Project-Based Learning Adapted as a Physiology Teaching Strategy for the Sophomore Undergraduate Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physiology

Background:

• Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered teaching strategy.
• PBL engages students in collaborative problem-solving and knowledge construction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an adapted PBL approach as a physiology teaching strategy for sophomore medical students.
• To assess the impact of PBL on student learning and engagement in cardiorespiratory and metabolic physiology.

Main Methods:

• 148 sophomore medical students participated in group projects on physiology topics.
• Project development and presentations were evaluated and compared to individual test scores.
• Student opinions on the PBL strategy were gathered via a questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Students developed diverse project presentations, including board games, card games, and videos.
• Mean scores for collaborative PBL activities were significantly higher than for individual tests.
• Most students found PBL useful for stimulating research, study, and discussion.

Conclusions:

• The adapted PBL strategy was positively received by students.
• PBL improved student performance in learning cardiorespiratory and metabolic physiology.
• Students perceived group work as beneficial and the allocated time as sufficient.