The HippoCampus Podcast

We're back after a short hiatus! In this episode, the hosts chat about returning to face-to-face teaching in the upcoming academic year (*fingers crossed*). Many of you, particularly those who started their first year at Uni during the pandemic,  will have mixed feelings  about coming back to 'campus'. This can range  from very positive to trepidation, and perhaps anxiety particularly in relation to catching-up up on the social elements of University life missed during this last academic year. So pull up a chair and join the hosts  as they share their experiences and thoughts on embracing and making the most of the opportunities for making more connections and new friendships, in the coming academic year If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and you can follow us on instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod You can also email us at thehippocampuspodcast@gmail.com! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we are joined by Dr Paul Penn, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of East London and author of the excellent book 'The Psychology of Effective Studying'. With Dr Penn, we explore a whole host of questions around learning including: -Why we often make misjudgements of our learning and  how that shapes development of suboptimal learning techniques. - What is 'metacognition'? And why is it the most important skill for developing as an effective learner - What are 'desirable difficulties' and how can we bring them into our study routines - And why the myth of learning styles, despite evidence contrary to their existence,  remains so pervasive and potentially harmful for our learning... So pull up a chair and join this fascinating conversation, which is packed full of practical insights and tips which we are sure you'll find helpful! Recommendations from the episode: 'The Psychology of Effective Studying' Dr Paul Penn's book Psychology of Effective Studying- [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dr+paul+penn]Dr Paul Penn's YouTube channel The Dunning-Kruger effect [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcEWeRJQU2E] Desirable Difficulties [https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/research/#itemII]-Dr Robert & Elizabeth Bjork Review of Evidence and Effectiveness of different learning techniques- [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1529100612453266] excellent paper by Dunlosky et al Easy-read article on myth of learning styles [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/the-myth-of-learning-styles/557687/] If you enjoy the podcast please leave us a review on iTunes and you can follow us on instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod You can also email us at thehippocampuspodcast@gmail.com! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we are joined by Dr Jane Burns, who recently retired as the Academic Support Unit Lead at Leicester Medical School. Having provided academic support to many, many students over 15 years, Dr Burns shares her insights on the sorts of struggles students commonly report over the course of their degree, and the importance of a pro-active approach to developing your skills as a learner. We also explore the impact of the use of technology and social media on students' learning experiences. So pull up a chair and join the conversation with insights we are sure will resonate with many of our listeners. If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and you can follow us on instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod You can also email us at thehippocampuspodcast@gmail.com! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Arun Kirupakaran about OSCEs, where he shares some essential advice on approaching individual  stations, as well as his personal experiences as a student! Arun is an ST2 Ophthalmology trainee and a Cambridge graduate, who, over the years has dedicated his time to supporting students through their medical school journey, right from personal statements, interviews and admission tests, to the topic of discussion for this episode, OSCEs! So join us in this episode for some great advice to help improve your OSCE performance and experience! Recommendations from this episode: * Arun's Youtube channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl32gfIR_MKCFSU9sNNDpWw] * The Unofficial Guide To Passing OSCEs [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unofficial-Guide-Passing-Guides-Medicine/dp/0957149905/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=55910942151&dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxuuCBhATEiwAIIIz0YsENFvWNrnn3Qv5VlDl45uH4KcM5FhkyByCxfkHPlVBT1PhxoS9axoC88AQAvD_BwE&hvadid=259111551554&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006529&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=16159187481195676519&hvtargid=kwd-316992372138&hydadcr=11027_1788801&keywords=unofficial+guide+to+osces&qid=1616581592&sr=8-1] * OSCE stop website [https://www.oscestop.com/] (particularly for Finals OSCEs) * Cases for Paces [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cases-PACES-Stephen-Hoole/dp/1118983572] If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and if you would like to contact us, you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod. You can also email us at thehippocampuspodcast@gmail.com! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this 'Exam-special' episode we discuss short answer questions (SAQs), a type of question used in examinations across many medical schools and Universities. We discuss how using SAQs and an SAQ-style approach to testing yourself throughout your studies as well as during revision can be hugely beneficial for durable learning-whether you sit exams with SAQ type questions or not! We also share some top tips and insights for maximising your scores on these types of questions! If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes or your preferred podcasting platform And if you'd like to contact us you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast [https://www.instagram.com/thehippocampuspodcast/] and Twitter @hippocampus_pod [https://twitter.com/hippocampus_pod] You can also email us at thehippocampuspodcast@gmail.com! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!