An alternative for teaching pharmacology. The conference-centered model (CCM)

In the 70s and 80s the Pharmacology department at the University of Massachusetts Medical School developed an innovative approach to the teaching of Pharmacology to medical students. The approach, a "conference-centred model" (CCM), was based on the use of small group teaching sessions guided by a structured set of conference questions. Lectures were eliminated if the material which would have been covered was essentially available already in a standard textbook. Thus the student passivity associated with the lecture was replaced by a much more active participation in small group exchanges. This article is a description of the experience.