Exploration and practice in promoting the popularization of radiation safety knowledge among undergraduates based on general education courses
10.3760/cma.j.cn112271-20230517-00148
- VernacularTitle:以通识课程形式推动高校学生辐射安全知识普及的探索与实践
- Author:
Ting LIANG
1
;
Chao ZHANG
;
Feng GAO
;
Guihua HOU
Author Information
1. 山东大学齐鲁医学院基础医学院实验核医学研究中心，济南 250012
- Keywords:
Radiation protection;
General education;
Questionnaire;
Teaching effectiveness;
Undergraduates
- From:
Chinese Journal of Radiological Medicine and Protection
2023;43(11):918-922
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To assess the impact of the general education course entitled " The Basics of Radiation Protection" on enhancing undergraduates′ awareness of radiation safety, a questionnaire was utilized. Additionally, this study aims to propose novel strategies for improving health literacy among undergraduates, fostering the development of innovative, talented individuals with reasonable knowledge structures and strong practical abilities.Methods:From 2021 to 2022, 127 undergraduates from all colleges of Shandong University took the general course" The Basics of Radiation Protection". To compare the learning effects of the medical and non-medical students, invitations to participate in this study were extended to 101 (79.5%) students from School of Medicine and School of Electrical Engineering. A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine and compare the changes in the students’ basic cognition of radiation safety and protection before and after learning the course. The aim was to evaluate the teaching effectiveness and significance of the course.Results:From 2021 to 2022, 94 undergraduates from School of Medicine and School of Electrical Engineering accepted the invitation and voluntarily completed questionnaires twicely, accounting for 74.0% of the total number of selected students. The questionnaire survey showed that through course learning, the cognitive level of radiation protection among college students had significantly improved. The Likert quantification scores befroe taking the course were 3.59±1.35, 3.81±1.17, 3.45±1.16, 4.11±1.13, 3.62±1.05, 3.98±1.24 and after completing the course 4.94±0.32, 4.87±0.32, 4.96±0.21, 4.98±0.15, 4.81±0.39, 4.98±0.15, respectively, with the difference being statistically significant ( t=6.55, 5.50, 9.10, 5.36, 7.60, 5.34, P< 0.05). Further analysis revealed that different professional backgrounds affected students′ understanding of radiation safety and protection: before learning this course, medical students were superior to electrical engineering students in their knowledge of ionizing radiation ( t=5.69, 4.06, 6.46, 6.27, 7.78, P < 0.001). After taking the course, the cognitive level of students from both majors had considerably improved, but there was no significant difference ( P> 0.05). Feedback on the course learning showed that the awareness of " routine radiation protection" had significantly improved (96.8%), pseudoscience and pseudoinformation could be identified (93.6%), " nuclear power" -related fears had been dispelled (95.7%), and the concept of " cherishing life" had been effectively established (91.5%). Conclusions:The general education course " The Basics of Radiation Protection" has effectively improved the students′ awareness of radiation safety, strengthened their knowledge regarding radiation safety and protection, and provided a new avenue for cultivating innovative talents on a well-structured knowledge base. The course would be worth further promoting and applying in the education of undergraduates with different backgrounds and taking different majors.
