students from ten majors across four eastern and western Chinese universities participated in an interprofessional OFST. The OFST includes four structured steps: Teacher Guidance, Self-Regulated Learning, Team Learning and Practice, and Experience Sharing. Through online platforms, students from diverse disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and medical imaging, etc. worked collaboratively in interprofessional teams. Guided learning, individual study, and collaborative problem-solving activities were combined with reflective discussions to consolidate knowledge. The international OFST's effectiveness was assessed using individual quizzes and a survey evaluating learning outcomes, self-regulated learning, teamwork, and interprofessional collaborative learning.
Correct rates for fundamental and practical application questions increased significantly from 48.3% (72/149) in Quiz 1 to 80.5% (120/149) in Quiz 2 (P < 0.001) and 22.8% (34/149) in Quiz 1 to 55.7% (83/149) in Quiz 2 (P < 0.001), respectively. Survey results showed that 82.4-94.1% of students believed OFST helped clarify their learning direction, enhance self-regulated learning and teamwork skills, and broaden disciplinary and interprofessional knowledge.
Integrating OFST with IPE enhances cross-regional and interprofessional collaboration, improves knowledge acquisition and fosters skills such as teamwork and self-regulated learning. This approach holds significant potential for addressing disparities in educational resources and advancing equity in medical education.
解决医学教育中教育资源的地区差异仍然是一个长期存在的挑战。在线四步教学（OFST）方法是一种结构化的、基于团队的、任务驱动的方法，旨在逐步提高学生的参与度和学习成果。当与促进医学生跨学科合作的跨专业教育（IPE）相结合时，OFST有潜力跨越地理和学科界限。本研究评估了OFST和IPE在跨地区生理学教学中的整合情况，及其在提高学习成果和促进跨专业合作方面的有效性。
来自中国东部和西部四所大学十个专业的185名本科生参加了跨专业的OFST。OFST包括四个结构化步骤：教师指导、自主学习、团队学习与实践以及经验分享。通过在线平台，来自医学、护理、药学和医学影像等不同学科的学生在跨专业团队中协同工作。引导式学习、个人学习和协作式问题解决活动与反思性讨论相结合，以巩固知识。使用个人测验以及一项评估学习成果、自主学习、团队合作和跨专业协作学习的调查来评估国际OFST的有效性。
基础问题和实际应用问题的正确率分别从测验1中的48.3%（72/149）显著提高到测验2中的80.5%（120/149）（P<0.001），以及从测验1中的22.8%（34/149）提高到测验2中的55.7%（83/149）（P<0.001）。调查结果显示，82.4%-94.1%的学生认为OFST有助于明确他们的学习方向，提高自主学习和团队合作技能，并拓宽学科和跨专业知识。
将OFST与IPE相结合可增强跨地区和跨专业合作，提高知识获取，并培养团队合作和自主学习等技能。这种方法在解决教育资源差异和推进医学教育公平方面具有巨大潜力。
