RESUMO
To assess medical students' perception about problem based learning [PBL] Study Descriptive cross-sectional survey College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University [PNU], Riyadh, KSA or more PBL sessions Intervention: a self-administered questionnaire comprising 15 close-ended questions with a 5-point Likert scale responses Student's perceptions and opinions Overall, students had a positive perception towards all the items; self-learning, critical thinking, integration of basic concepts into clinical science, identifying gaps in knowledge and improved problem solving skills. The mean value of all items was 19.77 +/- 2.61 out of 25. Students who perceived that PBL stimulates critical thinking and 90.4% agreed that PBL integrates basic science with clinical knowledge. Although 73.1% of students found that PBL motivates self-learning, majority disagreed about increasing the frequency of PBL. Also, most of students were against increasing marks allocated for the assessment of PBL. Almost three quarters of students realized the value of PBL in improving communication skills and interpersonal relations. Students who thought that PBL is a preferable teaching tool for clinical concepts amounted to 69.2%. Overall, students perceived PBL positively. While positive perception was maximum for integration of basic science into clinical knowledge and critical thinking, problem solving. Students also valued PBL in enhancing communication skills and promoting positive interpersonal relations. However, majority of students disagreed to have more frequent PBL sessions or to increase PBL exam marks