The effect of problem-based learning on the academic performance of students studying podiatric medicine in Ontario.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on student achievement.


METHODS
Two cohorts of students studying podiatric medicine in Ontario were compared - one having undertaken the traditional lecture-based curriculum, and the other the problem-based learning programme.


METHODS
The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences and The Toronto Hospital.


METHODS
Chiropody students.


RESULTS
The performance of the students on the written Provincial Registration Examinations of Ontario was analysed utilizing independent t-tests and demonstrated that the PBL cohort of students achieved significantly higher overall examination scores (P < 0.005) than the traditional cohort. Further analysis revealed that no significant difference existed between student cohorts with respect to factual biomedical knowledge (P > 0.5), but that the PBL students performed significantly better in tests of deeper understanding and the cognitive skills related to patient management (P < 0.0005). Additionally, intragroup analysis using Spearman's rank order correlation indicated that there was no rank ordered association between performance on the multiple-choice and essay sections of the examination.


CONCLUSIONS
The above results suggest that the PBL cohort of students was more knowledgeable than, and possessed superior cognitively related patient management skills, to their traditional counterparts.
Finch
P M
PM
The Toronto Hospital Chiropody Department, Ontario, Canada.
D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D009864:Ontario; D011032:Podiatry / Q000193:education*; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D011380:Programmed Instructions as Topic