MedEd Deep Dive

What is MedEd Deep Dive?

MedEd DeepDive: Where Innovation Meets Education

Whether you're a student navigating the complexities of medical school, an educator striving to improve learning outcomes, a researcher pushing the boundaries of knowledge, or a policymaker shaping the future of medical education—this podcast is for you.

In Season 1 of MedEd DeepDive, we explore the cutting-edge innovations transforming how we teach and learn. From the use of AI and chatbots to combat vaccine misinformation to the game-changing potential of virtual simulations and the metaverse in medical training, our episodes dive into the latest research and real-world applications. We'll also discuss innovative tools like serious games, escape rooms, and virtual patients that make learning more immersive and effective.

Join us as we examine the technological advancements and essential human elements of healthcare education, highlighting how strategies like interprofessional education, team-based learning, and even traditional methods like moulage can create a more holistic and impactful approach.

Subscribe now to stay ahead of the curve and participate in the conversation shaping the future of healthcare education.

Yassin:

Welcome back to the deep dive. Today, we're diving into something I know you're gonna find fascinating.

Zaynab:

Oh, yeah.

Yassin:

How to make learning more efficient.

Zaynab:

I like the sound of that.

Yassin:

By aligning what you wanna learn with the absolute best resources out there to help you do it.

Zaynab:

Love it.

Yassin:

And we've got some pretty interesting research to unpack today Okay. Including this paper Mhmm. Called Aligning Learning Outcomes to Learning Resources, a lexico semantic spatial approach.

Zaynab:

Catchy. I know. Right?

Yassin:

Definitely grabs your attention.

Zaynab:

Now I know that title might sound a little intimidating, like something you read in a graduate level textbook. Yeah. Don't worry.

Yassin:

Okay.

Zaynab:

That's where we come in.

Yassin:

I feel better already.

Zaynab:

We're gonna break it down into clear Please. Easy to understand insights

Yassin:

Okay.

Zaynab:

That you can actually use.

Yassin:

Love it. Love it. But before we get into the nitty gritty

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

Let's hit the scene a little bit.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

Think about a time you had to absorb a ton of information quickly. Okay. Okay. Maybe it was for work project, a presentation, or even just, like, to satisfy your own curiosity.

Zaynab:

Happens all the time.

Yassin:

Right. We've all been there. Mhmm. And how often did it feel completely overwhelming?

Zaynab:

Always.

Yassin:

Like trying to drink from a fire hose? The worst. Exactly. The worst. And this paper tackles that feeling head on.

Yassin:

Okay. But in a way that I bet you haven't thought of before. Okay. How so? It's not just about skimming or speed reading.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

This research is about fundamentally changing how we connect with information.

Zaynab:

Oh, interesting.

Yassin:

So think about learning outcomes

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

As your own personal learning targets.

Zaynab:

Got it.

Yassin:

What is wanna get out of this article, this report, this entire deep dive.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

Now how do we connect those targets with the exact information that will help us, like, hit the bull's eye? Good question. Traditionally, we might rely on keyword searches. Right? Just control f.

Zaynab:

Totally.

Yassin:

But this paper is saying that's way too simplistic.

Zaynab:

Really?

Yassin:

It's like trying to understand a whole symphony Right. Just by listening for a single note.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

They're missing the bigger picture, the connections, the meaning behind it all.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

So instead of just matching words

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

They found that we need to dig deeper into what they call the semantic meaning.

Zaynab:

The semantic meaning.

Yassin:

Yeah. Basically, what do those words actually mean together in context?

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

And here's where it gets really interesting. It's not just about the words themselves, but also about how the information is structured spatially.

Zaynab:

Spatially. Okay.

Yassin:

So think about it like this.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

If you're trying to understand a new concept Mhmm. You don't just want a list of documents that mention that concept.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

You want the specific parts of those documents that are most relevant to your understanding

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

Presented in a way that makes sense. Yeah. And this is where that spatial aspect comes in.

Zaynab:

Interesting.

Yassin:

It's like the difference between recognizing someone's face in a crowd

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

Versus understanding their role in, like, a complex organization.

Zaynab:

Oh, that's a good way to put

Yassin:

it. Right.

Zaynab:

Yeah.

Yassin:

Yeah. I like that. It's like you need the whole story, not just a random jumble of sentences.

Zaynab:

Exactly.

Yassin:

And that's what's so cool about this research. Yep. They actually built a system that takes all of this the words, the meaning, the spatial relationships

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

And uses it to connect learners like you Mhmm. With the most relevant information.

Zaynab:

I like it.

Yassin:

There's this great example in the paper. Okay. It really brings this to life.

Zaynab:

Okay. I'm intrigued.

Yassin:

It talks about learning about muscle receptors.

Zaynab:

Muscle receptors, got

Yassin:

Imagine you're digging into this topic

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

And you come across page 39. Mhmm. It mentions muscle receptors directly.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

Seems like a perfect match right on the surface.

Zaynab:

Makes sense.

Yassin:

So you think Mhmm. Okay. I need to read this page carefully.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

But then there's page 43.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

It's mostly diagrams, very few words. Mhmm. Most systems Yeah. And let's be honest, most of us Totally. Will probably skim right over it.

Zaynab:

Oh, yeah. For sure. Sure.

Yassin:

Diagrams. I'll come back to those later if I have time.

Zaynab:

Right. If I even remember.

Yassin:

But here's where it gets really interesting.

Zaynab:

Oh, okay.

Yassin:

Their system realized that. Yeah. Because page 43 sits right next to that super relevant page 39. Mhmm. It's probably still connected to the overall concept of muscle receptors

Zaynab:

Oh, that's cool.

Yassin:

Even without explicitly mentioning those keywords. Wow. That's wild. Right?

Zaynab:

Yeah. That's really interesting.

Yassin:

It's like those diagrams provide Yeah. A visual context, like a deeper layer of understanding that you wouldn't be able to get if you were just skimming for keywords.

Zaynab:

Makes sense.

Yassin:

So it's almost like how our brains work. Right?

Zaynab:

How so?

Yassin:

We make connections based on context. Right. Not just, like, isolated pieces of information.

Zaynab:

Yeah. It's all about the bigger picture.

Yassin:

Exactly. The bigger picture. And that's what makes this spatial aspect so groundbreaking.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

It's about mimicking the way our brains naturally learn Oh. And make connections.

Zaynab:

I like it.

Yassin:

Speaking of making connections

Zaynab:

k.

Yassin:

This research also tackles another challenge we can probably all relate to. What's that? Information overload.

Zaynab:

Ugh. The worst.

Yassin:

Oh my gosh.

Zaynab:

Don't even get me started. Right. It never ends.

Yassin:

We live in a world Yeah. That is inundated There's with information.

Zaynab:

Too much.

Yassin:

It's like trying to drink from a fire hose.

Zaynab:

Every time.

Yassin:

Every time we open our web browser or pick up a new book.

Zaynab:

Yep.

Yassin:

Seriously.

Zaynab:

It's a lot.

Yassin:

I have stacks of articles on my desk

Zaynab:

Oh, tell me about it.

Yassin:

That I swear are multiplying on their own.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

And the problem is

Zaynab:

What's that?

Yassin:

Even when we do find relevant information, it's often so scattered and disorganized. The worst. It's like trying to bake a cake.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

And finding the flour in one cupboard Mhmm. The sugar in another

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

And the eggs in the fridge. Yeah. It's enough to make you wanna give up on baking altogether.

Zaynab:

Right. Who needs cake anyway?

Yassin:

It's like you open the fridge for the milk, and you're like, wait. Why did I come in here again?

Zaynab:

Totally. Information overload is the worst.

Yassin:

It really is.

Zaynab:

But this research doesn't just identify those scattered pieces of information.

Yassin:

Okay.

Zaynab:

It actually starts to organize them.

Yassin:

So it's like tidying up the kitchen for us

Zaynab:

Exactly.

Yassin:

While we gather all the ingredients.

Zaynab:

Precisely.

Yassin:

That's my kind of system.

Zaynab:

And remember how we were talking about the importance of context?

Yassin:

Yeah.

Zaynab:

This system actually takes those related pieces of information, whether they're pages in a textbook, sections of a research paper

Yassin:

Mhmm.

Zaynab:

And it groups them into what they call chunks.

Yassin:

So instead of a jumbled mess of information Right. We have these nice little packages of knowledge Like

Zaynab:

a zag.

Yassin:

That are easier to digest.

Zaynab:

That's the idea.

Yassin:

I like it.

Zaynab:

And get this.

Yassin:

Okay.

Zaynab:

They found that on average, their system could pinpoint a relevant piece of information Mhmm. Within just 4 clicks. Four clicks. Four clicks from the first suggested page.

Yassin:

Wow. No more endless scrolling.

Zaynab:

That's the dream.

Yassin:

No more feeling lost in a sea of search results.

Zaynab:

Exactly.

Yassin:

This whole system sound amazing.

Zaynab:

It has a lot of potential.

Yassin:

It does.

Zaynab:

And here's the thing.

Yassin:

Okay.

Zaynab:

This research focused primarily on text based information.

Yassin:

Okay.

Zaynab:

But they acknowledge the power of visuals in learning too.

Yassin:

Which makes total sense. We live in a world that is saturated with images, videos, infographics.

Zaynab:

All around us.

Yassin:

Yeah. They're everywhere you look. Exactly. True. What if we could apply these same principles of semantic and spatial understanding to visual information.

Yassin:

Oh. Imagine searching for information based on a diagram k. A chart Yeah. Or even just a concept represented visually.

Zaynab:

That's amazing.

Yassin:

It's like the next frontier

Zaynab:

It really is.

Yassin:

Of learning and information access.

Zaynab:

So what does this all mean for you, our amazing listener?

Yassin:

The big question.

Zaynab:

The biggest takeaway for me is you don't have to be overwhelmed by information overload.

Yassin:

You can take control.

Zaynab:

Exactly.

Yassin:

There are ways to make learning more efficient and even enjoyable.

Zaynab:

It doesn't have to be a chore. Exactly. It can actually be fun.

Yassin:

It should be fun. Learning is exciting. It is. It's about exploring and asking questions and being open to new ideas.

Zaynab:

Exactly. So go out there and ask those questions.

Yassin:

Right. Dive into those topics you've been curious about.

Zaynab:

You never know what you might discover.

Yassin:

And on that note, this has been an incredible deep dive.

Zaynab:

As always.

Yassin:

Until next time, keep exploring and keep those learning goals in sight.