Abstract
Background The purpose of this study is to investigate the medical students'perceptions of the Hybrid Educational Activities between team based learning (TBL) and problem based learning (PBL) Program (HEATAPP), a novel educational program that combines characteristics of PBL and TBL. Methods A five-day HEATAPP on infectious diseases was provided to 4th year medical students at Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. After the program, a focus group discussion was held among 6 medical students who participated in HEATAPP. We qualitatively analyzed the recorded data to delineate the effectiveness of, and the perceptions on, HEATAPP. Results Some students considered HEATAPP being effective as an active learning, and in developing questions. However, some students found active learning difficult to execute, since they were so familiar with passive learning such as lectures and examinations. They also found it difficult to identify important points by reading authentic textbooks on given issues, particularly English textbooks. Conclusions Even though active learning and group discussion are underscored as important in medicine, some Japanese medical students may be reluctant to shift towards these since they are so used to passive learning since childhood. English language is another barrier to active learning. The introduction of active learning in the earlier stages of education might be an effective solution. Teachers at medical schools in Japan should be mindful of the students'potentially negative attitudes towards active learning, which is claimed to be successful in western countries.
Highlights
Active learning such as problem based learning (PBL) and team based learning (TBL) has become increasingly popular in medical education among Asian countries including Japan.[1,2] We developed a novel learning method named Hybrid Educational Activities of TBL and PBL Program (HEATAPP), which incorporated characteristics of both TBL and PBL, since we considered that employing TBL has the advantage of requiring less faculty members, of which we have a shortage
Group work on each Your Specific Question (YSQ) was presented on the following morning, and the new case was discussed afterward
After reviewing the group discussion, we found that many felt HEATAPP was effective in active learning, group discussion, and developing hypotheses and questions
Summary
Active learning such as problem based learning (PBL) and team based learning (TBL) has become increasingly popular in medical education among Asian countries including Japan.[1,2] We developed a novel learning method named Hybrid Educational Activities of TBL and PBL Program (HEATAPP), which incorporated characteristics of both TBL and PBL, since we considered that employing TBL has the advantage of requiring less faculty members, of which we have a shortage. PBL can strengthen clinical reasoning skills, which we consider is one weakness our students have. We held a focus group discussion and interviews for 6 medical students who participated in HEATAPP, and we found its strengths and weaknesses, for Japanese students who might have unique characteristics different from other nations. We review what we found and try to envision what should be done
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