title: Medical students' approaches to learning over a full degree programme.
abstract: Students take three approaches to learning and studying: deep, surface and strategic, influenced by the learning environment. Following the General Medical Council's report "Tomorrow's Doctors," a deep approach was cultivated in Years 1 and 2 of a university undergraduate medical programme by introducing explicit written learning objectives constructed according to Biggs' SOLO taxonomy, problem-based learning and constructively aligned in-course assignments and examinations. The effect of these changes was measured with the Approaches to Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST). Scores were highest for a deep approach and lowest for a surface approach and showed relatively little change during the degree programme, apart from a slight fall in the scores for a surface approach, particularly for students undertaking an intercalated science degree. Possible explanations include: students' approaches may be established prior to university entry; deep scores were already high at the beginning of the programme and may be difficult to increase further; the changes in learning environment may not be strong enough to alter approaches which students perceive as having been successful.
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Pathology, School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Sandy.Reid@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Duvall
mesh_terms: D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D010465:Perception; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D013337:Students, Medical