Weniger ist manchmal mehr

Umgestaltung eines Kleingruppenpraktikums zur Steigerung des Lernerfolgs in den Lebenswissenschaften

Abstract

The master program Translational Medical Research at Heidelberg University is designed for students with a first university degree in medicine or life sciences. Using selected diseases as an example, the program aims to build an interface between basic sciences and clinical medicine with a particular focus on methodological details and disease models. Challenges due to heterogeneous educational backgrounds of the students and the thematic complexity of translational science mandate new teaching formats to effectively educate our students. To achieve this, a three-day practical course, Pain and Itch in Health and Disease, was designed for a small group of 3-4 students and conducted with three such groups of students. Using methods of didactical reduction, the course content was successfully condensed to allow focusing on activating and student-centered teaching/learning activities. A short scientific presentation by the student group as aligned assessment, explaining the purpose of the conducted experiments and critically interpreting their results and a potential translational value, was employed to catalyze the adoption of constructivist learning strategies. The assessment of the course and the student’s evaluation confirm that the developed teaching format effectively fostered the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.