Effect of didactically qualified student tutors on their tutees' academic performance and tutor evaluation in the gross anatomy course.
BACKGROUND
Peer teaching is widely applied in medical education, anatomists having a notably long tradition in cooperating with student tutors in the dissection course. At Ulm University we established an intensified concomitant didactic training program for student tutors and investigated possible effects on their tutees' academic performance and tutor evaluation.


METHODS
In winter semester 2012/13 all student tutors of the dissection course were invited to participate in the "Train-the-Tutor" educational program.1Test results and failure rates of 149 tutees who had been supervised by program participants (n=14) and 136 tutees of not participating tutors (n=13) were analyzed, as well as data on tutor evaluation and learning behavior of 235 (82%) of these tutees.


RESULTS
Overall, both groups of tutees showed equal learning behavior and evaluated their tutors' performances similarly. However, tutees of program participants consistently obtained better examination results (median: 1.9 versus 2.2 in overall scores) and lower ultimate failure rates (13.4 versus 17.6% of students failed, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
An intensified didactic training program for student tutors may help their tutees to pass the gross anatomy course. Additional studies are necessary to objectify and further investigate this effect in order to optimize the concept regarding time expenditure and costs.
Office of the Dean of Studies Medical Faculty, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 7, 89081 Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: astrid.horneffer@uni-ulm.de.
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Horneffer
Ulm University, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm Germany. Electronic address: ulrich.fassnacht@uni-ulm.de.
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Fassnacht
Office of the Dean of Studies Medical Faculty, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 7, 89081 Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: wolfgang.oechsner@uni-ulm.de.
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Oechsner
Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery University Hospital, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: markus.huber-lang@uniklinik-ulm.de.
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Huber-Lang
Ulm University, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm Germany. Electronic address: tobias-boeckers@uni-ulm.de.
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Boeckers
Ulm University, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm Germany. Electronic address: anja.boeckers@uni-ulm.de.
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Boeckers
D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D003479:Curriculum; D004210:Dissection / Q000193:education*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000070260:Teacher Training / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013663:Teaching
Evaluation; Examination results; Gross anatomy; Medical education; Near-peer teacher; Peer-assisted learning; Teaching competence