Volume 27: Issue 2

Producing the Journal of Chiropractic Education is a team effort. Thus, I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to the peer reviewers, editorial board, authors, and production staff who work so diligently to produce the journal.

Our dedicated cadre of peer reviewers ensures that each published manuscript meets rigorous academic and scientific standards. I thank the peer reviewers for the 2012–2013 year who volunteered their time to critique submitted manuscripts. Reviewers were as follows:

Ana Paula Albuquerque-Facchinato
Barclay Bakkum
Rick Branson
David Byfield
Alana Callendar
Cindy Chapman
Robert Cooperstein
Matthew Funk
Brian Gleberzon
Christopher Good
Julie-Marthe Grenier

Objective

We compared self-assessment and test-driven learning in two groups of students who studied the same subject.

Methods

This was a randomized comparative experimental study. The subjects were 259 first-quarter students who were divided into a test group and a self-assessment group based on the methods they used for their learning assessments. We measured the scores and difficulty levels of 3 formal written exams. Students' attitudes toward self-assessment or test-driven learning were surveyed.

Results

The mean scores of exam 1, exam 2, and a summative exam were 34 (±6), 32 (±8), and 44 (±6) for the self-assessment group, respectively, with corresponding scores of 33 (±6), 33 (±7), 43 (±6) for the test group. There were no significant differences in the mean scores on all 3 tests between the two groups (p > .05). Of the students in the self-assessment group, 64% scored at least 90%, whereas 47% of students in the test group answered at least 90% of the questions correctly (p < .001). For the survey, students expressed a positive attitude toward both learning strategies.

Conclusion

Both self-assessment and tests could have a significant impact on students' learning, but each offers different strengths and weaknesses.

Objective

We report the differences in final examination scores achieved by students at the culmination of two different teaching strategies in an introductory skills course.

Methods

Multiple choice examination scores from six consecutive academic calendar sessions over 18 months (n = 503) were compared. Two groups were used: Cohort A (n = 290) represented students who were enrolled in the course 3 consecutive academic sessions before an instructional change and Cohort B (n = 213) included students who were enrolled in 3 consecutive academic sessions following the instructional change, which included a more active learning format. Statistical analyses used were 2-tailed independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD), and effect size.

Results

The 2-tailed independent t-test revealed a significant difference between the two groups (t = −3.71, p < .001; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29–4.20). Significant difference was found in the highest performing subgroup compared to the lowest performing subgroup in Cohort A (F = 3.343, p = .037). For Cohort A subgroups 1 and 2, Tukey's HSD was p < .028. In Cohort B, no difference was found among subgroups (F = 1.912, p = .150, HSD p > .105).

Conclusion

Compared to previous versions of the same course taught by the same instructor, the students in the new course design performed better, suggesting that using active learning techniques helps improve student achievement.

Objective

We sought to identify the percentage of nonmusculoskeletal and musculoskeletal conditions treated by interns in the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) Student Clinic compared to chiropractic and allopathic health care professionals.

Methods

The information gathered was taken from the charts of patients treated in the fall trimester, dated September 12, 2011 through December 9, 2011. The data collected included ICD-9 codes for the conditions treated, the number of patient visits, age, and gender, and was evaluated using Microsoft Excel.

Results

Over half of the 113 eligible patients were women with a mean patient age of 28 years, an average of three treated diagnoses, and a mean of seven treatments. Those treated only for musculoskeletal conditions totaled 52% of the patients; 48% of the patients were treated for nonmusculoskeletal conditions, or musculoskeletal plus nonmusculoskeletal conditions.

Conclusion

The NUHS Student Clinic interns are treating a greater percentage of nonmusculoskeletal conditions and a lesser percentage of musculoskeletal conditions than practicing chiropractic physicians. The student interns also treat a lesser percentage of nonmusculoskeletal and a greater percentage of musculoskeletal conditions than allopathic practitioners. This comparison would suggest that NUHS is nearing its institutional goal of training its student interns as primary care practitioners.

INTRODUCTION

The theme for the 2013 Association of Chiropractic Colleges Educational Conference and Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC) was Chiropractic and Healthcare Reform: Improving Outcomes, Delivery, and Affordability of Healthcare. The conference was held March 14–16, 2013 at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC. Presenters and attendees from around the world met with their peers, participated in informative workshops in the domains of healthcare reform, research, clinical practice, and education, and attended research presentations by leaders in the field.

Association of Chiropractic Colleges working group meetings were held, allowing educators, administrators, and researchers the opportunity to meet and

Small Teaching Online

Carissa ManriquePhD,

Abdellatif AlsharifPhD,

Kelly BrownMS,

Cynthia CalongneDCS,

Terence CockerhamMA, and

Themba NgwenyaDCS