Preferences of the 1st year medical students on various teaching methods and their feedback on curriculum quality in Biochemistry

Abstract

Objectives: Medical teaching requires introduction of new teaching methods to cover the vast curriculum in stipulated time. Apart from conventional teaching, newer teaching learning methods such as video clippings, problem-based learning (PBL), seminars, early exposure to patients, hospital laboratory visits, debates, quiz, and group discussions need to be introduced. The study was conducted to gauge the student’s perception regarding the teaching methodology adopted by the department of Biochemistry for the 1st year MBBS students. Along with this, feedback was also taken to assess the student’s views on their present assessment system as well as on various aspects of the current MBBS curriculum and on their relationship with their teachers. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study conducted in the department of Biochemistry and the data were collected using a pre-designed questionnaire from the 1st year MBBS students after completion of the 1st year Biochemistry course. Results: The questionnaire evaluated different teaching methods for various topics in Biochemistry. Among 243 students included in the study, didactic lecture was preferred by 80 students for endocrinology and 82 for cancer biology topics. Debate was preferred for the topic of nutrition (n = 82). Ninety-one students chose case-based learning for learning clinical Biochemistry. Video-based learning was preferred for the topic of molecular biology by 80 students. Conclusion: Students prefer different combinations of teaching learning method for better understanding of the subject. Early clinical exposure and effective tutorial sessions will definitely improve the learning gain among pre-clinical students.