This paper is from Session 5E: Statistics Education Across Discipline
which comes under Topic 5: Statistics education in the workplace, government and across disciplines
Paper 5E1 (Monday 9th, 11:00-12:30)
A statistics module that interactively engages undergraduate medical students
Presenter
- Sophie Lee (University College London, United Kingdom)
Co-author
- Eirini Koutoumanou (University College, London, United Kingdom)
Abstract
The General Medical Council within the United Kingdom requires all new doctors to be able to ‘apply scientific method and approaches to medical research’ (2009). Despite this, medical students are often reluctant to engage in statistical training and remain disinterested in the subject. This paper details how the Health Research Methods module offered to 3rd year medical students undertaking an integrated Bachelor’s degree (iBSc) in Paediatrics and Child Health was re-designed to adopt a more interactive approach using SPSS computer software to better motivate the class. Students are required to apply statistical methods within real-life settings using example datasets and interpreting the findings appropriately. The module training also links directly to their mandatory research projects for which they usually collect the primary data.