Undergraduate medical student's perceptions on traditional and problem based curricula: pilot study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Physiology Education

Background:

• Traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) is a common medical curriculum format.
• Problem-based learning (PBL) offers an alternative pedagogical approach.
• Comparing student perceptions between LBL and PBL is crucial for curriculum enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare student perceptions of teaching, learning, knowledge, skills, and satisfaction between LBL and PBL curricula.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of PBL compared to traditional methods in medical education.
• To assess student satisfaction with course material outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A comparative cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted with first-year medical students.
• Two medical schools, one LBL and one PBL, were selected.
• A five-point Likert scale assessed student perceptions after a two-week module on respiratory physiology.

Main Results:

• Students in the PBL curriculum reported marginally higher perception scores (24.10 ± 3.63) compared to the LBL group (22.67 ± 3.74).
• The observed difference in perceptions between the PBL and LBL groups did not reach statistical significance.
• No significant difference was found in overall student perceptions between the two curricula.

Conclusions:

• Students in PBL curricula generally reported more positive perceptions regarding teaching, learning, skills, and satisfaction.
• Despite positive trends, the differences in perceptions between PBL and LBL students were not statistically significant.
• Further research may be needed to explore the nuances of student perceptions in different curriculum models.