The Solution

Integrating Osmosis videos and questions for quality pre-work for incoming learners and valuable review materials for students throughout the curriculum.

Faculty at St. Scholastica have created curated playlists of Osmosis videos and linked assessment items to support student learning from day one. Students are regularly reviewing playlists on the Osmosis platform before class, allowing them to engage in higher-level discussions during class time. In her classes, Dr. Lakhan has been impressed with how Osmosis videos have prepared her students to participate during face-to-face class sessions. Playlists have been helpful to learning both as pre-work and post-lecture support, noting that students “seem to be better prepared for the lectures…that part’s really, really nice. I’m not trying to teach them material from scratch. They’re actually doing their prep-work.”

After class, Osmosis has become essential for review material. As a course director for pathophysiology, Ms. Garvey regularly meets with students when they don’t initially understand a concept. She encourages every student to independently watch an associated Osmosis video, and then they review the material together. “It’s saved me time instead of having to sit down and reteach a whole topic that a student missed.” Now her students are more active partners in the learning process.

Ms. Garvey has also found the video transcripts very helpful in preparing exams and providing credibility. “I love being able to scan through the video transcripts quickly, so I can find the piece I’m getting ready to test on and see if there’s anything in there that would be inconsistent [with what’s covered in class].” Prior to testing, Ms. Garvey explains to the students any differences with how material is presented and why they exist. This further promotes critical thinking and illuminates differences within clinical practice while reinforcing the trustworthiness of the resources on Osmosis. “It really helps when students know that this isn’t just something we are sending them off to do. We are participating with them in using the resource.”

The Challenge

Providing faculty and students with resources that work throughout the longitudinal curriculum.

Each year students had asked for ways to prepare before the start of PA school. This got the faculty at St. Scholastica looking for “content for incoming students to be able to access before they start their program,” according to Ms. Garvey.

Additionally, as with so many programs across the US, in 2021 St. Scholastica had several transitions with faculty retirements and longer periods of open faculty positions. Relying solely on powerpoint decks, lectures, and course packs that required regular time commitments for updates was no longer efficient or effective. The program needed a collection of content that could be used throughout the curriculum without additional bandwidth requirements  for updates and maintenance. As Ms. Garvey explained, “We needed a way to provide consistent content year over year to students that faculty did not have to review and update.”

Beyond coursework, the reality of the PANCE is a constant consideration for both students and faculty. “Our goal is to find resources that help students  review for examinations, get them acclimated to beneficial  clinical year and rotation study tools, and prepare for PANCE exams,“ said Ms. Garvey. “We’re trying to form good study habits right away in the didactic year.”

The Result

Further integration of Osmosis into the learning management system to seamlessly integrate videos and questions into their curriculum.

As the faculty at St. Scholastica have increased their usage of Osmosis, they see the potential to expand their partnership further by pulling      everything into their learning management system. Ms. Garvey explains, “If we get to a point where we’re pulling Osmosis into the learning management system, and it’s very laid out to [students], ‘read chapter 42, watch this video.’ It will replace some of the foundational work that we no longer have to do in lecture. Faculty will be able to move lectures to the next level and spend more time on application.” Looking further ahead, they are exploring incorporating questions and flashcards into their modules to further enhance learning outcomes.

Dr. Lakhan and her team are excited to see their visions for curriculum change come to fruition. “Knowing that [the Osmosis] team is there and willing to work with us is a big part of that. I’ve really appreciated the team’s willingness to work with us and to brainstorm, and when we’ve come with questions like the LMS integration, it’s been a ‘yes, let’s see what we can do!’”

With Osmosis further integrated throughout the curriculum, St. Scholastica’s PA program hopes to increase consistency, student engagement, and scholarly discussion. By using Osmosis as the groundwork, students are “thinking at a higher level. It’s big-picture from the very beginning, as opposed to having to go back and teach them how to integrate all the different individual pieces.”