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Course-based Vs Research-based Master’s Programs || Which Is Best For You?

Ebere Nsofor

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If getting a master’s degree is in your academic or career plans, then you need to fully understand what it entails. Getting a master’s degree is a great way to advance your career or kick-start a new career. However, there are different types of master’s degrees offered by universities. This article will discuss course-based and research-based masters to help you understand what they mean and how they are different.

Course-based programs

Course-based master’s degree programs are designed for students who want to learn new skills, gain knowledge, and advance their careers. These structured programs offer students a set of courses to complete for their degree. The courses are designed to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their chosen careers.

Research-based programs

Research-based master’s degree programs are designed for students who want to conduct research, develop new knowledge, and contribute to their field. These programs are research-intensive and require students to conduct original research and write a thesis or dissertation. The research conducted should contribute to the knowledge base of the field.

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Differences between Course-Based and Research-Based Master’s Degree Programs

Though both programs have their unique advantages, they are tailored to different career goals and learning styles. Here are four major differences between course-based programs and research-based degree programs:

• Approach to learning

The main difference between course-based and research-based master’s degree programs is the approach to learning. As earlier stated, course-based programs offer students a set of courses to complete for their degree. These programs are often referred to as taught master’s programs and are structured around a predetermined curriculum.

On the other hand, research-based programs are not structured, and students have to conduct their research independently. This program requires students to be self-motivated, independent, and have excellent research skills.

2. Duration

Another difference between course-based and research-based master’s degree programs is the length of time it takes to complete the program. Course-based programs typically take one to two years to complete, while research-based programs usually take two to three years to complete due to the time required for extensive research. Course-based programs are an excellent choice for people looking to advance their careers quickly.

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3. Purpose  

Course-based master’s degree programs are designed to equip students with practical skills and knowledge directly applicable to their chosen profession. Students can choose from a variety of courses and tailor their programs to meet their interests and career goals.

Research-based programs, however, are research-intensive and require students to conduct original research and write a thesis or dissertation. Students have the freedom to choose their research topic and conduct their research independently. Research-based master’s degrees are best for students interested in pursuing academic careers or roles that require advanced research skills.

4. Curriculum and Assessment

While course-based programs may include a small research project, the emphasis is primarily on coursework. The majority of your time in a course-based program is spent attending lectures, seminars, and workshops. Assessment is primarily through exams, coursework, and projects.

Research-based or thesis-based programs are centred on independent research and academic exploration. The core of the program is the research thesis. The thesis serves as the culmination of the program, showcasing a student’s ability to conduct independent research, analyze data, and present findings coherently.

Now that you have an idea of the key differences between both master’s programs, you need to consider your learning style and career goals before choosing one that is right for you. If you’re looking to gain practical skills and enter a specific industry, then a course-based program will be a better choice, however, if your goal is to pursue a PhD, then, a more appropriate choice would be a research-based master’s.

Preparing to study abroad can be overwhelming, if you need further guidance on degree options, application requirements and schools to apply to for your degree or counselling regarding the best master’s degree program for you, please click here to chat with our counsellors. 

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What is a Thesis-Based vs. Course-Based Master’s Degree?

Generally, there are two paths that an international student can take in receiving their Masters Degree.

• One way is through a course-based program, and the other is through a thesis-based program.
• A course-based program is basically like your undergraduate degree: you take a certain amount of courses for a certain amount of credit, and once you pass those you receive your degree.
• A thesis-based program differs greatly from that.
• Thesis based degrees require you take fewer courses, and one or two substantially larger and more committed courses.
• In these courses, you perform your research and work on writing your thesis, which is typically based upon an original research topic of your choosing.

How Do You Choose?

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to choose between which types of masters program you wish to complete. Perhaps the most important factor in deciding which type of route to take is asking yourself what you wish to do after the completion of the program.

For example, if you wish to be a teacher or professor or have some sort of job that revolves around research, perhaps a thesis-based route would be best for you. On the other hand, a course-based program is usually completed faster and can sometimes give you a head start in the particular industry you wish to specialize in.

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The thesis-based path provides a number of pros and cons.

• First off, it is considered the more ‘traditional’ path. Oftentimes, this is the path to a master’s degree offered more commonly than the course-based.
• Completing a thesis-based program also can set you, an international student , up better to participate in a doctorate program upon completion of the masters program.
• Also, the scope of the research you will perform in a thesis-based program is smaller than the research you would perform in a doctorate program.
• Oftentimes, one of the biggest cons to a thesis-based program is the time it takes to complete.
• This path typically takes significantly longer than the course-based option.
• Also, another potential setback to thesis-based courses is that it could limit your future to research like positions and does not set one up as well for business or management decisions.
• We strongly suggest that you perform some of your own research to see if the thesis-based route is the one for you.

One of the biggest pros of the course-based route is that it typically is completed much quicker than the alternative.

• This works out nicely if you are trying to get your degree in a hurry or if you want to try and receive two degrees, for example.
• Also, course-based usually works out better when you do not intend to follow it up with another degree at the doctorate level.
• Another typically big pro about course-based work is that it tends to not narrow your prospective employment like how thesis-based can sometimes narrow employment to research based positions.
• There are, however, some cons as well with course-based work.
• One of them is that if you complete a course-based program and later decide that you would like to complete a degree at the doctorate level, you may have to complete and/or perform some work to show that you are ready to complete a degree at the level and so you can show your abilities to perform at that level.
• Another setback to this path is that all the learning is done in the classroom, so it leaves out the practical learning aspect.
• It also does not bolster your research skills as well as the thesis-based approach, and also does not prepare as well for technical specialization.

Choosing what program works best for you can oftentimes prove difficult. In addition, it can be even harder to international student loan options once you decide on a program. If you have any questions about scholarships or other options for finding funding to study in the U.S. please visit us at  www.nomadcredit.com . We’d be happy to help you search and compare options for  education loans or study loans , too. Please send us an email at  [email protected]  if you have any questions! We are happy to help.

Course Based Undergraduate Research

• Undergraduate Research, Generally

What is a CURE?

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• CURE Assessment
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The working definition of a CURE is a course in which students address research problems or questions that are of interest to outside stakeholders. In a CURE, the results of the research are unknown and have the potential to produce results of interest to the larger research community. CUREs can be implemented in a variety of manners, but consistently engage students in scientific practices such as reviewing the literature, analyzing and interpreting results, and sharing the results of research (Dolan, 2016). Depending on the goals of the CURE, it may be implemented in introductory courses or upper division courses, as a module that is part of a larger course, or part of a series of courses. Specific outcomes will vary based on learning goals, but the benefits associated with undergraduate research experiences are made available to a greater number of students when the CURE model is utilized. The suggested readings below provide additional information about the CURE model as well as the value of CUREs.

Dolan, E. L. (2016). Course-based undergraduate research experiences: current knowledge and future directions [White paper]. National Research Council Commissioned Paper, 1-34. https://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpage/dbasse_177288.pdf

Dolan, E. L., & Weaver, G. C. (2021). A guide to course-based undergraduate research : developing and implementing CUREs in the natural sciences . W.H. Freeman.

• Value of CUREs

Buck, L. B., Bretz, S. L., & Towns, M. H. (2008). Characterizing the level of inquiry in the undergraduate laboratory. Journal of College Science Teaching , 38 (1), 52–58. https://xavier.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.42993237&site=eds-live&scope=site

Dolan, E. L. (2016). Course-based undergraduate research experiences: current knowledge and future directions [White paper]. National Research Council Commissioned Paper, 1-34. https://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpage/dbasse_177288.pdf White paper commissioned for the Committee on Strengthening Research Experiences for Undergraduate STEM students. This committee was convened by the Board on Science Education with support from the National Science Foundation.

• Dolan, E. L., & Weaver, G. C. (2021). A guide to course-based undergraduate research: Developing and implementing CUREs in the natural sciences . W.H. Freeman. https://xplore.xavier.edu/record=b4050734 PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are being championed by high profile organizations (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011; Olson & Riordan, 2012) for their potential to engage undergraduates in research at scale. CUREs are learning experiences in which whole classes of students address a research question or problem with unknown outcomes or solutions that are of interest to the scientific community. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the benefits of CUREs for student learning, development, and persistence in the natural sciences (Corwin, Graham, & Dolan, 2015; Gentile, Brenner, & Stephens, 2017; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2015; Rodenbusch, Hernandez, Simmons, & Dolan, 2016). This guide will walk you through designing and implementing an Undergraduate Research Experience.
• Graves, J. (2021). Course-based versus field undergraduate research experiences. Teaching & Learning Inquiry , 9 (2). https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/TLI/article/view/70288 Article that compares course-based undergraduate research experiences to field-based research experiences.
• Govindan, B., Pickett, S., & Riggs, B. (2020). Fear of the CURE: A beginner’s guide to overcoming barriers in creating a course-based undergraduate research experience. Journal of microbiology & biology education , 21 (2), 50. https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/jmbe.v21i2.2109 Discusses challenges of course-based undergraduate research experiences and suggestions for addressing these challenges.
• Hensel, N. H. (2018). Course-based undergraduate research: Educational equity and high-impact practice. Stylus Publishing. https://xavier.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=1865366&site=eds-live&scope=site BOOK SUMMARY: Co-published with the Council on Undergraduate Research. Undergraduate research has long been recognized as a high-impact practice (HIP), but has unfortunately been offered only to juniors and seniors, and to very few of them (often in summer programs). This book shows how to engage students in authentic research experiences, built into the design of courses in the first two years, thus making the experience available to a much greater number of students. Research that is embedded in a course, especially general education courses, addresses the issue of how to expand undergraduate research to all students. Research has shown that students who have early experiences in undergraduate research are more likely to pursue further research prior to and after graduation. This is also an issue of social justice because it makes the benefits of undergraduate research available to students who must work during the academic year and in the summer. It is widely accepted that the skills developed through undergraduate research help prepare students for their future careers. The book addresses all aspects of the topic, including: - What are appropriate expectations for research in the first two years - How to design appropriate course-based research for first- and second-year students - How to mentor a class rather than individual students - How students can disseminate the results of their research - Possible citizen-science projects appropriate for the first and second years - Providing additional resources available to support course-based research in the first two years Designed for faculty at four-year and two-year colleges - and including examples from the sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities - the strategies and methods described can be adapted to disciplines not specifically mentioned in the book. Many faculty are hesitant to engage first and second year students in undergraduate research because they worry students don't know enough to conduct authentic research in their discipline, because they worry about the time it will take to develop activities for these students, and because they wonder how they can mentor a whole class of students doing research. The authors have successfully dealt with these issues, and provide examples of how it's done.
• McDonald, K. K., Martin, A. R., Watters, C. P., & Landerholm, T. E. (2019). A faculty development model for transforming a department’s laboratory curriculum with course-based undergraduate research experiences. Journal of College Science Teaching , 48 (3), 14–23. https://www.nsta.org/resources/faculty-development-model-transforming-departments-laboratory-curriculum-course-based Discussion about redesign of laboratory courses to engage students in authentic research experiences.
• Provost, J. J., Bell, J. K., & Bell, J. E. (2019). Development and use of CUREs in biochemistry. In Biochemistry education: From theory to practice (pp. 143–171). American Chemical Society. https://xavier.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=2689955&site=eds-live&scope=site . Great summary of the state of CUREs in Biochemistry education.
• Waterman, R., & Heemstra, J. (2018). Expanding the CURE model: course-based undergraduate research experience . Research Corporation for Science Advancement. https://rescorp.org/gdresources/publications/Expanding-the-CURE-Model.pdf Book-length report from Research Corporation fo Science Advancement. Chapters include: 1) Development of a ‘Quick-Start’ Guide; 2) Getting a leg up on Research: The Pre-CURE model; 3) Continuum of Labs; 4) Research Problem Selection and Curriculum Design; 5) Assessment of CUREs; 6) Resourcing, Scalability and Sustainability of CUREs; 7) Creating and Sustaining Change in your Institution.
• Bhattacharyya, P., Chan, C. W. M., Duchesne, R. R., Ghosh, A., Girard, S. N., & Ralston, J. J. (2020). Course-based research: A vehicle for broadening access to undergraduate research in the twenty-first century. Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research , 3 (3), 14–27. https://www.cur.org/download.aspx?id=4401 Discusses CUREs as means for providing a greater number of students with access to undergraduate research experiences and the associated benefits.
• Cooper, K. M., Knope, M. L., Munstermann, M. J., & Brownell, S. E. (2020). Students who analyze their own data in a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) show gains in scientific Identity and emotional ownership of research. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education , 21 (3). https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/jmbe.v21i3.2157
• Malotky, M. K. H., Mayes, K. M., Price, K. M., Smith, G., Mann, S. N., Guinyard, M. W., Veale, S., Ksor, V., Siu, L., Mlo, H., Young, A. J., Nsonwu, M. B., Morrison, S. D., Sudha, S., & Bernot, K. M. (2020). Fostering inclusion through an interinstitutional, community-engaged, course-based undergraduate research experience. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education , 21 (1). https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/jmbe.v21i1.1939 . Discusses CUREs as an avenue for community engagement and increasing diversity of STEM research.
• Rodenbusch, S. E., Hernandez, P. R., Simmons, S. L., & Dolan, E. L. (2016). Early engagement in course-based research increases graduation rates and completion of science, engineering, and mathematics degrees. CBE - Life Sciences Education , 15 (1). https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.16-03-0117 .
• Shortlidge, E. E., Bangera, G., & Brownell, S. E. (2017). Each to their own CURE: Faculty who teach course-based undergraduate research experiences report why you too should teach a CURE. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education , 18 (2). https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/jmbe.v18i2.1260
• Staub, N. L., Blumer, L. S., Beck, C. W., Delesalle, V. A., Griffin, G. D., Merritt, R. B., Hennington, B. S., Grillo, W. H., Hollowell, G. P., White, S. L., & Mader, C. M. (2016). Course-based science research promotes learning in diverse students at diverse institutions. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly , 37 (2), 36–46. https://www.cur.org/download.aspx?id=3340 Discusses variety of modes for implementing CUREs based on institution types, disciplines, and student backgrounds.
• Tootle, T. L., Hoffmann, D. S., Allen, A. K., Spracklen, A. J., Groen, C. M., & Kelpsch, D. J. (2019). Mini-course-based undergraduate research experience: Impact on student understanding of STEM research and interest in STEM programs. Journal of College Science Teaching , 48 (6), 44–54. https://www.nsta.org/journal-college-science-teaching/journal-college-science-teaching-julyaugust-2019/research-and-1 Describes authors' experience implementing a "mini-cure" and the benefits of this model.
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Your Guide to Conquering College Coursework

Getting good grades in college can be a lot tougher than in high school. For many students, it requires building new skills and establishing new habits. Learning those skills now—before starting college—will help make your transition as easy and as successful as possible.

Mary Sharp Emerson

The transition from high school to college is a big one. Meeting new friends, living on your own, and creating your own schedule are just some of the new, exciting challenges that await you.   

In the excitement of starting a new life on campus, college coursework can sometimes become a second priority.

However, adjusting to college coursework is often the biggest challenge of all. Even the best students may be surprised at how difficult college courses are. The subject matter is more complex. The workload is larger. And instructors’ standards are higher.

Mastering college-level courses requires a new level of independence, advocacy, engagement, and time management.

You can prepare yourself to succeed before you even get to campus. Identifying the skills you need, and building those skills into established habits, will help make your transition to college academics, and college life, easier, less stressful, and more successful.

Be engaged in your college coursework

College courses require your full attention and active participation.

And the more you engage with your teachers, teaching assistants, and classmates both in and out of the classroom, the easier it will be for you to succeed in that class.

The importance of active listening

Active listening is one of the most critical parts of engaging in a course, according to Gina Neugebauer, assistant director of Harvard Summer School’s Secondary School Program.

“Professors and teaching assistants can tell if you’re actively listening. They notice if you’re taking notes and making eye contact. They also notice if you’re distracted by your phone or computer,” notes Neugebauer.

Active listening means not checking your social media accounts or texting friends during class.

It also means really giving the instructor and your classmates your full attention.

It sounds easy in theory but it takes practice. It can be tough to not think about all the work you have or your next party. But the more you work on actively listening, the easier it will be to not get distracted and miss important information in class.

Different ways to actively participate

Beyond active listening, there are many ways to participate in a course. And you can tailor your level of engagement to your personality and comfort level.

“It’s all about gauging what you’re comfortable with,” says Neugebauer.

“You may not be the person who raises their hand all the time but you actively respond to online discussion posts, for example. You may not feel comfortable talking in front of hundreds of students in a large lecture hall but you take advantage of TA office hours and email the instructor with questions.”

But don’t be afraid to push yourself if you aren’t someone who usually speaks up in class.

It’s ok to start small. Work on raising your hand in small seminars or discussion sections. As you gain confidence, you’ll find it gets easier to answer questions and share your opinions.

Build independence and advocate for yourself

In college, you are responsible for your own success. You will need to advocate for yourself and know when—and how—to ask for help. That requires a level of independence that you may not have needed in high school.

The good news is that instructors and teaching assistants want to help you.

“Instructors, on the whole, enjoy hearing from you. And they’d rather hear from you right from the start, rather than have you struggle on your own for three weeks,” says Neugebauer.

If you have a question about an assignment, send your instructor an email. Are you upset about a grade you got on a recent test? Visit your instructor or TA during office hours to discuss what went wrong and how you can improve.

But remember, says Neugebauer, professors are busy and you are only one of many students.

“Your email should include your full name, what course you’re taking, and a brief description of your question or concern. And you cannot expect an answer at 2 a.m. because that’s when you’re studying. When you reach out to an instructor, give them 24-48 hours to respond.”

And remember, always be respectful and non-confrontational.

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Don’t be afraid to seek help

If you have excelled in high school without extra help, you might be tempted to persevere on your own.

In college, Neugebauer points out, asking for help is the norm.

“Once you get into your undergraduate program, you’ll find that almost everyone has, at some point, asked a TA for extra tutoring, gone to a tutoring center, or a writing or math center for extra help. It’s part of the learning process of an undergraduate program,” Neugebauer says.

Colleges have a variety of support systems in place to help you succeed.

TA office hours are a great place to start if you find yourself struggling with a specific concept or assignment. Peer tutoring programs enable you to learn from students who have been through the course themselves. Academic coaches can help with more general study tips or exam-related stress.

The key is seeking out help proactively, before you get too far behind. As the courses become more difficult, catching up becomes increasingly difficult.

Build time management techniques

Balancing everything that comes with life on a college campus can be difficult for many incoming college students.

“The biggest challenge we see facing high school students who are trying to adapt to college life is overcommitment. Students want to engage in every activity, a full course load, and even sometimes a part-time job. They don’t schedule enough time for self-care, quiet time, doing laundry, and plenty of study time. All those things take time,” Neugebauer says.

Good study habits and time management are key to avoiding the stress that comes from getting overcommitted.

Neugebauer recommends getting into the habit of keeping an accurate and up-to-date calendar.

“The best thing I can recommend is a calendar, such as Google Calendar. Use it to schedule everything: your class, your lunch time, time at the gym. It may seem counterintuitive, but work on scheduling literally everything, even sleep.”

Be sure to include assignments, tests, and other deadlines, as well as office hours for your instructors, TAs, and academic coaches.

Use your calendar to block off dedicated study time. And once you schedule it, stick to it! Avoid the temptation to procrastinate or use that time to hang out, play video games, or scroll on your phone.

Your calendar should also include dedicated time for self-care.

Regular mealtimes, good exercise habits, and a full night’s sleep are not only critical for your physical and mental health. You’ll also be surprised at how much they contribute to your academic success.

Challenge yourself as you engage in college coursework

Getting outside your comfort zone is a critical part of preparing yourself for the exciting challenges that await you in college.

“Being uncomfortable allows for growth. It means saying to yourself, ‘this is new. I want to try it. I want to see how it feels.’ This is all about adapting to a new environment but also examining yourself as a person,” says Neugebauer.

Taking on a new challenge—regardless of the ultimate outcome—builds resilience, mental toughness, and confidence, all of which you will need to succeed in your college courses.

But, warns Neugebauer, it’s also important to know your limitations.

“That uncomfortable feeling should be manageable. It should be a challenge but not so challenging that you feel panicked and wake up in cold sweats every night. It should be something that gets you a little nervous but also excited about what you’re involved in every day.”

However you decide to challenge yourself, it’s never too early to start if college is in your future. The sooner you start identifying and mastering the skills you need in college, the better prepared you’ll be to succeed right from day one.

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How to Write a Coursework

Coursework projects do not resemble essays, research papers, or dissertations. They are the combination of all three. Students spend less time writing coursework than on making a term paper, but this type of work requires more time and efforts than an ordinary essay - it is made of several essays. Thanks to our guide, each student can discover how to write coursework. If you are running out of time or lack experience to complete the specific coursework, we recommend using our coursework writing services to hire professional academic writers.

What is Coursework and Why Does It Matter?

Coursework definition: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) coursework is a typical academic assignment, given in the course of study to evaluate the student’s knowledge, skills, and identify the final grade. Many students face this type of writing in the US colleges. One of the examples is a coursework UTD (The University of Texas at Dallas) - the requirements of this institution are strict, and many students fail to submit their papers and pass the corresponding courses.

Such type of assignment helps to have the ‘detective’ hat on: a student observes, examines, and evaluates the chosen topic using credible, up-to-date, and relevant sources. Working under controlled conditions is important. Participating in every school class will help to prepare good coursework by the end of the term. Take a look at the examples of what students of various profiles may face:

• English Composition - English coursework is an extended essay in most cases. A student has a right to pick the topic. The tutors provide their students with the list of recommended titles to choose from, sources to observe & analyze, and a format (e.g., a comparison between different relevant articles)
• Sciences - coursework for science is a complicated assignment. Such type of work appears in the form of a scientific paper to test what a writer investigates and reports independently.
• Geography - geography coursework is about collecting, reporting, and explaining information to reply to a certain geographical question or offer solutions to the problem. One idea is to explore the usage of a shopping mall or analyze the recent tornado. No matter whether you have to prepare a coursework Columbia or such paper for other educational institutions, keep in mind these differences!

Types of Coursework Explained

English Language coursework is the most common type of this assignment. At advanced GCE level, the student will be expected to write a couple of essays, totaling 3,000 words. Every assignment is 20 marks maximum.

An analytical essay : Evaluate, compare, & contrast 3 different sources of data interconnected by a common theme; written /spoken / multimedia content. Discuss different uses for targeting various audiences. Learn more on our blog.

Original essay with a supportive commentary : A student will have to come up with a single piece of media writing in the observed modes (written, spoken, or multimodal). Add a supporting piece with details about the aspects of English language. English Language & Literature coursework is a bit different. The basic requirements are the same, and the parts are:

An analytical study : Sharing an analysis of the chosen piece and its relation to the related content. It will show how well the writer understands the original piece. Tutors grade such works based on the:

• Use of the proper terminology and the coherence of the written words;
• Understanding & evaluation of the way a structure, form, and language create the written & spoken word;
• Opportunity to observe relationships between various pieces of writing.

Creative writing & commentary : Produce a creative piece that imitates the style of the assessed text. Share comments to backup your understanding. The goal is to show the knowledge, prove the competence, and use appropriate language skills in communicating with the target audience. You will also need a relevant coursework resume (review) in both cases. Keep on reading to learn how to write coursework of A level.

How to Write a Coursework: Guide for Students

Several factors may lead to the coursework being disqualified. It is a serious matter! The risk factors include:

• Plagiarism - it is the worst thing that could happen to any type of academic assignment. Lots of relevant information is available on the world wide web today, and the tutors are strict about the issue of plagiarism. Write everything in your own words! If you decide to insert the quotes from the sources, apply the suggested citation format and develop a list of references. Sign the declaration claiming it is your original project. If you're unsure about how to approach this, seeking professional help by choosing to write my coursework can be a wise decision.
• Word count - do not ignore the specific requirements concerning the length of the coursework. Specify if the footnotes, appendices, & references are included in the word count.
• Topics - go through the list of available themes. If there is an examination planned on the specific topic, try to pick another idea for the coursework.
• Tutor’s assistance - do not ignore the help of your instructor, ask them to provide guidance on what to write. Ask the questions to learn more details, but keep in mind they can go through the 1st draft once and just offer some general recommendations.

Choosing a Topic for Your Project

Dedicate enough time to this extra important question. Select the field of your interest if it is possible to relate it to the course. That is the golden rule of choosing a coursework topic - keep in mind the rest of the hints:

• Analyze the offered list of topics or develop yours
• Pick a topic from the area of your expertise related to the studied subject
• Select the topic you are interested in
• Choose the topic you’ve started to observe in the past
• Check how much relevant, up-to-date information is available on the Internet about each of the topics
• Pick what you can measure, change, & control (they call it a ‘fair test’)
• Use the ideas of previous researchers and students
• Do not choose a topic with a vast scope - you risk struggling to research it correctly

10 Good Coursework Topics

• Non-traditional Forms of Poetry with TC Tolbert
• Documentary Foundations: Usage of Oral Histories with Beth Alvarado
• Traditional Forms of Poetry
• Hermit Crabs: Type of Fiction
• Writing the Autobiographical Poem
• Creative Non-Fiction on the Examples of New Journalists
• Authors without Borders
• Writing the Sticky Stuff
• Socially Engaged Literary Arts
• Common Vocabulary

Research & Data Collection

Research is an integral part of coursework. Have you written research papers before? If yes, you will find it easier to select proper primary & secondary sources and gather the necessary information (evidence to support the main point - thesis). Depending on the required paper format, cite & reference the following sources:

• Books & e-Books

Base the project on a specific hypothesis. The research must start with minimum one hypothesis. The research stage for some topics may consist of visiting websites to collect information. Leave another time for collecting the data as it is the heart of the research. Three methods of data collection are known:

• Direct personal investigation : The one an author does individually (using literature and findings from previous studies);
• Interview/Questionnaire : The researcher should gather the data from the respondents asking questions regarding required data;
• Discussion with community leaders : Community leaders are approached to fetch information for the necessary data.

In case a student works on a scientific experiment, they should pay attention to planning the analysis with the help of rigorous scientific methods (keeping in mind the Health & Safety precautions you take). Review background information and theories. Take notes to express what you expect to occur to compare & contrast it to what happened in real life. In the write-up stage, one has to evaluate and present the findings.

Writing a Coursework Outline

The writing process follows the research. Do not start it without preparing an action plan and scheduling the work - a paper pin for English coursework is based on an extended essay . An outline will look different for the science coursework projects. The goal of creating a plan is to prevent a writer from being disorganized and waffling.

Let us explain coursework outline on the specific example - a project on the global pursuit of lower costs and the role of human rights.

Start with the brief introduction explaining why it might be a topic of interest for many people. Mention those vast corporations like Wal-Mart abuse human rights by choosing and using child labor in the factories.

Provide an overview of the problem . Define human rights and costs. Pick the definitions from the official dictionaries and cite them properly when inserting in the text. Try to explain the terms in your own words.

Develop a body of the coursework , start with the case for & against ethical business practices. Using evidence and examples, list the arguments supporting ethical business practices and another side of the coin. Include a business case for ethical practices after the opening body paragraph.

Move to discussing ethical responsibilities ; explain why business organizations should care about the ethical aspects of their activities. After three sections of the body, one can conclude the paper. It can be a good idea to share a fact or statistics stressing the importance of research problem in the essay conclusion. End up with the reference list that may look this way:

• Klein N (2000) No Logo (Flamingo, London)
• Marcousé I, Gillespie A, Martin B, Surridge M and Wall N (2003) Business Studies 2e (Hodder Arnold, Oxon)
• Royal Dutch Shell (2006) 4th Quarter Financial Report at (site example)

Additional Elements

Supporting materials and pictures are a must! The sciences & geography projects require tables, charts, graphs, and other types of images to illustrate the complicated topic. Not only should you add the pictures - it is essential to interpret and reference each of them. A separate part of the coursework where the student list and explains every visual element is Appendix , and it is an optional part. The presence of appendix increases the chances to earn an A+.

How to Write an Introduction for Coursework?

Most of the students underestimate the role of introduction & conclusion when it comes to writing an essay. An eye-catchy introduction is a key to success. The primary purposes of a coursework introduction are:

• To grab the reader’s attention
• To introduce the topic
• To explain the research importance
• To come up with a compelling thesis statement

The opening paragraph shows the depth of the writer’s acquaintance with the topic. Look at the expert tips below. They will help to learn how to write a coursework introduction to make the tutor want to read your entire paper.

What Is an Introduction?

The introduction of GCSE coursework is the opening paragraph that aims to interpret the central questions and purposes of the entire paper. It should have several elements to be effective. Those are:

• A hook sentence
• Background information
• Problem significance
• Solid thesis statement

Advice from our Experienced Writer

How to write an introduction to coursework? The quality of this part predetermines paper’s success. Look at some common mistakes writers do while working on the coursework introduction - try to prevent them!

Ignoring the prompt. Many students tend to neglect the tutor’s instructions. It is critical to read the prompt several times, highlight the main points, research question, rules, and grading rubric details.

Missing a plan. The prompt does not always say to develop a coursework outline. Without a plan for every separate section, it is impossible to write a flawless piece step-by-step. No matter whether you have to write a term paper, research paper, dissertation, or C3 coursework, get ready with the detailed plan. Once you understand how to write an introduction, it will be easier to develop the rest of the paper.

For those who need a helping hand in ensuring their work meets all the standards and deadlines, don't hesitate to buy coursework from trusted professionals.

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Coursework vs Exams: What’s Easier? (Pros and Cons)

In A-Level , GCSE , General by Think Student Editor September 12, 2023 Leave a Comment

Coursework and exams are two different techniques used to assess students on certain subjects. Both of these methods can seem like a drag when trying to get a good grade, as they both take so many hours of work! However, is it true that one of these assessment techniques is easier than the other? Some students pick subjects specifically because they are only assessed via coursework or only assessed via exams, depending on what they find easiest. However, could there be a definite answer to what is the easiest?

If you want to discover whether coursework or exams are easier and the pros and cons of these methods, check out the rest of this article!

Disclaimer: This article is solely based on one student’s opinion. Every student has different perspectives on whether coursework or exams are easier. Therefore, the views expressed in this article may not align with your own.

Table of Contents

Coursework vs exams: what’s easier?

The truth is that whether you find coursework or exams easier depends on you and how you like to work. Different students learn best in different ways and as a result, will have differing views on these two assessment methods.

Coursework requires students to complete assignments and essays throughout the year which are carefully graded and moderated. This work makes up a student’s coursework and contributes to their final grade.

In comparison, exams often only take place at the end of the year. Therefore, students are only assessed at one point in the year instead of throughout. All of a student’s work then leads up to them answering a number of exams which make up their grade.

There are pros and cons for both of these methods, depending on how you learn and are assessed best. Therefore, whether you find coursework or exams easier or not depends on each individual.

Is coursework easier than exams?

Some students believe that coursework is easier than exams. This is because it requires students to work on it all throughout the year, whilst having plenty of resources available to them.

As a result, there is less pressure on students at the end of the year, as they have gradually been able to work hard on their coursework, which then determines their grade. If you do coursework at GCSE or A-Level, you will generally have to complete an extended essay or project.

Some students find this easier than exams because they have lots of time to research and edit their essays, allowing the highest quality of work to be produced. You can discover more about coursework and tips for how to make it stand out if you check out this article from Oxford Royale.

However, some students actually find coursework harder because of the amount of time it takes and all of the research involved. Consequently, whether you prefer coursework or not depends on how you enjoy learning.

What are the cons of coursework?

As already hinted at, the main con of coursework is the amount of time it takes. In my experience, coursework was always such a drag because it took up so much of my time!

When you hear that you have to do a long essay, roughly 2000-3000 words, it sounds easily achievable. However, the amount of research you have to do is immense, and then editing and reviewing your work takes even more time.

Coursework should not be over and done within a week. It requires constant revisits and rephrasing, as you make it as professional sounding and high quality as possible. Teachers are also unable to give lots of help to students doing coursework. This is because it is supposed to be an independent project.

Teachers are able to give some advice, however not too much support. This can be difficult for students who are used to being given lots of help.

You also have to be very careful with what you actually write. If you plagiarise anything that you have written, your coursework could be disqualified. Therefore, it is very important that you pay attention to everything you write and make sure that you don’t copy explicitly from other websites. This can make coursework a risky assessment method.

You are allowed to use websites for research, however you must reference them correctly. This can be a difficult skill for some students to learn also!

What are the pros of coursework?

Some of the cons of coursework already discussed can actually be seen as pros by some students! Due to coursework being completed throughout the year, this places less pressure on students, as they don’t have to worry about final exams completely determining their grade.

Some subjects require students to sit exams and complete some coursework. However, if a student already knows that they have completed some high-quality coursework when it comes to exam season, they are less likely to place pressure on themselves. They know that their coursework could save their grade even if they don’t do very well on the exam.

A lot of coursework also requires students to decide what they want to research or investigate. This allows students to be more creative, as they decide what to research, depending on the subject. This can make school more enjoyable and also give them more ideas about what they want to do in the future.

If you are about to sit your GCSEs and are thinking that coursework is the way to go, check out this article from Think Student to discover which GCSE subjects require students to complete coursework.

What are the cons of exams?

Personally, I hated exams! Most students share this opinion. After all, so much pressure is put on students to complete a set of exams at the end of the school year. Therefore, the main con of sitting exams is the amount of pressure that students are put under.

Unlike coursework, students are unable to go back and revisit the answers to their exams over many weeks. Instead, after those 2 (ish) hours are up, you have to leave the exam hall and that’s it! Your grade will be determined from your exams.

This can be seen as not the best method, as it doesn’t take student’s performances throughout the rest of the year into account. Consequently, if a student is just having a bad day and messes up one of their exams, nothing can be done about it!

If you are struggling with exam stress at the moment, check out this article from Think Student to discover ways of dealing with it.

Exams also require an immense amount of revision which takes up time and can be difficult for students to complete. If you want to discover some revision tips, check out this article from Think Student.

What are the pros of exams?

Exams can be considered easier however because they are over with quickly. Unlike coursework, all students have to do is stay in an exam hall for a couple of hours and it’s done! If you want to discover how long GCSE exams generally last, check out this article from Think Student.

Alternatively, you can find out how long A-Level exams are in this article from Think Student. There is no need to work on one exam paper for weeks – apart from revising of course!

Revising for exams does take a while, however revising can also be beneficial because it increases a student’s knowledge. Going over information again and again means that the student is more likely to remember it and use it in real life. This differs greatly from coursework.

Finally, the main advantage of exams is that it is much harder to cheat in any way. Firstly, this includes outright cheating – there have been issues in the past with students getting other people to write their coursework essays.

However, it also includes the help you get. Some students may have an unfair advantage if their teachers offer more help and guidance with coursework than at other schools. In an exam, it is purely the student’s work.

While this doesn’t necessarily make exams easier than coursework, it does make them fairer, and is the reason why very few GCSEs now include coursework.

If you want to discover more pros and cons of exams, check out this article from AplusTopper.

What type of student is coursework and exams suited to?

You have probably already gathered from this article whether exams or coursework are easier. This is because it all depends on you. Hopefully, the pros and cons outlined have helped you to decide whether exams or coursework is the best assessment method for you.

If you work well under pressure and prefer getting assessed all at once instead of gradually throughout the year, then exams will probably be easier for you. This is also true if you are the kind of person that leaves schoolwork till the last minute! Coursework will definitely be seen as difficult for you if you are known for doing this!

However, if, like me, you buckle under pressure and prefer having lots of time to research and write a perfect essay, then you may find coursework easier. Despite this, most GCSE subjects are assessed via exams. Therefore, you won’t be able to escape all exams!

As a result, it can be useful to find strategies that will help you work through them. This article from Think Student details a range of skills and techniques which could be useful to use when you are in an exam situation.

Exams and coursework are both difficult in their own ways – after all, they are used to thoroughly assess you! Depending on how you work best, it is your decision to decide whether one is easier than the other and which assessment method this is.

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What is Coursework

First of all, you need to understand what is coursework and how to write it. When one is writing a coursework, they have to do profound research that will reveal their knowledge base. A coursework may consist of design studies, field work, projects, long essays, and other kinds of work. Depending on the particular course, it can be performed in a number of ways. You need to write a coursework not only to show what you know about a particular subject and enlarge your knowledge base but also to prepare yourself to deal with the work you will need to perform in the future.

The Oxford Dictionary defines coursework as the type of practical or written work performed by a student and assessed by their professor. Hopefully, it makes the coursework meaning clearer for you.

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Why coursework is necessary and who assigns it.

Now when you know what is coursework, you also have to understand why it is needed. Usually, a student's mentor or teacher assigns coursework as it is a part of the course structure. Writing a coursework is important since it helps the student reflect on what they have learned from the given course. Realizing the coursework meaning, one can understand the material better and see how their knowledge can be applied in various situations. This type of work also reveals the student's way of thinking and helps them learn how to express their thoughts. Coursework has an utterly diverse nature. A student's instructor can ask them to perform it in a written way and work on an essay, term paper, or thesis (this form of coursework is the most widespread). A coursework can also be done in a more creative way; for example, a student may be asked to create a sculpture. At times, taking a test is preferred by the instructor. In some cases, several types of coursework can be combined into one. Choosing a specific type or a combination of types depends on the course. Whatever the kind of coursework is, it always requires being evaluated. The student's mark will be based on their understanding of the topic, creativity, as well as on the innovative aspect of their work.

How to Perform the Most Important Types of Coursework?

Even understanding the coursework meaning, students have mixed feelings on it. Some of them like to do research, learn new information, and write about the results, while for others, it seems to be an unnecessary task, or even a burden. Whichever opinion is true for you, being a student, you will still have to write a coursework at some point. For this reason, you need to know how to do it successfully. Below you see the list of rules and guidelines that will make this task easier for you.

Read these steps carefully and make sure you follow them as they will help you get started.

Coursework that requires writing:

• Carry out superficial research on the topic of your coursework.
• Settle on your topic.
• Work on the structure of your coursework.
• Make a summary or an abstract and confirm it with your instructor.
• Conduct profound research to find all the information you need.
• While writing, keep on researching the topic more.
• When you are done, check your coursework for plagiarism.
• Make a reference list.

To make sure that your coursework features a good content that is clear and easy-to-understand for your reader, work on the structure of your work. Check out if you maintain its consistency, use relevant information, complete your topic, and make it look concise.<

Coursework that requires to create a model, sculpture, or artwork:

• Find a design or concept you like.
• See how it can be applied to the area of your study.
• Think about what you want to create and decide on the scale of this object.
• Decide what kind of materials you need to finalize your work.
• Find everything you need for creating your artwork.
• Make sure that you have a mental image of the result and make a rough sketch of it.
• Begin working!

Key points you should consider:

• Originality - You need to be sure that your topic or idea is original. It is an extremely important point you have to keep in mind from the very beginning of your work. Numerous researches are being done by numerous people, so you have to make yours stand out.
• Need - Your coursework should be able to answer certain questions or find solutions. For that, it has to identify the key problems and help the reader understand them clearly.
• Uniqueness - Both your topic and your content have to be unique. Make sure to avoid plagiarism and never copy information from other sources. Conduct surveys or prepare questionnaires to add originality to the content of your coursework.
• Your input - This aspect is very important. When working on your coursework, you need to reflect on your topic a lot and understand how you can apply it. If you do it, the purpose of writing a coursework is served. For this reason, do your best to make as much input in your work as possible.
• Outcomes & future applications - Even if you have worked hard and put a lot of effort into writing your coursework, it can turn out to be a failure in case you do not show useful outcomes. Therefore, you need to provide a well-made analysis of the information you used. Make a well-structured conclusion for your topic and talk about the way it can be researched further.

If you keep all these points in mind and follow the guidelines, you will certainly write a good coursework.

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• Earn the same respected Purdue Global MBA — faster and more affordably.
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Employment of management positions is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2021 to 2031, resulting in more than 883,000 new jobs. Today’s employers are looking for MBA graduates with an international mindset—those who understand global issues, manage relationships across cultures, and grow businesses in emerging world markets.

Purdue Global’s professionally focused ExcelTrack ®  MBA program is designed to provide you with knowledge and skills to become a more effective leader and a more valued employee in your current career. You can pursue employment opportunities in areas such as finance, marketing, operations, management of information systems, and human resources.

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Definition of coursework

Examples of coursework in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coursework.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1890, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near coursework

Cite this entry.

“Coursework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coursework. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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Teaching Undergraduate Work-Based Learners

• Scotland’s Graduate Apprenticeship provides opportunities for workers 16 and older to enroll in four-year bachelor’s degree programs, with selection criteria based on their career progression and work experience.
• University-based business relationship managers help candidates negotiate time off to study with their employers, while workplace mentors and academic tutors help students complete individual learning agreements.
• Delivered in partnership with employers, GA programs offer companies a means to reskill and upskill their workforces and allow employees to have university experiences while still on the job.

When I emigrated with my family from the United States to Scotland in 2016, I had no idea that I could pursue my passion for work-based learning and teaching not in an executive education program, but in an undergraduate degree program for full-time employees. However, with emerging technologies accelerating change in labor markets, it should have come as no surprise to me.

According to an  article  released by the Boston Consulting Group, reskilling has become a strategic imperative for organizations globally. And the World Economic Forum emphasizes that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has made upskilling especially critical, particularly in core human skills such as analytical and creative thinking.

In the United Kingdom, employers are responding to this need by partnering with secondary and tertiary educational institutions to provide a range of upskilling and reskilling opportunities. One higher education scheme, first introduced in 2017, is known as the  Graduate Apprenticeship  (GA) in Scotland, and as the Degree Apprenticeship in the rest of the U.K. Both are the culmination of a  family of apprenticeship schemes  throughout the U.K. that offer work-based learning during high school years.

Below, I describe how the GA program at Edinburgh Business School (EBS) at Heriot–Watt University works. Its structure is designed to prepare working adults in Scotland for the future of work.

The Graduate Apprenticeship

The Graduate Apprenticeship is a four-year degree called the Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours—abbreviated as MA (Hons). The MA (Hons) Business Management degree consists of 480 credits and culminates in a capstone project.

Business schools deliver GA programs fully online or in a blended format, depending on employer preferences. Our program at EBS is delivered fully online to serve candidates living throughout Scotland—such as those who live on Orkney Island and must take a ferry ride or plane fight just to reach the country’s northern coast.

Financing for the program is managed by the Scottish Funding Council and administered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). Candidates apply annually for SAAS funding, which is drawn from the U.K. government’s  Apprenticeship Levy . Employers with payrolls of greater than 3 million GBP (about 3.83 million USD) pay 0.5 percent of their payrolls annually into the levy.

All employers, whether or not they pay into the levy, receive a 15,000 GBP (19,175 USD) allowance per annum to put toward approved apprenticeships. This allowance helps offset levy payments for employers with payrolls above the limit; firms with payrolls of less than 3 million GBP are mainly subsidized. As employees, GA candidates receive salaries that are dictated by the market.

Skills Development Scotland , the Scottish government’s national skills agency, develops program frameworks for degrees in disciplines such as business management, software design, data science, and engineering, all with guidance from industry. The agency then offers these frameworks to universities for consideration, so that each school can determine whether to develop its own program. The Scottish Funding Council manages the annual allocation of GA funding to schools based on, for example, market demand and each university’s capacity to deliver a GA program.

Characteristics of a GA Candidate

The GA program is not a short-hop trip, as one might describe workshops and continued professional development. Rather, it’s a long-haul flight—a four-year journey in which GA candidates agree to have their semesterly performance data shared with their employers. No pressure! For that reason, successful candidates must be resilient and goal-oriented and possess superb time management skills.

GA candidates must be at least 16 years of age and work full-time in the public, private, or  third sector  in Scotland. Candidates just out of high school tend to have finished their  Scottish Highers  or Advanced Highers, equivalent to A-Levels and Advanced A-Levels in the U.K. and, roughly, to Advanced Placement (AP) exams in the U.S. But candidates with 10 years of work experience might only have the equivalent of a high school diploma.

The GA program is not a short-hop trip. Rather, it’s a long-haul flight—a four-year journey, in which GA candidates agree to have their semesterly performance data shared with their employers.

GA candidates with several years of work experience at their organizations often note that they have reached a ceiling that has blocked their career progression. They speak about lacking the confidence that they see in their colleagues who have degrees.

These candidates often lament the circumstances that led them to take full-time jobs rather than follow their friends to university. But under the GA scheme, paid work and degree-based learning are not mutually exclusive. Our GA candidates can learn and participate in campus-based extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports; some even inquire about living on campus. They are enjoying the best of both worlds.

Selection Criteria

Universities partner with employers to help them recruit GA candidates via advertisements that highlight the job specifications for positions and entry requirements for degree programs. Employers also select internal candidates to grow talent from within the firm.

Because each GA candidate’s story is unique, the admissions process must be personalized. For candidates who have only minimal formal qualifications, schools must translate career progression into academic potential to assure that candidates, no matter how motivated, can complete the program. Applicants might be asked to submit writing samples to demonstrate critical thinking skills. Or they might need to complete a foundation course; if they pass, they move on to year one of the program.

On the other end of the spectrum, candidates can receive course exemptions for past career progression and professional qualifications—or even be granted direct entry into an advanced year. However, to do so, they must complete a rigorous process of mapping their work experience and qualifications to the learning outcomes of each course.

If candidates lack professional qualifications, they still can seek course exemptions. If they want credit for their experience in, for example, project management, they can take part in informal vivas in which they describe how they have applied project management theory and techniques in their careers.

Because the program attracts employees with such wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences, the typical GA cohort includes members from several generations. They can learn just as much from each other as they do from their instructors.

Employer-University Partnerships

Well before a candidate sets foot in the classroom, a business relationship manager (BRM) representing the university negotiates with the employer to forge an employer support agreement that specifies the obligations of both parties. On the employer’s part, this includes providing a candidate with a weekly day off from paid work to attend class and work on assessments.

Large employers have talent management teams that forge such agreements with several universities. For small- to medium-sized enterprises, the BRM can co-create the job specifications that align with the program’s learning outcomes.

The BRM also can help employers identify workplace mentors who provide candidates with coaching and support. If the hiring manager has multiple candidates for one job posting, the BRM or program director can help identify the best hire.

A Triangular Relationship

Once GA candidates are enrolled, they each enter into a triangular partnership that consists of the candidate, a workplace mentor, and an academic tutor. This group meets at the end of each of the academic year’s three terms to assure that the candidate is on track and thriving in the program.

Workplace mentors meet with candidates regularly (preferably monthly), helping them pair course assessments with workplace problems. At EBS, mentors are encouraged to join candidates at annual induction sessions, which address common difficulties such as how to cope if marks are lower than expected or how to balance job responsibilities with coursework. Additionally, EBS invites workplace mentors to serve on an advisory board for the GA that meets annually to review current programs, identify skills gaps, and discuss potential new offerings.

Each candidate produces an individual learning agreement that includes academic and work-based S.M.A.R.T. goals, as well as activities designed to help the candidate attain those goals.

Academic tutors, who often have some work experience, help candidates navigate the curriculum and ensure that the candidate-mentor relationship is working well. Tutors meet with employees and their employers each semester; they also ask candidates to provide video tours of their workplaces. In this way, tutors gain a clearer idea of candidates’ paid work.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tutors made site visits in person to observe candidates in action. As an academic tutor myself, I once visited the worksite of a student who ran a National Health Service clinic deep inside a prison in Edinburgh. However, video tours now allow us to reduce travel and keep more sustainable practices in mind.

Supported by the mentor and tutor, each candidate produces an individual learning agreement (ILA) during the first semester and updates the document annually. The ILA resembles a standard employee professional development review that includes the candidate’s short-, medium-, and long-term academic and work-based  S.M.A.R.T.  goals; the ILA also outlines activities designed to help the candidate attain those goals.

The Role of GA Faculty

EBS faculty view the GA program as a “living laboratory,” in which they can support their research by posing questions based on candidates’ academic specialties. The GA candidates relish the opportunity to share their views about their industries and employers in a free exchange of ideas. Right now, faculty and GA candidates are discussing AI, from its contribution to job loss to the extent to which AI might manage humans at work.

Faculty gear all learning content to undergraduates and cover the basics at a reasonable pace, but in ways that trigger instant knowledge transfer. Just as in executive education, GA students should be able to learn something new in class on Friday and apply it at work the following Monday. Professors record all classes for those who are unable to attend, but these recordings are not shared beyond the course roster and teaching team.

During the program’s final year, faculty supervise capstone projects, under strict nondisclosure agreements. These projects showcase candidates’ research skills, address workplace problems and phenomena, and demonstrate candidates’ change agency. Faculty often describe supervising these projects as a privilege.

After each term, faculty receive feedback from class liaisons, which they use to refine the learning experience for future cohorts.

Assessment Design

Faculty must balance the need for candidates to attain learning outcomes with the high-pressure realities candidates face as full-time workers. At EBS, they strike this balance by adopting a formative/summative assessment pattern. The formative piece, due at mid-term, is optional; the summative piece, due at the end of the term, is the basis of the entire grade.

Candidates receive copious feedback on their formative pieces, which they can embed in their summative pieces, giving them a head start. For example, if the final project requires the application of design thinking to solve a workplace problem, students could submit proposals for the project plus a short literature review at mid-term. We have found that students who hand in something at mid-term earn higher grades overall.

My GA team believes that learning can be assessed by methods other than the use of traditional essays and exams. This is critically important for GA candidates who have been away from the classroom for many years and are accustomed to being evaluated by key performance indicators in their jobs.

For example, instead of using the Socratic method to teach commercial law, our course leader has adopted a case method approach to teaching commercial law that allows candidates to self-discover the intricacies of contract law on their own terms. The course leader assesses candidates based on how well they apply their skills to solve business problems with legal solutions. This subtle shift helps candidates learn key aspects of the subject in ways that are familiar to them.

The Importance of Early Intervention

No matter how ambitious and resilient candidates are, life can get in the way. Detecting issues early is key and requires our program to gather information from a variety of disconnected sources. That’s why EBS created GA-NET, an early warning system.

Modeled after the  Pacific Tsunami Warning System , GA-NET helps us detect at-risk candidates and intervene before candidates make the decision to withdraw. A development team using Microsoft Power Apps and Sharepoint created a prototype of the system based on a rigorous  Data Protection Impact Assessment .

GA candidates typically receive promotions not just after graduation, but increasingly while pursuing their degrees.

GA-NET aggregates a range of datapoints—which four program coordinators collect from faculty—on a single dashboard. We track signals such as assessment submissions, academic performance, ILA meeting attendance and completion, overall class attendance, outcomes of tutor meetings, attendance at induction events, and petitions for short-term mitigating circumstances and long-term suspension of study. Members of the EBS GA leadership team meet monthly to discuss all at-risk candidates and decide on appropriate mitigation strategies.

Redefining Working and Learning

The program’s course assessments offer candidates opportunities to solve workplace problems, as they close the gap between their practical experience and their understanding of business management theory. This results in a significant return on investment for both employers and employees.

In fact, GA candidates typically receive promotions not just after graduation, but increasingly while pursuing their degrees. As one of our GA alums put it, “I learned what questions to ask in meetings at work and was no longer intimidated by situations.”

As we begin to redefine employment amid the rise of AI, upskilling and reskilling will continue to be priorities for organizations. Programs such as the Graduate Apprenticeship address the upskilling challenge in ways that benefit all parties involved. It ensures that universities maintain and strengthen their connections to business. It gives employees access to degree-based education and inspires many graduates to pursue lifelong learning after graduation. And it supplies employers with the skilled workers they will require to thrive and adapt during the era of AI.

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What Is a Coursework and How to Write a Paper: A Simple Guide

24 August 2023

last updated

Academic writing is an essential activity in high education and comes in various forms. Basically, one of these forms is coursework writing, where instructors assess students’ level of understanding of a course during a semester. In this case, unlike other papers, coursework assignments evaluate students’ understanding of the course and not just a topic in the class. Moreover, various forms of coursework writing include essays, term papers, theses, dissertations, and report projects. Hence, students need to learn what is a coursework assignment and how to write such a paper.

What Is a Coursework Paper

College and university students undertake different kinds of academic exercises, with writing projects taking a significant portion. Basically, one of these exercises is the writing of coursework, an assignment that they submit at the end of the semester. Ideally, this kind of work assesses students’ understanding of a particular field of study within a single semester. In turn, instructors rarely require students to write a coursework assignment for things they learned during the previous semester.

For writing your paper, these links will be helpful:

• Essay Writing Service
• How to Write a Research Paper
• How to Write a Research Proposal
• How to Write a Term Paper
• How to Write a Case Study

Definition of a Coursework

By definition, a coursework assignment is an academic project that students undertake in the course of study and which they must submit before the closure of the semester. For example, such an assignment aims to evaluate students’ level of knowledge and skills acquisition, meaning the work contributes to students’ final grades. Ideally, coursework is what students learn during a semester, and such an assignment is meant to measure how well they have understood the subject matter. Moreover, students use reliable and relevant sources to study, examine and evaluate the chosen coursework topic. Therefore, a coursework assignment is very similar to other writing assignments, such as essays, reports, thesis writing , and dissertations.

Differences With Other Papers

In the course of their classes, students write different types of papers , including essays and reports. Basically, the major difference between coursework writing and these papers is that it assesses students’ understanding of what they have discovered throughout the semester. In contrast, essays and other papers assess students’ understanding of a specific topic, concept, result , or theory. Moreover, students may need to address an issue in their coursework that they might have addressed in an essay assignment sometime during the semester. As such, a coursework assignment is broad in scope than other papers.

Expectations

Like essays and other papers, a coursework assignment varies from one area of study to another. For example, there is a coursework for the English subject and another for the sciences. Therefore, students are expected to complete their coursework assignments according to their instructor’s or department’s instructions. In most cases, this expectation includes presenting the assignment in an essay format, where they select a title of their choice. Depending on the subject, some coursework assignments expect students to collect, examine, infer, and report data when answering a specific question.

When it comes to the grading of academic assignments, instructors look at how well a student has attended to all the requirements and expectations. For instance, these requirements include writing about a choice of themes or text excerpts in a given format. In this case, students must use an approach that they believe is likely to give them a higher grade, meaning an approach that helps them to answer the question methodically, logically, and critically by using relevant information. In essence, these are three dimensions for grading a coursework assignment.

Constructing a Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Write a Coursework Assignment

Like an essay, a coursework assignment takes a particular structure. Basically, students should understand the core components and make sure that they address them in their academic writing . In this case, the most significant issue for students is to ensure a logical flow of ideas. Moreover, developing a thesis statement is essential to provide high-quality essays with a guideline on focal issues. Primarily, these issues are the concepts and theories that the student has learned in a specific course during the semester.

Step 1: Preparation

Planning or preparation is the first step in writing a coursework paper. For instance, the essence of any form of academic writing is to measure a student’s level of understanding about a particular area of study. Since the coursework measures what a student has learned in a given course, it is paramount for each person to prepare well when executing the assignment. Here, learners have to choose a topic that they are comfortable with, one that they are passionate about. Additionally, they should generate ideas about their coursework by deciding what is relevant and what is not. In this case, the reasoning that guides this decision is the expectation outlined in assignment instructions. Lastly, students should understand their audience – consumers of their work or readers. Like any other assignment, the audience is course instructors. Hence, writers should ensure coursework satisfies a curiosity of readers.

Step 2: Setting Up

After preparation, students should set up the stage for coursework writing. Basically, the first preoccupation is to find sources relevant to the assignment prompt – those that are more likely to provide enough evidence and support needed claims. As students review credible sources , they should take notes to provide a strong argumentation in their coursework. Then, another activity involves deciding on the coursework outline, which should help answer the assignment prompt logically and critically. Lastly, learners should create an annotated bibliography, a summary of each source they intend to use as the basis of their arguments in the coursework.

Step 3: Writing the Coursework

After preparing and setting up the stage, students should start writing the coursework assignment. In this case, armed with notes taken during the review of reliable sources and the outline they have created, students should start with the first draft, where they develop a thesis statement. Basing all opinions and arguments on the thesis, writers should answer the assignment prompt methodically, logically, and critically. Moreover, the thesis statement should ‘hook’ the audience and make them interested in reading the substantial part of the paper – the body. In essence, the body is where students use all the evidence they have gathered about the topic, while the thesis informs the audience of what individuals have focused on in the paper.

Step 4: Wrapping It Up

It is normal for a writer to make mistakes when writing an academic document. For example, these mistakes include inconsistent arguments, irrelevant content, punctuation errors, and countless grammatical mistakes. Therefore, after completing the draft, students should read it through, at least twice, to identify these mistakes and correct them. Basically, the processes of correction include revising and editing the paper. Regarding revisions, students should give their work to a friend or mentor to read it through. In their feedback, these individuals are likely to point out areas where authors should make corrections for the paper to be logical and interesting to read. Concerning editing the paper, students should proofread their work to ensure it is free of spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and other grammatical mishaps.

Step 5: Developing Body Paragraphs

The body paragraph of any academic text, including a coursework assignment, utilizes several features to make the paper logical. Basically, the first feature is the topic sentence that opens up each paragraph. Also, the purpose of this feature is to strengthen the central idea captured in the thesis statement. Then, the rest of the paragraph structure backs up this claim using evidence gathered from different sources. In turn, another feature is a concluding sentence, which closes each paragraph. For instance, the goal of this aspect is to connect the topic sentence with the thesis statement. Finally, another feature is a transition – words and phrases that help readers sense a logical flow of ideas throughout the paper. In short, writers use transitions within and between paragraphs to create a logical flow of information and ideas.

Step 6: Referencing Format and Peer Reviewing

Besides ensuring the paper is written methodically and logically, students should see that it meets the highest academic writing standards. In this regard, they should ensure it follows after a particular format – APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian. In most cases, the assignment prompt dictates the format that learners should use. Moreover, the referencing format informs about the structure of the paper and the format of citations. In turn, another essential activity that students should perform is to commit the paper to peer review. Here, authors give coursework papers to distinguished scholars, such as a professor or classmate, to assess the validity and quality of information used, including sources.

Step 7: Writing the Final Draft of a Coursework Paper

After subjecting the first draft to vigorous scrutiny through revisions, editions, and peer review, students should start writing the final draft of a coursework paper. Basically, this draft should be thoroughly polished, meaning it should be free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes, as well as inconsistent arguments and irrelevant sentences. Moreover, it should indicate an effective use of transitions in the body paragraphs. In short, the final draft is an improved version of the first draft because writers have revised and edited it and incorporated feedback from a friend, mentor, or professor. However, they still need to read through the final draft, at least once, to ensure it is perfect before submission to the department. In turn, if students note several mistakes, it means another revision is necessary. Hence, the student’s focus should be the content, organization of ideas, style of writing, and format.

Types of Coursework

Given that coursework assignments test students’ level of understanding about a course’s content in a given semester, it means that it takes several forms. For example, these include a term paper, a Master’s thesis , a dissertation , or a report project. Ideally, the coursework is an essential requirement for a student to complete the course successfully. It also means the coursework is essential to be awarded a degree. In turn, the only difference between these types of coursework assignments is that they take a different approach to examining and analyzing a course content, with each subject taking a unique approach.

Coursework Writing Techniques

The dream of every student is to pass any assessment and attain a higher grade. In a coursework assignment, students can utilize different techniques to ensure they attain higher grades after assessments. As indicated earlier about the grading of coursework, learners should use an approach that they believe answers the assignment prompt methodically, logically, and critically. As a result, every technique they use must allow them to answer the question in a way that satisfies these three grading dimensions.

1. Compare and Contrast Technique

A compare and contrast essay technique is about analyzing two subjects, ideas, concepts, or theories by comparing them, contrasting them, or doing both. Basically, the purpose of answering a coursework assignment through this approach is that students must not state obvious things. Instead, they need to shed light on the subtle differences or unexpected similarities between subjects, ideas, concepts, or theories.

2. Cause and Effect Technique

A cause and effect essay technique allows writers to develop their paper’s body by analyzing the reasons for and the consequences of a decision, action, or event. When organizing a paragraph, students adopt a structure that allows them to arrange the causes and effects in a chronological or reverse chronological order. Alternatively, authors can present their arguments through emphasis, starting from least important to most important aspects, or vice versa.

3. Investigation Technique

An investigation technique involves undertaking an in-depth examination of a topic, idea, concept, or theory. Basically, this technique’s primary goal is to demonstrate that students have gained a thorough knowledge of the subject, which is indicated in their methodical, logical, and critical analysis and presentation of information. In this case, ensuring that research findings are interpreted and presented in an organized manner throughout the essay is critical. Ultimately, the technique enables writers to demonstrate their articulate understanding of the various viewpoints about the issue under investigation. 

How to Present Strong Arguments

For an academic paper to capture the audience’s attention and interest, students must not only develop a thesis statement but also ensure they use strong arguments to back up the central idea in the statement. Basically, the “they say, I say” technique is the simplest method to present arguments properly. In this regard, the information that the student uses in answering the coursework assignment prompt should be free of plagiarism. For instance, they need to cite sources properly. Then, another way to ensure that the writing is persuasive is to confirm that they have attained the required word count without counting footnotes, endnotes, references, and appendices. Ideally, selecting a topic that one is comfortable with and passionate about enables the writing to be high-quality in terms of argumentation. Also, students should discuss alternatives with their mentor or instructor. Finally, the thesis statement should not be complicated.

Major Mistakes in Courseworks

Students make different kinds of mistakes when writing academic texts. For example, a common mistake in coursework writing involves a scope, where students fail to focus on one area of the topic and instead tries to be broad in their argumentation. In this case, the problem with this approach is that they waste space talking about irrelevant material, leaving them with little space to write about the core idea. Also, the solution to this problem is to develop a thesis statement that sets out the paper’s specific agenda. In doing so, students can realize every time they go off-topic.

Another common mistake involves colloquialism, where students use a language that is not standard for academic writing. Basically, this problem is particularly common with students who become excited about the topic and try to express their ideas creatively. Moreover, the problem is that the coursework shifts from being evidence-based to a document about the student’s opinion. In turn, the solution to this problem is to pick a topic that is exciting and critically discussed in the literature. As a result, they can identify several sources that discuss the topic to use as bases for evidence of their claims and arguments about the topic.

Sample of a General Coursework Outline

The coursework paper adopts a typical outline, as indicated below:

• Table of Contents
• Abstract or Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Body Paragraph(s)
• Reference list

Reason for Similarity of a Coursework Assignment With a Research Paper

Ideally, the outline of a coursework assignment is similar to that of a research paper. In this case, an abstract serves as a brief overview of a research paper and informs readers of the writer’s focal points. More importantly, the coursework outline has a body, where writers use different paragraphs to make an argument about the topic. Also, each of the paragraphs begins with a topic sentence and ends with a concluding sentence. Like research papers, body paragraphs of a coursework assignment serve to cement the writer’s claims and arguments, which are linked to the thesis statement.

Summing Up on What Is a Coursework Assignment and How to Write a Paper

A coursework assignment is among the writing assignments that students in colleges and universities undertake in preparation for their degree. Unlike other papers, this assignment assesses students’ understanding of what they have learned in a course in a given semester. As such, students must complete and submit it before the semester closes. Moreover, the different types of coursework include essays, term papers, theses, dissertations, and report projects.

Students should master the following tips when it comes to writing a coursework assignment:

• Choose an exciting topic and stick to it. Basically, students come across tons of exciting information about their topic. However, to avoid going off-script, they should focus on their core subject and avoid the temptation of using data that may prove irrelevant.
• Use evidence (quotes and statistics) selectively. In this case, relevancy is a significant indicator of a high-grade paper. As such, where students are not going to refer to some data directly because it adds no value to their argument, they should avoid dwelling on it in their paper.
• Cite sources correctly. When citing sources, students should note the standards of the format in use – APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian – as each has a unique approach.
• Revise, edit, and proofread the paper. In turn, high-quality coursework writing should be free of inconsistent arguments, irrelevant sentences, and spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes.

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• Open access
• Published: 26 March 2024

Continuous training based on the needs of operating room nurses using web application: a new approach to improve their knowledge

• R. Khorammakan 1 ,
• S. H. Roudbari 2 ,
• A. Omid 3 ,
• V. S. Anoosheh 4 ,
• A. N. Arabkhazaei 5 ,
• A. Z. Arabkhazaei 6 ,
• J. Khalili 7 ,
• H. Belyad Chaldashti 8 &
• A. Ghadami 9  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  342 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Introduction

Since university education and intensive and limited pre-service training do not provide an acceptable level of performing the duties of operating room nurses, and considering the limitations of traditional training methods in the field of operating room; This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of using the electronic education approach based on web application, leveled, personalized and based on the needs of nurses on their level of knowledge and satisfaction.

Materials and methods

This research is a quasi-experimental type of single-group multi-center pre-test-post-test, which during that, four stages of educational needs assessment, educational content design, web application design for training and evaluation of operating room nurses and determining the effectiveness of this method are included. Based on their knowledge and satisfaction, during this period, 36 nurses from the operating rooms that met the study criteria were included in the study by stratified random sampling based on the determined sample size. The data collection includes a four-choice test to measure the knowledge of operating room nurses in heart anatomy (score range 0–20), the principles of movement, transferring and positioning of the patient in the operating room (score range 0–15), the principles of ergonomics in the operating room (score range score 0–10) and satisfaction questionnaire (score range 0–28). Data collected using descriptive statistical tests (percentage of frequency and frequency, mean and standard deviation) and analytical tests (paired sample t-test, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, chi-square) with the software SPSS version 16 was analyzed.

Generally, the average knowledge scores of operating room nurses before and after the intervention were 5.96 ± 3.96 vs. 13.6 ± 3.77, in the course of principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room were 6.3 ± 3.42 vs. 13.3 ± 1.32, respectively 8.7 ± 3.97 vs. 18.1 ± 1.07 (in heart anatomy), 1.57 ± 2.6 vs. 0.73 ± 9.1 (in the principles of ergonomics in the operating room) and the average Knowledge scores after the intervention were significantly higher than before the intervention ( P <0.001). Also, the average satisfaction score of nurses was 21.3 ± 5.83 and 22 nurses (64.7%) were satisfied with the e-learning course.

The use of the electronic education approach based on the web application, leveled, personalized and based on the needs of the nurses, led to the improvement of the level of knowledge and satisfaction of the operating room nurses. E-learning can be used as a complementary educational tool and method for continuous training of operating room nurses in other specialized fields of operating room and surgery.

• Educational content in the form of educational videos taught by professors of medical sciences universities on each of the topics of heart anatomy (28 episodes of 5–10 minutes), principles of ergonomics in the operating room (7 episodes of 5–25 minutes) and movement principles. The transfer and positioning of the patient in the operating room (16 episodes of 10–20 minutes) were designed in three primary, intermediate and advanced levels.

• The results of this study showed that the use of an electronic education approach based on the web application, levelled, personalized and based on the needs of nurses, led to the improvement of the knowledge of operating room nurses. Also, operating room nurses were delighted with electronic training courses. E-learning can be used as a complementary educational tool and method for continuous training of operating room nurses in other specialized fields of operating room and surgery.

• Based on the results of this study, the use of an electronic education approach based on the needs of operating room nurses can be used as a complementary tool to conventional continuous education. Since this method allows interactive, personalized education is levelled, and asynchronous. It can be used at any time and place on a laptop, tablet or mobile phone; a wide range of operating room nurses in the hospitals of the Islamic Republic of Iran can use it for educational justice to Many borders should be established in the country. However, there are studies to evaluate the generalizability and the effect of using the e-learning approach on the clinical skills of operating room nurses and to compare the effect of e-learning with other methods and educational tools on the knowledge and skills of the learners and the extent of consolidating the learned material in their memory.

Peer Review reports

The operating room is a very complex environment and system where the caregiver, the patient and the technology are gathered in a physical environment in order to achieve the desired results for the patients [ 1 , 2 ]. In today’s complexity and transformation of the world, the continuity and existence of organizations depends on creating a balance between the development of human resources, methods and technologies in organizations and adapting to changes and departmental innovations. According to the World Health Organization, the performance of any system depends on a combination of the skills, availability and performance of its human resources, and the scientific and practical abilities of personnel in various fields on their own safety and patients’ safety, as well as providing the best services in the direction of treatment. It has a direct and significant effect on patients [ 3 , 4 ]. Therefore, most of the advanced countries of the world have realized the importance of human resources as a part of vital and strategic resources and productive assets, and in order to strengthen their knowledge, skills and abilities, they prepare and implement various programs.

Today, one of the basic measures that leads to the efficiency of organizations is the creation or acquisition and continuous development of human resource through the implementation of training and improvement programs, which at the individual level increases the value of the individual, and at the organizational level, improves and develops the organization, and at the national and even transnational level, it leads to an increase in productivity [ 5 , 6 ]. Since official academic education and intensive and limited pre-service training do not sufficiently and acceptably prepare hospital staff to perform their duties in the clinical environment, the implementation of the training program has become more necessary [ 7 ]. Due to the fact that each person has unique characteristics, the way of learning skills and learning needs are also different, so the first and most basic step in education is to examine educational needs.

Examining educational needs is a process during which needs are identified and planned and acted upon according to priority [ 8 , 9 ] and it is considered as a basis for preparing special educational content and a basis for setting goals and thus providing a suitable platform for organizing other important elements around prioritized needs; By preventing rework, it ultimately leads to increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of human resources, reducing waste, developing knowledge, skills, increasing job satisfaction and motivating employees [ 5 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In the study of Qalaei et al. (2013), which was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of in-service training courses for nurses in medical centers affiliated to the Social Security Organization, the results showed that the lack of correct needs assessment caused the lack of overlap between training programs and the training needs of nurses [ 7 ]. In the study of Mazoji et al. (2015), the results showed that nurses who work in eye surgery operating rooms need training and informing and refresher courses about drug information, the nature of surgery and especially eye surgery techniques [ 20 ].

The most widespread method of continuous training of medical personnel is the face-to-face training method, which many studies have shown that this traditional training method has many limitations, such as not recognizing the needs of learners and their personal differences, and not addressing high-level cognitive skills such as problem solving and creative thinking [ 21 ]. As a result, many researchers have emphasized that traditional educational methods need to be changed and modified by modern educational methods [ 21 , 22 ]. Electronic education has been proposed as one of the complementary educational methods [ 21 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] and researchers have come to the conclusion that to modify the time and place limitations associated with traditional education, the possibility of lifelong learning and appropriate to the specific conditions of each individual, e-learning increasingly provides easy access to education and can be a suitable complement to traditional education [ 21 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. In the field of the operating room, e-learning is also possible due to the possibility of providing cost-effective training, at any time and place, without worrying about endangering the patient’s safety, sharing educational materials, facilitating the updating of educational content, using different learning styles according to It has become popular with the needs and abilities of each learner and the adjustment of learning speed by each learner according to his characteristics [ 21 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. Various studies have shown that the use of electronic education methods in the nursing profession has led to an increase in the satisfaction and professional progress of nurses in hospitals [ 54 ].

Since academic education and intensive and limited pre-service trainings do not provide an acceptable level of effective performance of duties by operating room nurses, and also considering the limitations of the traditional training method in the operating room field; Therefore, the necessity of planning to prepare, formulate and implement electronic training courses related to individual, occupational and organizational needs as a means of informing and responding to rapid changes in the health system as well as improving professional knowledge and skills is felt more. This study sought to answer the question that to what extent the training of specialized topics of the operating room profession, electronic education based on web application, leveled, asynchronous, personalized and based on the needs of nurses can lead to the promotion of specialized knowledge and Will operating room nurses be satisfied with the new teaching method?

Study design

This study was done as a semi-experimental single-group, multi-center pre-test, post-test in four phases of educational needs assessment, educational content design, web application design for training and evaluation of operating room nurses and determining the effect of operating room nurse training based on the web application on the level of knowledge and satisfaction.

Ethical considerations

First, the code of ethics was obtained from the regional committee of ethics in medical science research. Then the process of conducting the study and its objectives were explained by the researcher through WhatsApp messenger to each of the operating room nurses who met the criteria for entering the study, and then the online informed consent form (in WORD file format) was completed by each of them and it was delivered to the researcher through WhatsApp messenger in the form of a WORD file.

Sampling method and sample size

To evaluate the effect of this study, at least 29 volunteer operating room nurses was needed (according to formula 1), and based on the results obtained from similar study [ 55 ] and estimated losses(20%), a sample of this size would allow us to detect a somewhat large effect size, on the order of 2.62(d), with a confidence interval of 95%(z1) and power of 80%(z2), with a standard deviation of 3.62 score for pre-test(s1) and standard deviation of 3.49 score for post-test, this sample size would allow us to find mean differences of 1.57 scores.

Study phases

Training needs assessment.

At this stage, according to our previous study [ 56 ], which aims to determine the need for training and improving the knowledge of operating room nurses in Al-Zahra, Amin, Kashani and Chamran hospitals in Isfahan, Iran, in the areas of general and specialized knowledge of the operating room and the need for counseling to improve motivation and their job and the level of need to launch a web application with the purpose of special training for operating room nurses was done in an organized and leveled manner, and the results showed that operating room nurses in the field of general and specialized knowledge and heart anatomy topics (95%, 38 people), the principles of ergonomics in the operating room (95%, 38 people) and the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room (90%, 36 people) as the sub-fields of this field, need the most training and knowledge improvement; Therefore, in the second phase, we designed educational content to train operating room nurses in the mentioned topics.

Educational content design

At first, for each training course, a panel of 10 experts consisting of professors from the surgical technology department of the University of Medical Sciences (with at least 5 years of experience in teaching theoretical and clinical courses in surgical technology and at least a bachelor’s degree in surgical technology), operating room nurses working in Hospitals with at least 10 years of experience in the operating room, hospital operating room supervisors with at least 5 years of experience in the operating room, cardiac surgeons with at least 15 years of experience in heart surgery, professors of the Medical Education Department of the University of Medical Sciences, professors of the Ergonomics Department with at least 5 years of teaching experience in the field of ergonomics and at least a master’s degree in ergonomics), was formed and during 3 sessions, the theoretical and clinical educational needs of operating room nurses, the problems in the training of operating room nurses and the results of phase 1 were examined.4, was discussed and based on the results of the expert panel meetings and also by using authentic books in the fields of cardiac anatomy, ergonomics and the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 ], the research team with the help of professors to Designed the educational content of each course. In the next step, the educational content in the form of educational videos was provided to the panel of experts for content validation, and their opinions regarding the adaptation of the educational content to the needs of operating room nurses were obtained, and the validity of the educational content of each course was approved by all members. The panel of experts (10 people) arrived. Among the opinions of the expert panel members regarding the educational content, it is possible to improve the quality of the teachers’ voices, use a white background to display the educational content, use more images instead of text, and reduce the duration of each video to a maximum of 20 minutes in order to avoid the fatigue of the learners in the virtual direction. Finally, educational content in the form of educational videos taught by professors of medical sciences universities in each of the topics of heart anatomy (28 episodes of 10 5 minutes), principles of ergonomics in the operating room (7 episodes of 25 5 minutes) and principles of movement, transferring and Patient positioning in the operating room (16 episodes of 20 10 minutes) was designed in three levels: basic, intermediate and advanced (Fig.  1 ).

Educational content of heart anatomy: Tricuspid valve anatomy

Web application design for training and evaluation of operating room nurses

At first, an expert team with 3 years of experience in designing, programming and building quality web applications was added to the research team. This team designed the initial and experimental version of the web application during 3 months and the initial version was given to the panel of experts who were also present in phase 4 and 2 to check the validity of the content, and the panel members reviewed all the panels of the web application during 4 sessions. Among the comments of the expert panel members, it is possible to perform the initial registration of users by the admin (creating a username and password for each user), creating and maintaining the security of virtual tests in all tests of each course, adding the learning objectives of each course after completing the test. The level pointed out that it was applied in the web application and its edited version was again provided to the members of the panel of experts and was approved by all the members of the panel.

The application was designed on the web and contains four panels of training courses in each of the subjects of heart anatomy, principles of ergonomics in the operating room and principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room, discussion forum, about us and contact us, and how Registration and comprehensive use of this application is as follows:

After entering the application link in the browser and using a mobile phone, tablet or laptop, the user will face the application login page. On this page, if the user has registered in the application, he can enter the application space by entering the username and password and clicking on the login option. Also, if the user has forgotten his password, he can recover his password by clicking on the forgotten password option. New users should complete the registration form (demographic information questionnaire) by selecting the registration option and entering the username and password created by the admin. After entering the application, the user will face a page that should choose the topic among the three topics of heart anatomy, principles of ergonomics in the operating room, and principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room. By choosing a subject, the user will enter a page where the user will be warned that if wrong topic was chosen, he/she can change it by choosing the option “change the educational topic”, and if the option “enter the test page” is clicked, the user enters the relevant level test page and reads the rules of participating in the test, and by clicking on the test start option, the questions (in the form of four-choice questions) will be displayed for him, and it will not be possible to change the educational topic.

It should be noted that the following measures have been taken to create and maintain the security of all tests:

Questions do not have numbers.

The options for each question do not have numbers.

It is not possible to copy questions and options.

The time to answer each question is about 20 seconds.

The order of displaying questions and the options of each question is random and is different for each user

Correct answers will not be shown to the users during or at the end of the test

Access to the educational content of each course and topic is limited during the exam

After completing the level determination test, the user’s score and his level (very poor, poor, average and excellent) will be displayed and by clicking on the training panel option, the user will enter the training course according to his level and will get acquainted with the course instructor and the educational topics of different levels (basic, intermediate and advanced). Each user will have one of the following four statuses at the end of the level determination test in which of the topics:

A user who is at a very poor level in the placement test will enter the basic level training course of his chosen subject and will have 14 days to study the training content of his basic level course and on the fourteenth day (in order to reduce errors Reminder [ 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ] The final exam of the basic level course (four-choice exam) has been activated for him and the user will participate in the exam (within a period of 14 days, at least 2 times using the communication method that the user has chosen in his registration form, including WhatsApp, email, Telegram, he will be reminded of the exam time) and if the user receives a passing score, the intermediate level training course of his chosen subject will be available and, like the basic level course, the user will have 14 days to study the contents and on the 14th day will participate in the final exam of the intermediate level course, and if the exam is passed successfully, the advanced level training course of the subject would be available, and the user will have 14 days to study advanced level educational content and participate in the final exam of the chosen subject on the 14th day. In case of passing the advanced level exam, the user will enter the satisfaction questionnaire page and after completing the form, a course completion certificate will be awarded.

A user who is at a weak level in the placement test will enter the intermediate level training course of his chosen subject and will have 14 days to study the contents and participate in the end of the intermediate level course on the 14th day. and if a passing grade is accomplished, the user will enter the advanced level training course of the chosen subject and will have 14 days to study the advanced level educational content and on the fourteenth day will participate in the final exam of the chosen subject and if a passing grade is accomplished, the user will enter the questionnaire page After completing the questionnaire, a certificate of completion will be given. It should be noted that if desired, the user can have access to the basic level educational content of the selected subject through the option of ‘training courses’ in the user panel section and participate in the final exam of the basic level course.

A user who is placed at the intermediate level in the placement test, enters the advanced level training course of the selected topic and will have 14 days to study the advanced level educational content and participate in the final test of the selected topic on the 14th day. If a passing grade is accomplished, the user will enter the satisfaction questionnaire page and after completing the questionnaire, a course completion certificate will be awarded. It should be noted that if the user wishes, can have access to the educational content of the basic and intermediate level of the chosen subject and participate in the end-of-course exam.

A user who is at an excellent level means that it is not necessary to participate in the training courses designed by our team and the educational content of the mentioned system cannot lead to the improvement of his knowledge; However, if the user wishes, can have access to the educational content of all levels of the chosen subject and participate in the end-of-course exam of each level and the final exam.

In the user panel section, which is displayed and accessible to the user after completing the placement test, the user will be faced with options to contact us, about us, discussion forum, my training panel, training courses and exit.

On the ‘contact us’ page, there are ways to communicate with the application admin and the study team through which any user can communicate with us and raise their questions and problems in the field of using the application.

On the ‘About Us’ page, the user gets acquainted with the goals, vision and mission of our team in web application, design, and the training courses available in it, the web application design team and its supporters.

On the forum page, the user can exchange opinions and discuss with the instructor of the selected course and other users of the same level in the training course of the selected subject through text messages.

The user can be quickly transferred to the page of his educational content by clicking on the ‘My Education Panel’ option.

Determining the effectiveness of the training of operating room nurses based on the web application on their knowledge and satisfaction

At this stage, 36 operating room nurses working in four selected hospitals in Isfahan, Iran, who meet the criteria for entering the study, were selected by stratified random sampling method and after a full explanation of the study process and its objectives by the researcher through message, the study was started by sending WhatsApp and completing the online informed consent form (in WORD file format). The criteria for entering the study include a history of at least 3 months of working in the operating room, being employed in the operating room of one of the studied hospitals, having consent to participate in the study, having at least a academic education with an associate degree, having a computer, tablet or a mobile phone with the ability to connect to the Internet to enter the web application, having the internet with a suitable speed to enter the web application, and the exit criteria also include unwillingness to continue attending the study for any reason and at any stage of the research, not obtaining the quorum score in Each of the selected subject tests for more than 2 times, failure to perform each of the selected subject tests, non-completion or incomplete completion of the satisfaction questionnaire. In coordination with the officials of the studied hospitals, a video guide for registering and entering the web application and participating in the training courses uploaded in PDF file format was provided to the nurses of the operating room through the WhatsApp messenger, and then they registered in the web application and participating in one of the training courses uploaded in the application, based on their needs and interests, and the progress process of the nurses in each of the training courses was followed through the results registered in the application and communication with each of them. The nurses in the study entered the application as described in phase 3.4 and participated in the uploaded training courses.

Data collection tools

The three tools used in this study included the following:

Tests to measure the level of knowledge of operating room nurses

The placement tests, the end of the basic level course, the end of the intermediate level course and the end of the advanced level course (final exam) in each of the educational topics, in which questions are designed by the teachers of each topic in the form of four-choice questions, and to evaluate the knowledge of operating room nurses. The budgeting of the questions for the placement and final exams was such that 25% of the questions were selected from basic level educational content, 50% from intermediate level content and 25% from advanced level content.

The number of questions and how to calculate the score in each topic are as follows:

Placement test

The heart anatomy’s exam consists of 40 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 0.5 points are awarded to the student for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–20 and the duration of the test is 13 minutes. The way to interpret the obtained scores is that the learner with a score in the range of 0–7 is in the very poor level, 8–12 in the poor level, 13–17 in the average level, and 18–20 in the excellent level.

The test of the ergonomic principles in the operating room consists of 10 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–10 and the duration of the test is 4 minutes. The way to interpret the obtained scores is that the learner with a score in the range of 0–3 is in the very poor level, 4–5 in the poor level, 6–7 in the average level and 10–8 in the excellent level.

The test of the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room consists of 15 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–15 and the duration of the test is 5 minutes. The way to interpret the obtained scores is that the learner with a score in the range of 0–7 is in the very poor level, 8–10 in the poor level, 11–12 in the average level, and 13–15 in the excellent level.

Basic level final exam

This test in the heart anatomy field consists of 19 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–19 and the duration of the test is 6 minutes. The passing score to enter the intermediate level course is equal to 13.

The test of the ergonomic principles in the operating room consists of 7 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the student for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–7 and the duration of the test is 2 minutes. The passing score to enter the intermediate level course is equal to 5.

The exam of the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room consists of 10 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0 to 10 and the duration of the test is 4 minutes. The passing score to enter the intermediate level course is equal to 7.

Intermediate level final exam

This test in heart anatomy field consists of 20 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 200 and the duration of the test is 7 minutes. The passing score to enter the advanced level course is equal to 14.

The exam of the ergonomic principles in the operating room consists of 10 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–10 and the duration of the test is 4 minutes. The passing score to enter the advanced level course is equal to 7.

The exam of the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room consists of 10 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions and 1 score is given to the participants for each correct answer, so the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–10 and the duration of the exam is 4 minutes. The passing score to enter the advanced level course is equal to 7.

This exam in the heart anatomy field consists of 40 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 0.5 points are awarded to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–20 and the duration of the test is 13 minutes. The passing score for the successful completion of the heart anatomy training course is equal to 15.

The exam of the ergonomic principles in the operating room consists of 10 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–10 and the duration of the test is 4 minutes. The passing score for the successful completion of the heart anatomy training course is equal to 6.

The test of the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room consists of 15 four-choice questions and there is no negative score for wrong answers to the questions, and 1 score is given to the students for each correct answer. Therefore, the minimum and maximum score of the user is in the range of 0–15 and the duration of the test is 5 minutes. The passing score for the successful completion of the heart anatomy training course is equal to 11.

In order to determine the face validity of the questions of each test, Millman’s checklist and Blueprint were used and the results showed that the questions have appropriate face validity.

In order to evaluate the content validity of the questions of each of the tests of the training courses on the principles of patient movement, transfer and positioning in the operating room, heart anatomy and principles of ergonomics in the operating room, all the questions were given to 20 professors of medical sciences universities and only 10 of them examined the content validity of the questions using the Lausche index (CVR) and Waltz and Basel (CVI). The validity results indicated that the value of CVR and CVI for each of the tests in each of the mentioned training courses was 0.99 and 0.79, respectively, and the content validity of the instrument used in the present study was confirmed.

In order to measure the reliability of the questions of each of the tests using the Cronbach’s alpha method, a pilot study was conducted and during those tests, the questions of the placement tests, the basic level final exam, the intermediate level final exam and the final exam in each of the training courses of the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patients in the operating room, heart anatomy and principles of ergonomics in the operating room were given to 30 operating room nurses and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated using SPSS version 16. The obtained results showed that the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for placement tests, the basic level final exam, the intermediate level final exam and the final exam in the training course on the principles of moving, transferring and positioning of the patient in the operating room are equivalent to 0.812, 0.765, 0.805 and 0.819, respectively for each of the tests in the training course of heart anatomy, respectively, equivalent to 0.794, 0.780, 0.785, 0.760, and for each of the tests in the training course of ergonomic principles in the operating room, respectively, equivalent to 0.8, 0.749, 0.780, 0.was 826, which indicates the reliability of the questions.

Demographic information questionnaire

A demographic information questionnaire was designed, which was used in the web application as a registration form for each learner, and in which questions such as place of employment hospital, the amount of work experience in the operating room, the field of study, the level of education, the specialized field of work, gender, user name and password are given.

Satisfaction questionnaire

In order to measure the level of learner’s satisfaction with each of the training courses contents and the designed web application, a researcher-made questionnaire including 7 items with a 4-point Likert scale was used. The questionnaire’s interpretation was as follows: scores of 0–7, 8–14, 15–21, and 22–28 respectively mean lack of satisfaction, low satisfaction, moderate satisfaction, and high satisfaction of the learners with the contents of each of the educational courses, and the designed web application.

In order to determine the face and content validity of the satisfaction behavior questionnaire, the questionnaire was given to 20 professors of medical sciences universities and only 10 of them proceeded to determine the validity. The results of face validity indicated that all the items of the questionnaire had appropriate face validity in terms of the number of items, the comprehensibility of the sentences of each item and compliance with grammar. Also, the content validity of the items was evaluated using the Lausche Index (CVR) and Waltz and Basel (CVI) and the results indicated that the value of CVR and CVI for each test was 0.99 and 0.79, respectively, and the content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed.

In order to measure the reliability of the questionnaire using the Cronbach’s alpha method, a pilot study was conducted, during which the questionnaire was given to 30 operating room nurses, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated using SPSS version 16. The obtained results showed that Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.794, which showed the reliability of the questionnaire.

Statistical analysis

The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical tests (frequency and frequency percentage, mean and standard deviation), analytical tests (Paired sample t-test, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation) and using SPSS software version 16.

After reviewing the data obtained from 36 operating room nurses, the data of 2 people were deleted due to not completing the satisfaction questionnaire and not participating in the final exam, and the data of 34 people (13 people in the course of the principles of movement, transfer and patient positioning in Operating room, 11 people in the course of heart anatomy and 10 people in the course of principles of ergonomics in the operating room) were analyzed.

The results of the demographic variables (Table  1 ) showed that among the nurses in the training group of the principles of patient movement, transfer and positioning in the operating room, 10 (76.9%) were women, 10 (76.9%) had a bachelor’s degree, 4 (30.7%) with work experience of 1–5 and 16–20 years, 7 people (53.8%) working in hospital one and 5 people (38.4%) working in general surgery field, 8 people (72.7%) in heart anatomy training group, 8 people (72.7%) have a bachelor’s degree, 5 people (45.4%) have 1–5 years of work experience, 7 people (63.7%) are working in 4 Hospital and 8 people (72.7%) are working in the field of cardiovascular surgery. And in the group of training course on principles of ergonomics in the operating room, 5 people (50%) are women, 6 people (60%) have a bachelor’s degree, 2 people (20%) have work experience 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, 20 16 and 21–25 years old, 5 people (50%) were working in hospital 1 and 2 people (20%) were working in the field of general surgery and endoscopy.

Also, to investigate the relationship between demographic variables and educational courses, chi square test was used and the results showed that the variables of education level ( P  = 0.452), work experience ( P  = 0.401), gender ( P  = 0.051) and courses, no meaningful educational relationship was not seen; But there is a significant relationship between the hospital of the place of employment ( P  = 0.004) and the field of specialized surgery ( P  = 0.012) with training courses.

In order to compare the average knowledge scores of operating room nurses in general and also in two groups of training courses on principles of patient movement, transferring and positioning in the operating room, heart anatomy and principles of ergonomics in the operating room in the pre-intervention phase (level determination test) and in the stage after the intervention (final test), first the normality of the data distribution was checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test, according to the result of this test ( P  > 0.05) and the normality of the data distribution, in order to compare the scores, t-test was used and the results showed that the average knowledge scores of operating room nurses in general before and after the intervention were 5.91 ± 3.96 and 13.67 ± 3.77, respectively ( P -value<0.001, mean difference: 7.76, 95%Cl: 6.62, 8.90) and significantly, the mean scores of knowledge in the stage after the intervention were higher than before the intervention ( P  < 0.001).(Table  2 ); Also, the average scores of nurses’ knowledge before and after the intervention in the course of the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room are 6.07 ± 3.42 and 13.38 ± 1.32, respectively ( P -value< 0.001, mean difference: 7.30, 95% CI: 5.15, 9.46), in the heart anatomy course 8.72 ± 3.97 and 18.18 ± 1.07 respectively ( P -value< 0.001, mean difference: 9.45, 95%Cl: 6.98, 11.92) and in the course of principles of ergonomics in the operating room, respectively It was equivalent to 2.60 ± 1.57 and 9.10 ± 0.73, and significantly the mean scores after the intervention are higher than before the intervention ( P -value< 0.001, mean difference: 6.50, 95% Cl: 5.53, 7.46) and significantly the mean scores of knowledge in the stage after the intervention was higher than before the intervention ( P  < 0.001) (Table 2 ).

In order to determine the relationship between the average knowledge scores of operating room nurses in the training course groups of the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room, heart anatomy and the principles of ergonomics in the operating room with demographic variables, Pearson, independent t and ANOVA tests were used. The results showed that there is a direct, weak and non-significant relationship between the average knowledge scores of operating room nurses in the training course group on the principles of moving, transferring and positioning patients in the operating room with the level of education ( r  = 0.165, P  > 0.05). And there was an inverse, weak and non-significant relationship with work experience ( r  = 0.188, P  > 0.05). Also, there is an inverse, strong and non-significant relationship between the knowledge scores of operating room nurses in the cardiac anatomy training group with the level of education ( r  = 0.547, P  > 0.05) and a direct, strong and significant relationship with work experience ( r  = 0.622, P  > 0.05). There is an inverse, strong and significant relationship between the average knowledge scores of operating room nurses in the training course group of principles of ergonomics in the operating room with the level of education ( r  = 0.667, P  < 0.05) and a direct, strong and significant relationship with work experience ( r  = 0.707, P  < 0.05).

There was no significant difference between the average knowledge scores of the nurses of the training course groups on the principles of movement, transferring and positioning of the patient in the operating room, heart anatomy and ergonomic principles in the operating room with the demographic variables of the hospital where they work, the field of specialized surgery and gender ( P >0.05)).

Also, the results of the level of knowledge of the operating room nurses after performing the placement test showed that 8 (61.5%) of the nurses in the training group of the principles of patient movement, transferring and positioning in the operating room, 5 (45.5%) in the group of the heart anatomy training course) and 7 people (70%) of the nurses of the ergonomic principles training group in the operating room were at a very poor level (Table  3 ).

The results of examining the amount and level of nurses’ satisfaction with the held electronic training courses showed that the average score of nurses’ satisfaction was 21.38 ± 5.83 and 22 (64.7) nurses were highly satisfied with the electronic training course; Also, the average score of nurses’ satisfaction in each of the training courses on the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room, cardiac anatomy and principles of ergonomics in the operating room are 18.76 ± 7.15, 23.36 ± 3.82 and 4.88 ± 22.60 respectively, and 7 people (53.8%) from the nurses of the training course groups on the principles of patient movement, transferring and positioning in the operating room, 8 people (72.2%) from the heart anatomy group and 7 nurses (70%) from the ergonomic principles group in the operating room are highly satisfied (Table  4 ).

This study sought to answer the question that to what extent electronic training on the specialized topics of the operating room profession based on a web application, leveled, asynchronous, personalized and based on the needs of nurses can lead to the improvement of specialized knowledge and nurses’ satisfaction. Is the operating room a new teaching method? The results showed that, in general, the knowledge of operating room nurses after the intervention (participation in electronic training courses, based on comprehensive and leveled needs) significantly improved compared to before the intervention, and the knowledge of nurses after the intervention. In each of the specialized electronic training courses, the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room, heart anatomy and the principles of ergonomics in the operating room also increased significantly.

Today, one of the basic measures that leads to the efficiency of organizations is the creation or acquisition and continuous development of human resource through the implementation of training and improvement programs, which at the individual level increases the value of the individual, and at the organizational level, improves and develops the organization, and at the national and even transnational level, it leads to an increase in productivity [ 5 , 6 ] and since official academic education and intensive and limited pre-service training are sufficient and acceptable, the hospital staff for Performing one’s duties in the hospital environment does not prepare one, the implementation of the educational program has become more necessary [ 7 ]. Due to the fact that each person has unique characteristics, the way of learning skills and learning needs are also different, so the first and most basic step in education is to examine the educational needs, which is a basis for preparation of special educational content is considered and provides a basis for setting goals and as a result, a suitable platform for organizing other important elements around prioritized needs; By preventing rework, it ultimately leads to increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of human resources, reducing waste, developing knowledge, skills, increasing job satisfaction and motivating employees [ 5 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In the study of Qalaei et al. (2013), the results showed that the lack of correct needs assessment has caused the lack of overlap between educational programs and the educational needs of nurses [ 7 ]. And for this reason, we initially examined the educational needs of operating room nurses and the results of this study showed that there is a need for training and improving knowledge in topics such as the principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room, heart anatomy and ergonomic principles in the operating room was more important than other topics.

The most widespread method of continuous training of medical personnel is the face-to-face training method, which many studies have shown that this traditional training method has many limitations, such as not recognizing the needs of learners and their personal differences, and not addressing high-level cognitive skills such as problem solving and creative thinking [ 21 ]; As a result, many researchers have emphasized that traditional educational methods need to be changed and modified by modern educational methods [ 21 , 22 ]. Electronic education has been proposed as one of the complementary educational methods [ 21 , 23 , 26 ] and researchers have come to the conclusion that in order to correct the time and place limitations associated with traditional education, the possibility of lifelong learning and appropriate to the specific conditions of each learner, electronic education can increasingly provides the possibility of easy access to education and can be a suitable supplement for traditional education [ 21 , 27 , 43 ]; Therefore, in this study, in order to teach the topics required by operating room nurses, electronic education approaches were used in a leveled manner, and the results showed that the knowledge of operating room nurses participating in each of the electronic training courses on the principles of transferring, and patient positioning in the operating room, cardiac anatomy and principles of ergonomics in the operating room significantly increased compared to before participating in the courses ( P  < 0.001). The results of a review study by Rouleau and colleagues (2019) showed that the knowledge of nurses has increased, especially in the fields of calculation, preparation and prescription of medicine through electronic education [ 25 ]; Also, in a review study by Maertens and colleagues (2016), the results showed that the use of electronic education approach in surgical training has the same or more effectiveness than other educational methods in improving the knowledge of medical staff [ 44 ]; The results of bibani et al.’s study (2022) showed that the knowledge of nurses in the intervention group (using the e-learning approach) was significantly higher than the nurses in the control group (using face-to-face mock training method) ( P  < 0.05) [ 21 ] and the authors concluded that these results should encourage those responsible for continuing education to consider online education as a complementary and promising solution to ensure flexible continuing education sessions for health care personnel.

In the study of Sabbagh and colleagues (2017), the results showed that the knowledge level of nurses after the intervention (electronic training of patient safety principles) was significantly higher than before the intervention ( P  < 0.05) [ 79 ]; The results of the study by Sung et al. (2008) showed that the level of knowledge and satisfaction of nurses in the intervention group (combined teaching of pharmacology principles by electronic method and lectures) significantly improved compared to the control group (teaching principles of pharmacology by lecture method) ( P  < 0.05) [ 54 ] and these results show that blended learning by integrating e-learning and face-to-face classroom training is useful for increasing pharmaceutical knowledge. An e-learning program can reduce the lecture time and cost of repetitive topics such as medicine, which suggests that it can be an effective component in nursing education programs.

The results of the study by Hashemiparast et al. (2016) showed that the average knowledge score of the employees of the clinical departments of the selected hospitals of the universities of medical sciences in Tehran, Iran in the intervention group (teaching the principles of infection control electronically) was significantly higher than the control group. ( P  = 0.002) [ 80 ] and the authors concluded that despite the effectiveness of e-learning in learning and increasing learners’ awareness, the use of this method among health-related organizations requires empowering employees, removing barriers and infrastructures. The results of a review study by Feng and colleagues (2013) showed that electronic education leads to the improvement of learners’ knowledge [ 81 ] and the authors concluded that situational electronic education is an effective method to improve the performance of beginner learners. The effect of situational e-learning on improving cognitive ability is limited compared to traditional learning. Situational e-learning is a useful supplement to traditional learning for medical and nursing students. In the studies of Khatony and colleagues (2009) [ 82 ], Laine and colleagues (2019) [ 83 ], Gentizon and colleagues (2019) [ 24 ], Phaneuf and colleagues (2012), Vaona et al. (2018) [ 45 ], Bea et al. (2021) [ 46 ], Horiuchi et al. [ 84 ] Different types of medical care improve nurses’ knowledge compared to face-to-face training. Therefore, the web-based method is recommended as a complement to the face-to-face method for designing and presenting some topics of continuing education programs for nurses. The results of Van de Steeg et al.’s study (2015) showed that the average knowledge scores of nurses improved significantly after teaching the principles of delirium diagnosis in the elderly using an electronic method compared to before the intervention [ 85 ] and the authors believe this result, found that the e-learning course significantly improved nursing staff’s knowledge of delirium in all subgroups of participants and for all question categories. In contrast to other studies, the assessment of baseline knowledge showed that, overall, nursing staff were relatively knowledgeable about delirium. The results of the mentioned studies are consistent with the results of our study. Among the reasons for compatibility can be e-learning due to the use of different learning styles according to the needs and abilities of each learner and the adjustment of the learning speed by each learner according to his characteristics and to motivate learning due to the attractiveness of the educational environment. He pointed out that electronics leads to a better consolidation of learned material in the nurses’ memory and thus improves their knowledge [ 21 , 22 , 24 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 86 , 87 , 88 ].

Also, the results of the present study showed that the operating room nurses participating in each training course were delighted with the use of electronic and levelled education approaches.

Learners’ satisfaction is one of the essential factors in the effectiveness of new educational processes [ 32 , 33 , 43 ]. Nurses’ satisfaction with the education process leads to improved learning motivation and, as a result, improves their level of knowledge [ 43 ]. The results of Lhbibani et al.’s study [ 21 ] showed that the satisfaction of nurses in the intervention group (using the e-learning approach) was significantly higher than the nurses in the control group (using the face-to-face mock training method) ( P  < 0.05). Also, the results of Yazdannik et al.’s study [ 43 ] showed that the level of satisfaction of emergency department nurses in the intervention group (electronic patient triage training) was significantly higher than the nurses in the control group (face-to-face training) and authors concluded that using nursing professors’ electronic education programs can increase the level of satisfaction and motivation in the nursing mothers. Therefore, the use of this new educational method is recommended by managers and educational planners as an effective teaching. In the study of Costa and colleagues [ 89 ], the results showed that nurses were delighted with the electronic training on the principles of pain diagnosis in infants. The results of Narbona et al.’s study [ 90 ] showed that the nurses who participated in the electronic training course on evaluating patients’ pain intensity were delighted with the training course. The results of Chang et al.’s study [ 91 ] showed that the use of an e-learning approach in the in-service training of nurses resulted in 97.6% satisfaction of them. The results of Khoshnoodifar et al.’s study [ 92 ] showed that the level of nurse satisfaction with the cardiopulmonary resuscitation e-learning course was higher than that of the nurses in the control group (teaching the principles of cardiopulmonary resuscitation by lecture method) and authors concluded that satisfaction from CPR e-learning course was higher than those in nurses participating in the traditional training method. The results of the mentioned study are consistent with the results of our study. Among the compliance reasons, nurses can participate in training courses at any time and place based on their free time, exchange messages share their content and opinions with other learners in the online educational environment, and interact with course instructors [ 21 , 41 , 84 , 86 ].

Study implications

Based on the results of this study, it seems that the use of electronic education approach based on the needs of operating room nurses can be used as a complementary tool to conventional continuous education, and since this method allows interactive, personalized education, leveled, asynchronous and can be used at any time and place on a laptop, tablet and mobile phone, a wide range of operating room nurses in the hospitals of the Islamic Republic of Iran can use it for educational justice to many borders should be established in the country. However, there are studies to evaluate the generalizability and the effect of using the e-learning approach on the clinical skills of operating room nurses and to compare the effect of e-learning with other methods and educational tools on the knowledge and skills of the learners and the extent of consolidating the learned material in their memory.

Strengths and limitations

Among the strengths of this study are the virtuality of training and evaluation of operating room nurses, training based on the needs of learners, organized training and appropriate to the knowledge level of each learner (personalized training), asynchronous training, the possibility of message exchange and interaction. Learners with each other and with instructors of training courses in the web application environment, using a new, low-cost training method, using leveled standardized tests made by researchers to measure the level of knowledge of operating room nurses in each of the training courses, online and It can be used at any place and time and with any smart device (laptop, tablet and mobile phone), reducing training costs, conducting a multicenter study and selecting subjects randomly, and among the limitations of the study, a small sample size and no control group can be named. Also, the low power of semi-experimental studies in generalizing the results obtained in the examined sample to the entire population compared to other studies, limited focus on null hypothesis tests and weak analytical samples are among the factors that threaten the validity of this study.

The results of the present study showed that the use of an electronic education approach based on a web application, leveled, asynchronous, personalized and based on the needs of nurses led to the improvement of the knowledge of operating room nurses. Also, operating room nurses were highly satisfied with electronic training courses. It seems that e-learning can be used as a complementary educational tool and method for continuous training of operating room nurses in other specialized fields of operating room and surgery.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors of the article feel it necessary to express their sincere thanks and appreciation to the respected officials of the National Center for Strategic Research in Medical Education, Tehran, Iran and the operating room nurses working in selected hospitals, in Isfahan, Iran who helped us in the implementation of this study.

This study was funded and supported by the National Center for Strategic Research in Medical Education, Tehran, Iran (Grant No. 4000560).

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Department of the Operating Room, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

R. Khorammakan

Department of the operating room, Farmaniyeh hospital, Tehran, Iran

S. H. Roudbari

Department of Medical Education, Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Department of Occupational Health and Ergonomics, Student Research Committee, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

V. S. Anoosheh

Department of Operating Room, Torbatjam Faculty of Medical Sciences, Torbatjam, Iran

A. N. Arabkhazaei

Department of Operating Room, School of Paramedical Science, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

A. Z. Arabkhazaei

Ansar Al-Ghadir Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Department of Operating Room, Shahid Ansari Hospital, Rudsar, Iran

H. Belyad Chaldashti

Department of the Operating Room, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

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Reza Khorammakan: Data curation, Project administration, Writing – original draft. Seyed Hadi Roudbari: Design of Web-application Athar Omid: Scientific director, Writing – review & editing. Vida Sadat Anoosheh: Design of educational contents. Azin Arabkhazaei: Writing – original draft. Azar Arabkhazaei: Writing – original draft. Javad Khalili: Data curation. Hamed Belyad Chaldashti: Data curation. Ahmad Ghadami: Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Formal analysis, Project administration, Writing – review & editing.

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Correspondence to A. Ghadami .

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The Regional Research Ethics Committee of the National Agency for Strategic Research in Medical Education Tehran, Iran, approved the study (Approval ID: IR.NASRME.REC.1401.426). The researcher explained this to the participants and obtained their informed and voluntary consent. We confirmed that all methods were performed according to the relevant guidelines and regulations.

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Khorammakan, R., Roudbari, S.H., Omid, A. et al. Continuous training based on the needs of operating room nurses using web application: a new approach to improve their knowledge. BMC Med Educ 24 , 342 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05315-3

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Received : 26 February 2023

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Published : 26 March 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05315-3

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Spotify Tests Video-Based Learning Courses in the UK

March 25, 2024

Today we’re launching a test for video-based courses on Spotify in the U.K. We’ve partnered with educational tech companies including BBC Maestro, PLAYvirtuoso, Skillshare, and Thinkific to bring video content directly to Spotify users.

U.K. users will now find video courses for purchase alongside their favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The content for courses on Spotify covers a variety of topics categorized into four main themes: make music, get creative, learn business, and healthy living, giving listeners an abundance of options to expand their knowledge. 

“Testing video courses in the U.K. allows us to explore an exciting opportunity to better serve the needs of our users who have an active interest in learning,” said Babar Zafar, VP Product Development at Spotify. “Many of our users engage with podcasts and audiobooks on a daily basis for their learning needs, and we believe this highly engaged community will be interested in accessing and purchasing quality content from video course creators. At Spotify, we’re constantly striving to create new offerings for our creators and users, and having built best-in-class personalized music and podcast offerings, we look forward to exploring the potential of video-based learning on Spotify.”

With this offer, we are exploring a potential opportunity to provide educational creators with a new audience who can access their video content, reaching a bigger potential swath of engaged Spotify users while expanding our catalog. About half of Spotify Premium subscribers have engaged in education or self-help-themed podcasts.  

For this test, U.K. Free users and Premium subscribers will be able to trial at least two lessons per course for free before making the decision to purchase additional lessons, which they can do on a dedicated web page.

Try it out for yourself:

• On the mobile app, U.K. users will find course videos in the home and browse tabs.
• Once clicked through, users can explore available courses across the four categories before purchasing them on desktop. Once purchased, the courses will be available on mobile and desktop. 
• On desktop : https://courses.spotify.com/home
• Users can select courses they’re interested in, and upon purchase, start learning, watching on mobile app or desktop.

Learn more about our content partners: 

• BBC Maestro creates content to educate and inspire people to explore their creativity. Through prerecorded lessons and detailed course notes, anyone can learn a wide range of disciplines and follow in the footsteps of experts respected all over the world . www.bbcmaestro.com
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• Thinkific Labs Inc. is a leading platform for creating, marketing, and selling courses, digital products, communities, and learning experiences. www.thinkific.com

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Jaws of death! Alligator snags turtle at Estero golf course for amazing photo opportunity

What are the chances? In less than a week, two of our readers have sent us photos of an alligator with a turtle in its jaws.

Last week, Casey Yarborough shared his photos of a gator on a Naples golf course that had snagged a soft-shell turtle in its mouth.

Now, we have three more photos of a similar "wild kingdom" moment thanks to Bruce Clark. Clark was playing golf on March 16 at the Pelican Sound Golf and River Club in Estero. Clarks is a full-time resident in Southwest Florida, moving here in 2000 from Kentucky.

Clark and his partner were playing in the two-day Member-Member tournament known as the Pelican Sound Cup when they came across this remarkable scene.

"John (Fairlie) and I were playing the Sound (course), and after finishing hole No. 6 we drove our cart around the pretty lake over toward the par 3, 7th tee," Clark said. "About 11:00 am. As we turned right, we saw this big hungry alligator near the bank. He obviously had been hungry, but probably had never experienced a turtle entering his mouth from a North-South direction."

Clark immediately recognized the photo opportunity.

"We stopped to look and take a picture," Clark said. "Unfortunately, my partner John (who is a renowned photographer) didn’t have his camera or his phone. So I was called upon to snap the picture."

Clark said the gator laid there for a few minutes looking at him and Fairlie, maybe wanting them to help him turn the turtle around to East-West.  The gator finally gave up and sank back into the water. The two golfers had to tee off, and they didn’t see the gator and his lunch again.

"We see alligators frequently in Pelican Sound," Clark said. "This dude had been in that lake for several weeks, as you can see him on the bank from three holes that round the lake. It’s a good idea not to hit your ball too close to the water."

After a recent renovation, Pelican Sound just opened a facility known as the River Club where members can gather for food and drinks. Clark said the new menu offers “gator bites”.

"I sent the gator picture to our food and beverage manager, Kim Disotell, asking if we could add turtle soup to the menu," he said. "She laughed."

Did you know? What do alligators eat?

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website :

Alligators are opportunistic feeders. Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible. Juvenile alligators eat primarily insects, amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds.

Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong