MUSE: A Look Back at Dr. Fares Gouzi’s Award-Winning Project, “Digital Laboratory for Preclinical Sciences”

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In 2018, Dr. Fares GOUZI participated in the MUSE call for proposals, which aimed to support the pedagogical transformation of educational programs. He was selected as a winner for his project titled “Digital Laboratory for Preclinical Sciences.”

 

MUSE “Take-Off”—what is it?

The MUSE project “ Montpellier University of Excellence ” brings together 16 institutions toward a shared goal: to establish in Montpellier a thematically focused, research-intensive university that is internationally recognized for its impact in fields related to agriculture, the environment, and health—one that will serve as a close academic partner for all consortium members, one with which they will have strong ties and of which they can be proud.

Through these “Take Off” calls for proposals, it supports the educational transformation strategy of the institutions and components of the MUSE consortium. Over the past three years, I-SITE MUSE has raised 6 M€ to support educational innovations through this program. The “Digital Preclinical Sciences Laboratory” project is one of the projects selected for Take-Off #1. Learn more about it in this article!

Dr. Gouzi’s project is in line with MUSE’s goals

Dr. Gouzi participated in and was a winner of MUSE’s Take Off 1 program, which aims to support educational transformation. To better understand Dr. Gouzi’s project, one must first understand what the preclinical sciences are. These preclinical disciplines form the foundation of thefirst cycle of health studies. There are seven of them: Anatomy, Histology, Embryology, Biophysics, Physiology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry… and they are studied during thesecond andthird years of health studies.

Before Dr. Gouzi’s project was implemented, preclinical subjects were primarily taught through lectures. These lectures accounted for 77% of the coursework in these subjects.

Watch the video to learn more

 

Teachers at the Heart of the Project

To carry out his project, Dr. Gouzi, who also teaches physiology, enlisted the help of his fellow doctors and faculty members. Together, they created the Think Tank for the Teaching of Preclinical Health Sciences (GRESP), bringing together a dozen volunteer faculty members. This GRESP met twice a month for several hours over the course of a year to discuss the project together.

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A Reorganization Plan

As mentioned earlier, lectures played a significant role in health studies education. The GRESP project aims to reorganize the curriculum and incorporate more hands-on activities and guided instruction. To implement the project, the faculty selected the course unit titled “Respiratory Systems,” which is taught in the second year of the health studies program. The ultimate goal is to develop a curriculum that combines active learning with a multidisciplinary approach.

 

But then, what is it? :

 

  • Active Learning

    Active learning aims to engage students in their learning process. Instead of simply listening to and absorbing information, students reflect, engage with the material, take notes, and interact with one another as well as with the instructor. This approach requires organizing students into smaller groups. That is why, as part of the GRESP project, the proportion of lectures has been reduced from 77% to 34% to make room for more hands-on activities and guided instruction.

  • Interdisciplinarity

    Interdisciplinarity involves bringing together the work of several disciplines on a single subject. In the case of the GREPS project, this was achieved through a complete reorganization of the various courses in the “Respiratory Systems” course unit. As a result, students no longer study the seven preclinical disciplines separately but rather simultaneously. The courses have been organized by organ system, and each discipline is addressed simultaneously through a specific organ.

A lengthy implementation process

 

To implement this project from a technical standpoint, GREPSmembers made numerous changes:

• Asmentionedearlier, they firstadjusted the ratios of the different types of classes, significantly reducing the number of lecture hours and replacing them with lab sessions and tutorials. However, the total number of hours remained unchanged so as not to increase the students’ workload and to comply with the current reform.

• Then they revised the course content to incorporate more active learning and interdisciplinary approaches. To that end, several new measures were implemented:

  • The development of instructional scenarios for the various topics covered in the “Respiratory System” course.

  • Thanks to the teachers’ creativity, they were also able to implement digital tools that illustrate various scenarios (e.g., VisibleBody: a digital tool that depicts a 3D model of the human body, where each body part can be removed, analyzed, and dissected, allowing students to engage in hands-on anatomy work online for free).

  • Creating a space on Moodle: a space that follows the structure organized by learning objectives and allows students to work from home on a regular basis.

  • The use of non-digital tools, such as models, for example, to help students understand more easily than with a diagram.

  • The use of videos: e.g., a live demonstration of syncope; students must analyze what happened to determine what caused the syncope. Afterward, they test their hypotheses using the software provided to them.

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A Meaningful Educational Transformation

  • The objectives of this project are to develop students’ skills in preclinical sciences by introducing them to scientific reasoning and the experimental method, as well as by encouraging them to think critically and understand concepts in a more dynamic way.

  • Another goal for the project participants was to restore meaning and coherence to preclinical science education. They wanted to create a logical learning path from which students could gain a deeper understanding.

But then, does it actually work?

 

  • Usefulness and Acceptability

    In collaboration with Professor André Tricot, an educational psychologist and specialist in digital technology in education, Dr. Gouzideveloped assessment methods to measure not only the usefulness and acceptability of such a project but also the effectiveness of digital tools in the learning process. To this end, they developed questionnaires for students, which they administer annually.

  • Apprenticeship

    Next, to assess whether these practices are effective, self-assessment quizzes are made available to students. This allowsGREPSmembers to determine whether the course material has been properly absorbed and understood. This way, they can identify which approaches help students understand the material well and which ones, on the contrary, hinder learning. Thanks to these self-assessment quizzes, the curriculum can be adjusted over the years.

  • Practices

    Finally, an assessment of changes in students’ learning practices will be conducted in the future. This will allow us to analyze their work habits. The goal is for them to reduce their reliance on rote memorization and instead focus on sustained, long-term learning.

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A project that has been underway since 2019

This project, which has been underway since 2019 at theMontpellier-NîmesSchool of Medicine, has made it possible to accomplish many other things:

  • First, this project is a pilot program for hybrid learning. Although this was not the original primary objective, the courses offered in this academic unit are delivered bothremotelyand in person. In light of the current health crisis, it serves as an example of how to redesign courses to incorporate a hybrid format.
  • At the same time, this project serves as a pilot for the new reform. In fact, the new reform regarding admission to health studies (PASS/LAS)has led to changes in the second and third years. If the effectiveness of active learning and a multidisciplinary approach can be demonstrated, this model could be replicated in other academic units, other colleges, or even other degree programs.
  • Finally, from a scientific perspective, the evaluations—both those that have been conducted and those that will be conducted— will help demonstrate the educational value of such a project.

 

Dr. Gouzi's First Publication on Education

Dr. Gouzi's Second Publication on Education

Contact Dr. Gouzi

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