The effect of directive tutor guidance on students' conceptual understanding of statistics in problem-based learning.

Background: Education is aimed at students reaching conceptual understanding of the subject matter, because this leads to better performance and application of knowledge. Conceptual understanding depends on coherent and error-free knowledge structures. The construction of such knowledge structures can only be accomplished through active learning and when new knowledge can be integrated into prior knowledge.

Testing the usability of access structures in a health education brochure.

Objectives: In health education, the design of written materials is seldom subject to experimental tests. Using insights from cognitive-ergonomic literature on usability we tested a brochure against three stepwise improved versions. Effects were assessed of pictorials that flagged references in the brochure text, the use of tabs and colour coding of these pictorials and tabs, on finding information in the brochure.

The effect of graphic organizers on subjective and objective comprehension of a health education text.

This study examined the effect of graphic organizers on the comprehension of a health education brochure text and compared subjective with objective comprehension measures. Graphic organizers are graphical depictions of relations among concepts in a text. Participants read a brochure text about asthma with and without these organizers, and subjective and objective text comprehension was measured.

Pictures and text in instructions for medical devices: effects on recall and actual performance.

Objective: The present study aimed to contribute to the design of effective health education information. Based on cognitive-psychological theory, pictures were expected to improve understanding of two existing textual instructions for using asthma devices (inhaler chamber and peak flow meter). From an analysis of the affordances and constraints of both devices this effect was expected to be stronger with the inhaler chamber than with the peak flow meter.

Learning in a clinical education programme in primary care: the Maastricht Adoption Programme.

Introduction: At Maastricht University, the integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes in preclinical medical education is promoted by an 'Adoption Programme', where students carry out assignments in a general practice setting. The assignments are explained and discussed in practical medical coaching groups. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the elements that affect learning in the programme.

Increasing readers' comprehension of health education brochures: a qualitative study into how professional writers make texts coherent.

The aim of this study was to gain insight into the extent to which health education text writers apply writing principles derived from cognitive psychological theory. Seventeen professional text writers of health education materials participated in a qualitative study, consisting of a rewriting task combined with a think-aloud procedure and a semistructured interview. The verbal data were explored carefully in light of seven text coherence principles that have proven effective in cognitive psychological research to increase text comprehension.

Design of a problem-based curriculum: a general approach and a case study in the domain of public health.

A general approach to curriculum design in the context of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is outlined. Ten general 'steps' for problem-based curriculum development are proposed, using the case study methodology to describe the underlying iterative process. Examples are given from the case of the development of a public health professions education curriculum.