Development of an effective short introductory course in diagnostic radiology

As part of a general medical curriculum renewal, a new one-week course in diagnostic radiology was given to students at the beginning of their third year. The course format consisted of didactic presentations to the entire class, a single afternoon session of small group discussions of unknowns, and three daily case-of-the-day unknowns with prizes for correct responses. One hundred fifty-eight students were tested on the first and last days of the course; testing consisted of two parallel 46-item multiple choice questions given in a crossed design. Questions covered radiographic anatomy and pathology as well as proper test ordering. Differences in achievement before and after the course as measured by the pre- and post-tests were highly significant. The class achieved a mean of 27 (59%) correct responses on the pre-test and a mean of 37 (80%) on the post-test (F(1156) = 15.79; P less than .001). The reliability coefficient of the pre- and post-tests was about .30. A course critique was returned by 88 students. There was anticipated variation in the evaluations of the different didactic lecturers. Instructors receiving the highest scores were cited for their enthusiasm, clarity, and the relevance of their presentation. Conversely, those receiving low marks were cited as being unenthusiastic and boring, merely presenting example after example of radiographic abnormalities with little explanation. The afternoon small group discussions were perceived as the best part of the course. Despite the fact that moderator experience ranged from second year resident to full professor, the seminars received uniformly positive comments.