Table 1.

Examples of Commentary Written by Medical Students Who Took Renal Physiology in a Modified Learning Paradigm

Statements	Sample Comments
Strongly Agree
It is important for me to understand the kidney	ESRD/CKD is becoming a huge problem in the US and many Americans are on dialysis. It is important for me to recognize how to take care of people with impaired kidney function since a huge chunk of the patient population is likely to have renal problems I think the clinical correlations and case studies were outstanding. While I think I grasped the importance of renal function prior to the course, the examples we covered really helped make the “book to bedside” connection.
By graduation, I should know how to interpret lab tests correctly	I have a better idea of how critical lab tests are in interpreting a patient’s status. A wealth of information.
I am a visual learner	I learn by seeing pictures and understanding how things work on a system-wide level. The charts, graphs, and diagrams really helped me learn renal physiology. I like seeing large diagrams of the kidney nephron to give me an idea of where absorption occurs.
I wish other courses were taught like this one	I think the instructors of this course have done an amazing job of supplying students with a variety of resources, and have made it clear that they want students to learn in the way that is most effective for them. I really appreciate the control the instructors give us over our learning methods, and they are really passionate about ensuring we understand and are engaged with renal physiology. The variety of the resources was very helpful. I especially enjoyed the pencasts, which I feel would be beneficial for the other organ systems.
I learn much of what is needed for class from online lectures and videos	The pencasts were excellent -- the combination of excellent dynamic visuals that the instructor had complete control over with the audio explaining was perfect. Additionally, there is a lot to be said for being able to rewind, pause and look something up, etc. I would suggest perhaps switching the roles of the pencasts and lectures -- have the pencasts explain everything in detail (they excel at that), and have the lectures be broad overviews (that is all most people remember from lecture anyways) and integrative clinical applications.
I learn better when I am around other students	I like to ask other people questions and have them explain things to me
I learn in my own unique way	My learning style changes depending on the type of material as well as how well the lectures/notes are organized.
Strongly Disagree
After this course, I can forget about the kidney	Even if I am not a nephrologist, I will likely have to care for patients with renal diseases and it is critical I understand them. Additionally, I need to understand renal physiology at the level of the board exams, and I want to master that level of understanding expected of me.
Our instructors don’t seem to enjoy teaching	Our instructors seem really passionate about student learning and ensuring that students have access to as many resources in as many formats as possible, to cater to the needs of individual students. The amount of time and effort they have put into this course shows, and I really appreciate and have benefited personally from it. It was incredibly clear that each lecturer, as well as the course organizer, truly enjoyed teaching. I think that I was more engaged in the lectures and with the material as the result of this investment by the professors. If more courses/sections were like this it would be outstanding!
Too much of what we learn is not clinically relevant	I actually felt that this class, more than the others, was almost entirely clinically relevant. I could see how almost everything we learned was immediately clinically pertinent. The instructors of this course have made it abundantly clear the ways in which renal physiology becomes clinically applicable, and I can’t honestly think of a time where we were taught something that I didn’t think would become relevate [sic]. The inclusion of the renal clinical applications has been highly helpful for me, and reminds me of why renal physiology is important.
I learn much of what is needed for class from attending the lectures	Class is so inefficient based on the pace and the amount of time that they spend on subject matter. If I understand something, then I move on, but in class I am stuck at the lecturer’s speed.
Interactions during class help me understand concepts	I have to learn outside of class to really help material stick. I attend lecture just to hear things the first time.
Physiology is easier than other courses	It’s more conceptual than other classes, which makes it more difficult.
It is worth my time to come to class	Class time I have realized is the most wasted time. It is terrible how slow this is. I have been in school for most of my life and I learned how I learn and class is not how I learn.