Quiz as an academic tool for teaching learning physiology in Indian medical students: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: In a changing World, education has become a priority. It has become need of the hour to explore more innovative ways of teaching effectively. Active teaching in the form of small group discussions and interactive activities like quiz are been explored to ensure healthy and competitive learning. Not many studies have been done in India and thus, this study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of quiz as an academic tool. Methods: 96 First year medical undergraduates participated in quizzes on various topics of Physiology that were organized every 3-4 weeks. At the end of the year, they were asked to give their feedback anonymously in a Likert scale that was duly analyzed. Results:49% students strongly liked the quiz, 40% liked it and only 1% of the students did not like it. Majority of the students liked various contents and organization of the quiz. Most of the students liked the procedure of the quiz e.g. pattern of team formation, weightage of topics, frequency, duration, pattern of scoring, time for answering questions, contents, rounds, difficulty level and usefulness in study. Conclusion: Activities like quizzes are beneficial to the students and must be encouraged as a part of the curriculum.