Assessment of preclinical problem‐based learning versus lecture‐based learning

Abstract

Academic performance on a standardized oral comprehensive exam (OCE) was compared for students taught basic science in a problem‐based learning (PBL) curriculum and a lecture‐based learning (LBL) curriculum. The OCE was administered to the graduating classes of 1991–1994 (n approximately 20/class) six months after completion of their basic science courses. The OCE contained six components including: Organization and Thoroughness, Diagnosis, Primary Treatment Plan, Alternate Treatment Plan, Science and Medical Knowledge, and Dental Knowledge. Six to eight examiners graded each of the students by using a standardized scoring system and by subjective comments. The class of 1991 was taught by LBL, classes of 1993 and 1994 by PBL, and the class of 1992 by an incomplete PBL teaching method. Mean OCE scores were not significantly different between classes; however, the Science and Medical Knowledge component score was significantly better for the class of 1994 than for 1991 (p < 0.05). There was a non‐significant 40 percent increase (p = 0.07) in honors and a 269 percent (p < 0.001) increase in cumulative positive examiner comments between 1991 and 1994.

Traditional lecture versus PBL tutorials in Dental students’ knowledge acquisition

“…This also reinforces the PBL method is an option that does not affect the cognitive performance of the student 2,[25][26][27] . Demographic survey is critical because, besides characterizing the sample group, it may explain some of the results found in studies on teaching-learning process 18 .…”

“…A recent systematic review on PBL in dental education 7 found that only four scientific studies were of moderate methodological quality [6][7][8]14,27 . All of them concluded that PBL was superior than traditional teaching-learning models with significant differences in some topics such as better performance in the American National Dental Board Examination [6][7][8] , greater knowledge of science and health 27 , higher percentage of students graduating on time 7 and of graduates entering postdoctoral programs 28 .…”

Problem–Based Learning in Dental Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Twenty–five articles on further reading did not meet the inclusion criteria because of the lack of comparison PBL with traditional educational approach, 23–42 lack of a PBL intervention, 43 , 44 lack of quantitative outcome measures, 45 failure to provide statistical analysis, 46 or reporting of overlapping data with another article 47 . Therefore, seventeen articles were included in the systematic review 18 , 48–63 . Table 1 shows the characteristics of the included studies.…”

“…Thirteen studies were found that compared the educational approaches 18 ,49–51,53–55,57–61, 63 . These studies used concurrent cohorts at different schools, 50 ,53,54, 59 used non–concurrent cohorts at the same school, 49 ,51,58, 63 or employed a retrospective design 18 ,55,57,60, 61 . The quality assessment rated four of these studies as being of moderate quality, 55 ,57,60, 61 while the other studies were assessed as being of weak quality.…”

Using clinical scenarios to teach virology

“…Recently, problem‐based learning (PBL), using a combination of tutorials and formal lectures, has been introduced into medical education to increase motivation. Students are expected to read clinical scenarios and extract information, ranging from basic science to clinical and social science, working both independently and in groups 1–4 . While PBL has been used extensively for the teaching of clinical subjects, it has been extended only recently to the teaching of the preclinical sciences such as biochemistry, 5 anatomy 6 and neuroscience 7 …”