Effective use of pause procedure to enhance student engagement and learning

Active learning strategies have been documented to enhance learning. We created an active learning environment in neuromuscular physiology lectures for first year medical students by using 'Pause Procedure'.

One hundred and fifty medical students class is divided into two Groups (Group A and Group B) and taught in different classes. Each lecture of group A (experimental Group) undergraduate first year medical students was divided into short presentations of 12-15 min each. Each presentation was followed by a pause of 2-3min, three times in a 50 min lecture. During the pauses students worked in pairs to discuss and rework their notes. Any queries were directed towards the teacher and discussed forthwith. At the end of each lecture students were given 2-3 minutes to write down the key points they remembered about the lecture (free-recall). Fifteen days after completion of the lectures a 30 item MCQ test was administered to measure long term recall. Group B (control Group) received the same lectures without the use of pause procedure and was similarly tested.

Experimental Group students did significantly better on the MCQ test (p-value<0.05) in comparison to the control Group. Most of the students (83.6%) agreed that the 'pause procedure' helped them to enhance lecture recall.

Pause procedure is a good active learning strategy which helps students review their notes, reflect on them, discuss and explain the key ideas with their partners. Moreover, it requires only 6-7 min of the classroom time and can significantly enhance student learning.