Evaluation of “PAD class + micro-lecture” teaching mode in simulation flight practice

AIM To investigate the teaching effect of the “presentation-assimilation-discussion (PAD) class + micro-lecture” instructional approach in simulation flight practice and the correlation between heart rate (HR) fluctuations and simulated flight scores in military cadets.

METHOD One hundred and twelve cadets majoring in aerospace medicine from a University of Military Medicine were selected for the study and the cadets were divided into a control group (n=51) and an observation group (n=61). The control group adopted the traditional teaching mode, while the observation group adopted the “PAD class + micro-lecture” mode. The teaching effect between the two groups was evaluated and compared by the flight scores assessed by senior flight instructors, heart rate indicators recorded and questionnaire survey.

RESULTS The observation group achieved significantly higher simulated flight scores than the control group (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in resting HR between the two groups. However, during the simulated flight test, HR in both groups was significantly elevated compared with their HR in resting state (P<0.01). Moreover, the average HR of the observation group during the flight period was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). The comparison at different flight stages revealed a significant increase in the average heart rate of the control group during takeoff, cruise, and landing stages (P<0.01). In contrast, in the observation group, significant difference from resting state was observed only during takeoff and landing stages (P<0.01), but their average heart rate was significantly lower than that of the control group during takeoff, cruise and landing stages (P<0.01) (P<0.05). Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between heart rate and test scores in each flight stage for both groups. The questionnaire survey revealed a notable preference for “PAD class + micro-lecture” teaching mode (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION The “PAD class + micro-lecture” teaching mode effectively improves cadets’ performance in simulation flight practice. ECG signal monitoring assists in objective assessment of the training effectiveness.