The Effect of Drawing Microbiology Concepts on Short-Term Retention Before and After Interrupted Learning

Introduction Throughout the preclinical education curriculum, medical students learn numerous concepts that must be retained and added to over time. Previous studies have shown that utilizing drawing leads to improved retention of concepts. However, limited studies have investigated the use of drawi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical science educator 2023-10, Vol.33 (5), p.1205-1213
Main Authors: Waters, Robert, Carty, Nancy, Keller, Christopher C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Education
Medical Education
Original Research
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Summary:Introduction Throughout the preclinical education curriculum, medical students learn numerous concepts that must be retained and added to over time. Previous studies have shown that utilizing drawing leads to improved retention of concepts. However, limited studies have investigated the use of drawing at the medical school level. The goal of this study was to utilize mechanism-based drawing aimed at presenting conceptual material rather than strict memorization before and after interrupted learning. Methods Participants were randomly assigned to a drawing group or a text-only group and both groups received text #1 that explained a microbiology concept. The groups were instructed to read the text, but only the drawing group received a drawing prompt. The groups then completed post-test #1. During part #2 of the study, the groups were instructed to read text #2 with no drawing prompt. The two groups were instructed to complete post-test #2 which covered topics from text #1 and #2. p
ISSN:2156-8650
2156-8650
DOI:10.1007/s40670-023-01879-9