Abstract:
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of small group sessions in terms of pedagogy and students learning from an undergraduate
MBBS student’s perspective in Bahria University Medical and Dental College (BUMDC).
Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study carried out in BUMDC from June 2015 to August 2015 by interviewer-administered
type questionnaire. 60 students from each year of MBBS (first to final year) were interviewed. Total study population was 300.
Those medical students who had attended both PBL and IS during any stage of their medical education were included. Each
student was assessed by questionnaire for 5-10 minutes. The student responses were acquired on a scale of strongly disagree,
disagree, agree and strongly agree. Frequency of responses was calculated and reported in percentages.
Results: The participants responded to 15 questions given in the questionnaire in relation to interactive session (IS) and problem
based learning (PBL). The results of both were comparable. For PBL, 82.6% participants agreed that they were able to learn
the content of the subject, whereas 85% of study participants agreed same for IS. 76% said that PBL had helped them to be an
active learner, which was 77.3% for IS. For some questions, PBL had better response, whereas for others, IS were considered
better by the students.
Conclusion: Although short group interactive sessions, and problem based learning, both are effective methods of teaching
from students’ perspective, PBL had better appraisal in terms of group dynamics, confidence building in students, communication
skills, presentation skills and to develop higher order thinking. Rest of the questions in the questionnaire had better results for
interactive session, confirming that both teaching strategies are effective as teaching tools, with PBL having an edge over
interactive sessions.