The effect of compulsory participation of medical students in problem-based learning.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method that has attracted many advocates since its introduction in medical education almost 20 years ago. PBL features the use of student-directed tutorials, medically relevant problems to set study objectives, and independent learning. Educators have worried that not all students will do well with this method. This study compared a group of students who had chosen to be in a PBL curriculum with a group who had not, as they undertook a curriculum that contained both PBL and lecture-based courses. Academic performance was virtually identical regardless of learning method. Students slightly favoured the courses that featured the method they had originally chosen, but a significantly larger proportion of students shifted their preference from the lecture to the problem-based approach than vice versa. Students' academic performance does not appear to suffer when they are involuntarily enrolled in a PBL curriculum and many come to prefer this type of curriculum.
Moore
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Office of Educational Development, Harvard University Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001900:Boston; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D006801:Humans; D011340:Problem Solving; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*