At the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, senior medical student volunteers are used as tutors for some problem-based learning groups in both the first and second years. Previous studies on the advantages and disadvantages of student tutors compared to faculty tutors have been equivocal. This study expected to answer the…

Effects of problem-based learning as reported in curricular comparison studies have been shown to be inconsistent over different medical schools. Therefore, we decided to summarize effects of a single well-established problem-based curriculum rather than to add up sometimes-conflicting findings from different problem-based curricula. Effect sizes…

Traces development of the problem-based, five-year curriculum of the new medical school at the University of Newcastle (Australia), outlining the events of the three years before it opened and commenting on the experiences of its first year. A timetable of medical problems studied by the students is presented. (Author/JD)

In response to HE 528 462, the author suggests the use of student-generated learning issues in problem-based medical education should place more emphasis on mechanisms in the generation of learning issues, the ramifications of various degrees of student input into the identification of issues, and the role of teacher-learner negotiations in the…

A study investigated differences in National Board of Medical Examiners Part I scores for students at the College of Human Medicine (Michigan) in two preclinical medicine curricula, one problem based and one traditional, during four distinct periods. Results illustrate the difficulty of comparing the curricula, given revisions over time. (MSE)

A study investigated whether medical school faculty can arrive at consistent, non-idiosyncratic grades in a problem-based learning course. Analysis of grades given by three teachers, based on seven performance categories, to 16 groups of nine students in a seven-week University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) course revealed that given specific…

A growing number of health care educators are concerned with the effectiveness of the traditional approach for educating health care practitioners. The problem-based learning approach has been advocated as an effective alternative method for addressing many current concerns and for producing a more effective doctor. (Author/MSE)

The University of Calgary medical school revised its curriculum based on the way patients present to physicians. The curriculum defines 120 clinical presentations; describes appropriate clinical behavior of a graduating physician for each presentation; and specifies the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed by the graduate for clinical…

Interviews with faculty in seven problem-based medical school curricula concerning use of student-generated learning issues found that uses of such issues have evolved in terms of content definition, direct examination planning, student evaluation, and curriculum review. Results also suggest these curricula may encourage development of…

The training and education of doctors is a complex process. The traditional apprenticeship model of clinical medical education following a pre-clinical sciences curriculum had many strengths and produced a doctor who met the needs of several generations of patients. More recently, medical training has been criticised for not adapting to the more…

An innovative curriculum called the "Regional Center Alternative Pathway," recently adopted by the Northwest Center for Medical Education (part of Indiana University's School of Medicine), is presented. The curriculum combines the traditional structure's didactic approach with a new problem-based tutorial curriculum. In this curriculum…

A study investigated reasoning processes of medical students in schools with different curricular formats, a conventional curriculum with basic science taught before clinical training and a problem-based curriculum with basic science taught in the context of clinical problems. Strengths and weaknesses of each curriculum type emerged. (Author/MSE)

Describes problem-based learning at South Africa's University of Transkei (Unitra) medical school, including the curriculum's design and instructional strategies in use. Reports a survey of 20 faculty and 35 students studying to be medical doctors (MBChBs). Results indicated a majority of faculty and students agreed on the effectiveness of the…

A survey of 882 medical school faculty serving as problem-based learning (PBL) tutors found that most felt that PBL and traditional curricula were approximately equally efficient for learning; PBL rated higher in student interest, faculty interest, personal satisfaction, student reasoning, and preparation for clinical rotations; and traditional…

A study of a new University of Toronto medical school problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum found that students (n=207) and faculty (n=15) had more favorable attitudes toward PBL after direct experience with it than before. Recommendations are made for other schools and programs wishing to implement PBL curricula. (Author/MSE)