Supporting students in achieving learning outcomes in Biostatistics - an action learning project

Biostatistics are an important part of the skills of a biomedical laboratory scientist (BLS) and is assigned 7,5 ECTS points in the Curriculum of Bachelor’s Degree Programme of Biomedical Laboratory Science at UCL University College, 2016.
Many students tend to have great difficulties in achieving the learning outcomes, reflected by the number of 1st semester students failing the question in biostatistics at the examination. In fall 2016, a disturbing rate of 78% of the students failed biostatistics, further, many other students exhibited lack of skills in biostatistics in later education.
We decided to focus on improving the skills of coming students during 1st semester, as we hoped to lay a more substantial groundwork for their future learning in biostatistics.
In order to control and adjust the process, we adopted an approach with stepwise alterations of different teaching elements, for one class at the time, each followed by thorough evaluation. In 2017, we altered lessons former planed as unassisted problem solving in study groups to supervised problem solving in class. This resulted in a drop of failed students to 38%. The students expressed, that they were very pleased with this initiative. The following year we developed and applied self-evaluation and Cooperate Learning as didactic tools. That year all students passed biostatistics. In 2019, we skipped the Cooperate Learning activities and 30% of the students failed biostatistics.
In isolation, the conclusion is easy to draw. However, many other factors, often beyond our control, vary from class to class and may influence the learning outcomes of the students, for example the students educational qualifications.