This is the first near-peer, blended learning study conducted in Cardiff currently. Most of the responses being positive has suggested that the blended style of learning and near-peer teaching is a suitable and effective method of delivering ISCE teaching to students.
The feedback from the session displayed that several participants enjoyed this method of teaching and that they had a better understanding of the content. This is in line with Bornkamm et al. which found that students were not only more satisfied with a blended approach of learning but it also improved their overall OSCE performance (14).
Interestingly, the free text element of the questionnaire revealed a dichotomy between satisfaction with live demonstrations and preference of online teaching due to perceived convenience. Although the aim was to integrate these elements with our hybrid approach, there remained certain participants who preferred the session to be delivered completely online. This brings into question whether a blended approach is more beneficial than online teaching in the context of practical demonstrations such as ISCE teaching. Grover et al states that the advantages of online OSCE teaching sessions include increased accessibility and feasibility due to reduced travelling time (15). However, the drawbacks of virtual sessions were that practical demonstrations had to be verbally explained which could lead to information being interpreted incorrectly (15). Furthermore, a well-established limitation with virtual formats of teaching is unreliable internet connection (16). With the blended approach, both these problems are rectified as the face-to-face component ensures clinical skills and practical examinations are taught thoroughly. Moreover, accessible recordings of the live session allow participants to review the taught content even if they were unable to attend the live session.
Although our study focussed on ISCE teaching, we also pondered over the use of a blended near-peer approach for conducting a formative ISCE examination. The term ‘VOSCEs’ (abbreviation for virtual OSCEs) and ‘e-OSCEs’ started to become popular during the pandemic. One study conducted a peer-led e-OSCE examination on Zoom™ and found that if an online participants’ internet connection was not at an optimum speed, this had a downstream negative effect on candidates that followed (17). Thus, with larger sample sizes, a small delay in internet connection can cause larger subsequent problems. On the contrary, Shorbagi et al., found that an online OSCE was more accessible and feasible but suggested it was only effective for the history-taking aspect of the examination (18). Thus, the notion of a virtual ISCE/OSCE still needs several adjustments before its utility can be validated for widespread use.
Peer assessors for ISCE examinations have also been a point of interest. One study conducted in the University of Heidelberg trialled near-peer examiners for formative OSCEs and received an overwhelmingly positive response (19). In addition to students feeling they received more useful and in-depth feedback; they also felt more confident performing the examination which enhanced their learning experience. The major drawback of implementing this system for a summative ISCE was the inter-rater reliability.
With the advancements in medical education post-pandemic, it is interesting to compare hybrid forms of learning with traditional face-to-face teaching practices. Cost-effectiveness is a notable benefit of a hybrid approach because if fewer students are present in person, fewer resources will be used (20). This reduces the burden on educational institutions in terms of the financial and logistical implications of for using lecture theatres (20). Furthermore, online attendees do not pose an additional cost for the university as they only require their personal devices and a stable internet connection to access teaching. A hybrid approach also increases accessibility to sessions thus widening participation (21). However, a significant drawback with hybrid teaching is the risk of reduced face-to-face participation. Not only does this negatively impact the social factor of face-to-face teaching, but this can reduce the motivation of the lecturer to teach due to reduced audiences and interaction (22). One potential solution is disseminating attendance forms prior to the session to gauge the likely ratio of live to online attendees. If there is concern of reduced student engagement due to a majority of participants attending the session online, delivering teaching in smaller groups may also increase interaction (23).
Most participants in our study felt that the teaching was catered to their level, and this could be attributed to the near-peer teaching approach. This teaching model has a number of benefits including improving teaching skills, confidence in public speaking and developing a rapport between tutor and tutees that aids in the process of understanding the topics being taught (9). With the expectation of medical students to become educators at some point during their careers; be it bedside teaching or clinical lecturers, near-peer teaching allows students to get an early insight into the important skills required for effective teaching (24). Furthermore, learning how to teach is a skill not often taught to medical students thus in some cases, near-peer teaching may be their only exposure to developing as an educator (25). Relatability is another positive aspect that near-peer teaching offers as it allows senior students who have sat the examination themselves to give a better idea of what to expect. This may not be the case with senior lecturers as the content they deliver may be more informative rather than ‘exam-focussed’ (26).
Although there is clearly much to praise about near-peer teaching, potential systematic errors are one of its biggest flaws. This is the transfer of preconceived misconceptions that the student teacher may have about the topic that they teach to their peers. One can argue that senior lecturers are also at the stake of making mistakes however, these are usually random errors and are uncommon compared to systematic errors (26). At OSCEazy, slides are peer-reviewed to decrease the rate of systematic errors. Moreover, presentations are often shared and edited by senior members of staff beforehand.
Tutor perceptions
Tutors reported that their confidence and knowledge in topics increased through the process of creating and delivering the teaching session and mention that they are highly likely to attend future near-peer teaching sessions both as tutors and as tutees. Studies by Sawyer et al., Gottlieb et al., and Sader et al. show similar tutor perceptions as identified in our study (27) (28) (29). Wheiss et al. suggest that “to teach is to learn twice” suggesting that tutors tend to have an academic edge in performing better in examinations (30).
Limitations
Although the study had a large sample size, attendance for the session was voluntary hence the data was affected by self-selection biases. Additionally, the sample only included second year medical students hence the data from this study may not be representative of the general population of medical students. To prevent this, a blended near-peer ISCE teaching session can be held again for medical students from any year group and this session should be incorporated into the teaching timetable so that it forms part of their curriculum.
Another limitation was that this study only focussed on exploring blended near-peer teaching for ISCE preparation. As ISCE teaching intertwines live demonstrations and lecture-based aspects, it worked efficiently. Further improvements would be to try this teaching style for other topics (e.g.: anatomy teaching) or even beyond the scope of medicine. This can allow us to see whether the success of this teaching style is restricted to ISCE teaching.
To make more accurate comparisons, a control group could have been incorporated. If this study was conducted once again, students can be split into groups receiving different styles of teaching: online, in-person and a hybrid approach.