142 Chapter 7 Figure 7.1. Visualization of an integration of students, teachers, and faculty development perspectives on active learning The integrated perspective addresses the three challenges to the implementation of active learning in medical education that we identified in the general introduction of this thesis. First, although medical students generally appreciate active learning, their engagement may vary. How can their engagement be optimized? Second, although teachers play a pivotal role in active learning, their competencies in this area may need improvement. Which knowledge, skills, and attitudes are essential for engaging students optimally? Third, faculty development can train teachers in essential active learning competencies, but the transfer of these competencies poses a problem. How can teachers be stimulated to apply the lessons learned during training in their teaching practice? In the following paragraphs, we will describe how the findings of this thesis address these challenges. We will incorporate findings from previously published research to show how our work contributes to the implementation of active learning. Active learning requires students to engage meaningfully with the study content to be effective and stimulate students to construct their understanding (5–9). However, despite understanding the value of active learning for their development, medical students can be reluctant to engage (i.e., stay disengaged) in active learning methods. This reluctance increases when students perceive these methods as an ineffective or inefficient use of study time, when they do not contribute to students’ educational goals, when the methods are not appealing, or when they believe that active learning is not adequately implemented (10–16). In other words, students’ perceptions of their development through active learning matter.
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