1. Title of the Practice
Problem Based Learning (PBL) – An Effective Approach to Improve Learning Outcomes in Medical Teaching
2. Objectives of the Practice
To measure the effectiveness of “Problem Based Learning” compared to Conventional learning in medical education.
3. The Context
As the “Science of Medicine” is getting advanced day-by-day, need for better pedagogies & learning techniques are imperative. Problem Based Learning (PBL) is an effective way of delivering medical education in a coherent, integrated & focused manner. It has several advantages over conventional and age-old teaching methods of routine. It is based on principles of adult learning theory, including student’s motivation, encouragement to set goals, think critically about decision making in day-to-day operations. Above all these, it stimulates challenge acceptance and learning curiosity among students and creates a pragmatic educational program.
4. The Practice
The study was conducted on 100 medical students from Dr. Vasantrao Pawar Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre Adgaon Nashik. Two modules of problem-based sessions designed and delivered. Student feedback received based on the questionnaire in the five-point Likert scale format.
5. Evidence of Success
Feedback revealed that majority of the students (95%) agreed that PBL helped them in better understanding of the subject. Out of 100 students, 90 students strongly agreed and 5 students agreed to this. All the 100 students (100%) opined that group discussion brought in more interaction between them and encouraged their responsibility for the learning objective. Out of the 100 students, 98 students strongly agreed that small group discussions improved their problem-solving ability.
There was a majority agreement (92%) regarding the opportunity to express their thoughts and clarification of doubts. It was noted that 94% of students agreed that the presentation from each group in the class helped them to learn better.
They (95%) opined that group discussion can be introduced to teach other topics as well and 96% of students opined that group discussions can be continued for future batches of students as a learning method. PBL would help them (93%) to perform better in University exams and help them (93%) to perform better in later days of their clinical course.
6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required
There was positive feedback by the majority of the students. This study on PBL clearly unearthed, the students appreciation for PBL. Only 3 students gave negative feedback regarding their inability to express their thoughts and clarification of doubts.
No significant problems encountered in the study. Also the Resources were easily available for them.
7. Notes
PBL, an educational strategy is an effective tool to objectively improve the knowledge acquisition in Medical Teaching