Lessons learnt from implementing blended 'integrated' learning into an undergraduate medical curriculum

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Method:This study utilized a mixed-method design involving a cross-sectional survey (n=111, response rate=61%) to compare Year 2 medical student perceptions of content delivered by a Blended Integrated Learning (BIL) approach versus a traditional didactic teaching (TT) approach, plus 2 focus groups to explore learner perceptions of the BIL approach and brainstorm improvements. Results: Most medical students preferred the BIL approach over TT with respect to 'practically applying basic sciences to a patient case' and 'knowledge retention in the subject' (53% versus 30%, and 51% versus 35%, respectively). However, most medical students preferred TT with respect to 'level of interaction with other students and lecturers while reviewing teaching materials' (78% versus 11%), 'overall enjoyment of learning' (54% versus 32%), and 'understanding the lecture content faster' (49% versus 39%). Focus groups identified what did and did not work with the BIL approach and brain-stormed specific improvement strategies. Conclusions: Students preferred BIL over TT for knowledge retention and integrating basic sciences into common clinical cases, but found BIL less preferable for aspects related to learning engagement. However, focus groups identified a variety of strategies to promote student engagement in BIL by improving online content, delivery processes and further innovative use of technology.