Videotaped vs traditional lectures for medical students

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) provides medical departments with alternatives in instructional formats. Concern, however, has been voiced about teaching via TV because the medium itself might cause inattention. This study investigated whether TV will lower the test scores of medical students. Sixty-one students were randomly divided into two groups. The lecture (control) group received the information via traditional lectures, including use of 2" X 2" transparencies. The video group received concurrently the same information via CCTV. Multiple-choice examinations were given after each of the six sessions. The cumulative mean scores were similar: lecture group=87.56%, video group=87.99%, i.e., no significant difference (P=0.77). To detect attitudinal differences toward the two formats, the students were surveyed at the end of the series and intragroup agreement on specific questions was calculated. The students rated the lecture format more highly. In response to the question 'Did the audiovisual materials used by the instructor aid your learning?', the mean rating from the lecture group was 7.37 (scale of 0-9) compared to a mean rating of 5.93 from the video group (P < 0.0003).