Influence of Problem-based Learning Method on Learning Outcomes in Medical Curriculum

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered learning approach in which students learn through analyzing and solving problems.

Traditional teaching program is in the form of a dictated lecture and is teacher-centered. A larger number of topics can be covered without active student participation. In PBL, which promotes deep learning, students learn to justify their knowledge with the help of cognitive skills and complex thinking.

This retrospective study was done after obtaining Institutional Human Ethics Committee (IHEC) approval. Data collected from three internal assessment examinations (IAEs) written between the period of January 2017 and August 2017 by 151 students pursuing second-year MBBS training in the Department of Pharmacology. Examination papers for second-year MBBS students contain questions such as short notes, ultrashort, and PBL.

Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney test analysis of IAE-1 with IAE-2 and IAE-1 with IAE-3 in SPSS software gave p-value-0.393 and 0.020, respectively. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), IAE-2 with PBL and IAE-3 with PBL showed p-value 0.001, which was statistically significant. There was an increase in the pass percentage [number of students who scored 40 and above in IAE-3 (with PBL) when compared to IAE-1 (without PBL)].

This audit showed definite knowledge improvement by the students using PBL as a tool along with a traditional teaching program.