Abstract
Background: It cannot be emphasized enough that a solid understanding of pathology is the foundation for a good clinical practice. And, Pathology, being a vast subject with the number of lecture hours being limited, understanding the students’ perspective is essential for generating interest in the subject and for gaining essential knowledge and skills during those limited hours assigned. Aim: This study was aimed at understanding the students’ perspective regarding pathology as a subject and about the effectiveness of the various teaching-learning methods currently used by the faculty of our department. Materials & Methods: This study was carried out on 81 2nd MBBS students (regular batch) who have completed 3 semesters of pathology using a predesigned questionnaire with questions pertaining to students’ perception of pathology and the various teaching learning methods currently used by the faculty. Results: A vast majority of the students, 96.6%, found pathology to be an interesting subject. About 95% of them agreed that a sound knowledge of pathology was useful during their clinical postings and for their clinical practice. Majority of the students, 76.6%, were satisfied with content of the lectures taken. 93.3% of them felt that enough stress has been laid on important topics during the lecture classes and important points have been highlighted adequately. Popular modes of teaching learning were case-based discussions and group discussion (96.6 %), Powerpoint presentations (88%), black board teaching (78.3 %), integrated teaching ( 83.3%). 96.65% of the students agreed that written exams were a very effective assessment tool. Among the changes suggested by the students, the point most mentioned was that more practical exams and monthly tests need to be conducted because pathology was perceived as a vast subject. Lack of effective teacher-student communication was also mentioned in 6% of the feedback forms. Conclusion: Our study showed that most students had a positive attitude towards pathology as a subject as well as the various teaching learning methods employed by the faculty of our department. Most students felt case based discussions and integrated teaching to be among the most effective ways of gaining knowledge.
Highlights
Second MBBS is a crucial period in undergraduate education because this is when the student is initiated into clinical postings and taught the etiology and pathogenesis of various disease processes [1]
Questionnaire:A predesigned, structured, pre-validated questionnaire after peer review, was used to gather information regarding students’ perception of pathology and about the various teaching learning methods currently used by the faculty
A vast majority of the students, 96.6%, found pathology to be an interesting subject. 95% of them agreed that a sound knowledge of pathology was useful during their clinical postings and for their clinical practice in future. 93.3% were of opinion that an integrated mode of teaching pathology along with other clinical specialty subjects will help in better understanding of various diseases. 65% of the students found systemic pathology to be more difficult than general pathology, while 28.3% of the students felt general pathology was easier than systemic pathology (Table 1)
Summary
Second MBBS is a crucial period in undergraduate education because this is when the student is initiated into clinical postings and taught the etiology and pathogenesis of various disease processes [1]. Aim: This study was aimed at understanding the students’ perspective regarding pathology as a subject and about the effectiveness of the various teaching-learning methods currently used by the faculty of our department. Materials & Methods: This study was carried out on 81 2nd MBBS students (regular batch) who have completed 3 semesters of pathology using a predesigned questionnaire with questions pertaining to students’ perception of pathology and the various teaching learning methods currently used by the faculty. Among the changes suggested by the students, the point most mentioned was that more practical exams and monthly tests need to be conducted because pathology was perceived as a vast subject. Conclusion: Our study showed that most students had a positive attitude towards pathology as a subject as well as the various teaching learning methods employed by the faculty of our department. Most students felt case based discussions and integrated teaching to be among the most effective ways of gaining knowledge
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