Impact of a 4-Week Guest Lecture Series on Audiology Students' Knowledge of Cognition and Cognitive Screenings: A Pilot Study

Purpose: This pilot study examined the effects of a 4-week guest lecture series on graduate audiology students' knowledge of cognition. A total of 22 students completed two surveys that probed students' (a) self-efficacy in conducting cognitive screenings and (b) self-perceived knowledge of audiology-relevant cognition concepts, before and after a 4-week guest lecture series. Method: The series consisted of a 50-min in-person lecture each week for 4 weeks, providing students with content relevant to cognitive audiological practice through typical lecture delivery, videos, and in-class activities. Students were also asked to complete the Montreal Cognitive Assessment certification. Paired-samples t tests and summary themes were analyzed to capture differences in self-efficacy ratings and student responses respectively, before and after the lecture series. Results: Findings revealed a significant increase in students' self-efficacy postlecture series, while summary themes showed that the lecture series helped provide a broad understanding related to some core cognitive concepts. Conclusions: This work demonstrates the value of utilizing a short lecture series to train graduate audiology students on cognition. We provide specific recommendations for student training in this area, which can inform future curriculum development. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.32716725