A comparative study between flipped classroom and traditional lecture-based classroom in first year medical students

Introduction: Flipped classroom is a new pedagogical model in which students are provided with study resource material to develop a basic understanding of the topic before class, and in-class precious time is used for learner-centric activities. Accordingly the study objectives were to compare the effect of flipped and traditional classroom teaching method and to determine the student’s perception of flipped and traditional teaching method.Method: This was a non-randomized experimental study. A detailed multiple choice question based test was used to assess the knowledge gain. Another structured questionnaire on students’ perception on flipped classroom teaching and traditional teaching technique was used for both the groups.Results: A total of 112 students participated in this study. The mean assessment scores in the flipped and traditional classroom were not statistically significant. We observed in the current study that the qualitative response was better as compared to quantitative response.Conclusion: As per our qualitative observation, a hybrid of both traditional and flipped classroom teaching method can be used in the transition period until the acceptance for new innovative methods increase. Long term learning gain may be attained by improving motivation and engagement of students in learning process.

Traditional Teaching versus Integrated Teaching in Undergraduate Medical Curriculum, a Comparative Study

Integration in medical education means coordination in the teaching learning activities to ensure a harmonious functioning of the educational process.1 Integration of eaching is defined as the organisation of teaching matter to interrelate or unify the subjects which are frequently taught in separate academic courses or departments.2 It means bridging or clubbing together connections between academic knowledge and practicals.3 It is often called by other terminologies like synergistic teaching, inter-connected teaching, thematic teaching because on the same topic different subject experts /same teacher will deliver their knowledge at the same time. Shoemaker has defined, an integrated curriculum as “education that is organized in such a way that it cuts across subject matter lines, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association to focus upon broad areas of study.”4 By integration the ossification of different boundaries is lost and the subject loses its own identity due to correlation with other departments in related subject matter. Objectives: 1.To study the level of Pre-existing knowledge of 1st year MBBS students regarding thyroid gland. 2. To assess the difference between the traditional and integrated lecture method of teaching on thyroid gland. Methods: This is a cross-sectional interventional study conducted in the lecture theatre of S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, amongst the 1st year MBBS students of the 2017-18 batch. A total of 240 students participated in the study and they were equally divided into 2 groups based on random allocation. Results: 6.27 ± 2.32 and 5.41 ± 1.81 are the mean marks secured in pre-test by Gp-A and Gp-B respectively. The difference in the mean marks secured in pre-test is not found to be statistically significant. Out of the120 Gp-A students the mean marks secured in pre test and post test was 6.27 ± 2.32 and 15.31 ± 1.54 respectively. A comparative analysis in the total marks secured in post test of Gp-A and Gp-B showed that, Gp-A students secured remarkably more marks in post test than Gp-B and this was found statistically significant. Conclusion: Integrated learning helps the students to understand and correlate the different clinical problems/cases and enhances clinical learning. On long term basis it helps to improve the academic standard of the doctors, improve diagnosis of diseases and management providing better health care.

Case based learning versus traditional didactic lecture in Community Medicine to teach vector borne diseases “malaria and dengue”: interventional study

Background: Traditional didactic lectures do not evoke interactive teaching. Analytical thinking is not fostered. When students are put into the role of primary care physician, a sense of responsibility towards society is instilled in them generating a desire to learn. Case based learning (CBL) is one such method which can be used for meaningful learning. Incorporation of case based scenarios on real life situations in teaching can make medical undergraduate students competent to diagnose and treat common health problems.Methods: The study was conducted amongst third M.B.B.S. students. Interventional study design was used. Intervention group was taught with CBL and control group with didactic method. Pre-test, post-test was conducted to assess cognitive domain scores. To assess perception regarding CBL, feedback questionnaire was given to students. Percentages, unpaired t test were used for statistical analysis.Results: 99.60% of students perceived CBL is helpful to understand key concepts. 95.65% reported its importance in development of critical thinking. 95.66% reported that CBL session promoted meaningful learning as compared to lecture. On application of statistical tests, there was no difference in average marks scored by students taught with CBL as compared to those taught with traditional didactic method.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that CBL arouses interest. It can be incorporated to teach topics in Community Medicine.

Case Based Learning in Undergraduate Pathology A Study to Assess its Efficacy and Acceptability as Teaching-Learning Tool

Background: An innovative paradigm, of teaching-learning (TL) method, like Case Based Learning (CBL) in a paraclinical subject like Pathology is considered essential, which would bring about learning of pathological and clinical features of diseases in an integrated easy manner, resulting in growing of interest in undergraduate medical students to learn pathology with better retention of knowledge. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of CBL as a TL method in Pathology and to assess perception of students and teachers to CBL. Materials and methods: Study involved 86 students from 2 nd professional MBBS course. Two common diseases viz. microcytic hypochromic anemia and pulmonary tuberculosis were taught in two phases respectively. Students were equally divided into two large groups of 43 each – Didactic lecture (DL) and CBL groups. DL group was taught with conventional DL by Pathology-faculties and CBL group was taught with CBL tool jointly by pathology and relevant clinical faculties. Teaching method was interchanged between large groups for two diseases. Pretest and post-test were conducted before and after intervention (DL/CBL) respectively. In addition, to test for knowledge retention one late post-test was also conducted in 2nd phase. Lastly, students’ and teachers’ feedbacks on perception to CBL were obtained

A randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of problem-based learning compared with traditional didactic lecture on otitis media among junior interns in a tertiary teaching hospital

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is there a difference in the proportion of students who will achieve a score of > 60 percent in the posttest on Otitis Media under the Problem-based learning and Traditional didactic lecture? STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial SETTING: Tertiary teaching hospital SUBJECT: Junior interns rotating at the department of Otolaryngology-Head &Neck Surgery. METHODOLOGY: All Junior Interns rotating in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in a tertiary teaching hospital from September 2002 to February 2003 were included in the study. They were divided into 2 groups rotating every 15 days with a total of 12 groups enrolled during the study period. The group was randomly allocated by lottery to either traditional didactic lecture or problem-based learning. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant improvement (p=0.000) from the pre to the posttest scores of students in both groups. The TDL group had a higher proportion (91 percent) of interns who achieved a grade of > 60 percent compared with PBL group (84 percent) although there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the proportion of the students who passed the posttest examination. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient evidence to show that a difference exists between problem-based learning and traditional didactic lecture in the proportion of the students who achieved >60 percent in the posttest on Otitis Media. (Author)