Ensuring a successful educational experience for our students is akin to the art of culinary development, where thoughtful preparation is fundamental. Just as a chef with pre-developed culinary skills meticulously selects ingredients and carefully plans before creating a masterpiece, educators must equip students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for their academic success. This parallels the concept of pre-courses, which serve as innovative ingredients and preparatory tools in the educational kitchen. Much like a chef assembles ingredients before cooking, pre-courses lay the groundwork for students, offering them a solid foundation to build upon.
It has been acknowledged that students across diverse disciplines encounter academic stressors, including heavy workloads, unclear expectations, competition with peers, and new subject matter (Hafen et al., 2008; 2006; Collins and Foote, 2005; Laakkonen and Nevgi, 2014). Just like novice chefs following a recipe, novice students may feel daunted by the academic challenges ahead. In the same way that a recipe provides preparatory instructions before cooking, pre-courses offer essential groundwork for students entering courses with unfamiliar subject matter. By providing students with terminology, background information, and introductory material to a course, pre-courses ensure that students are well-prepared and equipped to tackle the complexities of new material with enhanced confidence.
Designing effective pre-courses
Pre-courses can be utilized in a variety of disciplines such as biology, engineering, psychology, economics, anatomy, and physiology, etc. For optimal effectiveness, the pre-course purpose should be clearly defined with student learning outcomes that inform, excite, and prepare students for their upcoming course material. Consider the needs of the students who will be taking the pre-course and tailor the content to suit their backgrounds, interests, and skill levels. Following defined student learning outcomes in a pre-course ensures alignment with the main course objectives, providing clarity, focus, and relevance to the content covered.
After the student learning outcomes have been defined, the creation of the pre-course does not have to be complex. PowerPoints, brief lectures or lecture videos, images, diagrams, quizzes, and interactive activities can be utilized to deliver prelusive course content. Ensure that instructions for completing pre-course activities are clear and concise to avoid confusion or frustration.
Online, asynchronous pre-courses offer cost-effective and flexible options, enabling students to progress through the material at their own pace. Additionally, students can pause, rewind, or revisit course content repeatedly if they desire. In-person pre-courses are also effective but require on-site faculty/staff and may inadvertently favor students geographically close to campus.
Strategic timing is crucial for pre-course implementation. Pre-courses can be an optional activity during the summer (prior to courses offered during the fall semester) or during the winter break intersession (prior to courses offered during the spring semester). For summer courses, a brief pre-course may be offered in the weeks leading up to the first day of class. The pre-course can be non-graded but consider including opportunities for students to assess their own understanding and progress through self-assessment quizzes. This allows students to practice with the new material without academic pressure and worrying about their performance, while also identifying areas of improvement in their learning.
To assess the impact of the pre-course, consider collecting student performance and perception data. In our large animal anatomy course, positive statistically significant correlations were found between pre-course interaction and certain exam scores (Hansen, Basel, & Malreddy, under review). Extensive analysis of student perception data was conducted and found a generally positive reception, with a majority of students strongly advocating for the pre-course’s availability to future cohorts (Hansen, Basel, & Malreddy, under review). By gathering student opinions, the pre-course design can be refined to fit learning styles and difficult subject matter.
Advantages of pre-courses:
- Enhancing student preparedness
Pre-courses provide students with foundational knowledge, skills, and terminology relevant to the upcoming course material. By familiarizing students with key concepts and topics in advance, pre-courses help alleviate anxiety and build confidence, ensuring that students enter the course better prepared to engage with complex subject matter.
- Improving academic performance
One main benefit of pre-course implementation is the positive effect on student grades. At the Louisiana State School of Veterinary Medicine, a veterinary anatomy pre-course correlated with improved exam grades and reduced anxiety (McNulty and Lazarus, 2018). Similarly, at Lincoln Memorial Osteopathic Medical School, pre-matriculation anatomy boot camps led to higher gross anatomy exam scores (Herling et al., 2017). Pharmacy preparation courses have also been shown to boost cumulative GPAs (Klausner et al., 2019). These findings highlight the valuable role pre-courses play in promoting academic success and student confidence.
- Accessibility and flexibility
Both in-person and online pre-courses offer accessibility and flexibility to cater to diverse student needs. In-person pre-courses provide face-to-face interaction with potentially a new professor, elicit immediate instructor support, and build relationships. Conversely, online pre-courses offer the convenience of anytime, anywhere access, allowing students to progress at their own pace and revisit materials as needed. This flexibility accommodates various learning styles and schedules, promoting student engagement and autonomy.
Disadvantages or pre-courses:
Despite their benefits, pre-courses are not without drawbacks:
- Time-consuming creation
Designing and implementing pre-courses require significant time, effort, and resources from instructors and institutions. Developing high-quality pre-course content, organizing sessions, and providing support to students demands additional workload, potentially conflicting with other faculty and staff responsibilities.
- Access challenges
Both in-person and online pre-courses may create access challenges such as geographic location, internet connectivity, technology, and affordability to name a few. These factors may impede on a student’s ability to participate in the pre-course and therefore hinder their educational opportunities.
- Pre-course dependence
If a student performs well in the pre-course, they may depend too heavily on the introductory material, leading to gaps in student understanding of the main course material. While pre-courses can provide valuable preparation, they may not fully substitute for comprehensive instruction during the main course.
Conclusions
Pre-courses are a supplemental resource that provide foundational knowledge to prepare students for new course material. Pre-courses help improve student confidence and knowledge prior to beginning a course, acting as a valuable resource for enhancing student understanding. Offering students a modern approach to course preparation has clear advantages, but careful creation and implementation are needed to maximize educational benefits.
Chandler Hansen, MS, is a doctoral student in the Department of Anatomy & Physiology at Kansas State University. Her research interests include anatomy education, teaching, and learning with recent work focusing on the use of supplemental resources in veterinary anatomy education. Chandler is a graduate research assistant at Kansas State University and holds teaching responsibilities in both the veterinary and one-year master’s curriculum.
Dr. Pradeep Malreddy is a clinical associate professor at Kansas State University, specializing in anatomy and histology. Holding a DVM from India and an MS from Kansas State, he brings a blend of clinical and academic expertise. He has additional certifications in Medical Education Research and Online Teaching from AAMC and Harvard. Dr. Malreddy has developed a one-year master’s program at K-State and teaches courses in anatomy, histology, and physiology. His research focuses on anatomy education, eye-tracking technology, and active learning. An active member of professional organizations like the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists, he has received accolades for teaching excellence and diversity initiatives. He was recently honored with membership in the United Kingdom’s prestigious Academy of Medical Educators.
References
Collins, Henry, and David Foote. 2005. “Managing Stress in Veterinary Students.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 32 (2): 170–72. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.32.2.170.
Hafen, McArthur, Allison M.J. Reisbig, Mark B. White, and Bonnie R. Rush. 2006. “Predictors of Depression and Anxiety in First-Year Veterinary Students: A Preliminary Report.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 33 (3): 432–40. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.33.3.432.
Hafen, McArthur, Allison M.J. Reisbig, Mark B. White, and Bonnie R. Rush. 2008. “The First-Year Veterinary Student and Mental Health: The Role of Common Stressors.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 35 (1): 102–9. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.35.1.102.
Hansen, Chandler, Matthew T. Basel, and Pradeep Malreddy. (under review). “The Use of a Novel Winter Break Pre-Course for Transitioning from Small to Large Animal Anatomy.” Submitted to Journal of Veterinary Medical Education.
Herling, Patrick J., B. Tanya Mohseni, Derek C. Hill, Stacy Chelf, Jeffrey A. Rickert, Jonathan T. Leo, and Natalie R. Langley. 2017. “Impact of Anatomy Boot Camp on Students in a Medical Gross Anatomy Course: Evaluation of Gross Anatomy Boot Camp.” Anatomical Sciences Education 10 (3): 215–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1653.
Klausner, Eytan A., Erica L. Rowe, Beverly S. Hamilton, and Karen S. Mark. 2019. “Implementation, Revisions, and Student Perceptions of a Pre-Matriculation Program in a School of Pharmacy.” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 83 (7): 7021. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7021.
Laakkonen, Juha, and Anne Nevgi. 2014. “Relationships between Learning Strategies, Stress, and Study Success Among First-Year Veterinary Students During an Educational Transition Phase.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 41 (3): 284–93. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0214-016R1.
McNulty, Margaret A., and Michelle D. Lazarus. 2018. “An Anatomy Pre-Course Predicts Student Performance in a Professional Veterinary Anatomy Curriculum.” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 45 (3): 330–42. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0317-039r.
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