Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Other
Medical Education
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Introduction: The landscape of medical education has witnessed significant changes in recent years, marked by a decline in both in-person lecture attendance and online lecture viewership. This trend is particularly notable in the post-COVID-19 era and raises important questions about the relationship between lecture engagement and academic performance among medical students. Our study seeks to investigate the correlation between lecture viewership and course performance, with a specific focus on the unique context of the UTRGV School of Medicine. Our primary objectives were to (1) evaluate the correlation between lecture viewership and academic performance and (2) examine the relationship between lecture engagement and academic outcomes based on the medical school year (MS1 and MS2). We hypothesized that performance would be related to lecture engagement in a discipline-related manner. Our findings aim to provide insights into the effectiveness of lecture engagement as a learning method and its potential influence on academic success in the unique context of the UTRGV School of Medicine. The results may serve as valuable guidance for administrative decisions regarding the optimization of lecture formats to better meet the needs of medical students.
Methodology: Lecture engagement was evaluated by analyzing viewing data from Panopto, the UTRGV learning management system capture system. The study focused on the class of 2026 in the 2023 Renal and Male Reproduction (RMR) module. De-identified viewing data from the module was systematically categorized by discipline and week. We evaluated relationships with viewing data to corresponding performance overall and by discipline. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS.
Results: Preliminary data from the Renal and Male Reproduction module suggests that total minutes of lecture viewing had a negative trend in relation to end of module performance (R=0.0135; slope = -0.2874). Notably, students performing above 90% were identified in both students who watched a substantial amount of lectures and those with minimal viewership. However, a positive trend was observed between online lecture engagement and performance on the quizzes, particularly in quiz 4 (R=0.0585, slope=87.575).
Conclusions: In summary, our findings suggest that online lecture engagement correlates to a trend in increased quiz grades but decreased performance on the end-of-module exam. We attribute this pattern to the nature of assessments, with quizzes being professor-written and end-of-module exam questions sourced from an NBME standardized question bank. Also, it is worth noting that the higher scores associated with decreased lecture watching may point to active, in-class participation. Therefore, this negative trend may indicate a potential benefit of in-person lecture attendance and engagement. Moreover, reduced lecture engagement may suggest that those students could be utilizing self-study and alternative means of learning to fulfill course outcomes.
Academic/Professional Position
Medical Student
Mentor/PI Department
Neuroscience
Recommended Citation
Harris, Chloe; Potter-Baker, Kelsey; Martin, Blake; Hensley, Jared; Butler, Hunter; Garcia Valdez, Kevin; and Wiggins, Russell, "Correlation Between Lecture Engagement and Academic Performance in the UTRGV School of Medicine" (2024). Research Symposium. 17.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2024/posters/17
Included in
Correlation Between Lecture Engagement and Academic Performance in the UTRGV School of Medicine
Introduction: The landscape of medical education has witnessed significant changes in recent years, marked by a decline in both in-person lecture attendance and online lecture viewership. This trend is particularly notable in the post-COVID-19 era and raises important questions about the relationship between lecture engagement and academic performance among medical students. Our study seeks to investigate the correlation between lecture viewership and course performance, with a specific focus on the unique context of the UTRGV School of Medicine. Our primary objectives were to (1) evaluate the correlation between lecture viewership and academic performance and (2) examine the relationship between lecture engagement and academic outcomes based on the medical school year (MS1 and MS2). We hypothesized that performance would be related to lecture engagement in a discipline-related manner. Our findings aim to provide insights into the effectiveness of lecture engagement as a learning method and its potential influence on academic success in the unique context of the UTRGV School of Medicine. The results may serve as valuable guidance for administrative decisions regarding the optimization of lecture formats to better meet the needs of medical students.
Methodology: Lecture engagement was evaluated by analyzing viewing data from Panopto, the UTRGV learning management system capture system. The study focused on the class of 2026 in the 2023 Renal and Male Reproduction (RMR) module. De-identified viewing data from the module was systematically categorized by discipline and week. We evaluated relationships with viewing data to corresponding performance overall and by discipline. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS.
Results: Preliminary data from the Renal and Male Reproduction module suggests that total minutes of lecture viewing had a negative trend in relation to end of module performance (R=0.0135; slope = -0.2874). Notably, students performing above 90% were identified in both students who watched a substantial amount of lectures and those with minimal viewership. However, a positive trend was observed between online lecture engagement and performance on the quizzes, particularly in quiz 4 (R=0.0585, slope=87.575).
Conclusions: In summary, our findings suggest that online lecture engagement correlates to a trend in increased quiz grades but decreased performance on the end-of-module exam. We attribute this pattern to the nature of assessments, with quizzes being professor-written and end-of-module exam questions sourced from an NBME standardized question bank. Also, it is worth noting that the higher scores associated with decreased lecture watching may point to active, in-class participation. Therefore, this negative trend may indicate a potential benefit of in-person lecture attendance and engagement. Moreover, reduced lecture engagement may suggest that those students could be utilizing self-study and alternative means of learning to fulfill course outcomes.