title: A survey study on student preferences regarding pathology teaching in Germany: a call for curricular modernization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pathology is a discipline that provides the basis of the understanding of disease in medicine. The past decades have seen a decline in the emphasis laid on pathology teaching in medical schools and outdated pathology curricula have worsened the situation. Student opinions and thoughts are central to the questions of whether and how such curricula should be modernized.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was conducted among 1018 German medical students regarding their preferences in pathology teaching modalities and their satisfaction with lecture-based courses. A qualitative analysis was performed comparing a recently modernized pathology curriculum with a traditional lecture-based curriculum. The differences in modalities of teaching used were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Student satisfaction with the lecture-based curriculum positively correlated with student grades (spearman's correlation coefficient 0.24). Additionally, students with lower grades supported changing the curriculum (spearman's correlation coefficient 0.47). The majority supported virtual microscopy, autopsies, seminars and podcasts as preferred didactic methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data supports the implementation of a pathology curriculum where tutorials, autopsies and supplementary computer-based learning tools play important roles.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. florian.herrmann@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Florian E M
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. hans-1-lenski@hotmail.de.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenski
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. julius_steffen@web.de.
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steffen
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. magdalena.kailuweit@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kailuweit
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. marc.nikolaus@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikolaus
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Pathology, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. r.koteeswaran@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rajasekaran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koteeswaran
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. andreas.sailer@campus.lmu.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sailer
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. hanszke.anna@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hanszke
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. maximilian.wintergerst@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wintergerst
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. sissi.dittmer@freenet.de.
authors.forename: Sissi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dittmer
authors.affiliation: Pathologisches Institut, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany. Doris.Mayr@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mayr
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. Genzel@med.uni-muenchen.de.|International Student Exchange Office and Neonatologie Innenstadt, Dr. von Haunersches Kinderspital, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany. Genzel@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Orsolya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Genzel-Boroviczény
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. d.eley@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Diann S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Eley
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Fakultät der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany. Martin.Fischer@med.uni-muenchen.de.|Institut für Didaktik und Ausbildungsforschung in der Medizin, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany. Martin.Fischer@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D010336:Pathology / Q000193:education*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult