BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1670084
Exploration and Practice of the "SPOC+PAD Class" Blended Teaching Model in the Course of Epidemiology
Provisionally accepted
- 1Karolinska Institutet (KI), Solna, Sweden
- 2Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
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Abstract Background: The blended teaching model of "online theory + offline practice" has become a focal point in the new era of medical education. However, the combination of Small Private Online Course and Presentation-Assimilation-Discussion (SPOC+PAD) classroom has not been practiced in Epidemiology courses. Methods: To thoroughly evaluate the "SPOC+PAD" blended teaching model, this study included 56 students from a medical university, who selected the course Medical Statistics and Epidemiology in Fujian Province, China. Written final exam scores, lifelong learning abilities and collaboration skills were assessed and compared using t test between 25 students with "SPOC+PAD" teaching model and 31 students with "SPOC" only model. A multivariable linear regression model was further conducted to examine the factors influencing final exam score. Results: In the final exam for epidemiology, the mean score of students with "SPOC+PAD" was 35.20±6.17 points, slightly higher than that of students with SPOC only (32.29±6.61 points). Students' gender is a key factor affecting final exam scores. Among female students, compared with SPOC teaching, the "SPOC+PAD" blended teaching model can significantly improve final exam score (P=0.038). However, the role of this teaching model in enhancing students' lifelong learning ability and collaboration skills was not significant. Conclusions: Compared with SPOC teaching, the "SPOC+PAD" blended teaching model can improve the study outcomes, especially in female students. Evaluation of lifelong learning ability and collaboration skills may require further study with larger sample sizes and longer teaching cycles.
Keywords: SPOC (small private online course) platform, PAD, Epidemiology, lifelong learning ability, collaboration skills
Received: 23 Jul 2025; Accepted: 01 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Fu, Lin and He. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Haomin Yang, Karolinska Institutet (KI), Solna, Sweden
Fei He, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.