Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
Structured packs for independent learning: a comparison of learning outcome and acceptability with conventional
H J Graham1, M A Seabrook, S J Woodfield
1Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The Guy's, King's and St Thomas's School of Medicine, Cutcombe Road, London, UK.
Objectives:
The GMC recommends that students become independent learners, while tutor time is an increasingly precious resource. A set of structured learning materials requiring students to undertake and reflect on practical tasks in five learning areas was developed.
Design:
The study used a randomized control trial to evaluate the effectiveness of using these structured learning materials in place of conventional teaching for 228 third-year undergraduate students and 55 teachers, on both hospital and community based medical and general practice firms. Evaluation involved assessing student performance on an examination question and a writing task, together with a student and tutor satisfaction questionnaire.
Setting:
King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London.
Subjects:
Third-year medical (first-year clinical) undergraduates.
Results:
No significant difference in learning outcome was found for students on community- and hospital-based medical and general practice firms between students who had used the structured materials and those who had had conventional teaching on the same topic. The packs were acceptable to tutors and students.
Conclusions:
Such resources represent a mid-point between formal didactic teaching and self-directed learning. They may be particularly suitable for promoting independent learning for students on traditional medical courses. They offer an appropriate way to cover certain topics in the clinical curriculum and help to protect tutor time for topics which cannot be effectively taught in other ways.
Related Concept Videos
Social Loafing
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data from the...
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning, patient...
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Purposive Learning
