Team-based self-directed learning enhanced students' learning experience in undergraduate surgical teaching

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Pedagogy

Background:

• Undergraduate surgical education requires effective teaching strategies.
• Self-directed learning (SDL) is a key component of medical training.
• Evaluating innovative SDL methods is crucial for improving surgical postings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of team-based self-directed learning (SDL) versus conventional SDL.
• To determine the impact of team-based SDL on undergraduate Year 5 surgical posting outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study involving 174 Year 5 medical students.
• Comparison of team-based SDL and conventional SDL groups.
• Pre- and post-assessment of surgical topic understanding and student feedback collection.

Main Results:

• The team-based SDL group achieved significantly higher post-assessment scores (74.70 ± 6.81) than the conventional SDL group (63.77 ± 4.18).
• Students reported that the team-based SDL method positively facilitated their learning process.
• Statistical significance was confirmed with t = -12.72, p < 0.01.

Conclusions:

• Team-based SDL is an effective strategy for teaching the Year 5 surgical posting.
• This method fosters peer discussion and collaboration to meet learning objectives.
• The findings support the integration of team-based SDL in surgical curricula.