Learning human anatomy: does learning occur during a lecture?

Information uptake during a formal lecture was evaluated using a sample of 43 second-year medical students to whom a topic on human developmental anatomy was presented. The sample was divided into two groups: Blue (group B) (21 students) and Red (group R) (22 students). Prior to the lecture, a pre-test of 20 multiple choice questions was administered to each group. The lecture was then delivered over 50 minutes. Both in its preparation and presentation, the lecture conformed to the principles of programmed instruction. After a 10-minute students' question-and-answer session, a post-test was served. For group B, this was group R's pretest while group R, in turn, received group B's pretest. No question in the pre-test was repeated in the post-test. Intergroup comparisons of pre-test scores and of post-test scores revealed non-significant differences (P greater than 0.05), thus confirming that the pre- and the post-tests were of comparable difficulty. In each group, the mean post-test score was significantly higher than the pre-test score (P less than 0.001). The pooled scores indicated that the percentage mastery of material presented during the lecture increased from -1.8% to 58.4%. These results demonstrate that significant learning can occur during a lecture prepared and delivered in accordance with sound pedagogical principles.