Perception of students and teachers about didactic teaching: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Context: Didactic (lecture) method is a popular way of delivering the information in class among teachers amidst the other multiple novel methods, but there are very few researches published related to exploring the perception of teachers and students about effective didactic teaching. Aims: The aim of this survey is to find the best way to deliver a lecture as per the opinion of students and teachers in the College of Applied Health Sciences. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional survey through a questionnaire was obtained from a previous study on medical students with original questionnaire consisting of 17 items. In addition to the 17 items in the questionnaire, 4 new items were included through a pilot study on students and teachers in the College of Applied Medical Sciences. Subjects and Methods: Students (n = 110) and teachers (n = 41) participated in the cross-sectional study. Good Teaching Questionnaire was used to obtain opinion and views about ways to make didactic teaching better and effective. Statistical Analysis Used: Nonparametric tests were used to analyze data obtained from the questionnaire. Results: Almost 100% of teachers and students agreed to include mental rehearsal and smart board method of teaching in didactic method. Nearly 100% of students and 29.2% (12) of teachers agreed to include multiple-choice questions in the lecture. Conclusions: Smart board presentation is preferred over the other modes of delivery of information. Mental rehearsal at the end of class is a useful tool to enhance learning and content retention. Teachers must implement students' suggestions such as ideal duration of class, time of class, lot of relevant examples, and little bit of fun would make learning enjoyable and effective.