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Dr Órla Barry presenting at the College of Medicine and Health Learning and Teaching Showcase
Dr Órla Barry gave an oral presentation titled “Implementation of educational mind maps to promote integrated learning in basic and clinical pharmacology at the College of Medicine and Health Learning and Teaching Showcase.
Dr Órla Barry gave an oral presentation titled “Implementation of educational mind maps to promote integrated learning in basic and clinical pharmacology at the College of Medicine and Health Learning and Teaching Showcase.
Future health professionals must assimilate an exponentially growing knowledge base from many disciplines and be trained in the application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of this information. However, their curriculum often offers juxtaposed contributions from various disciplines rather than integrated activities promoting their ability to make connections between various sources of information. Staff in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics have implemented the use of mind maps in various programmes in the College of Medicine and Health. Mind map-based activities have been used for example in laboratory practicals, revision sessions, semester-long assessments and end-of-term exams. Dr Barry’s presentation 1) described the practical aspects of different implementations of mind maps, 2) critically assessed the pros and cons of various strategies in different contexts (e.g., small vs large classes, individual vs group assignments, formative and summative assessments, white board-based vs freeware or licensed software-based), and 3) analysed the benefits or drawbacks of different platforms used to produce mind maps.